Book Review: The Kite Runner

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner (New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2003), 371 pp.
Reviewed by Carleen Rodriquez, Los Osos High School, Rancho Cucamonga, CA.

The fictional novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini brings to the readers' attentions the effects of a strong friendship between two boys living in Kabul, Afghanistan in the 1980's. The author uses great amounts of detail and descriptive diction in order to portray the characters' lives to the audience and create a greater general effect by appealing to the reader's senses by describing the surroundings and what life was like living in Kabul. Although the author finds inspiration in structures and figures that he remembers while growing up in Kabul, he doesn't describe the city and his experiences while living there directly through the two boys, but instead takes parts and puts a twist on them to make the setting more original. The two boys, Amir, a wealthy, upper-class kid growing up with his dad, and Hassan, one of their servants at home, grow up together and learn from each others ways. While living in a harsh town, where people are competitive with each other and friendships may be difficult to find, the city adds to the plot of the story by proving the importance of close bonds with friends in order to learn from life in Kabul; without friends, the area would be more dangerous to live. However, although much of Afghanistan is not as lucky to be as wealthy as Amir's father, the amount of money someone has plays an important role in a person's social status, as the lower class people tended to hold on to their morals and value of respect tighter. The novel is greatly influenced by the value of money and how much is able to get people the level of respect they desire, also the difference between the personalities of the wealthy compared to the lower socio-economic classes.

Although Hosseini seems to make the novel seem somewhat realistic as the boys grow up together in Afghanistan, there are some aspects of the story that seem to be hyperbolic or a little too extreme to be unbelievable. The problems in society, such as criminal activity and financial conflicts amongst the people seem truly believable, however, when the author sometimes over-exaggerates events like Amir's father having so much more money than the average citizen of Kabul, as he traveled in his fancy cars and often went out to see movies compared to lower social class workers, he is treated like a man with all the answers to their questions. Furthermore, the economic competition and the aggressive battles amongst the people do seem plausible because in society there always seems to be some form of competition occuring. The author completely relies on coincidence up to a part in the story when Amir, as an adult living in San Francisco, California, hears word about his childhood friend Hassan still living in Afghanistan, has a child that had been abducted by talibans. The author creates small coincidences throughout the plot to propel it forward, such as cutting the strings on kites, the way the two boys separate and meet up with each other in casual ways, and even the role played by the young, neighborhood bully, that seem to allow the story to move forward.

The diction and ironic situations the author, Khaled Hosseini, creates while Amir and Hassan go on their adventures throughout Kabul, propel the story forward and continues to increase the interest of the audience to a climatic point. The descriptive scenes and specific details that the author shares prove that the story is fiction, however, nonetheless, they do add to the story's plot and continue the escalating excitement to know how the novel concludes.

The Count of Monte Cristo

Dumas, Alexandre. The Count of Monte Cristo. (New York: Modern Library, 2002.)1462 pp.

Reviewed by Mark Twain, Los Osos High School, Rancho Cucamonga, CA

This book, as one might assume from the title, is the story of the Count of Monte Cristo, following his story to just before the sequence of events that led to him becoming the Count to just after he made the decision to leave the Civilization that made him what he was. This, is the story of Edmond Dantes.

Dantes at onset was a man of remarkably amicable temperament, believing no one to be his enemy, and blessed with good fortune and skilled in the art of sailing, with enormous aptitude in other areas as his later characterization as the Count would show. However, despite his massive potential, he lacked certain wisdom that can be acquired only through experience, and the blow, when it fell, took him completely by surprise, his own naivete being his downfall. It was, ironically, his very good fortune that proved to be his undoing, as it prompted the jjealousies of his rivals in work and in love, who together conspired a plan to destroy him, framing Dantes as an imperialist by evidence of a letter he was asked to deliver by the Emperor from the Isle of Elba. The case became even more entangled when the magistrate, a royalist, discovered that the letter was addressed to his imperialist father, the discovery of which would ruin his career, and so Dantes was sentenced to imprisonment in the Chateau d'lf, where he meets the Abbe Faria, who provided to him the wisdom he lacked for want of experience, who sharpened his potential into acute ability. Faria, suffering from a mortal illness, bequeathed to him a glorious treasure passed down through generations of Italian nobles, and his death from the illness provided the chance for Dantes to make his escape, taking his friend's place in the body sack, and being carried out in place of the Abbe.

And now, after some decades reprive, during which his enemies were free to live and to prosper, Edmond Dantes returns, armed with his fortune and his knowledge gained from his exile from Civilization, for revenge.

Long Overdue Book Review

McKay, Claude, and Joan R. Sherman. Selected Poems. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1999. Print.

Reviewed by Toni Gott, Los Osos High School, Rancho Cucamonga, Ca.

 

     The book of selected poems by Claude McKay as a whole tells the story of living in a prejudiced world. Claude McKay, a black man, endured many struggles, and conquered many downturns in life. The prevelent use of imagery, similes, mataphors, and select diction thouroughly succede in telling the story of a hard life, as well as motivating others through their struggles.

     McKay describes scenes, people, and situtaions in many of his poems. The use of key diction played an important role in pulling the reader into the time and place. The majority of the poems were set in the time of the "Harlem Shadows." This is key because it adds to the feeling of restlessness and struggle.

     The poems portray extreme plausability, for we know that in fact the black population went through a time of strugles. However they may be plausable, they also may be biased. This man had endured these hardships and therefore may display his resentment for the situation by exaggerating slightly.     

