Fahrenheit 451- blog 2

Mrs. Leffler, I just wanted to start off by saying this blog was a NIGHTMARE to write. I actually wrote it Tuesday night, I promise, but got distracted from my mother asking me to pack this and that, I never got around to packing the post button. Then, I conveniently forgot to pack my laptop on my trip to California. yay. So, I decide to attempt to re-write my blog first in the car on the way to the airport and then finish it on the plane because I noticed they had "wi-fi". Well, I finished, hit post, and I get this thing on my screen on how to pay for the wi-fi service on the plane. The wi-fi wasn't free! So, I hit the back button, and of course my long, in-depth blog that was probably better than this one was gone. I gave up at that point. SO, I just got home from my trip and here it is finally, a week late, my last Fahrenheit 451 blog.

I have officially decided that I do not like this book. I have one word for it, weird. It was just plain weird. And I found out I get it honest too, my dad said the exact same thing about it. Who knew book taste was hereditary?

I just didn't really like any of it. The whole concept just seemed a little wack to me. I don't understand the job of the so called "firefighters". They cause fires because things are now flame-proof? The buildings are obviously still flammable since they burn down when the firefighters light them. Accidents are still bound to happen. And what about forest fires? Who puts those out? There HAS to be some nature still left in that world. I know I wasn't really supposed to, but I didn't find any of this book really believable, which made it very hard for me like and get into. Like, Montag. I didn't like how he was so lucky towards the end of the book. I felt like things were just coming out of nowhere that benefitted him such as the river he just so happened to make it to just in time, and the group of people that he found that were just like him that he just happened to come upon after reaching land again from the river. That just wasn't very believable for me. And what about his messed up leg?? The book barely even mentioned it after the incident itself. There's no way he could have run across an entire city to save his life with a messed up leg. I also didn't like the outcome of the book. I wish Montag would have been the hero that I so wanted him to end up being and save the world and society through his original, gutsy plan. I didn't like how he kind of ran away from everything and is now having to save the world one memory and one by-passer at a time. It just wasn't my kind of story. All of the people in it just made me mad.

On a positive note, I do applaud Ray Bradbury's fast-paced story telling technique. I was never bored throughout the entire book.

Fahrenheit 451 blog 1

I haven't quite decided what I think about this book yet. It's really different for me. It makes me mad a lot, but I'm not sure if that's something that I like or not yet. Montag's wife, Mildred, makes me the maddest. She doesn't care about anything but some digital world and family! She never wants to listen to her real husband, and she doesn't know that he might be the only real person in the world that cares a little about her. Montag does care about her a little at least; he did take her to the "doctor" when she overdosed, and he worries about her doing it again. It just really makes me mad that she gives nothing back to her husband, who has done everything for her while she sits at home in the parlor, talking to her "family".

I loved Clarisse. I thought she was such a sweet girl, and I wanted to cry when they were talking about her being dead. I don't want to believe that she's dead for some reason. I don't think she was really that crazy. She did things that would be considered somewhat normal in today's society. Like her psychiatrist couldn't understand why she went hiking in the woods to watch birds and collect butterflies. This wouldn't be the most normal behavior for a 17-year-old girl, but it's not something to throw someone in a mental hospital for. She just wanted to know about the world around her; that's not crazy at all. But heaven forbid someone like her live in that society. People aren't allowed to think whatsoever.

I like that Montag wants to change things in his society. I like that he knows his job is wrong and that killing that woman was wrong. I felt sooo bad for that woman and for Montag in that scene. He tried so hard to get her out. Montag has so much hero inside of him; he wants to save anyone he can.

This book is weird. That's the best word I have for it right now. It's unlike anything I have read before. I will hopefully decide if I like it or dislike it soon though! Stay tuned for the answer :)

Life of Pi Pt. 4

Ahh Pi is finally saved! I loved the ending of the book; it really makes the reader think. I know it made me kind of question which story Pi told to the Japanese men was really true, the one with or without the animals. I definitely believe the one with the animals. I felt bad Pi was questioned so on his incredible journey; I wish people would have just accepted it and admire him for his survival through the most extreme circumstances.

