Re: A Difficult Question!


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Posted by Ed Kiser on May 10, 2003 at 21:43:05 from 152.163.252.103 user Kisered.

In Reply to: A Difficult Question! posted by Mike Dennis on May 10, 2003 at 16:25:16:

In my many years of reading and enjoying the twelve Ransome books, and being eager to talk to others about them, I have actually encountered only one person that has ever heard of Ransome, or of Swallows and Amazons, that is, outside those I have met via the TARBOARD. Just look at the map that Dave Thewlis prepares each year to reflect the geography of where the USA TARS are located, and except in heavily populated metroplitan areas, there may be 2 or 3 in most states. I do not see that Ransome is all that popular, or even heard of by most people in this country. Don't know why, but it just seems that way, much to my dismay. In checking into various Public Libraries, there may be one copy of S&A there, but hardly ever any of the others. If I go to a local bookstore, they do not carry any of these, but offer to order them for me if I wish. They are not on the bookstore shelves for the browser to encounter. There just does not seem to be any effort to promote these on this side of the Great Waters.

It is a collection of English Children, on holiday (not vacation) in a strange part of England that we have never heard of, written by an English author that we never heard of. Besides that, they talk funny and use words and expression and even the spelling of some common words are also different. It makes it strange and difficult to get into an alien dialect and culture. Milk in Tea! Indeed! Fells, beck, tarn, screes - all alien unknown words. (This paragraph sounds a bit like it was written by a Redneck.)

Having said all that, maybe I'm different, because it was these very differences that held a fascination for me. It all became a part of the adventure, to explore a new place, time, culture, and yes, language as well. I have thoroughly enjoyed the educational experience it has been, and thanks to this FORUM, I have gotten (should I say, "got") to know some rather fascinating great people that I would be proud to call "cousin" as indeed some of you just might be that very thing.

Whenever guests come over, I have my computer screen in automatic mode displaying a "slide show" going through a collection of several hundred fantastic photos downloaded over the years from WWW.LAKELANDCAM.CO.UK which always seem to generate some rather "ooh" and "ahh" responses from the guests as these beautiful vistas roll into view. I guess that is as close to that land as I will ever be able to get. But I'm grateful for even these glimpses.

And as for Rednecks, to get a proper view of who that term represents and what it stands for, don't believe anyone who refers to this group as "They"; instead listen to one that defines it by starting the definition with "We." That one you can believe. He's been there, done that, got the T-shirt to prove it, and a full gun rack across the rear windown of his pick-up truck to back it up. And when Smith and Wesson speak, people listen.

When a Redneck goes to help a friend move, that means he goes and helps him put the wheels back under it where they came from. This quote came from a book titled "You're a Redneck if..." offered for a few bucks from AMAZON.COM, if you really want to know. Here's another: If you go to spend the night at a Redneck's place, he's apt to be very gracious and offer you the choice of front seat or back seat.

By the way, I wonder how did all this "Redneck" stuff get onto a RANSOME forum anyway?

Enough of that...

Ed Kiser, South Florida


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