Finally

Before I started this class, I would read very seldom on my own, not because I don't like reading, but rather because I'm not a fan of reading multiple books at once, and I'm almost always reading a book for a required English class. Right now it's David Copperfield. I took this class because I wanted to become a better writer, and to become a virtuoso in the art of applying new vocabulary in a pragmatic way, whether it be on the SAT, or on this blog, or anywhere else. I wasn't so excited about the reading part of the class, at first, but I surprised myself by finding it rather easy to pick out books that interested me. I enjoyed all the books I picked, and didn't struggle with any of them, but I rarely went too far out beyond the 100 page quota, simply because I was busy with a lot of other things.

I would find myself reading in silence usually, I rarely play music while I read unless I can't find a silent place in my house that has adequate lighting to read. Then, sometimes, it is necessary to put on some tunes that will drown out what's around me. Usually some sort of instrumental music is ideal. Anyways, I usually read in the evening, generally after dinner, and usually in a room by myself. It takes me a few minutes to really get into a book, but once I do, I find that I effortlessly fly through the pages, often finishing half, or all, of my quota in one sitting.

After this class comes to a close, I will make an effort to read more, especially if a time shows up during which I don't have any required reading for other classes. If my friends have read books, I talk to them about some of the things I liked about it, generally about characters, or in simple allusions in conversation that makes other people feel left-out because they haven't read these books.

Agatha Christie Response

Although my last post was rather recent, I've read a bit more in Cards on The Table and the murder has taken place. There are four suspects, as the author said in her explanation, or I guess author's note, and they are all of different character. They include a doctor, a couple women of different age, and one other suspect who is not so definable. The murder took place during the bridge game, and so the reader has to go back and investigate the game itself, to look at the records of what was played during the game, and how that relates to when the murder took place. It's a pretty interesting idea. I'm intrigued thus far.

In The Mood For a Murder Mystery

The next book I have chosen to read is Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie. I read one of her books in middle school, And Then There Were None, and I remember really liking it. That forced me to read Murder on The Orient Express, because I was told that it was one of her best books. I really liked both of them, at least I think I did, I can't exactly remember what I thought when I was reading them. I know I read them both rather quickly. Anyways, I'm a few pages into Card on The Table. Christie says right up front that in this murder mystery there isn't as much of an element of surprise as in her other novels, because there are only 4 suspects. The book centers around the game of bridge, which I have always wanted to learn how to play, but have never had the time or the drive to do so. But I do know that in bridge, 4 people play, and you have a partner. I'm interested to see what happens, and how Agatha Christie will still incorporate suspense into the story with this limitation of the surprise element due to the characters.

Currently

Book: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Pages this week: 102
Pages last week: 121
Pages this semester: 1210

3 Favorite Sentences of the Past Two Weeks

1) "So it goes." Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

2) "Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt." Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

3) "Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time." Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse-Done

After finishing Slaughterhouse-Five this past week, and deciding to put together my book talk power point about it, I've come to realize more of Vonnegut's overall themes for the book. It was most definitely an anti-war book-- that was clear up front. But, even more so, Vonnegut spits out some huge themes about society, free will, and religion. Every single mention of death in the book, especially after the bombing of Dresden, was followed by the statement "So it goes." I think Vonnegut could have meant to convey one of two ideas. Either, (1) that people did not realize how much death really occurs in war and that war and death should not be taken lightly or (2) that all death is simply something that happens, and that it cannot be prevented by any means. Actually, now that I think about it, he might have been trying to say both. I'm not totally sure. But he does bring about an interesting concept of free will: that everything that happens is going to happen no matter what, and that choice is an illusion.

Also, I thought it was cool that Kurt Vonnegut was from Indiana, and says so quite a few times in the book.

Slaughterhouse-Three

The plot of Slaughterhouse-Five really took a turn towards WWII at the end, more so than the rest of the book. From this book, and from what I've heard about Cat's Cradle, I wouldn't consider Kurt Vonnegut a science fiction writer. The science fiction aspect of this book kind of dropped out in the middle, I don't think that it was his main focus to make that part of the book prevalent. As Vonnegut said in chapter 1 of the book, which is basically like an author's note, Slaughterhouse-Five was originally his great anti-war book detailing the bombing of Dresden, Germany in 1945. For a while, I sort of wondered when he would get into that more, but my questions were answered in the last 1/3 of the book, or about that amount. Vonnegut kept the same sarcastic tone, and there was still time travel for Billy, the main character, but it wasn't until about halfway through the novel that the title of the book was introduced. I thought that was interesting.

