A Diving Bell 2 (3rd blog on DBAB)

1. After reading Vegetable, respond to Bauby's statement: "I belonged on a vegetable stall and not the human race." Why do you think it is necessary for humans to put people into categories? Is our language so limiting in describing the world that we need a way to organize our thoughts?

I think we need to organize ourselves in different groups to make ourselves feel a part of something larger than ourselves yet at the same time being apart from others. We want to be both part of a group and totally alone, so we divide ourselves into groups that are both unique and common. And I think that our language is limiting in the way we describe the world.

2. Bauby claims that, "Capturing the moment, these small slices of life...I hoard all these letters like treasure." What do you hoard and why?

We hoard because there are things that we deem valuable personally; therefore we keep it and restrict access to it.

3. Read Outing and respond to Bauby's statement: "I know who he is, but who is he really?" Is he getting any closer to understanding what makes people tick? Also, why will Bauby never tire of the smell of French Fries?

No, I don't think that you can ever truely understand what makes people tick, and he'll never tire of the smell of french fries because he can never eat them.

4. Read Twenty to One. Bauby claims that, "the memory of that event has only come back to me now, now doubly painful: regret for a vanished past and, above all, remorse for lost opportunities." Do you ever look back on something in your life as a "small near miss"? Is it ever beneficial to have regrets?

Not yet, but as we get older, there will always be times when we second guess our selves- it's only human nature. I don't think it's beneficial to have regrets, but everyone has them, even if they don't admitt it.

5. Read Duck Hunt and explain what Bauby means by the statement: "I must have butterfly hearing."

He can hear everything and it all seems positive- ie. his butterfly is what he hears and he is determined to be positive about it.

6. Read Sunday. Why do you think Bauby dreads this day?

Because he is completely alone and he has absolutely nothing to do except stare at the wall and think about things, which can become overly oppressive.