"He smiled grimly. 'Maybe it's not so complicatied. Maybe the reason war and all that other stuff went away is that there are no more controversies, no disagreements, no people demanding change. Just masses of smiling pretties, and a few people left to run things.'
Tally remembered crossing the river to New Pretty Town, watching them have their endless fun. She and Peris used to boast tthey'd never wind up so idiotic, so shallow. But when she'd seen him... 'Becoming pretty doesn't just change the way you look,' she said.
'No,' David said. 'It changes the way you think.'"(267).
Just as I suspected! I knew something like this would happen! She’d go to the Smoke, but not activate the device that would bring about the destruction of the little community. As time went on, she would realize that normal people who don’t get the surgery to become pretty really aren’t ugly. Now, of course, Tally has fallen in love with this guy named David who has grown up in the Smoke, and who Tally would normally consider ugly. Ironically, David really likes Tally because he feels like he can trust her. Tally feels horrible for 2 main reasons: by completing her role as a spy, she would be destroying David’s whole life when he trusts her the most, and because her best friend still likes David. So now because David trusts Tally so much, he has decided to take her to meet his parents who started the whole Smoke thing. He says that there is a secret that they have to tell her. When she gets to the parent’s house, they tell her about how they used to be the kind of doctors that would perform the surgery to transform uglies into pretties. One day, one of David’s parents discovered that all people who had the surgery have a legion in their brain. All except those who later decide to have a job that requires quick thinking. As they investigated further, someone from Special Circumstances comes to tell them to stop studying this area. They don’t really know what this brain legion does, but they know that it was specifically put there by the surgeons, and their theory is that it takes away the personality of an individual and transforms them into someone who will basically be satisfied with what they have. When Tally learns this, she decides right there that she will never give up the Smoke to Dr. Cable, and she throws her little pendant into a fire. Well, the next day all these “Specials” come and it’s all Tally’s fault. The pendant sends a signal when it’s destroyed too. Well, that sucks.
Friday, May 30, 2008
21: Bringing Down the House (Post4)
"We're having a meeting later tonight. Don't know what is going to happen for sure, but i hear that the last time something like this went down, they changed the five-hundred-dollar chips and up, so the thieves couldn't exchange them for cash. Of course, that won't affect our prized guests such as yourself-- I can vouch for whatever chips you've got lying around the room."
Overall the team had over two hundred thousand dollars in MGM chips.
Kevin had tickets to the Holyfield and Tyson fight, however he did not feel well so he decided to go take a nap. During the fight Holyfield bit off Tyson's ear. Someone shot off a handgun in the casino and the crowd went nuts. People knocked over a few tables and the chips went flying. People were picking up the chips and stealing them, therefore the casino was probably going to change the chips out. The team had had over $200,000 in the MGM's chips.
Kevin didn't know what to do with all the chips, he goes to meet Martinez and Fisher at a club called Paradise. They were already aware of what was happening and had thought up a plan. Martinez was a friend with one of the strippers at the club and he asked if she would gather five more of her friends to go exchange out the chips for pay. This would work because high rollers would always tip large amounts of chips to the strippers. It would be risky and they might lose a few thousand but they wouldn't lose all $200,000.
The book is still really good. They really make a lot of money, I don't know what I would do with all of it. I can't wait to finish the book and see what happens with the team.
Overall the team had over two hundred thousand dollars in MGM chips.
Kevin had tickets to the Holyfield and Tyson fight, however he did not feel well so he decided to go take a nap. During the fight Holyfield bit off Tyson's ear. Someone shot off a handgun in the casino and the crowd went nuts. People knocked over a few tables and the chips went flying. People were picking up the chips and stealing them, therefore the casino was probably going to change the chips out. The team had had over $200,000 in the MGM's chips.
Kevin didn't know what to do with all the chips, he goes to meet Martinez and Fisher at a club called Paradise. They were already aware of what was happening and had thought up a plan. Martinez was a friend with one of the strippers at the club and he asked if she would gather five more of her friends to go exchange out the chips for pay. This would work because high rollers would always tip large amounts of chips to the strippers. It would be risky and they might lose a few thousand but they wouldn't lose all $200,000.
The book is still really good. They really make a lot of money, I don't know what I would do with all of it. I can't wait to finish the book and see what happens with the team.
Wise Guy ( Post 4 )
“The hardest thing for me was leaving the life I was running away from. Even in the end, with all the threats I was getting and all the time I was facing behind the wall, I still loved the life.” (283)
From twelve till the moment Henry Hill signed the rest of his life away under the protection of the Federal Witness program, he loved the thrill he could get from the life of a mobster. He had done it all from selling stolen swag from truckers to being involved in the six million dollar Lufthansa heist, and now it was over. From there on Hill would have to live life the way middle class did. No more crime, just an average life as an entirely new person. One of the worst part was he didn’t want to drag the rest of his family with him, but they had to for fear of being taken for ransom or kill.
“And now all that is over, and that’s the hardest part. Today everything is very different. No more action. I have to wait around like everybody else. I’m an average nobody. I get to live the rest of my life like a shnook.” (284)
The reason Henry Hill was forced into the Witness Protection Program was because everything he had ever known had turned its back. Paul Vario who had indefinitely raised Hill had given up. Jimmy Burke, Hill’s closest friend, was out to kill Henry in fear of what he could do. That being to rat out everything he knew, over fifty people were given time in prison including Paul Vario who spent four years at the penitentiary in Springfield, Missouri.
Shooter (post #4)
“I didn’t have time to worry about that s***. I was merely a destroyer of men.”
“I pulled the bolt back and reloaded, oblivious to what was going on around me. That was someone else’s job, and if I needed to know something, they would
tell me. As Casey later explained, “Unless I absolutely had to get into his zone, I left him alone. You don’t want to f*** with a man’s zone, especially
when he’s killing people and doing good things” (203).
“I pulled the bolt back and reloaded, oblivious to what was going on around me. That was someone else’s job, and if I needed to know something, they would
tell me. As Casey later explained, “Unless I absolutely had to get into his zone, I left him alone. You don’t want to f*** with a man’s zone, especially
when he’s killing people and doing good things” (203).
The first two sentences in the quote are really strong statements. The part when he says he is a destroyer of men makes me think about war, and how everyone
in a war is out to kill one another over different values. It shows what war really is, and it is a destroyer of men. In the second part of the quote it
talks about how territorial snipers are when they are doing their job. I think this is similar to war because countries are always serious about their
territories. Territories are what separate different cultures and people. Territories even start wars, if they aren’t respected or if they are crossed they
can cause wars all over an imaginary line. The killing people and doing good things part stands out to me because you wouldn't normally think of killing
people as a good thing, but in a war anything goes, and if that means killing the enemy to save one of your own men our your country then it is a good thing.
I think it would be wrong if it was killing targeted at young children instead of the enemy.
The Road (Post #4)
“They walked into the little clearing, the boy clutching his hand. They’d taken everything with them except whatever black thing was skewered over the coals. He was standing there checking the perimeter when the boy turned and buried his face against him. He looked quickly to see what had happened. What is it? He said. What is it? The boy shook his head. Oh Papa, he said. He turned and looked again. What the boy had seen was a charred human infant headless and gutted and blackening on the spit. He bent and picked the boy up and started for the road with him, holding him close. I’m sorry, he whispered. I’m sorry” (198).
A few pages before, the man and the boy had a feeling that they were being followed. They found out that they were right and that two men and a pregnant woman were following not far behind. So even though the book doesn’t ever mention who those people were that ran away from the man and boy, as I read this paragraph I immediately knew who they were. I was completely shocked, sickened, and couldn’t believe what had just happened. How could a woman eat her own newborn child? Even if she and the other two men were starving? That part just totally creeped me out.
“When he woke the fire had burned down and it was very cold. The boy was sitting up wrapped in his blanket.
What is it?
Nothing. I had a bad dream.
What did you dream about?
Nothing.
Are you okay?
No.
He put his arms around him and held him. It’s okay, he said.
I was crying. But you didn’t wake up.
I’m sorry. I was just so tired.
I meant in the dream” (183).
As I read along, I had hoped that they finally got help, found the “good guys”, were able to live in a new, continually forming, community, and live happily ever after. Of course that is not an option. So far in the book there have been many tiny clues about the future of the man and his boy. This passage above just supports the evidence that the man’s death is yet to come. What will happen to the boy? My belief is that the boy will be all right. In the beginning, the boy was terrified of every little thing. Throughout the pages and discoveries, the boy grew in nature and became stronger as his father grew weaker. In some way, the boy was getting ready to support himself.
A few pages before, the man and the boy had a feeling that they were being followed. They found out that they were right and that two men and a pregnant woman were following not far behind. So even though the book doesn’t ever mention who those people were that ran away from the man and boy, as I read this paragraph I immediately knew who they were. I was completely shocked, sickened, and couldn’t believe what had just happened. How could a woman eat her own newborn child? Even if she and the other two men were starving? That part just totally creeped me out.
“When he woke the fire had burned down and it was very cold. The boy was sitting up wrapped in his blanket.
What is it?
Nothing. I had a bad dream.
What did you dream about?
Nothing.
Are you okay?
No.
He put his arms around him and held him. It’s okay, he said.
I was crying. But you didn’t wake up.
I’m sorry. I was just so tired.
I meant in the dream” (183).
As I read along, I had hoped that they finally got help, found the “good guys”, were able to live in a new, continually forming, community, and live happily ever after. Of course that is not an option. So far in the book there have been many tiny clues about the future of the man and his boy. This passage above just supports the evidence that the man’s death is yet to come. What will happen to the boy? My belief is that the boy will be all right. In the beginning, the boy was terrified of every little thing. Throughout the pages and discoveries, the boy grew in nature and became stronger as his father grew weaker. In some way, the boy was getting ready to support himself.
Wicked (Post 4)
‘“Tell me about your amusing campaign for the heart of Galinda the Ice Queen.”
Boq really wanted to hear about Doctor Dillamond, but was derailed by Elphaba’s remark. ‘I will keep on, Elphie, I will! When I see her I’m so smitten with longing, it’s like a fire in my veins. I can’t speak, and the things I think about are like visions. It’s like dreaming. It’s like floating in your dreams.’
‘I don’t dream.’
‘Tell me, is there any hope? What does she say? Does she ever even imagine that her feelings for me might change?’
Elphaba sat with her two elbows on the table, her hands clasped in front of her face, her two forefingers leaning against each other and against her thin, grayish lips. ‘You know, Boq,’ she said, ‘the thing is I have become fold of Galinda myself. Behind her starry-eyed love of herself there is a mind struggling to work. She does think about things. When her mind is really working, she could, if led, think on you—even, I suspect somewhat fondly. I suspect. I don’t know. But when she slides back into herself, I mean into the girl who spends two hours a day curling that beautiful hair, it’s as if she’s thinking Galinda goes into some internal closet and shuts the door. Or as if she’s in hysterical retreat from things that are too big for her. I love her both ways, but I find it odd. I wouldn’t mind leaving myself behind if I could, but I don’t know the way out.’” (109)
I think it is interesting here because this has been the first time in the book that Elphaba has shared what she thinks of Galinda, or anyone for that matter, without being upset or insulted. And I think that it’s interesting that the first time Elphaba met Boq she was very rude and then she agreed to help him meet up with Galinda but when she did that she was rude to both Boq and Galinda and wouldn’t let them speak for themselves without chiming into their conversation with some kind of commentary. But here she was really sincere although she was kind of blunt with how much Galinda thought of herself and didn’t really think much, Elphie was trying to be helpful and attempt to cheer Boq up a little bit. And I also like the fact that she was being honest about wishing she could, in a way, be like Galinda and have the ability to escape from herself at times. And I think it’s good that Elphie is finally starting to make a friend that isn’t shallow and won’t be embarrassed to be seen in public with her and that he won’t go and make fun of her behind her back to his other friends. This book is getting pretty good and when I pick it up I hate to have to put it down.
Boq really wanted to hear about Doctor Dillamond, but was derailed by Elphaba’s remark. ‘I will keep on, Elphie, I will! When I see her I’m so smitten with longing, it’s like a fire in my veins. I can’t speak, and the things I think about are like visions. It’s like dreaming. It’s like floating in your dreams.’
‘I don’t dream.’
‘Tell me, is there any hope? What does she say? Does she ever even imagine that her feelings for me might change?’
Elphaba sat with her two elbows on the table, her hands clasped in front of her face, her two forefingers leaning against each other and against her thin, grayish lips. ‘You know, Boq,’ she said, ‘the thing is I have become fold of Galinda myself. Behind her starry-eyed love of herself there is a mind struggling to work. She does think about things. When her mind is really working, she could, if led, think on you—even, I suspect somewhat fondly. I suspect. I don’t know. But when she slides back into herself, I mean into the girl who spends two hours a day curling that beautiful hair, it’s as if she’s thinking Galinda goes into some internal closet and shuts the door. Or as if she’s in hysterical retreat from things that are too big for her. I love her both ways, but I find it odd. I wouldn’t mind leaving myself behind if I could, but I don’t know the way out.’” (109)
I think it is interesting here because this has been the first time in the book that Elphaba has shared what she thinks of Galinda, or anyone for that matter, without being upset or insulted. And I think that it’s interesting that the first time Elphaba met Boq she was very rude and then she agreed to help him meet up with Galinda but when she did that she was rude to both Boq and Galinda and wouldn’t let them speak for themselves without chiming into their conversation with some kind of commentary. But here she was really sincere although she was kind of blunt with how much Galinda thought of herself and didn’t really think much, Elphie was trying to be helpful and attempt to cheer Boq up a little bit. And I also like the fact that she was being honest about wishing she could, in a way, be like Galinda and have the ability to escape from herself at times. And I think it’s good that Elphie is finally starting to make a friend that isn’t shallow and won’t be embarrassed to be seen in public with her and that he won’t go and make fun of her behind her back to his other friends. This book is getting pretty good and when I pick it up I hate to have to put it down.
Angels & Demons (post 4)
"'The Pope fathered a child.'
Inside he sistine Chapel, the camerlengo stood unwavering as he spoke. Five solitary words of astonishing desclosure. The entire assembly seemed to recoil in unison. The cardinals' accusing miens evaporated into aghast stares, as if every soul in the room were praying the camerlengo was wrong.
The Pope fathered a child.
Langdon felt the shock wave hit him too. Vittoria's hand, tightin his, jolted, while Langdon's mind, already numb with unanswered questions, wrestled to find a center of gravity.
The camerlengo's utterance seemed like it would hang forever in the air above them. Even in the camerlengo's frenzied eyes, Langdon could see pure conviction. Langdon wanted to disengage, tell himself he was lost in some grotesque nightmare, soon o wake up in a world that made sense (541-542)."
Whoa!!!!! Hold on did I really just read that the Pope had a child? Isn't their a law banning priest especially Popes from having any kind of sexual encounter ever? If that is the case then why is their a child somewhere. And isn't that just wrong on so many levels?
Those poor cardinals they just don't deserve that kind of jolt just after having the former pope die suddenly. They really just need to all go and get a nice massage and some major psycho therapy. Anyone who lived to hear that claim should probably be keeling over dead right about now. Although it is just a little wierd that the camerlengo is just taking this so easily like he didn't even feel the depth or severity of that kind of news.
Could their possibly be a thing between Vittoria and Robert? That hand grasp wasn't just because of the news their had to be a need for the support of a close person. But they just met that morning/afternoon. I just hope that something good comes out of all of this. This book still keeps me hooked even after over 500 pages!
Inside he sistine Chapel, the camerlengo stood unwavering as he spoke. Five solitary words of astonishing desclosure. The entire assembly seemed to recoil in unison. The cardinals' accusing miens evaporated into aghast stares, as if every soul in the room were praying the camerlengo was wrong.
The Pope fathered a child.
Langdon felt the shock wave hit him too. Vittoria's hand, tightin his, jolted, while Langdon's mind, already numb with unanswered questions, wrestled to find a center of gravity.
The camerlengo's utterance seemed like it would hang forever in the air above them. Even in the camerlengo's frenzied eyes, Langdon could see pure conviction. Langdon wanted to disengage, tell himself he was lost in some grotesque nightmare, soon o wake up in a world that made sense (541-542)."
