I found a great swords website: www.kingofswords.com which sells all kinds of armors and swords. It is amazing, just like swords in dragon ball and FF and so on so forth. Moreover there are lots of other kinds of armors. Things such as “katana“, “samurai swords“, “ninja swords“, “anime swords“, “self defense”, or “stun gun“.
Which is more important, it offers some freebies.
Try it yourself.
In this chapter, Forrest went to find Jenny. He didn’t have the exact address, just a mailbox. But Jenny told him where did she sing the songs. So Forrest tried to get there to find Jenny.
At first, Forrest try to walk there, but he lost his way again, so he took a taxi. When he got there it is very early, so he wait for six hours for Jenny. In the evening, there are more and more people coming into the bar. Everyone ware a strange clothe—at least Forrest think so. The band is making noise—I think maybe that is the way Forrest call the rock music. Later, Jenny came out, Forrest was so happy, he tried to get close to the stage, but everybody saw his uniform, everybody ask him get lost, our poor Forrest could just left the little bar.
When Forrest get out of the bar, he just walk around for half of an hour and came back, people are still singing in the bar, so Forrest just wait outside. He took out his harmonica, and play it with the songs singing in the bar. The sound was so beautiful, that Jenny went out to see who was playing that. They met each other in this way.
They talked about the past years, Jenny left school and had gone out to California for a wile, and wear flowers in her hair, but she thought the people there is a bunch of freaks who is stoned all the time, so she came to Boston. This is a very interesting thing mentioned.
Why people in California like wearing flowers in their hair? They is a very famous song San Francisco like following:
If you’re going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you’re going to San Francisco
You’re gonna meet some gentle people there
For those who come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
In the streets of San Francisco
Gentle people with flowers in their hair
All across the nation such a strange vibration
People in motion
There’s a whole generation with a new explanation
People in motion people in motion
For those who come to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
If you come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
Then Forrest join the band again, and play with Jenny. And Jenny took Forrest look around the Cambridge and Harvard University. Forrest decide to go for a class named “Role of the Idiot in World Literature.”
At the end of this chapter, Forrest had the sex with Jenny, and they are lived together. An very romantic conversation between them is like this: Jenny said “Goddamn, Forrest, where is you been all my life?” “I been around,” Forrest answered.
It seems that it is a good situation, what will happen to them, let us expect the next chapter.
In this chapter, Forrest went to halfway round the world again, but this time is in Peking, China.
When Forrest arrived Red China, he found that the gooks here are very nice, they are neat and clean and very polite; didn’t like the gooks in Vietnam who want to kill him.
American State Department had sent a feller to tell the players how to behave around the Chinese. This guy named Mister Wilkins and he was teaching Forrest all the time like “when a Chinaman bow to you, you gotta bow back. Gump, you gotta quit adjustin yoursef in public. Gump, what are them stains on your trousers? Gump, you have got the table manners of a hog.” Whatever he taught, Forrest cannot catch up with him. When they were having meals with Chinese, Forrest found that Chinese always eating “with two little sticks and it is almost impossible to shovel any food in your mouth with them”, so he suggest Chinese to learn how to use a fork.
Another day, all the American players were ask to go to a restaurant and have the Peking Duck. When Forrest left the Hotel, he forget take the address with him, and he don’t know anything about Chinese. He just told the driver “Peking Duck”. Of course the driver cannot under what he said. So the driver just took him around the Peking City and giving him a tour of the city. About one hour later, Forrest found that he must get to the restaurant, so he try to explain what is Peking duck to the driver. He just flaps his arms like they are ducks’ wings. Suddenly the driver get a big smile, and start nodding and drive off, when the car stopped, Forrest found that he was in front of the airport.
So, Forrest just let the driver go and went to a small restaurant. The waitress come over and brings him a menu. But menu is all written in Chinese, so Forrest just point to four or five different things randomly. He thought maybe one of them will be eatable, when he tastes them; he found out that all of them are pretty good.
When he finished his meal, he left the restaurant and tries to walk back to the hotel. He walked about many hours, and then, someone Chinese police come put him into the jail.
Because they though Forrest maybe a spy. The next day Mister Wilkins came and takes Forrest out. After that Mister Wilkins put a label in Forrest pocket which say who is he and where he was living.
