Hello everyone! Does everyone remember last month’s innovative and exciting quiz? If you’ll remember, I asked you to watch a video called “A Book Report On Peter Rabbit”. It’s very hard to find. It’s constantly being taken off of Youtube for copyright reasons. Here’s Part-1:
Here’s what it’s about: Four members of the Peanuts Gang are doing a homework assignment—namely to write a book report on Peter Rabbit in 100 words. Schroeder, the only one using a computer, clearly has not read the book, but he HAS read Robin Hood, which he likes very much; so, he starts writing excitedly about that, making spotty references to Peter Rabbit as he goes, hoping his teacher won’t notice that he hasn’t read it! Schroeder was very exuberant over the action-packed Robin Hood.
Lucy thinks it’s a dumb assignment (she’s the first person you’ll see in the video), constantly counting her words, caring only that she makes it to 100. You hear her making contemptuous remarks throughout, saying “stupid this and stupid that”, displaying a very haughty manner.
Linus has made a big production out of the whole thing and has researched every possible angle of the story, concentrating on the sociological implications of being an outcast/scapegoat in a tightly-knit family of rabbits. I could not find a video of Linus’ part, but here are his words:
In examining a book such as Peter Rabbit, it is important that
the superficial chracteristics of its deceptively simple plot
should not be allowed to blind the reader to the more substantial
fabric of its deeper motivations. In this report I plan to discuss the
sociological implications of family pressures so
great as to drive an otherwise moral rabbit to
perform acts of thievery which he consciously knew were
against the law. I also hope to explore the personlaity of Mr.
Macgregor in his conflicting roles as farmer and humanitarian.
Peter Rabbit is established from the start as a benevolent hero
and it is only…
Now Charlie Brown comes in. He is the very soul of procrastination as he can’t even get started and is making excuses for why he can’t begin to write right away, saying he needs his rest and is looking pale under pressure! I did manage to find the video of Charlie Brown:
So, the point is to try to figure out what remedy type each of these characters is.
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OK, everybody, here are our answers, starting with our good friend, Kelly. Take it away, Kelly!
Okay, I think I’m ready now. Here goes nothing and remember, I’m still an amateur so be nice!
Well, if I have to….
Lucy is Lachesis. She uses angry words like “stupid rabbit” and seems quite resentful of having to do the assignment. Definitely irritable. Her report is not very detailed – she wants to get it over with (lazy), counting her words, filling in with “very, very”, etc. Bossy personality, uses bullying to get her way.
Linus- Sulphur. Lots of books, profound theories. He reads and lectures but never writes down a single word! Big words and theories.
Charlie Brown- Phosphoric acid. Procrastinates, keeps saying his thinking is, “not very good”. Can’t seem to get started, pessimistic and fearful. Seems apathetic, nervous and insecure. Pacing/fruitless activity.
Schroeder- I’m torn between Nat Mur and Phosphorus. He seems too intense and serious for Phosphorus though. Smart, creative and has a great grasp of the story of Robin Hood. Prolific writer but off target!
So, how’d I do?
Kelly
Well, Kelly, I think you did a great job, really! Ascribing “laziness” to Lucy, brilliant! Yes, I wouldn’t have thought of that but it’s true! There has to be some explanation for her apparent need to “just get it over with”! It’s true that she has a haughty attitude toward the whole assignment. She’s taking a very superior tone. For that reason I used “haughty” rather than “angry”. She seems to come across as “disrespectful” more so than angry, at least to me.
Yes, she is very bossy! I used “domineering disposition”.
Linus as Sulphur: everyone seems to agree with you! Good point that he does all that research and never writes a single word, meaning he gets nothing done! Typical sulphur!
Charlie Brown as Phos-ac. Interesting, yes, because he’s so tired, it seems. But I don’t know that the exhausted Phos-ac. would be pacing about, looking for excuses for not getting started.
Schroeder’s a tough one, I know. Too intense for Phosphorus, I agree. Schroeder is extremely animated and excited. Nat-mur….see, Nat-mur would have read the book! Schroeder didn’t even read the book, it was too insipid, too boring, he read what he WANTED to read! Nat-mur would have obediently read the assignment AND the essay would have been PERFECT!
Thank you Kelly, you acquitted yourself well!
*****
Lucy is an Arsenicum because she sounds anal, counting each word till she has enough.