Whoa!!!!! Hold on did I really just read that the Pope had a child? Isn't their a law banning priest especially Popes from having any kind of sexual encounter ever? If that is the case then why is their a child somewhere. And isn't that just wrong on so many levels?
Those poor cardinals they just don't deserve that kind of jolt just after having the former pope die suddenly. They really just need to all go and get a nice massage and some major psycho therapy. Anyone who lived to hear that claim should probably be keeling over dead right about now. Although it is just a little wierd that the camerlengo is just taking this so easily like he didn't even feel the depth or severity of that kind of news.
Could their possibly be a thing between Vittoria and Robert? That hand grasp wasn't just because of the news their had to be a need for the support of a close person. But they just met that morning/afternoon. I just hope that something good comes out of all of this. This book still keeps me hooked even after over 500 pages!
The Stand (Only Post)
"Show me a man or a woman alone and I'll show you a saint. Give me two and they'll fall in love. Give me three and they'll invent the charming thing we call 'society'. Give me four and they'll build a pyramid. Give me five and they'll make one an outcast. Give me six and they'll reinvent prejudice. Give me seven and in seven years they'll reinvent warfare. Man may have been made in the image of God, but human society was made in the image of His opposite number, and is always trying to get back home."
(?)
The Stand by Stephen King is one of my top 5 all time favorite books. The plot is ok, but the character development and the world Mr. King paints for the reader is no less vivid than had the reader actually known the character or seen the places described. The way King relates the characters to the reader is through the way the characters think, speak, and act. The above quote is from sociology major, Glen Bateman, who is discussing his view of human nature.
Glen is the type of guy you’d like to run into at a bar after he’s had a few. He shows a high level of intelligence but not an overbearing elitist “I’m going to hold my brilliance over your head” type of intelligence. It’s more of a let’s have a couple beers, watch the football game, and argue the validity of .999999999 = 1 (If you’re not familiar with this “trick” ask Mr. Reys). This is just one example of the intricate ways Mr. King employs that helps develop vivid and lifelike characters. Read the book and I can almost guarantee that you will find yourself drawn into the decimated world that Mr. King populates through the stories of these robustly depicted individuals.
(?)
The Stand by Stephen King is one of my top 5 all time favorite books. The plot is ok, but the character development and the world Mr. King paints for the reader is no less vivid than had the reader actually known the character or seen the places described. The way King relates the characters to the reader is through the way the characters think, speak, and act. The above quote is from sociology major, Glen Bateman, who is discussing his view of human nature.
Glen is the type of guy you’d like to run into at a bar after he’s had a few. He shows a high level of intelligence but not an overbearing elitist “I’m going to hold my brilliance over your head” type of intelligence. It’s more of a let’s have a couple beers, watch the football game, and argue the validity of .999999999 = 1 (If you’re not familiar with this “trick” ask Mr. Reys). This is just one example of the intricate ways Mr. King employs that helps develop vivid and lifelike characters. Read the book and I can almost guarantee that you will find yourself drawn into the decimated world that Mr. King populates through the stories of these robustly depicted individuals.
S.W.A.T. (Book Review)
S.W.A.T. is of course a book about the life of a Special Weapons and Tactics officer. The main character, Jim Street, goes threw a rollercoaster of events. He and his partner and best friend, Brian Gamble, were involved in a tricky situation which resulted in them both being kicked off S.W.A.T. Street decided to stay and try and get back on S.W.A.T. while Gamble left, ending their friendship. For six months Street does the dirty work around the office in “the cage,” until he finally gets a second chance on S.W.A.T. The sergeant putting together the new S.W.A.T. team was on the captain’s bad list, just like Street. The team is doomed to fail from the beginning but pulls threw in the end, and no, that’s not the climax of the story. The team’s first big assignment is to transport a big crime boss to a high security prison. The only problem is the convict just offered one hundred million dollars to whoever could get him out of jail. The book has an exciting twist in the end that I can’t ruin for you.
This is a great book. The action kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. It doesn’t waste time building up the story; it just throws the reader right into the action from the beginning. The author describes everything in extravagant detail that puts a vivid image in my mind. She uses personification to bring to life the vehicles and weapons. I could almost feel the gun in my hand as I read. Also, the third person point of view helped me stay on track and gave me a better understanding of what was going on. The author wouldn’t just focus on one character. She would describe the situation from one characters point of view, then from another character’s point of view. This really helped when different things were happening in different places and the characters saw different events happening. I really enjoyed reading this book.
I would recommend this book to anyone of a mature level. It’s filled with action and adventure. There are twists and turns that will leave you clueless on what’s going to happen next. It gives you a step-by-step analyzes of the action and puts you behind the eyes of police officials. Keep in mind the book varies from the movie in a few parts and goes into greater detail. This only gives you a better understanding of what’s going on. Read this book if you enjoy intense action and adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
This is a great book. The action kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. It doesn’t waste time building up the story; it just throws the reader right into the action from the beginning. The author describes everything in extravagant detail that puts a vivid image in my mind. She uses personification to bring to life the vehicles and weapons. I could almost feel the gun in my hand as I read. Also, the third person point of view helped me stay on track and gave me a better understanding of what was going on. The author wouldn’t just focus on one character. She would describe the situation from one characters point of view, then from another character’s point of view. This really helped when different things were happening in different places and the characters saw different events happening. I really enjoyed reading this book.
I would recommend this book to anyone of a mature level. It’s filled with action and adventure. There are twists and turns that will leave you clueless on what’s going to happen next. It gives you a step-by-step analyzes of the action and puts you behind the eyes of police officials. Keep in mind the book varies from the movie in a few parts and goes into greater detail. This only gives you a better understanding of what’s going on. Read this book if you enjoy intense action and adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Wait for Me post 1
Mina is the perfect daughter. Bound for Harvard, president of the honor society, striaght A student, all while she works at her family dry cleaners and help cares for her hearing-impaired sister. On the outside, Mina does everything right. On the inside, Mina knows the truth. Her life is a lie. At the height of a wave, the summer before her senior year, Mina meets the one person who, she cannot lie. Ysreal, a young migrant who dreams of becoming a musician, comes to work at the dry cleaners and ask Mina the one question that scares her the most. What does she want?
Alot of times in life people are afraid of answering that one question. What do you want? We get so caught up in other peoples wants and dream we forget about what truly makes us happy. Mina was in this same situation. She was living the dream of her mother. Her mother never accomplished her dreams, so she created the dream for her daughter. Sometimes parents do not realize the pressures they put on us to be what we really aren't. I felt so sorry for Mina having to go through this. Ysreal (boyfriend) made Mina a better person. Mina was able to open up to him and release all her lies. Wait for me is a good book. There is so much romance and drama and its all about Mina. You would think of happily ever after for a book like this. I read this book in a day or so. There want be any other post for this book. If you inspire to be something, if its your choice you should do it, if not leave it be.
Alot of times in life people are afraid of answering that one question. What do you want? We get so caught up in other peoples wants and dream we forget about what truly makes us happy. Mina was in this same situation. She was living the dream of her mother. Her mother never accomplished her dreams, so she created the dream for her daughter. Sometimes parents do not realize the pressures they put on us to be what we really aren't. I felt so sorry for Mina having to go through this. Ysreal (boyfriend) made Mina a better person. Mina was able to open up to him and release all her lies. Wait for me is a good book. There is so much romance and drama and its all about Mina. You would think of happily ever after for a book like this. I read this book in a day or so. There want be any other post for this book. If you inspire to be something, if its your choice you should do it, if not leave it be.
The Devil in the Junior League (Post 4)
“After one more long second Annalise stood. ‘What do we need to do?’ she asked. Nikki nodded then turned to me. ‘Frede, I believe you have something to say.’ I said quite a bit, and by the time we left Brightlee, I had put together a nice fat file that I presented to Howard. After he read through the contents, he whistled. When he looked up at me, he smiled. ‘Darlin’, I knew I loved the Junior League” (292).
The first half of this quote just explains what is going on in the story. I am right in the middle of reading the huge twist at the end of the story. At this point Frede is pulling all the rest of the information to take down her husband and is handing it to her neighbor who is also her lawyer- Howard. The part when he says, “Darlin, I knew I loved the Junior League” is a good statement because it’s one of those things that you really don’t like but one day your like I knew I loved that thing. This fits so well in the story at this point because his wife, Nikki, is trying to get in and they just the rest of the information they needed to take down Frede’s husband, and hard. It also gives the sense that all the work they have been doing was finally becoming worth it and it also meant the story is almost over. Also, it meant that the information that Frede presented to her lawyer, was really good info that he could actually use. This quote shows how the book is like reality because that is something people say and do in real life- that is the writing style in this book.
The first half of this quote just explains what is going on in the story. I am right in the middle of reading the huge twist at the end of the story. At this point Frede is pulling all the rest of the information to take down her husband and is handing it to her neighbor who is also her lawyer- Howard. The part when he says, “Darlin, I knew I loved the Junior League” is a good statement because it’s one of those things that you really don’t like but one day your like I knew I loved that thing. This fits so well in the story at this point because his wife, Nikki, is trying to get in and they just the rest of the information they needed to take down Frede’s husband, and hard. It also gives the sense that all the work they have been doing was finally becoming worth it and it also meant the story is almost over. Also, it meant that the information that Frede presented to her lawyer, was really good info that he could actually use. This quote shows how the book is like reality because that is something people say and do in real life- that is the writing style in this book.
She's Come Undone (Post 4)
“ All the dead bold and pulled shades and hidden knives in the world couldn’t protect you from the truth. And I sat there and closed my eyes and felt Jack again, ramming himself into me—felt that blind, never-ending pain, over and over, on the afternoon we’d killed Rita’s baby
When you deserved it, even the mail could rape you (153).”
When I read this I felt really scared. Like, I can’t even imagine getting raped. Dolores is always talking about how she feels Jack ramming again, and I can’t even begin to imagine that every day, ten times a day, you remember something so devastating. When Dolores said the last line, I was so shocked. She still thinks it was her fault, that she deserved being raped—something totally wrong. Even the mail could rape you—getting mail from the person who killed her mother felt like she was getting raped again. All that pain and agony came out, and I don’t know something about it made me feel downright awful and I really felt for anyone who ever has got raped (not that I didn’t before but now even more so!)
“She jumped from chore to chore without accomplishing anything (191).”
For some reason I do the same thing that Kippy does ALL the time. If I am nervous, or have like a lot to do, or just really anxious, I always make a list of everything to do and I never complete a task—I do a little bit of cleaning my room, a little bit of laundry, but never master 1 thing at a time, I never can do that. I feel really bad for Dolores and how Kippy now hates her because she is fat, and how Kippy is just using Dolores throughout the story. The only time Kippy really does something nice for Dolores is when she comes and sits on her bed and Dolores talks about her mothers death.
When you deserved it, even the mail could rape you (153).”
When I read this I felt really scared. Like, I can’t even imagine getting raped. Dolores is always talking about how she feels Jack ramming again, and I can’t even begin to imagine that every day, ten times a day, you remember something so devastating. When Dolores said the last line, I was so shocked. She still thinks it was her fault, that she deserved being raped—something totally wrong. Even the mail could rape you—getting mail from the person who killed her mother felt like she was getting raped again. All that pain and agony came out, and I don’t know something about it made me feel downright awful and I really felt for anyone who ever has got raped (not that I didn’t before but now even more so!)
“She jumped from chore to chore without accomplishing anything (191).”
For some reason I do the same thing that Kippy does ALL the time. If I am nervous, or have like a lot to do, or just really anxious, I always make a list of everything to do and I never complete a task—I do a little bit of cleaning my room, a little bit of laundry, but never master 1 thing at a time, I never can do that. I feel really bad for Dolores and how Kippy now hates her because she is fat, and how Kippy is just using Dolores throughout the story. The only time Kippy really does something nice for Dolores is when she comes and sits on her bed and Dolores talks about her mothers death.
The Devil Wears Prada (post 4)
“’Andrea! She’s on her way in. She’ll be here in ten minutes,” Emily announced loudly, obviously struggling to remain calm.
‘Hmm? I’m sorry, I didn’t hear what—‘
‘Miranda is on her way into the office this moment. We need to get ready.’
‘On her way into the office? But I thought she wasn’t even coming back to the country until Saturday…’
‘Well, clearly she changed her mind. Now, move! Go downstairs and get her papers and lay them out just the way I told you. When you’re done, wipe down her desk and lave a glass of Pellegrino on the left-hand side, with ice and a lime. And make sure that her bathroom is stocked, OK? Go! She’s already in the car, so she should be here in less than ten minutes, depending on traffic.’
As I raced out of the office, I could hear Emily rapid-fire dialing four-digit extensions and all but screaming, ‘She’s on her way—tell everyone.’ It took me only three seconds to wind through the hallways and pass through the fashion department, but I already heard panicked cries of ‘Emily said she’s on her way in’ and ‘Miranda’s coming!’ and a particularly blood-curdling cry of ‘She’s baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!’ Assistants were frantically straightening clothes on the racks that lined the halls, and editors were racing into their offices, where I could see one changing from her kitten-heeled shoes to four-inch stilettos while another lined her lips, curled her lashes, and adjusted her bra strap without so much as slowing down. As the publisher walked out of the men’s room, I glanced past him and saw James, looking frenzied, checking his black cashmere sweater for lint while spastically popping Altoids in his mouth. Unless the men’s room was wired with loudspeakers for these very occasions, I wasn’t even sure how he’d heard yet.
I was dying to stop and watch the scene unfold, but I had less than ten minutes to prepare for my first meeting with Miranda as her actually assistant, and I wasn’t going to blow it. Until then I’d trying to appear as if I’d been actually running, but upon witnessing the utter lack of dignity everyone else had demonstrated, I broke into a sprint” (118-119).
This quote is when Andrea is at the office working and Miranda, the editor in chief of the magazine is not back from vacation yet and everyone finds out that she is on her way to the office and she was not supposed to be back in the country till Saturday. Every one is freaking out because she is on her way in and no one is ready for her. I think it is slightly ridiculous that they would go through all this trouble for one woman. Yeah she is important, I mean after all she is editor in chief of one of the most known fashion magazines, this magazine just so happens to be Runway. I understand they want to make their boss happy but seriously, is it really necessary that they have to dress in all designer clothes and get their makeup ready for one person. I see that as a bit shallow. This lady is well known across the world but I still don’t see it as being that big of a deal. In my opinion Andrea does not either because she is not like most of the girls that work in the office but she has to do whatever it takes to please her new boss, after all this is her first appearance with Miranda and it is very hard to please the woman. I like how the author describes the scene with all the panic and rushing around, it is quite funny when you picture what is actually going on.
‘Hmm? I’m sorry, I didn’t hear what—‘
‘Miranda is on her way into the office this moment. We need to get ready.’
‘On her way into the office? But I thought she wasn’t even coming back to the country until Saturday…’
‘Well, clearly she changed her mind. Now, move! Go downstairs and get her papers and lay them out just the way I told you. When you’re done, wipe down her desk and lave a glass of Pellegrino on the left-hand side, with ice and a lime. And make sure that her bathroom is stocked, OK? Go! She’s already in the car, so she should be here in less than ten minutes, depending on traffic.’
As I raced out of the office, I could hear Emily rapid-fire dialing four-digit extensions and all but screaming, ‘She’s on her way—tell everyone.’ It took me only three seconds to wind through the hallways and pass through the fashion department, but I already heard panicked cries of ‘Emily said she’s on her way in’ and ‘Miranda’s coming!’ and a particularly blood-curdling cry of ‘She’s baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!’ Assistants were frantically straightening clothes on the racks that lined the halls, and editors were racing into their offices, where I could see one changing from her kitten-heeled shoes to four-inch stilettos while another lined her lips, curled her lashes, and adjusted her bra strap without so much as slowing down. As the publisher walked out of the men’s room, I glanced past him and saw James, looking frenzied, checking his black cashmere sweater for lint while spastically popping Altoids in his mouth. Unless the men’s room was wired with loudspeakers for these very occasions, I wasn’t even sure how he’d heard yet.
