Life of Pi- Essay Blog

     In the novel, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the character Piscine Molitor Patel, better known as Pi, is clearly a bit mad. One important aspect of Pi that makes him seem so delusional  is that he believes in many different religions. Now, this may or may not make him truly crazy, but it does play an important role in the tale. 
     In a nutshell, Pi was born into Hinduism, but keeps a Bible on his nightstand. He then became Muslim. Then, he decides he is all three religions simultaneously. Pi begins to contradict his beliefs and morals and his religious practices tend to conflict with one another. No self respecting person is that indecisive with what they believe. Pi's sporadic beliefs lead the reader to feel as though he is insane. Or is he?
      Pi wants one thing- a higher power to believe in. All three of these religions believe in a higher power. Perhaps he agrees with a little of one religion and some of another. Pi does not know yet and has not yet established his moral values. So, in trying times, a person trying out different belief systems and testing out different faiths so see which fits him the best, is that so uncommon? People all around the world question and chalenge religious beliefs and "test run", in a way, many different religions as the same time.  To many people all over the globe, Pi's religious beliefs are the same as theirs and find his religious practices completely normal. 
     Also, in the novel, faith and storytelling go hand-in-hand. Each of Pi's three religions (Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam) comes with tales to tell. All of these stories are used for teaching and painting images of the faith it represents. 
      Yann Martel displayed a great deal of imagery through Pi's many religions. Many people can relate to P's character because of his questionable beliefs. Others just say it makes him crazy. Whether Pi's belief system made him "mad" or not, it is still a major part of the book and definitely added a vast amount of interest into the novel. 

Current Event- Week 4

Oak Grove sweeps Harrison Central

The Warrior baseball team demolished Harrison Central high school 15-1 in five innings in the first game of the 6A South State championship series. Tyler Odom left the game with four hits (two homers, 1 double, and one single) and five RBI's. Kirk McCarty pitched the full game, striking out seven.  

I could not be more proud of these boys. I have been a diamond girl since I was a freshman and have seen them though every win and every loss since then. I've seen them grow as a team, as friends, and as people and I could not think of another team that deserves this more. I hope to see these boys give it everything they have Friday night and Saturday (if needed). No matter what the outcome, I will be so proud and so happy for them. Time to "Get Tropical"! 

Works Cited

"Oak Grove eases past Harrison Central." Hattiesburg American. 11 May 2012. Web. 11 May 2012.

Life of Pi- Blog 4

     Ok, I’m still confused! But whatever. What I do understand though, is at the close of the novel, Pi’s transformation of innocent boy to courageous man shows his oneness and relationship to God. And Richard Parker was right there with him, even though his condition is deteriorating. 

     Also, I thought that an interesting way that Martel kept the reader's attention, was his use of diction through the different font for the interview type. In chapter 97, his prompt and willingness showed in his "indoor" area. And first, in English, the men were very interested in Pi's story...but in Japanese, the men did not believe him at all. 

     By proving bananas can float and other things like that, Pi showed his true colors of the love, charity, tolerance, and guilt that makes it. The book ends on a much lighter note than I had expected it to. 

     Even though I’m still really confused, this was a very good book. I might just read it again over the summer to try to catch things that I missed while reading it this time and maybe, that will help me understand it better. 

Current Event- Week 3

Book Names Iconic Times Square Kissing Couple From World War II

In "The Kissing Sailor", co-authors George Galdorisi and Lawrence Verria, tell what they claim to be the story of the real man and woman in the picture. The two authors say that their identities were proven through forensic analysis, photographic interpretation, and other technical means. They interviewed both the man and the woman and wrote a book based off of the picture, Times Square, the publication of the picture in Life magazine, and the couple themselves. 

This makes me so happy. I love history and especially WWII. This picture has always fascinated me and the conspiracies and mysteries that go along with this photo are just so intriguing. It is crazy to believe that they actually identified this couple. I realize by now that discovering the couple is almost like "The boy who cried wolf" thing, but I believe it this time. I feel like these two men have really found them! I bet this book would be so interesting to read and see what their stories are. I definitely want to get this book!

