Short Story

This week I began writing my short story, and I chose to write about a girl who lives in Hawaii and was an avid surfer. The conflict evolves when The Marriot Resort chain sends a letter notifying Morgan (the main character) and her dad about a new plan to set up a hotel on their beach. At this, the whole beach is mortified, but the only person who actually took action was Morgan and her guy friends (who are big surfers). They convinced the Van Tour to come to their beach for a competition and if one of the surfers wins, they keep the beach. Morgan ends up winning the competition, and the resolution is  a surf school  set up on the beach where Morgan and her friends are able to continue riding the waves. It might sound like some Disney channel movie, but with description and real sounding dialogue, I'm hoping to make the structure and format of the story more complex. Hopefully all of these elements come together as I continue to advance the story of a surfer who stands up for her beach. 

All the Pretty Horses (end..)

I finally finished All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, but I wasn't very impressed by the ending. The long stretch where John Grady was with the captain and the charro was probably my least favorite part of the book because it was difficult to follow, and the descriptions seemed endless. I believe McCarthy wanted this feel to give that section somewhat of a depressing tone, and signify that stage in John Grady's life. Also, the scene before that when John Grady was in the shoot out with the horses and the owners of the barn was very scattered, but again, this could represent the confusion that all of the characters experienced during that scene and their frantic emotions to stay alive. Overall, I thought All The Pretty Horses was an okay novel with some fast sections, but sometimes over descriptive in the setting or about the horses (although this makes sense with the title).

All The Pretty Horses #2

I'm having a difficult time getting through All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy because of some of the Spanish in dialogue and also frequent and wordy descriptions used about horses, landscapes, and characters. The plot is pretty entertaining, but those elements tend to trip me up. I'm also a little behind in the reading, and I feel very rushed having to read so many pages every night with everything else going on. So far, my favorite event is when John Grady was able to train all the wild horses and show his boss that he was very skilled. At the same time, I'm empathetic for Rawlins because he gets hardly any recognition (even though his riding skills aren't up to the level of John Grady), and has to continue working with the others while John Grady tends to the stallion and eventually gets them into trouble. As far as I am in the book, I'm interested (even though we've discussed some of it in class) to see how their friendship is affected by these tests.

The Kite Runner #4

The rest of Chapter 2 basically describes Hassan, the friend of the protagonist, and different aspects of his life. "In the eighteen years that I lived in that house, I stepped into Hassan and Ali's quarters only a handful of times. When the sun dropped low behind the hills and we were done playing for the day, Hassan and I parted ways. I went past the rosebushes to Baba's mansion, Hassan to the mud shack where he had been born, where he'd lived his entire life. I remember it was spare, clean, dimly lit by a pair of kerosene lamps. There were two mattresses on opposite sides of the room, a worn Herati rug with frayed edgeds in between, a three-legged stool, and a wooden table in the corner where Hassan did his drawings. The walls stood bare, save for a single tapestry with sewn-in beads forming the words Allah-u-akbar. Baba had bought it for Ali on one of his trips to Mashad" (Hosseini 6). The intense description shows the large importance that Hassan had on the speaker's life, and his loss (as he described) must have been tragic. Even though the character hadn't been in his house, he remembered much detail and this shows the tone of that imagery in the book.

All The Pretty Horses #1

I've enjoyed the laid back style while reading All The Pretty Horses. I think it's interesting how Cormac McCarthy neglects quotation marks , and it makes the dialogue a lot smoother sounding. The only issue I've had is following the speaker at times, and understanding some of the events through the great amount of description that McCarthy uses. Despite this, I'm enjoying reading of the "wanna be" cowboys, and the trouble they get themselves into (or out of) while aspiring to own a ranch. I also believe Jimmy Blevins will become a significant character later on in the story, and him appearing earlier on is acting as a type of foreshadowing. With his superior horse and marksmanship, he brings in the possibility of death and injury to any character. One of my favorite characters to follow is Rawlins, because he is so random and does or says spontaneous things to draw more attention to him as a character. A question I'm curious about is why he left with John Grady Cole in the first place if his life seemed fairly content, but hopefully this will be answered later on.

