discovery draft
A Cog in a Greater Machine
Once an individual speaks or tells a story, that story cannot untold. Once seen it cannot be unseen. If someone tells a story, someone else will hear it, and that person will tell that story to some else. In Susan Griffin’s Our Secret, the theme that is recurring is that we are just a cog in the greater machine of society.
In Our Secret Susan Griffin discovers the various characters' fears and secrets and she gives certain knowledge into these "secrets". Through examining others Susan Griffin comes to terms with her own secrets and fears. She relates to Himmler, Leo, Helene, and everyone else even though she is different than all of them. One fact that can be made about all of these characters is that they all represent humans and their emotions. Susan Griffin uses connections in the book to help describe situations such as keeping a secret. Susan Griffin states, “The nucleus of the cell derives its name from the Latin nux, meaning nut. Like the stone in a cherry, it is found in the center of the cell, and like this stone, keeps its precious kernel in a shell” (Griffin 335). She is stating this to set us up for how a person can keep a secret and keep it safe within them. First, Susan Griffin reveals that there is a hidden side to everyone that is only known within, and anything outside is an imposter. "I think of it now as a kind of mask, not an animated mask that expresses the essence of an inner truth, but a mask that falls like dead weight over the human face" (Griffin 349). This quote tells us what she is trying to say about secrets being the barrier to others' feelings. The mask Griffin talks about represents the barrier to the secrets. Griffin explores Heinrich Himmler and the secrets that he hides. Throughout his childhood Himmler's secrets and thoughts were masked by a barrier formed by his upbringing and culture.
History teaches me what it means to be American. It teaches me political views and where we came from.
Once an individual speaks or tells a story, that story cannot untold. Once seen it cannot be unseen. If someone tells a story, someone else will hear it, and that person will tell that story to some else. In Susan Griffin’s Our Secret, the theme that is recurring is that we are just a cog in the greater machine of society.
In Our Secret Susan Griffin discovers the various characters' fears and secrets and she gives certain knowledge into these "secrets". Through examining others Susan Griffin comes to terms with her own secrets and fears. She relates to Himmler, Leo, Helene, and everyone else even though she is different than all of them. One fact that can be made about all of these characters is that they all represent humans and their emotions. Susan Griffin uses connections in the book to help describe situations such as keeping a secret. Susan Griffin states, “The nucleus of the cell derives its name from the Latin nux, meaning nut. Like the stone in a cherry, it is found in the center of the cell, and like this stone, keeps its precious kernel in a shell” (Griffin 335). She is stating this to set us up for how a person can keep a secret and keep it safe within them. First, Susan Griffin reveals that there is a hidden side to everyone that is only known within, and anything outside is an imposter. "I think of it now as a kind of mask, not an animated mask that expresses the essence of an inner truth, but a mask that falls like dead weight over the human face" (Griffin 349). This quote tells us what she is trying to say about secrets being the barrier to others' feelings. The mask Griffin talks about represents the barrier to the secrets. Griffin explores Heinrich Himmler and the secrets that he hides. Throughout his childhood Himmler's secrets and thoughts were masked by a barrier formed by his upbringing and culture.
History teaches me what it means to be American. It teaches me political views and where we came from.