Figurative Language is an Important Language to Speak

 

     Today I have decided to blog about figurative language in Divergent. I think I should mention that Veronica Roth isn't one of those authors that fills every page with figurative language. Its not like a metaphor here then a simile and hyperbole over there and then two paragraphs of imagery on the next page. I think it's totally fine too. Not every author has to pack their writing with figurative language to make an effect on the reader. In fact, sometimes figurative language can be over done and it takes away from the story itself. Maybe that's why Roth uses subtle figurative language. There's enough to please the reader and it still allows the plot to be what attracts their attention.

     One thing about Roth's use of figurative language is that it doesn't jump right out at you so you recognize it write away. It blends perfectly into the writing like a chameleon (Did you see what I did there? I used a simile in my blog about figurative writing, I'm so clever). I had to be on alert and looking for it to find some examples to show you guys. One example of a metaphor can be found on page 262. Roth writes, "It makes a lot of sense, which makes me suspect it is a call for revolution wrapped in the clothing of rationality" (Roth 262). Here Tris is talking about an article Erudite released about Abnegation controlling the government. She uses this metaphor to explain how the argument was valid but it had a deeper purpose of trying to start an uprising against the government.

     An example of a personification can be found on page 265. Tris thinks to herself, "Too long-and now, even longer, my heart even louder, his tranquil eyes swallowing me whole" (Roth 265). Tris and Four find themselves staring at each other. Obviously Four's eyes aren't literally swallowing Tris-that would be very creepy. This personification is used to show how deep and strong Four's gaze is and the effect is has on Tris. There is also some imagery in this quote. We can see Four's eyes and hear Tris' heart beat. I really like the small bits of figurative language Roth uses. I don't think she needs to use too much because her story is already so powerful. The literary techniques just enhance her writing to make it even better. Author's definitely should use at least some figurative language so their writing doesn't become a lecture. Figurate language is a universal language that makes sense to everyone.



Readers can be Psychic

     I'm moving further into Divergent and I am loving every page turn! Right now I'm at the part where Tris just got beat up by Peter in their duel, which I believe was a totally unfair match and it was all Eric's fault, who I really don't like, he just gives me this bad feeling and- sorry I'm ranting aren't I? Anyway, Tris and the rest of the initiates have just visited the fence to learn about Dauntless jobs. She had a brief conversation with Robert who was from Abnegation and switched to Amity. Then Four warns her about the decisions she makes. The chapter ended with Four and Tris talking and it really got me thinking...

     First off, I think that Four is really Tobias (the son of one of Marcus who is one of the Abnegation political leaders). Earlier in the book Tris' father eplains the story of how Tobias switched factions. He said, "'Two years ago, Tobias, left us for the Dauntless, and Marcus was devastated'" (Roth 34). Later on when Eric tells Four that Max wanted to meet with him, we find out it was to talk about a job. Eric asks if he's interested and Four replies, "'I haven't been interested for two years'" (Roth 68). Even farther into the book we learn that Four finished first out of all the initiates in his group. The top initiates get to pick form the best jobs in the Dauntless faction. From all of this information I am led to believe that Tobias switched to Dauntless, changed his name (just as he advised to Tris who changed her name from Beatrice), finished first in his group, picked the job he wanted, and that job wasn't the job Max wanted him to pick.

     I also predict that Four and Tris develop a sort of romance. When on her way to the fence, Tris constantly finds herself admiring Four. Tris explains, "Every few seconds, though, my eyes shift back to Four...I do it without thinking" (Roth 122). From her subconscious tendency to look at Four we can start to see her affection growing for him. I also have picked up on some hints that indicate Four has his eye on Tris. When the two are talking at the fence Tris asks him why he left when she was getting beat up by Peter. He replies, "'It wasn't something I wanted to watch'" (Roth 129). We can guess that Four wasn't able to do anything about her getting beat up due to Eric being there and the ways of the faction. However, he may have left because he has feelings for Tris and couldn't bear to watch her get hurt, unable to do anything about it.

     I hope my predictions are right and that I am truly a psychic reader. It helps if you really pay attention to details and pick up on the little hints from the author. Of course it also helps if you see the movie previews do to the show being so widely advertised. And then overhearing your friends talk about the book before you have even picked it up can help with figuring out what happens next too. Obviously I only used the context clues because I'm just skilled like that (*Wink*). I guess the only way to find out if my predictions are correct is to continue reading. Divergent here I come!




Online you can figure out what faction you belong in! Take the Aptitude Test now!

Captivating Word Usage

     I have done it. I have finally done it. I'm reading Divergent! Boy am I glad I have too. I know some of my friends would be proud of me and now they can stop badgering me to read it. I haven't seen the movie yet, I wanted to read the book first. I like to get all the details of the story and then I can better understand the movie. Plus I rather read the book and know the ending of the movie instead of watch the movie and know the ending of the book. Does that make sense? Well I guess as long as I know what I mean I'm good. Anyway, the point is I have started Divergent and so far I love it!

   
      First off can I just ask where on Earth these authors get inspiration to write books like this? I mean Veronica Roth has to have a pretty imaginative mind. And a great vocabulary might I add. One thing that has really stood out to me is her word usage. I am only 60 pages in and yet I have found a bunch of examples of unique words. Here are just a couple that lept to me off of the page:

"We don't need stoplights, either, but in some places thay dangle precariously over the road like they might crash down any minute" (Roth 24).

Precariously means exposed to or invloving danger. Using the word dangerously or unsteadily has been over done and people are used to seeing these words. Using a word not as familiar intrigues the reader. It also really demonstrates the state of the old stoplights. We fully understand how unsafe they seem.