Works Cited:

Carey, Amanda. "Book Names Iconic Times Square Kissing Couple From World War II." ABC News.       2 May 2012. Web. 3 May 2012.

Life of Pi- Blog 3

      I am beginning to really enjoy this novel. It is so interesting. What really had me um, interested, was how we see Pi’s transformation in becoming one with nature. Yann Martel does a rather gross job of displaying that. I mean come on, Richard Parker and Pi both “marking their territory”, Pi killing fish with his bare hands, getting sea boils because his clothes are all nasty, drinking turtle blood, trying to eat RP’s feces... really? 

      OK, so I realize that all of those repulsing things were only written to help us capture the essence of what it is really like to live in the wild. Even though all those things grossed me out, I loved how it made us see Pi’s transformation into a nature man. It definitely kept me interested. 

      Also, towards the end of the section, I was very sad when Pi started thinking he was nearing death and eventually lost his eyesight and went crazy. This book is honestly about to drive ME crazy. I want to know how he’s getting back to civilization! I can’t wait to keep reading.

Current Event- Week 2

Biden: "The President has a Big Stick"

     During a speech at NYU, Vice President Joe Biden made an accidental, inappropriate joke while explaining how  President Barack Obama's stance on Iran is similar to Teddy Roosevelt's famous foreign policy quote "speak softly and carry a big stick." 

      The quote from Biden is as follows: “Speak softly and carry a big stick. End of quote. I promise you, the president has a big stick. I promise you.”

      Personally, I find this rather funny. Not the joke itself... ok that's funny. But, I find it more funny that Biden even said it. Now, I realize it was unintentional, but that's why its so amusing! Biden was trying to make a serious analogy, but his word choice was just a had a bit of a double meaning. To me, this just shows that even serious national leaders and slip up their words every now and then. This makes it a little bit easier to relate to our vice president. 

Works Cited:

"Biden on Iran: "I Promise You, the President Has A Big Stick"" NBC New York. 26 April  

           2012. Web. 26 April 2012.

Life of Pi- Blog 2

     Ok so, this book is beginning to be a little bit more interesting. This next section begins with Pi getting baptized. Then, his father decides that the family needs to move to Canada due to the trouble in India at the time. Next, the author meets Pi’s wife and family, who then set sail to find a new life of their own. They travel into the unknown, which made me feel a little sketchy. I was nervous now to see how this turns out. 

     Then, suddenly, The ship they were on, the Tsimtsum, sinks! Later, along with Pi, Richard Parker survives. But, it seems that Pi is the only human survivor. This part stressed me out, but it did start to make things interesting. I started to really wonder and want to know what was going to happen next.

     Later, Pi realized he needed to figure out a way to kill the Tiger, as he knew that he would become tiger lunch eventually. But then, He decides to tame RP instead of killing him.

     I enjoyed this section much more than the first. It kept my attention and it was much more engaging and interesting to read. 

Current Event- Week 1

Week of: 4/16/12- 4/20/12

TV shows "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" were filed with racial discrimination lawsuit

     Two African-American Nashville men, Nathaniel Claybrooks and Christopher Johnson, filed a class-action lawsuit against the two ABC dating shows. The men claim that the show has intentionally discriminated against minorities by not including them on the two series. Also, they auditioned for the show, but say that their interviews were "rushed" and that they were not given the same opportunities as the white men who auditioned. 

     Personally, I'm not sure if the two men's decision was warranted. Sure, the show doesn't have many minorities featured. But to say they are not included at all is inaccurate. There have been many contestants that belong to a minority. In fact, the winner of the sixth season of the the Bachelorette, Roberto Martinez, was Latino. As for the fact that they felt "rushed" or "looked over", there could have been many other reasons as to why it seemed that way. Perhaps they were just paranoid to begin with? Whatever the reason, I think that a filed lawsuit was a bit extreme. Who knows? The producers of this show might really be racist. But, in my opinion, a strongly worded letter would have been a better first step. 

Works Cited:

Braxton, Greg. "'The Bachelor,' 'The Bachelorette' Hit with Racial Discrimination Suit." - Latimes.com.                         