I have questions about the island he found. How the heck was it so dangerous? Why couldn't he just keep living each day the same way on it? Granted, he eventually found real land by getting back on the lifeboat, but still, if he knew how to avoid the dangers of it, then couldn't he just keep on living there with an endless supply of food and water? The meercats could do it! And Richard Parker sure didn't seem to mind that much. The teeth would have freaked me out a little too, but I don't know if I would have the courage to face the Pacific Ocean again.

I felt sooo bad that Richard Parker left Pi as soon as they made it to Mexico! I wanted to cry with Pi after all they went through together. Poor Pi ended up loosing every part of his family. What surprised me was that he still wanted to move to Canada, even though his family wasn't going to be there with him because India would have brought back too many "sad memories". I felt so bad for the poor boy :( I also found it extremely interesting that Pi kept hanging on to as much food as possibly at the end of the book. He was obviously scared for his life that he would get about-to-die-hungry again.

I really like the Life of Pi. It truly was one of my favorite books that I've ever read. Great choice Mrs. Leffler! :)

Life of Pi Pt. 3

I still really like this book, but there were some kind of dull parts in this section, like the descriptions of fishing. Yes, they were necessary, but they were just dull to me. I couldn't imagine living his life. I couldn't imagine trying to tame a TIGER! Insane. Yes, again it was very necessary, but that task takes one brave person to try to master it.

Pi really starts learning to think on his feet more and more throughout this book. He learns that nothing should EVER go to waste. The boy that felt bad about killing his first first becomes an expert hunter that can even drink blood and kill a turtle mercilessly. Pi really grows up fast; and somehow doesn't go completely insane with his 227 days stranded at sea. He kept himself busy and always had faith in God. I would miss my family and friends way to much if I were him. The one chapter that told the part where he sang happy birthday to his mom made me want to ball my eyes out. I couldn't imagine comprehending that everything that I loved was gone. I really admire Pi's bravery. He learns to overcome all of his fears, from the tiger to the sharks to killing live animals, he conquers it all. "You can get used to anything", he says.

I am still loving this book. It is still really hard for me to put down, and although I want to know what happens, I don't want this book to end. Stay tuned for the final response on the Life of Pi coming shortly! :)

Life of Pi Pt. 2

First thing I want to say, I loved the beginning sentence of Part 2 of Life of Pi. It was simply "The ship sank." This made me wonder what the HECK happened! I love how action packed this Part 2 is of the book. You truly never know what might happen next. I really admire Pi's bravery so far; I don't think I could have lasted that long. I don't think I could have stayed sane for that long under the circumstances he was under. I probably just would have jumped overboard after the first day to be honest. I have been scared of big dogs ever since a Weimaraner chased me one day when I was running in my neighborhood. Never have I been more scared in my life. So watching that hungry hyena kill every other living creature on the boat would have probably made me have a panic attack. I am also afraid of boats on an ocean because of watching The Little Mermaid and The Black Stallion as a little kid, so this whole situation just would not have ended well for me. Also, I really admire his bravery in admitting to himself that his family is probably all gone. That is my biggest fear, loosing my family. I could never ever in a million years admit that they were gone to myself.

I do not understand how Pi did not notice he was on the same boat as a Bengal Tiger for 3 days. I mean the tiger must have made SOME noise or moved a little bit at least once. I also don't understand how he didn't even realize that he was hungry or thirsty for days. I guess fear and shock can do some crazy things to you, but I think my body would have definitely noticed there was no food in it very soon. Pi is extremely lucky that he has enough food and water on board the life boat to last him a couple of months though. He just has to get past the tiger, and I bet all of the dead animal carcasses on board the life boat smell god-awful too.

I have really enjoyed this book. I find it to be the ultimate survival story. I have trouble even putting the book down; the story has really consumed me. I can't wait to see what happens next! Stay tuned for more :)

Life of Pi pt. 1

Mrs. Leffler! You had me so worried about this book when you told us in class that the first 100 pages were really slow! I was all prepared for this book to be boring and blah, but I love it! I have found the Life of Pi to be really interesting so far. Once I start reading, I can barely put it down. I love Martel's vivid descriptions in his writing. They really make me feel like I'm inside the story. Whenever I am reading this book, I truly feel like my mind goes to India. I usually don't get into books this much, but I really really like the Life of Pi so far. It's by far my favorite book we have read in class.