"The reason for simplicity isn't disdain for uniqueness, as the other factions have sometimes interpreted it" (Roth 27).

Disdain means to think unworthy of notice. This word shows how some of the other factions think Abnegation live simply because they don't like individuality. I really like this word and haven't  heard it a whole lot. Again Roth uses her great vocabulary to enhance her writing.

"He and I have been exchanging looks for the past year as Susan and Caleb flirt in the tentative way known only to the Abnegtion" (Roth 29).

Tentative means uncertain or hesitant. This word is a little more familiar than the others I have shown. However it still is a great word to describe the shy sort of flirting going on between Susan and Caleb.

     You can see from these examples what a great vocabulary Veronica Roth has. She uses very nice elevated diction that gives her writing a sense of sophistication. I can't wait to keep reading and see what new words I can discover!



A Letter to the Author

 

Dear Rick Riordan,

 

     Currently I am coming to a close with your novel The House of Hades. First can I just say how excited I was for the release of this book at the end of last year. The Mark of Athena left all of your dedicated readers hanging. I know it's how you keep people coming back to read your work but it creates an agonizing wait to find out what happens next! If only books could be written, edited, and published in a matter of days (sigh). Although, if this were true novels wouldn't have near as much quality as they do!


     There are a couple of things about your writing that I really enjoy. First off, your genre. For whatever reason I love fantasy books. Particularly, I tend to be drawn to books based off of mythology. You can see that The House of Hades fits comfortably under this category. Greek mythology really intrigues me. I enjoyed your Percy Jackson books and when I saw the Heroes of Olympus series I just had to get my hands on the books. It's really cool how you included Roman mythology this time and connected it with the Greek mythology. The fact that you incorporate mythology into modern life and include details of historical events is really creative.


     Your use of literary techniques is always really impressive as well. On almost every page you found an exciting way to describe a setting, character, mood of a scene, etc. For example you wrote, "In the fiery light of the Titan's armor, her Death Mist disguise made her look like a burning ghoul" (Riordan 471). In this single sentence you use not one, but two, that's right two techniques. You describe the Titans armor using imagery so we can picture how bright it glows. You also used a simile to explain what Annabeth looked like after spending so much time in Tartarus. Of course you know why you used these techniques (I am simply explaining for the benefit of my blog readers who also get to view this letter).


    One more thing that I really enjoy about your work is how you put personality in your characters. I feel like I know each demigod very well. You use direct and indirect characterization throughout the whole book. Readers are told what people look like and we learn their character traits when we see how they react in certain situations and around other people. Towards the end of the book Leo meets a goddess Calypso and we learn a little more about him from their encounter. You wrote, "But Leo? He was the annoying guest she couldn't get rid of. She'd never fall for him, because she was totally out of his league. Not that he cared. She wasn't his type anyway. She was way too annoying, and beautiful, and - well, it didn't matter" (Riordan 379). Here we can see Leo has some self confidence issues. We also can see that he is starting to fall for Calypso but he doesn't want to admit it to himself.


     I think you're a great author. You do a great job of allowing readers to connect to your writing. Your stories leap off the page and come to life. I can't wait to read another one of your novels! Thanks for your hard work and dedication.
                                                         Sincerely,
                                                                           Kayla Stroud

Stand Out Lines

 

       Recently while reading The House of Hades I came across a line that really stood out to me. But before I tell you what it was, let me set the stage of what is going on. Jason and Nico have just faced Cupid, god of love. The demigods were after Diocletian's scepter. It has the power to summon the ghosts of the Roman legions. The only way Cupid will give them the scepter is if Nico spills his feelings. Nico isn't the type of guy who just proclaims he loves someone to the world. In fact, he hardly talks. He is a child of Hades, so he prefers to slink aroung in the shadows. He bottles his emotions up. After reading this chapter I realized how alone he feels-no self confidence. I think many of us know people like this. I think it's our job to help lift these people up, make them feel wanted.

 

     Nico is scared of Cupid and scared of his feelings. However, he knows he has to confess them to help out his friends. I'm not going to tell you who Nico has interest in for sake of spoiling the book, but he does tell. After Nico fesses up, Riordan wrote a line that really stuck out to me. He said, "Fot the first time, Cupid's gaze seemed sympathetic. 'Oh, I wouldn't say Love always makes you happy.' His voice sounded smaller, much more human. 'Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad. But at least you've faced it now. That's the only way to conquer me" (Riordan 292). I think this line speaks volumes. I see it apply to everyday life as wells as the story. This quote propels the plot and gives some insight to what may happen in the future.


     First off let me talk about how this line is relevant to our lives. Most people probably think of hearts and happy couples when they hear the word love. However, with love comes heartache and I think that's what Cupid was trying to say in this quote. At some point in our lives, we may feel the sadness of loving someone who doesn't love us back. Or we may be hurt by someone we love. That's tough. Some people deal with it in different ways. There are people like Taylor Swift who write world known songs as revenge. There are people who cry and watch movies all day eating out of a gallon bucket of ice cream. And there are people like Nico who bottle their feelings up until they can't take it anymore and then they explode. Cupid also says you have to face love to conquer it. I think this means that in order to move past our feelings we have to admit to them first and accept them.


     I this quote also being very important to the book. The group of demigods all have struggles with love. Each one of them grew up without one parent, due to them being a god. Also, within the group there are four couples and let me just say it's hard when at least a few members are in trouble at every moment. They have to risk their lives for each other. If you have read my previous posts I mentioned Hazel, Nico's sister. She may have to die because she loves her friends. It also possible that her brother has to die instead. Then there is Nico who loves someone who doesn't feel the same way. I think now that Nico has expressed his emotion to Jason and Cupid, he may be able to get over it. This quote could also foreshadow some hardship in the future for the demigods because of certain relationships. Only reading will tell!

