Vertical Horizons (Response to Borges)

            Borges is extremely unique, but not in a way that is distasteful to my mind. From what we have experienced in class discussions, I’ve gathered that most scholars don’t appreciate his timely, untimely fashion.  His style reminded me of Paramore’s song “Brick by Boring Brick”. So one day he found her crying, coiled up on the dirty ground. “Her prince finally came to save her, and the rest you can figure out. But it was a trick, and the clock struck twelve. Well make sure to build your home brick by boring brick or the wolf's gonna blow it down. Keep your feet on the ground, when your head's in the clouds.” Borges tricks you with his timing. I got lost in his stories but my subconscious kept me looking for the magical realism.

 I agree that “The Garden of Forking Paths” was ridiculously difficult to follow, and that piece of work I did not care for. However, I found “The Gospel According to Mark” was very intriguing! This man goes from this life without conflict, to living on a ranch where the aides don’t seem to understand him.  Their ignorance ended up crucifying him. I see this everyday in different settings. My biological mother didn’t finish high school.  There are things that I think would be common sense that she doesn’t understand because she didn’t receive the education. Her lack of refinement, for lack of a better term, has prevented her from being able to make more than what is barely necessary financially in life.

 Ignorance is not bliss.  The band, Jellyfish, can tell Princess Toadstool all day that her fear would only be more excessive if she knew why she existed, but if someone is oblivious to what possibilities life has in store, then they can’t properly prepare for these obstacles. (“Ignorance is Bliss” by Jellyfish)

I went through a lot of traumatic experiences as a child. Ignorance is not a luxury I had about the world, however, imagination is.  Emma Zune is a character I can easily relate to. The instance of her father’s suicide caused her to take drastic measures against the man she felt was responsible. In the end she created her own reality of what happened, in order to make herself feel better. Granted, my situations never brought me to the point of murdering anyone, but I can understand how replacing the truth with something less harrowing is done. I never forgot what happened, but I don’t think of it in the way it happened. The nightmares these unspecified situations bring on make alternate realities easy to create, just to get away from actuality.  Sometimes some of us just need to escape….

“Honestly, can you believe

We crossed the world while it's asleep?

I'd never trade it in

'Cause I've always wanted this and

It's not a dream anymore, no

It's not a dream anymore

It's worth fighting for”

- Paramore “Looking Up”