I love the character Pi. I think he has one of the best hearts I have ever heard of. His view of God is something I admire. He came from a family that wasn't that religious, to being one of the most religious kids in the area. I loved his quote, "If there's only one nation in the sky, shouldn't all passports be valid for it?"I LOVE this. In a way, I believe this too. I think that we should stop worrying about whose right or wrong and just praise God together. All religions believe in Him in some way or another. I love that this kid has baffled everyone in his town by loving THREE different religions. He's definitely one-of-a-kind. He seems to be such a sweet boy. I wish more people could be like him. I also loved the way he connected the three religions by saying "Hindus, in their capacity for love, are indeed hairless Christians, just as Muslims, in the way they see God in everything, are bearded Hindus, and Christians, in their devotion to God, are hat-wearing Muslims."

I also learned a lot about zoology from reading the first 100 pages of this book, and I found it extremely interesting. My favorite part is when Pi's dad shows Pi and his brother the most dangerous animal in the zoo, the bengal tiger. I loved that Pi thought about how the Rhinos would have one less playmate after the tiger ate the goat. haha

I really can't wait to read the rest of this book. I already don't want it to end. Stay tuned for more on the Life of Pi! :)

-Chloe Nelson

The Color Of Water- Blog 3

Yay! We finished The Color of Water! So exciting! I have to say, I never really got too into this book to be honest, but I didn't necessarily dislike it either. I had a lot of "why" questions like why in the world would his mother keep having more and more kids if she was already financially unstable? I don't quite understand her reasoning on this. I also want to know why Ruth's first husband or one of his doctors didn't tell the poor woman that her husband had CANCER. Poor thing spent her whole life feeling guilty that she didn't know how sick he really was. I also thought it was wrong for Ruth to leave her sick mother behind. I don't care how unhappy or uncomfortable you are, you should always be there for your mom, especially if she's dying pretty much alone. I literally cried my eyes out during that part. I had to put my book down and go give my mom a hug. I couldn't imagine putting my mom through that, and Ruth had to live with the guilt of it her whole life.

One of the highlights of this book for me was when they brought Ruth home to Virginia and she reconnected with her childhood best friend Frances. They were the exact definition of "BFF" (best friends for life). It was so cute to see friends pick up right where they left off decades ago. I also found it a little strange that a McDonalds was built in the place of Ruth's family's store. The book never expresses Ruth's feelings toward this. I would really like to know what she thought about that.

I thought the story of this book was great and really inspiring. James's mom had to be extremely proud. That family's belief in Jesus was unlike anything I have ever heard of. Through all the bad in life, they always had hope that Jesus was going to come through for them and save them from all of the hurt and all of the bad, and he did. He gave that mother 12 highly successful children, which is all she ever wanted. I couldn't even imagine going through life this family lived, and I truly admire all of them for doing so. This book taught me a lot about the true meaning of "fitting in" and being happy with yourself no matter what the situation is. Just trust that God has a plan for you :)

Color of Water- Blog 2

This book keeps getting even more depressing! I swear, nothing worse could possibly happen to this poor family, the mom (Ruth) especially. I felt so bad for James while reading the part where he described playing with his reflection in the mirror. This was his way of envisioning himself living a better life, where he wasn't hungry all the time and where his mother wasn't white.

In chapters 10 through 18 of The Color of Water, we learn more about James's mother, Ruth's heartbreaking and inspiring story. I wanted to slap her father when he wouldn't let her walk through the Gentile church for her graduation. I don't blame her one bit for wanting to leave! She grew up in a world not trusting anyone enough to talk about her personal problems with. Even when she pregnant got pregnant at 15, she was too scared to tell her mother and even her sister. I do not know how this woman stayed sane whatsoever; I know that I personally would have left that house way before she did.

After James's stepfather dies, everyone kind of went off the deep end. James started slacking in school and became hooked on drugs and alcohol, and his mother took it extremely hard as well. Packing up and moving to Delaware was even harder on the family. I couldn't imagine trying to learn a completely different lifestyle like they had to. It was good for James, though. He started trying harder at school and even made it into college. I wanted to cry when he wrote about his mom crying when the bus drove away for him to go to college.