Connections can be anywhere!

     Today I'm going to take a break from blogging about my personal book. I figured you guys might want to hear about something different than the same old Greek mythology story. After finishing Fahrenheit 451 for class I realized how much it reminds me of a musical I am currently in. The musical I'm talking about is the school show; Urinetown. Yes, I know it's a weird name for a musical. I assure you the plot line is even stranger! This story is seriously messed up- it's a jumble of angry poor people and singing cops and evil businessmen and random outbursts into intense choreography and a not so happy ending- all adding up to pure chaos on a stage.

 

     Urinetown is about a city where a devastating drought has occured. It's so bad that people have to pay to pee. If you can't pay or if you go somewhere else, the cops take you to Urinetown. In truth Urinetown is really them just pushing you off of a building. I kid you not someone actually wrote this into a musical! What is wrong with people these days? The main character is a young man named Bobby Strong. He leads a rebelion to gain free access. Bobby reminds me of Montag. Bobby didn't question the society much in the beginning, just like Montag. Bobby's call for action was sparked when he met a young woman named Hope. Hope is one of those girls who just loves to love. I mean it gets to the point where you wanna yell, "Hope, not everything is rainbows and hearts! Wake up and smell the stench of Urinetown already!" Anyway, after meeting Booby she tells him to follow his heart. Bobby's heart told him that change needed to happen. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag's questioning began when he met Clarisse. Clarisse asked so many questions that Montag never thought. This caused him to begin to wonder about their society. Ray Bradbury writes, "How immense a figure she was on the stage before him; what a shadow she threw on the wall with her slender body!" (Bradbury 9). We can see how large of an impact she made on Montag. In both stories the main character's change was sparked by a young female. Once these characters get their idea of a new way of life, they go to extremes to fulfill their goal.

 

    The plots of these two stories also have some similarities. The main character tries to start a revolution against those they see doing wrong in their society. For Bobby that is Mr. Cladwell, head of the Urine Good Company which controls the public bathrooms. For Montag it is the government/ firemen and their burning. However Bobby gets an entire group of poor people to follow him, Montag only gets Faber's help. The endings of Fahrenheit 451 and Urinetown both are a bit disapointing, at least in my eyes. If there is one thing that bothers me, it's when a story either ends poorly or open ended. Lucky for me Urinetown and Fahrenheit 451 both end in one of these ways (why?!?!?!?!?). Montag fails in his attempt to overthrow the firemen. Also, he never brings back books the way we wanted him to. At least this story has an ending with potential and hope. In Urinetown Bobby gets pushed off a building, so Hope leads the revolution and pushes Mr. Cladwell of a building. Their revolution succeeds however the water becomes silty and unuseable from over consumption. The result? Everybody dies! Yeah no hope there...

   I find it intersting how two completely different texts can have hidden similarities. I mean who would have thought a book about a society that burns literature and a musical about paying to pee could be connected?

Watch the video below to see the Tony awards performance of Urinetown!
Although the title is befuddling, I promise you it has great music!
 

Where Are They Now?

 

 

     Ok, so I realize my title may be a bit misleading. Sorry, but this post isn't like one of those reality TV shows that tell you where your favorite stars from five years ago ended up. This post is about the setting in my book. Well, one of the settings. There are eight characters and each chapter focuses on the journey of one imparticular. Not all of the characters are in the same place and everyone is constantly on the move because of the quest. It makes the story interesting but it can be hard to follow. The only people as of now who are constantly in one place are Annabeth and Percy. They're stuck in Tartarus, the hell for monsters and Titans. This is the setting I am going to focus on.

 

     First off, let me just say that I would never want to go to Tartarus. Some books have really nice settings that you can easily picture yourself visiting. Yeah, not for this book! The only way Annabeth and Percy can survive in Tartarus is by drinking magic fire, which helps them but it burns their throats as they swallow it. The atmosphere is poisonous and the landscape is treacherous with jagged rocks every where. Riordan writes, "They picked their way across the ashen wasteland as red lightening flashed over head in the poison clouds" (Riordan 161). Sounds cozy huh? Not to mention the fact that monsters who have been destroyed are litterally reborn from the ground. They emerge from large blisters on the surface. The two demigods with the help of a friendly Titan have to travel over this deadly landscape into a dark forest to get to the doors of death. To help you picture Tatarus even more both Percy and Annabeth notice that the land seems to be living. The ground is described to be skin like. Annabeth thinks it's the body of the god Tartarus himself. I have to admit Annabeth and Percy are brave to be traveling across a place like that. They are scared out of their minds though, that's for sure. Who wouldn't be?

The Struggle Inside

 

      So you all may be looking at my title thinking to yourself "Is this some kind of  horror film?" or "Woah that's deep". The purpose of my post today is to discuss the conflict in The House of Hades. More specifically the conflict I see hapenning between some of the characters and themselves. That's why I chose "The Struggle Inside" as my title. I thought it was pretty creative and catchy, I don't know about you guys. Anyway back on the topic of conflict. There definately is other types of conflict in the book. For example, the battle betweeen the demigods and Gaea and her monsters. For this post, I just want to focus on the character to self conflict. I think it's more relateable. I mean how many people do you know who are at war with a Greek goddess who is sending a bunch of monsters to kill you?! If you do know some one who has this issue, I would love to hear their story!

