Fahrenheit 451: Part 1

When Mrs. Leffler said that the next book we were reading was Fahrenheit 451, I was really excited to read it. I've always heard great things about it, specifically from Mrs. Shoemake, and dystopian novels fascinate me. And the book hasn't let me down! Plus, going into it with a positive attitude has had to help.

When I first began reading, I wasn't sure what was going on. I found it has to imagine what things looked like, especially the TV "family" wall things. That kind of frustrated me. But as I got further into the book, things became clearer.

It's also been hard for me to understand why society would ever come to that: no books, such control, people not knowing real history and facts.  I've realized, however, that this reality is a lot closer than I initially thought. Especially in Middle Eastern countries with totalitarian governments, they really are "brainwashed" into believing certain things and having so many liberties controlled.

I LOVE Clarisse. From the first page she was mentioned, I found her as a really neat character In a society where no one questions things, she thinks outside the normal realm of things, but isn't embarrassed to show her odd side. Now, I don't want this to sound creepy, and I know it kind of is because of the age difference, but I want Clarisse and Montag to end up together! They're good for each other; they level each other out. Fahrenheit 451 could easily become a love story, and even attract new readers.  I also hope that the news of her being dead is NOT true. I really don't think it is. It's just a distraction to show everyone else what happens when you question.

I'm super excited to finish this book! (I'm not just saying that as an easy way to end my blog, either.) In fact, I may go read right now...

LIfe of Pi: The final Part

I finally finished Life of Pi! Being such a lengthy book, I thought I never would, but I did, and it is my second favorite book we've read in class (to the Crucible). I was, however, highly disappointed in the ending when Richard Parker just walked into the jungle and Pi didn't get to say his good byes. I felt that they had formed such a strong relationship that their separation would've been a little more heart felt.


In this part of the book, we learn another version of Pi's story, with real characters. At first I was super confused with what was real and what was fiction, like I was with most of the story. This part of the book was gruesome and disgusting, and I wanted to think it was fake. I've come to believe that the human version is "real", and Pi made the animal version up to help cope with the trauma. I understand, because this was the saddest part of the story to me.


Life of Pi goes on my top read list, and I definitely reccommend it to anyone looking for a good read.

Life of Pi: Part 3

In the third part of Life of Pi, I'm beginning to realize how much more I'm enjoying the book. Things are starting to flow better and make much more sense.

Pi finds the survival manual he had on his boat and reads it. He realizes that there are two things he has to take care of first: food and shelter. While Pi is working on those things, Richard Parker has marked his own territory by peeing on things. What's grosser is that Pi does the same thing, hoping to mark his territory and keep a safe distance from the tiger.

Pi becomes a lot closer to nature in this section of the book. He has to begin depending on it for survival, and you can see the transformation in him, especially as he enjoys his surroundings. Pi's always been a tree hugging pacifist, but he loses all that when he kills a fish with his hands.

As the days pass, Pi starts a routine to keep his sanity. I can completely relate to that, I can barely sit still for an hour without going crazy.

This book is waaaay too detailed in the disgusting parts. Eating animal feces, describing his water boils, and drinking turtle blood is too much for me. It really almost makes me want to quit reading and not even finish.

I am going to finish the book, however, because I've got to see how it ends now. The author has got one of the most odd imaginations I've ever read, so I'm interested to see how it all turns out.

Life of Pi: Part 2

As I continue reading Life of Pi, I find it more and more interesting. When I first began reading, I wasn't sure what to expect at all, but it definitely wasn't what it's turned out to be. Part 2 begins with Pi on a sinking ship and ending up on a lifeboat. He sees a tiger, Richard Parker, in the water, and after the tiger boards the boat, Pi realizes how much danger he is in. I found it so bizarre that the hyena went crazy and bit the zebra's broken leg off and decapitated the orangutan. I thought this was really gruesome, and I'm not quite sure why it has to be included in the story. His building the raft to try to  keep a safe distance from Richard Parker is a smart idea though.

