A Separate Peace is one of the more interesting books i have read. Phineas and Gene are best friends who, in a way, live through each other. The way Phineas tries to convince Gene that he will make it to the Olympics in 1944 even though there wont be the Olympics because of the war, because Phineas cant do sports anymore. Gene lets it happen because he thinks he needs to live through Finny because of how he lives his life.
"He had never been jealous of me for a second. Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us. I was not of the same quality as he. I couldn't stand this . . . Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb. Finny, and his balance gone, swung his head around to look at me for an instant with extreme interest, and then he tumbled sideways, broke through the little branches below and hit the bank with a sickening, unnatural thud. It was the first clumsy physical action I had ever seen him make. With unthinking sureness I moved out on the limb and jumped into the river, every trace of my fear of this forgotten." When Gene says "It was the first clumsy physical action I had ever seen him make." it kind of changed my view of Phineas a little. Throughout the most of the story Gene goes on about how spectacular Finny is and how perfect he is, and now because he made the limb shake he is imperfect. Also i think Gene always thought that Finny was constantly trying to compete with him at everything. But in this quote he says "I was not the same quality as he, I couldn't stand this." i think he realized that Finny never wanted to compete with him or anybody.
Chapter 10, kind of took things to a different objective. Leper was never really in the picture until now. He had really just been in the background. His craziness makes him come out. He says he "escapes" and asks Gene to go to his "Christmas Location", and Gene just drops everything and goes. and to think most of this started because he enlisted. Gene was a good friend for going to see Leper at his home in Vermont, but realized after going for a walk with him that he can't bear to listen to him cry anymore about all his troubles.
As i mentioned the friendship of Finny and Gene before, and about their identity and living through each other. I think Gene feels he needs to live through Finny. After Finny's accident Gene starts trying on his clothes and trying to act like him. Because in the first part of the story Gene almost resents Finny because he is so good at sports and his talent for being able to talk his way out of trouble. The two boys start depending on each other more and more. Finny using Gene to live his dream of sports and Gene using Finny to be somebody he wanted to be instead of who he was. This book shows that well and i liked it.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
The Crucible
Hysteria, one theme in the play "The Crucible", causes a lot of trouble. These people in this story break into complete hysteria. People become acused of such absurd crimes such as witchcraft and murder by their neighbors and friends whom they have been friends with most all their lives. I do have to say that i believe a lot of the people in the play use the hysteria to carry out grudges they have against people. Such as Thomas Putnam gaining revenge by accusing Rebecca for the deaths of Ann's babies.
Abigail is one character who i was a little interested in. Even though i would consider her the "bad guy" she was not very complex. I believe she was just jealous because she did not have a lot of power in her community. She lied her way through a lot and forced people to keep quiet. Like in the first scene when Betty kind of awakes and starts shouting out all the things that happened in the woods. She is manipulative and mean. Especially because she eventually sends innocent people to their deaths.
"A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now. I beg you, sir, i beg you - see her what what she is. My wife, my dear good wife, took this girl soon after, sir, and put her out on the highroad. And being what she is, a lump of vanity, sir -. Excellency, forgive me, forgive me. She thinks to dance with me on my wife's grave! And well she might, for I thought of her soflty. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore's vengance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands. I know you must see it now." This quote is one of my favorites in the play. It shows that Proctor instead wants what is right rather than what would bennefit his reputation. Although he does it for good reasons, being honest about his affair with Abiagail does not work in his favor. Proctor then is accused of witchcraft and is considered a liar.
The Crucible shows many things to us. How hysteria can ruin lives but help others out, how being honest isn't always going to work out in your favor, and being manipulative is something people just do. I did not have a favorite character, and even though i learned about the salem witch trials in class last year i did not mind reading this book. It was a learning experience, you could say, because it shows how crazy things can get out of hand. I would recomend this book to somebody interested in this sort of stuff and im glad i read it.
Abigail is one character who i was a little interested in. Even though i would consider her the "bad guy" she was not very complex. I believe she was just jealous because she did not have a lot of power in her community. She lied her way through a lot and forced people to keep quiet. Like in the first scene when Betty kind of awakes and starts shouting out all the things that happened in the woods. She is manipulative and mean. Especially because she eventually sends innocent people to their deaths.
"A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now. I beg you, sir, i beg you - see her what what she is. My wife, my dear good wife, took this girl soon after, sir, and put her out on the highroad. And being what she is, a lump of vanity, sir -. Excellency, forgive me, forgive me. She thinks to dance with me on my wife's grave! And well she might, for I thought of her soflty. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore's vengance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands. I know you must see it now." This quote is one of my favorites in the play. It shows that Proctor instead wants what is right rather than what would bennefit his reputation. Although he does it for good reasons, being honest about his affair with Abiagail does not work in his favor. Proctor then is accused of witchcraft and is considered a liar.
