*****THIS CONTAINS SOME SPOILER ALERTS *****
"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, is the best book I have read this year. The story is about a German Chrisitian girl named Leisel Meminger, who moves to Munich (Himmel Street) during the Holocaust, after her mother abandons her. Leisel moves in with her new foster parents and begins to read many books, even ones that have been banned by Adolf Hitler. As the story continues, the writing truly shows the struggle of the community between choosing to support the "Fuhrer" or trying to save the Jews. Eventually, you see that Leisel's adoptive father despises the Nazis and will do anything in his power to save the Jew he hides in the basement, Max.
The part of this book that really hooked me in was the narrator, who is actually the spirit of death. The author chose to write from the perspective of an omnicient character who even reveals that some people may die in the book, what may happen to some of the characters or what a character is actually thinking on the inside that none of the other characters in the story know. By using this character as the narrator you are able to see a perspective I don't think anyone has discussed about the Holocaust. Many people say that it is unfair to tear loved ones away from us, for any reason. The fact that the author included Death in this plot is even worse though because these loved ones that were taken away, were tortured and everyone was convinced that death was truly evil.
The author actually tries to portray the character of Death to be somber as he manages to retrieve every soul. The author at one point included that, "God gives us these tasks. We cannot control what we are meant to be. Sometimes I curse at God and ask him why he gave me this job out of all. He never responds, yeah you're not the only one he doesn't talk to". The narrator also feels bad, not just for the Jews that are killed, but for the Germans that were killed during the many bombs that struck Germany during World War II. I felt very simpathetic towards the narrator because he has to see the pain that we all have to face when we lose someone. When one of the characters died in the book, I began to sob uncontrollably because it reminded me that we can never see that person once again, you only have your memories. Towards the very end of the book, after one of the main character dies, he states, "she was able to tear herself from the ground. It amazes me what humans can do, even when streams are flowing down their faces and they stagger on, coughing and searching, and finding".
I found the narrator to be a major part of why I loved this book so much. The author was so creative and inspiring to me because that is a character that us, humans do not understand or know because we do not know what is on the other side or if god truly exists. The fact that she could give a symbol a personality and fears astounds me. To anyone who read this response and has not read the book, please read it. It's one of those books you cannot put down and will be one you will never forget. I still get chills just thinking about how much I loved this book.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Water For Elephants 2
SPOILER ALERT ***********
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is about a man named Jacob who reflects his life when he hops a circus train, to abandon his old life without his family, and ends up taking the job as a veterinarian. While in the process of working at the circus Jacob meets a schizophrenic equestrian director named August, a brilliant and very pretty girl named Marlena (who is the wife to Augustus) and Uncle Al the ringmaster for the circus who will do anything it takes to make his circus anything alike to the ringling brother circus. As the story continues Jacob's desire to run away from his nursing home increases. Jacob will do anything to have an adventure in order to abandon the sad life he lives, in almost complete solitude. I discovered that a theme to this story is to do what you want and not let anyone stop you.
As an old man Jacob can barely walk, he is usually wheeled everywhere and can barely make it down the hallway with his walker. The sad part is though at one point Jacob says, “Nothing wrong with me but old age". This shows that he could easily leave the nursing home in order to live his dreams but “the horse-faced" nurse keeps him from leaving. Also at one point in the story Jacob tries to make a run for it but a nurse suddenly calls to him and asks him where he's going. Then Jacob is moved back in his wheelchair to his room where he dozes and thinks about his life in the circus. My Mother is an elder law lawyer and she always explains to me that all over the country many elderly people want to leave the nursing home but, the only reason the elderly are living at nursing homes is either because, the person can no longer take care of themselves, or that the family can no longer have the time or the money to take care of that person.
At another point Jacob has a romantic fantasy about an exotic dancer who worked at the circus. Jacob is soon woken up to a nurse and is completely embarrassed when he learns that he was mumbling things about his dream. I felt that this truly shows the desperation Jacob feels to escape his life and go back to the adventurous times he had with the circus. The romantic fantasy also helped explain to me, as the reader that Jacob feels very lonely since his wife passed away and, now he is all alone. The nurse doesn't even comfort Jacob but tells him, “well you were talking in your sleep, that's sure enough". I think this part of the story truly told me that Jacob's ideals for his life to end were very different compared to the way the nurses wanted him to live.
At the very end of the book Jacob begins to wait for his son, Simon to take him to the circus that just moved across the street. Soon all the visitors have talked to their parents or grandparents who live at the nursing home and Jacob is left sitting alone. The nurse then tells Jacob that Simon was too busy to go see his father. Jacob realizes that he shouldn't sit around to daze about his old life and, wait for other people who don't have time for him. Jacob suddenly believes he should make the choice to start living again. Jacob then gets the strength which is (metaphorical and literal) to walk out of the nursing home and go see the circus. I feel a lot of respect for Jacob because I wish that I could accomplish certain dreams but I am always too scared or too nervous to do so.