I also love the way Pi relates his whole life to the zoo. This helps make really neat connections between animal and human instinct and personalities. I'm ready to finish the book.

Life of Pi: Part 1

I began reading Life of Pi as I do most required reading books- completely uninterested and sure I was going to hate it. The cover alone, a picture of a boy and a tiger on a raft, seemed tedious and miserably boring. As I began the author's note, howver, it soon pulled me in. One of my good friends went to India this past summer to work at mother Theresa's home of the dying. As sad as his stories and pictures were, I looked to hear and look at them, and soon loved the country of India. When I first read that the author was traveling to India, I was even more eager to continue reading. Then when he went to a coffee shop to relax- well, there's nothing more relaxing to me than coffee, so I was hooked.

I was confused at times, however, at what was real and what wasn't. When Martel and Adirubasamy meet and talk about Pi Patel, I wasn't sure if he even existed. After reading it several times, I realized he in fact doesn't. In part one, the reader soon finds out that Pi has endured a lot of devastation ,but exactly what is unclear. I thought I had missed something and had to re-read. I now know that this book is one that I can't just skim over, but that I have to really read.

One of the things I like most about Part 1 was when he talked about the zoo where he grew up. Here Pi learned about freedom, habits of nature, and helped shaped his belief system. I thought this was a really neat way for Martel to develop the characters for us. I'm excited to continue reading this!

The Color of Water: The final part

I finally finished The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother. At first, I didn't think the title was very fitting. Ruth wanted nothing more than to erase race and skin color completely from her and her children's life. She felt it was unimportant, and did nothing to help her family.

In the final chapters of this book, James returned to Suffolk to find our more about his mother's past and her family. It was easy to tell this journey back was hard for him and brought up a lot of unexpected emotion. I saw his going into the synagogue was a huge step forward for him and showed him a lot about his mother, because as a child, being Jewish was her life. I also kept expecting James to try to locate Dee Dee, Ruth's sister, and talk to her, but he never did because he knew it'd be hard on her. That to me shows a lot about his character.

I understand much better now why Ruth never wanted her children to know about her family or why she never asked them for financial help again. Her independence and strength through her first husband's (James's father) death showed to me just how strong of a person she is.

The epilogue was truly my favorite part. James talking about all his siblings shows the incredible way Ruth reared four accomplished children, something many never expected. Also, her entering  the synagogue for James's friend's wedding showed how she could accept her past, but move on with her own life and be okay with it.

I would recommend this book to anyone. It was a quick read, and definitely worth the time.

The Color of Water: Part 2

After 18 chapters, I'm starting to kind of like The Color of Water. I've enjoyed his mother's story about 12 hundred times more than his, and I'm not quite sure why. I feel that his story in this book is supposed to be about racial hardships that he's faced, but nothing's been that extreme, or even worth telling, to me. He has more of a problem with his mother being white than he does with himself being black. His mother's story, however, has captured me. Both he and his mother faced racial persecution at some point or another, but he had a loving family at home to help support him, and she didn't. The one part that really bothered me however was the abortion. She talked a lot about her Christian transformation, and I was hoping she'd realize what a mistake she had made to abort the baby in the same way. I found it bizarre that she never said she regretted that decision or how it later effected her because I don't think there's any way to go through that and not have it deeply effect you. Her independence in leaving her family and moving away was great to see though. Especially for a woman in that time, that had to be hard to do, and I have to give props to that. In all honesty, I have no idea how this book is going to end, but I'm actually anticipating finishing it.

The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother

To be honest, When I first heard the title of the book we were to read next, I was not excited at all. The title alone sounded boring and did not make me want to read a single page. Mrs. Leffler said that most students either love it or hate it, which concerned me. I'm one of those people who have a strong opinion about almost everything; something I love I can complete with utmost passion, but if I don't like it, it's an act of congress to get myself to finish it. But I gave The Color of Water a stab.

