Reader's Journal Week 14

Devil's Bait:

"I want to sit down in front of everyone I've heard- listen to their voices in my tape recorder like a child, like an agnostic, like a pluralist. I want to  be the compassionate nurse, not the skeptical doctor. I want to abyss, not the verdict. I want to believe everyone. I want everyone to be right. But compassion isn't the same thing as belief. This isn't a lesson I want to learn." (pg. 55)

This passage really stuck out to me, and I'm not sure why. I think this passage is a great example of the writing techniques and characteristic of Jamison. She writes so personally and effectively- like she knows her audience can relate to whatever she writes. I guess we all want to be compassionate listeners and hear stories from other people. We want to believe these stories because we feel they "sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings and misfortunes of other people" (definition of compassion). But feeling compassion for someone is different than believing them.

Morphology of the Hit:

"I like the kids. They touched me-literally, my arms, legs, whole body- more than anyone else I'd known. I knew their families by sight and sometimes by name. Many of their mothers sold chewing gum and cashews in parque central next to the bus station. Their fathers and brothers called out "Guapa Chica!" every time I passed. I should have been offended. I wasn't." (pg. 69)

I chose this passage because I work with kids. They really do touch you, everywhere. It's like they have no sense of boundaries- but I don't mind it. They don't know any better, and they are being affectionate. I also recognize families and whose child belongs to who. I feel a connection with these people, since I know their family. I don't personally know the family, but I can see the family and know about them *if that makes sense*. I think this is the feeling that Jamison had when she was describing this part of the book. She has a soft spot for kids and their families, like me.