The term "mad" can take on many forms; from being angry to the point of shouting at someone, or mad in the sense of being crazy enough to fly air planes into buildings to prove a point. In the Life of Pi, Pi is not driven to either of these kinds of madness, but driven to a type of madness that is more closely associated with PTSD. PTSD patients, when severe enough, will create alternate realities and truths to cover the horrid experience that the person witnessed or lived. Pi is the character in the novel that undergoes the most psychological, and physical changes into madness, and following and analyzing his story can prove to be rather depressing.
Being lost at sea has many effects on the mind that one can only imagine if they have experienced it for have been trained for it. Living on solid ground a human's entire life and then traumatically being thrown into a world of nothing but rocking water is a momentous mental hurtle to jump in itself. Then comes the realization that to survive all living things must have food and water in addition to shelter. The temptation of the sea water and the knowledge of the horrid side effects of drinking it is pure torture. While food does not seem to be an issue for alot of the novel, Pi's knowledge of animals helped him survive in this manner. The last factor to what eventually drove Pi to madness was that he was not stranded with other people, but with wild animals. To be initialy out numbered to by them was what eventually cause the more animalistic qualities of Pi to surface.
The animals that were on the boat took the position as if they were all put in a cage together to survive. The dominant animal would come out the soul victor. In Pi's case, and to his luck, was the tiger. Watching the animals tear eachother apart, it then became "socially acceptable" to be annamalistic. Pi then also starts folowing the law of darwinism, he knows that in direct conflict that Richard Parker would devour him. So he played to the phrase, "if you can't beat em', join em'". Using his knowledge of zoology, he tames the tiger and works with him to keep the two of them alive. When we later learn that none of the animals may have exixted, this takes a very dark turn in which Pi had to literally tame the natural anamalistic instincts that were bursting from him.
Eventually Pi becomes so much like the tiger he considers Richard Parker to be his true friend. He has given up his lifelong religious preferences to survive in the animalistic state that he is now in. When he used to look at all life with solice, the eventually had no problem snaping countless necks of fish to survive the ordeal. Pi describes how the water had worn down his clothes to nothing. He was in his truly natural state. This also has an effect on Pi in the sence that he can see he is becomming more like an animal. In a sense, this realization and the lack of effort to change show his true inner madness.
In the end of the book we learn that there is a second story where all the animals were replaced with actual people. This would mean that the only way that Pi could even begin to rationalize what he saw is that these were, not in fact, people but animals turned against one another by true conflict: survival. I think that what Pi actually saw on the boat was to horrendous to be put into thought, much less words. His brain would not let him process the evil that he saw that first week on the raft. His subconciness forced him to remember the story as a tiger named Richard Parker, instead of looking into the mirrior and seeing the true face of who Richard Parker was.
p.s.
Dear Mrs. Leffler,
I just posted my current events 3 and 4 that you did already give me a grade for, if you wouldn't mind looking over those and reposting the grade that would help me out sooo much! thanks again for everything! I feel like I learned alot in your class and found the AP exam alot easier than I expected and I wanted to thank you for everyting! Happy Summer!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Current event blog 4
We all know that the gas prices have gotten crazy. Just my little honda takes 60 bucks to fill up!! Over the past several weeks, consumers have been searching for stations the have strictly no ethanol. And some continue to purchase the common %10 ethanol in thier gasoline. Ethanol makes the gas cheaper while also lowers the gas milage. The reason that ethanol is so popualar is because the price of the gas is much more clearly seen than the difference of milage. For different cars, you have a different balance of which is cheaper. Congress is proposing to increase the ethanol limit to 15% before the end of the summer which could lower the gas price as much as $1.50 per gallon. Studies have been done and concluded that ethanol would destroy many engines on the road that were not made to accomodate for the increaced ammount of ethanol in the gas. I think that $3 sounds alot better than $4.50, but obviously not enough to risk my ride!
Current event 3
This past week a grant was passed for 6 million dollars to a Chicago hospital. The grant was awarded to the University of Chicago Medical Center's Urban Health Initiative through the presidents's Affordable Care Act and will link patients with community services through a data base. The controversy in this is that the hospital has had close ties to the Obama family for years with Michelle being a former employee and the hospital is run by a long time friend and golf partner of the President's.
I honestly think that this is just another reason to attack Obama on how he is "unfair" by giving his friend this grant over the next three years. I feel like that the money went to a good use and since the president is friends with Obama, the hospital can be more trusted to spend the money wisely. Already the hospital has used the money to hire many extra workers in the Chicago area and are continuing to put the money to good use. In my eyes, there have may been a bit of favoritism, but its hard to make giving money to a hospital sound bad.
I honestly think that this is just another reason to attack Obama on how he is "unfair" by giving his friend this grant over the next three years. I feel like that the money went to a good use and since the president is friends with Obama, the hospital can be more trusted to spend the money wisely. Already the hospital has used the money to hire many extra workers in the Chicago area and are continuing to put the money to good use. In my eyes, there have may been a bit of favoritism, but its hard to make giving money to a hospital sound bad.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Current event 2
This past week Newt Gingritch with drew from the republican nominee race. His campaign had accumulated over 4 million dollars in debt. Once he removed himself from the race he told CNN that he would later commit to supporting his fellow republican, Mitt Romney.
I always respected Newt's intelligence although as soon as his campaign was deficit spending I was absolutely astounded that any possible president could be stupid enough to let that happen in such a critical time in our economy. He set a horrible example for the rest of the country and lost all respect in my eyes. If you can't control your own spending, how in the world can you control a countries spending??
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Life of pie final section!
I would definitely have to say that the last section of this book was by far the weirdest to me. And the last few chapters completely confused me!
The first part of this section that really got to me was when Richard Parker started talking to Pi. Okay obviously animals can't talk and it was his state of delirium, but still! This was a little crazy and unexpected to me! I was not expecting that.
Another strange thing: when he met the other blind guy...in the middle of the ocean. The odds of this seem very unlikely to me. I mean he's just floating randomly and this other guy is too coincidentally??? The weirdest and most unexpected part to me was when this other guy actually tried to strangle Pi! I understand that desperate times call for desperate measures, but this guy just took it too far!
Pi doesn't directly say this, but I have no doubt that this entire situation changed him a lot. Everything he does shows how he's matured in some ways but resorted to animal like ways in other situations. I really think that this situation probably made him more religious, too. The main argument at the end of the book, as well as throughout, is faith vs. science. Pi is definitely on the faith side. His love of religion is noticeable by the sheer fact that he doesn't try to kill himself or just quit trying to survive. He always keeps trying and that shows that he does have faith that his gods will help him to make it through.
On a short note, I really found the part where he was describing the meercats very interesting. Martel just did a really good job of describing them so that I could really picture what he was seeing.
The last 6 chapters can be summarized in one word: THEME.
Pi's entire argument with the Japanese is about faith vs. science. Personally, I believe the "faith" story that Pi tells. Even though not everything makes logical sense to us or the other men, that's just part of life. Many things in life that people love and focus attention on are faith based, yet we still will defend them. It makes sense for Pi to be more faith based since he is so religious.
