What an odd book.

This last week I finished reading my book report book (A Kingdom Without Heroes by Brandon Mull) and I have one word to sum this book up: Odd. This book seems like something a 5 year old child would think up during snack time at kindergarten. Not that that's bad, but it adds a new element to the reading. There are so many far fetched events and characters in this book, that it makes you wonder what inspired such ideas. Even though this book is an odd one, I still enjoyed reading it until the last page. Luckily, there is a sequel. I would highly recommend this book to any of you out there who need a good fantasy read, one that you don't take seriously. Oh, and yes, I am so lazy as to wait to blog until Tuesday.

Why I chose my book: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull

     The book I chose for my book report is A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull. I chose this book because it was recommended by friends, and I highly enjoy fantasy books. One amusing thing that I read towards the beginning of the book is that the main character (Who works at a zoo) hears music coming from a hippo, and every time it opens its' mouth, the music gets louder. He then accidentally falls in, and gets swallowed by a hippo. He then slides down a slide within the hippo, and falls out into a completely different world. That is just the beginning of this odd book. Overall, this book has been really good so far.

TEOGROMITMM Final Thoughts and The Comparison

    Before I get going on the final assignment itself, I have a few things to say about the book. I really enjoyed this play, and the mix of characters they put into it. Especially how they interacted with each other. There is more to say, but that is for another post.
    After I finished reading the play, I had no idea how to compare this unruly family to the stricter family of the Capulets. In any way the families interacted, they were almost polar opposites. I had to re-read and look deeper to find any similarities, no matter how few there actually were.
    One similarity is how the family of TEOGROMITMM had disallowed Tillie to enter the science fair, just as the Capulets had disallowed Juliet to see Romeo. They are also similar in how they both eventually relented. Also, most of the interaction in both families was mother-daughter. (Minor, I know.)
    Lastly, the families both have rooted ideals in which the mothers were refusing to budge on. But in the end, the daughters broke through, and "good" prevailed.

TEOGROMITMM Thoughts/Self Reflection

Before I get into the blogging assignment for this week, let me say that I have enjoyed this play very much so far. The little intricacies are very amusing, or at least to me.
This play is one which I can relate to a bit, especially the parts with Nanny. My grandpa(mom's side) has Parkinson's Disease, which among other things has hindered his hearing tremendously. The way they have to yell everything to Nanny is annoying at times in the play, but I can relate. Little intricacies like this make the story much more relate-able. Also, I have been embarrassed by a sibling before, but not the way referenced in the book.
Overall, this play is very good, and I wish it were longer than it is. That would just make it that much better.

Shakespeare Final Thoughts/Reflections

             A major theme of Romeo and Juliet is classic tragedy. While this may not relate to tragedy simply because IS tragedy. This play has a lot of tragedy in it, that is for sure. Even the way Shakespeare molds the characters has resemblance to tragedy. The story in general also pertains, as that is clearly obvious as a theme. The plot is your generic 'forbidden love' problem, but with a twist: the families have had a deeply rooted rivalry for years, and are teetering on the brink of a 'battle' of sorts.
            The play begins with tragedy, as the girl Romeo loves does not love him, and she never will. He is distraught over this, and whines constantly. Juliet is going to be married to a person whom SHE doesn't love, setting up a new conflict. Romeo and Juliet make eye contact and instantly falling in love. One problem: their family forbids their love. So of course, they have hidden meetings at moonlight and a secret marriage.
            Then, a fight breaks out which ends with two people dead. Romeo kills one, and he is banished.  Juliet is in despair, as the love of her life is gone. With nothing left to live for, she fakes her death with a sleeping potion to avoid the forced marriage. Romeo hears she is 'dead' and rushes to her body. She doesn't awake, so he kills himself. She awakens to find him dead, and kills herself. Upon hearing this, the families get together to reconcile differences.
             Overall, the theme is very prevalent in this play, and is expressed throughout.

Week of 2/14/12: Thoughts on TNTSIJ

Irony is present within conversations in this play, even in the narrative. One example is; "Edward:I've got more than you have! Henry: Everyone does..." Considering what we learned about the meaning of huckleberries, which is what they are speaking of, The exact opposite might be true. Just another note, I find more of the huckleberry context to mean more considering what we deciphered. Also, when Williams is talking about going to Canada, to get as free as possible, its ironic that if he goes to Canada he will probably be extremely scrutinized there, more so than in the north.
Now, for the three most important characters.  In my opinion, we have Henry, Waldo, and Lydian. Now to pick who would play each. For Henry, I would pick George Clooney. Based on what roles I have seen him play in other films, he would fit the role just fine. For Waldo, I truly don't know. If I think of someone later, I will edit. For Lydian I chose Anne Hathaway. I chose her based on similar reasons as for Clooney.
Was Henry's protest successful? In my opinion, no. He did eventually get out, but not on his terms. He wanted to leave with a victory, not on terms of someone else's pitying for him.

Post for Week of Feb. 1, 2012: Bananafish and Jail

The short story we read this week, A Perfect Day for Bananafish was quite enjoyable, with good storytelling and such. The ending did surprise me a bit, as I did not see that coming at all. Anyways, the similarities between characters in this story and TCITR are few and far between. Muriel is similar to Holden in how she lies a bit to elders/parents, and enjoys having a sense of freedom. She also wants to be far away from her parents. Holden is similar to Seymour as well. Both like to keep their lives closed off from others, and are good at lying/making things up. Both had a sort of depressed demeanor, as evident with Seymour at the end of the story.
As for comments on a quote from The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail (Which is quite a slow read by the way), I chose the quote "Our own school, John. No buildings. Break out of the classroom prison. All we need is the sky!" Let me start with my interpretation of this based on Transcendentalist thought. He means that we don't need a classroom to learn, we don't need all of the materials, or being trapped in a classroom. We need freedom, and someone relatable to teach us. Freedom is clear here. A key belief in transcendentalism is independence, which Henry supports here. I myself may not agree, but it certainly something to think about.