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H is for Hawk


Winner of BookBrowse's 2015 Nonfiction Award.
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How does being visible or invisible change in significance as Helen trains Mabel?

Created: 03/20/16

Replies: 8

Posted Mar. 20, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

How does being visible or invisible change in significance as Helen trains Mabel?

Helen describers herself as 'a watcher' (p68): a characteristic she says has both positive and negative aspects. How does being visible or invisible change in significance as Helen trains Mabel?


Posted Apr. 09, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
bonnieb

Join Date: 09/11/11

Posts: 132

RE: How does being visible or invisible change in significance as Helen trains Mabel?

Initially, Helen has to be invisible. Mabel needs to feel comfortable with her environment and not be startled or aware of Helen. As the bird become more aware of Helen, she needs to have Mabel recognize and be dependent on her for food and sustenance. She goes from an invisible 'watcher' to a necessary part of Mabel's world, one that Mabel recognizes and seeks out.


Posted Apr. 11, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
BarbMJ

Join Date: 10/10/14

Posts: 11

RE: How does being visible or invisible change in significance as Helen trains Mabel?

And in her grief Helen starts out as being invisible by cutting herself off from friends and family. Once she learns to be visible through the memorial service, Helen is able to come out of her grief.


Posted Apr. 11, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
JAKL1

Join Date: 12/06/12

Posts: 55

RE: How does being visible or invisible change in significance as Helen trains Mabel?

Training Mabel requires Mabel to be independent(invisible) and the dependent(visible) on Helen. This also goes to Helen being invisible to the world dealing with losing her father and then coming to terms (visible to the world with accepting her loss of her father. Great comparison in this book.


Posted Apr. 12, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
KateB

Join Date: 02/11/16

Posts: 60

RE: How does being visible or invisible change in significance as Helen trains Mabel?

So Mabel enables her to be invisible but not alone?


Posted Apr. 12, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
judyb

Join Date: 10/20/10

Posts: 23

RE: How does being visible or invisible change in significance as Helen trains Mabel?

When Helen becomes invisible to Mabel in order to gain her trust, she can also be invisible to herself in order to keep her overwhelming grief from consuming her. When she becomes visible to Mabel in order to train her, Helen has to go beyond her grief to trust Mabel. In the process, Helen goes a long way toward recovering from her grief.


Posted Apr. 12, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
judyb

Join Date: 10/20/10

Posts: 23

RE: How does being visible or invisible change in significance as Helen trains Mabel?

When Helen becomes invisible to Mabel in order to gain her trust, she can also be invisible to herself in order to keep her overwhelming grief from consuming her. When she becomes visible to Mabel in order to train her, Helen has to go beyond her grief to trust Mabel. In the process, Helen goes a long way toward recovering from her grief.


Posted Apr. 13, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
joanp

Join Date: 06/13/11

Posts: 102

RE: How does being visible or invisible change in significance as Helen trains Mabel?

I don't think she was invisible to Maria. She was really acclimating the bird to a new environment inside with a very still human. She was combatting the birds instinct to fly from danger. Gradually , Maria became accustomed to Helen being there and then depended on her for sustenance.


Posted Apr. 13, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
marganna

Join Date: 10/14/11

Posts: 153

RE: How does being visible or invisible change in significance as Helen trains Mabel?

What a great parallel in this part of the story. Helen in her grief - her need to withdraw from life - and the need to be invisible in order to gain the Hawk's trust. Helen turned to what could sustain her through this dark period in her life. As with the training of Mabel - gaining her trust, confidence, ability to move through the world, so does Helen with the progression of her hawk. Through the training of Mabel & White's stories of his life/failures/success Helen is able to recover.


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