Oskar tells some of the Blacks his email address. If you were to send Oskar an email, what would you tell him? Alternate option: if you were applying for J.S. Foer's NYU writing class, "Writing the Impossible," what would you tell him about your experience reading Extremely Loud?
Oskar,
ReplyDeleteYou are off your rocker buddy. I'm sorry about your dad's death, I really am, but it isn't wise for a little kid like you to travel around a big city like New York and knock on strangers' doors. How do you think your mother would feel if you got in serious trouble. No matter whether or not you know it, she is seriously troubled by your father's death. If she lost you too, what would she do? Who would she be? You told me about your grandmother. She lost a husband and a son. The only thing that keeps her happy in life is you. She has no other reason to live [supposedly].
What happens when you finally find the owner of the key? what if it is a dead end, something that was coincidentally in your father's closet. Yeah, it may be nice to know the truth, but what will you do next?
You need to find better ways to handle your father's death than risk your life by running around New York, chasing a pipe dream. I know I gave you heavy boots. Sorry bud.
Zack Black
Ew aly...i wouldn't do any of those things to Oscar. He's only a child!
ReplyDeleteDear Oscar,
I am writing to you to tell you that life goes on. I have heard of your behavior after your father died: You have visited hundreds of people in one of the world’s largest cities, you’ve caused your mother immense pain and you have had some pretty sick thoughts. First off, your mother was married to your father for many, many years before you even came into this world. She chose him as ‘the one’-the one she would love, live with, and grow with, and it is clear that she loved her just as much as you did. I understand that you developed an incredibly close relationship with him over the years, but it is also important to note that his unfortunate death has caused your mother the same amount of sorrow; she just has a different way handling it: the progressive way. Instead of being stuck in a constant state of regret and anger, she chooses to live the life that your father would have wanted her to live. It is not that she has forgotten him. Instead, she remembers him so much that her actions reflect what he would have wished for. Please don’t cause your poor mother anymore pain. She has gone through the same if not more obstacles that you have and you have no right to make life harder for her. I also want to talk to you about your hobby of going around to find all the Blacks in New York City. I don’t want to ruin your dream, which you have so diligently pursued, but it isn’t helping you. I know that finding out more about your father gives you a sense of comfort but this isn’t the correct way of dealing with his death. What do you think he would say if he were with you right now? Would he say “Great work Oscar, keep spending all your time knocking on random people’s door” or would he say, “It’s not worth it Oscar. You know that I loved you and I still do. Finding the lock won’t get you any closer to me because you are already as close as you can be. You are so close that you are part of me. So stop worrying about me and live everyday as if it were your last”. Life goes on, Oscar. I’m not saying that you should forget him, but understand that he wants you to move on. It will make you, your mother, and most of all, your father happy. You know he is watching you as you read this…make him happy. And don’t pay any attention to Aly, your father wouldn’t like that either.
Sincerely,
Gonzalo Gallardo
Dear Oskar,
ReplyDeleteI do not know what to say except, you cannot change what happened in the past, you can only change what happens in the future. I know that you are extremely hurt about your fathers passing, completely understandable. Everyone looses someone at some point in their life. It is normal, unfortunate but normal. One thing of advice I have to tell you is that you should hold no grudges or regrets. Nothing that happened is your fault. You cannot be mad at your mother for having a "friend" in her life because just like you she is hurting immensely. Although she has you to talk to, sometimes she needs an adult to help her through it as well. Even if your mother does indeed fall in love again, that person will never replace the love she had for your father because he will always hold a special place in her heart. Secondly, I admire you for being so determined to find the lock to your fathers key but I am a bit worried that you roam around talking to strangers about your life. To me that seems like something you should desire to keep personal but it is your decision. Thirdly, you have to learn to let go. I know that you think the search and the lock that you find will somehow bring you closer to him or being him back to life, but it is not going to happen. As much as you hate it, your father is dead and there is nothing that can be done to reverse that. All you can do now is simply live your life and be happy because that is truly what your dad would want you to be even without him. Dont be afraid to live happily Oskar, because you can still be happy and remember your father always but you only get once chance to live so do it wisely.
Love,
Ashly
Dear,
ReplyDeleteI think your book was brilliant. While it wasn’t the deepest most life changing book I’ve ever read, I was able to relate to it in a way that I haven’t been able to do with too many books. This book has entered a small group of books for me that I will reread not for the sake of reminding myself of some true meaning (treat every day like it’s the last) but to feel like someone else out there is as odd as me, or to give me some warm feeling that I didn’t know I even had anymore.
Call me cliché, but the other book that does this for me is The Little Prince. Every time I read it (three times, but who’s counting) I feel like I’m reading to my kid, who has never heard the story before, and every time I imagine him/her falling asleep as I read it, and I get that warm feeling again.
The weird is that the subjects behind the book are far from warm and fuzzy, bombings and 9/11 and so on… you know the book so I won’t go into detail. But the point is that the book still gives me a feeling of commonness that I don’t get with many books. I can connect with Oskar and feel like I could just chat with him at any point, and I feel like I should be as profound and dedicated as a kid again.
I don’t know maybe I’m just getting babbly over a kid character, cause most of the books I read are about drabby old people or people who think they’re better than everyone else. The kid with the insight that those drabby “better than all of you” people would never even get close to thinking of is inspiring or something like that. I think I grew up too fast, like Oskar.
Sure my dad didn’t die in a horrific event, nor has he died yet, but I always wanted to be older than who I was. I think everyone can connect to that kind of feeling though, most kids I talk to try to act like they’re oxford graduates, which rarely works in the way that they intend for it to work. They understand the basics of living that most people over the age of 10 miss completely, and it takes spending time with a kid (or reading a book through the eyes of a kid) to understand living again.