The Crucible shows many things to us. How hysteria can ruin lives but help others out, how being honest isn't always going to work out in your favor, and being manipulative is something people just do. I did not have a favorite character, and even though i learned about the salem witch trials in class last year i did not mind reading this book. It was a learning experience, you could say, because it shows how crazy things can get out of hand. I would recomend this book to somebody interested in this sort of stuff and im glad i read it.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
The Scarlet Letter
"But there was a more real life for Hester Prynne, here, in New England, than in that unknown region where Pearl had found a home. Here had been her sin; her sorrow; and here was yet to be her penitence. She had returned, therefore, and resumed,-of her own free will, for not the sternest magistrate of that iron period would have imposed it,-resumed the symbol of which we have related so dark a tale. Never afterwards did it quit her bosom. But, in the lapse of the toilsome, thoughtful, and self-devoted years that made up Hester's life, the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world's scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, and yet with reverence, too."
The quote above is by far my favorite part of the whole book. If you really look to the meaning it shows that Hester wasn't ashamed of her past. It was part of her life and she wasn't just going to forget about it because it wasn't exactly a "good" thing. The scarlet letter was the symbol that Hester fought her battle and it was important. Maybe some people thought having a scarlet letter was terrible or shameful, but to Hester it was self empowerment.
Hester Prynne was a strong woman. She used her scarlet letter to show her daughter, Pearl, that wrong doing is not good but also that you can be stronger than what other people try to cut you down to. How she used her needlework, even though nobody truley apreciated it, to help people out.
The book "The Scarlet Letter", shows the hardships that come with crime. It kept me interested because of the part where it went into a lot of detail, like in Chapter 6. "Certainly, there was no physical defect. By its perfect shape, its vigor, and its natural dexterity in the use of all its untried limbs, the infant was worthy to have been brought forth in Eden; worthy to have been left there, to be the plaything of the angels, after the world's first parents were driven out." Pearl is described so deeply throughout the chapter.
The quote above is by far my favorite part of the whole book. If you really look to the meaning it shows that Hester wasn't ashamed of her past. It was part of her life and she wasn't just going to forget about it because it wasn't exactly a "good" thing. The scarlet letter was the symbol that Hester fought her battle and it was important. Maybe some people thought having a scarlet letter was terrible or shameful, but to Hester it was self empowerment.
Hester Prynne was a strong woman. She used her scarlet letter to show her daughter, Pearl, that wrong doing is not good but also that you can be stronger than what other people try to cut you down to. How she used her needlework, even though nobody truley apreciated it, to help people out.
The book "The Scarlet Letter", shows the hardships that come with crime. It kept me interested because of the part where it went into a lot of detail, like in Chapter 6. "Certainly, there was no physical defect. By its perfect shape, its vigor, and its natural dexterity in the use of all its untried limbs, the infant was worthy to have been brought forth in Eden; worthy to have been left there, to be the plaything of the angels, after the world's first parents were driven out." Pearl is described so deeply throughout the chapter.
Friday, July 16, 2010
The Great Gatsby
Of all the books i have read this summer, The Great Gatsby is my favorite by far. This book kept my attention and i didnt get distracted while reading it. Some of the vocabulary was a little difficult to understand but that made the book better.
This book was exciting to read because of all the twists and turns the characters go through. The relationships, the affairs, and the love make it exciting. The part that struck me was when Tom was angry because he found out that Gatsby loved Daisy. He was very upset but at the same time he was doing the same thing, having an affair with Myrtle.
I did not really connect or relate with any of the characters in the book, but Jay Gatsby was kind of interesting. The lavish parties he would throw to get Daisy's attention, and how throughout the story Nick found out about Gatsby's life before he was wealthy made his character sort of fun to read about. It was fun because it was someone who focused his life in the direction to rise to the social class he thought he needed to be in to win the one he loved. Gatsby worked so hard to be with the one he loved only to be killed.
This is definatley a book i would recommend to someone to read. I really enjoyed reading it. The time period the book was set in and the places contributed greatly to how interesting the book was.
This book was exciting to read because of all the twists and turns the characters go through. The relationships, the affairs, and the love make it exciting. The part that struck me was when Tom was angry because he found out that Gatsby loved Daisy. He was very upset but at the same time he was doing the same thing, having an affair with Myrtle.
I did not really connect or relate with any of the characters in the book, but Jay Gatsby was kind of interesting. The lavish parties he would throw to get Daisy's attention, and how throughout the story Nick found out about Gatsby's life before he was wealthy made his character sort of fun to read about. It was fun because it was someone who focused his life in the direction to rise to the social class he thought he needed to be in to win the one he loved. Gatsby worked so hard to be with the one he loved only to be killed.
This is definatley a book i would recommend to someone to read. I really enjoyed reading it. The time period the book was set in and the places contributed greatly to how interesting the book was.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
When i first picked up the book, The Grapes of Wrath, it seemed long and boring. I didn't have the least bit of interest in it, but as i started to read further and further i didn't mind it so much. I do have to say it was a very sad book, but it definately opened my eyes. I personally like the character of Tom Joad. The way he moves on from the tradgedies in life and always makes do with what he has shows how much of a family oriented person he is.
This book demonstrates very well how tough things really were. All the deaths in Jim's family and the deaths of the people he befriended, the scarce amount of jobs there were in California, and how the natives of California didn't particularly like the newcomers and gave them nicknames such as "Okies" gave me a clear description of what life was really like. One thing in the book that i thought was extremely sad was when the migrant told Pa that his own children starved to death because he couldnt afford food because of the lack of jobs.
