Reading: Aleksandar Hemon 2

Olga's thoughts in the irst chapter were very interesting. She imagine's writing a letter back to her mum several times throughout, and to the best of my knowledge, she never actually does. She thinks: "Dear Mother, Our Lazarus is asleep, but out of that sleep we may not awake him." (p. 89) Seemingly afraid to write to herself that Lazarus is dead. But then anger takes over: "It seems we can never escape grief. We have lost Lazarus. What have we done to deserve so much suffering?" (p. 89) This progresses through the chapter, morphing with her experience.

The hhatred these men seemed to have for Jews is overwhelmingly odd. I guess as asimilar as many to homosexuals in recent years, there has just been this complete lack of understanding to draw fear and anger from. They were different and different is wrong. As the doctor autopsies the body, he finishes writing his notes to hear the Assisstant Chief say "They are creatures of a different world" (p 88). Creatures...Creatures. While it is very true that they are from a completely different world, they are just as human, just as capable of emotional fear and just as deserving of proper respect.

Brik mentions something quite interesting that I have always found true in America but never thought it to be different elsewhere. "The incessant perpetuation of collective fantasies makes people crave the truth and nothing but the truth -- reality is the fastest American commodity." The television and computer have only strengthened the truth of this statement. As more and more lies are thrown at is in shows and movies, news and sports, we turn to others for our fill of truth, honest story of heroism or terror. Unless our technology, we are not capable of such lability. We need some grounding in the stories of our friends or bar mates.