I'm not gonna lie, I got kind of sad when Richard Parker left Pi without a "proper farewell." Even though a tiger can't say goodbye, I kind of expected him to.
Some parts of this book were harder to get through than others but overall I really liked the message of faith vs. science, and even though it kind of annoyed me at the time, I like the "you choose" kind of ending.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Life of pie part two
One thing that I really noticed and liked is the author's use of description throughout the book. He has a way of describing something so ordinary to us in a way that gives it a new light and can make you really visualize it. Well, at least it had that effect on me. For example, I really liked the part where he was describing nature as being a show. He says, "The stage is vast, the lighting is dramatic, the extras are innumerable, and the budget for special effects is absolutely unlimited." I personally would have never thought about nature in this way. It's very abstract yet it makes perfect sense! I like that a lot of Martel's descriptions are brand new and something I would have never thought of instead of a monotonous book repeating the boring facts and details that I'm already overly familiar with. Yes, I'm familiar with nature, but he was able to make me think about it in a new way and I like that a lot.
Another example of his detail that I really liked was when he was comparing the ocean beneath him to a busy city such as Tokyo. He called the fish cars and described the collisions, different shaped and colored vehicles, and the different "lanes" on the streets. Again, I never would have viewed the ocean as a giant highway or city but his description makes sense. In fact, that's exactly how the ocean functions so this description fits perfectly. His vivid detail and imagery put a solid picture in my mind.
One thing that stood out to me about the character Pi was his ability to notice and appreciate the little things in life, even in his time of struggle while trying to survive on the boat. Yes, he has his moments where he breaks down and realizes his situation doesn't look good, but he doesn't dwell on them. He makes himself notice the smaller things in life that most of us take for granted. He appreciates the fish, the ocean, the contrasting colors between the tiger and the boat, even his scarce food supply that he has. One example of this is in his description of the zebra on the boat. He talks about the artistic and perfect design and how the stripes on him seemed to glow brilliantly. He even talks about the way the zebras head looks and how lovely the animal is in general. I think zebras are cool, sure. But I've never spent that much time dwelling on the way they look and how it makes me feel. This definitely isn't a bad trait that Pi has, though. It's probably one of his best in my opinion. If I had the choice to be trapped in an elevator with a habitual pessimist or Pi, I would choose Pi because at least he can look on the bright side of things. Slowing down and taking the time to appreciate the world around you (even if its just ocean) is a good quality that not many people have and I like seeing this trait in Pi.
Earlier I mentioned the use of detail that I liked. There were some parts that grossed me out though. Examples: Pi peeing on the tarp, suggesting vomiting on the tarp, cutting/gutting the various animals (fish, turtles, etc.), the bloody zebra, the bloody hyena, the bloody orangutan. And I can only imagine what the bottom of that life boat looked like what with all the guts, feces, and water all over it. Eww. I especially gagged at the part where Pi describes the hyena and what it won't eat. Not much apparently. According to Pi a hyena will drink pee invested water, eat its kin, and even eat vehicles! YUM! Another part where I got a little weak stomached was when he was talking about drinking the turtles blood. I know that vampires/sucking blood and all that are really "in" right now but I don't do blood. I can't. The thought/smell/sight grosses me out. So reading about how he drank a pop bottle full of it really made me sick! It's hard to say because I'm not exactly stranded in the middle of the ocean currently, but if it came down to it, I would probably still have to pass on the turtle blood.
Another example of his detail that I really liked was when he was comparing the ocean beneath him to a busy city such as Tokyo. He called the fish cars and described the collisions, different shaped and colored vehicles, and the different "lanes" on the streets. Again, I never would have viewed the ocean as a giant highway or city but his description makes sense. In fact, that's exactly how the ocean functions so this description fits perfectly. His vivid detail and imagery put a solid picture in my mind.
One thing that stood out to me about the character Pi was his ability to notice and appreciate the little things in life, even in his time of struggle while trying to survive on the boat. Yes, he has his moments where he breaks down and realizes his situation doesn't look good, but he doesn't dwell on them. He makes himself notice the smaller things in life that most of us take for granted. He appreciates the fish, the ocean, the contrasting colors between the tiger and the boat, even his scarce food supply that he has. One example of this is in his description of the zebra on the boat. He talks about the artistic and perfect design and how the stripes on him seemed to glow brilliantly. He even talks about the way the zebras head looks and how lovely the animal is in general. I think zebras are cool, sure. But I've never spent that much time dwelling on the way they look and how it makes me feel. This definitely isn't a bad trait that Pi has, though. It's probably one of his best in my opinion. If I had the choice to be trapped in an elevator with a habitual pessimist or Pi, I would choose Pi because at least he can look on the bright side of things. Slowing down and taking the time to appreciate the world around you (even if its just ocean) is a good quality that not many people have and I like seeing this trait in Pi.
Earlier I mentioned the use of detail that I liked. There were some parts that grossed me out though. Examples: Pi peeing on the tarp, suggesting vomiting on the tarp, cutting/gutting the various animals (fish, turtles, etc.), the bloody zebra, the bloody hyena, the bloody orangutan. And I can only imagine what the bottom of that life boat looked like what with all the guts, feces, and water all over it. Eww. I especially gagged at the part where Pi describes the hyena and what it won't eat. Not much apparently. According to Pi a hyena will drink pee invested water, eat its kin, and even eat vehicles! YUM! Another part where I got a little weak stomached was when he was talking about drinking the turtles blood. I know that vampires/sucking blood and all that are really "in" right now but I don't do blood. I can't. The thought/smell/sight grosses me out. So reading about how he drank a pop bottle full of it really made me sick! It's hard to say because I'm not exactly stranded in the middle of the ocean currently, but if it came down to it, I would probably still have to pass on the turtle blood.
Current event 1
This past week two eastern Asian counties have attempted to launch a missile. North Korea and India. Korea's was unsuccessful, while india was busy showing the world they are not to be messed with. India launched their missile of an island south east of continental india. This launch proved to be much more successful than any other world power expected. This missile had the capabilities to carry 100 ton nuclear bomb and had the distance of possibly targeting main cities such as Beijing. China has firmly stated that they are in no sort of arms race with India, and consider them to be a much weaker power in the world.
I think that other countries such as india acquiring missile capabilities should be a type of wake up call to the united states. We are no longer the sole super power in he world and more are beginning to join our ranks. While we must not get in the way of India's business, I do believe that the UN should consider talking up some kind of treaty or agreement if none already exists. The United States should not be afraid or worry that India will ever interfere with our foreign policy, but rather be aware that south eastern asia will not always be at the bottom of the pyramid.