I was dying to stop and watch the scene unfold, but I had less than ten minutes to prepare for my first meeting with Miranda as her actually assistant, and I wasn’t going to blow it. Until then I’d trying to appear as if I’d been actually running, but upon witnessing the utter lack of dignity everyone else had demonstrated, I broke into a sprint” (118-119).
This quote is when Andrea is at the office working and Miranda, the editor in chief of the magazine is not back from vacation yet and everyone finds out that she is on her way to the office and she was not supposed to be back in the country till Saturday. Every one is freaking out because she is on her way in and no one is ready for her. I think it is slightly ridiculous that they would go through all this trouble for one woman. Yeah she is important, I mean after all she is editor in chief of one of the most known fashion magazines, this magazine just so happens to be Runway. I understand they want to make their boss happy but seriously, is it really necessary that they have to dress in all designer clothes and get their makeup ready for one person. I see that as a bit shallow. This lady is well known across the world but I still don’t see it as being that big of a deal. In my opinion Andrea does not either because she is not like most of the girls that work in the office but she has to do whatever it takes to please her new boss, after all this is her first appearance with Miranda and it is very hard to please the woman. I like how the author describes the scene with all the panic and rushing around, it is quite funny when you picture what is actually going on.
Bleachers(Post 4)
"Little had changed. Different coaches, different players, different cheerleaders, different kids in the band, but it was still the spartans at Rake Field with Rabbit on the mower and everybody nervous about Friday. If Neely came back in ten years and witnessed the scene, he knew that the place would look the same.
Another year, another team, another season"(74).
This book is pretty boring. There is not any action in it at all, but it still has a good story to it Everybody is still waiting for the coach to die so they can mourn and have a funeral for him. I think Neely will have so important role at the funeral. All the players are coming back and they are wearing their old jerseys and telling stories of coach Rake up in the stands. I was hoping the book was going to be about a football team playing or something like that.
I think this quote I chose is very true. For example, last year, we had a few really good players as seniors on our football team. Now, we can not worry about them anymore and we need to focus on finding a replacement for them. After this year in football, a lot of us seniors that are a huge part to the team are going to leave, but I know there will be replacements for us. The team may not be as good but they are still the same team playing the same number of football games.
Another year, another team, another season"(74).
This book is pretty boring. There is not any action in it at all, but it still has a good story to it Everybody is still waiting for the coach to die so they can mourn and have a funeral for him. I think Neely will have so important role at the funeral. All the players are coming back and they are wearing their old jerseys and telling stories of coach Rake up in the stands. I was hoping the book was going to be about a football team playing or something like that.
I think this quote I chose is very true. For example, last year, we had a few really good players as seniors on our football team. Now, we can not worry about them anymore and we need to focus on finding a replacement for them. After this year in football, a lot of us seniors that are a huge part to the team are going to leave, but I know there will be replacements for us. The team may not be as good but they are still the same team playing the same number of football games.
The Kite Runner (Response 4)
The worse laceration was on your upper lip,” Armand said. “The impact had cute your upper lip in two, clean down the middle. But not to worry, the plastics guys sewed it back together and they think you will have an excellent result, though there will be a scar. That is unavoidable” ( 297).
“But as I watched a pigeon peck at a bread crumb on the windowsill, I kept thinking of something else Armand/Dr. Faruqi had said, “The impact had cut your upper lip in two,” he had said, clean down the middle. Clean down the middle. Like a harelip” (297).
When I read this page, my mouth dropped open. In the beginning of the book, Hazara had been born with a harelip and had suffered for it. Now Amir has a scar just like him. He had acquired it by saving Hazara’s son from the same fate as his father. This is a huge example of irony and symbolism. It is ironic that he has a scar exactly like Hazara and symbolic because Amir is trying to save Hazara’s son from the same horrible fate that his he had to suffer.
I really just couldn’t believe that Amir will now have to have a scar, one exactly like Hazara’s. This scar will always be with him, and when he looks in the mirror, he will constantly be reminded of Hazara and the life he lived, and the sin Amir committed.
“But as I watched a pigeon peck at a bread crumb on the windowsill, I kept thinking of something else Armand/Dr. Faruqi had said, “The impact had cut your upper lip in two,” he had said, clean down the middle. Clean down the middle. Like a harelip” (297).
When I read this page, my mouth dropped open. In the beginning of the book, Hazara had been born with a harelip and had suffered for it. Now Amir has a scar just like him. He had acquired it by saving Hazara’s son from the same fate as his father. This is a huge example of irony and symbolism. It is ironic that he has a scar exactly like Hazara and symbolic because Amir is trying to save Hazara’s son from the same horrible fate that his he had to suffer.
I really just couldn’t believe that Amir will now have to have a scar, one exactly like Hazara’s. This scar will always be with him, and when he looks in the mirror, he will constantly be reminded of Hazara and the life he lived, and the sin Amir committed.
Friday night lights post 4
"I knew at that moment id given everything i had to give, total commitment. Not holding back anything. Like being truly clean and turly free as far as maximum effort. Its an emotional feeling, an emotional high that is basically unparalleled."
This quote summarizes everything that a football player feels before the big game. They want to know if everything they have worked for since little league will be worth it. If all their practice in the heat of summer and cold of winter will be worth it. If all the sprints and practices have made them better and if they will be prepared of what will come in this upcoming game. The coach gave them a good speach that every single coach gives before the game. They do it to get the players pumped up before the game and get them ready to go out into waht is going to be a 48 minute battle of nonstop hitting and ferocity.
Once the game started the two teams beat each other up for the whole first half. Permian was winninng 6-0 at the start of the third quarter. Dallas quarter was all around bigger faster and better than permian. But the MOJO tradition of their football school led them to beleive that they could beat anybody even these guys. At the end of the game they ended up losing but their season was looked at as a failure.
This quote summarizes everything that a football player feels before the big game. They want to know if everything they have worked for since little league will be worth it. If all their practice in the heat of summer and cold of winter will be worth it. If all the sprints and practices have made them better and if they will be prepared of what will come in this upcoming game. The coach gave them a good speach that every single coach gives before the game. They do it to get the players pumped up before the game and get them ready to go out into waht is going to be a 48 minute battle of nonstop hitting and ferocity.
Once the game started the two teams beat each other up for the whole first half. Permian was winninng 6-0 at the start of the third quarter. Dallas quarter was all around bigger faster and better than permian. But the MOJO tradition of their football school led them to beleive that they could beat anybody even these guys. At the end of the game they ended up losing but their season was looked at as a failure.
IRONWEED (Post #4)
Okay, so I’m getting to another confusing point in the book. For a while, before, Francis hadn’t really had problems with seeing ghosts. But now, he is being followed by a ghost named Aldo Campione and starts to think he is going a little bit crazy. In the recent chapter I read, it goes into detail about Francis and Helen’s relationship describing how amazing things used to be and how in love they were.
“Francis always bought me flowers,” she said. “He’d get money and first thing he’d do was buy me a dozen roses, or a white orchard even. He didn’t care what he did with the money as long as I got my flowers first. You did that for me, didn’t you, Fran?”(52)
I like this quote because it really shows how much even though times were getting bad because of Francis’ spending problem, he still put Helen first and tried to make her happy. During the time that Francis and Helen are at the bar talking to Oscar, they try to get her to sing. She used to be a singer on the radio and a piano player. She gets really nervous and says she can’t but then Francis buys her a rose from the flower girl and she gets up enough courage to sing to him. I am getting really into this book and I want to see if all of the feelings between Fran and Helen rekindle after she sings to him.
“Francis always bought me flowers,” she said. “He’d get money and first thing he’d do was buy me a dozen roses, or a white orchard even. He didn’t care what he did with the money as long as I got my flowers first. You did that for me, didn’t you, Fran?”(52)
I like this quote because it really shows how much even though times were getting bad because of Francis’ spending problem, he still put Helen first and tried to make her happy. During the time that Francis and Helen are at the bar talking to Oscar, they try to get her to sing. She used to be a singer on the radio and a piano player. She gets really nervous and says she can’t but then Francis buys her a rose from the flower girl and she gets up enough courage to sing to him. I am getting really into this book and I want to see if all of the feelings between Fran and Helen rekindle after she sings to him.
Catch Me If You Can (Post 3)
"I'd never been to Miami before. I was impressed and excited by the colorful tropical vegetation and the palms around the terminal, the warm sun and the bright, clean air. The lack of tall buildings, the seeming openness of the landscape, the gaudy and casual attire of the people milling around the airport terminal made me feel like I'd been set down in a strange and wonderful land. I was inside the terminal before I realized I didn't have the slightest idea where Pan Am house its people in Miami. Well, there was an easy way to find out." (56)
-This quote is of great importance to the story in that it portrays the mood of the entire book extremely well through this simple quote. It's amazing how a man of his criminal record and how everyone in the world is looking for him, how he can just casually walk through the airport without and regard to the people around him, the amount of trouble he could get in, or even where to escape if he were confronted. This part of the book just makes me frustrated at the fact that he can do this when if I was in the same situation I would be sweating, looking for exits, and worrying about who was looking at me to capture me and send me directly to jail.127 Throughout this whole book it makes Frank seem as though he is on a free vacation to wherever he wants and the world is paying for it. It's almost like he is sight seeing to the most beautiful places in the world when with just a single call or single second he could lose it all to just a small cell in the worlds most unpleasent jail.
-This quote is of great importance to the story in that it portrays the mood of the entire book extremely well through this simple quote. It's amazing how a man of his criminal record and how everyone in the world is looking for him, how he can just casually walk through the airport without and regard to the people around him, the amount of trouble he could get in, or even where to escape if he were confronted. This part of the book just makes me frustrated at the fact that he can do this when if I was in the same situation I would be sweating, looking for exits, and worrying about who was looking at me to capture me and send me directly to jail.127 Throughout this whole book it makes Frank seem as though he is on a free vacation to wherever he wants and the world is paying for it. It's almost like he is sight seeing to the most beautiful places in the world when with just a single call or single second he could lose it all to just a small cell in the worlds most unpleasent jail.
Jarhead- Post 4
“I know already that he’ll do everything he’s told exactly as he’s told and that if he lives through the war, shortly after we return to the states he’ll ask to leave the platoon for a line company and I’ll never see him again. He is a marine but he’s not a STA marine.
These are the new guys, the men we must bring up to sniper speed in weeks or maybe even days because we have no idea when the war will begin, only that it will begin” (134).
This is the last post on this dang thing. At this point in the book, Swofford and his STA platoon just received new members. Swofford kind of just talks about each new member and believes that he doesn’t have what it takes to be a STA marine. I guess that would be true if these guys weren’t able to scout and snipe. These new guys might not be big enough badasses to do what it takes to be a STA marine. If they aren’t ready then Swofford is right. They must get these guys ready quick, because the war could start tomorrow in terms of the story. I think that would be the toughest part about being a marine. Having to be in some foreign country, knowing you are going to fight, but you don’t know when. I don’t see how anyone can keep their heads straight going through that. I would be so nervous, especially having to stay in the same place, not being able to go anywhere except your own barracks. This book has shown almost everything bad that can happen in the marines, except for the actual fighting. I guess it’s like fighting two separate wars when you are in the marines. Having to survive training and then actually surviving the war, I don’t see how so many people can do it.
These are the new guys, the men we must bring up to sniper speed in weeks or maybe even days because we have no idea when the war will begin, only that it will begin” (134).
This is the last post on this dang thing. At this point in the book, Swofford and his STA platoon just received new members. Swofford kind of just talks about each new member and believes that he doesn’t have what it takes to be a STA marine. I guess that would be true if these guys weren’t able to scout and snipe. These new guys might not be big enough badasses to do what it takes to be a STA marine. If they aren’t ready then Swofford is right. They must get these guys ready quick, because the war could start tomorrow in terms of the story. I think that would be the toughest part about being a marine. Having to be in some foreign country, knowing you are going to fight, but you don’t know when. I don’t see how anyone can keep their heads straight going through that. I would be so nervous, especially having to stay in the same place, not being able to go anywhere except your own barracks. This book has shown almost everything bad that can happen in the marines, except for the actual fighting. I guess it’s like fighting two separate wars when you are in the marines. Having to survive training and then actually surviving the war, I don’t see how so many people can do it.
Octavian Nothing (post 4)
“Lord Cheldthorpe strolled around before us so that he could view our faces and judge the visage of punishment. My mother was vomiting; the issue was thin and yellow. She struggled for breath. They ceased. When, trembling, she regained her composure, and her breath came regularly again, Lord Cheldthorpe nodded, and they whipped her one last stroke.”
I knew that was going to happen. I felt that Lord Cheldthorpe was bad from the beginning, something about him and the way he acted. That and the attachment he had towards Octavian’s mother also seemed suspicious. This quote here is showing the result of Octavian’s mother not wanting to go to lord Cheldthorpe’s home town with him. He asked her to go along with him and to leave the college but she did not want to and so they got into a fight and Cheldthorpe got really mad and had her and Octavian put into shackles and beaten. The book is slowly making progress and it gets more interesting with every page. In the start it was a hard book to get into because it seemed to just ramble on about random things but now its picking up and it’s got a lot more interesting. This book is a weird book, it’s a sad book but its also very insightful.
I knew that was going to happen. I felt that Lord Cheldthorpe was bad from the beginning, something about him and the way he acted. That and the attachment he had towards Octavian’s mother also seemed suspicious. This quote here is showing the result of Octavian’s mother not wanting to go to lord Cheldthorpe’s home town with him. He asked her to go along with him and to leave the college but she did not want to and so they got into a fight and Cheldthorpe got really mad and had her and Octavian put into shackles and beaten. The book is slowly making progress and it gets more interesting with every page. In the start it was a hard book to get into because it seemed to just ramble on about random things but now its picking up and it’s got a lot more interesting. This book is a weird book, it’s a sad book but its also very insightful.
S.W.A.T. (Post #4)
“‘Police!” he shouted. “Out of the car!”…
“Sergeant,” Jim Street called from one of the passenger doors, “you better have a look in here.”
Hondo dipped his head and peered into the acre of the car. Peering back at him were eight high school seniors decked out in the splendor of pastel gowns and rented tuxes, freckled faces, hair gel, and too much make up” (252-253).
As the story goes on, it starts to get faster and faster. The S.W.A.T. team is chasing the bad guys and hot on their tail. As everything starts to get faster and more intense, I find this quote in the middle of it. Turns out the S.W.A.T. team has to commandeer a limousine from a bunch of kids going go prom to continue the chance. Out of all the action and excitement, I couldn’t help but grin as I read this. I like how the quote adds humor into a stressful situation.
This quote also makes me think about what really goes on in a police chase. In the book, a big time crime boss has been caught by the police. As they try to transport the prisoner to a more secure facility, he is taken by other criminals who are trying to set him free. While the S.W.A.T. team tries to catch their escaped convict, no body else knows what’s going on. The teens in the limo have no idea that one of the most dangerous criminals of the day just escaped and the S.W.A.T. team is trying to catch him. They’re probably just thinking about how there night is ruined now because the stupid cops stole their ride.
“Sergeant,” Jim Street called from one of the passenger doors, “you better have a look in here.”
Hondo dipped his head and peered into the acre of the car. Peering back at him were eight high school seniors decked out in the splendor of pastel gowns and rented tuxes, freckled faces, hair gel, and too much make up” (252-253).
As the story goes on, it starts to get faster and faster. The S.W.A.T. team is chasing the bad guys and hot on their tail. As everything starts to get faster and more intense, I find this quote in the middle of it. Turns out the S.W.A.T. team has to commandeer a limousine from a bunch of kids going go prom to continue the chance. Out of all the action and excitement, I couldn’t help but grin as I read this. I like how the quote adds humor into a stressful situation.
This quote also makes me think about what really goes on in a police chase. In the book, a big time crime boss has been caught by the police. As they try to transport the prisoner to a more secure facility, he is taken by other criminals who are trying to set him free. While the S.W.A.T. team tries to catch their escaped convict, no body else knows what’s going on. The teens in the limo have no idea that one of the most dangerous criminals of the day just escaped and the S.W.A.T. team is trying to catch him. They’re probably just thinking about how there night is ruined now because the stupid cops stole their ride.
From the Corner of His Eye (3)
This book is killing me... the suspense is crazy but soo good!