In the book, it say that when Chairman Mao swimming in the river, and he was drowning. And Forrest saved his life. I think author try to tell the story like this is because in the west nobody believes that Chairman Mao can swim in the river when he was in his eighty’s. But that was the truth.
Because Forrest saved Chairman Mao’s life, so he was asked to have dinner with Chairman Mao. After the meal, Chairman Mao asked him “I have heard you were in Vietnam. May I ask what you think of the war?” Forrest doesn’t know how to answer, he just tells like what he thought he said, “I think it’s a bunch of shit.” With this answer, Chairman Mao laughs and shakes Forrest’s hands and nodding his head. This graph became the first line on the newspaper.
When Forrest comes back to US, he was not working in the Steam Heat Company, and was sent back to Fort Dix, but he asks to let him out of the Army early. So the Army gives him some money for the ticket home and let him go.
Forrest was thinking about where to go, go back to home to see the mom; or start the shrimp business; or go to Harvard to see Jenny. At last minute, Forrest decides went to Boston
In this chapter, Forrest go back to US. on the way, Colonel Gooch was talking all the way about the great treatment they will get–”people will turn out for parades an shit an they will not be able to buy themsef a drink or a meal on account of everbody else will be wantin to do it for them”. He called this “royal treatment”.
When they arrived at the airport at San Francisco, they really get the “royal treatment”–a big crowd is waiting for us to get off the plane. But they are not welcome, people are carrying signs and banners. All of them are anti-war, and then somebody throw a big tomato that hit Colonel Gooch in the face. But Forrest runs off this time.
When they take another plane to Washington DC, on the airplane, they sit in the front of the plane, all the people around them got up and went to set in the back of the airplane. I think all the people in US hate this war.
After Forrest and Colonel Gooch arrived at Washington DC, they were sent to a very good hotel, and our poor Forrest takes his first time to use the elevator. Then Colonel Gooch ask Forrest go to a little bar for a drink, he said there are a lot of pretty girls there, and it is a lot different here than in California on account of people in the East are civilized and shit–of course at that time, there were no computer, internet and IT, but nowadays, maybe California is the best state in US. But when they get the bar, no one wants talk with them. Colonel Gooch try to talk with a pretty girl, but what he get is all “four letter words”.
On the next day, they went to White House to see the President, and he is from Texas. After the meeting, President ask Forrest to have the breakfast together, after the breakfast, President asks Forrest to look around the White House. Chinese people always said, “stupids has their luck”. I think Forrest is very luck; he can visit the White House with President. If you think something will not happen, it will happen on Forrest. The President showed his stomach to Forrest asked where his wounded is. Forrest just stands up and pulls down his pants and show him. All the photographer take pictures about this sense. On the next morning, it is show on every newspaper like “President Johnson and War Hero Relaxing in the Rose Garden”, and with that picture. Poor President.
A few days later Forrest was asked to give speech all around the US. Colonel Gooch try to teach him how to give a speech, but Forrest cannot remember a long paper. So Colonel Gooch just cut and cut down the words, at last, just one sentence “Join the Army an fight for your freedom.” At this time, Forrest can remember it very well.One the first day of their speech, Forrest just said that sentence, after that, he didn’t know what to do, just standing there. Suddenly, a guy jump up and asked “What do you think of the war?”, Forrest answered as what he was thinking “It is a bunch of shit.” This is a big problem.
Few days later, Colonel Gooch was reassigned to a weather station in Iceland and Forrest was sent to a Steam Heat Company.
One day, Forrest was informed that there will be a ping-pong tournament and the winner will get to go to Washington to play for the All Army championship. So Forrest signs in for it. Forrest won pretty easy the first round, and the second too, but in the third, he had a terrible time with one guy, and he is leading Forrest four games to two and it look like Forrest is gonna lose, at that time Forrest look over in the crowd and saw Dan. In the break, Dan talk with Forrest and told him “Forrest, I believe that you can do any damn thing you want to. I have been watchin you play, an you can beat this little guy because you play a hell of a game of ping-pong an it is your destiny to be the best.” Maybe Forrest is a kind of superman, after these words, Forrest did not lose a single point, and went on to the finals and won the whole tournament.
