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.