nerdygal123
Reptile Researcher
I take ASOUE too seriously. Really.
Posts: 31
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Post by nerdygal123 on Oct 26, 2011 17:54:01 GMT -5
(I'm not actually sure where to put this. Please let me know if it's in the wrong section.)
(And yes I understand that this is a central part of the books and it's very important and I shouldn't question it because it's the main part of the books.)
If VFD does stand for Volunteer Fire Department, then why on earth are they so secretive? It's very admirable that a bunch of people got together to fight arson, but why? Why are there secret codes and disguises and such? Maybe they were doing other things too?
(I apologize if someone has already asked this.)
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Post by Dante on Oct 27, 2011 4:28:22 GMT -5
We know from TPP that, before the schism, V.F.D. was like a public library, and that anyone could join and access all of their research. However, the whole reason why the villains and volunteers both use the same codes and disguises is because they were part of the same organisation before the schism; therefore, the codes and disguises must predate the schism. Or does it? The schism, we are told, worsens with every generation, and with every generation more volunteers join the villains - Olaf being the perfect example. It seems likely that, after the original schism, V.F.D. was forced to go underground simply because their enemies were so ruthless and would seek them out and destroy them anywhere. V.F.D.'s noble work - of research, of exploration, of extinguishing fires - had to be performed in secret, or at least the V.F.D. connection kept secret, to hide themselves from their enemies. But as the schism has progressed and worsened, more volunteers have, one way or another, fallen into the hands of the villains and thus more villains have been able to use V.F.D.'s secrets, having been taught them. In the later books of the series, there's an increasing sense of intellectual paranoia - that critical thinking, curiosity, and a desire for knowledge are things which society at large doesn't entirely understand or trust, and V.F.D. has to operate secretly and gather the brightest to its own schools in order to encourage their mental growth. It's a metaphor for anti-intellectualism in modern society and the way intelligence and moral stamina are increasingly persecuted or dismissed by authority and the media.
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Post by Hermes on Oct 27, 2011 7:20:03 GMT -5
We do know that some secret methods of communication have been developed since the schism - specifically, Verdant Flammable Devices, which the villains don't recognise.
I take it that even before the schism, though it was an open organisation, there would have been an element of secrecy in particular operations; it had already moved from being (only) a literal fire department to fighting villainy, and sometimes it would be necessary to spy on villains and infiltrate their circles. Hence the disguises, which we know both sides use. (What do we actually know about their use of codes?)
I think that now the good side of VFD has a double reason to keep secret; from the villains, and from the world at large, which may not be able to distinguish between volunteers and villains, and so blames the whole of VFD for the villains' crimes. Some forms of concealment, which the villains could quite easilly penetrate, are presumably kept up for this second reason.
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Post by B. on Oct 27, 2011 11:31:24 GMT -5
VFD used to be an organization anyone could join. However, after the Schism this would be to risky, and there was likely to be more and more villains doing villainous things. For safety it went underground. Now we know the Schism started when Kit Snicket was four years old- and Kit is older than Lemony or Beatrice...etc. So hence Lemony's generation having all the disguises, secret codes..etc. From then on they chose only the most intelligent, noble volunteers. Too bad I haven't been selected..... Lol. Also in terms of writing, disguises, secret passageways and codes are just so much more exciting!
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nerdygal123
Reptile Researcher
I take ASOUE too seriously. Really.
Posts: 31
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Post by nerdygal123 on Oct 28, 2011 17:59:35 GMT -5
Thank you for your answers! I was just wondering, because I thought it was strange that an organization like that was so secretive.
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Post by B. on Oct 29, 2011 12:49:22 GMT -5
I'm glad you found them helpful.
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