Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents Discussion Group

[poohbcarrot]

I'm not saying that Darktan pretends to be Jesus, I'm saying that the lie that Darktan stared down the Bone Rat is not disputed, and is used to keep a leadership battle from occurring and Darktan in power.

You yourself said "Why not use it (the lie)?"

[Tonyblack]

Then we are talking at crossed purposes. I understood from your previous posts that you were saying that Dark Tan was using the scars as a sort of sign that he'd died and been resurrected and was therefore starting a religion.

I'm talking about him using the fact that he survived a trap and has the scars to prove it as proof that he's a tough rat.

[Dotsie]

I think it's a little bit of both. He's a tough rat, with some kind of supernatural abilities.

[poohbcarrot]

:lol: Then we are talking at crossed purposes. I understood from your previous posts that you were saying that Dark Tan was using the scars as a sort of sign that he'd died and been resurrected and was therefore starting a religion.

Eh? Far too deep for me that sort of comment!

Anyway, it was Kakaze talking about Jesus and resurrection, not me.

I mean the "staring down the Bone Rat" lie was a religious-type experience which was deliberately exploited for reasons of holding on to power.

[Tonyblack]

Then I apologise for misunderstanding and thinking it was you that made the Jesus comment.

Actually, if anyone returned from the dead and was likely to have religious significance attached to it then it's Dangerous Beans.

Maybe Terry is making a point here that as the rats become more intelligent they need to make things up to explain the things they don't understand. This is (arguably) why religions get started in the first place.

The rats have come to fear the dark as they've become more intelligent and that's possibly something that needs imagination to do. Maybe they will adopt a religion of sorts - it certainly seems to be going that way. Something to comfort them in the dark places and to give them hope about what happens after death.

[Jan Van Quirm]

strength (of any type) + belief = power.

Most myth/god-kings/religio-philosophic power-bases are founded on strong, re-inforced faith/belief and that other great factor - fear which can be very subtle indeed (as in I'm too scared not to believe in god 'cos I don't want to go to Hell*).

So is the power of bullies - you have to believe you're in for a bloody good metephoric kicking to be so scared of them. The human/changeling mind is a very strange place indeed and it's possibly better to have a god/angel under your bed than a monster.

* I do believe in Hell mostly as you can't miss it in the here and now. I just try to ignore it...* :wink:

[poohbcarrot]

(Possibly my last comment on this thread)

As Sam Vimes says, "Where's the money?"

What did the rats gain? Everything.
What did the rats lose? Nothing.

What did Maurice gain? Nothing. Not a sausage. Absolutely zilch.
What did Maurice lose? Everything.

[Tonyblack]

(Possibly my last comment on this thread)

As Sam Vimes says, "Where's the money?"

What did the rats gain? Everything.
What did the rats lose? Nothing.

What did Maurice gain? Nothing. Not a sausage. Absolutely zilch.
What did Maurice lose? Everything.

I'm not sure I agree with that regarding Maurice, Pooh. Maurice had the chance to stay in the town. He would have got what he professed to want - a nice old lady to take care of him. And he could have been a star in his own right in the new community.

But, instead he chose to leave and go back to doing what he'd done before - showing everyone what a clever cat he is. I think it's in this book, but it could be another DW book, where a character says that the money is just a way of keeping score. Maurice doesn't need money and he doesn't need the security of a home. He'd prefer to be out on his own and in control of his life.

[Jan Van Quirm]

Maurice is a cat - they don't need anything at all because they are always at the centre of their world. If they're altruistic in any way it's not by design - it just happens to be what they want to be doing.

[Dotsie]

Cats like sport. They play with the mouse before they kill it, then they don't eat it; they play with the humans before they fleece them, then they don't spend it

[Tonyblack]

You now have two weeks to read or reread Going Postal for the discussion starting on Monday 7th September.

[mspanners]

The only part of the book I loved was the part when the mice were working like a bomb disposal team on the trap, not one of my favorite books I am afraid to say.....

Still i would recomend it to anyone who wants there kids to have nightmares!

Is it an adult books or for the more disturbed kids?

One of the hardest of Terry's books to categorise I reckon...

[Dotsie]

I've never understood the need to categorise books Once at reading group a man (he only came to group twice) did nothing but moan about a book I'd chosen, & his main problem seemed to be that he couldn't tell what genre it was.

It wasn't you was it?

[Tonyblack]

Quite right! Terry's books in particular tend to defy categorisation.

[poohbcarrot]

I've never understood the need to categorise books Once at reading group a man (he only came to group twice) did nothing but moan about a book I'd chosen, & his main problem seemed to be that he couldn't tell what genre it was.

It wasn't you was it?

IT WAS ME!!