I think that other countries such as india acquiring missile capabilities should be a type of wake up call to the united states. We are no longer the sole super power in he world and more are beginning to join our ranks. While we must not get in the way of India's business, I do believe that the UN should consider talking up some kind of treaty or agreement if none already exists. The United States should not be afraid or worry that India will ever interfere with our foreign policy, but rather be aware that south eastern asia will not always be at the bottom of the pyramid.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Life of pie Part 1
The first part of this book is super slow. But, I kind of liked it in a weird way anyway. Even with all the random and confusing scientific sections and then the philosophical religious sections, I found myself enjoying it even though I didn't expect to.
I really liked this quote! I think I like it just because of the way he describes the two as working together in a way. Usually death is a negative thing, and here it still is, but it's less severe and seems to go together with life. I like how he makes death seem like it wishes to be as loved and enjoyed as life is.
One thing I realized in Chapter 3 is that while reading about the pool story, I completely forgot the relevancy of it and that he was using the story to explain where his name came from!
I really just liked the fact that all of the things that were discussed in this section just made sense to me. It was interesting yet at the same time I felt entertained and educated. I especially liked the part where he was talking about animals being "free" in the zoos. He says "If you went to a home, kicked down the door, chased the people who lived there into the street and said, "Go! You are free! Free as a bird! Go! Go!"--do you think they would shout and dance for joy? They wouldn't." It completely makes sense! Animals are adapted and secure in their environments just like we are in our homes and towns. People are afraid of change so it makes sense that animals would be too. So for animals, whether they are in the wild or a zoo, they will like what they're used to.
Another part of this book that I liked was how he related his nickname to a biblical thing. I liked how he used the different characters of the bible and compared his situation of getting his unfortunate nickname to that. I thought it was an interesting way to describe it.
One unexpected thing about this book was the sheer amount of religion that was involved in it. When I read the back of the book and realized he practiced 3 religions I assumed there would be some religion but I didn't expect quite this much. I kind of enjoy it though! He managed to incorporate religion in the most unexpected and creative places. It was very surprising! And not only did he talk a lot about religion but he was really in depth too. When he was talking about his Hinduism, I had a hard time keeping up because I'm not very familiar with the religion and his amount of knowledge on the subject was kind of intimidating!
So far it's been good. And if the first section is the most boring then I'm looking forward to what the rest of the book has to offer!
I really liked this quote! I think I like it just because of the way he describes the two as working together in a way. Usually death is a negative thing, and here it still is, but it's less severe and seems to go together with life. I like how he makes death seem like it wishes to be as loved and enjoyed as life is.
One thing I realized in Chapter 3 is that while reading about the pool story, I completely forgot the relevancy of it and that he was using the story to explain where his name came from!
I really just liked the fact that all of the things that were discussed in this section just made sense to me. It was interesting yet at the same time I felt entertained and educated. I especially liked the part where he was talking about animals being "free" in the zoos. He says "If you went to a home, kicked down the door, chased the people who lived there into the street and said, "Go! You are free! Free as a bird! Go! Go!"--do you think they would shout and dance for joy? They wouldn't." It completely makes sense! Animals are adapted and secure in their environments just like we are in our homes and towns. People are afraid of change so it makes sense that animals would be too. So for animals, whether they are in the wild or a zoo, they will like what they're used to.
Another part of this book that I liked was how he related his nickname to a biblical thing. I liked how he used the different characters of the bible and compared his situation of getting his unfortunate nickname to that. I thought it was an interesting way to describe it.
One unexpected thing about this book was the sheer amount of religion that was involved in it. When I read the back of the book and realized he practiced 3 religions I assumed there would be some religion but I didn't expect quite this much. I kind of enjoy it though! He managed to incorporate religion in the most unexpected and creative places. It was very surprising! And not only did he talk a lot about religion but he was really in depth too. When he was talking about his Hinduism, I had a hard time keeping up because I'm not very familiar with the religion and his amount of knowledge on the subject was kind of intimidating!
So far it's been good. And if the first section is the most boring then I'm looking forward to what the rest of the book has to offer!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Fahrenheit 451 last 2 sections
I hadn't really put two and two together before we talked about the women in this book and how they're complete opposite from the 50's until we talked about it today. But now that I look back on the book, the women seem completely unconcerned with any of the things we would think they should be concerned with: cooking, cleaning, tending to children, and loving their spouses. All of these seem to be the farthest things from their minds, especially loving their spouses. I personally think they could care less about their family and they make that pretty clear. The only "family" they actually like are the vicious, limb-chopping clowns that play in their parlors. Technology definitely overtook this society to a point of no return. Who needs companionship when you can just watch television all day long?
Montag's mind is a sieve. His sand is the Bible or any of the other books that he is trying to practically memorize because that's the only way he can really "keep" them. Just like when he was a kid and would try to fill his sieve with sand in order to get a dime, he just keeps filling and filling his mind with information only to find he can't retain any of it because of constant interruption of technology. If there had been less technology, he probably would have had a better outcome, but since the radio or the television are promised to always be background noise, he'll probably have a difficult time with this.
There really are a lot of Biblical references in this book. I'm not exactly sure why but maybe as I continue reading it will make more sense.
So Montag finally decided to do something to change his crazy world! I'm pretty happy about this because things need to be changed. It seems like the only people who are able to "feel" any more were Clarisse, Montag, and Faber. Luckily Faber has this master plan of attack to try and change things, I just hope Montag doesn't screw it up by going off the chain again like he did to Mildred and her friends.
Also, I'm not really sure why Mrs. Phelps cried after Montag read the poem. Did it just strike her close to home? Or did she just really hate it?
I think the things that bothered me the most about this section were the discussions between Mildred and her friends. First, Mrs. Phelps flat out said that if her husband died she wouldn't cry or worry, but she would move on with her life and on to her 4th marriage. This is way wrong! It's her husband and she acts as if he were a complete stranger. Secondly, I was bothered when they talked about politics, or at least their sense of the word. To them, it was all about voting for the guy that looked better, didn't pick his nose, and had an "attractive" name. If people really did vote like this in real life (which I'm sure appearance plays into it but not in the way they are treating it) then we would be in a pretty deep hole, I assume.
First off, I was super surprised when I realized that Beatty was going to burn Montag's house. I thought that Beatty liked Montag and understood what he was going through but I guess not. It sort of seemed like Beatty was actually enjoying making Montag burn his own house. Also, I was really surprised that Montag's own wife was the one that turned him in. This just goes to show again that maybe she really didn't love him after all. She was so opposed to being a team with Montag throughout the book. From the minute she found out Montag had books, she wanted nothing to do with him.
Two parts that really stood out to me and made me feel the kind of anxiety that I pictured Montag feeling at the time were the part where Montag is about to get hit by the car, and the part where everyone is about to open his or her door to look for Montag. The way Bradbury used the short sentences mixed with Montag's own thoughts made me feel what he was feeling. One example is: " 'At the count of ten now! One! Two!' He felt the city rise. 'Three!' He felt the city turn to its thousands of doors. Faster! Leg up, leg down!"