Close Reading Bingo

Sadness, Tears, and Broken Rules in Writing

Rule 6: In the exerpt from Cather in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, utilizes a use of simple, but complex vocabulary. http://barrellxc2012.blogspot.com/

Rule 1: On the subject of his parents, he says "they're touchy as hell." http://laughapalooza22.blogspot.com/

Rule 4: Also, the matter of fact way Baker describes the lobby makes the reader sense that this is somewhere to not be impressed with, its an everyday occurrence. http://skullandglossbones3.blogspot.com/

Rule 3: Although the language is simple in usage, it builds upon itself and becomes figuratively advanced. http://bookworm-days.blogspot.com/

I found that one of the best excerpts came from Intrusion of the Soul.

In this excerpt from his novel "Catcher in the Rye", J. D. Salinger's common and vulgar diction expresses the irksome discontent the protagonist has for the world. He excessively uses expletives and demonstrates the only implication of a simile is when something is compared to "as hell". This and his irritation of his current situation and Hollywood convey his resentful irritation of the artificiality which lies heavily in society. His employment of the hyperbole that his "parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything personal about them" underscore his hostile attitude toward their preoccupied parenting style and dark secrets they want kept hidden. The easily readable syntax invites the reader into Holden's world of aggravation. http://mallorymills94.blogspot.com/

Irksome is a great word.

Slaughterhouse-Two

The most repeated statement in the entire book is "so it goes." Vonnegut repeats it anytime death is mentioned. His themes are conveyed by his made up, highly stereotypical aliens, the Tralfamdorians. They have a different grasp of time than Billy Pilgrim and the rest of the inhabitants of Earth do. They see time as a human would see "the Rocky Mountains. It's all one big line." This is basically the idea that time cannot be changed, it is as set-in-stone as a mountain range is. To the Tralfamadorians, time is one big line, made up of various moments. Each moment has neither a cause nor an effect, but simply is. The question, "Why?" doesn't exist. I thought that was one of the most interesting parts of everything that's happening in this book. I think this sort of indifference and meaninglessness is Vonnegut's biggest theme too.

Slaughterhouse-One

This is my first response post concerning the book I'm currently reading, Slaughterhouse-Five. The title of the book has yet to be explained, and I'm almost halfway through the book. I've found it interesting and entertaining thus far. Humor is definitely a huge part of the book, but it's not laugh-out-loud funny. Vonnegut is a satirist, and he comments on everything from religion to authority to, most importantly, war and violence.

The main character's name alone is a comment I think. Billy Pilgrim's last name is typically defined as one on a religious journey of some sort. I suppose that means that by the end of this book, if Vonnegut's ironic style continues, Billy Pilgrim will have lost any sort of religion he ever had. So far, the book reminds me of Catch-22 a lot, but it's certainly not as painful to read. Catch-22 was a war book that didn't include time travel, and was made up entirely of contradictions that were supposed to be funny. I personally got tired of them very quickly. In Slaughterhouse-Five, however, the ironies are entertaining and the black humor stands out quite a bit from anything else I've ever read.

Practice Diction Analysis

J. D. Salinger's coarse and personal language in Catcher in the Rye creates an informal characterization of the narrator and his circumstances that is easy to relate to. The uncensored and colloquial words used in this excerpt are blunt and common in elevation. The narrator references David Copperfield by stating that his childhood was full of that "kind of crap," which underscores the idea that the narrator himself is part of the hoi polloi. The language most often has a negative connotation, including a phrase the describes certain characters as, "touchy as hell." The narrator's tone is resentful toward his own circumstances, of which he obviously has poor impressions. The language lacks any sort of mellifluous musicality, the sounds are dull and discordant. They too convey the narrator's "crumby" perspective on others' lives and successes.