     Overall, the collection was remarkable, bringing me laughter, gasps, and tears. I recomend this book to anyone looking for inspirational poems, appicable to any life situation. 

 

 

 

 

Villain

Villain, antagonist, take your pick. In any case this character will always exist so long as intellectuals write; create; imagine. As delayed as this may be, I am typing about the villain in Ray Bradbury's creation, Fahrenheit 451, Beatty: leading officer in Guy Montag's Firemen division. If the concept of a villain is a man apart of an evil plot, then Beatty may not seem so bad of a person in the perspective of a John Doe in this world. His philosophy and personal experience with a multitude of "banned" books more than warrants his position on controversial novels in general -- that such books only suppress and depress the citizens of that city. In Bradbury's author's reflection of the novel, itself, Bradbury goes into depth the characterization of Beatty as far as his imagination would take him. Projecting Beatty and Montag as physical, individual persons, Bradbury imagines the two in Beatty's "library" where laid dormant the multitude written works. He visualized the two in a teacher to apprentice setting, where Beatty showed and justified himself for keeping such an illegal trove to a very awestruck Montag. This scenario, one that would take place before the novel, gives definition to the mysterious antagonist as only but a philosopher disguised as a fireman. Beatty's opinion is what defines the general image of the dystopian society that they exist in; that the so-called "awe-inspiring" works only hurt and bring down the Average Joe, in plain sight. This position that Beatty sets himself upon almost gives him a wise yet misguided character rather than that of a nefarious one.
However, because this is a dystopian novel, this philosopher is later on seen as the villain of Guy Montag as he merely follows orders to burn Montag's home for housing copies of the Christian Bible and a range of poems. At the moment of Beatty's death by Montag does our protagonist see that this wise man had a desire to die; had a longing for deliverance from the terrifying world that he mourns in. And it is after Montag's realization of this that we, the audience, see that Beatty was forced upon this entitlement of villain because of the popular opinion of intelligence was: a menace. A question comes to mind upon reflecting upon this character. Who really was the villain? Beatty or popularity?

Handprints, Not Footprints

After rummaging through a stack of my dad's old magazines, I stumbled upon a Time issue named "10 Ideas That Are Changing Your Life." I know this is irrelevant to any assignments we have done in class and on our own time, but this article sincerely inspired me to think, and considering that we have emphasized a reflection of our journey throughout these last four years of high school, I think this is very appropriate.

It's about this guy named Gregory Norris.  He developed this system "to conceptualize our [personal] impact" on the environment by evaluating and summing the positive impacts we have personally made on our precious habitat.  These are called handprints, clearly a pun on the environmental term footprint which sums the impact that humans have on the natural world, often the negative ones.  We usually analyze our impact in any situation in a "footprint" type of way, the ways in which we have forced an inconvenience or affliction upon a situation; seldom do we analyze the way we benefit something.  Norris wanted to do just that, however.  He believes that "While our footprints are a significant measure we've all been getting used to, they do not tell the whole story. We don't just trample the planet; we also sometimes leave a positive impression."  He includes a few interesting examples of ways to boost one's handprint: 1. Buying a plane ticket that pays for a carbon offset, planting trees in a deforested region 2. Inflating tires to the correct air pressure, thus increasing fuel efficiency 3. Advertising on Facebook about pledging and documenting one's positive, environmental actions, persuading others to join on this "Green Movement".  In fact, many of the things we do in our everyday actions accomplish these handprint tasks, yet many of us would think about incorporating it into our carbon footprint.

So at this point in the post, you are probably wondering why this is significant to us as we near graduation and look forward to college.  Well, we've been challenged many times in this class to reflect upon our journey throughout high school.  Personally, this article had a large impact on the way I now view my experience as a whole.  Instead of thinking about moments I would not be necessarily too proud of, such as poor grades on tests or unfortunate endings of relationships, I think about my achievements and the way I've positively contributed to the lives of those who are around me and those who look forward to graduation in the near future.  Whether it's encouragement through a pat on the back or advice through long conversations at Starbucks, I have made an impact on those around me. And, to be perfectly honest, I believe that my "handprint" on Los Osos High School nearly equates to my "footprint" on the school.  And furthermore, my impact is microscopic in the scope of the graduating class.  Everybody has their own unique handprint on their own environment, and I challenge all of us, as we soon divide and attend our own respective colleges, to not only analyze the burdens we have brought, but also to broaden our perspective to consider these positive impacts we make every single day.

-Christopher Lee

What I Read Mattered

                Little did I know, my sophomore year in Mrs. Salvadore’s Honors English class was that I was going to read a novel that I truly enjoyed, and the best part was that it counted for a grade. As a class, we were reading The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, and although at the time I had firmly believed that reading check quizzes were a tedious way of making sure the students were keeping up every week with the scheduled chapters, reading a novel that I thought interested me, had me liking the class and the topics we were discussing as a group a lot more.

Many students realize that sophomore year is usually a time when they are exhausted of testing and school work after the wide variety of standardized tests they take throughout the year. However, after reading Steinbeck’s novel, I came to realize that the school year may have seemed like it was passing by slowly, but conveniently, my curiosity in the history behind the story about the effects of capitalism, the 1920’s Great Depression in the United States and the significance of the Dustbowl in the mid-western states kept my interests alive. I became more aggressive with my reading habits while reading The Grapes of Wrath, eventually elevating my grade In Salvadore’s class and helped the weeks in the school year proceed a little faster. In order to pass the time when I wasn’t occupied with class work, I would take out the novel and read in my other classes as well. I became more willing to read for my English classes over the years, as well as more diligent and productive with my time, in hopes to read another novel that would peak my interests in a way that I wasn’t left bored with a grade that was slowly decreasing.