I really liked Montag's transition of thought when he realized the bums were using the fire to keep warm. This is the first part in the book where we see fire used to help rather than to hurt. In every other instance, fire is destructive, but here, fire is what's keeping these people alive. He realizes that fire can give as much as it can take and that's when I think he finally sees that everything will be all right. The fire serves as kind of a sign of hopefulness toward the future.
One thing that I thought about while reading the end of this book, was how different the world would be if there were no more books at all. There is so much history and literature that would be lost for future generations and I'm sure that this would greatly impact their attitude towards the world and the things of the world. I don't really read much, but if there weren't books, there would be so many things that I just wouldn't know and would have to just be okay with not knowing because there would be no way to find anything out.
I wish I knew what happened to Faber. I mean, obviously he probably died, but in a way I want to tell myself he didn't just because I liked him and his perspective on things. Hopefully Montag and the others that survived the "war" will be able to bring their internal books back to life in the coming generation. The bombing has given this society a clean slate to practically start over with and hopefully they take advantage of that.
The poem's significance is that It has to do with the relation to montag's situation. Because the poem has to do with loss of faith and montag has lost his faith in society.
Montag's mind is a sieve. His sand is the Bible or any of the other books that he is trying to practically memorize because that's the only way he can really "keep" them. Just like when he was a kid and would try to fill his sieve with sand in order to get a dime, he just keeps filling and filling his mind with information only to find he can't retain any of it because of constant interruption of technology. If there had been less technology, he probably would have had a better outcome, but since the radio or the television are promised to always be background noise, he'll probably have a difficult time with this.
There really are a lot of Biblical references in this book. I'm not exactly sure why but maybe as I continue reading it will make more sense.
So Montag finally decided to do something to change his crazy world! I'm pretty happy about this because things need to be changed. It seems like the only people who are able to "feel" any more were Clarisse, Montag, and Faber. Luckily Faber has this master plan of attack to try and change things, I just hope Montag doesn't screw it up by going off the chain again like he did to Mildred and her friends.
Also, I'm not really sure why Mrs. Phelps cried after Montag read the poem. Did it just strike her close to home? Or did she just really hate it?
I think the things that bothered me the most about this section were the discussions between Mildred and her friends. First, Mrs. Phelps flat out said that if her husband died she wouldn't cry or worry, but she would move on with her life and on to her 4th marriage. This is way wrong! It's her husband and she acts as if he were a complete stranger. Secondly, I was bothered when they talked about politics, or at least their sense of the word. To them, it was all about voting for the guy that looked better, didn't pick his nose, and had an "attractive" name. If people really did vote like this in real life (which I'm sure appearance plays into it but not in the way they are treating it) then we would be in a pretty deep hole, I assume.
First off, I was super surprised when I realized that Beatty was going to burn Montag's house. I thought that Beatty liked Montag and understood what he was going through but I guess not. It sort of seemed like Beatty was actually enjoying making Montag burn his own house. Also, I was really surprised that Montag's own wife was the one that turned him in. This just goes to show again that maybe she really didn't love him after all. She was so opposed to being a team with Montag throughout the book. From the minute she found out Montag had books, she wanted nothing to do with him.
Two parts that really stood out to me and made me feel the kind of anxiety that I pictured Montag feeling at the time were the part where Montag is about to get hit by the car, and the part where everyone is about to open his or her door to look for Montag. The way Bradbury used the short sentences mixed with Montag's own thoughts made me feel what he was feeling. One example is: " 'At the count of ten now! One! Two!' He felt the city rise. 'Three!' He felt the city turn to its thousands of doors. Faster! Leg up, leg down!"
I really liked Montag's transition of thought when he realized the bums were using the fire to keep warm. This is the first part in the book where we see fire used to help rather than to hurt. In every other instance, fire is destructive, but here, fire is what's keeping these people alive. He realizes that fire can give as much as it can take and that's when I think he finally sees that everything will be all right. The fire serves as kind of a sign of hopefulness toward the future.
One thing that I thought about while reading the end of this book, was how different the world would be if there were no more books at all. There is so much history and literature that would be lost for future generations and I'm sure that this would greatly impact their attitude towards the world and the things of the world. I don't really read much, but if there weren't books, there would be so many things that I just wouldn't know and would have to just be okay with not knowing because there would be no way to find anything out.
I wish I knew what happened to Faber. I mean, obviously he probably died, but in a way I want to tell myself he didn't just because I liked him and his perspective on things. Hopefully Montag and the others that survived the "war" will be able to bring their internal books back to life in the coming generation. The bombing has given this society a clean slate to practically start over with and hopefully they take advantage of that.
The poem's significance is that It has to do with the relation to montag's situation. Because the poem has to do with loss of faith and montag has lost his faith in society.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Fahrenheit 451 first section
When I first started reading this book, I was having a hard time keeping up and figuring out what was going on, mostly because everything in this book is different from things now. But, as I got in to it and got used to it I began to like it more and I'm actually looking forward to reading the next section.
The first thing that struck me in this book was Bradbury's use of description and detail when he was describing Clarisse. He says her eyes were "two miraculous bits of violet amber that might capture and hold him intact." I could immediately picture her as he continued describing everything from the light in her eyes to the whiteness of her face.
When I first started this book I had no idea that the firemen didn't put out fires but that they started them. I especially didn't know that they burned books so I was a little confused and surprised when I realized this, but later on I began to understand their reason for burning books.
I don't know what it is about Clarisse, but I really liked her character and found myself a little sad when I realized she died, even though I'd only "known her" for a few pages. The fact that she's not afraid to stand out and question things even when that's unacceptable in her society makes me admire her guts to just do what she wants.
One thing I noticed about this society is the impersonal-ness and how "disposable" people are to each other. When Clarisse died, it was no big deal. Same for the old lady who was burned to death in her own house. Everyone except for Guy seems to have no problem with other people dying. They just don't care and that kind of bothered me.
I hope that Guy really does to something to change the way things are in his world. I think Clarisse's questioning and when she asked Montag if he was happy really opened his eyes to the fact that he really wasn't. Montag seems like the kind of character who isn't going to just let something go. I think and hope he'll take some action.
So far I've really liked this book and the way that Bradbury writes especially in Beatty's speech. I can't wait to read the rest and see what Montag decides to do!
The first thing that struck me in this book was Bradbury's use of description and detail when he was describing Clarisse. He says her eyes were "two miraculous bits of violet amber that might capture and hold him intact." I could immediately picture her as he continued describing everything from the light in her eyes to the whiteness of her face.
When I first started this book I had no idea that the firemen didn't put out fires but that they started them. I especially didn't know that they burned books so I was a little confused and surprised when I realized this, but later on I began to understand their reason for burning books.
I don't know what it is about Clarisse, but I really liked her character and found myself a little sad when I realized she died, even though I'd only "known her" for a few pages. The fact that she's not afraid to stand out and question things even when that's unacceptable in her society makes me admire her guts to just do what she wants.
One thing I noticed about this society is the impersonal-ness and how "disposable" people are to each other. When Clarisse died, it was no big deal. Same for the old lady who was burned to death in her own house. Everyone except for Guy seems to have no problem with other people dying. They just don't care and that kind of bothered me.