New Zealand

Well, this is the first post I've ever made about New Zealand, and I thought it appropriate considering the title of my blog.

New Zealand won the Rugby World Cup yesterday! France lost 8-7 to this mighty island nation that once ruled over Oceania, but now holds the world in the palm of its highly skilled and athletic hand.

Currently

Week 1 Q2

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Pages this week: 101
Pages last week: 109
Pages this semester: 987

1) It is written like an infuriated tirade, with no hint of class. (A Scrap of Parchment)
2)Up Your Score on the other hand, speaks with a mixture of intricate words and slang pop-culture references that are very punctuated, straightforward at times, but somewhat suggestive, and often light. (Contemplations) 
3) Ron McLarthy's novel "the Memory of Running" is common and lacking picturesque, very bland and basic. (Case 1)
4) On the other hand, in the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, a more blunt and vulgar form of diction is used. (bill963)
5) This book takes place in the 1800's so naturally the diction and language is more formal and musical. (UNDERWATER)

Explanations

1. I really like this comparison. I'm not completely sure what's meant by an "infuriated trade," but it sort of makes sense.
2. The contrast explained in this sentence caught my attention. Intricate mix of words, but still a straightforward and light tone.
3. I think the way it's described as "lacking a picturesque nature" was innovative.
4. I can relate, I think this book is described well, seeing as I've also read it. I would agree.
5. I found it interesting that this blog related the sound of the language to the setting of the novel. I guess we don't talk or write as elegantly or as musically as people did in the 1800's.

Style Mapping

The three excerpts I will be comparing today are from Neil Gaiman's Stardust, Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and Cormac McCarthy's No Country For Old Men. The language Gaiman uses in Stardust is not intricate or fancy, but rather plain. The writing is formal, descriptive, yet not eye-catching. A few adjectives could be categorized as elevated language, but as a whole, the passage falls in the middle of the gamut. Some predictable repetition of words occurs, creating neither a harsh, coarse sound, nor a melodious one. Thus, with this indifferent word choice, the passage is denotative; no suggestions are made about positive or negative meanings. Cormac McCarthy, on the other hand, has written various novels in various styles on various ends of the spectrum. Blood Meridian is written in ornate and unique language, and employs the use of several elevated adjectives and profoundly original nouns. It is much more connotative in language than Gaiman's selection, the words are used to portray either a negative image of the harsh effects of the elements of nature, or a positive, charismatic image of a simple country boy. The passage has a slight musicality to it, the words and the images they create are soothing in a way. However, a passage from one of McCarthy's other books, No Country For Old Men, is vastly different. The language is rough and coarse in order to portray the common colloquialisms of southern Texas. Often times, the words used by the narrator are denotative, as most of the opinions are given through character dialogue. In this piece, in contrast to the first two excerpts, the language gives a harsh, southern sound, because it fits the setting and the themes of the novel.

Kurt Vonnegut, The Man and The Song

I have now decided to read Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. It's a bit of a change of pace from my last book. I actually picked out this book in a unique way, no one recommended it to me. I've recently been listening to the band Born Ruffians, and one of my favorite songs by them is called "Kurt Vonnegut". When I saw this book on Mr. Hill's shelf, I did sort of a double take, because I had no idea he was an author up until that moment. How ignorant of me. I went home and googled Kurt Vonnegut, and found that he'd written a great many books. So, I've decided to read this book because if he's a good enough author to inspire that great of a song, which I recommend you all listen to, then I ought to at least try reading one of his books.

Back to Earth

I just finished reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven this morning. I thought it was pretty good. It was a happy ending, I mean, how can it not be? The whole book is set in heaven, kind of. It was interesting. Albom has a real imagination and an interesting perspective on possible lessons we'll all learn after we die. It's not super cheesy or philosophical or anything, there's a definite plot line to the story. There had to be for the author to keep the reader's attention. The main character learns that even though he messed up and killed an innocent little girl in WWII, he made up for it the rest of his life by keeping kids safe on amusement park rides. It works out, I guess. The big theme of the novel is that everything you do, and every person you meet affects you, and affects everyone else. It's all one big story. Life that is.