After reading Steinbeck’s novel, I found myself paying more attention to descriptive details and references in the way I write as well as in the styles of other authors. Steinbeck used a great deal of creative words that seemed to flow into long sentences and made even the more simple objects, such as a glass vase, a more intriguing piece of work to look at, rather than its conveniences acting as ordinary. Like any novel, The Grapes of Wrath did have its moments when the chapters were really moving at a slow pace, however that forced me to pay closer attention to the author’s diction and comparisons. If I knew Steinbeck personally, I would say he was quite the gentleman with a way of words. It was unexpected that I would have truly enjoyed reading this novel, because of its length and simple cover, but I suppose that’s why the saying goes, “never judge a book by its cover”.

Teacher and Student, A Little More Than Just Friends

As I have begun to read my next novel, Teach Me by R.A Nelson, a lot of thoughts have flown through my mind. The novel's protagonist Nina is a high school senior who is very mature for her age and is bored with her small towns boring everyday life. Nina is intelligent beyond her means and nothing seems to challenge her. That is until the new language arts teacher, Mr. Mann comes along. Mr. Mann and Nina end up in a twisted and risky relationship that could ruin both of their names and reputation among the small conservative Alabama town. As I continue to read, I am and have been hooked since the very first page. Even though Nina is already eighteen, it is still taboo that she is in a secret relationship with her teacher. Should students be allowed to be involved with teachers despite they are of legal age? When and where do professional ethics come into play and how much is too much between both teacher and their student?

-Jasmine C

My Declared Love for Harry Potter (the books, not the character)

What I Read that Mattered: Harry Potter
Please comment! I'd like to hear about your experiences of growing up with Harry.

                Harry Potter has always been an experience rather than just a series of books. I remember picking up The Sorcerer’s Stone as a 2^nd grader trying to understand everything it said. I remember being excited for the The Goblet of Fire  to be released and, eventually, The Deathly Hallows. I grew up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione and saw the physical evidence as Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson aged with me.

                Harry Potter has shown me how much power a book can have on you. Books can pull you from reality and into a different world. In Harry’s world, I was able to attend Hogwarts and see the beauty of magic. I fought alongside Harry as he fought Lord Voldemort. I laughed at Harry’s awkward moments with Cho Chang. I awed when Hermione and Ron finally declared for each other. I cried when Dumbledore died. I was shocked when the truth of Snape was revealed. I loved every second of it.

                What I also appreciate about Harry Potter is the movies. Of course, the books were better, but the movies also had a special place in my heart. The actors became icons of Harry Potter, people I will never forget. Harry Potter marathons on ABC Family were always my favorite. It was nice to turn on the TV during holidays and knows that I can always enjoy some Harry Potter at any time. Like the release of the books, the releasing of the movies were annual events that I looked forward to. 8 times I have sat in the theatre with my popcorn and icee squirming with excitement as the Warner Bros. logo finally popped up with the Harry Potter melody.

                The end of a series is always hard. It’s the goodbye that you knew would come, but shoved to the back of your mind because you thought you would have more time. I remember reading the final page of the last chapter of Deathly Hallows and feeling my heart stop. I turned the page and smiled as I saw just a few more paragraphs. It was an epilogue of Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione’s kids. It was a bit silly, but it made me realize how time has truly flown as the J.K. Rowling has written 7 treasures. Although I was sad, I was excited for the films and was relieved when the producers decided to split the last book into two parts, just because it would give me more time to say goodbye. When the movie of Deathly Hallows: Part II finally ended, I didn’t know how to react. How do you let go of something that you’ve grown up with? It’s different from losing a person, because we experience it all the time. But a series. It was a world, a different reality, that I had leave.

                It’s been a while since the movies and books have ceased and I’m doing fine. Sometimes I revisit Harry’s world for old-time’s sake, but realize that it’s just not the same as before. Since then, I have found other books and series that I also enjoy, even though none of them match up to Harry Potter. But life goes on and I am fortunate for growing up in a generation shaped by Harry Potter.

-Stephanie Kim

Dracula: Better than Twilight?

After the numerous vampire books (Twilight, Vampire Academy, Marked, Vampire Shrink, Vampire Diaries, etc) I have read, I'm finally reading Dracula by Bram Stoker.

I initially chose this book to fulfill the 19th century novel requirement and Dracula seemed much more interesting than the other classic books. So far, I like the book. It's really interesting reading a book that I have so much prior knowledge about. Dracula set the standard for a classic vampire: sleeps in a coffin at night, no reflection in the mirror, and, of course, sucks blood. Modern vampire novels never fail to point out that the new vampires are not like Dracula. In Twilight, when Bella went over to Edwards house, he reminded her that they do not sleep in coffins (insert awkward Bella laugh). The most important detail in Dracula that makes it so different from modern vampire novels is the atmosphere and mood of the story. Jonathan Harker, the prisoner of Dracula, is scared out of his mind; he is not captivated by the vampire's extraordinary beauty nor under some mystical spell. After all, I'd be pretty scared too if a vampire was going to suck my blood and slowly kill me. Furthermore, the author does a good job of this scary mood. It feels like I'm in some horror movie. While I'm reading the book, I imagine that I am locked up with Jonathan too and when I hear the door unlock and open by Dracula I feel fear.