After the game, Forrest went back to the Steam Heat Company, but one day he was told that he had been chosen as a member of the UnitedStates Ping-Pong Team to go to Red China and play the Chinese in ping-pong. He was told this is a special honor, because for the first time in nearly twenty-five years their country is having anything to do with the Chinese, and it is an event far more important than any ping-pong game. It is diplomacy, and the future of the human race might be at stake. Though Forrest didn’t understand all these things, he just accepts it and plays the ping-pong he likes.
OK, in next chapter, let’s see what Forrest doing in Red China.
Forrest was sent to the hospital; at there he met Dan, another important roll in the film—is he also important in the book? As far as now, we don’t know—he is a tank officer, and was sent to the hospital because he had been blow up inside a tank. As I mentioned in last post, I think the weapon is not the most important thing in the war, for example, Officer Dan cannot do any thing in the war with his tank because the land there is mostly swamp or mountains.
Dan didn’t like talk, but a week late he and Forrest became very good friends. He was a teacher of history before US army grape him up and throws him into the Army. They were talking about the things happen in Dan’s philosophy that everything that happen to them, or for that matter, to anything anywhere, is controlled by natural laws that govern the universe. Forrest fell very happy with this kind of talking because people always trade him like an idiot; this is the first equal conversation.
As in the film, Forrest played the Ping-Pong in the rec of the hospital. He lost first few points, but after a wile, he beat all of them down.
In the mornings, Forrest always go to market to buy some fish or shrimp, later, he got familiar with the seller and let the seller toke him to find shrimp. In this way, Forrest learned how to catch fish easily in
East Asia method. I think this can help him earn a lot of money later.
One afternoon, Dan was disappeared, and Forrest was informed that he will be sent back to
United States. He can get a get Medal of Honor and meet the President of the
United States.
Before Forrest left, he play Ping-Pong game with the best player in the Army, and easily beat him down. And Forrest received some letters, in the letter from his mom, he knew his home got a fire and everything was gone; in the letter from Jenny, he learn the recent news about Jenny; in the letter from Dan, he explain the reason why he left with out a sentence—he didn’t know either when he was taken out of the hospital—and told Forrest that he is very special and flash fire in his eyes, and advice Forrest think about his life and do something.
At the end of this chapter, Forrest was sent back to US, I think in the next chapter he will become even more famous.
In this chapter, Forrest is still fighting in Vietnam. I think what mentioned in the book must be true. US army was scared of evening and night. In Korea war, Americans said nights were belongs to Chinese guys; in Vietnam War, they also said nights were belongs to Vietnam guys—-of course there are many Chinese soldiers fighting in Vietnam War. And Forrest mention that they always be attacked by sudden, so they always fighting even they don’t know where the enemy was. I think this is different ways of thinking between East Asian military idea and west military idea. For East Asian, they care about the stratagem—-how to fight, how to use the most power, abilities of the soldiers, even the weapons were really bad; west military more care about the technical problems about weapons or other equipments. So night belongs to Asian people, the don’t care about dark, cold, or bad weather, they can stay there for one whole day without any moving for ambuscading US army. But I think this may be not useful in nowadays, the technology is so powerful… they can destory a city or just destory a desk from thousands miles away.
In the war, some people die, some people were hurt. What Forrest can do is just wrote to his mother and Jenny, but he had heard nothing back. Poor Forrest, these two are the most important women in his life.
Forrest mentioned many kinds of rain, that what I like, but it seems difficult to say them in English as a second language. Here is what Forrest mentioned:” It commenced rainin one day an did not stop for two months. We went thru ever different kind of rain they is, cep’n maybe sleet or hail. It was little tiny stingin rain sometimes, an big ole fat rain at others. It came sidewise an straight down an sometimes even seem to come up from the groun. Nevertheless, we was expected to do our shit, which was mainly walkin up an down the hills an stuff lookin for gooks.”
Bubaa was talking all day about his shrimp to Forrest just in the film, but seems more like how to manager a shrimp company but not just for cooking shrimp. And one day, they were attacked, Forrest tried to save lives, but did not save Bubaa, he died. But Forrest remembers all he talked about the shrimp company. So later, Forrest will be rich for this experience.
By the way, I think US should stop the wars coursed by itself here and there all over the world, maybe we can get the same goal with out fighting. A peace world.
