Still In Search of a Good Book...

I'm a very picky reader. I think I spend more time choosing what book to read that I spend actually reading it. I think this is because I ABSOLUTELY LOATHE starting a book, getting bored with it, stop reading it, and then choosing a new book. If I commit to a book, personally, I think I owe it to the book to finish it. I know that sounds really weird. But that's just my opinion. I'm considering finishing the Divergent Trilogy by reading Allegient. Or maybe the Fall of Five. Or maybe the Knife of Never Letting Go. Or maybe Champion. Any advice?

I will probably read the Knife of Never Letting Go next because a friend of mine said it was REALLLY REALLY good. And there's nothing like a friend's suggestion of books :). Allegient is a close second on my books to read list because I have heard a lot of really good things about it and I really want to finish the series, so I can go watch the Divergent movie, which, by the way, I heard was really exciting too. Below is a fan made movie trailer for the Knife of Never Letting Go:

Well I'm going to go browse the nook store this afternoon looking for books. Wish me luck!

Past, Perfect, Present Tense

So continuing the reading of Past, Perfect, Present Tense, I have come to fall in love with short stories.  It still baffles me that the author can include plot, characterization, diction, syntax, voice, perspective, themes, imagery in such little amount of words. And putting into use the new diction and syntax vocab we learned, I now know that the title’s asyndeton(because it is leaving out the conjunction ‘and’). Am I right? J Anyways, one of the things I like  is that  I can pick up the book during those 10 minutes in class when I have nothing to do, read a short story, close the book, set it down on the table, and then just think about all I was able to gather from those 10 pages. It’s great. Normally, for me, reading is a start-stop activity. I rarely sit down for a couple hours and read continuously. So, by the time, I find my page in a 400 page novel and remember all the things that happened, it’s time to put the book away.

There was one short story, out of the 5 I’ve read that really stuck with me. It’s called The Electric Summer. It’s describing a young girl (Geneva) living in 1904, when St. Louis decided to host the centennial celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. She’s the epitome of the “Classic Country Girl”. She isn’t very worldly, she’s rather isolated. Contrarily, she has an aunt, named Elvera, who drives an automobile, which is quite unique for an early 20^th century woman. So her aunt is that eclectic, oddball that all family members kind of frown upon. Never the less, Aunt Elvera asks Geneva if she would like to accompany her to the Fair. Geneva really wants to go, but her parents turn Elvera’s invite down. Granted, Geneva’s kind of crushed. But then… that same night, Geneva and her mom are sitting on the porch and her mom surprises her. They will be going to the Fair. Together.

Being from a little farm, Geneva and her mother are scared to be going to such a crowded and big place, but once they get there, they are blown away. Here, Richard Peck does an amazing job offering imagery and description to really emphasize the setting and make it ‘pop’. One of my favorite lines in the book is when Richard Peck writes about the nighttime feel of the Fair, with its dancing people, blaring instruments, and colorful lights, "...the fountains played to this music and the thunder of the fireworks.” There are two main parts in this sentence that I'd like to address. Firstly, the fountain. Fountains by nature are just beautiful, with it's clear, flowing water spurting up into the air with majestic loops. But this quote makes the scene that much more ethereal by describing how the fountain not only skyrockets upward, but that it does so to the beat of the music playing. Secondly, the fireworks were described as "thundering" which speaks to the effervescent, brazen, immodest milieu of the fair- a direct contrast to the mundane, secluded, self-conscious life- style Geneva lives when she is on her farm. This emphasizes how big of a change in environment Geneva is experiencing, and how big of an impact this Fair is having on her perspective. In general, this line spoke to me because I can almost hear the blaring music and exploding fireworks. It totally sounds like summer.

Here's some snippets of the Fair:

Short Stories...