I think that Jacob throughout the book learns from his mistakes of watching his life go by. Instead of waiting any longer he goes to live and finish his life by going to see the circus and, finally joining the new circus. I think that this is an underlying theme throughout the book, since so many people focus on the plot in his past life but, I felt that this was a main rule of life to follow and promise. I never want to end up in a nursing home, that's boring. I'd rather go out and start a new journey or path, than fantasizing about how I wish I had the strength to fulfill my dreams. The best part for me about this story was that Jacob could've given up and stayed at the facility but he joined the circus, at 93. Now that's an accomplishment I want to achieve but I would need to have the strength and the mental capability to do so. That's what I believe the main theme is in Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is about a man named Jacob who reflects his life when he hops a circus train, to abandon his old life without his family, and ends up taking the job as a veterinarian. While in the process of working at the circus Jacob meets a schizophrenic equestrian director named August, a brilliant and very pretty girl named Marlena (who is the wife to Augustus) and Uncle Al the ringmaster for the circus who will do anything it takes to make his circus anything alike to the ringling brother circus. As the story continues Jacob's desire to run away from his nursing home increases. Jacob will do anything to have an adventure in order to abandon the sad life he lives, in almost complete solitude. I discovered that a theme to this story is to do what you want and not let anyone stop you.
As an old man Jacob can barely walk, he is usually wheeled everywhere and can barely make it down the hallway with his walker. The sad part is though at one point Jacob says, “Nothing wrong with me but old age". This shows that he could easily leave the nursing home in order to live his dreams but “the horse-faced" nurse keeps him from leaving. Also at one point in the story Jacob tries to make a run for it but a nurse suddenly calls to him and asks him where he's going. Then Jacob is moved back in his wheelchair to his room where he dozes and thinks about his life in the circus. My Mother is an elder law lawyer and she always explains to me that all over the country many elderly people want to leave the nursing home but, the only reason the elderly are living at nursing homes is either because, the person can no longer take care of themselves, or that the family can no longer have the time or the money to take care of that person.
At another point Jacob has a romantic fantasy about an exotic dancer who worked at the circus. Jacob is soon woken up to a nurse and is completely embarrassed when he learns that he was mumbling things about his dream. I felt that this truly shows the desperation Jacob feels to escape his life and go back to the adventurous times he had with the circus. The romantic fantasy also helped explain to me, as the reader that Jacob feels very lonely since his wife passed away and, now he is all alone. The nurse doesn't even comfort Jacob but tells him, “well you were talking in your sleep, that's sure enough". I think this part of the story truly told me that Jacob's ideals for his life to end were very different compared to the way the nurses wanted him to live.
At the very end of the book Jacob begins to wait for his son, Simon to take him to the circus that just moved across the street. Soon all the visitors have talked to their parents or grandparents who live at the nursing home and Jacob is left sitting alone. The nurse then tells Jacob that Simon was too busy to go see his father. Jacob realizes that he shouldn't sit around to daze about his old life and, wait for other people who don't have time for him. Jacob suddenly believes he should make the choice to start living again. Jacob then gets the strength which is (metaphorical and literal) to walk out of the nursing home and go see the circus. I feel a lot of respect for Jacob because I wish that I could accomplish certain dreams but I am always too scared or too nervous to do so.
I think that Jacob throughout the book learns from his mistakes of watching his life go by. Instead of waiting any longer he goes to live and finish his life by going to see the circus and, finally joining the new circus. I think that this is an underlying theme throughout the book, since so many people focus on the plot in his past life but, I felt that this was a main rule of life to follow and promise. I never want to end up in a nursing home, that's boring. I'd rather go out and start a new journey or path, than fantasizing about how I wish I had the strength to fulfill my dreams. The best part for me about this story was that Jacob could've given up and stayed at the facility but he joined the circus, at 93. Now that's an accomplishment I want to achieve but I would need to have the strength and the mental capability to do so. That's what I believe the main theme is in Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Water For Elephants
"Water For Elephants" by Sara Gruen is a very interesting novel that I am currently reading. The story takes place in the early 1900s, and is about a boy named Jacob Jankowski who jumps onto a circus train after leaving veterinary school. Jacob felt depressed after his parents' tragic death so he cannot focus during his finals and illegally jumps onto a circus train. He is then found out to be a veterinarian and he starts to take care of the circus animals. It is then that he meets the very fascinating character of August. I became very interested in August after I realized that his mood switched so drastically from day to day. I've always wanted to be a little unpredictable but all of my friends can tell what I'm thinking or know how I'll feel most of the time.