In chapter 5, poor Forrest got even poorer. First, he was flunked out of the school. The reason is really funny. Forrest—the Most Valuable College Back in the Southeastern Conference—had got an F in phys-ed class. Which is funnier, Forrest got an A in Intermediate Light. I think this is an interest thing to discuss the universities give the admissions to those students who have a strong suit. This is not a wise way to find special persons, because university is a place to study knowledge, other things like football, band are just for fun. The more stranger thing is that, for these people, they were asked to study courses like other student, how can they do that? Another interest thing is universities require people pass all kinds of courses. Forrest got an A in Intermediate Light, he is a genius in this filed but he cannot pass phys-ed, so he was kicked out from the school. This university kills a Most Valuable College Back and a physical scientist because he can not pass the phys-ed. What a pity.
Then, Forrest got home, he was told he would become a soldier even he was a idiot. When his mother argued with the sergeant, she was told like this “Well, lady, what do you think all these other people is? Einsteins?” This is the truth, army don’t need clever guys, just need the stupid guys to follow the orders, no matter it is right or wrong.
Stupid is as stupid does. When Forrest came in the army, he made a mess as soon as possible. It was his turn to cook the dinner, but he stews all kinds of things together in a steam boiler. The result is the steam boiler became a bomb, after the bomb blast, the filling in it went everywhere, made the whole room and all people getting into a terrible mess.
Then Forrest was sent to Vietnam and joined the war. At there, Forrest met Bubba, his foot was hurt too bad to play football, but were not bad enough to keep from getting him sent to the Vietnam War. And he told Forrest some information about Jenny that she had quit school and gone off with a bunch of war protesters.
I apologized that I forgot post this chapter last week, I wrote it on a computer without network, and forgot post it. Until I want to post Chapter 5. I found that there is no Chapter 4 on the net. So I go to find it and post it. Any way, better late than never.
At the beginning of chapter 4, Coach Bryant started teaching Forrest how to catch a football. It looks so funny, a football player in the team of a university didn’t know how to pass and get a ball, and he still was consider to be a secret weapon—he is six foot six, two hundred forth pounds and run the hundred yards in 9.5 seconds flat.
Without playing football Forrest continued learning how to play harmonica with Bubba. In fact he was not learning but practicing, because when he heard some music, he can play it himself without learning. On a Friday, Forrest went to listen Jenny’s band’s performance, suddenly, Forrest pulled out his harmonica and just playing with them. The sound was so beautiful that everyone was surprised, including Forrest himself. He was a genius in music. Of course, the band asked Forrest to join them, then, Forrest became a part of the band.
The band always played the popular music at that time, like by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and so on, especially the song “blowin in the wind”. This is a beautiful song for anti-war and civil rights movements. Bob Dylan and Joan Baez are the representative of that time. So in the film Forrest Gump, the idol of Janny is Joan Baez, and even the poster in her room is also Joan Baez. And the author mentioned the “blowin in the wind” here is also contrast the future life of Forrest—to be a solder and go to the war.
Last chapter mentioned that Forrest was praised for his “creative writing”, but this time, he was told like this “Mister Gump, I believe it is time for you to stop trying to be amusing and start getting serious.” Later, Forrest was sent to a Research Lab in University Medical Center to study his “Idiot savant”. Poor Forrest.
Which is even poorer, Forrest finds that Jenny was “screwing” the banjo player. Forrest didn’t know what is “making love”, so, when he saw Jenny was “screwing” in the car with the banjo player, he went to fight the banjo player to “protect” Jenny. The result is Jenny saying “Oh Forrest—how could you!” For this reason, Forrest was kicked out from the band.
Later, the football team lost the game in Orange Bowl. The reason is one teammate didn’t trust the “stupid Forrest”, and didn’t pass the ball to him at the last second. Before this chance, Forrest made the score from 28:7 to 28:21, and nearly saving the game. So, this story told us—sometimes we should trust idiots.
Ps: the song “blowin in the wind” How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, ‘n’ how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, ‘n’ how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, ‘n’ how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, ‘n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
How many years can a mountain exist
Before it’s washed to the sea?