The Kite Runner #3

I'm beginning to notice the great amount of description Hosseini uses in The Kite Runner. An example is when the speaker is talking of his father's house, "Everyone agreed that my father, my Babahad built the most beautiful house in the Wazir Akbar Khan district, a new and affluent neighborhood in the northern part of Kavul. Some thought it was the prettiest house in all of Kabul. A vroad entryway flanked by rosebushes led to the sprawling house of marble floors and wide windows. Intricated mosaic tiles, handpicked by Baba in Isfaestries, which Baba had bought in Calcutta, lined the wall; a crystal chandelier hung from the vaulted ceiling" (Hosseini 4). I believe this detail depicts the personality of the main character, Amir. He seems to be very thorough and conscientious about his decisions based on the plot and stories that he has shared at this point in the book. Amir seemed to be very close to his friends in Kabul, and the endless stories he recounts recollect the moments that were interrupted by some event. This has not yet been revealed, but I'm hoping to get an understanding of it soon.

O Brother Where Art Thou?

This week I've enjoyed watching O Brother Where Art Thou?. It is very interesting to observe how more modern events relate to the different books of The Odyssey. In situations like the sirens to the laundry women, the Cyclops to Big Dan, Everett and Odysseus's similar personality traits, and much more. In the movie, Odysseus's character flaw of pride and arrogance can be related to Everett's obsession with his hair and using products such as Dapper Dan and hairnets to slick it. Pete and Delmar resemble Odysseus's crew when they get jealous of Odysseus's power, but unlike the crew, they pull through for Everett. Also, Everett is in constant pursual of his wife and getting back home to his family throughout the long and treacherous voyage. No surprise that when he finally arrives home, Penny is engaged to Vernon T, but through a clever plan, he wins her over once again. My favorite scene is probably when the Soggy Bottom Boys perform "A Man of Constant Sorrow" at a dinner while the campaigning governor and crowd go wild in applause, and the surprise when the boys start playing the song that the whole crowd recognizes. Overall, O Brother Where Art Thou was a classic movie that broadened my understanding of The Odyssey and its relation to the present.

The Kite Runner #2

In the second chapter of The Kite Runner, the speaker talks of his relationship with Hassan as a child. They used to sit in trees reflecting the sunlight off of mirrors into their neighbors' eyes, and collect berries and nuts to throw at the half blind cat's eye. Hassan is described, "I can still see Hassan up on that tree, sunlight flickering through the leaves on his almost perfectly round face, a face like a Chinese doll chiseled from hardwood: his flat, broad nose and slanting, narrow eyes like bamboo leaves, eyes that looked, depending on the lights, god, green, even sapphire" (Hosseini 3). This elaborate description shows the true friendship among the boys, and must have significance to further events. In the previous chapter, the speaker says how everything changed with Hassan and some other friends the summer when he traveled to Pakistan, I'm guessing as a type of foreshadowing. I'm looking forward to seeing how this relationship and the friendships with the other men mentioned in chapter one will reflect on the novel.

The Kite Runner #1

The first chapter of the book begins in the December 2001 with the author speaking of the year 1975 when he was 12 years old peering into a deserted valley, and how he still does it at the age of 26. Later, he explains how his friend Rahim Khan asked him to come visit him from Pakistan. The chapter also talks about a person named Hassan, "And suddenly Hassan's voice whispered in my head: For you, a thousand times over. Hassan the harelipped kite runner." So far, it has not been explained who Hassan is or what exactly "kite runner" means but from my understanding it is someone who flies a kite...In the end of the chapter, the author explains how his life changed completely after that visit in Pakistan when he was twelve.

The Odyssey (End!)