P.S. The Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead are still the best vampire novels ever written.

-Stephanie Kim

Favorite Poem Project

I understand that this topic has been popular among the various blogs, but I want to add my personal thoughts and opinions about this project.

Admittedly, I was not very fond nor excited about the idea of recording myself reciting my so-called "favorite poem", explaining its literary merit and why I personally favored it more than any other poem, and being projected on the big screen.  After all, I'm terrified of public speaking, uncomfortable being the only person in the spotlight at a certain moment, and discomforted to see my face or hear my voice on a screen.  However, the more and more I dug into the project, I found it to be personally enriching. I think the reason I always found poetry to be dull is because teachers in the past usually force feed us these poetic works and teach us how to like it.  Upon personal research, I was able to find poems that related to me, and thus, find my favorite poem.  Here it is:

The End and the Beginning, by Wislawa Szymborska

After every war
someone has to clean up.
Things won’t
straighten themselves up, after all.

Someone has to push the rubble
to the sides of the road,
so the corpse-laden wagons
can pass.

Someone has to get mired
in scum and ashes,
sofa springs,
splintered glass,
and bloody rags.

...http://www.threepennyreview.com/samples/szymborska_su97.html 

To save space, you can read the rest at the above link.  This poem appealed to me for quite a few reasons. The major one, though, is that it broadened my perspective.  I've always been trained to think big picture--I attribute that to the scientist in me.  However, this poem persuaded me that the most significant impacts made by certain situations do not always have to deal with the cause-and-effect relations.  In this poem, while the world is concerned about "the next war", these innocent war bystanders are left to pick up the pieces and recover from such traumatic experiences.  I learned through this poem that many events in my life, though less tragic than dealing with the aftereffects of war, can be better analyzed and understood.  Instead of pondering how an action of mine can affect a broad spectrum of people, I think about the personal implications of such an action. This is a valuable outlook to learn before heading off to college!

-Christopher Lee

Look to the Future, Leah Harlow

Look to the future
Detach from the past
Let the people go
Start a new this time
Look to the future
Love like it’ll last
Dream like it’s forever
No move envy
Look to the future
Have the star life
Learn from others
Take it in
Look to the future
Be proud with yourself
No more lies
No more disguises
Look to the future
Solve the unresolved
Be someone’s firefly
Stop living for yourself
Look to the future
Be the person
You dream to be
Stop fantasizing
Look to the future
It’s only gets brighter
From here on out
Detach from the past
Look to the future

This was the poem I used for my video. I chose this poem because I liked the message: look to the future. In life, we constantly dwell on the the past, obsessing over mistakes and regrets. However, because life is so short, we have no time to do this. The future is what we work for and holds all our dreams and success. In this time of our lives, the future consumes our daily life. College is the gateway to our future. Sometimes, I feel like I think about the future more than I do of the past. Maybe I should look to the present instead.

-Stephanie Kim

Book Review: Animal Farm

Orwell, George.  Animal Farm (New York, NY: Penguin Books Ltd., 2000), 112 pp.
Reviewed by Christopher Lee, Los Osos High School, Rancho Cucamonga, CA.


I decided to revisit this novel after reading it my sophomore year. I wanted to see how the context of this novel has changed after two additional years of education.


First off, I am definitely glad I did.  Revisiting this novel after two years allowed me to see things that were not as clear as when I read Orwell's work the first time.  Since Animal Farm is Orwell's allegory of the birth of Soviet Communism, including the subsequent revolutions, new "rules", and corruption, it really does the novel justice if the reader has a general understanding of this history. It makes the setting, for instance, more clear.  The Farm is an allegory of Russia, and these animals work "equally" on this farm.  The parallels grow clearer and clearer as the novel progresses.  Orwell's decision to equate the Communist nation to a farm is brilliant, considering many Russians were forced into collective farming during this time period.  


As the novel progresses, these original tenants of "Animalism" become more and more disintegrated and corrupted.  There are many uprisings throughout that challenge the leadership of each animal. While each animal is to be "equal", this is clearly not true as we learn that the horses work harder and more diligently as the pigs become more lazy and providing by "supervising".  A few of these greedy pigs are the ones who break down the original tenants agreed upon by the primary farm animals.  The rest of the animals are left to figure out what they must do to create "equality" again.


This novel was one of my favorites two years ago, and it remains one of my favorites today.  The creativity and ingeniousness in this novel is truly remarkable.  While one may think this novel is childish or immature for its subject, the reader must keep in mind that this is merely an allegory of Russian Communism, a surprisingly accurate one, as well. And since this is historically accurate, the novel is surely plausible. 


I sincerely recommend this novel for anybody looking for an easy, yet informative quick read.  Make sure you do your research beforehand.  It'll surely enhance your experience.


-Christopher Lee

Wintergirls #2

Sorry for the late update. There has apparently been some confusion since I didn't spend much time writing the last post. Cassie started seeing Lia, like if someone was seeing a ghost. She talked to her often and even played crosswords with her. At times I really believed that Cassie was seeing her, but then had to question myself since Cassie was at such a vulnerable state. I think Anderson incorporated this just to show how stressful and overwhelming it is to go through what Cassie is going through.