I hope that Guy really does to something to change the way things are in his world. I think Clarisse's questioning and when she asked Montag if he was happy really opened his eyes to the fact that he really wasn't. Montag seems like the kind of character who isn't going to just let something go. I think and hope he'll take some action.
So far I've really liked this book and the way that Bradbury writes especially in Beatty's speech. I can't wait to read the rest and see what Montag decides to do!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
"The theme of Gatsby is the withering of the American dream"
When you look back to America's earliest history you see the idea of the stereo typical "American dream". This original idea is that America is a place for freedom and where the hard working are rewarded not based on their family history or who they know, but the effort they put forth.
For some, this is still the drive to many thousands of immigrants that come to our country every year. The idea that across a border you can get a job serving food and then have money to send home, or to provide for your new homer is the reason for our immigration overpopulation. And when you think of it that way, it's almost encouraging that some still view America as a great prosperous country.
The Great Gatsby challenged that idea that was continuously falling since beginning of the industrial age. Gatsby started off in the war, a common American dream, fighting for your country. Then he met Daisy, the only love of his life. Then he shifted to his next dream to Daisy. The two fell in love and nothing could hold them back except for the insufficient funds on Gatsby's part. Gatsby had to leave for the war and came back to find his love with a wealthy man. This twisted his dream for the last time, he now shifted his focus to the dream of money which ultimately meant winning Daisy.
This conflict of changing interests is the message of the true theme of The Great Gatsby. Americans have changed their dreams from life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to money, credit, and the pursuit of wealthiness.
For some, this is still the drive to many thousands of immigrants that come to our country every year. The idea that across a border you can get a job serving food and then have money to send home, or to provide for your new homer is the reason for our immigration overpopulation. And when you think of it that way, it's almost encouraging that some still view America as a great prosperous country.
The Great Gatsby challenged that idea that was continuously falling since beginning of the industrial age. Gatsby started off in the war, a common American dream, fighting for your country. Then he met Daisy, the only love of his life. Then he shifted to his next dream to Daisy. The two fell in love and nothing could hold them back except for the insufficient funds on Gatsby's part. Gatsby had to leave for the war and came back to find his love with a wealthy man. This twisted his dream for the last time, he now shifted his focus to the dream of money which ultimately meant winning Daisy.
This conflict of changing interests is the message of the true theme of The Great Gatsby. Americans have changed their dreams from life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to money, credit, and the pursuit of wealthiness.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
The Great Gatsby ch5-9
This last section actually seemed to flow faster than the first, especially towards the end.
First off, I thought the section about Mrs. Wilson was crazy. It was one of those sections where slowly everything starts to piece together in my head. I can't help but wonder if Daisy intentionally killed her, knowing that she was Tom's mistress. But at the same time, I don't see any way she could know. Throughout the book they are somewhat speculating that Tom has a mistress but Daisy and Jordan never seem to decide for sure. Or if they do know that he has a mistress, they definitely don't know who it is. So, to me it just seems some odd coincidence that looks like it was intentional to the reader. Also, Daisy and Gatsby seem pretty unaffected about having just killed someone! I mean, that's murder! Gatsby is more concerned about how Daisy's holding up than the person they just killed. Honestly, he's probably just too consumed in the fact that he finally won Daisy to even consider thinking about anything or anyone else.
At the end of this book, it seems to me that Wilson and Tom are both going a bit crazy. When Tom finds out about Gatsby and Daisy he is so mad he is shaking! I'm not sure how I feel about his anger. On one hand, it's acceptable because Daisy is his wife and he loves her. But on the other hand, he's doing the same thing! He cheats on Daisy with Mrs. Wilson. He finds no problem with what he's doing but freaks out when Daisy does the exact same thing. And Wilson is crazy on another level. His genius plan is to lock up his wife in the attic and then in a few days force her to move with him to the West. I know he just wants to keep his wife to himself and away from Tom, but he's gone a little mad at this point.
On a side note, I find it a little creepy that "the eyes" are always watching in a way. Every time Tom's at Mrs. Wilson's, the eyes are just watching him as they slowly drove Wilson into madness.
First off, I thought the section about Mrs. Wilson was crazy. It was one of those sections where slowly everything starts to piece together in my head. I can't help but wonder if Daisy intentionally killed her, knowing that she was Tom's mistress. But at the same time, I don't see any way she could know. Throughout the book they are somewhat speculating that Tom has a mistress but Daisy and Jordan never seem to decide for sure. Or if they do know that he has a mistress, they definitely don't know who it is. So, to me it just seems some odd coincidence that looks like it was intentional to the reader. Also, Daisy and Gatsby seem pretty unaffected about having just killed someone! I mean, that's murder! Gatsby is more concerned about how Daisy's holding up than the person they just killed. Honestly, he's probably just too consumed in the fact that he finally won Daisy to even consider thinking about anything or anyone else.
At the end of this book, it seems to me that Wilson and Tom are both going a bit crazy. When Tom finds out about Gatsby and Daisy he is so mad he is shaking! I'm not sure how I feel about his anger. On one hand, it's acceptable because Daisy is his wife and he loves her. But on the other hand, he's doing the same thing! He cheats on Daisy with Mrs. Wilson. He finds no problem with what he's doing but freaks out when Daisy does the exact same thing. And Wilson is crazy on another level. His genius plan is to lock up his wife in the attic and then in a few days force her to move with him to the West. I know he just wants to keep his wife to himself and away from Tom, but he's gone a little mad at this point.
On a side note, I find it a little creepy that "the eyes" are always watching in a way. Every time Tom's at Mrs. Wilson's, the eyes are just watching him as they slowly drove Wilson into madness.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The Great Gatsby ch 1-5
The first thing that really stood out to me was the section about Tom and Daisy Buchanan. When Tom was talking about his girl in New York, his wife seemed to barely care. I mean, yes it was apparent that she cared some but she didn't care nearly as much as she should have. He's her husband and she seems slightly okay with him having another woman. Not surprisingly, Tom's mistress's husband doesn't seem to care either! Or otherwise he's just extremely oblivious. If something like that were to really happen, people would care and be angry, unlike these characters in this book.
At the beginning of the book, I was a little confused because they kept mentioning Gatsby, but we hadn't actually seen or talked to him yet. Since the book was named after him, I was expecting him to be apart of the story from the get go, but it all made a little more sense later on when Nick actually met him for the first time.
One thing that is very evident to me, and also pretty annoying, is the snobbish attitudes of almost every character in this book. Everyone that the narrator associates with is a rich snob who is only focused on money, parties, and appearance. I'm not really sure why Nick hangs around these people because he doesn't really seem like their type to me. Hopefully this will make more sense later on. Or maybe he just got stuck with them because he doesn't know anyone else. Not really sure.
On a side note, I really liked the symbolism that the billboard in the valley of ashes might represent. I feel like the large man staring down doing nothing on what society deemed as failures represents God and how he has, In the eyes of the wealthy, abandoned the valley.