Quarterly

I have been pretty challenged so far in my reading for Etymology, just because sometimes I struggle to find time to read 100 pages a week. As a result, it's pretty important that I read something that catches my attention and is fairly easy to get through, just so it doesn't feel like another homework assignment that I should just get done with, and not worry about anymore. I try to pick books that aren't all that challenging to read, but at the same time, I don't like books that don't give me any sense of accomplishment. I like the feeling I get when I have learned something from a book, or when it made me think of something in a new way, instead of just feeling like I read a meaningless story. I find myself reading for this class most often between about 8 and 11 pm, about 2 or 3 times a week. It works pretty well for me. For the rest of the semester, I would like to pick books that have some sort of literary significance, just so that if they ever came up in conversation, or even on a test, I wouldn't be in the dark about them.

A Diner in the Forest

The third person in the story never met Eddie, but she tells him about his father. For some reason, the location in heaven appears to be a greasy spoon in the middle of a pristine, vast mountain range. I was sort of confused by that. Anyways, Eddie learns that he has wrongly hated his father for not speaking to him, and for dying when he did. He had always thought that his father died because he stumbled in drunk and soaking wet from falling in the sea one night, and as a result developed pneumonia. However, his father actually dove into the sea to save his friend from drowning. Nobody knew but a woman named Ruby, who tells Eddie all of this. He is sorry and forgives his father in the end. I still like how the reader finds things out at the same time the character does in the book. This book is pretty interesting, everything ties together, and it's a pretty easy read. I've only got about 50 pages left to read at this point.

Fire, Bullets, The Philippines, and Heaven

The second person Eddie, the main character, meets in heaven is his captain from the army in WWII. Eddie had a crippled leg after the war, that plagued him his whole life. In this, his second person and second lesson he learns in "heaven," which isn't paradise at all, but rather a learning experience for people about their lives on earth, Eddie learns that the captain was the one who shot his leg. The cool part about this book is that the reader learns things along with the main character. Dramatic irony is definitely not part of the story, the story follows Eddie's thoughts, and the reader discovers things with him. I'm not much for books where everything has a lesson, I've always thought that they were a bit cheesy, but this one isn't too bad so far. It reminds me of the plotline of Darles Chickens's A Christmas Carol. I've never actually read it, but everybody knows what it's about.

Eddie's captain shot his leg because Eddie was about to run into a burning building. He was under the impression that there was someone in the building that he needed to save. Eddie would have died in the fire had the captain not shot him in the leg. The lesson was sacrifice. The captain took his leg, but saved his life. Later, the reader also finds out that the captain dies because he stepped on a land mine while trying to help the others escape from an enemy camp in the Philippines.

Currently

Pages this week: 102
Pages last week: 110
Total Semester: 777

3 Favorite Sentences of the Quarter:

1) "The first rule about fight club is you don't talk about fight club."
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

2) "That left the police, who must think that he thought that they thought that he thought they were very dumb."
No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

3) "There are no clean getaways."
No Country For Old Men movie poster

These have definitely been my favorite sentences. Without sentence number 1, the whole book of Fight Club would fall apart. Well, maybe not. But it would not be as memorable a story, or as fascinating a concept without that sentence. I'm confused as to why Palahniuk uses "about" instead of "of" in the sentence. Oh well. It makes it kind of different I suppose.

The second sentence, although it's tough, is actually possible to comprehend. It has taken me a long time and a good amount of read-throughs, but I think I understand it now. You really have to think about it for it to make sense. But it caught my attention

The third sentence just makes me think. It's the perfect movie caption for a movie poster. It makes you want to watch the movie and see what happens. I haven't seen the movie yet, and I guess it won't be as suspensful when I do because I've read the book, but I really want to.

Blue Men Die

In the first 57 pages of The Five People You Meet in Heaven, the main character meets a man in heaven that has blue skin because of something he took in to his body, given to him by a chemist. The main character, when he was a boy, indirectly caused the death of a blue circus freak by running out into the middle of the road to chase a ball. The man with blue skin had a heart attack after he almost ran Eddie down, and Eddie didn't even know it. So, that's the story so far. Apparently, each person chooses their own heaven, that corresponds to their favorite place on earth.