This weekend I finally finished The Odyssey...I was actually pretty surprised by the ending after Odysseus finally killed all the suitors, and then their angered families rebelled against Odysseus and his reign. But Athena, who had the idea for Ithaca to be freed from the suitors after all, abrubtly ended the fighting, "And Athena handed down her pacts of peace between both sides for all the years to come..."(24.598-600) Finally, Ithaca is in peace and no brazen suitors will take over. There were a few interesting literary techniques and words I've also noticed while reading The Odyssey. First of all, the adapted language seems to be more recent and even kind of funny when they say things such as "catch my drift" and "If only" and other sayings. These sometimes throw me off when I'm reading because the stories are told with a type of older vocabulary and methods and then one of these sayings will come up and sound totally out of place. Also, just some of the swearing seems like phrasing that wouldn't be used as frequently in the Greek ages. Overall, I enjoyed reading the adventurous tales of Odysseus and all the the places where he ventured.

The Odyssey #1

So far, I've enjoyed reading The Odyssey by Homer more than many of the other novels we've read in english class. The adventurous story reads faster than other books and is very engaging when you sit down and actually read it. Since I previously listened to the story line in sixth grade, the plot is easier to follow and identify the events that are taking place. Currently, I am a little behind in the books and am reading book 14, after Odysseus returned to Ithaca. Everything seems pretty familiar because we also made detailed drawings of events in sixth grade, so I can refer back to those also if I have any question. For the class assignment, our group is working on books 21-22. These are the ending books where Odysseus is in Ithaca and disguises himself as an old man as a part of the plot to drive away and kill all of the suitors taking over his house. Penelope is very relieved when she realizes her husband has finally returned and the suitors are finally gone. After the long journey Odysseus finally returned to his homeland and his family is restored.  

Outside Reading: Quarter #3

For my outside reading book this quarter I chose to read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I've heard this is a classic read and very engaging so I'm excited to get started. I haven't read yet, but from what I've heard it describes the story of a man who faces his country's revolution and invasion by Russian forces. It shows the struggle to overcome suppression of government or in a country. At first, my family recommended the novel to me but I also figured it would be interesting based on all of the publicity it was given. Based on all the talk on TV, in magazines, or just my peers, I hope the story will fill my expectations. 

Outside Reading #10

As My Sister's Keeper progresses,  Julia Romano, Anna's guardian ad litem, or an adult who acts as emotional support and watches over Anna throughout the case, is introduced into the scene. Ironically, her and Campbell Alexander dated while they both attended Wheeler High School. Campbell describes why he is attracted to her, "Unlike the other girls in school, with their smooth waterfalls of yellow hair caught up in a headband like ribbon candy, her was an absolute tornado of black curls, and she never wore makeup-just those sharp features, take it or leave it. She had the thinnest hop I'd ever seen, a silver filament , through her left eyebrow. She smelled like fresh dough rising" (Picoult 120). However, as the lawsuit goes on, Campbell continues to tell their history, leading to the downfall, which is why there is so much tension between the two working together. For some reason, Julia avoids talking to Campbell because she's already "too hurt" and can't "go through it again". These solutions will evolve furthur into the novel. Meanwhile, Jesse has just been arrested for stealing a judge's Humvee. This is possibly the worst move for the time and its interesting to see how everyone will deal with everything. 

Outside Reading #9

A lot of events and opinions have changed throughout multiple chapters. Anna confirmed to Judge DeSalvo, even after telling her mother she would like to withdraw the lawsuit, that she wants to carry it out. Campbell Alexander was then put in a difficult situation, as he believes that Sara Fitzerald is influencing Anna's opinions on the case by living together, so he files a restraining order from Anna against her mother. This shocks both his client and her mother, bringing up true emotions within the household, and finally the judge denies the order. However, this event moves Brian to invite Anna to stay with him at the firehouse for a few days, just to give Anna some room to breathe. Out of all of the family members, I believe the Brian is the most concerned and insightful on Anna's situation because he is less preoccupied by Kate's needs. Meanwhile, Kate had kidney failure, and was immediately sent to the familiar hospital room, where it became obvious that a kidney transplant from a perfect match donor (Anna) would be needed in the near future. As Kate's health diminishes, the lawsuit heats up, and tensions in the Fitzerald household are bigger than ever.