Saturday, February 1, 2014

Julia's Exploration Two

Respond to Holding On: Which profiled person do you admire the most so far in this book? Why?
I would have to say I commend Father Louis H. Greving the most because of his undying efforts to preserve and promote the Grotto of Redemption. I think his perseverance in continuing the construction of the nine grottos is admirable, especially after the death of his mentor Father Dobberstein.
How does this person demonstrate the theme of creativity?
I believe Father Louis H. Greving exhibits creativity through his creation of the grotto. Only a truly imaginative person would be able to imagine and then conceive the idea of using such coarse materials to create the shapes of caves, buildings, and various depictions of Jesus. 

Scott Russell Sanders shared a very deep story that he said he wrote mainly for his son. What surprised you the most about this story? Why?
It surprised me how much this experience had effected him mentally, it wasn't just the physical longing for a true father, it was Sander's thoughts that if he were perfect his father would be okay. This mind set can be seen most clearly in the following passage. "He would not hide the green bottles in his toolbox, would not sneak off to the barn with a lump under his coat, would not fall asleep in the daylight, would not roar and fume, would not drink himself to death, if only I were perfect." He truly believed that if he were the perfect son his father would come back to him and they could move on with their lives.
This idea of his own perfection being able to bring his father back really interests me because it shows the unique psychological effects that traumatic events can have on the human mind. It also shows the quirky ideas that children can come up with to deal with such events.
What did I learn?
I learned that I should continually remind myself that everyone is going through their own issues. While not everyone's problems are as apparent as others, we're all dealing with something and having a little support is almost always welcomed.

What is it that each of these people strive for, what is it that makes them continue on?
I find myself asking this question after many of the stories and I think it's a worth while idea to ponder. Many of the stories we can answer it fairly quickly, but others take a bit of thought.














2 comments:

  1. I too thought his desire to keep on making the Grotto's after Dobberstein had passed was really great and really showed his passion for keeping Dobberstein's vision alive. The story of Scott and his father's drinking problem was really eye opening. You really don't take a step back until you hear of some one else going through a struggle.

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  2. I agree that Father Graving was very determined to carry out his vision. I would love to see one of his Grottos. They seam beautiful.

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