Oddly enough, I don't have a strong opinion about the book yet. I'm not losing sleep to see what happens in chapter 10, but I am slightly anxious to see where the story goes. I find this story hard to relate to. I come from a loving Christian family and haven't had to deal with racism in daily life. That may be just because I've only lived 17 years, but I hope to never have to face that.

I do really like the story of how she's converted from being Jewish to Christian. It's neat to hear her explain how she now finds the rituals of Judaism legalistic and unnecessary to her faith. I think that's still a major problem in even "christian" churches today and not a lot of people address it.

I'm going to give this book the benefit of the doubt. I do want to enjoy it, so maybe in the next few chapters it'll get even better.

Final response to King's "On Writing"

In On Writing: A Memoir to the Craft, King states his motto of "Read a lot, and more importantly, write a lot." His dedication throughout the years prove that if one wants to excel at something, practice really does make perfect.  Even in the hard times, King gives examples of how living this motto out can bring success to unexpectant people.

When King first began writing, it would've been easy for him to give up. King faced rejection and criticism (not always constructive) as early as high school while writing for his school's paper. He didn't let pride get in the way of continuing to write though. He found that he loved writing fiction and stuck with it, even when others thought he shouldn't.

Once older, King started to face hardships. Drugs and alcohols became addictions, and even though some of his best books came through this, he says he wishes he could remember and enjoying the actual writing of these works. This would have been an easy time for King to give in to the struggles and stop writing, but he didn't. Help through this rough patch came from his wife, Tabitha. She is a writer herself, and many times she was the first to read his latest novel and honestly critique it. When King threw away a draft of Carrie, Tabitha dug it out of the trash to read. Her encouragement and availability aided King through his addictions and urged him to keep writing.

In 1999, King was hit by a car. It's truly a miracle that he survived at all. The injuries were extensive and provided yet another opportunity for King to give up writing once and for all. He had money from his previous works, so that wasn't an issue. His recovery time would be long, and for a while, King didn't think he'd ever write again. Once again, Tabitha came to his rescue. She found his old writing desk and set it up where he could access it. he wrote for three hours and 45 minutes straight. That amount of time has to count as "practice". Even if he has to deal with pain, King still "reads a lot, and writes a lot".

King summed up his view of writing best when he concluded, "Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It's about getting up, getting well, and getting over."
This memoir can be an encouragement and extremely helpful tool to any young writer.

The rest of it...

Stephen King's On Writing finally came to an end. Several times in the book I had to force myself to finish reading, and I first I was reluctant to be a King fan. I still don't think I'd read any of his other books, but this one was worth the time.
I loved his tips on editing your drafts. I know on several occasions I've gone and tried to edit my own work almost immediately writing it. In most circumstances I don't have six months for my draft to sit there and "age", but those few times I don't procrastinate (very, very few) and allow my mind a couple of days to clear, it ends up as my best work.
I didn't relate much to the finding an agent section mostly because right now I'm not aspiring to be a published author. If that ever did turn out to be a dream, I would definitely re-read his advice.
I also agree with the idea of having an I.R. (Ideal reader). I have teachers and peers that I trust to edit anything of mine, and I really value their feedback. That doesn't mean I have to change everything they think needs to be reworded or what not, but I do trust their opinions. I'm glad King agreed to that too.
King's accident showed his perseverance. It's unfortunate that it took such a tragic event to get him past his writer's block, but, in fear of sounding like a Hallmark card, I think it proves what dedication from yourself and support from family and friends can do.
To anyone who ever has to take another English class or simply enjoys writing, go read On Writing. It'll get you thinking, and maybe even inspire you to write the next great novel.

State of the Union Address

I am not a fan of President Obama or his administration; nevertheless, I wanted to go into this address open minded (a big step for me) and hope that from the results of midterm elections, Obama would realize that America was more moderate and would join us in the middle. He let me down.