     18 April 2012. Web. 18 April 2012.

     

Life of Pi- Blog 1

     Alright, I’m gonna be real honest... this has not been my favorite book so far. It’s very very confusing. For example, in the author’s note, Martel talks about his inspiration for his novel, Life of Pi, and how he needed a fresh start after the failure of his first two novels. So, on his second trip to India, Martel began to plan his next book --a novel about Portugal. I’m sorry, what? Why go to Bombay to clear your mind and get yourself ready to write about Portugal? But it didn’t even matter anyway. Martel still ends up writing from inspiration in Pondicherry in south India. 

     This novel is also very random. It seems as though the author is randomly switching focuses back and forth between religion and zoology. For example, Pi's father runs the zoo. So naturally, he had a fascination for wildlife. He one day watches his father feed a live goat to a caged tiger, where Pi describes and recognizes the behaviors of the wild. Then, it randomly switches to his religious beliefs. He basically states that he’ll always be a hindu, while he has a Bible sitting on his night stand. (Pi was born into Hinduism, he became a Christian by age 14, and then a Muslim by age 15.) Again... I’m sorry, what? 

     Because of this, the book has been difficult to get into. Even though its very confusing, it still has been a fairly quick read. I just hope that as we continue reading, things become a little more clear.

Fahrenheit 451- Part Two

     I really enjoyed the second half of Fahrenheit 451. To me, it was much mush more interesting and kept my attention a whole lot more than the first half of the book. 

     In the Sieve and the Sand, at one point (after he meets with Faber) Montage comes home to Mildred and her “TV Family” (Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles) Montag breaks out his poetry book and reads Dover Beach to the women. The women become emotional and even angry. Montag wishes others could see and know what he sees and knows. I believe this is another turning point for Montag. It opens his eyes to the world that is really around him. Later, he finds out that Millie has been burning his books. He plots to rehide them in the backyard. Soon after, he is consumed with guilt for upsetting Millie and her friends. To me, this shows his self identity and emotion for personal issues that most people in this society don’t understand. 

     In Burning Bright, my favorite part was towards the beginning when Montag threw his flame thrower at Beatty and turned him to a crisp. I did NOT see that coming! Also, I loved Granger's character. His motives through the end of the book were encouraging. He stated that he and his group are waiting for humanity to become ready for books again so that they can be of some use to the world. That was just really cool to me. 

     This book was much more interesting than i was expecting it to be. I loved Bradbury’s use of imagery and symbolism throughout the whole book. At times it really made me think. All around, I’d have to say this book could possibly be one of my new favorites!

Part 1 of Fahrenheit 451- The Hearth and the Salamander

        While reading this book so far, my favorite thing has been how Ray Bradbury portrays what we see as normal. I love how he uses Clarisse and her family as kind of like the window into the real world.

       "I'm seventeen and crazy. . . When people ask your age, [my uncle] said, always say seventeen and insane." (p. 5) This was said by Clarisse McClellan, the young girl that the fireman, Guy Montag, meets late one night. She was told to say this because she was what was considered very weird. She is not “social” in school. She knows strange things. When she and Guy first meet, she tells him of how things supposedly “used to be”. She tells him of how firemen used to put out fires instead of creating them. This set Guy off and thought for sure she was crazy. Yet, they still both seemed to have a fascination with each other. Clarisse sparks a curiosity in Guy about his life and morality. The two of them meet a couple more times until suddenly, no more Clarisse. Guy questions where she is when his wife, Mildred, says she was hit and killed by a speeding car. (oh the irony)

        To me, Clarisse's dying is like the normal society dying with her. Also, that now, the crazy world they live in will never go back to the way it supposedly once was. The little piece of hope that existed is now gone. Unless... Guy can save it. I feel as though it kind of maybe alludes to something at the end of the section when we find out he’s been hiding a book in his house. Maybe he’ll try to change things?-- I can’t wait to continue reading and find out!

The Great Gatsby- Final Essay

The Great Gatsby and The “American Dream”

     What is the American dream? The American dream is claimed by many to be living as high up on the social ladder as possible and achieving whatever you put your mind to.  The 1920‘s, also known as the roaring 20‘s, is known for being the time period of the decline of the American dream.  The theme of The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald, is said to represent the time period very well and is said by one critic to be the “withering of the American dream.”   The main way Fitzgerald shows this theme is through the main character, Jay Gatsby.

