Sunday, December 14, 2003

 
In your dreams Just finished reading `Through a looking glass’ by Lewis Carroll. It’s really a dream…unexplainable! Have always been struck by how unrelated things are in a dream…if you don’t tell someone about your dream as soon as you wake up, then it is lost…it indeed is. You forget the details. You forget the events…the sequence. But in a dream, sequence hardly matters. What matters, are the people and the things you see. And the conversation…you say the most inane things…and you discuss the most irrelevant stuff in a dream. Irrelevant to the situation then…but not irrelevant to your day. I remember once having sent a mail to a friend about something to do with soap…and in my dream I walk upto him and he is a shopkeeper (which he is not in real life) and ask him about the price of soaps. And then he tells me his budget is 30 rupees (why ever! I am the one who is doing all the buying). Then I don’t remember what happens next…that’s so frustrating. You know you have seen something…there is a whisper of it in your conscious thought…but your sub-conscious refuses to let it pass to the conscious mind. Its like you see tantalizing parts of a body behind the screen but you cannot see the face! Coming back to the book…what I like most about it is the poetry! Just about everybody is spouting poetry. And the conversation…some of the things are so weird but true and yet we never pause to think about it…take this for a sample Alice knocked and rang in vain for a long time, but at last, a very old Frog, who was sitting under a tree, got up and hobbled slowly towards her: he was dressed in bright yellow, and had enormous boots on. `What is it, now?' the Frog said in a deep hoarse whisper. Alice turned round, ready to find fault with anybody. `Where's the servant whose business it is to answer the door?' she began angrily. `Which door?' said the Frog. Alice almost stamped with irritation at the slow drawl in which he spoke. `This door, of course!' The Frog looked at the door with his large dull eyes for a minute: then he went nearer and rubbed it with his thumb, as if he were trying whether the paint would come off; then he looked at Alice. `To answer the door?' he said. `What's it been asking of?' He was so hoarse that Alice could scarcely hear him. `I don't know what you mean,' she said. `I talks English, doesn't I?' the Frog went on. `Or are you deaf? What did it ask you?' `Nothing!' Alice said impatiently. `I've been knocking at it!' `Shouldn't do that -- shouldn't do that -- ' the Frog muttered. `Wexes it, you know.' Then he went up and gave the door a kick with one of his great feet. `You let it alone,' he panted out, as he hobbled back to his tree, `and it'll let you alone, you know.' The frog is right of course! Why should we `answer’ a door…what has it been asking??? And then there is my favourite conversation between Humpty Dumpty and Alice about `words’ `I don't know what you mean by "glory,"' Alice said. Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. `Of course you don't -- till I tell you. I meant "there's a nice knock-down argument for you!"' `But "glory" doesn't mean "a nice knock-down argument,"' Alice objected. `When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.' `The question is,' said Alice, `whether you can make words mean so many different things.' `The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, `which is to be master - - that's all.' Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. `They've a temper, some of them -- particularly verbs, they're the proudest -- adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs -- however, I can manage the whole of them! Impenetrability! That's what I say!' `Would you tell me, please,' said Alice `what that means?` `Now you talk like a reasonable child,' said Humpty Dumpty, looking very much pleased. `I meant by "impenetrability" that we've had enough of that subject, and it would be just as well if you'd mention what you mean to do next, as I suppose you don't mean to stop here all the rest of your life.' `That's a great deal to make one word mean,' Alice said in a thoughtful tone. `When I make a word do a lot of work like that,' said Humpty Dumpty, `I always pay it extra.' `Oh!' said Alice. She was too much puzzled to make any other remark. `Ah, you should see `em come round me of a Saturday night,' Humpty Dumpty went on, wagging his head gravely from side to side: `for to get their wages, you know.' (Alice didn't venture to ask what he paid them with; and so you see I can't tell you.) I can almost see Humpty Dumpty when he says, “The questions is, which is to be master – that’s