The more I read this book, the more I like it. It's growing on me! More coming soon :)

The Color Of Water- Blog 1

So if I could summarize the first part of *The Color of Water* in one word, it would be depressing. I seriously want to cry for this kid and his mother the entire time that I spend reading this book. It's just one thing after another for this family! When you think things can't possibly get any worse, they do. I could never ever in my wildest dreams imagine living in a family of 12 kids that fight for food and fight for affection. That's insane to me. And they aren't even just 12 regular kids; they are 12 MIXED kids that grow up during a time of segregation with only a white Jewish mom. That makes things 10 times worse. What James McBride, the author of the book, endured during his life amazes me and makes me feel extremely lucky for all that I have. 

One of the cutest things to me in this book so far to me was how James always took up for his mom and worried about her safety. When he was put on the bus to go to summer camp, he noticed this well-dressed black father dropping his son off for camp too. James almost even admired this man because of his nice clothes and cool handshakes, but as soon as James found out this man was a Black Panther he immediately dropped the admiration and worried for his mothers safety. He even punched the little kid! Another seen that truly struck my heartstrings was when James mom got her purse stolen at the subway. She didn't scream or anything, almost like she was used to it. It was so sooo sad to me to imagine seeing my mom in that position. I don't know what I would have done. And although she was oppressed by blacks and whites, James's mom didn't hate either. All she wanted in life was a good life for her family, which is why she pressed grades more than anything. 

James's mom's life story so far is extremely depressing too. Poor thing can't seem to catch a break anywhere. From being sexually abused, to having a handicapped mother, to having 2 husbands die and 12 kids to take of, to have absolutely none of her own family to help her out, to being the only white woman in a sea of black people, one might think the woman would go crazy, but somehow she didn't. She trusted that God would take care of her. That's so amazing to me that she had so much faith that everything was going to be okay, when it never had been before. She is one woman any girl could look up to. She did everything she could for her family.

So far, I like this book to an extent. I makes me rather sad though. Stay tuned for more blogs on *The Color Of Water*! :)

On Writing Essay :)

            Stephen King’s “Great Commandment” for aspiring writers is, “read a lot, write a lot”. King is a very firm believer in the commandment and clearly lets his reader know this through his book On Writing. King has always had a great love writing, even from a very young age, and he still continues with that love in his dedication to good writing today.

            Stephen King found his talent and love of good writing at a very young age. In first grade, he started writing his own “comic book” stories. He was obviously born a very creative; most kids would have never thought of doing this. I don’t think I could even write a full sentence in the first grade! In his first stories, he simply copied and enhanced one of his comic book stories. After hearing his mother say he needed to try to be original and make up one of his own, all he thought of were the endless possibilities. “There were more doors than anyone could open in a lifetime,” he thought. I feel like this was the moment King realized how fun writing was and that it was what he wanted to do the rest of his life.  The fact that he was sent to Center Grammar School as a kid while his brother attended Stratford Junior High also shows King’s and his family’s early dedication in a good writing background. When he was just eleven years old, King received a typewriter for Christmas from his mom. This showed that his mom truly believed in him because she probably couldn’t afford it easily. That typewriter was used to create many of King’s first failures early in life, but he was always dedicated to his writing and never gave up on his goals. He just kept on writing more and more. He saw rejections as constructive criticism and a reason to keep getting better. I love this attitude of Stephen King. Most people would have given up after their first couple of years of rejections, but King loved his writing too much to give it up. 

      

            King continued his dedication to good writing later in his life also. While sustaining many different jobs throughout his life, he always found the time to write. King believes that one should write a little each day in order to be successful. He thinks of good ideas for his writing in every aspect of his life. While working as a type of school janitor and cleaning the girls’ bathrooms, he thought of the beginning scene of his breakout novel Carrie. His dedication to writing followed him everywhere. Whenever something interesting happens in his life, his first thought is always about making the situation relevant to his writing. For example, after he is hit by a car and almost dies, the only thing he thinks about is the fact that the person that hit him is similar to one of the characters in his books. This might be a little bit obsessive to some people, but this strategy sure does work for him!

