Poll: Year End

[thefourthvine]

I've seen lots of people doing year-end wrap-ups, but, well, I don't really have a lot to wrap up. You all know how my year went. Instead, I thought I'd ask you: how was your year? Are you happy, baby? (I'm also curious because a lot of people seem to have had absolutely terrible 2007s; I'm wondering if it was just the Cursed Year or what

Comments

[misspamela]

I forgot to answer the most interesting thing...which I think you already know! And when I said, "about the same" happiness as last year, it's a totally different kind of happiness/not happiness, but it's not quantitatively more or less. If that makes sense.

[thefourthvine]

It does indeed make sense. (And, hmmm. I do think I guessed your most interesting thing. I suspect it's the same as my most interesting thing, even!)

[thefourthvine]

*beams*

You are entirely welcome to gush all over my LJ. Or, you know, cry, but I'm very glad you're not in a crying place this year. Yay! (Especially since I remember where you were last year: Not the Happiest.)

[katie_m]

Okay, this is that one time when I'm going to say that there is no answer to that question about the story. The whole point of the story is to forbid us knowing; we can think about it, say how we would have written the story, but the story is what it is and the answer to that question isn't in it.

(Given the story as it is, I probably would have ended it with the tiger, FWIW.)

[destina]

What she said. Hence I didn't vote on that question because it's a theoretical exercise only.

[thefourthvine]

See, I know that you're actually right - there is no answer. But I remember everyone having extreme opinions about it when we read the story in middle school. (And my opinion has totally not changed since then.) And even though Best Beloved and I were all, "Yup, it's totally unknowable, that's the point," neither of us could resist adding, "(but secretly I believe it's X)."

So I'm hoping we're not the only people with kneejerk opinions that were formed in prepubescence that remain solidly with us today. (And I'm totally going with a middle school approach: figure out who is right by determining what everyone else thinks! Actually, no. I'm just settling a bet.)

We did agree, though, that The Lady, or the Tiger would make the worst Yuletide request ever.

[siegeofangels]

We actually had to write our own endings to that story in . . . sixth grade? Tiger all the way, baby.

Perhaps I should blame that assignment for my subsequent fanfictional leanings.

[zillah975]

If it had been the tiger, I'd have been torn to bits and could be starting all over again, reincarnated or something. Alas, it was the lady, but I was already married (figuaratively) with a lovely home and nice stuff. Now I don't have my lovely home and I'm married (figuartively) to taking care of my mom and trying to keep my step-dad from reaching the end of his rope (because if he does that and splits for parts unknown, I will be hurling myself into tiger pens across the country with beefsteaks strapped to my belly).

However, the year could have been much worse. I still have my sister, my health, the internet, my awesome friends both online and offline, books, fandom, a good job, a place to live, my cat, two computers, and a car that runs, and my step-dad and I generally get along all right. So I wouldn't say I'm sadder than I was last year, but I'd say I'm less hopeful for the near future.

Still fairly hopeful for the distant future, though. :)

[thefourthvine]

Um, here's to the distant future? And yay for stil having things that are good? Because, wow, 2007 sounds like it sucked.

I offer you tea and sympathy, and hope for a great 2008.

[joandarck]

My vote reflects my opinion in junior high -- given the characterization of the woman and her culture as presented, it seemed inevitable that it would be the tiger, even though any of us would have given him the lady instead. (I do realize the question is supposed to be uanswerable, but I didn't feel like he'd presented enough counterbalance suggesting that she was having an outburst of "civilized" compassion or anything.)

I don't have an opinion these days, it's been too long since I read the story.

[thefourthvine]

Oh, man. Now I totally want to talk about my opinion, but I can't, because I promised BB that I wouldn't do anything that might bias the results. (LJ polls are serious business!)

I do remember everyone having really strong opinions about this in middle school, and I certainly formed mine then and, until recently, hadn't thought about it since. Perhaps that's why they have middle schoolers read it; I mean, it's very much like middle school (today, will I make a friend, or will I be eaten by a tiger?), and it's kind of geared to the middle school mentality, so it's a topic they can really get into. Hmmm.

[joandarck]

it's very much like middle school (today, will I make a friend, or will I be eaten by a tiger?)

da;kljdsf;lkad;k;

[jamethiel_bane]

JOANIE!!!! *glomps you*

HI!