all”. A raised eye-brow with a `there-you-are’ look. Very supercilious…very condescending…very right. I mean, why should we have to say what words have to mean. But then again if someone else has to understand what you are trying to `say’ then you better `mean’ it the way the `words’ mean it. That sounds like so much constraint! But I am digressing …like I have been through this whole thought process and come to think of it the way Lewis Carroll does throughout the book…he doesn’t have to take any interaction through to its conclusion…just like dreams…Alice moves from encounter to interesting encounter without their necessarily having any conclusion. Probably because she is in a hurry to become the queen. I think we do that in our dreams too…hurry through the whole adventure or get stuck in a corny slow motion (this I can only presume…but I think it can happen because its such a favourite story telling tool of movie makers…people slipping in slow motion on a patch of oil, or falling down a cliff in slow motion). Am planning to read up more on dreams and literature related to dreams…if you have anything interesting to tell me…do mail me at hetalsomu@yahoo.com... Meanwhile read this amazing poem that started it all… Walrus and the Carpenter `The sun was shining on the sea, Shining with all his might: He did his very best to make The billows smooth and bright -- And this was odd, because it was The middle of the night. The moon was shining sulkily, Because she thought the sun Had got no business to be there After the day was done -- "It's very rude of him," she said, "To come and spoil the fun!" The sea was wet as wet could be, The sands were dry as dry. You could not see a cloud, because No cloud was in the sky: No birds were flying over head -- There were no birds to fly. The Walrus and the Carpenter Were walking close at hand; They wept like anything to see Such quantities of sand: "If this were only cleared away," They said, "it would be grand!" "If seven maids with seven mops Swept it for half a year, Do you suppose," the Walrus said, "That they could get it clear?" "I doubt it," said the Carpenter, And shed a bitter tear. "O Oysters, come and walk with us!" The Walrus did beseech. "A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk, Along the briny beach: We cannot do with more than four, To give a hand to each." The eldest Oyster looked at him. But never a word he said: The eldest Oyster winked his eye, And shook his heavy head -- Meaning to say he did not choose To leave the oyster-bed. But four young oysters hurried up, All eager for the treat: Their coats were brushed, their faces washed, Their shoes were clean and neat -- And this was odd, because, you know, They hadn't any feet. Four other Oysters followed them, And yet another four; And thick and fast they came at last, And more, and more, and more -- All hopping through the frothy waves, And scrambling to the shore. The Walrus and the Carpenter Walked on a mile or so, And then they rested on a rock Conveniently low: And all the little Oysters stood And waited in a row. "The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing-wax -- Of cabbages -- and kings -- And why the sea is boiling hot -- And whether pigs have wings." "But wait a bit," the Oysters cried, "Before we have our chat; For some of us are out of breath, And all of us are fat!" "No hurry!" said the Carpenter. They thanked him much for that. "A loaf of bread," the Walrus said, "Is what we chiefly need: Pepper and vinegar besides Are very good indeed -- Now if you're ready Oysters dear, We can begin to feed." "But not on us!" the Oysters cried, Turning a little blue, "After such kindness, that would be A dismal thing to do!" "The night is fine," the Walrus said "Do you admire the view? "It was so kind of you to come! And you are very nice!" The Carpenter said nothing but "Cut us another slice: I wish you were not quite so deaf -- I've had to ask you twice!" "It seems a shame," the Walrus said, "To play them such a trick, After we've brought them out so far, And made them trot so quick!" The Carpenter said nothing but "The butter's spread too thick!" "I weep for you," the Walrus said. "I deeply sympathize." With sobs and tears he sorted out Those of the largest size. Holding his pocket handkerchief Before his streaming eyes. "O Oysters," said the Carpenter. "You've had a pleasant run! Shall we be trotting home again?" But answer came there none -- And that was scarcely odd, because They'd eaten every one.' Did you know that two books find their titles from this poem? It was a quiz question…the books are `Cabbages and Kings’ and `Pigs have wings’!
Hetal 12:11 AM