At the beginning of the book, I was a little confused because they kept mentioning Gatsby, but we hadn't actually seen or talked to him yet. Since the book was named after him, I was expecting him to be apart of the story from the get go, but it all made a little more sense later on when Nick actually met him for the first time.
One thing that is very evident to me, and also pretty annoying, is the snobbish attitudes of almost every character in this book. Everyone that the narrator associates with is a rich snob who is only focused on money, parties, and appearance. I'm not really sure why Nick hangs around these people because he doesn't really seem like their type to me. Hopefully this will make more sense later on. Or maybe he just got stuck with them because he doesn't know anyone else. Not really sure.
On a side note, I really liked the symbolism that the billboard in the valley of ashes might represent. I feel like the large man staring down doing nothing on what society deemed as failures represents God and how he has, In the eyes of the wealthy, abandoned the valley.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
The Ministers' Black Veil analysis
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Hawthorne portrayed a Puritan minister as a man not naïve enough to believe that he could not escape sin or secret sin. Good Mr. Hooper, as he was called, spent his entire adult life trying to prove a point that was only figured out in the end. Throughout the story good Mr. Hooper was treated as though he was a threat revealing to the people that they too, hid behind masks. Hawthorne tried to get the point across that no person could escape secret sin and that all people hid behind masks.
Throughout the story, the minister does not at any point take the veil off or let anyone else touch it. This was a sign of true devotion to his god and a sure way of getting into heaven. Good Mr. Hooper made the people feel odd because he wore the veil of black crape. As the Sexton said in story, “I can’t really feel as if good Mr. Hooper’s face was behind that piece of crape.”
Good Mr. Hooper gave up his entire adult life for his secret sin and also to prove a point that no one could hide from sin, no matter who they were. In the story Hooper gave up his fiancée for his task, because if he did not give her up he thought that he would fail his mission. Good Mr. Hooper would not even reveal to her why he would not take off his veil but gave her a hint when he said, “If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?”
Good Mr. Hooper’s mannerisms also helped get Hawthorne’s point across. Mr. Hooper was always somber and never showed pure happiness except when he died. He was purely happy when he died because he knew the gates of heaven would open up for him when he got there. He also never gave all of his sermons, marriage ceremonies, and funeral services in an upbeat mood. He was always in a mild mood and showed a glimmer of a smile once in a while.
Throughout the story, Mr. Hooper is portrayed as an odd man who wears a black veil. As he goes through the life with this black veil he created sin for those people by having them whisper and ridicule him to other people and thoughts about him to themselves. As the story progressives, the whispering stops and wonder sets in for the parishioners. The ignorance of the town is abundant due to the fact that they were Puritans and felt that they could never be touched by sin. This is what Hawthorne wanted to show, that no matter who those people were, they could not escape sin.
In the same way Salem village could not escape this constant sin of the girls. The sin that started out defending them that built untill it destroyed them and their court system. In this story the veil can represent the initial lie how the veil progressively got worse and people spread roumors about its meaning and it eventually effected many people just as the lie of the girls did.
Throughout the story, the minister does not at any point take the veil off or let anyone else touch it. This was a sign of true devotion to his god and a sure way of getting into heaven. Good Mr. Hooper made the people feel odd because he wore the veil of black crape. As the Sexton said in story, “I can’t really feel as if good Mr. Hooper’s face was behind that piece of crape.”
Good Mr. Hooper gave up his entire adult life for his secret sin and also to prove a point that no one could hide from sin, no matter who they were. In the story Hooper gave up his fiancée for his task, because if he did not give her up he thought that he would fail his mission. Good Mr. Hooper would not even reveal to her why he would not take off his veil but gave her a hint when he said, “If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?”
Good Mr. Hooper’s mannerisms also helped get Hawthorne’s point across. Mr. Hooper was always somber and never showed pure happiness except when he died. He was purely happy when he died because he knew the gates of heaven would open up for him when he got there. He also never gave all of his sermons, marriage ceremonies, and funeral services in an upbeat mood. He was always in a mild mood and showed a glimmer of a smile once in a while.
Throughout the story, Mr. Hooper is portrayed as an odd man who wears a black veil. As he goes through the life with this black veil he created sin for those people by having them whisper and ridicule him to other people and thoughts about him to themselves. As the story progressives, the whispering stops and wonder sets in for the parishioners. The ignorance of the town is abundant due to the fact that they were Puritans and felt that they could never be touched by sin. This is what Hawthorne wanted to show, that no matter who those people were, they could not escape sin.
In the same way Salem village could not escape this constant sin of the girls. The sin that started out defending them that built untill it destroyed them and their court system. In this story the veil can represent the initial lie how the veil progressively got worse and people spread roumors about its meaning and it eventually effected many people just as the lie of the girls did.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
On writing essay
Throughout his book, King emphasizes that in order to become a good writer, one must write a lot. Not only does he express this opinion, but he also supports it by showing the way he wrote continuously throughout his life, showing how he persevered through many rejections, and by showing how he continued writing after his almost fatal accident.
Although King is a successful writer now, he was not always supported in his work. At a young age, when King wrote and distributed his book, The Pit and the Pendulum, he was rejected and put down by a teacher at his school for "wasting his God-given talent." While I'm sure this lowered his self confidence some, he did not let it stop him from doing what he loved: entertaining people with his writing. In the case of The Village Vomit, his writing got him in serious trouble, but through it, he was still able to make others laugh and do what he loved, so he didn't let the rejection of some stop him. Another example of his rejection and perseverance is shown when his story was rejected from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, and he nailed his rejection slip to his wall. Soon he had created a collection of rejection slips on his wall, but instead of being discouraged by them, he let them motivate him to become a better writer. King's young writing life was filled with rejection, but he used that same rejection to improve his skills and he ultimately gained from it.
It seems that King knew that his life's passion would be writing, even from an early age. At first, he copied comic books word for word until his mother gave him the inspiration to actually write his own. Although he started with a very small and insignificant piece of work, he continued to improve his talent and progress through the years. Examples such as Dave's Rag, The Pit and the Pendulum, and even his school newspaper show his love and dedication for the art of writing throughout his adolescence. Whether he was writing for his brother, submitting amateur stories to magazines, or eventually selling his first novel, his choice to write continuously throughout his life clearly shows his dedication. While it would be easy for King to say, "A good writer should write a lot," and not actually live it out, his book shows that he really does practice what he preaches.
One of the most obvious and final things in this book that shows King's dedication to writing is his choice to continue writing after being hit and severely injured by a van. In this case, King could have easily given up and chosen to stop writing because it was just too hard and the pain was just too much to bear with. However, he made the decision to fight through the pain and sit down and start writing again because it's what he loved to do most. He was willing to forfeit his physical comfort in order to return to his passion in life and to continue writing. He pushed through the pain and the sloppy writing in order to get back to the level of writing he was at before his accident. When King committed his life and himself to writing, he was serious about it and dedicated enough to push through his terrible accident. This shows true dedication
If it is said that a writer must write a lot to be successful, then King has gone above and beyond that. He wrote when it was hard, and he wrote when he really didn't want to, but in the end it paid off for him. These aspects of his life show his dedication and desire to be the best writer he can possibly be, and the way he lives his life still reflects that.
