VOTE.

My vote for the book next year would have to be The Road. I really liked the description of this book and the plot seemed extremely interesting. I like the sort of mysterious aspect of the book and none of the novels we read this year were like that. Especially when the group presented the novel it seemed as though I would really like the plot twists and the interesting events that take place in the book. It seemed like a novel that would keep the class talking and the discussion going. I think a lot of people would have topics that they felt strongly about or disagreed with in the book so everyone would have an opinion to say in the discussion. In addition, it would allow for people to get really into the book because I feel as though the characters are really relatable and you as a reader could have compassion for. All together, I feel as The Road would be a good novel to choose for the next year of English 110.

For The Alchemist and the novel that my group choose to read, I think that it has a lot of meaning and themes. The theme that is portrayed throughout the novel has to do with following one’s personal legend. This is mainly shown through the character Santiago because he is following his personal legend to make his way to the treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. The theme includes that in order to live a happy and fulfilling life, one must go after their personal calling and path that God has created for them. In addition, by watching Santiago’s journey, the theme of taking such a journey actually allows for one to make self discoveries, learn more about his or herself, and gain wisdom. Through this journey, one learns their desires and more about their own personality and characteristics. For example, Santiago gained wisdom and saw the importance of his; for example, Fatima. We also thought that this book was an example of an allegory. An allegory is an extended metaphor or a symbolic representation. We thought this was an allegory because Santiago is in search of his own personal legend, but his character represents every person in the world who is trying to find their meaning and purpose in life.

Shadow of No Towers

So we have been reading the graphic novel called Shadow of No Towers. When I first saw the book I was quite confused why we would be reading this comic and why it was important to read in the class. I really found the cover and back cover interesting because when I look at it I knew right away that it must be the twin towers and then I look on the back and it is all these people that look as though they are falling and represents all sorts of chaos and craziness. I thought the title was ironic because when there are no towers than they cannot cast shadows. However, this title shows that the towers are still casting shadows on our lives and are still affecting us to this day. For that reason, I found the title extremely engaging and therefore wanted to read the graphic novel a lot more and was interested in what the author had to say about September 11th. As I read through the graphic novel I noticed that it was very in your face and the author did not censor anything. He allowed for the reader to see the real feelings and reality of September 11th. I thought that the author showed the reality of September 11th and the madness and chaos that followed the attack. However, while I understood the first half of the graphic novel, I struggled with the second half where there were historical comparisons and references. I think that I missed a lot of the comparisons because I am not the best at history; therefore, a lot of the second half was over my head. I enjoyed the graphic novel because even though I have never been a huge fan of comics I found this one to be interesting and I think I liked it because it was relatable to my own life since I lived through September 11th as well. I really liked looking at the illustrations and this novel really made me work because I had to interpret the pictures and understand the text at the same time in order to comprehend the novel. Altogether, I thought that the graphic novel was a good ending to what we read in the class!

Fight Club

We just watched Fight Club and my thoughts on it vary. I have watched it before but the first time I saw it I was not really paying attention and did not have the patience to try and understand the perplexity of the plot and actually know what was going on in the movie. However, this time I got a whole new sense of the movie. I actually watched and paid attention to the movie. I thought it was an extremely interesting movie and even watching it twice I still was confused on some parts. However, I think that Project Mayhem’s focus on New York City probably sparked interest after 9/11 occurred. I can understand why this might have been a controversial movie because in the background at the end of the movie it looks as though two towers that resemble the twin towers fall to the ground. I can see why people might question this part of the movie; however, I think that they might have overanalyzed it a bit too far. I think that this movie was especially interesting because at the beginning and towards even the end of the movie I had no idea that Edward and Tyler was actually the same person. I do not know if I just did not pick up on the clues; however, I did not predict this whatsoever and it made the movie a lot more fascinating to me. I was wondering and wish we would have talked about it as a class more if he had a psychological disorder or what exactly was causing these two personalities. All in all, I thought the movie was really good and I actually would not mind watching it for a third time because every time I watch it I feel as though I get even more out of it.

Oscar Wao.