     Gatsby grew up in a very poor family.  At a young age, he made it his priority to become very wealthy and extravagant later in life.  Jay Gatsby achieved this- but not legally.  He bootlegged alcohol, gambled, scammed to get his money.  This is how life was in the 1920’s.  People put the priority of money so high, that they were willing to do whatever it took to get that money.  Most of the time, this way was illegal.  The integrity of the American people was shot down.

     Also, the 20’s had a boom in materialism.  Everyone had to have the latest styles and fashions, and everything was always one big party.  This is shown in the book through Gatsby’s parties. Gatsby has a huge party every weekend at his mansion in West Egg and is known for his parties. Most people would have said that he had it all and was living the dream, but he wasn’t. He didn’t enjoy his parties. Instead, Gatsby would look out window in hopes that one specific person would show up. That person was Daisy. 

     Daisy was a wealthy girl whom Gatsby fell in love with before he went off to the war.  She said she would wait for him, but she didn’t after she found out Gatsby was poor.  Gatsby was heart broken and then made it his goal to become wealthy in order to win Daisy back.  He won her back at first, but then lost her again to her husband, Tom.  This is the most important aspect to me because it represents so many things.  The fact that Daisy left Gatsby the first time shows how important it was to only be with people in your own social class during the time period. Gatsby then shows the determination and drive it takes to reach your goal and then makes it his life and won’t stop until he achieves it. Many people classify this as the American dream. But, the “hard work” he put into becoming rich to impress Daisy ends up not working the way he expected it to. He later gets killed and his dream dies with him. 

     On the surface, the American dream may look spectacular. But, once it is achieved, it may not turn out to be all it is cracked up to be. Much like Gatsby’s experience, The American dream was corrupted and twisted in the process of obtaining it.  During the 20’s, all America had lost its integrity in the pursuit of the American dream- a point very clearly expressed in The Great Gatsby.

Chapters 6-9 of The Great Gatsby

         I think in the last chapters of the book, we finally see all of the major characters’ true colors. We see, when Tom and Gatsby first meet, the hostility between them and we see how they both truly care for Daisy. Also in that situation, we see how Daisy is so easily swayed between the two men and doesn’t really know which one she loves.  We see that Wilson may have been a bit crazy and abusive after he locks his wife in a bathroom. And the fact that once his wife dies, he kills Gatsby and then himself, is an indication of is slight madness. When we see Gatsby take the blame for Daisy’s running over Myrtle, we see Gatsby’s undeniable love for Daisy in that he’ll take the blame for her in order to keep her safe. This also shows us the selfishness in Daisy’s character for allowing Gatsby to take the blame her her terrible mistake. Lastly, we see the actual “value” of friendships. Nick was a great friend to Gatsby, so he wanted him to have an extravagant funeral. This shows that Nick was a loyal friend. But, hardly any one showed up. Tom and Daisy moved away and Wolfshiem didn’t come. 

Chapters 1-5 of The Great Gatsby

        While reading the first five chapters of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I have noticed many things. I’ve noticed that there is a lot of relationship drama. Daisy is married to Tom, but in chapter two, we meet Tom’s mistress, Myrtle- his “woman in the city.” Myrtle is married to George Wilson, a gas station owner in the Valley of Ashes. Nick, the narrator of the story, is Daisy’s cousin and is Gatsby’s neighbor. Gatsby is in love with Daisy and in chapter 5, the the 2 of them meet for the first time in 5 years. It is very awkward at first, but by the end of the gathering, they’ve re-kindled their love for each other. All of this love triangle craziness is, I think, a symbol of the love craziness going on in the 1920’s time period. I think this represents not only love, but the craziness of the decade in general. 

        I’ve also noticed how he uses the settings of the book to represent some aspects of the 1920’s. The East Egg represents the people of the time who were born into money and the West Egg represents the people who earned their money- whether it be through business, gambling, etc. This is important because money was a huge deal during the 20’s. The Valley of Ashes represents the downfall of American Society.  