"He realized that like so many women, Seraphim wanted it, asked for it - yet had no place in her self-image to accomodate the truth that she was sexually aggressive. She wanted to think of herself as shy, demure, virginal, as innocent as a minister's daughter ought to be- which meant that to get what she wanted, she required Junior to be a brute. He was happy to oblige."
Well, he finally revealed who raped seraphim. Junior, who happened to be the man who killed his wife, raped Sera. I dont know exactly what this guy has been taught, but he's messed up in the head. I wonder if people actually think this way when it comes to sexual abuse... That poor girl went through hell and it makes me so mad, even if it is fiction, at the fact that he views it as something she wanted and begged for. GRRRRR... that just really hits the spot. If he finds out she had a baby, i know he will go looking for it. Who knows what he would do. He also found out that when the morticians did the autopsy on his wife she was pregnant and hadn't told him yet... He felt a little remorse for what he did, which I still dont know why he did it, but he got over it and now he's dreaming of sleeping with the nurse.
Agnes and her baby, Bartholomew finally went home. She decided that she had to move on for her baby's sake and for herself. She cooked a nice meal and invited her brothers and her english student, Maria. After dinner they brought out cards and Maria revealed that she practices her tarot on playing cards. They decided to have her read Barty's future. At first it was very good, filled with love, riches, and happiness and then it revealed that he will have a monstorous enemy that will be very violent, like the devil himself. This foreshadows whats going to happen to Barty when he and Junior finally meet face to face. I cant wait to see what happens and how violent it really will turn out...
"He realized that like so many women, Seraphim wanted it, asked for it - yet had no place in her self-image to accomodate the truth that she was sexually aggressive. She wanted to think of herself as shy, demure, virginal, as innocent as a minister's daughter ought to be- which meant that to get what she wanted, she required Junior to be a brute. He was happy to oblige."
Well, he finally revealed who raped seraphim. Junior, who happened to be the man who killed his wife, raped Sera. I dont know exactly what this guy has been taught, but he's messed up in the head. I wonder if people actually think this way when it comes to sexual abuse... That poor girl went through hell and it makes me so mad, even if it is fiction, at the fact that he views it as something she wanted and begged for. GRRRRR... that just really hits the spot. If he finds out she had a baby, i know he will go looking for it. Who knows what he would do. He also found out that when the morticians did the autopsy on his wife she was pregnant and hadn't told him yet... He felt a little remorse for what he did, which I still dont know why he did it, but he got over it and now he's dreaming of sleeping with the nurse.
Agnes and her baby, Bartholomew finally went home. She decided that she had to move on for her baby's sake and for herself. She cooked a nice meal and invited her brothers and her english student, Maria. After dinner they brought out cards and Maria revealed that she practices her tarot on playing cards. They decided to have her read Barty's future. At first it was very good, filled with love, riches, and happiness and then it revealed that he will have a monstorous enemy that will be very violent, like the devil himself. This foreshadows whats going to happen to Barty when he and Junior finally meet face to face. I cant wait to see what happens and how violent it really will turn out...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
21: Bringing Down the House (Post 3)
It was f**king beautiful. On the last round of the shoe, Kevin hit the limit with each of his eight hands, putting two thousand dollars in purple chips in each betting circle. He drew seven twenties and an eighteen against the dealer's seven. The dealer flipped his hole card, revealing a ten-- and Kevin won all eight of his hands. The dealer started to pay him off, then realized his rack was empty. He didn't have enough to cover Kevin's win. The poor man shrugged sheepishly and called out to the pit boss: "We need a fill over here!" P113
At this point in the book the blackjack team has been making unbelievable amounts of money. Fisher, Martinez, Micky, and Kevin all decided that it was time to add on to the team, to allow more profit. They carefully select three people that they think have the smarts and the look that will not get them busted. They pick Tay, one of Kevins friends, and Dylan and Jill, a couple from MIT. All the new players were a success and the team is making more money then ever.
One night at the Mirage, Kevin sees another couple M.I.T. students and figures that Micky has another secret team. Fisher decides that he thinks that it is time to break away from Micky and the other investors. He wanted to do this because then him, Martinez and Kevin could invest the money and make more.
This book is really great. I wish I could play on a blackjack team. I'm really surprised they can not find a way to making card-counting illegal. It isn't illegal because you don't change or alter the game. All the casino can do is ask you to leave. I wish I could card count and get in on some of this money.
At this point in the book the blackjack team has been making unbelievable amounts of money. Fisher, Martinez, Micky, and Kevin all decided that it was time to add on to the team, to allow more profit. They carefully select three people that they think have the smarts and the look that will not get them busted. They pick Tay, one of Kevins friends, and Dylan and Jill, a couple from MIT. All the new players were a success and the team is making more money then ever.
One night at the Mirage, Kevin sees another couple M.I.T. students and figures that Micky has another secret team. Fisher decides that he thinks that it is time to break away from Micky and the other investors. He wanted to do this because then him, Martinez and Kevin could invest the money and make more.
This book is really great. I wish I could play on a blackjack team. I'm really surprised they can not find a way to making card-counting illegal. It isn't illegal because you don't change or alter the game. All the casino can do is ask you to leave. I wish I could card count and get in on some of this money.
Wise Guy ( Post 3 )
"
On July 12, 1978, Henry Hill was granted an early parole for being a model prisoner. According to the report of the Bureau of Prisons, he had been the ideal inmate. He had availed himself of the prison’s self-improvement and educational programs. He had maintained a clear-conduct record throughout his entire incarceration.”
Hill was a smart man he knew everything he needed to know about prisons back during the time he spent. Each class you took or program offered would take time off, and for Henry that was nothing short of what had to be done. Many of the other inmates would just whittle away the days till they would be released, but Henry wasn’t that type of guy he was smart. Another thing he pulled off was having Karen (his wife) smuggle things in that Henry could sell to other inmates: From booze to food, and marijuana to razor blades.
Selling these things wasn’t in any way for him though; it was his only option to help support his family. In my opinion Henry wasn’t quite as bad as the other guys in the mafia. Yea he had his share of injustice, but compared to the others he seemed to be quite an uprising person.
“Of course the prison officials had no way of knowing how expertly Henry had manipulated and misued their system. Nor did they know that his new job was essentially a no-show affair that had been arranged for him by Paul Vario.”
Catch-22 (post two)
"So what?" Doc Daneeka snarled resentfully. "I had it made, I tell you. Fifty grand a year I was knocking down... I gotta laugh when I hear someone like Hungry Joe screaming his brains out every night. I really gotta laugh. He's sick? How does he think I feel?"
Doc Daneeka is just one of many funny characters in this book. He is one of Yossarian's close friends because of how often Yossarian see's him for an excuse to stop fighting. Doc Daneeka was a struggling doctor back in the states until all of his competion was drafted into the war, then he was able to pick up all their lost business. Just as things were going right for him, he got drafted. Now all he does in the Army is assign all of his patients to his assistants and sits around and complains about his problems all day. In this quote he is refusing to help Hungry Joe who screams in his sleep because of nightmares. Doc doesn't want to hear about anyone else's problems he just wants people to listen to his. Every time these men complete their duties and expect to go home their officers extend their duties. This is causing many of them men to lose it and become detached from reality because all they know anymore is a world of war.
“’And you?’ said Boq, turning to Elphaba. ‘Who are you?’
‘I’m leaving,’ she said. ‘Fresh dreams, all.’
‘No, don’t leave,’ said Boq. ‘I think I know you.’
‘You don’t know me,’ said Elphaba, pausing as she turned. ‘However could you know me?’
‘You’re Miss Elphie, aren’t you?’
‘Miss Elphie!’ cried Galinda gaily. ‘How delightful!’
‘How do you know who I am?’ said Elphaba. ‘Master Boq from Munchkinland? I don’t know you.’
‘You and I played together when you were tiny,’ said Boq. ‘My father was the mayor of the village you were born in. I think. You were born in Rush Margins, in Wend Hardings, weren’t you? You’re the daughter of the unionist minister, I forget his name.’
‘Frex,’ said Elphaba. Her eyes looked slanted and wary.
‘Frexspar the Godly!’ said Boq. ‘That’s right. You know they still talk about him, and your mama, and the night the Clock of the Time Dragon came to Rush Margins. I was tow or three years old and they took me to see it, but I don’t remember that. I do remember that you were in a play set with me when I was still in short pants. Do you remember Gawnette? She was the woman who minded us. And Bfee? He is my dad. Do you remember Rush Margins?’
‘This is all smoke and guesswork,’ said Elphaba. ‘How can I contradict? Let me tell you about what happened in your life before you can remember it. You were born a frog.’ (This was unkind, as Boq did have an amphibious look about him.) ‘You got sacrificed to the Clock of the Time Dragon and were turned into a boy. But on your marriage night when your wife opens her legs you’ll turn back into a tadpole and---‘
‘Miss Elphaba!’ cried Galinda, flicking open her fan to wave the flush of shame from her face. ‘Your tongue!’
‘Oh well, I have no childhood,’ said Elphaba. ‘So you can say what you like. I grew up in Quadling country with the marsh people. I squelch when I walk. You don’t want to talk to me. Talk to Miss Galinda, she’s much better in parlors than I am. I have to go now.’ Elphaba nodded a good night salute and escaped, almost at a run.” (86)
At this point in the story Elphaba and Galinda were at a poetry reading and Galinda had become embarrassed by Elphaba sitting next to her and talking to her. And afterwards this guy named Boq came over and started talking to them. He recognized Elphaba from when she was a kid and for some reason it offended her. I honestly have no idea as to why she would be offended but she was very rude to him because of it. I picked this quote because it kind of shows that Elphaba is a bit unrefined and seems to be ashamed of where she came from. I think that a lot of people can relate to being embarrassed by their parents at some point in their life but not to this extent. I understand that she didn’t have the best relationship with her parents but to be ashamed of where she came from would just make their relationship a lot worse. It’s probably another main contributor as to why she ends up as the ‘Wicked Witch of the West.” I can’t wait to see if she runs in to Boq again later in the book just because of what she might do to him.
‘I’m leaving,’ she said. ‘Fresh dreams, all.’
‘No, don’t leave,’ said Boq. ‘I think I know you.’
‘You don’t know me,’ said Elphaba, pausing as she turned. ‘However could you know me?’
‘You’re Miss Elphie, aren’t you?’
‘Miss Elphie!’ cried Galinda gaily. ‘How delightful!’
‘How do you know who I am?’ said Elphaba. ‘Master Boq from Munchkinland? I don’t know you.’
‘You and I played together when you were tiny,’ said Boq. ‘My father was the mayor of the village you were born in. I think. You were born in Rush Margins, in Wend Hardings, weren’t you? You’re the daughter of the unionist minister, I forget his name.’
‘Frex,’ said Elphaba. Her eyes looked slanted and wary.
‘Frexspar the Godly!’ said Boq. ‘That’s right. You know they still talk about him, and your mama, and the night the Clock of the Time Dragon came to Rush Margins. I was tow or three years old and they took me to see it, but I don’t remember that. I do remember that you were in a play set with me when I was still in short pants. Do you remember Gawnette? She was the woman who minded us. And Bfee? He is my dad. Do you remember Rush Margins?’
‘This is all smoke and guesswork,’ said Elphaba. ‘How can I contradict? Let me tell you about what happened in your life before you can remember it. You were born a frog.’ (This was unkind, as Boq did have an amphibious look about him.) ‘You got sacrificed to the Clock of the Time Dragon and were turned into a boy. But on your marriage night when your wife opens her legs you’ll turn back into a tadpole and---‘
‘Miss Elphaba!’ cried Galinda, flicking open her fan to wave the flush of shame from her face. ‘Your tongue!’
‘Oh well, I have no childhood,’ said Elphaba. ‘So you can say what you like. I grew up in Quadling country with the marsh people. I squelch when I walk. You don’t want to talk to me. Talk to Miss Galinda, she’s much better in parlors than I am. I have to go now.’ Elphaba nodded a good night salute and escaped, almost at a run.” (86)
At this point in the story Elphaba and Galinda were at a poetry reading and Galinda had become embarrassed by Elphaba sitting next to her and talking to her. And afterwards this guy named Boq came over and started talking to them. He recognized Elphaba from when she was a kid and for some reason it offended her. I honestly have no idea as to why she would be offended but she was very rude to him because of it. I picked this quote because it kind of shows that Elphaba is a bit unrefined and seems to be ashamed of where she came from. I think that a lot of people can relate to being embarrassed by their parents at some point in their life but not to this extent. I understand that she didn’t have the best relationship with her parents but to be ashamed of where she came from would just make their relationship a lot worse. It’s probably another main contributor as to why she ends up as the ‘Wicked Witch of the West.” I can’t wait to see if she runs in to Boq again later in the book just because of what she might do to him.
Uglies (post #3)
"She waited on the hill, exhausted but unable to sleep, wondering if she could really do what Dr. Cable wanted. The pendant around her neck had also survived the ordeal. Tally doubted a little water would have ruined the device, but she wouldn't know until she reached the Smoke and activated it.
She hoped for a moment that the pendant wouldn't work. Maybe one of the bumps along the way had broken its little eye-reader and it would never send its message back to Dr. Cable. But that was hardly worth hoping for. Without the pendant, Tally was stuck out here in the wild forever. Ugly for life.
Her only way home was to betray her friend."(186).
I think this kind of foreshadows what Tally will find when she arrives at “the Smoke”. When she first learns of the place where people run to when they don’t want to be made pretty, she thinks it’ll be a horrible, filthy, uncivilized place filled with hideous people, but now her determination to believe that is waning, probably because of how close she has come to actually getting there. I think when she finally gets to the Smoke she’ll find that the people there are a lot more aware of themselves than the people from the city where she has grown up. People from the city are portrayed as lazy, semi-educated people who take their advanced technology for granted and only care about their looks and how to have a good time. This excerpt makes me think that Tally will, at first, think that people in the Smoke are too vulgar and rude maybe, but later she’ll get used to everyone being “ugly” (which just means normal by our standards) and the technology not being as advanced as she’s used to, and she’ll realize that she likes these people a lot more than she thought she would. Because the machinery of the past (our present) is a bit less hidden away and magical than that at her city, and just more crude and obvious, I think Tally will really appreciate it more because she can actually understand how it works. It’s just my guess that when she grows fond of everyone at the Smoke she will have a huge internal battle between the side of her that wants to become pretty and the side of her that doesn’t want to give up her friends. Right now, I can’t really make even an educated guess about which side of her will win, but if I had to guess it would be that she stays in the Smoke just because then she would be a “good guy” and there would be a happy ending.
She hoped for a moment that the pendant wouldn't work. Maybe one of the bumps along the way had broken its little eye-reader and it would never send its message back to Dr. Cable. But that was hardly worth hoping for. Without the pendant, Tally was stuck out here in the wild forever. Ugly for life.
Her only way home was to betray her friend."(186).
I think this kind of foreshadows what Tally will find when she arrives at “the Smoke”. When she first learns of the place where people run to when they don’t want to be made pretty, she thinks it’ll be a horrible, filthy, uncivilized place filled with hideous people, but now her determination to believe that is waning, probably because of how close she has come to actually getting there. I think when she finally gets to the Smoke she’ll find that the people there are a lot more aware of themselves than the people from the city where she has grown up. People from the city are portrayed as lazy, semi-educated people who take their advanced technology for granted and only care about their looks and how to have a good time. This excerpt makes me think that Tally will, at first, think that people in the Smoke are too vulgar and rude maybe, but later she’ll get used to everyone being “ugly” (which just means normal by our standards) and the technology not being as advanced as she’s used to, and she’ll realize that she likes these people a lot more than she thought she would. Because the machinery of the past (our present) is a bit less hidden away and magical than that at her city, and just more crude and obvious, I think Tally will really appreciate it more because she can actually understand how it works. It’s just my guess that when she grows fond of everyone at the Smoke she will have a huge internal battle between the side of her that wants to become pretty and the side of her that doesn’t want to give up her friends. Right now, I can’t really make even an educated guess about which side of her will win, but if I had to guess it would be that she stays in the Smoke just because then she would be a “good guy” and there would be a happy ending.