 

     One character in particular that I have noticed who is struggling with herself is Hazel Levesque. Hazel is a daughter of Pluto (the Roman form of Hades). Hazel finds out that towards the end of her quest she will have to face an enemy alone. Hecate, goddess of magic, tells Hazel she will have to use the magic of the Mist to defeat her. There is a chance that Hazel may not survive. Hecate gave her three paths to choose. Hazel picks the most dangerous and difficult path. It was the only one that had a chance of keeping all of her friends alive. However, it's the one where she has the least chance of making it. Hazel's half brother, Nico is also a child of Pluto. If they are to succeed in their quest only one of them will make it to close the Doors of Death to stop Gaea. The text says, "Nico had warned her [Hazel]. He'd communed with the dead, heard them whispering things about their future. Two children of the Underworld would enter the House of Hades. They would face an impossible foe. Only one of them would make it to the Doors of Death" (Riordan 32). Talk about a bad day, poor Hazel. All this bad news she's getting is really taking its toll.

     Hazel constantly battles with herself after hearing all of this news. She isn't sure if she has the courage to go on with it all. During her account with Hecate she learns about a path where she and some of her friends could escape and not have to particiapate in the war. "A small, guilty part of Hazel found that appealing. She'd secretly been wishing for the chance to be a normal girl. She didn't want any more pain or suffering for herself and her friends They'd already been through so much" (Riordan 24).There isn't a one hundred percent chance of everyone making it through the quest. Her own brother may have to die for her to servive. Or it could be the other way around. No matter what though she has to decide if she is going to finish her quest or save her own skin. I think reading this, most of us would like to say we would risk ourselves for our friends. However, when our own life was actually in anger, would we still make that decsion? Let me know in the comments below what you think!

For a full explanation of Hazel's character and role in the book click here.



A New Book Brings A New Theme

     Recently I started the book The House of Hades by Rick Riordan. Its the fourth book in the Heroes of Olympus series, which I'm sure many of you are familiar with. I realize not all of you may know what I'm talking about so let me take a brief moment to explain the plot. The story follows seven demigods (kids with one parent mortal and one god) on their journey to defeat Gaea, the earth goddess, so she doesn't take over and destroy the world. Hera, Greek goddess of marriage, home and family, had erased the minds of Jason- a roman demigod- with Percy (Yes, Percy Jackson)- a Greek demigod. She then switched them in hopes that they would bring the Greek and Roman demigod camps together to help defeat Gaea. By The House of Hades Percy and Jason have already met each other and with their five other friends they met on their journeys to unite the camps they set off on another quest to shut the Doors of Death so Gaea can finally be killed.

     Now that we are all on the same page I would like to talk to you guys about a theme I see surfacing in this book. Yes I know I'm only fifty or so pages in but I guess Riordan is just that good of an author that he has made sure to quickly get his message across to the reader. The theme I have found is the power of friendship can be strong enough to help you through anything. Riordan displays this theme multiple ways. One example would be when Hazel was reflecting on the important roles Annabeth and Percy played in their quest. "Percy had been their back bone. He'd given them confidence as they ailed across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean. As for Annabeth-she'd been the de facto leader of the quest...She was the smartest of the seven, the one with the answers" (Riordan 8,9). Here Hazel hints that it would have been very hard to get through some of their challenges without these friends by her side. Another example is when Annabeth and Percy fall into Tartaurus and land in a river that is full of misery. Annabeth hears wispers telling her to give up her struggle and let herself drown, and she almost does. "Percy gripped her hand and jolted her back to reality. She couldn't see him in the murky water, but suddenly she didn't want to die. Together they kicked upward and broke the surface" (Riordan 37). Percy grabbing on to Annabeth reminded her that she had a reason to live and to keep fighting.

     Through this theme I think Riordan is trying to tell us two different things. One is that friends are there to help you get through difficult times. They are always there to support you. Two is that if you're ever in a difficult situation you should think of your friends. They are a reason for you to keeping pushing forward no matter how hard the struggle. I don't think we realize how important friendship is. It may sound silly, but I want all of you to take a moment at some point to hug your friends and let them know how much you appreciate them. I'm not kidding! Do it! And if they ask why, tell them Rick Riordan enlightened you.

Blogging Again!
 

   After a long break about a trimester long, I'm blogging again! It's sad to say that I have also taken a break from reading as well. In my defense I have been extremely busy lately.However I am excited to start turning somemore pages. Since I haven't gotten too far into a new book yet I figured it would be much more intersting to blog about one of my favorite books from tri 1. I have to say the book I loved the most was Tigerlily by Jodi Lynn Anderson. Anyone who knows me could tell you that I have a major obsession with Peter Pan. Random it may seem I absolutly love the classic Disney character and his story. Tigerlily is a different take on the tale and adds quite an intersting spin. Instead of the story being focused on the adventurous life of Peter, it's about Tigerlily, a teenage native american girl who belongs to a tribe in Neverland.

    Those of you who have seen Disney's Peter Pan may remeber Tigerlily as the native american princess who is saved from Captian Hook by Peter. In Anderson's novel Tigerlily is considered an outsider in her tribe and accidentally crosses paths with Peter in the woods. In the movie Peter flirted a little with Tigerlily and Wendy (whom he had already met) wasn't happy with this. The novel creates a powerful love connection between Tigerlily and Peter long before Wendy is in the picture. However when Wendy does show up it causes some trouble between the two lovers. I guess the reason I liked this book so much was that it was a favorite story of mine but told from a different perspective and had an altered plot. Instead of rooting for Wendy like always, Anderson had me pushing for Tigerlily to come out on top. Anderson also told the story in a very intersting way. It was written so that Tinkerbell, the fairy, was narrating. I have never read anything like it before. I thought it required a lot of creativity to come up with a story such as Tigerlily's and write it in such a unique way. For this I give Jodi Lynn Anderson major props!

 

 

Here is Disney's version of Tigerlily for those of you who haven't seen it.