In the end, we are forced to make up our minds through two polar perspectives. 1. Cold Society: "We can't believe that a mentally unstable person was actually seeing her dead friend." 2. Naive Crazy Person: "She was seeing her. It was real. But what's the point? No one will believe me."

-Stephanie Kim

Fear is What We Fear the Most

As I am finishing up Native Son by Richard Wright, the novel has forced me to ponder what emotion drives our nation the most. The main character Bigger Thomas is driven by fear. He lives his life, often makes terrible decisions, and is at one point ultimately broken all by his fear. Those around Bigger also seem to act upon their fear is well, whether it be of Bigger or of what society may think. Native Son has made me wonder, what is the most moving emotion upon people? Why does fear have such a choke hold on society? Whether it be financial and economic scares or a new discovered disease among our food intake, fear seems to get people to evaluate their lifestyles and make major decisions, good or bad, no matter big or small. But why is it fear that we fear the most?

-Jasmine C

Invisible Man Book Review

Never have I read a novel as powerful and remarkable as Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Taking place nearly half a century ago, he beautifully paints an abstract picture of America and the differing societies of the North and the South in the 1930's. Ellison's timeless classic is so much more than just a powerful storyline but has also changed the shape of American literature as we know it.

The Ellison's protagonist, a young college educated black man who remains nameless, takes the reader on an extraordinary journey as he travels from the Deep South to Harlem with none other besides his briefcase and little hope. From the first chapter, you are instantly addicted to the character and how he got to be was he is. Through trail and tribulations, he is forced to confine in nearly strangers in order to survive in the city and live off of instinct, despite where that may lead him. Although the protagonist tries to live through honesty and trust, a much higher power seems dominate his thoughts, beliefs, and understanding of life itself. Above it all Invisible Man is about exploitation, manipulation, and the gross hypocrisy that exists in our society.

The novel creates a vivid and shocking picture of America's true society and subversion of individual identity. Soon after the book was published Ellison said that Invisible Man was not just about the black experience in America, it was an account of every person's "invisibility" in a world that tells us how to think of each other. Most everyone can relate in some way or another to Invisible Man and its complex works. The plot is more than simply race novel, but more so about coming of age in a world that is so much based upon society and what society influences us believe. Invisible Man is a must-read for anyone who thinks they have a grip on the American experience.

-Jasmine C

A Beginner's Book Review

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. (New York, NY: Del Rey Books, 1981). 165 pp.
Review by David Lim, Los Osos High School, Rancho Cucamonga, CA.

What is there to say about this novel other than that its society is frighteningly similar to that of ours? Each event that our protagonist, Guy Montag, experiences resembles, in some way, a prediction of what is to come, should we continue to fall short in becoming matured human beings. Set in some utopian future, this dystopian novel beings with a terrifying ritual, book burnings of all works of merit. This moment makes clear to audiences that all is indeed not well in this universe that Bradbury plotted. With the idea of dystopia growing in popularity amongst readers and writers, Bradbury shows a significant difference of a what dysoptia disguises itself to be, which -- again-- is located in the first three pages of the novel. This method of beginning, as well as staying, outside of the comfort zone of dystopian novels -- that being some showing of a clean and contained society (The Giver, by Lois Lowry, comes to mind)-- snatched away my attention and kept it to the end.

With fantastic imagery of fire, night, and machinery, symbols of complacency, tension, and fear come to be revealed within the author and stirred within the reader. These symbols aren't too obscured either, as Guy Montag's mind peaks to a breaking point as he proceeds through this existential crisis placed upon him after admitting to his wife that he had stashed a bundle of banned books and a Christian Bible. Montag's torment is clear enough for any high school student to catch onto, a definite plus to Bradbury in terms of description, plausibility, and plot.

Plausibility is simply all too strong with this work. Teen violence? Facades of happiness? Insanity? Misfortunes existing in this work are all too real thanks to the stories of one of Bradbury's most mysterious characters, Clarrise McClellan, a sixteen-year old girl of many stories and questions. Though not really given physical detail, McClellan is indeed beautiful as an intellectual, and perhaps one of the only few that exist in such a society. Because of her "beauty" she is ridiculed and rejected as insane by her classmates in school and, consequentially, skips school very often to explore the outskirts of the utopia. I refuse to say anymore about this lovely character as she is too fantastic to be spoiled among those who are reading this.

Every complication that Montag encounters is no simple coincidence, each of his actions directly affect his social and mental outcome; in short, the character development for our protagonist is so natural and so "juicy" that it seems as if he were actually telling Bradbury what to write and what to argue.

I would encourage that this book be read by every single student, so long as they wish to mature into someone respectable and humane. I do not see any significant shortcomings in this novel; every piece was coherent and appreciable.

Dystopian Novel

Looking back at creating our team Dystopian Novel, I think that that was perhaps the most creative assignment that we have ever completed. I mean, think about it. We have to create this world of which we know absolutely NOTHING about.  Just pure imagination is used to construct this alternate reality. These are the kind of assignments that I think are the most rewarding, those that challenge critical thoughts and engaging teamwork. Our team's novel was developed based around this world filled with "bubble-boys". It's a little more complicated than that, though.  After a convoluted love triangle, the one that didn't end up with our protagonist female was slightly ticked off and decided to take advantage of his political connections to create a totalitarian government. As a byproduct of the formation of this regime, every citizen is confined in his or her own "bubble", and communication between any of the citizens is strictly prohibited--and impossible.  He does this to create a "better" world, one where the interactions between two people can never hurt another, as he was gravely affected by another's relationship.  It takes the brave efforts of the male and female protagonists, with the aid of their unconditional love for each other, to stop this bubbly atrocity and save mankind. Plausible? Why not? Dystopian novels allow us to experiment with imagination, and this freedom of creativity--along with the 2000 years worth of additional technology--can make any situation possible, even in the case of this bubble-boy world.