The Devil Wears Prada (post 3)
“I smiled and nodded my head. Contrary to all common sense, I found myself looking forward to the next forty-eight hours with my family more than I had in the four years since I’d left home. Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday, and this year I was set to enjoy it more than ever” (86).
I would have to agree with her when she say’s Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday because it is mine too. I like thanksgiving because I get to see my cousins and aunt and uncle only once a year and this is it. My cousins and I are really close so we get along really well so we love spending time with each other. We go to my grandparent’s house where my grandpa built this house just so all of us grandkids could fit because my aunt and uncle have ten kids. We have traditions like Andrea and her family does. We always go down there the Wednesday before and come back Sunday. My grandma makes the best food ever and after the meal we all go around the table and say what we are thankful for. I think it’s funny that she is looking forward to the time with her family although she normally doesn’t like spending time with them. I am the same way because when Thanksgiving rolls around I like to spend time with my family, well not exactly my immediate family. I do love them, they are just crazy and annoying and it’s normally like that for most families so I believe that is why she said “contrary to all common sense, I found myself looking forward to the next forty-eight hours with my family….”
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Post #4)
“The big, hard body had a tough grip on life. It fought a long time against having it taken away, flailing and thrashing around so much I finally had to lie full length on top of it and scissor the kicking legs with mine while I mashed the pillow into the face. I lay there on top of the body for what seemed days. Until the thrashing stopped. Until it was still a while and had shuddered once and was still again. Then I rolled off. I lifted the pillow, and in the moonlight I saw the expression hadn’t changed from the blank, dead-end look the least bit, even under suffocation. I took my thumbs and pushed the lids down and held them till they stayed. Then I lay back on my bed.”
I could never imagine what it would be like to have to assist a friend in death. However, I do agree with Chief Bromden’s decision to suffocate McMurphy. Ever since the surgery all McMurphy did was sit and stare at a wall with no signs of human life, and that is never how a person should exist. Especially with a person like McMurphy who lived life to the fullest. Chief Bromden didn’t think of it as killing a friend because of this reason. He felt that McMurphjy had really died after his lobotomy. I believe this is also true in some aspects. Although McMurphy could breathe and shows signs of human life he wasn’t really alive. I guess this is similar to the decision of having to pull the plug. If there was a chance that he might come back to his old self he probably wouldn’t have suffocated him. However, since McMurphy had a lobotomy he would never come back to his old self and would be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life. In this case I could see how a friend would want to pull the plug. I enjoyed this ending to the book, although it was not what I had expected it was still very good.
I could never imagine what it would be like to have to assist a friend in death. However, I do agree with Chief Bromden’s decision to suffocate McMurphy. Ever since the surgery all McMurphy did was sit and stare at a wall with no signs of human life, and that is never how a person should exist. Especially with a person like McMurphy who lived life to the fullest. Chief Bromden didn’t think of it as killing a friend because of this reason. He felt that McMurphjy had really died after his lobotomy. I believe this is also true in some aspects. Although McMurphy could breathe and shows signs of human life he wasn’t really alive. I guess this is similar to the decision of having to pull the plug. If there was a chance that he might come back to his old self he probably wouldn’t have suffocated him. However, since McMurphy had a lobotomy he would never come back to his old self and would be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life. In this case I could see how a friend would want to pull the plug. I enjoyed this ending to the book, although it was not what I had expected it was still very good.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Post #3)
“’No. You’ve got more to lose than I do, my friend.’
Harding’s grinning again, looking with that skitterish sideways look of a jumpy mare, a dipping, rearing motion of the head. Everybody moves down a place. Martini comes away from the X-ray screen, buttoning his shirt and muttering, ‘I wouldn’t of believed it if I hadn’t saw it,’ and Billy Bibbit goes to the black glass to take Martini’s place.
‘You have more to lose than I do,’ Harding says again. ‘I’m voluntary. I’m not committed.’”
I couldn’t believe this when I read it. Maybe I just couldn’t understand why anybody would want to hide from other people. If I had been treated like the characters in this book then I would have checked myself out the second the nurse started mistreating me. Even if I didn’t possess the courage to live out in society, then I would check myself into a different ward somewhere else. However, this part did seem to wake up McMurphy from his quietness. McMurphy also can’t see why any man would voluntarily check himself into a place like this, so he decides to start sticking up for the other guys again. I think by doing this McMurphy is trying to give the other guys some courage, and enough to make them realize that they can go out of the ward. He also is trying to make them see that they would be ok by themselves. I am glad that McMurphy is back and ready to make the Nurses life hard again because the book was a little slow without these events. I also hope that this time around McMurphy will succeed in giving the guys some backbone, instead of giving up because he is committed and not voluntary.
Harding’s grinning again, looking with that skitterish sideways look of a jumpy mare, a dipping, rearing motion of the head. Everybody moves down a place. Martini comes away from the X-ray screen, buttoning his shirt and muttering, ‘I wouldn’t of believed it if I hadn’t saw it,’ and Billy Bibbit goes to the black glass to take Martini’s place.
‘You have more to lose than I do,’ Harding says again. ‘I’m voluntary. I’m not committed.’”
I couldn’t believe this when I read it. Maybe I just couldn’t understand why anybody would want to hide from other people. If I had been treated like the characters in this book then I would have checked myself out the second the nurse started mistreating me. Even if I didn’t possess the courage to live out in society, then I would check myself into a different ward somewhere else. However, this part did seem to wake up McMurphy from his quietness. McMurphy also can’t see why any man would voluntarily check himself into a place like this, so he decides to start sticking up for the other guys again. I think by doing this McMurphy is trying to give the other guys some courage, and enough to make them realize that they can go out of the ward. He also is trying to make them see that they would be ok by themselves. I am glad that McMurphy is back and ready to make the Nurses life hard again because the book was a little slow without these events. I also hope that this time around McMurphy will succeed in giving the guys some backbone, instead of giving up because he is committed and not voluntary.
Angels & Demons (post 3)
"the antimatter canister was locked out of reach. It counted relentlessly downward as the chopper shot upward. Fifty seconds. Higher. Higher. Langdon spun wildly in the cabin. trying to make sense of what he had just seen. Forty-five seconds. He dug under seats searching for another parachute. Forty seconds. There was none! There had to be an option! Thirty-five seconds. He raced to the open doorway of the chopper and stood in the raging wind, gazing down at the lights of Rome below. Thirty-two seconds.
And then he made the choice.
The unbelievable choice..." (pg 505).
How the hell do you make decision to jump out of a chopper when it's hundreds of feet in the air? I could not, would not, and should not ever do anything that could get me in that position. It probably didn't help that the canister was so close to the end of time mark. It's always hard to make decisions or even think when you have a count down to anything let alone complete annihilation. Who would have ever been able to make that decision without a whole lot of guts and fight or flight instinct. Brown really throws curve balls at you when you read this book, he just suddenly changes the path that the characters are on or reveals something that you didn't see coming your way. Life is often like that with side swipes and sudden changes that no one ever expects.
The book holds a whole rivalry between the Illuminati who wanted the down fall of the catholic church and the catholic church. The fact that the antimatter can be smuggled into the vatican and palace so that it can annihilate the whole of vatican city in one fell swoop is a little unsettling or frighting which ever stand you take if fine.
And then he made the choice.
The unbelievable choice..." (pg 505).
How the hell do you make decision to jump out of a chopper when it's hundreds of feet in the air? I could not, would not, and should not ever do anything that could get me in that position. It probably didn't help that the canister was so close to the end of time mark. It's always hard to make decisions or even think when you have a count down to anything let alone complete annihilation. Who would have ever been able to make that decision without a whole lot of guts and fight or flight instinct. Brown really throws curve balls at you when you read this book, he just suddenly changes the path that the characters are on or reveals something that you didn't see coming your way. Life is often like that with side swipes and sudden changes that no one ever expects.
The book holds a whole rivalry between the Illuminati who wanted the down fall of the catholic church and the catholic church. The fact that the antimatter can be smuggled into the vatican and palace so that it can annihilate the whole of vatican city in one fell swoop is a little unsettling or frighting which ever stand you take if fine.
Bleachers (Post 3)
"The secretary smiled efficiently and slid a clipboard across the counter. Neely printed his name, the time, and the date, and put down that he was visiting Bing Albritton, the longtime girls' basketball coach. The secretary examined the form, did not recognize his face or name, and finally said, "He's probably in the gym." The other lady in the administration office glanced up, and she too failed to recognize Neely Creenshaw.
And that was fine with him"(70).
The book is still kind of slow. It is still telling the past of Neely and his football coach, Rake. I just learned why Rake was fired two years before he got cancer. His football team wasn't very good, so he made them run two miles, and then ran bleachers. One kid was running and he collapsed on the bleachers and died in coach Rake's arms. The coach blamed himself ever since.
I chose this quote because it surprised me. Neely Creenshaw was the best player to ever play in that town and everybody new him. He had been away from the town for ten years so I guess the ladys are new to the town. Neely didn't want to go back to the town because he hates all the attention and everybody asking about his injury. So he was happy when the two women didn't recognize him.
And that was fine with him"(70).
The book is still kind of slow. It is still telling the past of Neely and his football coach, Rake. I just learned why Rake was fired two years before he got cancer. His football team wasn't very good, so he made them run two miles, and then ran bleachers. One kid was running and he collapsed on the bleachers and died in coach Rake's arms. The coach blamed himself ever since.
I chose this quote because it surprised me. Neely Creenshaw was the best player to ever play in that town and everybody new him. He had been away from the town for ten years so I guess the ladys are new to the town. Neely didn't want to go back to the town because he hates all the attention and everybody asking about his injury. So he was happy when the two women didn't recognize him.
The Devil in the Junior League (Post 3)
“For the next few days, I held it together remarkably well for a newly ruined woman. Granted, people avoided me like the plague. The phone was silent. No one came to call. I wasn’t crazy about being a pariah—albeit a stunningly beautiful pariah—at least I don’t have to see anyone” (252).
Around this point in the book she has presented an art show that was premiering a fantastic artist named, Sawyer Jackson. When all the paintings were revealed, one was of her, Fredericka, half naked in an oversized t-shirt of Sawyer’s. True that is mostly art- but in the high society that is clearly near non-classiness, and unacceptable. I like this quote because the main character is always about herself. Her ego is huge. This also shows that she is stepping down from her pedestal and actually experiencing real life. I also feel, somewhat from experience, that when you like to talk about yourself- like how pretty you are or like to say things like, but I’m so and so- that you tend to have an optimistic look on everything else. Just like in this quote how she turned a sort of bad situation into something that is much more manageable. This is one of those real life quotes. When you read this quote you can just imagine one of those times where you really embarrassed yourself and no one wanted to associate themselves with you for a certain amount of time- but then you though oh well I have better things to do and no one to bother me, so everything works out in your favor anyways.
Around this point in the book she has presented an art show that was premiering a fantastic artist named, Sawyer Jackson. When all the paintings were revealed, one was of her, Fredericka, half naked in an oversized t-shirt of Sawyer’s. True that is mostly art- but in the high society that is clearly near non-classiness, and unacceptable. I like this quote because the main character is always about herself. Her ego is huge. This also shows that she is stepping down from her pedestal and actually experiencing real life. I also feel, somewhat from experience, that when you like to talk about yourself- like how pretty you are or like to say things like, but I’m so and so- that you tend to have an optimistic look on everything else. Just like in this quote how she turned a sort of bad situation into something that is much more manageable. This is one of those real life quotes. When you read this quote you can just imagine one of those times where you really embarrassed yourself and no one wanted to associate themselves with you for a certain amount of time- but then you though oh well I have better things to do and no one to bother me, so everything works out in your favor anyways.
TGH2G (4th Post)
“Ford shouted out, ‘Hey, listen! I think we’ve got enough problems of our own having you shooting at us, so if you could avoid laying your problems on us as well, I think we’d all find it easier to cope!’
Another pause, and then the bullhorn again.
‘Now see here, guy,’ said the voice, ’you’re not dealing with any dumb two-bit trigger-pumping morons with low hairlines, little piggy eyes and no conversation, we’re a couple of intelligent caring guys that you’d probably quite like if you meat us socially! I don’t go around gratuitously shooting like some cops I could mention! I go around shooting people gratuitously and then I agonize about it afterward for hours to my girlfriend!’” (136-137)
Like I have said before, problems are much easier dealt with if you have somebody else to help you cope. One of the reason’s I do not want to join the armed services is because I have a religious objection to it. I never want to kill a person for any reason, with or without permeation. Ok fine, I might have killed Hitler had I bin given the opportunity, but these exceptions are few and far between. The thing is, death causes grief, and I want as little of that as possible. These police officers just happen to be doing there job, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know there wrong. They hate what they do and complain to anyone who will listen about the sins they have committed. And with that, the grief felt by few moves along to a wider range.
So not looking at this from a morally wrong stand point, this is actually funny. Douglas Adams once again shows his ability to turn a situation into a funny farce. With characters in a dire situation, he brings some potently realistic situations into account that turn the events for the funny side. Since this is my last post, I will leave you with this, 42, and thanks for all the fish.
Another pause, and then the bullhorn again.
‘Now see here, guy,’ said the voice, ’you’re not dealing with any dumb two-bit trigger-pumping morons with low hairlines, little piggy eyes and no conversation, we’re a couple of intelligent caring guys that you’d probably quite like if you meat us socially! I don’t go around gratuitously shooting like some cops I could mention! I go around shooting people gratuitously and then I agonize about it afterward for hours to my girlfriend!’” (136-137)
Like I have said before, problems are much easier dealt with if you have somebody else to help you cope. One of the reason’s I do not want to join the armed services is because I have a religious objection to it. I never want to kill a person for any reason, with or without permeation. Ok fine, I might have killed Hitler had I bin given the opportunity, but these exceptions are few and far between. The thing is, death causes grief, and I want as little of that as possible. These police officers just happen to be doing there job, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know there wrong. They hate what they do and complain to anyone who will listen about the sins they have committed. And with that, the grief felt by few moves along to a wider range.
So not looking at this from a morally wrong stand point, this is actually funny. Douglas Adams once again shows his ability to turn a situation into a funny farce. With characters in a dire situation, he brings some potently realistic situations into account that turn the events for the funny side. Since this is my last post, I will leave you with this, 42, and thanks for all the fish.
Friday Night Lights (Response 3)
"Gaines's nickel took off from the ceiling at a forty-five-degree angle and ended up toward the back of the room under a camera tripod". (P.258)
This quote is talking about how the three coaches had to do a coin flip to decide which two teams got to go to the playoffs. The teams were the Permian Panthers, the Cooper Cougars, and the Midland High Bulldogs. These three teams were participating in this coin flip because all three teams had finished the regular season with a 8-2 record. The coin toss was taking place at a truck stop but the name of that certain truck stop was kept secret because the teams didn't want any fans or parents to know where it was taking place in case of fights or anything. All at once the three coaches flipped their coins Midland lee's coin was heads, then they checked Cooper's coin it was all worn down but it came up to be tails, then Permian's coin it was all up to their coin it ended up heads so Permian and midland lee were the two teams representing the district in the Texas state playoffs. The Post season was in the future for the Permian Pathers.
This quote is talking about how the three coaches had to do a coin flip to decide which two teams got to go to the playoffs. The teams were the Permian Panthers, the Cooper Cougars, and the Midland High Bulldogs. These three teams were participating in this coin flip because all three teams had finished the regular season with a 8-2 record. The coin toss was taking place at a truck stop but the name of that certain truck stop was kept secret because the teams didn't want any fans or parents to know where it was taking place in case of fights or anything. All at once the three coaches flipped their coins Midland lee's coin was heads, then they checked Cooper's coin it was all worn down but it came up to be tails, then Permian's coin it was all up to their coin it ended up heads so Permian and midland lee were the two teams representing the district in the Texas state playoffs. The Post season was in the future for the Permian Pathers.
Angles & Demons (3rd post)
“Maximilian Kohler. Kindly call your office immediately.”
Blazing sunbeams flooded Langdon’s eyes as the elevator doors opened into the main atrium. Before the echo of the announcement on the intercom overhead faded, every electronic device on Kohler’s wheelchair started beeping and buzzing simultaneously. His pager. His phone. His E-mail. Kohler glanced down at the blinking lights in apparent bewilderment. The director had resurfaced, and he was back in range.