        In my opinion, people who live in the West Egg, in a way, represent American Dream. They are “new money” which means most of them, have been in a low social class, and have worked their way to the top. After all, that is the American Dream to many people, isn’t it? Doing whatever it takes to get to the top. 

        The Great Gatsby is a very interesting book and I have really enjoyed reading it so far. I hope to find it even more entertaining as we continue reading. 

"The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne

           In “The Birthmark”, Nathaniel Hawthorne writes about a man named Alymer who is married to a woman named Georgiana. Georgiana is a very beautiful woman, but she has one small birthmark on the side of her face. It is shaped like a small hand and is crimson in color. Alymer is not phased by this at the beginning of his marriage, but soon realizes that a birthmark is Nature’s way of marking imperfections in a person. His imagination and fear of this lead him to constantly fear about Georgiana’s liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death. He was afraid og her morality. This caused him much horror and grief. He asks her if she has eve thought of removing the birthmark and she is then embarrasses and slightly offended.  Alymer becomes obsessed with her having it removed. Alymer then brings Georgiana to the laboratory, where he works, to have the birthmark removed. He sees and tries many experiments on which to remove the birthmark, including a magic flower, immorality globe, etc. Georgiana constantly begs him to just forget about her blemish and leave it be. Later, Alymer claims the hand upon her face has taken over her and that the hand upon her face is causing hr to be mortal. Georgina then begs Alymer to remove the hand on her face, no matter what he has to do. Alymer then brings over a liquor that then she drinks. The potion removed the hand, but then Georgina ends up dying shortly after. 

      This short story’s theme is very similar to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. The theme of The Crucible. is that you are what you fear the most. This means that what you fear happening to you the most, is what takes over your thoughts and dreams and you end up making it happen yourself while trying to prevent it. In “The Birthmark” that is exactly what happens. Alymer is afraid that his wife’s birthmark will make her die, and so he gives her a liquor to make the birthmark disappear in hopes to make her immortal. The poison ends up killing her- which is exactly the fear he was trying to prevent.

On Writing- Final Essay

On Writing by Stephen King

Final Essay

        Writing... That is the key. Writing as often as possible is the key to becoming a good writer. Stephen King expresses this in many aspects in his book On Writing. King uses real life stories and literary examples to show that the best way to become a great writer, is to write. 

        Stephen King begins the book by telling his life experiences. These life experiences show how King evolved into the writer that he is today. He tells of how he began writing in the first grade when he was forced to be at home because he missed too much school due to strep throat and ear infections. (Page 27) This shows that he was, for lack of better terminology, almost born a writer. So what if it was only copying comic strips? At such a young age, most kids are running in circles or playing with toys. King wanted to write.

       As the section goes on, King tells of many other experiences with writing. As a teen, he helped his older brother with his newspaper, Dave’s Rag, and then became the editor of his high school’s newspaper, The Drum. (Page 50) This shows that he continued to love to write though his teen years and kept the interest alive. King wrote about what was important to him. (Even though it may have gotten him in trouble a time or two.)

       King also tells of his many horrifying experiences. King was hit by a truck while on a walking on a vacation and at one point, was addicted to drugs and alcohol. (page 87) These things normally would’ve kept a person from writing, but Stephen King chose to fight through all of this and take these opportunities to write. 

       To me, this book is inspiring because King shows a true love for the art. King is proof and is an example and a role model to know that no matter what I’m going through, I can still write. I can take the situation I’m in and use it to my advantage to better my writing. To become a great writer, I must write as often as possible- no matter what. 

On Writing- Third section

       In this last section of On Writing, King focuses more on how to revise and end with your finished product. One of the first things mentioned in this section, on page 201, says, “... but it seems to me that every book- at least every one worth reading- is about something. Your job during or just after the first draft is to decide what something or somethings yours is about.” This stood out to me because it is such a simple and seemingly obvious statement, but for me at times, is so forgotten. When writing, I often find myself getting easily off topic and then I end up being unsure about that I was writing on in the first place! Then when I go back and revise, I do not realize how off topic I am.

