a- link to original post
b-what circumstance do I believe lead to this post being written?
I know that this time in her life was very difficult. She was living through abuse, and tried to navigate through a lot of heavy emotional turmoil.
c-whatβs the central idea or message?
I am not entirely sure. I see some parts of it being what was everything for her in life, but priorities changes. Some part of it is that sometimes we try everything we can to help our loved ones, though it makes us uncomfortable. And sometimes the help goes unnoticed or are even met with hostility. But it is never about you. It is about them.
d-whatβs the tone of the post (The author’s attitude toward the subject)?
I starts out with a sense of “memoirs.” It tells us about her dedication and what drives her sometimes. Then it changes to confusion and perhaps despair?
e-whatβs the mood of the post? (The overall atmosphere or feeling the post creates)?
The start of it is nice. It has a wholesome feel to it and I can sense the passion for the violin. I can feel her love for the music, for the instrument, what she does and how she disappears into her own world as she plays. It is a wonderful place to be. Later this thing gets turned into something different. It turns darker and into something it was never intended to be. And as she is forced to play again, it get turned into something terrible and a weapon against her.
f-how does the post make you feel?
It is a bit of an rollercoaster. At first it is nice to read. I feel her joy and passion, and it makes me feel joy and passions. I can remember the struggle and work to learn an instrument and just play because it feels like life itself. But then as the story progress, it takes a darker turn, and I get a feeling of sadness that grows stronger and stronger. And irritation. To have something one used to do, used to love, to be taken like that and weaponised against yourself… It is awful. And it makes me remember things I can’t quite place. I can just remember the feelings. It isn’t very nice. It is fear, disappointment and sorrow. And then I get so sad and angry on her benefit for him treating her that way. But I know he was sick. I know it wasn’t as straightforward. But still…
g-what do you like about the post?
I like the passion she talks about. How she yearns to play and feel the soul of the instrument in herself. I like the story (the first part of it!) and I know the feeling so well myself.
h-what do you dislike about the post?
How it turns. How she has something she had once did turned against her. The mood and everything changes so hard and drastically. I don’t like the pain I feel.
I-what questions does the post leave you with?
I’m not entirely sure I have so many questions.. I am sitting here contemplative, and have more feelings than questions.
j-do you connect with the post? Why or why not?
Yes, I would say so. At least with parts of it. I can connect to the learning of an instrument. To dedicate yourself to learning it, because you almostΒ need to. It turns into a part of you. A strange symbiosis where it feels none of you can truly function or exist without one another. I also feel feel her pain and loss. I feel deep and true sympathy for what she went through. And I think I understand more than I used to do.
a- link to original post
b-what circumstance do I believe lead to this post being written?
I had several discussions about this subject; race, attraction, preferences, fetishes and kinks. Had trouble following what was said, how I experienced these things in myself and how I was seen from the outside.
c-whatβs the central idea or message?
The central message here is to show and explain between differences in preference, orientation, and more importantly; possible racism in your own preferences. It is telling how that if you will not date certain people based on their racial – or otherwise different – background from yours, you are in fact racist. It is also showing how these things are your responsibility to look into and figure out of your biases, and if they are prejudice and what to do about it.
d-whatβs the tone of the post (The author’s attitude toward the subject)?
The tone is quite direct and concrete, I feel. It shows a great understanding about the subject, great examples and it makes the point of her message be at the centre. It isn’t said to blame, judge or condemn, but to educate and give people the change to better themselves.
e-whatβs the mood of the post? (The overall atmosphere or feeling the post creates)?
Though it is passionate and somewhat emotional, I feel it is controlled and focused. She doesn’t rant or let her personal experiences of racism show through, but instead tries to keep it somewhat formal and educational.
f-how does the post make you feel?
It makes me feel a bit ashamed and embarrassed. I have clearly held prejudice and biased views in my dating life. The real embarrassment and shame comes from not having been aware of this myself. I have never seen myself as a bigot, and have needed to take a hard look at myself about these things. I can look at it and say that I am thankful for having been showed the mirror and how I have truly been, and that I am very sorry for my views and behaviour.
g-what do you like about the post?
As I mentioned earlier, I like how the message is conveyed. It is made out to be clear and impossible to misunderstand. It is written in a language that makes this possible, and at the same time not be condescending. I also like how it isn’t about blaming, but about educating people. To have them take a look at themselves and how they think and see things.
h-what do you dislike about the post?
What I don’t like here, isn’t about the post itself, but about how I have acted, behaved and thought. How my biases have hurt people and made problems in their lives.
I-what questions does the post leave you with?
I am not entirely sure about this. I have a few questions about how I got to where I has been. How I got these preferences and why they came up in the way they did. It’s not something I have had my entire life, but that came into it at some point in time I really can’t seem to pinpoint. I will have continue my work on bettering myself, and see if am able to figure some of this out.
j-do you connect with the post? Why or why not?
I think so. I am one of the people that is written about, and I can see myself as someone that have let the preferences rule me, and made them into more than preferences. I don’t like what I see or that I am in this post, but I will acknowledge it and I will use it as an opportunity to better myself and get any trace of this out of me.