August changes from a very angry and awful man to having a sweet and generous personality. When Jacob first meets August, he is very kind to Jacob and leads him on an adventure through the train cars to go meet Kinko. He doesn't ever threaten to throw Jacob off the train as it is famously known they do at this particular circus. Instead, August puts his trust in Jacob and lets him join his equestrian team by helping the horses and, the other animals. As August leads Jacob through the train cars he says, "Turn around. I want you to see something...It's a beautiful sight, isn't it, Jacob?". This shows that August wanted to show Jacob a nice sight even though August didn't have to be nice to Jacob at all.
However, August has a very vindictive side towards how he acts towards others that are not Jacob or Marlena, August's wife. At one point, August tells Jacob that he needs to leave the animals out in the extremely hot weather without water or else Jacob will be kicked out of the circus. August explains, "'you better believe that Al is going to mess with you. Do you understand?' he speaks through clenched teeth. 'Do...you...understand?' he repeats, coming to a full stop after each word. I stare straight into his unblinking eyes". This shows that August gets extremely angry when he is tested by anyone including Jacob.
I also discovered that August is very unstable when he is drunk. When August starts to dance with Marlena he suddenly starts staring intensely and he begins to nod or act very silly. He then almost begins to cry before he falls down onto his bed and doesn't move for the rest of the night. After Marlena settles August into bed Jacob is confused by the whole situation. "What the hell was that?" Jacob finally blurts. Marlena suddenly looks tearful before she responds, "He's mercurial. He's capable of being the most charming man on earth. Like tonight. And, well, he has...moments like today. He nearly fed you to a cat".
I think that August is a very unstable character and will grow to become more unstable as the book progresses. There is a rising action in the air about the fact that there is a new elephant and August's behavior has been drastically changing from day to day as the plot continues. I think that August will have to learn to not take his temper out on the animals or his peers but as long as he continues treating others around him very poorly he will never learn his lesson.
August changes from a very angry and awful man to having a sweet and generous personality. When Jacob first meets August, he is very kind to Jacob and leads him on an adventure through the train cars to go meet Kinko. He doesn't ever threaten to throw Jacob off the train as it is famously known they do at this particular circus. Instead, August puts his trust in Jacob and lets him join his equestrian team by helping the horses and, the other animals. As August leads Jacob through the train cars he says, "Turn around. I want you to see something...It's a beautiful sight, isn't it, Jacob?". This shows that August wanted to show Jacob a nice sight even though August didn't have to be nice to Jacob at all.
However, August has a very vindictive side towards how he acts towards others that are not Jacob or Marlena, August's wife. At one point, August tells Jacob that he needs to leave the animals out in the extremely hot weather without water or else Jacob will be kicked out of the circus. August explains, "'you better believe that Al is going to mess with you. Do you understand?' he speaks through clenched teeth. 'Do...you...understand?' he repeats, coming to a full stop after each word. I stare straight into his unblinking eyes". This shows that August gets extremely angry when he is tested by anyone including Jacob.
I also discovered that August is very unstable when he is drunk. When August starts to dance with Marlena he suddenly starts staring intensely and he begins to nod or act very silly. He then almost begins to cry before he falls down onto his bed and doesn't move for the rest of the night. After Marlena settles August into bed Jacob is confused by the whole situation. "What the hell was that?" Jacob finally blurts. Marlena suddenly looks tearful before she responds, "He's mercurial. He's capable of being the most charming man on earth. Like tonight. And, well, he has...moments like today. He nearly fed you to a cat".
I think that August is a very unstable character and will grow to become more unstable as the book progresses. There is a rising action in the air about the fact that there is a new elephant and August's behavior has been drastically changing from day to day as the plot continues. I think that August will have to learn to not take his temper out on the animals or his peers but as long as he continues treating others around him very poorly he will never learn his lesson.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
"Am I Blue?" by Bruce Coville
In the short story, "Am I Blue?" by Bruce Coville, the character of Vince changes drastically. Vince is very confused as to if he is gay or not. Throughout the story Vince changes his perception on if he wants to be out and proud if he is gay. "Am I Blue?" relies on change though because if Vince didn't change then the message of the story would be to not be proud of who you are. Ray Bradbury wanted Vince to be proud of who he is so he made Vince change over the course of the story.