Blog Reflection

     The quality of my writing has improved multiple ways over the course of the trimester. One way that my writing has improved would be that towards the end of the trimester I used a lot more textual evidence in my blog posts than I did in the beginning of the trimester. In the post from earlier in the trimester I connected two different texts and explained how they were similar. However, I didn’t use any quotes to support what I was saying. For example I was talking about how the characters in both novels are similar. I wrote, “The main characters in each book are a brother and sister pair who are very different from each other, both in personality and appearance.” I went on to explain the ways that they were alike but I never used any evidence from the book that showed their characterization. In my post from the end of the trimester I talked about the cliff hangers that ended each chapter in my book. I used actual quotes from the end of different chapters and explained how they were each a cliff hanger for me. For example I wrote, “The text says, ‘Tanya, Elizabeth Elvesden never came out of the asylum. She died in there when she was only twenty-three' (Harrison 108). Reading this gave me the chills. I had to keep reading on to figure out what other mysteries the house held.” Another way that my writing has improved would be that I was able to connect elements in my book to things other than different literature. In my older post I did make a connection from my book but it was with another book. My post said, “Currently I am reading The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan. This is the second book in the Kane Chronicles. As I have been reading this novel I have noticed it has many similarities to the book Children of The Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr. Both of these stories are centered around the element of magic.” Connecting a novel to another novel is fairly easy and I found that as the trimester went on, I was able to connect elements in my book to more things. In the post I wrote at the end of the trimester I talked about how cliff hangers are not only used in books such as my own but in other things such as the TV series Touch. I wrote, “Books aren't the only things that use cliff hangers to their advantage. Movies use them to get you to want to see the sequel and TV shows use them so you watch the next season. For example one of my favorite series Touch ended with the biggest cliff hanger.”

            One thing that I struggled with through the experience was the decision of what to blog about. There were some days where I had a perfect idea of what I wanted to write about and then there were other days where I had no clue. To overcome this I had to force myself to think outside of the box and come up with more than just your basic book topics. I began to write about other pieces of writing besides what I was reading and I came up with ideas such as how to pick out a good book. One strength I had with blogging would be my ability to write thorough posts. Whether I was summarizing or discussing a literary element in a book, I explained what I was talking about very clearly with great detail.  I did not meet my reading goal but I found goodreads.com to be a very beneficial sight. It was very useful for being able to get good book recommendations. I liked how you could see what your friends were reading and I enjoyed that I was able to rate books that I had read. Over the course of the trimester I would say that my reading has improved in the sense that I have learned to reflect more on my reading. I also have gotten better at paying attention to literary detail in the books. Before I read only to enjoy a good story, but now I have learned to read so that I can appreciate the effect an author’s style of writing has on the story.

Reading With Your Ears

     You may look at the title of this post and think to yourself ,"Kayla you cant read with your ears, duh!" Well I beg to differ. Ok so you may not be able to literally read with your ears but you sure can listen to a story. Audio books my friends: reading with your ears. I'm sure we all remember in kindergarten when our teacher would have story time. We would all run over and sit criss cross applesauce (doesn't anyone wonder why we say 'applesauce' at the end) on the carpet. Our teacher would read a small picture book written with a sentence on each page and show the picture to the whole class going in a semicircle motion. Do you ever think about why we loved this so much? Some of the slacker kids were probably just like "Yeah we get to zone out for 15 minutes!" Now that I think back on this common school activity I realize how relaxing it is to have a story read to you.

 

     Audio books are like a teacher reading to you only the more mature version. All you have to do is pop the CD into the stereo or press play on your device. Then you sit back, close your eyes, and listen. You don't have to worry about your eyes getting tired from reading line after line and you don't have the problem of the uncomfortable positions you have to read your book in. An audio book does the work for you, leaving you to the imagining. The images described to you can come alive, almost like a dream while your still awake! I have to say though that the voice the audio book is told in has to be engaging. We listened to some of the scenes in Romeo and Juliet on tape and lets just say the voices weren't the best. They were pretty bad, I mean I don't understand how the tape was published! Some voices made the class laugh and others were just plain annoying.

 

     I have made my point that audio books can be more relaxing than books but there's another reason they're good for. In some scenarios audio books are more logical when you want to read. For example when you go on vacation or have a long drive, you may want to read in the car. At least for me this is a problem; I get car sick if I read for too long while in a moving vehicle. Listening to an audio book  eliminates this issue. You still get to hear the story but with out staring down at a small font which leads to an icky feeling stomach. Then there's some strange people who may like to read while swimming or taking a bathe. Hey, I never said I was one of those people but trust me they're out there! A book would get ruined if you dropped it in the water. The pages would wrinkle up and the ink would smear. How about an audio book? No paper, no problem! And of course for those book worms who don't want to look like a nerd. If you put an audio book on your ipod or iphone you can put your headphones in and look like your jamming out to some tunes when really you're reading! Mind blowing right?!?

 

     So for all my avid readers out there, next time when your looking for a book, read with your ears not your eyes. You will be surprised what a difference it is. 

Books and Their Movies

 

     People always say that the books are better than the movies. In some cases this is true. However there are pros and cons to both. Personally I like to read the book, to get the story line in depth, and then watch the movie to see it come alive. There are those books that you would absolutely love to see in theaters and wonder why no director has taken the opportuunity to make it a movie. Whether or not your a book person or a movie person, there are reasons why you have your preference.

 

    Usually the books have way more detail than movies. This may seem like a bad thing but if a movie had all of the same details, you could spend 7 hours sitting on the couch, which would get boring. Books also give you a chance to picture the story however you want. You create the characters and the setting, well based off the authors description of course. We are the directors of the movie in our minds. I have had cases where I see a movie before reading and then I already have the images in my head that were created for me. There's a flip side to that coin. If you picture the characters or setting in a way different from the movie, you could be disappointed the film wasn't what you wanted.