I finished Trash!!! It was such a good book and the mystery of what that wallet held was finally solved at the end! Anyhow, new book, new blog :)

So I've always been the kind of person who likes reading novels, like actual 300 paged, storyline based novels- not a collection of poems or biographies or news articles. Well recently I picked up a book called Past Perfect, Present Tense. I don't know what it was that kind of drew me to this book. Maybe it was the glossy white cover it had, or the simple color scheme on the spine, or maybe it was the alliteration of the title. Anyhow, I picked it up. It was, as the cover stated, a collection of stories by Richard Peck. So short stories. That got the wheels turning in my head. 'What exactly was a short story?' I thought. I had the misconception in my head that short stories would be so much easier to write than novels. I mean less words, less work. Right? I also thought that short stories would be so boring to read. One minute your in the beginning of the novel and the next minute your done. How could anything really exciting happen in those few minutes? Well, I soon learned how wrong I was about both facts.

I did some research on short stories and learned quite a few things about it. The definition of a short story is "a fictional work of prose that is shorter in length than a novel". And Edgar Allan Poe said that "a short story should be read in one sitting, anywhere from a half hour to two hours". This fact seemed a little strange to me. How could the author develop a well thought out plot, develop relatable characters, and connect with the reader in such a short amount of time? The way short story writers go about this is quite simple actually. Instead of focusing on so many different characters, so many different themes, so many different plots, and on so many different facets of the story, short story authors tend to target one character, one main central message, and one plot in their writing. This way, there's less things to cover, so the author can truly zoom in and delve deeper into their stories.

For more info on short stories: http://www.bnv-bamberg.de/home/ba4613/flg/gk_english/short_story/short_story_definition.htm

Determine a symbol for each of your characters. What tangible item can represent something abstract about them? Explain your reason for your selection.

       My dad held the bike steady as my 6 year old sister climbed on. He kept hold of the seat of the bike as my sister tried to balance, steer, and pedal at the same time. She was struggling. This was just last weekend. I'm sure we can all kind of remember the first time we rode on a two- wheeler- the initial feeling of pure superiority followed by the feeling of pure fear. But soon, we would figure out that the key to riding a bike without training wheels was... JUST KEEP PEDALING. This was literally the only thing we had to do. Which brings me to this quote by Albert Einstein: “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” I've come across a myriad number of inspiring quotes and most times I just think to myself, "Oh that's a neat way to view it." However, this quote really stuck with me; probably because it made so much sense. 

       There are 3 main characters in my book: Raphael, Rat, and Gardo. All of whom are dump site boys who make a living by digging through the trash. I think all three of them symbolize a bicycle. They have all endured so much difficulty and trouble throughout their life, but when they fall, they just brush themselves off and keep going. Raphael was taken by the police and tortured for information he had, but even in pain, he stood his ground and refused to give into the bullying. "My chair turned over and the side of my face was split. I fell badly, and my wrist was bend under me, and I saw him standing over me and I thought he was going to start kicking. (pg67)" They are the epitomes of perseverance. They've learned that when the going gets tough, they need to stand up and power through. 

       However, I think that these three individuals further represents a specific part of the bicycle. Gardo symbolizes the handles, because he is the older, tougher, and more mature of the group. He steers where they three of them will be headed too. He steps up as a leader and keeps the boys from heading in the wrong direction. ("Gardo's my partner... he looks after me." (pg7)) Rat can be compared to the wheels. He gives the group stability. Even though he is little, scrawny, and a bit roughed up, he provides the happiness and comfort that keeps the group going. He also supports the group financially with his 2000 pesos. Finally Raphael symbolizes the chains. He is the basic item that keeps the "bike" running. He found the wallet that led to their entire adventure and he just makes sure everything's is in place. 

       Overall, I think that the author did a great job depicting how hard life is for these boys, but also how strong and hardworking they are to make the best of the situation.

Check out this link for more information about Trash:

http://www.andymulliganbooks.com/trash/

Write a post about vocabulary you observe in the context of your book.

