Alaska's Ghosts

Do you  ever just completely engulf yourself into one thing? That is what is happening with me with this incredible eye opening novel.  I can't even write in words how it changes how you feel and makes you think about what is really being said in the words that are spoken. This character Alaska is so mysterious, she speaks very philosophically and doesn't let you in on her life but she is helping others with theirs. She keeps hinting at her life, or she says something that could be more revealing but then it closes up again. She said, "I'm scared of ghosts, Pudge. And home is full of them."(Green 41). I could think of that for hours and just sit contemplating what it means. In fact, I reread it to try and understand what she is talking about. John Green does an excellent job of incorporating Alaska to use many more quotes like this that just jump out at you as you read. I think that her quotes are foreshadowing what is to happen later on.

There haven't been any real problems in the plot yet. The kids in the campus just prank each other and they get caught smoking, but that isn't a real issue to them. I think that they are leading up to a real problem that they will have. In the book Pudge is the main character but it seems like the book was chosen to be written from his point so that we could be more intrigued about Alaska and what is going on with her. It's mysterious. I don't really like mystery but this incorporates it nicely and make it flow. Pudge is on a mission to figure Alaska out and find out what she has hidden. I think he finally does figure it out because Pudge keeps counting down days, he starts at "one hundred thirty-six days before"(Green 1). It is literally the first thing you read. I was really confused at first, because I was just thinking to myself, before what? What is going to happen. I knew he wasn't going to die because it is written in his perspective but as I went on and now that I am down to fifty-one days before, I am starting to get an idea of what is going to happen. Obviously by the title something to do with Alaska, but I think that it isn't going to be a physical search but rather a search internally. To find out what is her story and who she is as a person. It is impeccably written and keeps edging me on to read more. This is my last post of the year for my class(yay!) so if this sounds interesting to you I would definitely recommend reading it! I am sure I will have to blog next year for sophomore class blogs so see you next year!

Looking for Alaska

Do you remember back in third, or fourth grade grade when if you wanted to see a movie, your parents made you read the book first before wsatching the movie? I do. My parents were the ones who enforced that rule; and I am glad they did. I love going and watching a movie as much as any other adolescent, in fact I went and saw one last night. There wasn't a book to go along with it but as I have grown up, even as the rule faded away, I still read the book first. I compare the book to the movie and it helps me to understand what a book does for you compared to a movie, I have got to tell you, every time (or almost every), the book has been better.

There are few cases when the movie actually portrays the book the way it is written and takes to a whole other dimension. One of these, I believe, was The Fault In Our Stars, it was written by John Green which made me interested in his writing and his style. I recently heard anohter one of his novels was going to be published. Looking for Alaska. I have been hearing about how marvelous this book is for quite some time and just now decided to pick it up. Mainly do to the fact that I heard it was going to be a movie and I want to see a movie because who doesn't? So I have picked it up and am approximateley around twenty pages in.

I am completely absorbed into it. It is new and exciting and extremely relatable, besides the smoking and drinking, but still with the teenage thoughts and what actually happens. It portrays what we feel and how we act 99% accurately. So far, Pudge has been bullied and tormented the normal amount for a highschool kid. He goes to a new school an dfinds some friends who introduce him to smoking and drinking, not the best decision. But so far nothing drasctic has occured, and I will keep you all up dated on what is happening as I get deeper in!

Catching Up

Ok so maybe I haven't been doing what I set out to do this semester. I've been a bit lazy with my writing and haven't really tried to focuss on talking to you guys a lot. So, as you may have noticed they are lacking in the improvements of my diction and sytnax.  So I want to ask you guys a few questions. What do you do to "spice up" your blog in relations to keeping the audience interested? And how do you change up the pace of you writing while making it flow? I know that I get a bit boring with my writing and I just use the average amount of sentece length or I don't get all fancy with my words. So I just wanted to see if any of your tactics could help me.

I have not been reading as much as I would like to be recently. At all. I love to read but I just haven't been able to find something that screams READ ME this year. I wanted to leave my comfort zone and try new genres but I just bore of them withing a day and put it down forever. I might just go back to dystopian for the rest of the year and try again in the summer. Who knows, maybe I'll find one that holds my attention longer that a milisecond. Well anyways guys, I'm sorry i haven't been the best blogger but hopefully I will be able to grow more as a writer and reader in the next month and through my career.