Linus is a Sulphur because he’s likes to read advanced stuff from his stacks of books, and he sounds like an adult.
Charlie Brown is a Pulsatilla because he seems “soft” and is eating peanut butter.
Schroeder is an enigma. Not enough info and I can’t make out what he’s saying. There’s no rubric “desires to type.”
Nonda
Hi Nonda, thanks for taking part in our quiz! I think Lucy is counting because the assignment was to write a 100 word book report and as far as Lucy is concerned, as soon as she gets to 100, she’s done! She doesn’t care because she thinks the book is STUPID! Again: “haughty”.
Yes, everyone thinks Linus is a sulphur, and I can see why! For one thing, in typical Sulphur fashion, one book leads to another and he actually gets nothing done! Never writes a single word, as Kelly pointed out.
Pulsatilla for Charlie Brown, he’s soft and eating peanut butter, good observation!
Schroeder. Yes, he is a bit inscrutable isn’t he? I’ll get into Schroeder later. Thanks again, Nonda, I appreciate your writing in!
*****
OK, so what do you think about this:
(feel free to add wacky comments)
Who, moi? Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Mati Fuller!!!!!
Charlie Brown: Postpones everything, can’t even get himself to start the project (aversion to undertaking new projects), theorizes and rationalizes his lack of initiative, weak willed and undisciplined – Lycopodium
Wow. Good one, Mati. He definitely has an aversion to getting started, and he IS full of theories!
Lucy: doesn’t want to do her homework, but because she is obedient, responsible and reliable, she does it anyway. She jumps in, with no hesitation, but there is no passion in her project. Duty forces her to complete the task, but she counts the words and doesn’t write a single word more than she has to. She comes up with an unimaginative story, filled with useless words, even though she stays on target. No juice, no passion, very dry story, in other words, just a pile of salt – Nat Mur
I don’t know, Mati…. Would the obedient Nat-mur have been so disrespectful, using words like “stupid book” and “stupid rabbit” in her homework? She acts like she doesn’t care what grade she gets! Don’t we tend to think of Nat-mur as a member of the Honor Society? Oh! And Lucy seems actually pleased with her book report! Look at her with her self-satisfied smile as she’s counting her words and adding extra “very’s” to make sure she gets the requisite 100! Again, I would have to use the rubric “haughty” here and Nat-mur is only a 1 in that rubric.
Linus: Dives into piles of books for the sheer joy of collecting more info about Peter Rabbit and the psychology between Peter and his siblings. He doesn’t care about the story, he is not worried about getting it done on time, or the fact that they are only supposed to write 100 words. Definitely Sulphur, which is also supported by the dirty blanket he always drags around. It has probably never been washed, but it doesn’t bother him a bit.
Good point about that dirty blanket, Mati! (delusion: rags are riches–sulphur)
Schroeder: He is the creative type with an overactive mind that can’t focus on one boring story at a time. His story is way too long, and turns into a mish mash of Robin Hood with a few rabbit comments here and there, but he doesn’t care. He enjoys his imagination and types as fast as he can.
This remedy is more tricky. When I look up Mind/activity/increased (carc/lach/med/Phos), Mind/concentration difficult in children (Carc/lach/med/Phos) and Mind/concentration/can’t fix attention (med/Phos), Phosphorus stands out the most.
Looks like you and Kelly are on the same page here!
I also know that Lucy is attracted to Schroeder, and if he is a Phosphorus and she is a Nat Mur, it is the perfect match. She is so responsible and practical, which is exactly what he needs in his spaced out life, and he will never fulfill her needs because he is too self absorbed with his music and creative ideas, which gives her the perfect opportunity to learn to love herself (Nat Mur’s core lesson).
Mati, this is precisely the reason I don’t think Lucy can be Nat-mur! Her nat-mur need for love (“If I’m perfect, I’ll be loved”), would keep her from writing, “Peter Rabbit is a stupid book about a stupid rabbit who steals vegetables from other people’s gardens!”
He is a dreamer, and she’s got her legs firmly planted in practicality. Unfortunately, it is a common fact that idealists often end up in relationships with realists, even though realists are nothing but a wet blanket that puts a damper on the dreamer’s creativity. Dreamers beware of the realists!!! Just run the other way, fast…
Mati, we are so grateful to hear from you as always.
