Exercise 3

I pretty much clicked on random links that came up when I hit the review button on Teenread's website. The reviews I came across include Wither by Lauren DeStafano, Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard, and . Chomp by Carl Hiaaser. I'm glad I read the review for Wither, it made me really want to read the book! All of the reviews begin with a long plot summary, generally the kind of stuff you'd read on the back of a book cover to see if you want to read it or not. They also contained a small amount of commentary about the author, like "She obviously did her research..." or "She succeeds in writing the story from a male viewpoint." Some of the reviews also said what kind of people would like the book, or posted warnings about inappropriate material. When writing our own reviews, it may be a good idea to compare the book to other books that people may have read already.

Reading Log 2

This week I got really close to finishing Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by reading pages 104-205, but I still have a few pages left. I need to start trying to read more because I want to rather than just reading the 100 page minimum. New goal! Its difficult though - I do really love to read, it's just hard to find the time. I will try to find the time though. I only have about 10 or 15 pages left of the book. I should finish it tonight. Its a really funny book and I've enjoyed it a lot!

Note #1

An excerpt from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

                “There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. …the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so somber, and a rain so penetrating, that further out-door exercise was now out of the question.”

                Wind appears as a motif throughout Jane Eyre in order to establish a dismal setting that represents Jane’s destitute and deprived childhood. The description of the cold, somber winter is one of the first observations of the novel, and creates a dull and gloomy tone. Although young Jane sits inside, protected from the harsh winter winds, she stares outside to contemplate the dreary weather. She is just a young girl at the start of the novel, but her painful circumstances have matured her into a state of mind where she is able to realize how lackluster her existence is. When she reads books that depict all sorts of life elsewhere, she recognizes how monotonous her life is. The presence of the merciless stormy wind not only depicts the setting of the novel, but also characterizes the coldhearted life she has lived.

Exercise 2

5) "Who can't even CONCENTRATE TO WRITE this because her little sister will NOT shut up," announces the narrator illustrating the harsh reality to her life.

6) Lynda uses lyrical words and is poetic.

7)  By the way Barry starts her story kind of foreshadows what the story will be like by what she says, "cruddy time on a cruddy street"

Of the paragraphs I read, I liked Vivir, Sonar, Leer's post the most.  She is very descriptive and uses strong vocabulary.

Exercise 1

Repetition and grim imagery in Lynda Barry's Cruddy establishes a pessimistic tone that characterizes the narrator's aggravated state of mind. Rather than simply stating that her life in general is cruddy, the narrator continuously repeats the word "cruddy" when describing nearly every aspect of her life, including her neighborhood, home, and family. Even though the word "cruddy" is stated over and over again, the dismal portrayal of setting provides descriptive yet dreary imagery of her run down town. However, the narrator also seems to bitterly embellish the miserable conditions of her home. Because the source of her harsh words may merely stem from her being grounded for a long time, her exaggeration of mildly bleak circumstances characterizes her as young and immature.

Reading Log / Reading Goals

My reading goals for this quarter:


1) Finish at least three books. I have a problem with finishing books. Generally, unless I particularly love a book, I only read half of it. So I shall try to read three books from cover to cover!


2) Read one literary/classic novel. I think I'll try Wuthering Heights. I tried to read it once, but only got about 40 pages in. Maybe this will be one of the books I finish!


3) Read one book that I've seen the movie that was based off the book. Perhaps Harry Potter. My mom read those to me when I was four or five, but I've never read all the books myself. I figure they must be pretty good if someone bothered to make movies based off them.

This week I read 103 pages of Mindy Kaling’s Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns). This is just the book I needed to get out of my bad habit of not finishing books. Rather than the novels I usually read that tell a story, this book is a collection of essays that are just downright funny. It doesn’t feel like a chore at all to have to read 100 pages of it. I’m confident that I’ll be able to finish this book by next week. It was very different than what I’m used to reading, and I enjoyed it a lot! I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to smile.

Anthology Theme

Originally I thought that I would pick trees for my anthology theme, but then I decided that it was too obvious and typical for me. I mean, any time I've ever had to do a project where I could pick the topic, I've immediately turned to trees, deforestation, or something of that sort. This time I want to do something different though, while still sticking to a sort of nature theme. I am going to do my project on the subject of wind. Maybe I'll talk about Colors of the Wind.

Reading Response: The Alchemist

Continuing through The Alchemist, I'm finding it more difficult to read. Perhaps it's just the formal writing style that seems rather boring to me sometimes. I may be getting too used to informal modern novels that don't take any effort to understand or decipher. Still though, The Alchemist presents insightful themes based on life experiences that are fascinating to learn from.

"I've crossed these sands many times...but the desert is so huge, and the horizons so distant, that they make a person feel small, and as if he should remain silent."

The Alchemist continuously mentions how much people can learn from nature. When Santiago is travelling through the Sahara desert, he describes it as old and wise, and recognizes that he can learn something from the desert, just as he learned from his sheep when he was a shepherd. Crossing the Sahara is dangerous, and many have died in the attempt. Santiago is maturing above what is common for his age by realizing how insignificant he is in the grand scheme of things. In order for him to survive the journey, he must respect the desert and learn to live under it's conditions. Its refreshing to read about people appreciating the elemental force of the world. Hopefully his humble tendencies will aid him in his efforts to travel the world and learn from everything the world has to offer.

Reading Response: The Alchemist

This week I continued into the middle of The Alchemist. I was quite impressed with the beginning of the novel, and I enjoyed the middle as well. Alhough there is one particular aspect of the story that has me troubled- the character.

At the opening of the book, eighteen year old Santiago was a free spirited shepherd whose only mission in life was to lead his sheep to food and water. He was free to travel Spain as he wished, and he had nothing and no one to answer to. He was charismatic because of his courage to follow his dreams of traveling the world. While so many people ignore their dreams and follow a more practical path in life, Santiago was willing to give up his family and friends for a life of travel.

The problem is, over the course of a whopping five pages, Santiago completely turns his life around and ends up poor and lost. During another typical day of leading sheep around a field, Santiago dreams of a treasure in the pyramids. Santiago considers this to be an omen and decides to go try to find this treasure. To do this, he makes an impulse decision to sell all his sheep (his only posessions really) and use the money to buy a one way ticket to Africa. Really, that's not a very smart decision. Typically it is not wise to throw away your entire life in a spur of the moment decision you make because you had a dream about shiny gold coins.

Throughout the beginning of Santiago's journey, he makes many stupid decisions. For example, he did not stop for one moment to consider the fact that they do not speak Spanish in Africa. Also, from the place where the boat dropped him of in Africa, Santiago has to cross the entire Sahara Desert to reach the pyramids. After meeting a Spanish speaking person in Africa, Santiago hires him to be his guide and gives him all his money to hold on to "for safe keeping." You can probably guess what happens next. Now Santiago has no money, no friends, and no life. But hey, at least he's following his dream!