       Ok, so this book isn't one of those "read each paragraph ten times and still have no clue what it's saying" kind of books. It's a pretty simple read, the words aren't that complex, and the sentence formation is pretty rudimentary. Still, it is a very interesting book because every paragraph you read, questions and connections pop into your head. I feel like this book is written in a more simple manner because it's written in first person, and each chapter is like a character recounting his experience. So in a way, it's kind of like the characters are telling the story. And since the characters don't go to school, the words are pretty elementary.The tone of the novel is very conversational.
       The vocabulary of this book, furthermore, is quite like how you or I would talk in everyday life. Not too hard to understand, but based on who's point of view the chapter is from, the word choices can change the tone. When Father Julliard (the leader of a Mission school charity to help the Behala kids) talks, it is more educated and wise. When Olivia (an volunteer at the Mission school charity), she is more empathetic and uses words such as "love", "smiles", and "stupidly soft- hearted". From the way it's written, the reader can definitely tell that she adores the children she works with. Raphael (the main character) is illiterate and uses words that appeal to the readers emotions more: "I did not know what to do. I did not make a sound, and I did not move- I was too scared to breathe and I didn't know which man to look up at." Everyone has experienced this kind of fear before, so Raphael engages in words that fully capture human emotions.
       Also, I realized that by looking at not only the vocabulary choices, but also by looking at the way words are spelled and their placements can tell you a lot about the author. For example, as I was reading this book, I realized that the word "honor" was spelled "honour". So I deduced that the author had a British background. I googled him, and found that indeed, he spent much of his childhood in London. This really brought to my attention how there are books written by authors of so many different histories end up compiled in one library. Anyways, below is 1- minute book talk on why Mulligan wrote Trash. :)

Columnists: Krista Ramsey Post

1).I can't even start to imagine what it would feel like to be so 100% responsible for the life of another human being. In other words, I can't imagine what it would feel like to be a new mom. All the things that a baby requires, regardless of the time or of the weather is mind- numbing. Krista Ramsey wrote about how this fear is prevalent in the minds of all moms, but also about all the love and happiness that all mothers feel when they see their child smiling.

2). Column Title: "Dear new mom, welcome to a loving group"
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/03/20/krista-ramsey-cradle-cincinnati/6676533/

3). "Good mothers are made, not born. Age, background and income level matter very little. Willingness to hold, talk to, read to, listen to, protect and love their child means everything."This passage truly shows how it's a tough job to be a new mother. There are so many things to keep in check. It also reassures mothers that their baby doesn't care how old they are, what their history was like, or how much money they make. The baby just cares about whether their mom is there for them when they need it most. The last sentence makes a list of all the different characteristics of a 'good' mother by using very gentle and caring words such as "hold", "protect", and "love". Ramsey also doesn't use the Oxford comma in this list, which could just be the way she was taught, or could be used to make the list seem more continuous and fluid.
 4).Ramsey writes from a very down- to- earth, and honest way. She incorporates experiences and feelings that every human being is familiar with, thus making her writing very relatable. For example,"You will never again sit beside a woman holding a child on a Metro bus, in a church pew or at a doctor's office without having something to talk about."  She also uses a very conversational tone that is easy to understand. "What ever magnificent things Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson do on the field Sunday at the Super Bowl. some of us appreciate what the two quarterbacks have done off the field all year." The way she writes also speaks to humanity as a whole. She always uses the pronouns such as "we" or "us", which portrays her as just any other person, just like you or me. "We've also all had..."
5). 1- "What event(s) inspired you to become a columnist?"    
    2- "Is it difficult writing about topics that you don't have as much experience on?"   
    3-"What is the greatest part of your job as a columnist?"

Describe the setting of the novel...

       Just a heads up, the setting of this book is not very beauteous- seeing as the book is called Trash. However, I believe that the author did an amazing job in portraying such a generic and "unspecial" scene. So the main setting, at least at the beginning of the book is in a dumpsite called Behala. This is located in a Third World contry, which means that it is a country who's political, social, and economic view points does not conform with those of more developed countries. Thus, inevitably, the country is very poor. Behala is literally a place where garbage trucks stop by everyday to empty their trash. There is a community of about a hundred or so people who are, unfortuneatly, too poor to live in the more advanced part of the main city. Instead, they rummage through the trash piles in search for anything they could sell to earn a little money, which includes used plastic, cloth, and even food. They live in little shacks or shambles that are constructed out of the "good" trash that its citizens uncover.

       A quote the author Andy Mulligan wrote (about a 10- year old boy with no family) that really stuck out to me was, "[Rat] was sitting on some layers of cardboard, and around him there were piles of rubbish that he must have been sorting. The walls and ceilings were damp brick, and there were cracks everywhere. That was where the rats came in and out..." This quote is the epitome of run-down in my opinion. The poor living conditions that an innocent little boy has to live through is perfectly captured by the author. Rat is literally living in garbage. There are rats crawling in from every corner, and they don't have running water or electricity.
It really showed me how badly some people's lives are going and it once again emphasized how blessed I am to be living in such a healthy and safe society.

