The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 02, 1979, Page Page 9, Image 9
English teach<
Bach'
By Danny Powell
Illusions by Richard Bach; Delacorte
$6.95
Richard Bach walks a fine line betwe<
and out-right blasphemy in his tale of an
who travels the land selling plane ride
every ten minutes, a tale which he justly
The story starts out with some note
J? iL'
i uieu uuicuwft (Hipci, wiucu uu iiuniii:
reader. In truth, the whole book is confu
which is probably what Bach, aul
Livingston Seagull, had in mind. Two 01
the book are probably needed for the r<
sense out of it, if indeed Bach intended s
it.
Thn nralnHn rtf ooriKKlart rintoo (nlra
niv pa viuuv vi ovt nuivo uirvv.
when you come to the end of the book, so
read them and try to forget that they h
the story. The scribbled notes are th
blasphemy Bach uses, if you so want 1
notes are are also the first dose of philo*
iniprt intn vr?nr hrain
When the story itself begins, you fine
state of confusion. However, the confus
away as you read, much like a heavj
middle of the night. The key chara
"messiah," is introduced as Donald Shin
an old barnstormer who travels the coui
rides for three dollars. The other chan
messiah, is Bach himself.
The two characters meet, and at one
lifhn tlio nfhor ic or?H cqiic that Vw? V*nr\ Km
TTIIV HIV V/IIIV1 10 U11U oujro IIIUI liv 1IC4U KJ\^\
show up. It is almost immediate friend;
start, even though Richard, as he is cal
book, does not know who or what he is tal
Illusions can and possibly should be i
New Testament of the Bible where
Messiah is told. As soon as Bach ji
"business" of giving airplane rides
HnySSMMpppHOpHI
11 I. U_ $ \X . M y ^
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iB His c
LHxKfJfJM I pfi5g jgH fJ
HlflaftiagiKflMM^
kjEZB33EQS33CO
ers should^ love it
O Mill I r I A
O III UOIUI Iv
HHH
EiTVT!
m deep philosophy
unwilling messiah
s for three dollars
entitles Illusions. HKjPOSra
3 scribbled out on BvSHWfUulig
but confuse the
sing to the reader,
Jior of Jonathan
* three readings of
iader to grasp any [ c t ?
ense to be made of
on more meaning
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11 WUU1U UtJ Wise IU
iave importance to |HHH[^^^^9pHill
e first attempt at
to call it that. The
5ophy Bach tries to
i yourself a
ion gradually slips jE5Qv
j fog rising in the iMj^plilpKte^ttilg
icter, the original L
loda, a deviation of I'8*
ltry selling biplane LlHI | rjl Iff !
acter, soon to be a
:e, Shimoda knows
expecting him to flHHHiiHHHHiiH
ship from the very dously, almost as if the ci
lied throughout the see some spectacle. Later
king to. miracle, healing a cripple
compared with the take an airplane ride, you
the story of THE of his ideas from another E
oins Shimoda, his The philosphy deli vert
increases tremen- manual Shimoda carries
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jpj S.?v>r'^-.v^-,"-- :-"-;~:/.-^Z::ivy.-_~_. 2gggjg?^||g=g^
Bp?ll8Elpl^S.1?'
HsSSm^^wHE
ISQiUlill?HHHHMH^W
IVI CI I I I r., I
t
' ^
> i o /' aati in r\
5 IO 11 UOII I
Reminders for the Adv
"Perspective ?
Ay| ? 1 W I ^U to this page, yc
|jj^j f 1 going on around
"Learning
Irnnur rininrr ic Hi
IIHU fT . ItJ V?'
Teaching is rem
just as well as yc
teachers."
the book really begins I
best aspects of it.
The handbook in its
where you turn in the
the same spot, a new
have relevance for the
in handy.
A prime example is
he is a messiah, questi
falls road: "A
^7^ enough, they' re^ours.
Sijjjjj^tijg *'r '? * 7* _ being a messiah he doe
The climax of the be
Shimoda dies a terribl
reader will, but no at
offering from the "fl
before the epilogue:
wrong." The state of c
first opened the book rt
B B^RTti tHHBmH Illusions would be
^BBattggjSra English 102 teacher wl
:14?]nwFb| { linXf^mnm on term papers. The
-t .,, "^--- ; ,... > within a three-hour tin
- H the work may take yoi
I 1- ?--?- - ; 1 1 Ti-i
i owus were nocKing en masse 10 mueeu possiuie.
when Shimoda performs a small The "Messiah's Har
:d man in a wheelchair so he can with to understand the
begin to wonder if Bach stole all without also being giv
look. may have to work for
;d by the book comes from a be purer, for to unders
entitled "Messiah's Handbook, to work.
mmss oj^ohe scj
[BH HAVING
yji C7 ? unmtuv/vyrv ? ra^o 9
Q StOflJ
^
anced Soul." With phrases like:
Use It or Lose It. If you turned
m're forgetting that what is
you is not reality. Think about
nding out what you already
smonstrating that you know it.
tinding others that they know
>u. You are all learners, doers.
:o make you think, which is one of the
elf is a real charm, for no matter
book, even if you keep opening it to
message would appear that would
occasion. A book like this could come
when Bach, after Shimoda tells him
ons his abilities. The boon promptly
rgue for your limitations, and sure
" Bach discovers there is a lot about
s not know about.
ok comes when, as all messiahs do.
e death. Bach questions why, as the
lswer is readily present. The final
Messiah's Handbook" comes right
"Everything in this book may be
onfusion the reader was in when he
sturns full force with that one line,
an excellent text for any sinister
10 had a liking for student suffering
145-page book can be read easily
le span because of its structure, but
i weeks to understand fully, if that is
idbook" offers advice to those who
text: "You are never given a wish
en the power to make it true. You
: 4 '? A tJ
ii, uuwcvci . nuu ii uin luuiu never
tand Illusions, you are going to have
IRIAN'S'
A HALL!
i team's got a
ailbird, a pool
cleman.
estgLuyon the
?tmmm -
TOOAY!
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