Sunday, April 22, 2012
Reading Post
Well it seems like I have done a million of these posts and the year will never end but I keep moving along trying to accomplish these goals. But instead of starting some non fiction book I finished Catching Fire and started Mockingjay. The ending of Catching fire was so surprising. I didn't see it coming at all. But I do not know if I really liked it or not though. It ended a little to abruptly when I was hoping for a little bit more. I'm worried that Mockingjay might not have very much action too and it might be boring. But I guess I will have to read more to find out.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Reading Log 3
So I never thought I would get so entranced in the Hunger Game Series to have 300 pages of the second book read in less than a week. I'm not sure what it is - probably the suspense of the action scenes and the games - that force me to keep the book focused in front of my face and to wipe away the sleep from my dreary eyes. I did continue to read in front of my chinchilla and I think maybe she is starting to like all the attention. But as I get further and further into the Hunger Games Series, I get farther and farther away from completing my goal of reading more diverse things.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Note 2 and 3
Ferris Bueller's Day Off Parade Scene
For all of you deprived children who have not seen what some critics claim to be one of the funniest movies of all time, this scene consists of Ferris Bueller, a high-school senior, singing on a parade float in the middle of downtown Chicago. The celebratory exclamation of the crowd and the idealized image of Chicago exudes a sense of playful comfort that anyone could easily fit in the city. The first song that Ferris sings is harmonious and serene causing the crowd to react surprised and almost disappointed at the gregarious teenager. However, the police guards choose not to remove him from the float out of either a sense of improbable disregard or self-amusement. This action illustrates that the city is accepting of young people having fun as well as easily entertained. Soon after, the disparaging tone picks up as Ferris begins to sing "Twist and Shout." Everyone in the city begins to dance for no apparent reason other than to have fun. Even construction workers, babies, and obese men join in the random gamboling. The exceeding comfort level of the crowd demonstrates that the citizens of Chicago really don't care about differences between them, but instead they are all out to enjoy life in the city.
City Life by Viraj Bhanshaly
Depicted in Viraj Bhanshaly's poem "City Life," the constant congestion of people, noises, and cars in the city - only interrupted by the awkward silence of the early hours in the morning - illustrates the special needs of city dwellers to have patience and an admiration for the large range of strange actions going on in the city. The silence of the city only exists at night where "the city streets are calm" and "everyone is sleeping." However, when the sun rises, "the silence disappears" and and is never able to overcome the roar of city busses and taxi cabs. Bhanshaly first characterizes the city as being overly noisy in his perspective by describing the night when it is quiet as peaceful and needed almost as if he longs for the moment when sleep falls over the city. He also describes the night as the time when "heaven awakes." The overly positive diction that Bhanshaly employs towards silence exudes a sense that silence is the only good part of the city. However, he ends the poem by saying that even though the city is overwhelmed by "the screech of cars," "motorbikes going racing," and "the lively dynamic roads" that are not easy to navigate, Bhanshaly loves the city because even though it is expensive to live in, "it gives you range." Bhanshaly's contradiction of the earlier negative tone in the poem suggests that he does care about living in the city and that he couldn't imagine living else where. Also, he chooses to apply a constant ABCB DEFD etc. rhyme scheme. The inclusion of this rhyme creates a rhythm and flow to the poem almost to mimic the steady hum of traffic down the crowded streets. It is the constant honking and yelling of traffic in every city that makes life in urban areas unique and enjoyable.
For all of you deprived children who have not seen what some critics claim to be one of the funniest movies of all time, this scene consists of Ferris Bueller, a high-school senior, singing on a parade float in the middle of downtown Chicago. The celebratory exclamation of the crowd and the idealized image of Chicago exudes a sense of playful comfort that anyone could easily fit in the city. The first song that Ferris sings is harmonious and serene causing the crowd to react surprised and almost disappointed at the gregarious teenager. However, the police guards choose not to remove him from the float out of either a sense of improbable disregard or self-amusement. This action illustrates that the city is accepting of young people having fun as well as easily entertained. Soon after, the disparaging tone picks up as Ferris begins to sing "Twist and Shout." Everyone in the city begins to dance for no apparent reason other than to have fun. Even construction workers, babies, and obese men join in the random gamboling. The exceeding comfort level of the crowd demonstrates that the citizens of Chicago really don't care about differences between them, but instead they are all out to enjoy life in the city.