       Also, throughout most of this section, King mentions in some way about waiting a while to work on your next draft. This is hard for me because once I start writing something, I feel as though I am “on a roll” and I have to finish all of it right then. I know see how that can be a problem. If I don’t wait at least a day or so, I will still have the same mind set I had while writing and I won’t catch my mistakes. 

       The last thing that stood out to me was this quote from the section On Living: A Postscript. King says, starting on page 268, "I’d gotten going, there was that much. The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better." I feel as though I can relate to this the most because every time I write, getting started is the hardest and most stressful part. I always sit and stare at a blank page for what seems like hours waiting for my brain to start working. But once I finally have my topic and come up with my thesis, ideas start flowing, and, like King said, things only get better. 

The State of the Union Address

            Watching the State of the Union Address was quite difficult for me. First of all, my father was commenting on every other word that came out of President Obama’s mouth. Second, as a sixteen year old, it was very hard for me to understand some of the issues brought up such as business and taxes and foreign exports, seeing as how I have never had to deal with any of these. But, I tried to relate to whatever I could and form opinions.

           President Obama mentioned wanting to stop student loan rates from doubling. He also mentioned requiring colleges to cut costs instead of raising tuition. This would directly affect me in the next coming years and I fully agree. College is ridiculously expensive as it is and having to pay more money would only make things harder. 

          To improve the school system and education, Obama proposed a no- dropout policy. This policy says that each and every student must either graduate or stay in school until they are at least 18. I personally, do not agree with this. Not all students are meant to stay in school. The students that don’t want to, or don’t need to, be there often disrupt the classroom and keep other students from continuing their education. 

         While I did not understand everything that President Obama brought up, these few things stood out to me. I’m sure that the older I get, the more relevant the other issues will be to me. I look forward to one day being able to form opinions on all of the country’s issues.

On Writing by Steven King- Blog 2

What Writing Is, Toolbox, and On Writing sections

   I love how Steven King opens the next section by saying the writing is telepathy. That was a great way of putting it into perspective and a great use of figurative language. In my opinion, it was a very good analogy.

  On page 118  King says, in reference to vocabulary, “Use the first word that comes to your mind if it is appropriate and colorful.” This is very helpful to me because while I am writing, I often debate with myself on which words to use and how to use them. I usually  find myself not going with my first instinct and end up wasting time. King also says on page 124, “The adverb is not your friend.” I am the world’s worst at using adverbs. I tend to use many adverbs in my writing to describe objects and feelings, and I do not realize that I am being redundant. This will help me remember to look for redundancy next time I write. 

    Steven King uses a very vast amount of figurative language throughout the section. He suggests using figurative language such as similes and metaphors. I believe this is very important because it keeps thing interesting. I know that’s certainly how King keeps me interested while reading. 

     King also suggests that to improve your writing you must read.... a lot. This is a very big problem for me. I, honestly, just do not find reading interesting. I’ve never been a very avid reader. The only times I ever read are when I’m forced to in school. I now know that this has to change, though, to improve my writing. I have made it my new goal to read for pleasure more often to hopefully give my writing the boost that it needs!

    Steven King does a great job of outlining writing tips and principles. This will definitely help me in my writing in the future. 

On Writing- C.V. Section

           I’m going to start off by being completely honest... I was not looking forward to reading this book at all. This is mainly because I’m not much of a “pleasure reader”, I guess you could say. But I was pleasantly surprised when I began reading these 100 pages. Steven King really makes these stories come alive and very easy to get into. I actually very much enjoyed reading these first pages. I loved how he managed to tell his whole story of how he evolved into the writer he is today while just casually, and enjoyably, sharing about the rest of his life experiences. 

           The very first story was one of my favorites.  On pages 18 and 19, when he was talking about being at his Aunt’s house at around age 3 pretending he was the Strongboy in the circus, this made me reminisce back to when I was young child and how crazy my imagination was. Also, when he got stung by the wasp and later dropped the cinderblock on his foot made me laugh because I was just as clumsy when I was a toddler. My other favorite story was on page 61 when he was talking about how he and his wife met. I am such a romantic and any sweet little story like that just makes me smile. 

          I hope that the rest of the book is just as interesting.