 

     Movies are obviously good for being able to visually see a book come to life. You can see the conflict and chemistry between the characters more easily than if you were reading. The emotions/moods of a story engage you more when you're physically seeing what's going on. The "magic of the movies" as people say is used to enhance the plot and attract a viewer's attention. The stories in books you watch through your own eyes but stories in movies you watch through the eyes of someone else.

 

  I'm not trying to persuade you either way-books or movies. I love both for their own reasons. However I do have something you should think about. Books are pleasing to the mind, movies are pleasing to the eye. Which do you prefer?

Act 3 Scene 5

     Most of you probably know that we are reading Romeo and Juliet in English. Recently we were divided up into three groups and assigned a scene from Act 3. We have to teach the scene to the class as well as act it out. My group got Act 3 Scene 5. This scene definitely foreshadows events that will occur later on in the play. It also reveals a lot about some of the characters.

 

     The scene starts out with Romeo and Juliet. Romeo had just been banished to Mantau for killing Tybalt. The two lovers spend the last moments before sun rise together, then Romeo has to leave. Lady Capulet comes to deliver news to Juliet. The two women discuss their anger with the death of Tybalt and how they're going to make Romeo pay. Obviously Juliet is lying when she says this. The news that Lady Capulet brings does not make Juliet very happy. Her father had arranged for her to marry Paris in the upcoming week. Juliet refuses and when Capulet hears of this he is furious.

 

     Capulet goes on to yell at Juliet and tell her she has no choice but to marry Paris. He says that she is burden to the family and that she should be thrown out on the streets. Sounds like a loving father right? Juliet's Nurse stands up for her only to be criticized by Capulet. He calls her a gossip and a fool before leaving. Juliet begs her mother to postpone the wedding but Lady Capulet tells her she isn't going to say a thing. Juliet asks for comforting from the Nurse. The Nurse tells her that it would probably be in her best interest to marry Paris. Juliet pretends to agree and acts like she is going to confession. Really, Juliet is furious at the Nurse for telling her this. Instead she goes to see the Friar and ask him what she should do.

     At the very end of the scene Juliet says, "If all else fail, myself have power to die" (3.5 243). Here Juliet says that if worst comes to worse and she can't do anything about the wedding, than she can always kill herself. This foreshadows when she fakes her death later on in the play. It also shows her dedication to Romeo. Juliet isn't the only character we learn more about in this scene. Through Capulet's rage with Juliet we learn that he is a hot headed man who doesn't take no for an answer. We also come to know that Lady Capulet isn't really there for her daughter. When Juliet asks her to try and do something about the wedding she says, "Talk not to me, for I'll not speak a word: Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee" (3.5 203-204). Only the Nurse seems to be some what on Juliet's side.

If you want to read Act 3 Scene 5 for your self click on the hyperlink!

Cliff Hangers

 

     As much as we hate when we are reading and are left with unanswered questions, what's a good book without cliff hangers? Yes we like to know what happens next, but when you think about it, cliff hangers are what keep you reading a book. I personally love when every chapter leaves me on edge. Of course then I never want to stop reading and thus the cliff hanger serves its purpose. I don't particularly like when entire books end in cliff hangers though, then you have to wait until the next book in the series comes out. But hey, you buy the next book don't you! For the authors that's a mission accomplished.

 

    The book I am currently reading (13 Wishes) does a good job in ending some of the chapters in suspense. For example, in chapter seven, Tanya first learns about the woman who was the original owner of her grandmother's mansion. It was said that her husband turned her into a mental hospital after she was accused of being a witch. The text says, "'Tanya, Elizabeth Elvesden never came out of the asylum. She died in there when she was only twenty-three'" (Harrison 108). Reading this gave me the chills. I had to keep reading on to figure out what other mysteries the house held. Later on in the story Tanya comes across a picture of the girl who went missing in Hangman's woods fifty years ago. Fabian tells her that she was her grandmother's best friend. After closely looking at the photo, the two realize that its the same girl they saw when they got lost in the woods earlier that week. Chapter nine ends like this, "They stared at the photograph. There was no doubt in Tanya's mind that the girl standing with her grandmother was the same girl they had seen in the woods... Fabian looked troubled. 'There's... there's something I have to tell you'" (Harrison 132). I wanted to know what he was going to tell her so to the next chapter I went.

 

    Books aren't the only things that use cliff hangers to their advantage. Movies use them to get you to want to see the sequel and TV shows use them so you watch the next season. For example one of my favorite series Touch ended with the biggest cliff hanger, The series was about a boy named Jake who knows how the future will plan out based off of numbers. He gave clues to his dad to make sure the future happened correctly. There is also a girl who has the same gift, Amelia. However, the company Astrocorps kidnaps her and fakes her death so they can use her to improve their business and gain money. Throughout the first series we get clues that Amelia is still alive and Jake and his dad learn that the same company wants to come after Jake. At the end of the last episode, Jake and his dad run into a woman after they go into hiding from Astrocorps. It just so happens that the woman is Amelia's mother! I mean what?!? I can assure you that I watched the next season.

Setting in 13 Treasures

 

     Being properly introduced to a setting is very important when reading a book. It sets the ground work where the whole story takes place. The setting can have a great impact on the plot and how the story unfolds. Depending on the location of the setting, a book can have certain tones and the characters can be affected. If the setting is unclear or not specific, it can be hard to get a grasp on things that occur in the story. Lucky for me, 13 Treasures  has a well explained setting that I have a good image of. I can also tell the impact it is having on the plot.