Many parts of this book made me feel compassion for the Joad family and others, but one part in particular kind of grossed me out. On the last page, when Rose of Sharon had to breast feed the man to save him from starvation, i was a little grossed out. Especially when she "looked up and smiled mysteriously", that didnt make reading that part any more enjoyable. It was a smart move and probably helped the man along but i hope i dont have to read that part ever again.
All in all i would have to say it was a good book. I would recommend it to someone who could sit down and just enjoy the book. I am not one of those people though. I made it through it and im glad i did.
This book demonstrates very well how tough things really were. All the deaths in Jim's family and the deaths of the people he befriended, the scarce amount of jobs there were in California, and how the natives of California didn't particularly like the newcomers and gave them nicknames such as "Okies" gave me a clear description of what life was really like. One thing in the book that i thought was extremely sad was when the migrant told Pa that his own children starved to death because he couldnt afford food because of the lack of jobs.
Many parts of this book made me feel compassion for the Joad family and others, but one part in particular kind of grossed me out. On the last page, when Rose of Sharon had to breast feed the man to save him from starvation, i was a little grossed out. Especially when she "looked up and smiled mysteriously", that didnt make reading that part any more enjoyable. It was a smart move and probably helped the man along but i hope i dont have to read that part ever again.
All in all i would have to say it was a good book. I would recommend it to someone who could sit down and just enjoy the book. I am not one of those people though. I made it through it and im glad i did.
Friday, June 18, 2010
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was a very interesting book and it really enforced me to focus on what i was reading instead of just reading the words. The dialouge was difficult to understand because Mark Twain used words that actually would have been said in that time period. Now days most people dont talk like that so i wasn't used to it. I didn't like that particular thing about the book because it took me forever to read the book. I kept having to go back over everything i read just to understand it.
I did enjoy the book though. The main reason i would have to say was the way Mark Twain really made it seem like Huck was telling the story instead of himself. If i didnt know who the author was i would have guessed Huck Finn wrote the story. He really got into character. The adventures Huck and Jim had were beyond what i would have come up with. The way Huck tricked everyone into thinking he was dead and escaping from his father, how Huck ended up finding Jim on the island, and meeting the King and the Duke. Every adventure made the book more enjoyable.
Mark Twain also did a wonderful job making Huck as much of a boy as possible. I mean he gave him all the qualities of a young boy. Such as: always thinking up brilliant plans, trying to escape the bad, helping a friend even if it was wrong to other people, and of course noticing pretty girls. The way Huck let Jim come along with him even though he knew if he was caught it would be very ugly. Also by trying to get rid of the King and the Duke when he knew all they were doing was scamming people and taking their money. Taking the money that the king and the duke basically stole because they pretended to be related to the deceased.
All in all i thought it was a good book. Not one of my favorites, but im certainly glad i read it. The adventures, the lying, the friendships, and the people Huck and Jim met along their journey was all a great story. This book definately opened my eyes to different types of books to read and i learned alot.
I did enjoy the book though. The main reason i would have to say was the way Mark Twain really made it seem like Huck was telling the story instead of himself. If i didnt know who the author was i would have guessed Huck Finn wrote the story. He really got into character. The adventures Huck and Jim had were beyond what i would have come up with. The way Huck tricked everyone into thinking he was dead and escaping from his father, how Huck ended up finding Jim on the island, and meeting the King and the Duke. Every adventure made the book more enjoyable.
Mark Twain also did a wonderful job making Huck as much of a boy as possible. I mean he gave him all the qualities of a young boy. Such as: always thinking up brilliant plans, trying to escape the bad, helping a friend even if it was wrong to other people, and of course noticing pretty girls. The way Huck let Jim come along with him even though he knew if he was caught it would be very ugly. Also by trying to get rid of the King and the Duke when he knew all they were doing was scamming people and taking their money. Taking the money that the king and the duke basically stole because they pretended to be related to the deceased.
All in all i thought it was a good book. Not one of my favorites, but im certainly glad i read it. The adventures, the lying, the friendships, and the people Huck and Jim met along their journey was all a great story. This book definately opened my eyes to different types of books to read and i learned alot.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
HONORS 10
IM EXCITED ABOUT TAKING HONORS TEN. I MEAN AT FIRST I WAS A LITTLE IFFY ABOUT THE WHOLE SITUATION IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. LIKE SERIOUSLY WHO WOULDNT BE NERVOUS ABOUT TAKING AND HONORS CLASS. BUT I KNOW IT WILL BE A GREAT EXPERIENCE AND IT WILL TEACH ME NEW SKILLS I WILL MOST LIKELY BE ABLE TO USE IN THE FUTURE. IM SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THE TEACHER THOUGH. SHE SEEMS REALLY NICE AND IM GLAD SHE WILL BE TEACHING THE CLASS. MY NEIGHBOR HAD HER THIS PAST YEAR AND SAID SHE WAS A SUPER GREAT TEACHER. HERE'S TO HOPING FOR A GREAT YEAR NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)