Although King is a successful writer now, he was not always supported in his work. At a young age, when King wrote and distributed his book, The Pit and the Pendulum, he was rejected and put down by a teacher at his school for "wasting his God-given talent." While I'm sure this lowered his self confidence some, he did not let it stop him from doing what he loved: entertaining people with his writing. In the case of The Village Vomit, his writing got him in serious trouble, but through it, he was still able to make others laugh and do what he loved, so he didn't let the rejection of some stop him. Another example of his rejection and perseverance is shown when his story was rejected from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, and he nailed his rejection slip to his wall. Soon he had created a collection of rejection slips on his wall, but instead of being discouraged by them, he let them motivate him to become a better writer. King's young writing life was filled with rejection, but he used that same rejection to improve his skills and he ultimately gained from it.
It seems that King knew that his life's passion would be writing, even from an early age. At first, he copied comic books word for word until his mother gave him the inspiration to actually write his own. Although he started with a very small and insignificant piece of work, he continued to improve his talent and progress through the years. Examples such as Dave's Rag, The Pit and the Pendulum, and even his school newspaper show his love and dedication for the art of writing throughout his adolescence. Whether he was writing for his brother, submitting amateur stories to magazines, or eventually selling his first novel, his choice to write continuously throughout his life clearly shows his dedication. While it would be easy for King to say, "A good writer should write a lot," and not actually live it out, his book shows that he really does practice what he preaches.
One of the most obvious and final things in this book that shows King's dedication to writing is his choice to continue writing after being hit and severely injured by a van. In this case, King could have easily given up and chosen to stop writing because it was just too hard and the pain was just too much to bear with. However, he made the decision to fight through the pain and sit down and start writing again because it's what he loved to do most. He was willing to forfeit his physical comfort in order to return to his passion in life and to continue writing. He pushed through the pain and the sloppy writing in order to get back to the level of writing he was at before his accident. When King committed his life and himself to writing, he was serious about it and dedicated enough to push through his terrible accident. This shows true dedication
If it is said that a writer must write a lot to be successful, then King has gone above and beyond that. He wrote when it was hard, and he wrote when he really didn't want to, but in the end it paid off for him. These aspects of his life show his dedication and desire to be the best writer he can possibly be, and the way he lives his life still reflects that.
Monday, January 30, 2012
On writing: part three
The final section of On Writing was pretty good! He finished it out really well and was able to keep me interested throughout the book.
I really thought it was interesting when he was talking about his book The Stand and how he reached a stumbling block one day and didn't know where to go from there, but then randomly he came up with a great idea! It shows that you can't just force inspiration and you can't just force a good idea. It has to come with time.
When he discussed the process of writing and rewriting I was a little taken back because of the amount of effort that goes into one book. It seems like it would be awful to have to write a manuscript, rewrite it, then do it again BEFORE it even gets sent to the publisher. I understand, however, that that amount of work is necessary to becoming a successful and accomplished writer like King is. I also agree with his statement that ultimately the amount of drafts is up to the writer because everyone really does have to find their own way of doing things.
The Ideal Reader part also stood out to me. I think in anything, it's important to have that one person who will support you in whatever you do, but who also isn't afraid to be brutally honest if he or she thinks it is for the best. In King's case it was his wife, but I think everyone has that one person who's opinion matters more than anyone else's.
Throughout this book, King was able to give different advice and answer questions that are really useful! I liked his point about how stories don't come from themes but instead once you write a story, you look for those points that all tie together to create a theme, and I agree with this. I think personally that writing would be more enjoyable without deciding a theme ahead of time and just finding it later on. I also thought it was interesting how he practically recommended not going to writing classes. I just assumed he would encourage it since he is such an accomplished writer, but instead he discourages it. I guess what he feels is that true talent for writing is something that writing classes can't force upon you, it is just kind of there. You can't create talent out of what isn't already there, but you can, however, improve upon the talent you already have by fine tuning and tweeking a little here and there.
I really enjoyed the last section of his book, On Living. I had no idea that King had been in that kind of accident and it was cool to know that even though he had been through all that stuff, he was able to persevere, go through many hours of physical therapy, and write again to build up to where he left off. It just goes to show that no matter what life throws at you, you can conquer it.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I learned a few good tips from it, too! I'm not a Stephen King reader, but this book, and the tid bits of different stories he wrote inserted everywhere, make me want to try some of his books!
I really thought it was interesting when he was talking about his book The Stand and how he reached a stumbling block one day and didn't know where to go from there, but then randomly he came up with a great idea! It shows that you can't just force inspiration and you can't just force a good idea. It has to come with time.
When he discussed the process of writing and rewriting I was a little taken back because of the amount of effort that goes into one book. It seems like it would be awful to have to write a manuscript, rewrite it, then do it again BEFORE it even gets sent to the publisher. I understand, however, that that amount of work is necessary to becoming a successful and accomplished writer like King is. I also agree with his statement that ultimately the amount of drafts is up to the writer because everyone really does have to find their own way of doing things.
The Ideal Reader part also stood out to me. I think in anything, it's important to have that one person who will support you in whatever you do, but who also isn't afraid to be brutally honest if he or she thinks it is for the best. In King's case it was his wife, but I think everyone has that one person who's opinion matters more than anyone else's.
Throughout this book, King was able to give different advice and answer questions that are really useful! I liked his point about how stories don't come from themes but instead once you write a story, you look for those points that all tie together to create a theme, and I agree with this. I think personally that writing would be more enjoyable without deciding a theme ahead of time and just finding it later on. I also thought it was interesting how he practically recommended not going to writing classes. I just assumed he would encourage it since he is such an accomplished writer, but instead he discourages it. I guess what he feels is that true talent for writing is something that writing classes can't force upon you, it is just kind of there. You can't create talent out of what isn't already there, but you can, however, improve upon the talent you already have by fine tuning and tweeking a little here and there.
I really enjoyed the last section of his book, On Living. I had no idea that King had been in that kind of accident and it was cool to know that even though he had been through all that stuff, he was able to persevere, go through many hours of physical therapy, and write again to build up to where he left off. It just goes to show that no matter what life throws at you, you can conquer it.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I learned a few good tips from it, too! I'm not a Stephen King reader, but this book, and the tid bits of different stories he wrote inserted everywhere, make me want to try some of his books!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
State of the Union Address
I've always respected President Obama for his speaking and his leadership. That's part of a lesson my parents have taught me over and over again: You don't have to respect the person, but you must respect the position. And while I normally don't agree with everything Mr. Obama says, in some ways I felt that he was more neutral when it came to picking sides on some issues.