Columns

Alright everybody, in class we are starting a columnist unit. So for homework I had to read a bunch of columns. They are stories that are in first person(typically) and they take a side to something and write about it.  Also, they normally have a personal story in them that helps show their point.  It is like a news article but it has opinion and not only facts and statistics.

There was this one column, "the mother of all parties" it was about how moms are always stressing out about parties and have to have the best party out of all the other parties.  It speaks about what the author, as a husband, sees while his wife busies around to throw the best birthday party.  The whole thing is about the birthday parties but there is a hidden purpose for the column.  The main idea is woven throughout the story; and all of the others that I have been reading.  The real meaning in it was that sometimes you just have to step back and let things go as they should.

Theme Project

heme Statement:

Censorship causes diminished individual thought

By:Morgan Register, Abigail Gunter, Sudarsana Addepalli, Brianna Smith, and Megan Hernandez

        Bell 3

Timeline:

• In the beginning, Montag burns books because as a fireman he thinks that it is best for society.
• Montag meets Clarisse and finds her peculiar due to her deep insights on society and how she spends lots of time thinking.
• After Montag sees a lady go down with her books, he begins to question his beliefs on censorship.
• Montag goes and talks to Faber.  He thinks Faber is interesting because Faber is not affected by the censorship surrounding them in society.
• Montag tries to shed some light for Mildred and her friends by reading them a poem, but the plan backfires.
• Montag returns to the firehouse to continue the “book burnings” but finds that their next assignment is his house.
• Montag runs from the government and escapes to the woods and joins Granger and the book people to continue his growth of individual thought and knowledge.

Quotes:

1. “It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed”(Bradbury 1).
2. “The Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom” (Bradbury 122)
3. “So long as the vast population doesn’t wander about quoting the Magna Carta and The Constitution, it’s all right,” (Bradbury 147).

Theme to story importance: This theme is crucial to understanding the book because, the premise of the story is based upon the censorship of books and knowledge.

Theme to society connection: This theme is relevant to our society today because censorship plays a major role in how economical information is presented and how it is designed to sway opinions.  It is important for us to study this theme because it helps us to remain aware of the freedom of having individual thoughts and the ability to gain knowledge.

Update on Lock and Key

Ok guys so I kind of lost interest in Lock and Key. It just was not doing it for me. Does that ever happen to you? You think a books pretty good but then you just don't pick it up again and you lose complete interest. Well anyways, that's what happened to me with this book. It wasn't bad it just wasn't for me. I would still recommend reading it if it's up you alley and it seems interesting to you.

I have taken a turn and am starting a new book that I am sure most of you have heard of, The Great Gatsby. I gained interest when I watched the movie over this SUPER long 10 day weekend that magically appeared into our arms. Wasn't that something.  So, getting back to the book, I've recently started reading it and the author, Scott Fitzgerald writes in a bit of a different way. Since it is set around the 1920's they talk and describe things a little differently. So far it is different to anything I have yet to read.

I am not too far into it yet but will be reading more now that we are back on our routine schedules.  I liked the movie well enough, although I must admit, there was a lot of drugs and alcohol among other things. Have any of you seen, The Great Gatsby? Apparently there are two movie versions so I am going to watch the older one after I read the book and compare the two movies.  Happy reading everyone!

Fahrenheit 451

Why did this happen? My friends shouldn't have reacted with such furor. Guy needs to apologize for doing such a horrid thing in the first place.  Having books in the house? What a dumb decision.  I need to rid of these monsters that are tearing me and my friends apart.

As my legs carried me to the bathroom I got more and more worried about what was going on in my life. Guy was way out of line.  He knows it's against the rules to have books, and I saved us with that rash story.  The sleeping pills were much needed to get any rest tonight.  I shook the container and took four for the night.  I thought to Guy," Fool Montag, fool, fool, oh God you silly fool.  How could you do this?" The connection got ripped apart mid sentence though. How rude of him. To just ignore me like that.  I walked to the bedroom to settle my thoughts and get some rest.

I must burn all the books in the house, that way I'll be safe and nothing bad will happen to me. I won't get in trouble with that Captain Beatty and I'll be able to live my life.  If they already know about Montag, so be it, my friends have been married many times before, I can just find a new man.  Should I hide the fact that I know about them? Or maybe..... Should I tell the government about Guy's books and his reading? 

As I drifted off those questions bugged at me.  Begging me for the decision of a lifetime.