            Stephen King is very persistent in his belief that good writers should write a lot in order to be successful. He also believes that a writer should love writing and should want to find the time to write. Writing is almost as important as breathing to King, and I think in order for an aspiring writer to have success in this tough career choice, they should follow the great advice that King has written to them in On Writing. 

On Writing- Blog 3

So, who would have known that Stephen King almost died? Definitely not me! I found this kind of "short story" at the end of the book to be a really surprising, entertaining twist. The way he described his accident and the moments that followed were amazing, considering the fact most people probably couldn't remember anything after a collision so severe. I found myself feeling really bad for laughing out loud in some of the parts of On Living: A Postscript. He cracked jokes in the middle of painful images and memories! How does he make something so painful and so serious funny? I know that I could never do it, that's for sure. This was one of my favorite parts of the book though; it really kept me on the edge of my seat. He was SO lucky he lived to tell the tale.

The rest of On Writing was good as well. I liked how he stressed that themes aren't really that big of a deal, and that just about every time your story is going to contain one, whether you mean to or not. King is a big believer in keeping the door shut while writing a first draft, the "all-story" draft as he calls it, and not telling anyone for a good while about his stories. I love his reasoning of this because that way no one can influence you or discourage you on your writing. He also believed you should take some time off after your first draft so you can spot the "gaping holes" in your stories later. I love King's reference to the Titanic when he mentions that everyone makes mistakes. "Someone really did design the Titanic and then label it unsinkable," he says.

I find King's love for his wife so incredibly cute. He just says the sweetest things about her in this book! I literally have to stop and say "Awww" out loud at some points in the book. The way he thinks about her as his "Ideal Reader" is really sweet. He thinks of the things that will make her laugh and smile. He even gives up "his darlings" for her. I know that this is what your supposed to do with an Ideal Reader, but the way he does it with her is so cute to me. Sorry, I am a hopeless romantic I guess.

King's editing process is plain and simple. Cut out anything boring or useless or messes up the flow of the story. I love it! Genius! He also pays very close attention to when friends read his book. He cares very much what other people think about his writing, as he should because the reader is his main priority.

All in all, I really did like On Writing. I found it to be entertaining as well as very informative. I really learned a ton from this book about writing, and I hope it will rub off! haha. Stay tuned followers for the essay on On Writing will be coming soon! :)

State of the Union Address

After two years of his presidency, I still have don't quite decided what I think about President Obama. I hear so many people dislike him, but I don't feel like he's done anything wrong. I love how everyone at the Address is wearing the light blue ribbons in memory of Congresswoman Giffords. I have to admit, I have never seen Obama speak. I have always assumed that it would be boring, but after watching the first 20 minutes of this speech, I have come to the conclusion that Obama really is a great speaker. He doesn't bore me to death, not yet anyway. I like that he stressed at the beginning that everyone needed to work together. That's the only way we are ever going to get anything accomplished, by compromise. He said that we now have competition out there, such as China and India. I like that he stressed that we aren't going to get anything accomplished by just standing around. We need to put a heavier emphasis on math and science as these two countries have done. "We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world." I like that he wants to spark creativity in innovation in our country. This is how we will create new jobs. I love his line "This is our Sputnik moment." This is our time to shine and beat the world to the next level. I think it's great that he wants more of the country to "go green"; he even said that he plans on not giving as many of our tax payer dollars away to oil companies. I think "going green" is so so soooo important to not only our country, but the whole world. It has always been a secret dream of mine to help this movement. 

I am a strong believer of more kids having higher expectation in school. I love how Obama has taken interest in the kids of the nation not getting the education they deserve and need. I think being from the state with one of the highest rates of high school drop-outs, we need to really up our education if our children are going to get a good job one day. I really like his views on immigration too. It really doesn't make since that we have so many bright immigrants that we send back to their country to compete against us. NO sense at all. 

Now I don't know much about health care or insurance, but I think I like what Obama said about these issues. I also like that he is making an effort to fixing our debts. I think it's wonderful that he wants the people to know what's going on in the government too. haha I bet all of those people get tired of standing up and down so often. 