He started and ended strong. That is the sign of a very good speech writer; starting with speaking for our troops and ending with the same with a little of Bin Laden thrown in at the end to get us all feeling patriotic. It seemed that there was a lot of times where he seemed to be talking to the service people of our nation such as the military, police force, firefighters, and things of the sort. Which I feel like is a great thing, they deserve the credit, but it felt like he was going down a checklist all night.
This is a re-election year. And for him to bring up things that will get everybody to agree was part of the idea. Such as bringing troops home. This is an idea that is supported by all military families that have troops overseas, no matter political party. The entire night it felt like his speech went down a checklist of what to make sure he needs to cover in order for the people to know what he is thinking on the subjects that the GOP candidates have been talking for what seems like forever now.
One thing that I think really stuck out for me is the college tuition idea. I know it stuck out because I know that's my next stage in life. I have worked my butt of doing everything I can to get into the school of my dreams with a reasonable scholarship and he implies that higher education is a right? No. You have to choose to want to go the extra mile now if you want to succeed in life. Things like this is what will put in peoples mind that when something is too hard, here comes the government to save the day. But that's enough ranting on that.
One interesting comment I think he made made me think of how our language changes. He used the actually term “gay verses straight”. Now I don't have a problem with that but I can't help but feel that a few years ago, a president would not have dared use that type of slang that is now so widely accepted.
One of the things I really agreed on him with was the idea to essentially redesign the legislative branch. Something were doing is obvously now working, and fixing all the crazy hoops anything has to jump through to make a difference is a good idea. While on thing I disagree with was his comment that our nation is not declining. We looked up the debt clock in history last week, that was not a sign of any sort of nation that is doing anything but declining.
But overall I believe he did a very good job. Avoided anything that could really offend people, went down the re-election checklist very efficiently, and made some very interesting points; now all we need is a good bit of action.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
On writing, part 2
I have to say, I definitely liked the last section better than this one, but I still liked this one. He was somehow able to take a totally boring subject and make it a little bit more appealing.
First off, he started off by comparing writing to telepathy. This really makes sense to me because that's practically what it is. Through writing, he is able to convey the same thoughts and ideas and get the same points across to completely different people at completely different times. He had those thoughts in 1997, the people who read it in 2000 understood the same point, and I, in 2011, am understanding the same exact things that everyone else did. Pretty cool how that works.
One part of this section he discussed vocabulary and mentioned the words insalubrious, dithyramb, cozening, and raconteur, all of which I was absolutely clueless on the meaning. BUT I looked them up on my iPad (built in dictionary) and I now know that an "insalubrious dithyramb" is an enthusiastic piece of writing that is unfavorable to the health, and that a "cozening raconteur" is a cheating storyteller. I will probably never use these words in my entire life, but it's cool to know what they mean.
Another section that stood out to me was when he was talking about the differences between bad, competent, good, and great writers and how you can't make a good writer into a great one. I'm not really sure why he thinks this but it could be that since a good writer is already "good" they may just be satisfied with staying there and not actually progressing, whereas a competent writer is so close to being good that they just have to push themselves that extra bit in order to reach their full potential. I know sometimes it's easy to just settle for what you have at the moment rather than to try a little harder to reach what you could be so that may be what he means by that.
When King was talking about talent and how you do something that you're talented at until you can't physically do it any longer, it made me want to go practice trombone and spinning mace. I definitely understand what he means by that. When you're talented at something and it's something you enjoy doing, you just want to improve upon that until you can't stand it anymore.(And I have practiced solos to that point..)
The final thing that I liked about this section was King's discussion on symbolism especially his reference to Jesus in his book The Green Mile. I mostly liked this because I thought it was really clever to give his character those initials, and I probably never could have thought of that.
Overall, this section was more tolerable than I thought it would be. I honestly thought it would be awful since the whole thing was only on writing, but I actually enjoyed it and I learned a few things while reading it also!
First off, he started off by comparing writing to telepathy. This really makes sense to me because that's practically what it is. Through writing, he is able to convey the same thoughts and ideas and get the same points across to completely different people at completely different times. He had those thoughts in 1997, the people who read it in 2000 understood the same point, and I, in 2011, am understanding the same exact things that everyone else did. Pretty cool how that works.
One part of this section he discussed vocabulary and mentioned the words insalubrious, dithyramb, cozening, and raconteur, all of which I was absolutely clueless on the meaning. BUT I looked them up on my iPad (built in dictionary) and I now know that an "insalubrious dithyramb" is an enthusiastic piece of writing that is unfavorable to the health, and that a "cozening raconteur" is a cheating storyteller. I will probably never use these words in my entire life, but it's cool to know what they mean.
Another section that stood out to me was when he was talking about the differences between bad, competent, good, and great writers and how you can't make a good writer into a great one. I'm not really sure why he thinks this but it could be that since a good writer is already "good" they may just be satisfied with staying there and not actually progressing, whereas a competent writer is so close to being good that they just have to push themselves that extra bit in order to reach their full potential. I know sometimes it's easy to just settle for what you have at the moment rather than to try a little harder to reach what you could be so that may be what he means by that.
When King was talking about talent and how you do something that you're talented at until you can't physically do it any longer, it made me want to go practice trombone and spinning mace. I definitely understand what he means by that. When you're talented at something and it's something you enjoy doing, you just want to improve upon that until you can't stand it anymore.(And I have practiced solos to that point..)
The final thing that I liked about this section was King's discussion on symbolism especially his reference to Jesus in his book The Green Mile. I mostly liked this because I thought it was really clever to give his character those initials, and I probably never could have thought of that.
Overall, this section was more tolerable than I thought it would be. I honestly thought it would be awful since the whole thing was only on writing, but I actually enjoyed it and I learned a few things while reading it also!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
On Writing, Blog 1
Like anyone who you would tell to read the first one hundred pages about a book about writing, literally entitled On Writing, I was dreading buying (or downloading rather) this book. I had heard that the CV section was actually pretty funny and I know some of these movie buff guys have a really good sense of humor so I did have a better expectation than when I first bought it. The first sentence already had me cracking up, reading the words “I joined a rock-and-roll band composed mostly of writers.”, I pictured all of my past English teachers in a rock band, of course, with Mrs. Shoemake singing because that's just funny. I can relate to just about anything when it comes to music. When he mentions the sentence, “We do it for the music, but we also do it for the companionship.”, I automatically highlighted it. This sentence reminded me of sitting in those long, boring wind ensemble rehearsals coming up with inside jokes with the guy next to me is just about as fun as playing the instrument itself. After the section that talked a bit about music I then remembered I was reading a book for English, but it still had plenty more hysterical antics within the rest of the entire section. While I do understand that this is just a sort of introduction to the book I really do feel like I have learned a lot about Stephen King and I've never read any of his actual books! But now I can see with the next title page that this is when he starts talking about actual writing. This of course is to be expected because it is English class and the title is On Writing. Overall, like most people I really was surprised in his detailed memory and sense of humor. With this background information I do feel that I will enjoy the rest of the book much more than without the introduction.
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