– The V.F.D motto taken from Lemony Snicket’s ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’
Why have I chosen to use this in the header of my blog you may wonder?
Since a young age I have always yearned for more knowledge, with the idea that with knowledge comes greater understanding and ultimately power over the minds of those who don’t understand. I sound like a ‘know-it-all’ but really it’s a more personal thing, to achieve academically and further my knowledge excites me, I enjoy the thought of reading and analyzing a book, to digest the torrent of information that floods my brain and bask in the knowing that I, Amy Thurgood can understand it.
If you haven’t read Lemony Snicket’s ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ – I strongly recommend that you do, I feel that these books were one of the main series of books that I personally grew up with. I remember as a young girl having no ‘real’ books in my house, my parents and sister have never shown any interest in sitting and absorbing a novel. They just didn’t understand why or how anyone could build emotional attachment to a book – they would much rather watch the film than ‘waste time’ reading the story.
This is one of the main reasons why I get on so well with my Grandparents, its like their thirst for knowledge skipped a generation and landed solely in me. They gave me a large quantity of the books I still own and cherish today. The best part of it all for me was the feeling of disappearing in the pages of my favourite books. I could join my favourite characters and live in their worlds, usually a place vastly different and a place I preferred to my reality – I didn’t have to be ‘Amy four-eyes with her head in a book’ – I could escape and be whoever I wanted.
Anyway, back to the quote, one of the main mysteries of the Lemony Snicket stories was the meaning and identity of these three initials; ‘V.F.D’, eventually you as the reader work out that the letters have many different meanings throughout the books but they also represent a society of people who promote and aid knowledge and understanding among their members. ‘The World is Quiet Here’ – shows their want for keeping the world quiet, a place for learning and reflection, like a library – so in other words; a safe haven for people who love to understand the world.
This quote I use as my motto and I shall one day pass my books and knowledge onto my children/grandchildren as my Grandparents did for me – I have a lot to thank them for, without them who knows what state I’d be in today!
I am aware that this has been a very long introduction to my newly made blog but I’m hoping this has let you understand me and my background a little better. Along with posting about my on going studies, thoughts and feelings connecting to my Photography Degree, I shall also be doing a series of discussions of books that have truly affected me and shaped how I am as a person today.
– A.T
Amy Thurgood Photography 