Sunday, February 22, 2009

Fear

As a kid, and even now, I have had issues with water. I love being in the rain with puddles the size of small ponds, but being in lakes or other large bodies of water scare me. Well, one year when my parents and I were camping with my Auntie Bonnie it started raining, hard. It kept raining and raining for two days. After a full day of rain, the whole campsite was flooded. We were trying to make our food while standing on the picnic table while wearing garbage bags, in my case storage bags, over our legs. The water was almost up to my knees (it only got to my parents' shins). I was trying to keep my cool, like the adults were but I was scared. Eventually my parents decided that we could go home. I was 8 or 9 years old then and we have not been camping, as a family, since.
The boys in Golding's The Lord of the Flies don't seem to have the same problem that I had, they all seem to enjoy the water. Pretty much the only fear mentioned in the book is the "beast", which is at one point thought to come from the water:
Jack listened to Percival's answer and then let go of him. Percival, released, surrounded by the comfortable pressence of humans, fell in the long grass and went to sleep.
Jack cleared his throat, then reported casually.
"He says the beast comes out of the sea."
The last laugh died away. Ralph turned involuntarily, a black, humped figure against the laggon. The assembly looked with him, considered the vast stretches of water, the high sea beyond, unknown idigo of infinate possibilitiy, heard silently the sough and whisper from the reef." (88)

5 comments:

  1. i never knew you were afraid of water. i can see way you would be though.

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  2. I didn't know about the camping thing, I knew about the water though. ^_^ Anyway, I like how you connected the "beast from the water" to your water fear. I probably wouldn't have been able to. haha. Mine was a little more simple to connect. I'm glad to know about how you tough it out though! Good girl! ^.^

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  3. Impressive inclusion of a related quote - nice touch! Andy mentioned a fear of water as well. My wife is not a fan, and neither is my daughter. Thanks for sharing this.

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  4. heather I'm so proud of you! you came tubing with me that one time!! well, maybe laughing at cassie made it easier...=] ah, good times.

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  5. Heather I never knew this about you!!! Goodness!! I also know what it feels to be afraid of swimming! I used to love swimming and now you can't get me anywhere near water! Being in Hawaii for 10 days was like torture when it came to the water seeing as I was surrounded by it! haha

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