Discussion questions for Kilmeny of the Orchard

So my book club will be discussing Kilmeny of the Orchard at our next meeting. Since I choose the book, I was curious to see what kind of discussion questions were out there for it.

I found none.

So I decided to create some of my own!

Some of the themes, on the surface of the book, are that love conquers all; unyielding pride causes difficulty not just for the prideful one, but also for their loved ones; eugenics; and the beauty of nature and of people with pure hearts.

1. Let's get the ugly one taken care of right now. The book uses an "Italian peasant" as the villain. It really gives no reason for his bad character except his heritage and "otherness." Near the beginning of the book, "good breeding" is referred to several times as an essential trait for a good match. However, in other respects, this book is very progressive for its time. Coeds are discussed in very positive language and are described as just as capable as the men intellectually. This was before WWII and eugenics were very popular. However, according to most eugenicists, people with any major defect were considered unfit, including those who were deaf or "dumb."
What do you think this book shows about the views on eugenics of the time? How does it align with them? How does it refute them?

2. The book goes into great detail about why Eric is such an eligible match: he's educated, handsome, rich, young, well born, popular, and has a promising future ahead of him. However, it seems like Kilmeny's lack of speech is a very real obstacle to their marriage, as many of the characters (David, Eric, Mrs. Williamson, the Gordons, even Kilmeny herself!) point out. Kilmeny has to be essentially perfect in all other ways to make up for it! Today, something as trivial as being mute would hardly stand in the way of two people in love.
Why do you think this was such an issue in this story?
How do you think this book affected the way people thought of eugenics, especially in respect to physically "unfit" people?

3. What of the sin of the parent being brought upon the innocent child? In the book, the consequence is merely fantastical. However, there are real-life applications of this principle.
When have you seen an innocent suffer from the sins of another person, especially a child?
How does knowing that someone's defects may be caused by another person's sins make you act toward them?

4. Nature is heavily featured in the book. Did you relate to the lyrical descriptions of the sunset, the woods, the flowers, or the orchard? Would you like to see the orchard described in the book? Why?

5. How would it make you feel to be loved as wholly as Kilmeny is, to be seen for you are without having to say a word?

6. What would the world be like if you could look into someone's eyes and tell their character, like Eric, David, and Eric's father can when they meet Kilmeny?

7. Given that Neil is unmistakenly the villain, why do you think that Montgomery puts in the tidbit near the end about him selling his own filly to obtain money for his journey?

8. How do you think we should approach books that espouse a different moral system than our own?




Please, if you find a site that includes discussion questions for this book, link to it in the comments! I would love to see what other questions people have to discuss.

Popular?

Middle school me would have had a hard time believing that one day I'd be one of the popular kids. However, here I am, and I'm part of that elite group in my new ward. Crazy!

I didn't really do anything special to be in the popular group. I just fit the mold: I'm young, I'm educated, I enjoy and have time to read books. I'm even a little bit sporty (ok, ok, all it is is that I run, and that's a newer thing. I'm going to write an update on that soon). Oh yeah. I also have young kids, just like all the other "popular" moms.

I actually feel kind of ridiculous talking about how popular I am.

Anyway, I'm one of those people. They are all nice, kind, and accepting people, but they are the "popular" group and many people in the ward have a hard time feeling like they fit in. Now that I'm in this situation, what am I to do about it?

First things first, let's start with what I have done. I've tried sitting with people in my ward who are not part of the popular group. I really enjoy their company, and they have so many unique talents and experiences. I'm actively trying to get to know everyone in my ward, not just the "popular" ones.

However, this isn't enough. The other "popular" people aren't following my lead. It's kind of funny, because a lot of them are shy or not very outgoing. I think they don't even realize that they're popular! For the situation to change, however, the other "popular" people need to get involved.

One of the things that made it hard for me to fit in when I was younger was that I unwittingly excluded myself from other people and their activities. We didn't share interests, so I thought that they weren't interested in doing things with me. What I didn't understand was that in order to be friends with someone different from you, sometimes you have to put some of your favorite interests on the back burner in order to foster your new friendship.

It's difficult for me to think of activities or conversation starters that don't involve children, books, or a limited amount of exercise. However, the fact of the matter is that there are millions upon millions of people in this world who don't have any interest in even one of those things. If I want to have a well-rounded worldview and include people from many walks of life in my circle of friends--regardless of where I know them from--then I need to learn to branch out, get out of my comfort zone, and take interest in their favorite interests.

Let's not be like Glinda :)

BMI: reliable or outdated?

I realized just a few weeks ago that I was overweight according to my BMI (I was just barely overweight, at 140 lbs and 5'2"). I was surprised at that because of all the positive attention the media has been giving lately to people who say that models are overly skinny and "real women" are much bigger. The media (and my friends) had been giving so much support to this movement that I thought I was just fine as a "real woman."

So when I found out that I was overweight, I was taken off guard. I was so surprised that I figured that other people probably didn't know that they were overweight, either. I mentioned how surprised I was about being overweight in a recent conversation. The person I was talking to said that using your BMI to determine if you were overweight or not is outdated and inaccurate in many cases. At the time, all I could say was that it's really only inaccurate for people who have a lot of muscle mass. Since then, I've realized that BMI is what has been used in the studies about how weight and health are related. Therefore, even if it's an outdated and inaccurate means to determine your body's fitness, the average person's health risks can be determined by their BMI.

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention - a government-funded organization), some health issues from being overweight or obese are these:

-Coronary heart disease
-Type 2 diabetes
-Cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)
-Hypertension (high blood pressure)
-Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
-Stroke
-Liver and Gallbladder disease
-Sleep apnea and breathing problems
-Osteoarthritis (a breakdown of cartilage and bone within a joint)
-Gynecological problems (abnormal periods, infertility)

This isn't about my vanity; it's about my health!

Also, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) states that "If you have abdominal obesity and most of your fat is around your waist rather than at your hips, you're at increased risk for coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The risk goes up with a waist size that's greater than 35 inches for women or greater than 40 inches for men."

On the flip side, I have a friend who is the same height as me, 5' 2". She stays at 125 lbs "no matter what" she eats, according to her. She says her ideal weight is 107. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't function very well at 107 lbs, and that for my very individual body, I would be underweight. (Just FYI - "normal" body weight for someone that's 5'2" is 101 - 136 lbs). I was surprised that the range for normal was 35 lbs apart from low to high. I think that alone factors in the differences between body types and shapes.

I think 120-125 is probably my ideal body weight, and not lower. You see, I have a very close relationship with food, and need my energy. I will also probably have a relatively slow journey to get to that ideal weight (I'm ~136 now, after 2 months of exercise and almost 1 month of eating better). However, one little-known fact is that most of the energy that you use throughout the day is energy stored in your muscles (from food you ate that day), not your fat. Prolonged exercise is what uses up your fat stores.

For your convenience, here are two BMI calculators, one from the CDC website, and the other from the NHLBI website .