Josephine the Songstress

It also doesn't spend much time or effort in attempting to refute the principles upon which her contention is grounded. For instance, Josephine might point out that all of the efforts required in her taking care of her subsistence needs, all of this work simply detracts from her being able to train her voice, that her efforts, indeed, in doing this other work are relatively minor if you compare it to the efforts that are required for her singing, but that, all the same, this robs her of the possibility of recovering in an appropriate manner after all of the exertions that her singing requires and, then too, that she needs to strengthen herself so that she might reach ever new heights in her performances; in short-that she's stretched herself right to the edge of her capacities and that under such circumstances she will never be able to attain the heights that, otherwise, she would be able to attain. The folk give her a hearing, it all goes in one ear and right out the other. This folk of ours, an entity that often enough is so easily swayed, sometimes we aren't to be budged at all, not even the smallest bit. Our refusal is sometimes so harsh and abrasive that Josephine herself is staggered by it... she seems to be coming to terms with it, she continues along doing her work just like everybody else, and she also continues right along with her singing doing as well as she's able, but just for a little while, then she renews her struggle with new found powers-and for this there appears to be a reserve that's infinite. Now, it's really all too clear, Josephine isn't really and truly striving after that, what she has said literally in her words. She is, after all, a rational being, and she's not a bit shy about doing her fair share of the work-just as none of us is adverse to working, our folk has always been known as being exceptionally industrious. Indeed, she'd go on doing her work and living her life as normal even if we were to give in to her request, her work doesn't really interfere with her singing and her singing wouldn't be improved, not one whit, it wouldn't become any more beauteous... no, what she's up to now is just another sort of publicity stunt, she's looking for something that demonstrates her uniqueness, something that will persevere throughout the ages, something that would lift her out from 'the normal' in recognition of her artistic achievement. Whereas she seems to be capable of achieving most everything else, this stubbornly resists, there's no giving in here, there's not even any wiggle room, none at all. Perhaps she shouldn't have ventured down this road in the first place, perhaps she's finally become aware that this was a big mistake right from the get-go but now there's just no way back, reversing course would carry a stigma and be called: being untrue to oneself, now she has to stand or fall with this, her fate has become enmeshed with her petition.