At the beginning of the story, Vince is beat up by a bully named Butch Carrigan since he doesn't like Vince since he may be gay. Vince is vulnerable to Butch and he would stand up for himself but he is scared that he may be beat up or that he might actually turn out to be homosexual. I know what it feels like to be vulnerable to bullies and most of the time a bully can be insecure about themselves and, use their strength or words to hurt other people to make themselves feel better. Suddenly, Melvin a fairy godfather appears and tells Vince that he has three wishes. Melvin has a very feminine attitude as well as walking "swishy". Vince doesn't like being seen with feminine Melvin since he is scared to be beaten up for everyone thinking that the two of them may not be straight. To make Vince feel stronger and more confident Melvin says, "the world is crawling with faggots. But most of them are in hiding because they're afraid they'll get treated the way you did". All over the world, people are beat up for being thought of as gay but Vince is strong enough to deal with the hate.
Vince wishes to have "gaydar" which is the ability to see who is gay or not. Using gaydar Vince is able to see people turn a different shade of blue based on how certain they are of their own homosexuality. Vince begins to understand many people all around him are gay and that no one realizes certain people you may suspect to be heterosexual might be gay. Vince begins to see many celebrities that are gay on magazines and on television. There is one man that truly inspired Vince to truly change his perspective. In the story, Vince sees a homophobic politician who is bright blue. Vince grows angry that people cannot see the cowards who abuse the people who share their own sexuality. Vince wants everyone to be able to share his ability of gaydar with him for one day.
Vince then wishes for the people who are gay to all turn blue for one day so everyone in the world will know who they are. Vince is brave since he will even go to school on "blue day" even though he has a slight blue pallor to his skin. Vince is proud to go to school just to see the people all around him who may be bi-curious as well as Vince. Still, Vince feels slightly vulnerable and uses his last wish to ask Melvin to turn Butch Carrigan blue. Melvin then returns and tells Vince, "Butch Carrigan was already as blue as a summer sky when I got there". This statement gives Vince confidence since he knows that the only reason that Butch used to beat Vince was because Butch was uncertain if he was gay or not and wanted to hide his sexuality.
Vince feels ready to go to school even if people see that he is bi-curious. This shows that Vince is brave and he is proud of who he is. Still, not everyone in the world would be as brave as Vince and come out to the entire community. Vince changed from not wanting to be seen with anyone who may be mistaken for being gay, to walking out in public with his blue skin. I believe this is how Vince changed throughout the story of, "Am I Blue?" by Bruce Coville.
At the beginning of the story, Vince is beat up by a bully named Butch Carrigan since he doesn't like Vince since he may be gay. Vince is vulnerable to Butch and he would stand up for himself but he is scared that he may be beat up or that he might actually turn out to be homosexual. I know what it feels like to be vulnerable to bullies and most of the time a bully can be insecure about themselves and, use their strength or words to hurt other people to make themselves feel better. Suddenly, Melvin a fairy godfather appears and tells Vince that he has three wishes. Melvin has a very feminine attitude as well as walking "swishy". Vince doesn't like being seen with feminine Melvin since he is scared to be beaten up for everyone thinking that the two of them may not be straight. To make Vince feel stronger and more confident Melvin says, "the world is crawling with faggots. But most of them are in hiding because they're afraid they'll get treated the way you did". All over the world, people are beat up for being thought of as gay but Vince is strong enough to deal with the hate.
Vince wishes to have "gaydar" which is the ability to see who is gay or not. Using gaydar Vince is able to see people turn a different shade of blue based on how certain they are of their own homosexuality. Vince begins to understand many people all around him are gay and that no one realizes certain people you may suspect to be heterosexual might be gay. Vince begins to see many celebrities that are gay on magazines and on television. There is one man that truly inspired Vince to truly change his perspective. In the story, Vince sees a homophobic politician who is bright blue. Vince grows angry that people cannot see the cowards who abuse the people who share their own sexuality. Vince wants everyone to be able to share his ability of gaydar with him for one day.
Vince then wishes for the people who are gay to all turn blue for one day so everyone in the world will know who they are. Vince is brave since he will even go to school on "blue day" even though he has a slight blue pallor to his skin. Vince is proud to go to school just to see the people all around him who may be bi-curious as well as Vince. Still, Vince feels slightly vulnerable and uses his last wish to ask Melvin to turn Butch Carrigan blue. Melvin then returns and tells Vince, "Butch Carrigan was already as blue as a summer sky when I got there". This statement gives Vince confidence since he knows that the only reason that Butch used to beat Vince was because Butch was uncertain if he was gay or not and wanted to hide his sexuality.
Vince feels ready to go to school even if people see that he is bi-curious. This shows that Vince is brave and he is proud of who he is. Still, not everyone in the world would be as brave as Vince and come out to the entire community. Vince changed from not wanting to be seen with anyone who may be mistaken for being gay, to walking out in public with his blue skin. I believe this is how Vince changed throughout the story of, "Am I Blue?" by Bruce Coville.
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