Why I Chose This Book:

         Ok bad news. Had to return Wuthering Heights because there was a hold on it at the library. But, good news, I found a new book that I thought would be interesting. It was last Wednesday night and I was wandering down the endless aisles at the Mason Public Library. I looked at the titles of books that I didn't even know how to pronounce. I looked at the titles of books that I did know how to pronounce, but had NO idea what it could be about. Finally, I made it to familiar territory. The juvenile fiction category. I looked through the books, smiling every time I saw a book a remembered reading. 'Oh, the ending of this book was so boring. I can't believe I read all 400 pages to get to it.' or 'Oooh I liked this one a whole lot when I was young. I think the main character had a name with like 20 letters in it.' Well, one new title caught my eye. I saw a book that seemed like a good read. It was called Trash. Ok, the title might not sound very appealing, but I've found that in a lot of cases, the books that have titles I'd never imagine reading, turn out to be the best ones I read.
         So I open up the front flap and read the short synopsis. It's about a few (literally dirt poor) teenagers living in an unnamed Third World country. They survive by digging through the piles of garbage on the outskirts of town. Then one day, a boy named Raphael finds something very unique and special. This little item will turn Raphael and his friend's lives' upside down. They are faced with decisions that could define their entire futures and faced with consequences that can make their world come tumbling down. Below is a quick book trailer on it:

         I was shocked by this plot. It wasn't like a lot of the other books on the shelves- the ones about a girl who's best friend left her for another friend or the ones about so and so's heart-breaking break up. I felt like this books isn't about someone who's life is perfect and has a few petty problems that could be resolved in a heartbeat. This books really seemed to bring into light unimaginable poverty and the fear, hunger, and oppression so many countries in our world today suffers. I think this is what really drew me to it. The fact that it's about a terrible situation and about kids my age who have it so tough in life. Anyways, enough with this kind of depressing talk and onto a happier one- I look forward to continue reading it!!

About the Author...

       Classics, now a days, are stereotyped as boring reads or as "forced- to reads". After reading a few of them myself, I have to admit at times, I did not find the plot very interesting. I felt like the story was slow- paced and had all these useless words in place just to make my reading longer. I think a main reason for this feeling is that I don't understand the context of the novel and I'm not used to reading books that have more ancient words and sentence syntax. Another huge reason is that I probably don't understand where the author is coming from. So taking this opportunity, I'd like to tell you a little about Emily Bronte- the author of Wuthering Heights. And I'm shocked to say that, personally, I find Bronte's life story more interesting than the novel itself.     
       Emily Bronte, the fifth child of her family, was born on July 30, 1818 in the tranquil town of Yorkshire, England. She was a person who had very little life experience. She rarely traveled out of her village and lived a very circumscribed life. Even so, she was aware of the horrors of everyday life. At a young age, she became very familiar with grief. She was about three by the time her mother died of cancer, two of her older sisters died of malnutrition, and her only brother ruined his life and became a drug addict and alcoholic. All of these life experiences really shaped the way that she decided to portray the world in her novel. Her two, also famous sisters, Ann and Charlotte Bronte were also literary fanatics. The three of them wrote numerous short novels, poems, and biographies together at a young age. Literature slowly grew to become a part of their lives. Because Emily, Ann, and Charlotte were women who were living in a society dominated by men, it was very difficult for them to publish their works. Thus, they broadcasted their stories under the pennames of Ellis, Acton, and Currer Bell, respectively.
       Wuthering Heights is Emily Bronte's only published novel. Inevitably, living in such an isolated society, she died very close to the home she was born in. Tuberculosis was a very contagious and dangerous disease during her time period. Her brother died in October of 1848 from this disease, and Emily Bronte passed away from TB just two months later on December 19th, 1848. She lived a very short life, yet she was able to touch the emotions of so many different people from so many different backgrounds. I believe that even though her life wasn't as glamorous as those of some other author's, the legacy she left is truly a noteworthy one.