 

     The story takes place at Tanya's grandmothers huge property. The manor she lives in is old and full of fairies which causes conflict with Tanya. On page 20 the massive house is described, "There was no question that it would have been an impressive view when it was first built in the late eighteenth century. It had close to twenty bedrooms - not including the old servants' quarters - and almost as many parlors and sitting rooms, once decorated lavishly. Had it been properly maintained, it would probably still be beautiful." From this quote we can understand the size of the house and get a feel of its old worn down look. The inside of the house is described equally as well. Tanya's room is depicted on page 23, "The carpet was threadbare, and the walls were covered in lavender paper that was peeling off in some places." The reader can tell, from the many descriptions in the book, that Tanya's grandmother lives in a grand house that she has been unable to keep up.

 

     Hangman's Woods is the forest next to the house which is also an important part to the story. Many secrets lie with in these woods. A strange gypsy woman lives alone in the middle of the forest, and Tanya learns about a girl who went missing almost fifty years ago in there. Also Tanya's dog, Oberon, runs away so she and Fabian run after him into the collection of trees and end up getting lost. Warwick finds them and warns them about the dangers of the woods and that they are never to go back into there but the kids don't know why. Hangman's Woods is described on page 74, "Gradually the trees grew thicker, taller, and closer together. It was cool and dark between them, and small creatures rustled the undergrowth as passed through and disturbed them." From this we can already start to see why Tanya and Fabian aren't allowed into the woods. However, from the mystery about these woods, I feel like Tanya will venture back and uncover the secrets she is dying to figure out.

A+ on Vocab and Word Choice

 

     I have recently made a post about the book I just started, 13 Treasures  by Michelle Harrison. Nothing too action packed has happened yet. I am still in that introduction stage of the book where you meet all of the characters and are introduced to the setting. However there is one thing that I have noticed about the author's writing. She uses a very sophisticated vocabulary and I admire her for it. Instead of using basic adjectives or verbs, she spices it up. I will admit that some of the words I have come across I don't know. I like that it challenges me to use textual clues and previous knowledge to try and figure out their meanings.

    

     On page 4 the author shows her wide vocabulary range. The text says, "The incidents had become more vindictive of late." A synonym for vindictive is refengeful or resentful. In this part of the text the reader learns about the mean antics of the fairies when Tanya tries to tell people about them. This adjective is a perfect way to describe "the incidents". Instead of using a common word, Harrison reaches for lesser known vocab and impresses me.

 

     The author does this again when showing Tanya's anger with her mother for forcing her stay at her grandmother's. "Tanya shot her mother a venomous look and stared at the land outside the gates" (Harrison 19). Everybody knows what venomous means and that it can be a deadly thing. The use of the adjective in this quote is brilliant word choice. We can tell just how evil a look Tanya gave her mom. The use of adjectives like this benefit the book greatly. It also helps me to extend my own vocabulary. I am excited to conitinue reading this book and uncover the new words hidden in its pages!

I've Got A New Read!

 

     Yesterday I started reading the book 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison. It is a pretty good book so far and has me asking a lot of questions. I am only four chapters in but here is what has happened; I have met Tanya a twelve year old girl who can see what others can not, fairies. These aren't your typical fairies either, these fairies are mean and won't leave Tanya alone. In the first chapter Tanya has another encounter with these mischievous creatures in the middle of the night. They pull her out of her bed and use magic so that she has to walk on the ceiling instead of the floor. Tanya has tried many times to tell people about the fairies and has written multiple journal entries about them. The fairies don't like this too much and come to punish her every time she does it. They came to warn her against trying again to reveal their secret and threaten to erase her memory. Tanya agrees and so the fairies send her crashing to the floor. Tanya's mom comes in (she is the only one Tanya lives with) and decides she can't take any more of Tanya's antics. Tanya's mother doesn't understand Tanya's unusual behavior and thinks it's her way of seeking attention. As a result she takes Tanya to spend a couple of weeks with her grandmother.

 

     Tanya isn't the closest to her grandmother and does not like that she has to spend so much time in her huge, aging house. One of the reasons Tanya doesn't like her grandmother's house is because of the mass amount of fairies that are there. Once they arrived at her house I met the creepy grounds keeper, Warwick, who isn't the warmest man on the earth. He is tall, dressed in dark dirty clothing and has skin that shows his long time spent in the sun. He takes Tanya to her room. After Tonya's mom  makes sure Tanya gets her belongings into the house, she leaves without a good bye. Then Tanya's grandmother shows up from the grocery. Tanya goes to help carry in her bags and finds a dead fairy on the car windshield. This makes Tanya uneasy so she has a proper funeral for the creature. She goes to the edge of Hangman's Woods by the house and buries the fairy. Once she is finished she runs into Fabian, Warwick's son. Fabian is a bit of a science geek and Tanya considers him nosy and annoying. He had been spying on Tanya and asked what she had buried. Tanya tells him a dead mouse, hoping that he believes her.

 

     Later Tanya heads to her room and finds that a usually locked room has its door open. Tanya sneaks inside following her curiosity. She finds a bunch of books-some with information on fairies-and she decides to keep one to take back to her room. She finds an old charm bracelet and an old news clipping. The news clipping is about a fourteen year old girl who went into Hangman's Woods and never returned fifty years ago. Tanya's grandmother finds her snooping but is strangely not upset. She lets Tanya keep the bracelet and takes her up on her offer to help clean out the room. Tanya figured it would be an easy way to do some more looking around.

