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.