Tag: death

Posted on

The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy

death_ivanilyitch_1104I cannot quite identify what draws me to Russian literature of the late 1800s, but it speaks to me. I’ve read many of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s books and several Leo Tolstoy’s.   I came across this little gem while perusing a list recommended literature.

It is in many ways a classic Russian work. Our protagonist is a judge who worked his way up by first going to the provinces and by a bit of luck too. He is a talented judge and unusual for these type of tales, an honest judge. He married as it seemed the thing to do, and that it was expected of people in his profession and social situation.   His marriage is not a happy one, but does produce several children. As in many Russian novels, there are money difficulties. It does not seem to matter what he makes, the family’s wants expand to the income and a little more. As his marriage deteriorates and other difficulties crowd in, he buries himself in his work. All of this is not an uncommon tale.

What I admire about Tolstoy is his ability to zero on the absurdities of human life. Continue reading “The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy”

Posted on

Innocent Man Freed

I regularly download several pod-casts from NPR.  I listen to them as I jog or drive.  The programs almost always seem to air at times I cannot listen, or cannot listen with attention.  So I time shift.  One of my favorites is This American Life with Ira Glass.

They recently reran a story that originally aired in February of 2005.  The story was very disturbing and uplifting all at the same time.  It is a crime story.  It is legal drama.  It is a story of redemption.  It is a story about a man who was randomly picked out of a mug book by teenager.  The young man claimed he saw a murder when in reality he did  not.  He was being bullied by the police detective during the interview and just wanted it over.  So he pointed to a face in a book.  That innocent face spent the next 21 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Either the police and legal system were lazy, incompetent, or overwhelmed, but the end result was prison.  The newly convicted man fortunately had a childhood friend who spent the next 21 years working to get him out of prison.  This is that story.  I am not ashamed to admit that by the end I had tears in my eyes. 

I go back and forth about the death penalty, but this story is a good argument against it.   Below is a link to the page on This American Life website that has the story and you can download the podcast and listen to it. 

This American Life : Episode 282 DIY

Posted on

The Quotable Juanita

My father passed away 5 years ago February 19th. He had a massive stroke back around 1996. He basically cheated death at that time, and my mother always referred to the ensuing years as “their bonus” years. And they were.

Even though he had been in poor health for many years it is still a shock when your partner of 50 plus years dies. My mother was cast adrift in her grief for a considerable period of time. Fortunately, time is frequently the best doctor in these situations, and life does go on.

At some point when she began to feel better and get out and about, she ran into a female acquaintance. Of course, they begin to chat. It would not have been my mother otherwise. This lady begin to tell my mother how good she looked, and how much younger than her years that she appeared. I think there was a comment in there about how fresh and youthful her skin appeared. She then asked my mother who was 70 something at the time, if she had thought about getting remarried.

My mother’s remark back to her was, “It is one thing to grow old with a man; it would be quite another thing to marry an old man.”

Y’all just thought Oscar Wilde had some pithy quotes.

Posted on

We Happened Upon Death

My mother’s birthday was going to fall in the middle of the week, so I decided to drive down to Muskogee for the weekend to celebrate it with her. Saturday, we drove to Tulsa, and we went shopping for her a birthday present. Afterwards we had lunch a Macaroni Grill. Since it was such a nice day I decided to take the slower way back to Muskogee rather than the turnpike.

As we were nearing her house traffic on US 69, a major artery, came to a stop. After a while we began to inch forward. I could see three ambulances near the intersection; two different fire department vehicles had passed us as well as a multitude of police vehicles.
Continue reading “We Happened Upon Death”

Posted on

Word of the Day – Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia

  • Noun:
    1. the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (as buzz, hiss)
    2. the use of words whose sound suggests the sense
  • Adjective:
    1. Onomatopoeic
  • Adverb:
    1. Onomatopoeically
  • Synonyms:
    1. imitate
    2. echo
    3. parrot
  • Usage:
    1. The Bells is a heavily onomatopoeic poem by Edgar Allan Poe which was not published until after his death in 1849.

To see more Words of Day, visit this link: Word of the Day

Posted on

Word for the Day – Gibbet

Gibbet

  • Noun:
    1. gallows
    2. an upright post with a projecting arm for hanging the bodies of executed criminals as a warning
  • Verb:
    1.  to expose to infamy or public scorn
    2. to put to death by hanging on a gibbet
  • Synonyms:
    1. gallows
    2. pillory
  • Usage:
    1.  The witch’s body was swinging in the wind from the gibbet for all to view.
  • Encountered:
    1. While reading Victor Hugo’s Notre Dame

To see more Words of Day, visit this link: Word of the Day