__________________
Now it’s my turn!!!!! Here are my observations. I look at Lucy and ask, “What are the elements of her case?”
1. Insolence (disrespectful)
2. Laziness (thanks Kelly!)
3. Arrogance/Haughty
Up to this point, my repertorization shows a tie between Lycopodium and Platina; so, I need to come up with more rubrics based on what I know about Lucy! Lucy is bossy as Kelly pointed out, so, I add:
4. Domineering disposition
Still, that wasn’t enough to break the tie; so, I picked the rubric “Presumptuous”. Why? Lucy presumes to practice psychiatry! Plus, she presumes that she will not be penalized for her disrespectful writing, that the teacher will be just fine with it and think it’s positively brilliant!
But even that didn’t break the tie! So I remembered all the years that Lucy was referred to as a “fussbudget” (a complainer) so, I picked:
5. “Complaining” and FINALLY Lycopodium edged its way into first place!
So, what do we know about Lycopodium? They’re bossy because of an underlying feeling of inferiority. Don’t you get that feeling from Lucy, that that’s the reason she’s so bossy? So, for Lucy, I pick Lycopodium!
Now, for Linus, who is Lucy’s little brother: Not surprisingly, with a mean, bossy older sister, I believe Linus is a Causticum!
Oh yes, it’s true that the picture of a big pile of books on the desk sure looks like Sulphur, and it’s true that Linus spent all his time researching and never wrote a single word (thanks, Kelly!) and yes, he drags around “that stupid blanket”, to quote Lucy, which really does make him look like a Sulphur, plus the fact that he got nothing done!
BUT, what is Linus writing about? He postulates that Peter Rabbit is being cruelly treated as an outcast by his family and his apparent anti-social behavior is actually a cry for help! Linus has therefore concluded that Peter Rabbit is a victim of injustice! And who can’t tolerate injustice? Causticum! So, I’m going with Causticum for Linus.
Schroeder: Believe it or not, Schroeder is the Sulphur! Look how Schroeder is the only one with a computer and not a pencil! Who but a sulphur kid would be bored with anything less than a computer? But what else? He didn’t read the assignment! You can’t make Sulphur do anything he thinks is pointless and unimaginative. He just won’t do it! It’s your problem, not his, because he’s moving on! Don’t waste his time; besides, he doesn’t care! So he simply refused to read such an unimaginative book.
Sulphurs are very active, excited, imaginative, exuberant, curious and excited! They’re made of fire! Sulphur is brimstone! Look how excited he is as he’s recounting the adventures of Robin Hood, which he DID read! It’s a book that’s full of action, battles, intrigue, something happening every minute! It’s a Sulphur book! And you know what? He’ll probably get away with not reading it because teachers like Sulphur! Sulphurs are curious, they ask questions. They talk to adults, they’re engaging, they’re charming and have a positive self-image; no one’s going to make him redo this assignment! They’re born leaders, have high IQ’s and the teacher probably feels inferior to him! As many of us know, Schroeder is a piano virtuoso–as you can see.
And last but not least, my favorite–everybody’s favorite–Charlie Brown! He’s so well-meaning, so sincere! Oh yes, what does he say about the pathetic little Christmas tree that he found? “It’s so sincere.”
As Rajan Sankaran once said, “In this world, there is, at all times, only ourselves!” What he means is, you see yourself in everything! So, we need a remedy that’s sincere. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of good rubrics for that in the repertory! I could only find, “Useful, desires to be”.
And what remedy is there?
Calc-carb!
What’s the biggest tip-off to calc-carb here? His big round head!
That’s a Calc-carb keynote! What else? He’s SLOW! That’s a big word in Calc-carb, slowness! He’s easily overwhelmed if he can’t go at his own plodding, step-by-step pace! They’re slow at games, they’re ridiculed and so become loners. Is that not Charlie Brown? I rest my case! Oh! And responsible! That’s another big Calc-carb word! Who is more responsible than Charlie Brown? He takes such good care of that incorrigible, Sulphur dog, Snoopy, who has no appreciation whatsoever! 
And tired? Calc-carbs can be very tired! Charlie Brown worries that he has to be well-rested in order to do his book report.
So, that’s it, everybody: A homeopathic analysis of “A Book Report on Peter Rabbit“. I have to put Shana’s pizza in the oven now. (Just call me Charlie Brown–or Calc-carb!) See you back here next time!