City Life by Viraj Bhanshaly
Depicted in Viraj Bhanshaly's poem "City Life," the constant congestion of people, noises, and cars in the city - only interrupted by the awkward silence of the early hours in the morning - illustrates the special needs of city dwellers to have patience and an admiration for the large range of strange actions going on in the city. The silence of the city only exists at night where "the city streets are calm" and "everyone is sleeping." However, when the sun rises, "the silence disappears" and and is never able to overcome the roar of city busses and taxi cabs. Bhanshaly first characterizes the city as being overly noisy in his perspective by describing the night when it is quiet as peaceful and needed almost as if he longs for the moment when sleep falls over the city. He also describes the night as the time when "heaven awakes." The overly positive diction that Bhanshaly employs towards silence exudes a sense that silence is the only good part of the city. However, he ends the poem by saying that even though the city is overwhelmed by "the screech of cars," "motorbikes going racing," and "the lively dynamic roads" that are not easy to navigate, Bhanshaly loves the city because even though it is expensive to live in, "it gives you range." Bhanshaly's contradiction of the earlier negative tone in the poem suggests that he does care about living in the city and that he couldn't imagine living else where. Also, he chooses to apply a constant ABCB DEFD etc. rhyme scheme. The inclusion of this rhyme creates a rhythm and flow to the poem almost to mimic the steady hum of traffic down the crowded streets. It is the constant honking and yelling of traffic in every city that makes life in urban areas unique and enjoyable.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Reading Post
Well spring break went great maybe not in terms of my reading accomplishments but in terms of overall enjoyment. I did finish the hunger games over break and very quickly i might add. It has been a while since I have actually been entranced by a book like that. But then that simple happiness was lost by the required reading of 1984. I mean it really wasn't that bad of a book but I think there is just something about having to read it for school instead of for fun that just kills the whole point it reading. Maybe its the quiz i know I am going to have to take tomorrow during fifth period, or just the fact that I am going to have to discuss the themes and write an essay on a book that I didn't even know had a theme. Oh well, I did accomplish my two book over spring break goal, though.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Exercise 3
Reviews I read: Spiderman, Black Boy White School, Chomp
Requirements:
1) broad opening paragraph about the genre of the work
2) what works well or not well about the book - cite specific examples and why they do what they do
3) how this book compares to any sequels or prequels
4) general summary of the book
5) evaluate and comment on any themes/motifs in the book
Requirements:
1) broad opening paragraph about the genre of the work
2) what works well or not well about the book - cite specific examples and why they do what they do
3) how this book compares to any sequels or prequels
4) general summary of the book
5) evaluate and comment on any themes/motifs in the book
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Reading post 3/26/2012
Well here starts a new quarter and my new goals as well. I completed my first goal this week as I definitely enjoyed reading to my chinchilla. I didn't really think she was listening though. I'm reading the hunger games right now and she must be a team peeta because every time I said his name she would crawl all over the book. I don't know yet because i still have quite a bit to read, but i am definitely engaged by this book. Even though it started out a little slow, it is starting to pick up as the action increases. I'm definitely procrastinating on goal number 2 though.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Note 1
Riding the "A" - May Swenson
In "Riding the 'A'," May Swenson depicts the ordinary bleakness of a subway train in a city; however, the common mechanics of the subway gliding along the rails arrouses the writer as if she was frolicking through a flowery meadow. In the openning lines of the poem, May Swenson depicts the dull pessimism of the train amplified by her "gray raincoat," and also noting that "the hollow of the car is gray." The gloomy dreariness of May Swenson's diction exudes a sense of hopeless desolation as if the world suddenly turned black and white. However, the middle of the poem brings a volte-face. At this point, Swenson switches from the dull, literal language into a flowery poetic verse. The steel frame of the train, usually an ordinary and orthodox object, "feels like the newest of knives slicing along a long black crusty loaf from West 4th to 168th." The easy-going subway glissades across the rails as if it were to "make love in a glide of slickness and friction." The embellished figurative language that Swenson uses depicts a contrasting image to the routine and vapid subway car. This complete divergence creates a notion that a simple ride on the train can change a dejected man into euphoric prince as the car floats across the abyss once known as the dull, gray rails.
In "Riding the 'A'," May Swenson depicts the ordinary bleakness of a subway train in a city; however, the common mechanics of the subway gliding along the rails arrouses the writer as if she was frolicking through a flowery meadow. In the openning lines of the poem, May Swenson depicts the dull pessimism of the train amplified by her "gray raincoat," and also noting that "the hollow of the car is gray." The gloomy dreariness of May Swenson's diction exudes a sense of hopeless desolation as if the world suddenly turned black and white. However, the middle of the poem brings a volte-face. At this point, Swenson switches from the dull, literal language into a flowery poetic verse. The steel frame of the train, usually an ordinary and orthodox object, "feels like the newest of knives slicing along a long black crusty loaf from West 4th to 168th." The easy-going subway glissades across the rails as if it were to "make love in a glide of slickness and friction." The embellished figurative language that Swenson uses depicts a contrasting image to the routine and vapid subway car. This complete divergence creates a notion that a simple ride on the train can change a dejected man into euphoric prince as the car floats across the abyss once known as the dull, gray rails.
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