Understanding living is not some moral or lesson, it’s a fact, a kind of instinct almost, that we hide. If there had to a message though, it would have to be to reveal that instinct, because instinct is instinct for a reason.
Sincerely,
...don't really want to trash this blog too much. The story was too sentimental and there is the possibility of crushing someone's dreams in truthful criticism.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, it still holds that period one is the best because we live to learn and not to post bland comment after comment after comment after comment after comment x14 of you followers.
ps aly's comment was cool, obviously the only exception for your class
Dear Oskar,
ReplyDeleteI just want to start off by saying that you are one extraordinary kid. As much as I love adventures, I would not be able to set off by myself on the impossible task of meeting and interrogating every person with the last name of Black in New York City, especially as a 9 year old. However, I really wish that you showed up on my doorstep because I would have joined you in a heartbeat. I love how you view the world in your own way and aren't afraid to talk to strangers. When I was 9, the thought of talking to anyone, let alone an adult I didn't know, terrified me.
Anyway,I just wanted to let you know that I would be your friend in an instant. In 9th grade we were told to write an essay on whether or not we would have been friends with Holden Caulfield. I ended up saying that I would not be friends with him because it was the easier essay to write. I don't know why, but the fact that I wrote that I would not be friends with him still bothers me, because in fact, I would befriend Holden in an instant. [Sorry guys, I have a minor obsession with Catcher in the Rye].
Continuing on the first note, you are also extraordinary because you have been incredibly strong throughout the whole mourning process. As soon as you realized that your father would never return home, you instantly went to buy a new phone in order to protect your mother from the truth (even though she was not as oblivious as you originally thought). But the fact that you were willing to keep all of those emotions and secrets inside of you in order to protect your mother shows that you have a heart and love her much more than you think you do. My only advice would be to tell others whats going on in your life. And not just anyone, but actually tell your mother what you are feeling. We already know how good you are at pouring your life's story out on any open pair of ears, but telling someone who is able to read between the lines is a much more difficult, yet satisfying experience. You may end up helping them as much as they help you.
Sincerely, Sloan Christopher
PS. if you ever get bored, Maddie Woods and I would love to go geo caching or hiking with you. I think you would appreciate it as much as we do.
Dear Oskar,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your story and experiences with me. Now that you have taught me so much about myself, I would like to try to teach you a thing or two. I know there is not much about life that I can teach you because you seem to know so much and have so much knowledge, but I can tell you lack wisdom. I lack wisdom too. Wisdom comes with age and experience. Oksar you try so hard to be wise and brave at your age, but sometimes I just want you to try to be a kid. Kids makes mistakes. Kids have fun. Kids even spend time with their families. But kids are supposed to make mistakes and move on, not give themselves bruises. You punish yourself for every little thing that you do wrong, but it would be impossible to do everything right. You are smart, but you still have a lot to learn. Mistakes are normal and you have to stop inflicting pain upon yourself for making them.
And no matter how disappointing the result of your search for the key was, you made a lot of relationships and helped a lot of people. You may have even changed lives. I know that you didn’t find what you were looking for, but you did something so much better than that. You opened up so many eyes and brought happiness into many lives. I just wish you would try to do the same to your mother and grandmother. You reach out to so many strangers, but ignore the people who love you the most.
Imagine all the people you have helped. You owe it to yourself to be happy. Take off the heavy boots and try to enjoy your childhood. Your dad would not have wanted you to live in a constant state of misery. You love him and you will never forget him. Being happy does not mean forgetting.
Love,
Madeline
P.S. Sloan Christopher :)
Dear Oskar,
ReplyDeleteLive. Breathe. Dream. Laugh. Smile. Love. Hug. Imagine. Explore. Create. You have to let yourself be all you can be. You have so much potential.
Cry, but don't let the tears control you. Move on, but don't forget. Take chances, but don't risk things. Be happy, but remember to be sad. have fun, but don't lose touch. Branch out, but always remember.
It's time to live again.
Your father loved how much you loved him. He knew that. He would have forgiven you. He would have wanted you to have a happy life, filled with imagination and wonder and inventions and friendship and love and exploration and journeys and growing up yet staying young. You are a genius, Oskar. You need to go out and take the world by storm.
You are enveloped by love, Oskar, but it's like an invisible fog to you. Your family loves you so much. They're standing right in front of you with open arms, and you look right through them like they're ghosts. I know it must be impossible to reach out to them because every single thing they say or do reminds you of him. But you HAVE to, Oskar. Only you can get them through this, and only they can help you survive.
Go out there and live your life. Live it in your father's honor. Conquer the world for him. Take off your heavy boots and fly.
Love,
Emily
Dear Oskar...
ReplyDeleteYou are quite the character (meant in the nicest way possible, of course). I’m sorry if life isn’t too great right now; as, I’m sure many have told you, life is not exactly fair. I know you suffer quite a lot from the loss of your dad. But don’t forget that everyone has his or her own way of grieving and dealing with pain, realize that your mom, too, is suffering. I hope this won’t hurt too much, but she probably knew your father better than you did, and hurts all the more. Her way of dealing with the loss of her husband is, apparently, not demonstrative enough for you, but all you can do for each other is support one another.
As to the other events in your life, I think that your looking for that one Black among thousands is an interesting and mammoth, albeit a tad unusual, quest. I wish you the best of luck in it, that you may find what you need, which may or may not be what you are looking for. Life is like that - you may not actually want what you think you are looking for, and what you really need may be just a tad different. But don't let this keep you from your missions and adventures; how else will you find out?
Best of luck