-Christopher Lee

What I Read That Mattered

By senior year in High School, I have probably read more books, novels, poems, plays and short stories to last a lifetime. Between the mandatory works of Steinbeck to my pleasure read poems of Hughes, I have had my favorites and least favorites in definitely. But the one thing that has stuck with me since the day my eyes grazed such a beautiful poem is so much higher than all of the others. The Seven of Pentacles by Marge Piercy was introduced to my fourth period English class by Mrs. Elliot the first day of school senior year and I can honesty say I have not been the same since.  The many questions that come along with being in high school and being less than a year from my future University campus, it could not have came at a better time. Its constant theme of fate, destiny, and owning responsibilities set me in the mood for senior year. I was driven by being the best “gardener” I could be, planting my very best self, and waiting for the harvest to come. Above it all, it was one line that forced me to stare all of my insecurities in the face and rise upon them; “Live as if you loved yourself”. Never has a quote influenced me as much as this had. It sums up the many emotions I have had to deal with and reminds me what should matter the most. Piercy’s poem hits home. Each and every time I re-read it, I always take away something that I haven’t before and open up a new door of possibilities. With the end of senior year and graduation around the corner, the Seven of Pentacles will always have a place in my heart and inspires me to always live as if I love myself.

-Jasmine C

As I Grew Older

It was a long time ago.
I have almost forgotten my dream.
But it was there then,
In front of me,
Bright like a sun--
My dream.
And then the wall rose,
Rose slowly,
Slowly,
Between me and my dream.
Rose until it touched the sky--
The wall.
Shadow.
I am black.
I lie down in the shadow.
No longer the light of my dream before me,
Above me.
Only the thick wall.
Only the shadow.
My hands!
My dark hands!
Break through the wall!
Find my dream!
Help me to shatter this darkness,
To smash this night,
To break this shadow
Into a thousand lights of sun,
Into a thousand whirling dreams
Of sun!

Langston Hughes

This weekend as I was reading through one of my many poetry books, I stumbled across the As I Grew Older poem by Langston Hughes. What better poem to read in the midst of being only a month away from graduation? Although Hughes poem was probably written in a different sense and for a different purpose, I took it as a constant reminder that you can never dream and dream to large. With the conclusion of high school creeping upon us in only week’s time, the side effects of Senioritis has surely set in among many of us. Although many of us are eager for that next step after LOHS, there are still those days which it seems like the day will never come. As I Grew Older is a reminder to me that even though the day is almost here, never lose sight of what it is you want to do. It is never too late to dream and to reach that dream if you truly go after it. There will surly be “walls” along the way, but the satisfaction of achievement is so much greater.

-Jasmine C

What I Read That Mattered

Nearly all high school seniors have read a number of works throughout their high school careers, and each student often has that one novel that is more significant than all others because of the personal impact it had on the student.  For me, that novel ended up being John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.

I’ll be the first to admit that when I learned we had to read this novel for Mr. Weidman’s Sophomore Honors English class, I was not too excited.  I allowed my immature preconceptions and assumptions of old, “critically-acclaimed”, and seemingly-endless novels take over; when I began reading, these misassumptions soon disappeared.

I was actually quite surprised that I was enjoying The Grapes of Wrath, that novel that nearly every sophomore supposedly hated in the graduation class before mine.  This is the first reason why this novel mattered to me: It taught me that I shouldn’t allow others to tell me if I would like a work of literature.  Before this, if my upperclassman friends would advise me to not read a certain book, and it was of my liberty to pick which book I could read, then I would quickly swap books.  However, my appreciation for this book extends much further than the reason listed above.

When I read, I like to read for a purpose.  As opposed to other novels that I had to read, which typically seemed to try to entertain rather than teach me, I learned so much history from this book and was able to gather so many values from it.  As cheesy as it seems, I think the novel actually taught me to be a more charitable person.  The struggles that the Joads encountered in that short amount of time affected me.  Admittedly and immaturely, I was a “fend for yourself” type of person before reading this novel.  After reading this novel, and after realizing that some people are placed into certain unfavorable situations by fate rather than by choice, I felt guilty for having such a selfish value system.  When each person is stripped of his economic status, social status, color, culture, religion, or any other classifying factor, he is simply a human.  Just like you, and just like me.  As humans, it is our responsibility to assist humans in their times of need.  If every human lived independently from each other, there is no possible way humanity could have advanced as far as it has today.  So why do we allow ourselves to discriminate against those humans who are clearly in adverse situations that are not self-imposed? It’s purely illogical. 

These are the critical thoughts and questions that arose for me after reading this novel.  I can genuinely say that it has had an enormous impact on the way I perceive those in need, and even those who aren’t in such great need, but still discriminated because of some classification which they are forced to live with.  Of all the novels I read in high school, this one truly is the one that mattered to me most.