“Director Kohler. Please call your office.”
The sound of his name on the PA seemed to startle Kohler. (104)
Ah . . . how many times have we been bothered with this situation? We come back from whatever we’ve been doing, weather that be a nice, relaxing vacation or trying to solve a murder/highly, secretive theft (as in the case of our characters here). And you get burdened with by the hassles of the modern age. The daily stresses come swarming back to you like you just temporarily escaped reality in a daydream and then you have to come back to reality. For most, this just creates more tension than taking away from that it added to.
Even more than this, we see that Kohler, after just realizing that there could be a disaster anywhere on the face of the world that could be linked to him and he could loose his research facility and his creditability, seems to have just made him realize that his “throne” has been taken out from under him. Once he’s out of the elevator he is overwhelmed completely by the thing that he surrounds himself with most and is fascinated with . . . technology. Kohler has come to the realization that what he has come to love could ultimately be his demise.
Blazing sunbeams flooded Langdon’s eyes as the elevator doors opened into the main atrium. Before the echo of the announcement on the intercom overhead faded, every electronic device on Kohler’s wheelchair started beeping and buzzing simultaneously. His pager. His phone. His E-mail. Kohler glanced down at the blinking lights in apparent bewilderment. The director had resurfaced, and he was back in range.
“Director Kohler. Please call your office.”
The sound of his name on the PA seemed to startle Kohler. (104)
Ah . . . how many times have we been bothered with this situation? We come back from whatever we’ve been doing, weather that be a nice, relaxing vacation or trying to solve a murder/highly, secretive theft (as in the case of our characters here). And you get burdened with by the hassles of the modern age. The daily stresses come swarming back to you like you just temporarily escaped reality in a daydream and then you have to come back to reality. For most, this just creates more tension than taking away from that it added to.
Even more than this, we see that Kohler, after just realizing that there could be a disaster anywhere on the face of the world that could be linked to him and he could loose his research facility and his creditability, seems to have just made him realize that his “throne” has been taken out from under him. Once he’s out of the elevator he is overwhelmed completely by the thing that he surrounds himself with most and is fascinated with . . . technology. Kohler has come to the realization that what he has come to love could ultimately be his demise.
Jarhead-(post 3)
"The next morning, Troy's mother showed up at Lisa's parents' house. I was half-asleep, but I heard her yelling at Doc John about the great disrespect we'd done her dead son, that our drunken and violent behavior had permanently tarnished his death. And I felt sorry for his mother, because although I understood that from her perspective we'd certainly disgraced Troy's memory, I knew that if Troy had had any choice in the matter, he'd have wanted us spending the evening of his funeral drunk and at combat" (113).
This quote is from the part of the story when Anthony Swofford’s friend and fellow marine was killed in a car accident after returning from duty. They went to his funeral then that night, went to a bar and got drunk. Locals made fun of the jarheads, so Swofford and other fellow marines beat the crap out of all of the locals. Yea, Troy’s mother has a right to be mad, but Swofford is also right when he says that Troy would have wanted that. The locals disrespected the marines and Troy’s memory. What I don’t understand is why anybody would make fun of someone that had been killed. Especially someone in their own community who had fought in Iraq. I don’t know if this bad or not, but by just destroying the locals in a fight, it made the marines look even tougher than they already are. It made me think, ‘dang, these guys are badasses.’ It gave me a good feeling that they stood up for what they believed in, instead of just taking the insults. Troy’s mother has to see it that way. Troy would have done the same thing if he was still alive. This was a sad, but exciting moment of the book.
This quote is from the part of the story when Anthony Swofford’s friend and fellow marine was killed in a car accident after returning from duty. They went to his funeral then that night, went to a bar and got drunk. Locals made fun of the jarheads, so Swofford and other fellow marines beat the crap out of all of the locals. Yea, Troy’s mother has a right to be mad, but Swofford is also right when he says that Troy would have wanted that. The locals disrespected the marines and Troy’s memory. What I don’t understand is why anybody would make fun of someone that had been killed. Especially someone in their own community who had fought in Iraq. I don’t know if this bad or not, but by just destroying the locals in a fight, it made the marines look even tougher than they already are. It made me think, ‘dang, these guys are badasses.’ It gave me a good feeling that they stood up for what they believed in, instead of just taking the insults. Troy’s mother has to see it that way. Troy would have done the same thing if he was still alive. This was a sad, but exciting moment of the book.
The Road (Post #3)
“They began to come upon from time to time small cairns of rock by the roadside. They were signs in gypsy language, lost patterans. The first he’d seen in some while, common in the north, leading out of the looted and exhausted cities, hopeless messages to loved ones lost and dead. By then all stores of food had given out and murder was everywhere upon the land. The world soon to be largely populated by men who would eat your children in front of your eyes and the cities themselves held by cores of blackened looters who tunneled among the ruins and crawled from the rubble white of tooth and eye carrying charred and anonymous tins of food in nylon nets like shoppers in the commissaries of hell. The soft black talc blew through the streets like squid ink uncoiling along a sea floor and the cold crept down and the dark came early and the scavengers passing down the steep canyons with their torches trod silky holes in the drifted ash that closed behind them silently as eyes. Out on the roads the pilgrims sank down and fell over and died and the bleak and shrouded earth went trundling past the sun and returned again as trackless and as unremarked as the path of any nameless sisterworld in the ancient dark beyond” (180-181).
The sentence, “the world soon to be largely populated by men who would eat your children in front of your eyes…” was heartbreaking for me. To actually see one of your people eating another one of your own, of same flesh and blood is terrifying. It is scary to think that someone is even a bit capable of doing such a horrific act.
This paragraph was very powerful and stirring to me. The author McCarthy used similes and moving adjectives to bring out the feeling in this passage. As I read it, I felt the hurt, pain, sadness, and dread as if I was living in that moment and in that time. I could see the landscape and the world in their eyes and feel the lost hope around them. Hopefully no one in this lifetime or any other lifetime would have to experience the horror that is displayed in this book.
The sentence, “the world soon to be largely populated by men who would eat your children in front of your eyes…” was heartbreaking for me. To actually see one of your people eating another one of your own, of same flesh and blood is terrifying. It is scary to think that someone is even a bit capable of doing such a horrific act.
This paragraph was very powerful and stirring to me. The author McCarthy used similes and moving adjectives to bring out the feeling in this passage. As I read it, I felt the hurt, pain, sadness, and dread as if I was living in that moment and in that time. I could see the landscape and the world in their eyes and feel the lost hope around them. Hopefully no one in this lifetime or any other lifetime would have to experience the horror that is displayed in this book.
From the Corner of His Eye (3)
I'm still not even half way through the book and i've been introduced to so many new characters and lives that it's hard to keep track. Everything is connected and it makes me really anxious because I just want to put it all together. It's all there behind the scenes, I just have to make sense of it and figure it out.
"Nine months ago, Phimie had been raped."
"Ashamed, and scared, she told no one. Although a victim, she blamed herself, and the prospect of being exposed to ridicule so horrified her that despair got the better of good judgement."
Seraphim Aethionema White was 16. After she was raped, she found out she was pregnant. She refused to tell anybody even though her family would have helped her all the way. She decided to try and hide it by not eating, wearing baggy clothes, etc. She made it to the last week of her pregnancy without anybody knowing until her body began to do odd things that she could not control. She told her family and made her sister, Celestina drive her to San Francisco, where her sister lives, to deliver the baby. While there, they found that Phimie's blood pressure was sky high and they tried to use drugs to settle it. In the middle of the night she had a seizure and they gave her a cesarion section. She didnt make it but the baby did. Celestina found that she had a lot of hate towards the baby even though she knew it was not the baby's fault.
This book is very overwhelming. It's hard to not feel the pain that the characters feel. I try to put the imagery into a real setting like if it were to happen to me or a friend and its almost depressing and yet i cant stop reading it. It really makes me think how these things really do happen to people every second of every day all around the world and i just dont know about it. It's a perspective i've never seen, but i'm glad i've been exposed to it.
"Nine months ago, Phimie had been raped."
"Ashamed, and scared, she told no one. Although a victim, she blamed herself, and the prospect of being exposed to ridicule so horrified her that despair got the better of good judgement."
Seraphim Aethionema White was 16. After she was raped, she found out she was pregnant. She refused to tell anybody even though her family would have helped her all the way. She decided to try and hide it by not eating, wearing baggy clothes, etc. She made it to the last week of her pregnancy without anybody knowing until her body began to do odd things that she could not control. She told her family and made her sister, Celestina drive her to San Francisco, where her sister lives, to deliver the baby. While there, they found that Phimie's blood pressure was sky high and they tried to use drugs to settle it. In the middle of the night she had a seizure and they gave her a cesarion section. She didnt make it but the baby did. Celestina found that she had a lot of hate towards the baby even though she knew it was not the baby's fault.
This book is very overwhelming. It's hard to not feel the pain that the characters feel. I try to put the imagery into a real setting like if it were to happen to me or a friend and its almost depressing and yet i cant stop reading it. It really makes me think how these things really do happen to people every second of every day all around the world and i just dont know about it. It's a perspective i've never seen, but i'm glad i've been exposed to it.
IRONWEED (Post #3)
“It’s fine that you’re off the drink. You’ve got a strong look about you today.”
“Just a false face for Halloween.”
“Don’t run yourself down. Have faith” (42).
The characters in this story are very dependent on somebody else to make them feel confident. They always put themselves down, like in the above quote, event though most of them are turning their lives around. But, the one person whose life still revolves around alcohol and being a bum is Sandra. She refuses to let Francis, Pee Wee, and the gang help her. She just lays in the street where she was in the last chapter and starts to freeze to death. All she asks them for is wine or something to drink. As I read more and more, I find out that each of the characters, which are bums, actually have a lot of talent going to waste. In this chapter, I found out that Helen used to be a singer and could also play piano very well. She was on her way to graduating with a classical education in music from Vassar, but then her father died and her life just went downhill from there.
“Nobody suffers like a lover left behind,” Helen said.
“Well that’s a crock, Francis said. “Lots suffer ain’t ever been in love even once.”
“They don’t suffer like those who have,” said Helen (46).
I think I like this quote a lot because I can kind of relate to Sandra about behind left behind by someone you love. Earlier in the book, I found out that Sandra used to be a full time whore but now, I am learning what really went on. She used to throw “love parties” as she called them and she would play with a lot of guys’ hearts. But then, she had broken so many hearts that only strangers would get with her. But then she met yet another bum named Freddy and they fell in love with each other and had a good relationship together until one day, he went somewhere and she didn’t. So, she was left behind and turned her life into what it is now, nothing.
“Just a false face for Halloween.”
“Don’t run yourself down. Have faith” (42).
The characters in this story are very dependent on somebody else to make them feel confident. They always put themselves down, like in the above quote, event though most of them are turning their lives around. But, the one person whose life still revolves around alcohol and being a bum is Sandra. She refuses to let Francis, Pee Wee, and the gang help her. She just lays in the street where she was in the last chapter and starts to freeze to death. All she asks them for is wine or something to drink. As I read more and more, I find out that each of the characters, which are bums, actually have a lot of talent going to waste. In this chapter, I found out that Helen used to be a singer and could also play piano very well. She was on her way to graduating with a classical education in music from Vassar, but then her father died and her life just went downhill from there.
“Nobody suffers like a lover left behind,” Helen said.
“Well that’s a crock, Francis said. “Lots suffer ain’t ever been in love even once.”
“They don’t suffer like those who have,” said Helen (46).
I think I like this quote a lot because I can kind of relate to Sandra about behind left behind by someone you love. Earlier in the book, I found out that Sandra used to be a full time whore but now, I am learning what really went on. She used to throw “love parties” as she called them and she would play with a lot of guys’ hearts. But then, she had broken so many hearts that only strangers would get with her. But then she met yet another bum named Freddy and they fell in love with each other and had a good relationship together until one day, he went somewhere and she didn’t. So, she was left behind and turned her life into what it is now, nothing.
She's Come Undone Post #3
"Grandma's praying dropped off and I could tell she saw him, too. If Grandma's God was real, why wasn't Daddy my dead parent(140)?"
"Daddy wouldn't leave. He was whispering at my face with sweet liquor breath. 'I can understand what you're going through...not the time or the place...you don't know the whole...'
'Shut up! Shut up! Shut up(141)!'
Since the last time I posted,I found out a lot about Dolores. She has now just eaten away at her pain. Every bite of food she takes I believe she is eating because of everything that is going on in her life. Her mom wanted for her to go to college, and they finally found one out of (17?) that accepted her. Because she got accepted, they needed for Dolores to take a physical. She was fat, she didn't want a physical and she didn't want to go to college either. To make her go get her physical, her mom had to cut the cord to her TV and said she would get it fixed once she had got the physical done. Dolores eventually caves in, and goes to get her physical just so she can have her TV back. The doctor weighs her at 257 pounds! obsurd! Later on...her mother gets hit by a truck. The quotes from above are at her mothers funeral. Her dad walks in and she clearly did not want him to be there because he abanded her... she blames him for all the bad thats happend--ie: being obese, getting raped, mother getting killed. She clearly needs counciling... her dad was a jerk as he left...
"Daddy wouldn't leave. He was whispering at my face with sweet liquor breath. 'I can understand what you're going through...not the time or the place...you don't know the whole...'
'Shut up! Shut up! Shut up(141)!'
Since the last time I posted,I found out a lot about Dolores. She has now just eaten away at her pain. Every bite of food she takes I believe she is eating because of everything that is going on in her life. Her mom wanted for her to go to college, and they finally found one out of (17?) that accepted her. Because she got accepted, they needed for Dolores to take a physical. She was fat, she didn't want a physical and she didn't want to go to college either. To make her go get her physical, her mom had to cut the cord to her TV and said she would get it fixed once she had got the physical done. Dolores eventually caves in, and goes to get her physical just so she can have her TV back. The doctor weighs her at 257 pounds! obsurd! Later on...her mother gets hit by a truck. The quotes from above are at her mothers funeral. Her dad walks in and she clearly did not want him to be there because he abanded her... she blames him for all the bad thats happend--ie: being obese, getting raped, mother getting killed. She clearly needs counciling... her dad was a jerk as he left...
"a car jerked out of the parkhing lot, Daddy at the wheel. He drove past us, braked, backed up. He was crying. ' I'm no saint,' he called out to Father Duptulski. 'But I never,ever deserved--' He turned his eyes to me. ' You get yourself some help!' he screamed. 'Or I'll get it for you!'
'You stay the f*** away from me!' I screamed back. The car bucked and sped away(141). "
Wow. How dare he! After all he has put her through, never been there for her. And he blames his daughter and tells her to go get some help. I really don't like him now! I just can not believe him!
The Kite Runner (Response #3)
“Strange,” I said.
“What?”
“I feel like a tourist in my own country,” I said, taking in a goathered leading a half-dozen emaciated goats along the side of the road. Farid snickered. Tossed his cigarette. “You still think of this place as your country?”
“I think a part of me always will,” I said, more defensively than I had intended.
“After twenty years of living in America,” he said, swerving the truck to avoid a pothole the size of a beach ball.
I nodded. “I grew up in Afghanistan.”
Farid snickered again (232).
I think what the author is saying through Farid is true. Amir has been away from the troubles in Afghanistan for twenty years and acts like he knows what everyone in this poor country is going through. Amir still feels like his is a part of his country but his country doesn’t feel a part of him.
Farid the taxi driver later goes on to elaborate on why he was snickering to Amir. He tells him that his father was probably very wealth, drove an American car, and he went to school all day. Amir is taken back by this because this taxi driver is spot on. Amir feels like this is rude and uncalled for because Afghanistan will always be his home, it’s where he grew up.
The author is adding on guilt to Amir for him believing that this was once the country he called home. He had never had to experience the difficulties of poverty like almost every other Afghan. Amir is building up so much guilt that later on the is physically ill and has the driver pull over. All of his emotions from the past are coming out, and this doesn’t leave Amir in very good shape at all. He has come to Afghanistan though, and plans to look his past in the face to deal with it.
“What?”
