The Book of Questions

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From your point of view, what were the central themes of the book? How well do you think the author did at exploring them? Kept this on the dinner table to throw out and discuss with the fam a few times, but the questions are kind of lame and we soon lost interest. Let it sit for a month or so and thought maybe I'd post a few questions from it here in this review and let folks answer in the comments... Then I skimmed and read some more and thought better of it.

The Nobel laureate’s poems evoke pictures that make sense on a visual level before the reader can grasp them on a literal one. The effect is mildly dazzling… O’ Daly’s translations achieve a tone that is both meditative and spontaneous.” — Publishers Weekly When we're confronted with almost any demanding situation, the act of questioning can help guide us to smart decisions in the face of uncertainty. But the questions must be the right ones; the ones that cut to the heart of complexity or enable us to see an old problem in a fresh way. But then you've read this far so I can't exactly deprive you, right? I just opened this book (for the last time) to pgs 162 an 163: With it's composition, he comes full circle as both a human being and writer. The poet existed in waters that no one else could swim in, flowing in all directions, from the sun-kissed surface that flirted with the waves, to the dark-hearted Abyss that lies below. This collection follows the same common source of all his work, re-visiting that deep well of perpetuity, the imagination of regeneration and vision. These brief poems within are composed entirely of questions. A mixture of light and dark shadows oversees pen to paper, capturing the full force of his astonishing talent. If you found a book of more than 217 hypothetical questions and their follow-ups and could use it as an excuse to achieve a deeper understanding of yourself or someone else, would you?In contrast to the first two questions, the subject of the third question is an artificial object: a car. But it is also personified. It’s a criminal automobile, a thief—but with regrets. The speaker is concerned not so much with the car itself, which sounds pretty interesting. (What does it steal? Gasoline?). No, the poem is concerned with who has sympathy for the car. The speaker sees the car with animist eyes, as a living being, and wonders who else does too. Who lends an ear as a friend, or absolution as a priest? The question isn’t about whether something is real or not—unlike in the others, here the automobile's reality is taken for granted—but about community and imagination. Because the speaker has implied sympathy for the car, we are made to wonder if the car is doing something against its will. And since cars usually do the bidding of humans, it may be a victim of human desire. Perhaps it regrets stealing resources from the earth. It takes a poetic imagination to grant the respect of personification to a car, to see the complex ethical relationships that we ignore in ordinary thought.

In the second question, the speaker asks “why”; this could be either a direct question to the reader, or a rhetorical question. As in the first stanza, the subject is botanical (here, trees), and personified. The question about the rose wondered if she was revealing all, or hiding something. This question about the trees claims to know what they are doing—concealing—but asks: why? The speaker sees “splendor” in tree roots. The Spanish word, from which this is translated, is very similar: “esplendor.” It comes from the Latin word, meaning “shine, be bright.” So, there a is paradox in the language of this question: roots grow underground, yet the speaker sees them as bright and shiny, which are attributes of light. Trees bring in light through their leaves, converting it along with water into energy. So in a way, light is stored underground in the roots of trees. Trees conceal their roots because they have to. If they are uprooted, they can’t live. If you can’t find a guide for the book your club is reading, we’ve put together this helpful list of book club questions. These general book club questions are some of our favorites, and work well for almost any book, whether you’re reading fiction or non-fiction. Pablo Neruda, born in southern Chile, led a life charged with poetic and political activity. He was the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, the International Peace Prize, and served as Chile's ambassador to several countries, including Burma, France, and Argentina. He died in 1973.

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If I wanted to attempt to answer questions to make me wonder how I've lived my life and how I treat people, would that make me a masochist? If I am a masochist, how do I effectively balance that with my sadism? Keep your book club discussion questions at your fingertips with our book club questions pdf and make it easy for you to plan and lead insightful discussions about the books you read. With the printable book club questions readily available, you can focus on fostering meaningful conversations with your book club members, instead of worrying about coming up with questions on the spot. Did you highlight or bookmark any passages from the book? Did you have a favorite quote or quotes? If so, share which and why?

In The Book of Beautiful Questions, expert “questionologist” Warren Berger shares illuminating stories and compelling research on the power of inquiry. Drawing from the insights and expertise of psychologists, innovators, effective leaders, and some of the world's foremost creative thinkers, he presents the essential questions readers need to make the best choices when it truly counts, with a particular focus in four key areas: decision-making, creativity, leadership, and relationships. These brief poems… express the Nobel Laureate’s lifelong dedication to revealing an inner structure of feeling that underlies all experience.” — Bookpaper I was first introduced to this book in the late 80s & have pulled it out many times throughout the years - both to get to know someone better & to revisit the questions myself as I mature. Some top questions . .. (1) If you could get honest answers to any questions you asked, what would be your top three and why?; (2) If you caught your father holding hands with another woman and he asked you not to tell your mother, what would you do? What if your mother confided it was eating her alive b/c she felt your father was cheating on her?; (3) would you like to know the precise date of your death?; and (4) If 100 people were chosen at random, how many more do you feel would be leading a more satisfying life than you? Copper Canyon Press, a Pacific Northwest nonprofit publisher who has been devoted to the enhancement and appreciation of poetry for nearly 30 years, leads the way in poetry translations… These new translations magnificently present Neruda’s late work.” — Source Weekly

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Pablo Neruda was one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. His late-career and playful Book of Questions is a terrific book of poetry, probably not intended exclusively for children. I’ll call it an “all ages” book of poetry, which means that children can also read it, which illustrator Paloma Valdiva recognized in creating this book. The hardcover book is beautifully designed, and the mode of illustration is collage, accessible for kids, translated for this bilingual edition by Sara Lissa Paulson This complete translation of Pablo Neruda's El libro de las preguntas ( The Book of Questions) features Neruda's original Spanish-language poems alongside William O'Daly's English translations. In his introduction O'Daly, who has translated eight volumes of Pablo Neruda's poetry, writes, "These poems, more so than any of Neruda's other work, remind us that living in a state of visionary surrender to the elemental questions, free of the quiet desperation of clinging too tightly to answers, may be our greatest act of faith." This book forms part of my remarkably extensive reading list on Nobel Prize for Literature Laureates Have you stopped beating your wife? Follow-up questions: Have you quit smoking yet? Do I look fat in this? Do you think she's pretty? Given two equally terrifying alternatives as presented in several of these questions, which one would you choose and how would you live with the consequences? Don't you find your answer as interesting as I do?

Coming prepared with good discussion questions is only the first step to a great book club conversation. Bookclubs also has all the club organizing tools you’ll need to keep your book club running smoothly. Did you find the author’s writing style easy to read or hard to read? Why? How long did it take you to get into the book?Technology has become a part of us. Would you rather lose the use of all motorized vehicles, all telecommunications devices and computers, or one of your hands?”