-Christopher Lee

I am in the beginning stages of reading 1984 but it is already quite interesting. The main concept is that the government is able to watch, listen and monitor people via devices inside people's homes. It is unfortunate that I realize that in a way our society is not too different. Traffic cameras, cameras in buildings, and phone call monitoring all watch us with or without our knowledge. The characters in the book alter their behavior to give the perfect perception to the government/ society. This also unfortunately relates to our society. Right?

An Apology

It has somewhat recently come to my attention that some of my posts and comments have generated some concerns among my peers. While I could be mistaken on this account, that possibility seems rather improbable since this was the effect I was trying to effect, at least in part, those parts that I was awake enough to be considered conscious of. And, since these very posts and comments, if damaging to the class community, will need to be removed in order to protect the fragile growing minds of said community, or maybe simply the fragile community itself, I wouldn't know, I was handed the goal, not the purpose, and, since these posts and comments count towards my grades for one standard or another, I hereby have written an heartfelt apology to those whose something or another I have damaged which caused them sufficient harm to decide that informing the teacher is necessary, or, if none of that occurred, then the apology is simply directed towards to those whom the teacher decided would be harmed by said posts and comments. It is probable, after all, that probable cause is sufficient.

I would also offer as an explanation of why I would be so callous in my treatment of the emotional state, for the possession of a better word, or whatever it is that I may or may not have damaged, but which I would assume to have been likely to have been damaged based on my priors, of my peers. The reason is something which can be accurately described as "simplicity itself," namely, that I do not posses said emotional states, or whatever I may or may not have possibly damaged. Or to be succinct, because I have no heart. In the metaphorical sense, of course, I'd be quite literally dead were that literal. Thus, I made no provision for that which may or may not have been fragile and which I may or may not have damaged, it's difficult to emphasize with someone feeling something when one does not feel it himself.

But that is no excuse for me to have acted as I have, and, since the reasons I have acted as I have must be kept to myself, since obviously I did not do it for the purpose of that which was written to be sufficiently inflammatory to cause it to be censored, as that would defeat the main purpose of writing it, I must apologize. However, because apologies are literally worthless, since there are only two outcomes possible after an apology: 1, I continue doing exactly as I have done, with nothing changed, in which case the apology is empty, thus meaningless, or 2, I change sufficiently that the apology no longer has any meaning, and is thus meaningless, just like tautologies are tautologies, and thus provide no new information.

That is, I will either act completely consistently with myself who has committed the acts which I determined necessary to apologize for, or I do not, and in either case the apology would be somewhat empty. But that is only to me, and I am after all capable of effecting empathy.

The Kite Runner

I recently started reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, a novel about the bond between two boys and their adventures together while growing up in Afghanistan. The story begins with the narrator, Amir, one of the boys as an adult living in San Francisco, sharing and reminiscing about his childhood living in the Middle East with a boy named Hassan, as Amir's father kept Hassan's father as a servant to take care of the house. The novel shows the importance of family, and the limits a person will push themselves to go in order to help their family members. Honor, pride, humility, and respect, are all important factors of family, and I'm curious if those factors hold greater meaning more so in other countries than the United States? In Afghanistan, Hassan, as a young servant, acts brotherly toward Amir, and helps him to learn the benefits of patience and how words can hold such a powerful meaning. Hassan's loyalty as a friend helps rescue Amir as the local neighborhood bullies instigate fights with them, and he helps to protect his friend. However, I wonder if the importance of family plays a greater role in lower social classes than in higher social classes? The amount of money a family has must come into effect with the opinion on the limits of how far a bond can stretch...whether or not money can buy families protection? Or is the family is strong enough, both physically and mentally, to protect each other? Amir's father is wealthy and well known throughout the city they live in, and having a great many friends, he is capable of doing almost anything for his family and home. He would buy himself cars, his son toys to play with, and he would also treat Hassan and his father with gifts and comforts that the average servant did not experience in Afghanistan. While reading this novel, I continue to grow curious in how loyalty to family has changed over the years, and how other countries perceive the idea of family.

Atlas Shrugged

Rand, Ayn. Atlas Shrugged. (New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1992.) 1168 pp.
Reviewed by Mark Twain, Los Osos High School, Rancho Cucamonga, CA.

It is the 1950s, a time of robber barons and transcontinental railroads, with the barons of the rail and plunder providing the necessary genius required to run human society. Since apparently an IQ of 100 means that you're too stupid to hammer nails in this universe, huh, I don't remember humanity losing 99% of it's most intelligent population until the average became dumber than chimps. Thus enters our hero, Dagny Taggart, the brains behind Taggart Transcontinental, a railroad company that may or may not be the biggest in the fictional States of America. (Odd as it might seem in a world where the average human is too stupid to eat without it being fed to him, this one is of normal intelligence, that is, normal for us, almost.)

In between sleeping with as many intelligent (Someone doesn't understand standard deviation and bell curves, if the average human is too stupid to live, the most intelligent human on the damned fictional planet would also be too stupid to live. Unless the standard deviation is huge, say if the difference between the dumbest person and the smartest is the difference in computing power between one bit of ram and the entire bloody universe. Then the intelligent people can be actually smart, problem is, if that's the case, evolution would have made the fictional world filled with hyper intelligent people aeons ago, people too stupid to live tend to leave the gene pool, increasing the average.) men as possible our hero attempts to save Taggart Transcontinental, spoiler: she fails. All the while society increasing converges against the people smart enough to run their own companies, by taking everything they worked for away from them. (Explain to me how you can be not too stupid to live and still be capable of getting everything you own taken away from you by people too stupid to live. Cause that sounds like a pretty major case of being too stupid to live to me. On second thought, the intelligence bell curve thing is completely plausible.)