“I feel like a tourist in my own country,” I said, taking in a goathered leading a half-dozen emaciated goats along the side of the road. Farid snickered. Tossed his cigarette. “You still think of this place as your country?”
“I think a part of me always will,” I said, more defensively than I had intended.
“After twenty years of living in America,” he said, swerving the truck to avoid a pothole the size of a beach ball.
I nodded. “I grew up in Afghanistan.”
Farid snickered again (232).
I think what the author is saying through Farid is true. Amir has been away from the troubles in Afghanistan for twenty years and acts like he knows what everyone in this poor country is going through. Amir still feels like his is a part of his country but his country doesn’t feel a part of him.
Farid the taxi driver later goes on to elaborate on why he was snickering to Amir. He tells him that his father was probably very wealth, drove an American car, and he went to school all day. Amir is taken back by this because this taxi driver is spot on. Amir feels like this is rude and uncalled for because Afghanistan will always be his home, it’s where he grew up.
The author is adding on guilt to Amir for him believing that this was once the country he called home. He had never had to experience the difficulties of poverty like almost every other Afghan. Amir is building up so much guilt that later on the is physically ill and has the driver pull over. All of his emotions from the past are coming out, and this doesn’t leave Amir in very good shape at all. He has come to Afghanistan though, and plans to look his past in the face to deal with it.
THG2G (3rd post)
“There are of course many problems connected with life, of which some of the most popular are Why are people born? Why do they die? Why do they want to spend so much of the intervening time wearing digital watches?” (111)
The first two are pretty easy to answer from a biological stand point. A race known as Homo sapiens were born and now we work to keep them alive. Of course there are also predators and other random things that make our bodies stop functioning. Death is inevitable, unless you’re looking at it from a religious point of view. Time on the other hand is more difficult to understand because it is discussed much les than living or dying.
Our obsession with time could be the evolution of our natural sarcadian rhythms. We along with all living beings run on an about 24 hour cycle that determines when we eat, when we sleep, when we want to help our species continue. If we take it to the next level, It’s basically time. Some people would suggest however that there is more to it than just time. Why do we work so hard to keep track of something that is constant and yet ever changing? Are we really just counting down the days until our ultimate demise? What good is it all any way? I don’t have the answer and I don’t expect any body that reads this post to have it ether. This is just one of those things people will be pondering until we can get a computer to work out the answer as 42. I will confidently say that digital watches on the other hand, are a symbol of our technology and just wanting to show off.
The first two are pretty easy to answer from a biological stand point. A race known as Homo sapiens were born and now we work to keep them alive. Of course there are also predators and other random things that make our bodies stop functioning. Death is inevitable, unless you’re looking at it from a religious point of view. Time on the other hand is more difficult to understand because it is discussed much les than living or dying.
Our obsession with time could be the evolution of our natural sarcadian rhythms. We along with all living beings run on an about 24 hour cycle that determines when we eat, when we sleep, when we want to help our species continue. If we take it to the next level, It’s basically time. Some people would suggest however that there is more to it than just time. Why do we work so hard to keep track of something that is constant and yet ever changing? Are we really just counting down the days until our ultimate demise? What good is it all any way? I don’t have the answer and I don’t expect any body that reads this post to have it ether. This is just one of those things people will be pondering until we can get a computer to work out the answer as 42. I will confidently say that digital watches on the other hand, are a symbol of our technology and just wanting to show off.
From the Corner of His Eye (2)
This book never gets boring...it's really hard to put down.
"Joey couldn't raise his head, couldn't turn more directly toward her... because his spine had been damaged, perhaps severed, and he was paralyzed."
Agnes was finally ready to leave for the hospital. As she and Joey were passing through and intersection, a Ford pick-up broadsided their car. They flipped, hit another car, and did a 360. Agnes seemed to be alright but Joey was paralyzed. He said a few words to her and the baby and died. Rescuers got Agnes out and then her water broke but there was blood with it. I feel so bad for this woman. It's so vivid in my mind, it's hard not to feel the emotion coming from the characters.
"The truth, as always, was not supernatural: He opened his eyes and discovered that he was in the back of an ambulance. Evidently this was the one intended for Naomi. They would be sending a morgue wagon for her now."
Junior had killed his wife, shown the police her body, and told them that she had fallen. He became very shaky and began vomitting uncontrollably. He couldn't stop and he had to be taken to the hospital. later you find that he had Hematemesis, which is vomitting blood. One detective sees right through junior's lie about his wife and sits in his hospital room waiting for answers. Junior reminds me of a sociopath. He seems to love his wife and miss her and yet he pushed her to her death. It's very confusing.
Agnes has her baby. So far, it's in an incubator. She names him Bartholomew because that is what her husband wanted. You can tell she is having a hard time believing that her husband is dead and she now has to raise her baby alone. It's so sad to think about how things go from perfect to catastrophe in a matter of seconds.
The detective that sits by Junior's side is very smart. However, Junior can tell this guy doesn't believe him, and he has every intention to use his intelligence as well. He has put a lot of thoughts into his plans. However, the detective reveals that while junior was asleep he called out a name, Bartholomew...
The plot just keeps thickening. Everybody's lives are connected but it only reveals tiny pieces at a time. It's like one of those brain teasers where you have to find out who ate what or who did what...It's driving me crazy!!
"Joey couldn't raise his head, couldn't turn more directly toward her... because his spine had been damaged, perhaps severed, and he was paralyzed."
Agnes was finally ready to leave for the hospital. As she and Joey were passing through and intersection, a Ford pick-up broadsided their car. They flipped, hit another car, and did a 360. Agnes seemed to be alright but Joey was paralyzed. He said a few words to her and the baby and died. Rescuers got Agnes out and then her water broke but there was blood with it. I feel so bad for this woman. It's so vivid in my mind, it's hard not to feel the emotion coming from the characters.
"The truth, as always, was not supernatural: He opened his eyes and discovered that he was in the back of an ambulance. Evidently this was the one intended for Naomi. They would be sending a morgue wagon for her now."
Junior had killed his wife, shown the police her body, and told them that she had fallen. He became very shaky and began vomitting uncontrollably. He couldn't stop and he had to be taken to the hospital. later you find that he had Hematemesis, which is vomitting blood. One detective sees right through junior's lie about his wife and sits in his hospital room waiting for answers. Junior reminds me of a sociopath. He seems to love his wife and miss her and yet he pushed her to her death. It's very confusing.
Agnes has her baby. So far, it's in an incubator. She names him Bartholomew because that is what her husband wanted. You can tell she is having a hard time believing that her husband is dead and she now has to raise her baby alone. It's so sad to think about how things go from perfect to catastrophe in a matter of seconds.
The detective that sits by Junior's side is very smart. However, Junior can tell this guy doesn't believe him, and he has every intention to use his intelligence as well. He has put a lot of thoughts into his plans. However, the detective reveals that while junior was asleep he called out a name, Bartholomew...
The plot just keeps thickening. Everybody's lives are connected but it only reveals tiny pieces at a time. It's like one of those brain teasers where you have to find out who ate what or who did what...It's driving me crazy!!
Friday Night Lights post 3
"The selfperpetuating notions of superiority that spread over one half and inferiority that spread over the other. The Permian-Odessa High game had become a clash of values-between the nouvea riche east side of town and the older, more humble west, between white and Hispanic, between rich and poor.
This quote is talking about the rivalry between the two schools, Permian and Odessa High that has lasted twenty three years. The two sides hate each other and rarely go into each others side of town. They said they have their own Mason Dixon line that divides them like they are at war. Odessa hadnt won in 23 years and once the game started they had some life. On the opening kickoff the got a good stop but that was their last one of the game. Permian crushed them in every aspect of the game. The two sides were going to go on and keep hating each other for at least another year longer until Odessa can show their worth and win in a football game. Fans were waiting outside the gate on Sunday when the tickets didint even come on sale until tuesay. That is hwo big football is in Texas.
This quote is talking about the rivalry between the two schools, Permian and Odessa High that has lasted twenty three years. The two sides hate each other and rarely go into each others side of town. They said they have their own Mason Dixon line that divides them like they are at war. Odessa hadnt won in 23 years and once the game started they had some life. On the opening kickoff the got a good stop but that was their last one of the game. Permian crushed them in every aspect of the game. The two sides were going to go on and keep hating each other for at least another year longer until Odessa can show their worth and win in a football game. Fans were waiting outside the gate on Sunday when the tickets didint even come on sale until tuesay. That is hwo big football is in Texas.
Shooter (post #3)
“Snipers are always looking for an edge, because we don’t like to fight fair. So when Casey found me that evening after things had calmed down, I was recording my day’s work in my sniper’s logbook. I now had six kills since the start of the war, and I added specific notes about the weather conditions, the range, directions of the targets, windage, and a few other things. Racking up the new kills did not make me feel proud. Snipers hate what ultimately happens when we pull the trigger, but we understand that we are important fixtures in something much larger than ourselves. Out of professional habit, I entered my observations and results in the logbook. Over time, when we compare those notes, the books can reveal patterns of enemy behavior and highlight their mistakes, so we can kill more of them” (141).
When I was reading this I thought about how sick it is to keep a logbook on the number of kills they had that day. That is just completely inhumane. I know they give out medals and awards for what they do out in the battlefield, but is it really necessary to keep track of how many people you killed in a book. These are people we are talking about just like me or you, not wild animals. I think the inhumane actions of war are represented well in this quote. They show how poorly we treat one another and how sick war can really be. The logging of the kills helps create a mood throughout the book that is cruel and gloomy. Not only does the killing create the mood, but the effect it has on family members who lose loved ones to war also creates a mood of melancholy. The mood of this book is probably the same as any other book about a war or a soldier because in a war there is always a loser whether it is a whole country or just a family who lost one of their loved ones. The mood of any war or book about war will almost always be dark and gloomy.
When I was reading this I thought about how sick it is to keep a logbook on the number of kills they had that day. That is just completely inhumane. I know they give out medals and awards for what they do out in the battlefield, but is it really necessary to keep track of how many people you killed in a book. These are people we are talking about just like me or you, not wild animals. I think the inhumane actions of war are represented well in this quote. They show how poorly we treat one another and how sick war can really be. The logging of the kills helps create a mood throughout the book that is cruel and gloomy. Not only does the killing create the mood, but the effect it has on family members who lose loved ones to war also creates a mood of melancholy. The mood of this book is probably the same as any other book about a war or a soldier because in a war there is always a loser whether it is a whole country or just a family who lost one of their loved ones. The mood of any war or book about war will almost always be dark and gloomy.
S.W.A.T. (Post #3)
“‘No!’ Street called, covered his face, and fell to the ground. The assailants showed him no mercy, firing wildly and howling with joy. After all, what could you do in a Super Soaker fight except fight back and die on command? … He was rolling around between kids, making sure they each got a good shot at him, when he heard Beethoven’s Fifth playing against his belt. His beeper! He sat up, dripping, in time to see Sanchez checking her own beeper. Could it be? The very next day after the final? Could it be today?” (166).
In this passage, the main character, Jim Street, has been kicked off S.W.A.T. and now is getting a second chance. His new team had just passed the final and is enjoying a day off at one of the fellow S.W.A.T. member’s daughter’s birthday. I like how the quote starts out. It made me think Street was really getting shot; only to find out it’s a water gun fight. When his beeper goes off, I don’t know what to think. Is this really a call for S.W.A.T. or is the author trying to trick me again?
This passage also makes me think about a S.W.A.T. member’s life. How would it feel to get a call in the middle of the day and have to drop everything to go to work? I think it would be tiring and annoying knowing anything you do could be interrupted on the spot.
I like how the author uses extreme detail in this book. For example, I like the diction of this passage. The author uses words like “wildly” and “howling” to help show the crazed nature of the assailants. I picture these cruel, desperate men running around like madmen. Furthermore, the author uses personification throughout the book to describe certain objects. I like how he makes the vehicles and weapons seem alive.
In this passage, the main character, Jim Street, has been kicked off S.W.A.T. and now is getting a second chance. His new team had just passed the final and is enjoying a day off at one of the fellow S.W.A.T. member’s daughter’s birthday. I like how the quote starts out. It made me think Street was really getting shot; only to find out it’s a water gun fight. When his beeper goes off, I don’t know what to think. Is this really a call for S.W.A.T. or is the author trying to trick me again?
This passage also makes me think about a S.W.A.T. member’s life. How would it feel to get a call in the middle of the day and have to drop everything to go to work? I think it would be tiring and annoying knowing anything you do could be interrupted on the spot.
I like how the author uses extreme detail in this book. For example, I like the diction of this passage. The author uses words like “wildly” and “howling” to help show the crazed nature of the assailants. I picture these cruel, desperate men running around like madmen. Furthermore, the author uses personification throughout the book to describe certain objects. I like how he makes the vehicles and weapons seem alive.
Octavian Nothing (third post)
“ ‘Oh, Milord….Octavian,’ said my mother, ‘stop breaking my crayons.’
‘I’m not breaking,’ said I. ‘I’m drawing.’
‘‘Drawing’ is not snapping crayons and hurling them across the room.’
I said, ‘it’s the volcano Vesuvius in the very height of its eruption. That’s how you draw magma.’
‘Now that is a demme fine volcano,’ said lord Cheldthorpe, squatting down beside me.
I said, ‘it rained ash upon the living and the dead. And gasses came out that were killing.’
‘Indeed,’ said my mother, swatting my hand. ‘Killing my red.’” (83).
This is how most of the humor in the book goes, I don’t really want to say dry humor, but it seems that is what it is. I like the sense of humor the author has, none of it is really laugh out loud, most of it just makes you want to chuckle. I would say sophisticated humor that would be a good way of describing it. It also appears that another character has been introduced, Lord Cheldthorpe of the new creation. Lord Cheldthorpe was introduced because the head master and donator to the College of Lucidity has died. I see Lord Chel. As not fitting with the rest of the characters, science does not interest him (the main center of the book) and I see that he will turn the book around, and cause great trouble. He is also interested in the only woman in the book, which is the envy of all the men in the college so that might cause conflict to – he wants her all to himself. But he shows Octavian great affection, maybe they will run away together. I chose this quote because it was very funny and compared to the rest of the book and the books writing style it just stuck out.
‘I’m not breaking,’ said I. ‘I’m drawing.’
‘‘Drawing’ is not snapping crayons and hurling them across the room.’
I said, ‘it’s the volcano Vesuvius in the very height of its eruption. That’s how you draw magma.’
‘Now that is a demme fine volcano,’ said lord Cheldthorpe, squatting down beside me.
I said, ‘it rained ash upon the living and the dead. And gasses came out that were killing.’
‘Indeed,’ said my mother, swatting my hand. ‘Killing my red.’” (83).
This is how most of the humor in the book goes, I don’t really want to say dry humor, but it seems that is what it is. I like the sense of humor the author has, none of it is really laugh out loud, most of it just makes you want to chuckle. I would say sophisticated humor that would be a good way of describing it. It also appears that another character has been introduced, Lord Cheldthorpe of the new creation. Lord Cheldthorpe was introduced because the head master and donator to the College of Lucidity has died. I see Lord Chel. As not fitting with the rest of the characters, science does not interest him (the main center of the book) and I see that he will turn the book around, and cause great trouble. He is also interested in the only woman in the book, which is the envy of all the men in the college so that might cause conflict to – he wants her all to himself. But he shows Octavian great affection, maybe they will run away together. I chose this quote because it was very funny and compared to the rest of the book and the books writing style it just stuck out.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Post 2)
"All right," said Deep Thought. "The Answer to the Great Question . . . "
"Yes . . . !"
"Of Life, the Universe and Everything . . . " said Deep Thought.
"Yes . . . !"
"Is . . . " said Deep Thought, and paused.
"Yes . . . !"
"Is . . . "
"Yes . . . !!!. . . ?"
"Forty-two," said Deep Thought, with innite majesty and calm."
(120)
I like this quote though and have found that 42 is indeed the answer to a great many things. One of the questions on a final my Sophomore year in college was "What is the answer to the Great Question of Life, the Universe and Everything..." Fortunately I had read HHG2G and knew that c. 42 was the correct answer. Furthermore, if you google, "answer to life, the universe and everything" check out what the google calculator returns...it's 42.