This speech was much like his campaign speeches. It was inspirational and positive, and full of what he and his administration thought America wanted to hear. I, however, don't think America needs empty promises and a charismatic leader at this point.

Obama's theme was "Winning back America", and he basically stated that America could win back prosperity and power with the help of the federal government. Doing so would require "investing" more money and putting us in even more debt (because 14 trillion isn't enough). Regardless of how President Obama wants to phrase it, spending anything is not the answer. I disagree 100% with his tactics.

It's true that President Obama was given a crappy economy, but I believe it's his fault that he doesn't know how to deal with it.  His inexperience comes to light here, and I think many people that voted him to office are seeing it as a mistake.

Rep. Paul Ryan's response from the GOP wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. He basically said that we don't have money to spend, and that Republicans in the House will have to try to keep it balanced. That was the first time I'd ever hear Ryan speak; I'm still not sure of what I think about him.

Tool Box and On Writing

I was surprised to find that the tips in the Toolbox were practical. After reading about his strange experiences growing up, I was expecting his wiriting advice to be "advanced" and what not. But right off the bat I loved his point of not using huge vocabulary words just for the sake of using them; rather, use the first word that comes to mind. We all know people (like half the debate team) that love to show off their extensive vocabularies. In attempt to sound smarter, they sound like tools. It's obnoxious, not to mention. We all learned those Mrs.-Shoemake-words too, buddy.

Speaking of Mrs. Shoemake, I felt that King's section on using active not passive voice was straight from her mouth. I can remember countless days of sitting in her class and hearing her screech, "The subject does the verb!" or receiving an essay that had PASSIVE VOICE written on it. I now try to avoid it at all costs, and agree with King 100% on it.

His examples of starting a story and then telling the reader to go finish was such a neat way to get the reader involved. When he was talking about the young wife stalked by a crazy ex-husband, I really did want to know what happened next. I was even more interested to know what would happen if we switched the characters and had the wife psychotic. Now, I didn't go write the story like he had suggested, but it was a nice idea nonetheless.

These chapters weren't the most interesting I've ever read; in fact, I had to force myself through the last 20 or so pages, but King's tips are definitely something worth listening to and trying, considering his success.

"Life isn't a support system for art; it's the other way around."

As a Stephen King newbie, I was skeptical if I would enjoy reading his autobiography. I didn't see the reason why we had to read it in an AP Language class, or how it would benefit us. I still haven't answered those questions, but to my surprise I have loved the book (even if I am only 107 pages in).

When I first began reading I noticed he had written three forewords. "Geez", I thought, "Does he really have that much to say?" I soon realized that yeah, he did, and I wanted to hear all of it. King had accomplished in the first few pages what takes most writers chapters; he had me laughing out loud. I remember sitting in Mrs. Oglesby's class (which is always silent) and laughing audibly to myself. These forewords grabbed my attention and made me want to keep reading. This tactic is one all writers, famously published or merely high school students, would profit from using.

His stories may have started as funny, but they soon turned graphic. Sure, that may appeal to some, and heck, some probably think that is funny. I, however,  find his crudeness and vulgarity unnecessary and gross.

If you can look past that though, the rest is great. I love the way he describes abstract things by describing physical things. One example is when he's telling the story of how he and his friend would go to movies. By describing his preference of movies, he's really describing himself, and it helped me understand his personality a little better. Plus it's way more iteresting for readers.

I loved his stories of when he was on his high school newspaper staff because I'm on staff here, and I completely understand his dilemma in trying to write interesting things but can't always get them "approved". It was also nice to see that there are staffs more dysfunctional than ours.

The whole beginning of On Writing has been nothing but stories, and I now believe that that's the only way an autobiography should be written. They're not just pages full of boring facts, but adventures and romances and comedies that hook the reader.  Already, King has made this a "memoir to the craft", and I'm (surprisingly) anxious to continue reading.