Yes, ‘n’ how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, ‘n’ how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
This week we finished the Chapter 3. In Chapter 3, Forrest has entered the university. Now he begins his collage life. At first he is still threat as an idiot—living in the worst room in the school, and his roommate is a man “with a brain as an eggplant” just Forrest. In the football practice Forrest made mistakes again and again. It seems everything go wrong.
Forrest mentioned when he was a child his mother always told him “Forrest, you got to be careful, cause they gonna put you away”. What a poor boy. He cannot do things what he want just like other boys, but “be careful” for making mistake, because he is a idiot. Whatever he is the idiot or not, let us think about that do we have the right to push little children just because we consider them to be an idiot?
Anyway, Forrest may be really an idiot in some part. Because “everything Curtis—his roommate—say got so many cusswords in it, time Forrest get to figgerin out what they are, he miss Curtis’ point” This is good or not? A clean big boy even didn’t understand those four letter words. I don’t know.
Later, Forrest find is position in the football team again, others just give him the ball—even can’t pass ball to him—and Forrest just run and touchdown. He became a hero in the game, his mother, Jenny, and everybody saw him for the TV.
Actually, Forrest is a genius in many other fields, in Physical Education—‘Intermediate Light’—, he did the best in the class, even the Professor didn’t believe that Forrest didn’t cheat; in his English class, his teacher likes his “creative writing” very much, even wants him to join the creative writing department. And even in playing harmonica, Forrest can play it very well at the first time.
At the end of Chapter 3, Forrest meets Bubba—Mr. Shrimp—but the thing seems not happening as in the film. So, let’s see what’s going on with these two brothers.
This week we continue to read the chapter 2 of the FORREST GUMP. In this chapter, Forrest was at the cross of his life—-he had finished his Middle school life. What is he going to do, go to university; join the army; find a job or something else.
At the beginning of chapter 2, Forrest goes for the all-state football banquet, which hold in a little town. Because its small, some poor people were trucked up there. Of course, Forrest was one of these poor people, but he didn’t think so, he thought that there was five or six of us from this area who won the PRIZE. He called this PRIZE. Is he stupid or just a kind of optimism? When the things happen can we change the viewpoint to watch it again? Maybe everything will also change, you can consider all of these bad luck, bad treatment as a kind of PRIZE. We cannot change the life but we can change the attitude to the life.
Later, at the banquet, everyone won the prize—this time is the real prize—- will go to the microphone and take the prize and say thank you, if he want, also can say something he wants to say. I think this is a common scene on the TV, in the film, or even in our daily life. But Forrest said something that we didn’t hear before. When the man asked Forrest anything else want to say, he answered—I got to pee. Ok, this time, he really looks like a idiot. But with further consideration, we find that he did nothing wrong. The man asked what he wants to say. He wants to pee, so tell like it is. Look at the TV, every show, then the person get the prize, he will thank a lot of people—his parents, his boss, his fans or even his government— I dint believe that his can remember so much things at the second when he got the prize, so what he say is not what he thought but what he prepared before. Forrest didn’t do this; he was like the child in The Emperor’s New Clothes, only told the truth. I think this is very good, can’t we don’t do things so sham? Maybe the writer was focus on this point.
And Forrest mentioned his favorite toy—a baseball from the famous baseball team, New York Yankees, I don’t know why the use this name, I think Yankee seem to be a name not very polite. Why they prefer this name? I have no idea, who knows can tell me.
Then, both a college and US Army try to get Forrest to be the member, but with the test, the result shows that he was a really stupid idiot. So both of them give up Forrest.
When Forrest goes to Army first time, others ragged him—also because he looks like a idiot. But the interesting thing is that, when others rag him, somebody jams the finger up Forrest’s ass. I know it is too rude to talk about this, but this is also the favorite game of my friends when I was a child. Seems that this is a game for all the human being, no matter which country.
Because Forrest left the US Army, he was put in to the jail—of course be sent out again because he was a idiot—but the sense inspire me is that his mother was crying and wiping her eyes with her handkerchief. I don’t know American culture, but there is a Chinese old saying that “自古只有瓜连子，从来不见子连瓜” [the melons are always hold the seeds, but the seeds never stick together with the melons] which means the parents always care about the children, but the child didn’t that care about their parents. Let’s have a think, can we remember the birthday of our parent, what are they doing when we are busy with our work, when we are busy with dating with girls? Anyway, give your parents a call when you finish reading this post.
