Diving Bell #3

1. What is significant about the last line in Guardian Angel?
Bauby's sentence "And I have to admit that at times I do not know anymore." is very sad because it shows how lost and helpless he feels. He feels like he is wasting away, he cannot move, he cannot talk... It is like he is barely even human anymore since he cannot do all the things a normal human can and even has a pretty horrifying unnatural appearance. He cannot make any noise or really do anything to announce his existence and presence in the world, and he must wonder how much of him is really "there" anymore... Will he be able to stay the same person or will he lose all hope and lose himself to this terrible disease?

2. What is ironic about the photograph he recieves from his father in The Photo?
The photo of him at the mini-golf course seems ironic to me because it depicts him when he was young and mobile, spending a spring with his family and having fun. And now he is stuck, unable to move, in a hospital, feeling much like his very old father who cannot move from his apartment on his old legs. Also, the "not very sparkling seaside town" he mentions reminds me of the hospital he is at, which probably seems rather drab to poor Bauby.

3. Do Bauby's dreams give us any insight into his condition? Be specific.
Bauby's dream seems a large part like reality, like in his coma he is slightly aware (i think highly aware in some parts) of what is going on around him, and his brain just took that and added some extra details and creative twists. When Bauby says they were "numb with cold", mentions "electric shock" and says "rows of plastic tubes dangle floorward like oxygen masks", "Karadzic performs a tracheotomy upon me on a hastily cleared table", and describes the fluid flowing into his mouth and his inability to move and escape, he is describing things that most likely were going on in the hospital - he did have a tracheotomy and a feeding tube and he really could not move or get up from hid bed. When he says "paralyzed by a general strike"(49) it even sounds like "paralyzed by a stroke" which Bauby probably heard at one or several points during his time in a coma. So I think he was largely conscious during his coma and that his mental faculties were still functioning and perceiving information, just not quite putting them together right.

4. Where is Bauby's butterfly in My Lucky Day?
Bauby says "Awaiting rescue, I hum an old song by Henri Salvador: 'Don't you fret, baby, it'll be alright.'" His butterfly is out somewhere happy, getting help. He is imagining it is ok and he will be fine. Everything is just fine.

5. After reading Our Very Own Madonna and Through a Glass, Darkly, Bauby seems to have regrets about not appreciating small moments from his earlier life. Can you think of a moment from your own life that you did not truly appreciate until it was over? How can we learn to live so that we appreciate significant moments. Is this even possible?
When the German students came in October, I did not really do that much with them, and at the farewell party we had for them, I did not really spend a lot of time with the German kids I was the closest to, and after they left, I really wished I had, and the moments I DID spend with them, I really remember and treasure. When a group of us went to see High School Musical we had so much fun and were being so silly, and now I really miss that, especially because most of my American friends are not quite like that. I think we can learn to live slightly more appreciative of the moments we have in life if we think about what our life would be like without those moments, and attain a constant mentality of seeking joy in little things and not taking them for granted. However, I think it is kind of human nature to "live in the moment" and not think about how much you will miss these things in the future... I guess it would depend on the individual and their skill in adapting their mindset if it would be possible to appreciate significant moments more.