My Spanish is definitely not as good as I remember. As I have been reading this book I have noticed that my three years of Spanish in high school really was of no use. I have been struggling through this book because I do not understand a lot of the Spanish phrases that have been all throughout the book. At first, I did not like this at all was getting confused and did not even understand the plot or what was occurring in the book. I was having difficulty in becoming connected to the characters because I could not understand what they were saying making it hard for me to understand their personalities. However, as I continued to read the book I learned that I did not have to understand exactly what they were saying but I should try and understand the feeling that was being given off from the Spanish phrases. In doing this, I became less worried about the Spanish and I was able to get much more engaged in the book and it was easier for me to read rather than a struggle like it had been at the beginning. I believe that the author put this Spanish in for a reason. I think the author was trying to get across the point to the reader of language barriers and how cultural differences affect our lives. Altogether, it was not one of my favorite books that we have read this semester but after I finally got through it I saw the purpose of reading it. It was probably one of the only books I have ever read that actually showed me the struggle that comes with cultural barriers.

Water for Elephants.

So I finished Water for Elephants last week and I really loved the book! Honestly, it may be one of my favorite books of all time it was page turning for me and usually books are not like that for me. At first I thought that the book was depressing because Jacob was old and had nothing to live for in the nursing home. I thought that the circus was even depressing at this time too because it seemed dark and dreary in the train. The part of the book that really caught my attention and stirred my emotions was when august started beating eve3ryone from Rosie to Marlena. I was so proud of Marlena when she stood up for herself and left August and went to the hotel to spend the night. One character that I really have a dislike for is Uncle Al. he was so manipulating and takes advantage of the power that he holds. I learned to utterly hate him when he was telling Jacob that Marlena and August must get back together to keep the show strong. I could not believe the ending of the book! It was so amazing and good because I would have never predicted but I was extremely happy that Marlena and Jacob got together in the end! I thought it was interesting how throughout the entire novel everyone is trying to blind Marlena from reality while she can actually see everyone. So far, in this class I have not really been satisfied by the ending; however it this book I thought the ending really closed the novel well and helped the book come full circle. It was so unpredictable that he ended up back in the circus. I would have never guessed. All together, I thought the book was amazing and i would recommend it to anyone and even read it again.

Kite Runner!

I really enjoyed this movie! At first, I really had no idea what was in store and that it would turn into such an emotional movie towards the middle and end. I could not keep my eyes off the screen as the plot unfolded. I really liked how the movie started out light hearted with the boys playing and kite running throughout the city. It showed the innocence of childhood; however, it quickly changes as Hassan gets raped. This part was extremely sad and hard to watch. I disliked how Amir saw the whole abuse and did not even say a word about it. Then Amir and his father move to America and the movie took a new interesting twist. I loved the part where Amir first met his wife because it had that awkward sort of cute about it. They were both really flustered and kept making awkward eye contact. As the movie continued I found it to be unpredictable and the plot twists kept occurring left and right. I could not believe he went back to his hometown. When he went to the orphanage it really hit me and tugged at my heart for the poor children; especially, when the owner says sometimes he has to sell them in order to make enough money to feed the rest of the children. I wanted to just be able to reach out and help these children because although Amir goes to save his own nephew, I still felt horrible for the rest of the children. Altogether, I thought the movie was extremely heath wrenching and depressing; however a wonderful movie because of its great depth and meaning.

two of the most depressing short stories..

So I read the two short stories that we were assigned; one being Toga Party and the other called Dimension. I have never been so depressed before when I have finished reading two short stories. I did not know it was possible to have two stories that became so depressing in just a short amount of pages. In the short story Toga Party, although it was depressing, I found it extremely interesting because I have hardly read any books about a husband and wife that were in their sixties. I found it sad and depressing because throughout the entire short story they did not have anything to look forward to in their life and it seemed as though going to the Toga Party was an attempt to stay young; however, the old man gets tired and wants to go home around nine. The old man just goes to the Toga Party to make his wife happy even though we all know that he would rather just sit around at home and not go out at all. This short story made me question how I am going to be when I am that age because I hope I have more energy and am willing to still go out and have fun rather than sit and be bored at my house. I want to still have goals and be doing things in the world when I am that age instead of sitting around waiting to just get older and older. Also, I could not believe the end of the story! Wow it was so sad to know that they saw nothing at all in their future and just wanted to die in their garage. I was so shocked by the ending, it made me depressed to see what my future had in store for me; however, I hope that I am more excited about life than they were. Than the second short story, Dimension, really caught my attention because of the fact that it was so heartbreaking! I thought that Doree and Lloyd’s relationship was really weird from the beginning. It was obvious that Lloyd was controlling and always making sure Doree was doing what he wanted her too. I do not think he was brainwashing her but I do feel that she did not know any different than to worry and obey him. I knew something was going to happen as soon as she left the house and the children with Lloyd. I just had that knot in my stomach that you get when you anticipate that something horrible is going to occur. Also, I wanted Doree to rush home as soon as she got the call from Lloyd! This was probably one of the most depressing short stories I have read this far in my life!