The significance of 42 in the book is simple, it's the answer to the Great Question of Life the Universe and Everything. Unfortunately no one thought to figure out what the Great Question was and an answer without a question is pretty useless. The mice (yes, mice. Though if truth be told they are really super intelligent pan-dimensional beings.) constructed a computer to divulge the answer to the Great Question, which gave them 42. They failed to realize that they didn't know the Great Question so then decided they would need to build a better computer to calculate the question, this better computer would be called "Earth" which was blown up at the beginning of this novel 5 minutes before it was going to reveal the Great Question.
"Yes . . . !"
"Of Life, the Universe and Everything . . . " said Deep Thought.
"Yes . . . !"
"Is . . . " said Deep Thought, and paused.
"Yes . . . !"
"Is . . . "
"Yes . . . !!!. . . ?"
"Forty-two," said Deep Thought, with innite majesty and calm."
(120)
I like this quote though and have found that 42 is indeed the answer to a great many things. One of the questions on a final my Sophomore year in college was "What is the answer to the Great Question of Life, the Universe and Everything..." Fortunately I had read HHG2G and knew that c. 42 was the correct answer. Furthermore, if you google, "answer to life, the universe and everything" check out what the google calculator returns...it's 42.
The significance of 42 in the book is simple, it's the answer to the Great Question of Life the Universe and Everything. Unfortunately no one thought to figure out what the Great Question was and an answer without a question is pretty useless. The mice (yes, mice. Though if truth be told they are really super intelligent pan-dimensional beings.) constructed a computer to divulge the answer to the Great Question, which gave them 42. They failed to realize that they didn't know the Great Question so then decided they would need to build a better computer to calculate the question, this better computer would be called "Earth" which was blown up at the beginning of this novel 5 minutes before it was going to reveal the Great Question.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Odd Thomas (Post #3)
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a complete nerd; I love reading books. However, being in mostly English classes in college slightly turned me into a book snob. I realized this when Mr. Land suggested that I read a book called Odd Thomas written by Dean Koontz. Judging from Koontz’s books that I’d skimmed through and heard about from other people, I had decided that I wouldn’t enjoy reading his work. It was too over-the-top, too fantastical, and too ‘un-literary.’ But, as is often the case with hasty judgments, I was proven wrong. Not only did I greatly enjoy the narrative voice of this book, but I also became a fan of the way that Koontz uses language. Great writing found in a book other than a ‘classic’? No way!
So, here we go—a top ten (well, five because it was taking up the whole page) list of reasons I like the book, Odd Thomas.
1. Koontz makes the narrative funny. Several times, I found myself laughing at the observations of the narrator. For example, while discussing God and his system of rewards and punishes, Odd (the narrator’s first name) recalls his Granny’s perspective. “He’ll cut you some slack if you’re astonishingly stupid in an amusing fashion. Granny claimed that this explains why uncountable millions of breathtakingly stupid people get along just fine in life” (5).
2. Koontz is a great sentence builder. As you read through the book, you can find all sorts of different types of sentences that add amazing variety to the writing. Here’s one of my favorites: “Smelling like a peach, as Stormy likes me, not afraid of Death, having eaten a blueberry muffin, saying good-bye to Elvis with the words ‘Taking care of business’ in a lousy imitation of his voice, I set off for work at the Pico Mundo Grille (8).
3. Speaking of great sentences, I was also able to find lots of examples of figurative language. Believe it or not, all those examples of similes, metaphors, personification, etc, are not just reserved solely for ‘classic’ literature. “Like a pair of looms, using sunshine and their own silhouettes, two enormous California oaks wove veils of gold and purple, which they flung across the driveway” (9).
4. While the book was easy to read and comprehend, Koontz sprinkled some great vocab words throughout the novel. I actually had to stop and pick up a dictionary for a couple of them. They aren’t words I see every day.
5. It’s just a neat story. When I first heard about the book, I was definitely dreading the triteness of another “I see dead people” story. But, Odd Thomas, refreshingly, wasn’t the same old story. How many other “I see dead people” stories use the spirit of Elvis as a minor character who assists the protagonist? It’s great. Also, the story is able to balance a nice blend of hilarious commentary, suspenseful detective work, and serious issues such as moral responsibility, terrorism, and child abuse. Oh, and there’s a big twist at the end. Just when you think you have it all figured out, Koontz totally surprises you, which is very cool.
So, here we go—a top ten (well, five because it was taking up the whole page) list of reasons I like the book, Odd Thomas.
1. Koontz makes the narrative funny. Several times, I found myself laughing at the observations of the narrator. For example, while discussing God and his system of rewards and punishes, Odd (the narrator’s first name) recalls his Granny’s perspective. “He’ll cut you some slack if you’re astonishingly stupid in an amusing fashion. Granny claimed that this explains why uncountable millions of breathtakingly stupid people get along just fine in life” (5).
2. Koontz is a great sentence builder. As you read through the book, you can find all sorts of different types of sentences that add amazing variety to the writing. Here’s one of my favorites: “Smelling like a peach, as Stormy likes me, not afraid of Death, having eaten a blueberry muffin, saying good-bye to Elvis with the words ‘Taking care of business’ in a lousy imitation of his voice, I set off for work at the Pico Mundo Grille (8).
3. Speaking of great sentences, I was also able to find lots of examples of figurative language. Believe it or not, all those examples of similes, metaphors, personification, etc, are not just reserved solely for ‘classic’ literature. “Like a pair of looms, using sunshine and their own silhouettes, two enormous California oaks wove veils of gold and purple, which they flung across the driveway” (9).
4. While the book was easy to read and comprehend, Koontz sprinkled some great vocab words throughout the novel. I actually had to stop and pick up a dictionary for a couple of them. They aren’t words I see every day.
5. It’s just a neat story. When I first heard about the book, I was definitely dreading the triteness of another “I see dead people” story. But, Odd Thomas, refreshingly, wasn’t the same old story. How many other “I see dead people” stories use the spirit of Elvis as a minor character who assists the protagonist? It’s great. Also, the story is able to balance a nice blend of hilarious commentary, suspenseful detective work, and serious issues such as moral responsibility, terrorism, and child abuse. Oh, and there’s a big twist at the end. Just when you think you have it all figured out, Koontz totally surprises you, which is very cool.
Catch Me If You Can (Post 2)
"I was also a charming bloke after my first few close encounters of the best kind. Girls are not necasserily expensive, but even the most frolicsome Fraulein expects a hamburger and a Coke now and then, just for energy purposes. I simply wasn't making enough bread to pay for my cake. I needed a way to juggle my finances.
I sought out Dad......"(12)
-The reason I chose this quote and at this early of pages is to show how Abagnale shows and explains everything before he begins the story. This helps me as the reader to know more about my characters and reasons for their action. Also, this quote helps define the main reason for his actions, it solves to mystery behind why he started scamming people and what his intentions were with the money. I have enjoyed reading this book so far and knowing these things before the better part of the book helps me to understand what will happen in the future of this book and the reasons behind it. This helps to portray the main character as almost ruthless and even uncaring because of his use of his dad to scam. It shows how he uses his own father and scams his own father to get money to satisfy his needs if you must say. The reader in this book is really informed of the background of the main character and this makes the reading a lot more attracting and helps the reader to not get so bored with the story. This book brought me in right from the start instead of forcing me to sit through a boring start to most books.
I sought out Dad......"(12)
-The reason I chose this quote and at this early of pages is to show how Abagnale shows and explains everything before he begins the story. This helps me as the reader to know more about my characters and reasons for their action. Also, this quote helps define the main reason for his actions, it solves to mystery behind why he started scamming people and what his intentions were with the money. I have enjoyed reading this book so far and knowing these things before the better part of the book helps me to understand what will happen in the future of this book and the reasons behind it. This helps to portray the main character as almost ruthless and even uncaring because of his use of his dad to scam. It shows how he uses his own father and scams his own father to get money to satisfy his needs if you must say. The reader in this book is really informed of the background of the main character and this makes the reading a lot more attracting and helps the reader to not get so bored with the story. This book brought me in right from the start instead of forcing me to sit through a boring start to most books.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Eragon (Post #2)
“The arrow hiss through the air, glowing with a crackling blue light. It struck the lead Urgal on the forehead, and the air resounded with an explosion. A blue shock wave blasted out of the monster’s head, killing the other Urgal instantly. It reached Eragon before he had time to react, and it passed through him without harm, dissipating against the houses.”
I love this paragraph. It is just sweet. I personally wish I had the ability to fire explosive arrows at two gigantic monsters. This book really feeds my imagination very well. I can picture in my head all of the settings and events that take place throughout the book. I can see the ransacked town, I can see the beautiful sapphire dragon, I can just see everything. It makes me wish I was back in those times, but of course with the magic and creatures thrown in. I’m only on page 150 but I can see this book is beginning to get great and exciting. Eragon and the wise old Brom have just begun their adventure. Saphira has become a huge creature and is no stupid animal. Eragon is also beginning to grow. He has discovered magic and an ability to connect with the minds of animals. Brom is slowly teaching more over the days and is straining Eragon to his breaking point both physically and mentally. Not bad for an old man. Now I am wondering, since the old man has more to him than meets the eye, how much of an impact he will have on the story. Better stop writing and start reading.
I love this paragraph. It is just sweet. I personally wish I had the ability to fire explosive arrows at two gigantic monsters. This book really feeds my imagination very well. I can picture in my head all of the settings and events that take place throughout the book. I can see the ransacked town, I can see the beautiful sapphire dragon, I can just see everything. It makes me wish I was back in those times, but of course with the magic and creatures thrown in. I’m only on page 150 but I can see this book is beginning to get great and exciting. Eragon and the wise old Brom have just begun their adventure. Saphira has become a huge creature and is no stupid animal. Eragon is also beginning to grow. He has discovered magic and an ability to connect with the minds of animals. Brom is slowly teaching more over the days and is straining Eragon to his breaking point both physically and mentally. Not bad for an old man. Now I am wondering, since the old man has more to him than meets the eye, how much of an impact he will have on the story. Better stop writing and start reading.
Wicked (Post 2)
“Madame Morrible chose to laugh, thank Lurline! ‘A spark of spunk! You may come to my chambers this evening and tell me the story of your Ama’s shortcomings, as I should know them. But I will compromise with you, Miss Galinda. Unless you object, I will have to ask your Ama to chaperone both you and another girl, one who comes without an Ama. For you see, all the other students with Amas are already paired off, and you are the odd one out.’ Madame Morrible scanned the page of names, and said, ‘Very well. To join Miss Galinda of the Arduennas in a double room--- shall I invite the Thropp Third Descending, of Nest Hardings, Elphaba?’ No one stirred. ‘Elphaba?’ said Madame Morrible again, adjusting her bangles and pressing two fingers at the bottom of her throat. The girl was in the back of the room, a pauper in a red dress with gaudy fretwork, and in clumpy, old-people’s boots. At first Galinda thought what she saw was just some trick of the light, a reflection off the adjacent buildings covered in vines and flatmoss. But as Elphaba moved forward, lugging her own carpetbags, it became obvious that she was green. A hatchet faced girl with putrescent green skin and long, foreign-looking black hair. ‘A Munchkinlander by birth, though with many childhood years spent in Quadling country,’ read Madame Morrible from her notes. “How fascinating for us all, Miss Elphaba. We shall look forward to hearing tales of exotic climes and times. Miss Galinda and Miss Elphaba, here are your keys. You may take room twenty-two on the second floor. She smiled broadly at Galinda as the girls came forward. ‘Travel is so broadening,’ she intoned. Galinda started, the curse of her own words lobbed back at her. She curtseyed and fled. Elphaba, eyes on the floor, followed behind.” (70)
I liked this quote because it shows how much Elphaba looked different from the other students at Shiz and it gives some insight as to how Elphaba and Galinda knew each other. Here the book is set at Shiz in Elphaba’s later years (Shiz is supposed to be a university in Munchkinland). Galinda is a girl who didn’t follow instructions and was trying to get out of rooming with a large group of girls by saying that her ‘Ama,’ which is like a chaperone, had a condition that would not allow her to care for a large group of girls. But as it turned out she was paired with what she would have considered the worst roommate, Elphaba. And Elphaba keeps to herself but after awhile Galinda starts to befriend her but then she turns around and mocks her for things when she meets up with her friends later. In their room, Galinda has very little reservations about talking with Elphaba but in public when Elphaba comes over to sit with Galinda during a poetry reading by Madame Morrible, she is completely embarrassed and worries about what other people might think of it. And she is even rude to Elphaba when she asked Galinda what she thought. I think that its kind of interesting here, too, that the author succeeds in proving the point that our society is based on how we want to look to others and trying to please everyone else. And how focusing on one’s studies don’t seem to be a very high priority in higher education and being a socialite is on so many peoples’ minds during those times.
I liked this quote because it shows how much Elphaba looked different from the other students at Shiz and it gives some insight as to how Elphaba and Galinda knew each other. Here the book is set at Shiz in Elphaba’s later years (Shiz is supposed to be a university in Munchkinland). Galinda is a girl who didn’t follow instructions and was trying to get out of rooming with a large group of girls by saying that her ‘Ama,’ which is like a chaperone, had a condition that would not allow her to care for a large group of girls. But as it turned out she was paired with what she would have considered the worst roommate, Elphaba. And Elphaba keeps to herself but after awhile Galinda starts to befriend her but then she turns around and mocks her for things when she meets up with her friends later. In their room, Galinda has very little reservations about talking with Elphaba but in public when Elphaba comes over to sit with Galinda during a poetry reading by Madame Morrible, she is completely embarrassed and worries about what other people might think of it. And she is even rude to Elphaba when she asked Galinda what she thought. I think that its kind of interesting here, too, that the author succeeds in proving the point that our society is based on how we want to look to others and trying to please everyone else. And how focusing on one’s studies don’t seem to be a very high priority in higher education and being a socialite is on so many peoples’ minds during those times.
Angels & Demons (2nd post)
"Langdon felt a sudden chill realizing that he was about to see a dead body. His stomach had never been particularly stalwart. It was a weakness he'd discovered in as an art student when the teacher informed the class that Leonardo da Vinci had gained his expertise in the human form by exhuming corpses and dissecting their musculature." (27)
This quote grabbed me right when I read it due to the insight we get from it. Brown’s writing gives you such an insight into Robert Langdon’s life; I love how he does that. It in cooperates history and personal ticks, which both are still puzzling topics today. Just his reaction caught me, and I think partially because the story includes tidbits about the character, like what kind of classes he took while he was in college; it’s so interesting to me, personally. Art, history, and psychology are so intertwined, and it shows in this book. I love that Brown incorporates these and explains his character’s thoughts instead of just moving on to the next event. In addition to that, the language that Brown uses I like because it makes me learn uncommon words, for instance stalwart. I’m not going to hear that everyday listening to the news, reading magazine articles, or in everyday conversations. Coming into this book I briefly knew what happened in the last book that brown had written except from the movie; so I know a little of Langdon. Dan Brown, so far, has made this a very interesting read. This is Langdon before The Da Vinci Code. How they will adapt it to the silver screen only time will time, but good luck to them. I can’t wait to see the collaboration of Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, and Dan Brown for this production!
This quote grabbed me right when I read it due to the insight we get from it. Brown’s writing gives you such an insight into Robert Langdon’s life; I love how he does that. It in cooperates history and personal ticks, which both are still puzzling topics today. Just his reaction caught me, and I think partially because the story includes tidbits about the character, like what kind of classes he took while he was in college; it’s so interesting to me, personally. Art, history, and psychology are so intertwined, and it shows in this book. I love that Brown incorporates these and explains his character’s thoughts instead of just moving on to the next event. In addition to that, the language that Brown uses I like because it makes me learn uncommon words, for instance stalwart. I’m not going to hear that everyday listening to the news, reading magazine articles, or in everyday conversations. Coming into this book I briefly knew what happened in the last book that brown had written except from the movie; so I know a little of Langdon. Dan Brown, so far, has made this a very interesting read. This is Langdon before The Da Vinci Code. How they will adapt it to the silver screen only time will time, but good luck to them. I can’t wait to see the collaboration of Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, and Dan Brown for this production!
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