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Welcome back to the book club! Remember, everyone who comments by November 1 is eligible to win free copies of the book. For more details or if you missed the first questions, click here. 3. Heroes
Forrest lists iconic "real men" such as Brett Favre, Ernest Hemingway, David Caruso, Clint Eastwood and the old Chuck Norris. Which masculine archetypes do these men represent? How does each correspond with Forrest's opponents inside the Octagon?
3a. Extra credit: Forrest recently told Dave Farra that he doesn't remember his fight against Anderson Silva because he was "on 'ludes." If you had to fight The Spider, what drugs would you want take beforehand?
4. Sore toe or sore ego?On page 142, Forrest explains how to fight a southpaw and adds, "Never ask [co-author] Erich Krauss to Photoshop sh*t. Look at the first picture in the sequence above. Does that look like a foot? No, it does not. It looks like a talon of some sort. If you could do me a favor, email Erich at authorerichkrauss@hotmail.com and tell him what a retard he is. I'll owe you one. I mean, the guy found the time to remove the word sprawl from my pants, which cost me sponsorship money, but he was too busy to fix my foot? What kind of guy does that?"
In the passage above, for what are Erich Krauss's Photoshop skills a metaphor? In what other ways has Forrest been victimized and given "talons"? Consider his interactions with bullies, sketchy MMA promoters, smelly guys at the gym and society as a whole?
Leave a comment and check back tomorrow for more discussion questions!
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Thursday 08 October
By lauragilbert08
3. The concept of masculinity is relevant to the rise of MMA because it represents a classic type of character -- the warrior. In a culture of video-game-wars and dirty-bombs where you can't see your enemy and in a recession where even hard-working blue-collar salt-of-the-earth-men are no longer guaranteed a paycheck with which to support their families, this image appeals to men. Hence? UFC.
4. Erich Krauss' Photoshop skills represent that which Forrest cannot control, specifically the aspects of his body. In this excerpt, he is upset about the appearance of his foot; in reality, hours of training and preparation can be undone by one errant slip, trip, injury, strain or the simple tragedy of aging.
Like a surgeon who must rely on his steady hands, a dancer who can't afford an ACL tear or a preteen singer who fears the onset of puberty, Forrest's professional life requires that his body be healthy. Erich Krauss and his hastily applied talon represent the countless external factors over which Forrest -- and in effect, all of mankind -- have no control.
5. Just kidding. Kind of.
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Friday 09 October
By Gals Guide to MMA
3. The guys he's named are all "mens' men", the classic manly men that a man can idolize without worrying he may be gay.
3a. Horse tranquilizers.
4. Mmmm, this is a poignant question, Laura. I'd say Erich's Photoshop skills are a metaphor for Forrest's feelings of inadequacy. Forrest probably feels like he doesn't deserve all of this attention and adoration, so he takes out his self-conciousness on poor Erich. The Talon foot is a representation of the true Forrest underneath the "Photoshop of life". You listen up Forrest...you are good enough, you are smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like you.
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Thursday 08 October
By lauragilbert08
Fantastic points, all. As for 3A, I think I would start with Propofol but certainly upgrade to horse tranqs if need be.
Saturday 10 October
By Matthew Polly
Photoshop can be a metaphor? The crappy car he drives is a talon; it just happens to be a talon he loves, except that it's crappy and other drivers treat him like a guy who drives a crappy car and these seems to drive him into fits of rage. So if only Erich could photoshop his car, then Forrest would be a happy-go-lucky guy with no mental imbalances. Or not.
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