  

     Aside from what is going on in Tanya's life, I learned about an old gypsy who lives alone in the middle of Hangman's Woods. She has a gift of "second-sight" and can see the future and past, however her powers have slowly begun to wear down. The gypsy has a vision where she sees a young baby girl taken from her crib and then sees the girl when she is twelve, sad and lonely. The woman knows this girls too has the power of a "second-sight"  and knows that their paths will soon cross. I know the girl that the gypsy saw has to be Tanya. I wonder what will happen if the gypsy and her meet. I also feel like Fabian and Tanya will get to be better friends and maybe he might find out about the fairies that Tanya sees. I guess I will have to keep reading to find out!



Siblings

 

     In The Throne of Fire the characters Sadie and Carter Kane are very relatable. Carter is the older brother who does not like it when his baby sister shows him up. Sadie is only two years younger but likes to act like she is four years older than Carter. The siblings are very different from each other, like most siblings are. Sadie is fiesty and rebelious where as Carter is a rule follower. The two Kane kids don't always get along but love each other unconditionally. In the book, they have to save each other multiple times and would risk anything to make sure the other is ok.

 

     This reminds me alot of me and my siblings. I'm the oldest of four and I am very protective of my little brother and sisters. This is just like how Carter is protective over Sadie (sometimes more than Sadie prefers). I know I would do anything for them. I might never have to run to their rescue from a killer baboon as Carter did for Sadie, but if I had to I would. My siblings and I don't always get along either. I have had my fair share of arguments with them but that doesn't mean I love them any less. I am with the Kane kids in saying that siblings stand by each other no matter what.

 

     I think that there is a special bond between siblings that can't be explained. We just understand each other and can tell when something is wrong. In The Throne of Fire Carter had a horrible vision one night about Apophis, god of chaos, beginning to rise back to power. Sadie could tell just from his expressions and manorisms that something was wrong. This is the same in my family. Siblings just have a connection that is more powerful than anything else and I am luycky enough to be able to experience a bond like this.



Finally Finished!

 

     If you have read some of my previous blog posts you would know that I have been reading The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan. I have finally finished the book and I am eager to read the next one in the series.

 

     This book was very action packed. Sadie and Carter Kane go on a quest to awaken the sun god, Ra, and prevent Chaos from taking over. In the beginning, Sadie, Carter, and their friends Walt and Jaz find the first scroll of three that must be used to awaken Ra. Later Sadie leaves the Brooklyn House (the place where she and Carter had been staying with their Uncle Amos and had been training other young magicians) to spend her birthday back in London with her grandparents and friends. When she gets there she finds her grandparents possessed by the gods Nekhbet and Babi who try to stop her from going on the quest. Sadie escapes with the help of Bes, the dwarf god, who was sent to protect the Kane kids. Carter meets back up with Sadie and Bes takes them to Russia where they find the second scroll in a famous palace that was turned into a museum. They find Vlad Menshikov (one of the most powerful magicians) trying to summon Set the god of fire and ask for his help to awaken Apophis, god of Chaos. Vlad sees the Kane kids and sets a demon on them. Set helps Sadie and Carter and also gives them the location of the third scroll. After that, Bes takes Carter and Sadie to Alexandria. Set had also given Sadie a clue to the location of Carter's friend Zia who had been hidden to keep her safe after she too had been possessed by a goddess. Carter knows he has to save her and so he and Bes go to find her. Meanwhile Sadie asks Walt to come and help her find the third scroll.

 

     Carter and Bes travel to the ruins of Zia's old village and find her buried in a chamber beneath the Nile River with the crook and flail of Ra. Sadie and Walt travel across a vast dessert and into an uncovered tomb of mummies. After escaping an army of the undead they succeed in retrieving the third scroll. They are teleported to the location of Carter and Bes only to find Vlad Menshikov and Desjardins (the Chief Lector of the House of Life who didn't exactly have the best history with the Kanes) trying to arrest Carter for stealing the symbols of Ra. Desjardins wants Carter to come in piece but Vlad insists on fighting to the death. Bes uses his powers to send the two men back to their home, but Vlad is sure to come after them. Bes and Zia return to the Brooklyn House to warn and assist Amos in the battle against the army Vlad had sent their way. Sadie and Carter enter the daut (the realm of the gods) and sail through the Twelve Houses of the Night where they come across many gods and use the three scrolls that make up the book of Ra to lead them on their journey. The Kane kids find Ra and awaken him, but he is not strong enough to battle Apophis. Vlad, who had been following Sadie and Carter on their journey, takes on the form of Apophis and tries to destroy Ra as well as the Kane kids. Desjardins shows up and uses his last bit of life to turn Apophis to dust. However this does not get rid of the Chaos god, but only buys Sadie and Carter time. Ra returns to the throne room of the gods where the other gods and goddesses pledge to look after him until he once again becomes strong.

 

     The theme of The Throne of Fire is that you shouldn't let others be the boss of you, in the end the only opinion that should matter is your own. Many of the gods didn't not want Sadie and Carter to continue on their quest to awaken Ra. They did not want a weak god placed in a position of power. Even Nekhbet and Babi tried to kill Sadie to prevent her from succeeding. Nekhbet says to Sadie, "You would place a weak pharaoh on the throne of the gods. It goes against nature!"(Riordan 102). Nekhbet is obviously trying to sway Sadie's decision but Sadie ignores her and does what she believes should be done. Another god named Horus also tries to change Carter's decision about waking Ra and convince him to take the throne for himself and lead the House of Life to victory. Horus says to Carter, "Claim the crook and flail for yourself. Take the throne. Together, we can defeat Apophis"(Riordan 306). Carter finds the offer tempting but he knows the smartest decision is to continue with his plan to awaken Ra. Neither Sadie or Carter let the gods' opinions interfere with what they believe they should do. This theme that I have explained is clearly stated on page 326. Zia tells Carter, "Promise me, if it comes to a choice, that you'll listen to your own heart, not the will of the gods."