My Year of Meats

When I first started reading My Year of Meats, I was quite disappointed because I was getting confused on what character was speaking and with the plot switching so often it was hard for me to get into the book and become deeply engrossed in the plot. However, after I understood the concept of "My American Wife!" I started to finally understand the plot of the book and care for the characters. For example, Jane, who was once someone who I just saw as the producer of the show, became a round character with a variety of enduring characteristic traits. She was someone by the end of the book that I felt sympathy and respect for. I loved that she cared about the families that she went to visit and actually connected with them rather than just filming their lives and then leaving without caring about their personalities or actual hardships. I saw her as a strong woman because while she could not have a baby herself she took this hardship and turned it into something that would inform and help the entire world by telling them about the chemical DES. In addition, I really started to care about Akiko and became attached to her as a character when I started to passionately dislike the character John. He made me so angry in the book because of his lack to understand what Akiko was going through and help her through her struggles. I was extremely happy that Akiko decided to move to America away from her husband at the end because it showed that she could finally stand up for herself; however, my perfect ending would not have been what actually occurred in the end. I did not like how Akiko was able to get her own apartment and live the regular American lifestyle. I would have liked to see Akiko go to America for a visit and see Jane and the families on the television show; however, I think she should have returned to Japan. I thought it was good that she escaped but I would have liked to see her travel back to Japan to raise her child and show that she could live a successful and fulfilling life in Japan and not just America.

Alternate Ending

My alternative ending to Happiness would definitely have to be one of romance and more love. I tend to always hope at the end of books that when there are two characters that like each other throughout the book get together in the end. However, in Happiness this did not occur. For that reason, I decided that for my own ending May and Edwin would have realized that they were madly in love with each other. May would have come back into the real world and out of the fake world she was living in because of the self-help book. Then Edwin would have realized that May was exactly what he liked in a girl and saw past her red lipstick and actually liked her for her personality and characteristic traits. So May and Edwin would have actually gotten together at the end of the novel. Also at the end of the novel, I thought that Ferguson was a little too sarcastic and tried to put too much humor into the end. In my ending, Edwin would have walked up the hill or mountain as Jack called it, and they would have had a heart to heart conversation where you realized that Jack was actually a nice old man and they would have had a bonding moment.

Happiness

So as I first started reading this book I was surprised when they brought up the series of Chicken Soup for the Soul because when I was younger I used to always read those. I usually read them just for the stories rather than to actually use them in my daily life and as a self-help book. Now, I would rather not read a self-help book because I do not find them to be all that interesting and I feel like in today’s world there are so many people and especially the media trying to tell you how you should live your life and I would rather just learn through my own life and experiences rather than reading a book. So I would have to agree with Ferguson presenting a self-help book as nothing more than a packaged production to fill a publishing catalog because today I feel like that is exactly what they are. They are books that are merely trying to tell you the best way to live your life when really every single person is different. Also I do not find self-help books very helpful at all because they usually are just telling the person what they think they want to hear rather than the truth.
So now I am farther into the book and I am so surprised that everyone is actually taking the book by Tupak so seriously and even May who once wore heavy lipstick is not even wearing her lipstick anymore. Also, I cannot believe that Edwin had to make himself smoke and was disgusted by it because of the book and what it was telling him. Therefore, I really hope that he stays strong throughout the novel and does not fall into the trap of the book.