This Can't End Well

When the woman knelt down at Lissar's feet I was a little worried. I thought that maybe someone had recognized her as the princess or thought she was her mother. I had a flash back of the women falling at the queens feet close to the beginning of the novel. There are so many events that spark Lissar's memory of her former life and I keep thinking that it's going to be the moment that it all comes back to her. I do not know how someone can repress a memory that well. I know that this is a fairytale and the Moonlady gave her the ability to surpress the memory as a gift but this happens can happen in the real world as well. I do not understand how this can happen though. I googled repressed memory and found out that some psychologists do not believe that people can repress there memories. I do believe that they exist but I also know that through hypnosis false repressed memories can be brought up and made to believe. I just hope that Lissar never remembers what happened to her. I know that stories do not always have the "lived happily ever after" ending but I just do not want to see her go through that. I am really attached to the character we are reading about, sadly. I just don't see how this story can have resolution with her memory returning. I know that Prof. Hager said the king will get what is coming to him in the end but that does not change what happen to Lissar and she will never forget it. You can not repress a memory twice... well corection cause Lissar did, but she can't conveniently repress it a third time. I just do not see this story ending well at this time. But then again, it can't have a worse ending than Donkeyskin.

Defend Yourself!

I know a lot happened in the last few chapters we read but for some reason one comment Katsa made in chapter thirty-three really stuck out to me. While thinking about teaching Bitterblue how to fight she brings up, "How absurd it was that in all seven kingdoms, the weakest and most funerable of people- girls and women- went unarmed and were taught nothing of fighting, while the strong were trained to the highest reaches of their skill" (398). I thought about how this reflected in reality. Boys are brought up to know how to defend themselves or how to fight and girls are not taught to do so. Protection is not emphasized for girls. I never thought to know how to defend myself until I had a forieng exchange student living in my house named Jazzy. She was my older German sister. She asked me one day if I would know how to protect myself if I ever had to. I had no idea. She confessed to me that she had been raped when she was younger and that she did not know how to fight back. She did not want this to ever happen to me and taught me how to break someones nose if I were ever attacked. It seems that women do not even think about learning how to defend themselves until it's to late and they become victums of assault. If you live in a bad neighborhood then you are usually taught early on how to defend yourself, by learning defensive fighting skills or carrying mase, but those who live in peaceful neighborhoods are usually not taught. The horrors in the world are swept under the rug by parents and ignored to protect a child's innocence. When the horrors of the world become a reality for that untaught child they have no idea what to do and are defenseless. I think more young girls should be taught at an early age how to defend themselves but how to make this a reality is lost to me.  People want to protect their children and keep them boxed. This will never change. I googled to see what sort of things popped up and there are a lot of tips on how to defend yourself against a predator. One good site: http://ezinearticles.com/?Self-Defense-For-Teen-Age-Girls-and-Young-Women-When-You-Have-to-Fight-Off-a-Sexual-Attacker!&id=2494663 Check it out! Learn how to defend yourself even though your not Graced to do so! It's a bit over dramatic but understandable with such a seriouse topic.

Kat and Po: The Perfect Team

Katsa feels that she is infieor to Po because he has so much control over his thoughts. She seems to have forgotten that in just a few chapters before this she controls her rage and thinks clearly before acting out. She hates her uncle and wants to kill, but she thinks of all the consequences of killing her uncle and fights off the rage that is trying to take over. Po had spoken to her before her encounter with Randa and he told her that she has power over what she does. With out Po's words who knows what might have happened. He is helping her see what has to be done to control her anger but she alone is the only one who can actually make it happen and she did a great job. Po needs Katsa help as well though. He has clear thoughts of his suroundings but needs to learn how to act. Their fighting is helping him become quick with his thoughts and actions together. Katsa and Po make really great team, helping eachother out to strengthen their control over their Graces. One has power physically and the other mentally but with help from one another they will both have equal strengths. This sort of seems oposite to how men and women are. Usually it's the women that has the mental power and the man that has physical power. This novel is definately a twist on the norm.

Marriage and Mind Reading

When Giddon proposes to Kat he makes it seem like it is only for her protection and does not bring up once the fact that he is in love with her. It sounds more like a plan of action than an act of love.I know either way Kat would have said no but Giddon should have shown more affection. Giddon always has been rude to her and I know he meant it in more of a flirting way but if he had taken the time to show his affection Kat would have most likely warmed up to him by now and could even love him more than just in a friendship way. He also does not do to much for his cause by mocking Katsa for being different because of her Grace and liking Po. He call Po dishonorable and no better than a thug.

Calling him a thug made Katsa realize that Po is a mindreader because he used these exact words to describe how Giddon felt about him. She feels he has lied to her about his Grace. Why does Katsa feel so hostile toward him mindreaders? I understand that she is afraid of people knowing what she is thinking but since those who can read minds are Graced also they know where she is coming from with her thoughts of being different. Po also is Graced with fighting skills and can understand how hard it is for her to control her anger and aggression. Katsa can learn alot from Po and the fact that he can read her mind can only help him help her more. She needs to let go of being a lone wolf and let someone like Po into her life.