After watching the Address, I have decided that I like President Obama. I feel like he has some really good ideas about how to improve our country. He is also a very good speaker; I didn't get bored once the entire time. I feel that if he can make the changes he talked about tonight, America will be a much stronger nation and world power. Thank you for reading my blog; stay tuned for more!

On Writing- Blog 2

So, I'm going to be honest; I think that I liked the CV better than the Toolbox to Chapter 9. I did enjoy some of the reading after the CV though. I loved how he used the toolbox as a metaphor for all the mechanics you need for writing, and I also loved how he kept going back to the "muse" that is inspiration. The stories being found like fossils was also interesting to me. I really admire Stephen King for trying to be entertaining while basically writing a "how to" guide to writing. He kept the reader consumed in his writing even in the duller parts.

I personally learned a ton from reading the Toolbox to Chapter 9. First, I learned the importance of reading a lot. As Stephen King said, you can learn just as much from bad writing as you can from good writing. This was a real eye-opener to me because I really don't read enough. I learned that I need to start reading more if I want my writing to get better. Another big thing I learned was that you need to be true to yourself in your writing. Write about what you know, and write down the first words that come to your head. There's no need to find a synonym or extra "fluff". I am so guilty of making my writing to where it will please other people and not myself. This book showed me that I can write the way I want to and possibly please my reader even more at the same time. How exciting! One tactic of King's I found kinda weird was that he didn't like using a plot. He couldn't even predict his own stories most of the time. This would drive me INSANE.

King's take on English cracked me up. His hatred for adverbs was so great that he mentioned it in just about every chapter. I also liked how he mentioned that too much description in a book can be worse than not enough description. I absolutely hate a book that has too much description. It makes the story painfully boring. That's King's goal: don't take away from the story, and use anything you have in your toolbox to improve it.

All in all, I still do like Stephen King's On Writing, but I did like the CV better than the Toolbox to Chapter 9. King is one of the best writers that I have read. I have actually dreamed about meeting him the past three nights in a row. I'm not even kidding. I even dreamed that he was in our class last night. Weird, I know, but true haha. I cannot wait to finish this book and see what other tools are waiting to be uncovered in On Writing. Stay tuned for my final blog! Thanks for reading!

On Writing- Blog 1

First thing I am going to say, I really really like this book. It's a refreshing change to the dull books we have had to read for school before. Stephen King's tells his stories in such a vivid and entertaining way. I LOVE it. His images of going to the the ear doctor, the "otiologist" as he calls it, made me want to cringe in pain and laugh hysterically at the same time. I had never really felt this way during a book; it caught me off guard a little. When I first started reading this book, I was not aware that Stephen King wrote Carrie. I absolutely love Carrie; I remember watching the movie with my mom for the first time sometime around Halloween right after I had ankle surgery. It's the only horror movie I have ever been able to watch without having nightmares for weeks on end. I was so excited to read about his inspiration for the masterpiece that is Carrie. I literally squealed of excitement when I read the bathroom scene where Stephen King is cleaning the girls bathroom and thinks of the opening of Carrie. It gives me chills. I also didn't know that Stephen King was discovered by the same guy that discovered John Grisham. I squealed of excitement at this part too. I absolutely love how Stephen King never once stopped writing throughout his entire life. Through all of his adversity he turned to writing to express his feelings. I think it's amazing that he had that much passion in what he did. I think it's really funny that he looks back at his childhood babysitter, Eula-Beulah, as what prepared him most for literary criticism. I also think it's crazy that he started watching horror films by the age of 11. I watched Jurassic Park at age 11 and I STILL have fears of a T-Rex standing outside my window. I don't understand how watching those scary movies became a passion for such a young child. He even refers his trips to the Ritz Movie Theatre as "educational". This is crazy to me, but I like all of the vivid stories he tells of going to these movies. There are really so many things to like about this book; it keeps you wanting more. The only thing I didn't really like or understand was the occasional random story, like when he goes from selling the paperback of Carrie to the story of his first time getting drunk. This is one of the only things that confused me. All in all, I really have enjoyed this book, and I can honestly say that I can't wait to finish it. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more.

-Chloe