The moral of the story?
"Don't take away the work of those more intelligent than you, because apparently that's possible and you won't fail or die in the attempt."

I did not speak of characterization as all of the characters may be summarized in one sentence, one short sentence. With the phrase "and is stupid" appended to the end of all of them.

Is Meta

To quote xkcd: "I'm so meta, even this acronym."


Since talking about what we are doing this week is one of the premissible topics, I shall talk about this. The following sentence is like this one, in that it's a statement, followed by a period. Forced conversation isn't exactly anything remotely close to resembling actual conversation. I'm going to go ahead and drag out a definition of conversation: informal interchange of thoughts, information, etc., by spoken words; oral communication between persons; talk; colloquy. Key word being informal, but alas, we are here to learn how to formally blog, that is, to formally informally exchange thoughts and information. I'm just going to stop that train of thought there before I start resorting to explicatives unfitting for a ... school mandated ... contradiction. In case it wasn't obvious, I don't speak in a fasion remotely resembling how I am now typing unless I am either in a situation resembling this one, or being "majorly" ironic/sarcastic for the purposes of humor.


Given that the most obvious dead horse has been spared the stick, as I would not ever say in anything moderately close to even being almost capable of being described as the state of being vernacular. I find myself incapable to finding topics to formally converse about, since the whole thing is rather ... damaging ... to my carefully cultivated mentality. So yeah, brain shut down time. (Though do bear in mind that what follows is also not how I would speak normally.)


So, yeah, 1984, slaps down them contradictions and not afraids of anything.


Post Script, the end.

Wintergirls

I have recently finished reading the novel, Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak. The book is about a teenage girl, Cassie, who suffers from eating disorders. The story starts off with her after she left the rehab center. Her weight is monitored and is forced to attend therapy sessions. To top it off, her best friend Lia, who also had eating disorders, committed suicide. What truly haunts her, however, is the fact that Lia called her 33 times the night she died.

Throughout the book, I was able to experience Cassie's emotions and struggles as she continued to starve herself and attempt to find peace with Lia's death. Along the way Cassie begins to cut herself as her guilt and stress increases.

I have read many books that deal with serious issues of divorce, drugs, eating disorders, self harm, etc, but what I truly appreciate about this book is its ending. Other books have some ridiculously happy ending that seems a bit unrealistic. Anderson, on the other hand, was able to incorporate scenes involving Lia that leaves the reader wondering if what Cassie saw was real or not. Instead of ending the book with Cassie declaring that she is all better, Anderson shows the reader how Cassie is trying and still fighting a difficult battle, which is in my opinion pretty realistic.

-Stephanie Kim

The Chocolate War

For my independent reading I am reading, "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier. It was published in 1974. So far I have noticed that the tone of the story to be serious.


As I am reading I notice that there are many things that are constantly brought up. Symbols that are being constantly brought up in the story are the chocolates. The title even has the word chocolate in it. So right off the bat you know that chocolate is going to have some meaning in this story. 


The setting of this story is at Trinity school which is an all boys school. Jerry who is a main character refuses to sell chocolates at the chocolate sale. He doesn't like the idea of the chocolates being sold, so he rebels against it. Although his school punishes him he wont cave into selling them and this is where the conflict begins.


As i am reading i wonder if he will give into all the pressure of having to sell the chocolate even if he doesn't think it is right. This story is showing how people can manipulate someone to do something they don't want to.


-Chante E.

The novel "Emma" is one of sophistication and poise. The composition of the novel parallels the main character, Emma Woodhouse. As Jane Austen sets the stage, she introduces the central characters through the eyes of the town people in regards to class, wealth, significance and relevance. The development of Emma is essential to not only the understanding of the motives behind behavior but also the understanding of societal rules and expectancies. Emma's main interest is playing match-maker among the people of the town. She has set up various couples and is determined to continue with her streak. Some begin to consider her actions invasive and encourage her to work on herself by focusing on finding a man to we'd herself. This is just the beginning of what seems to be the story of control changing to the uncontrollable spiral of consequences following inconsiderate actions. In time, we all come to meet "the controller." This person tends to stick themselves in everyone else's business. It is inevitable. We will encounter someone like this at one point or another. What is important to remember is how to deal with these people. Calm respect yet strong confidence is the best weapon to fight the person who believes they know best for you. Also, we must try not to become this person. Itis one thing to care for and look out for someone yet it is a completely different situation once one believes they know someone better than they know themselves. The policy I live by is, "Love everyone. Care for all. Take responsibility for thyself."

The Lone Journey: Fahrenheit 451

So to start, this is my first time posting up a blog, as well as reading this novel; lots of "first times" for me. As some can expect, this will be merely a series in which I talk, er write, er type, about Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451.

I find it quite interesting how banned books are threatened with mass extinction, which is the general plot of this dystopian novel. It starts off with a "fireman" named Guy Montag (we'll call him Montag throughout this series) performing the usual ritual of this "utopian" society: mass banned book burning. The event hated by almost every reader, writer, and intellectual alive, in our world, integrated smoothly into this new society created by Bradbury. It should, at some point, make one think about how the world will turn out to be in the future, where houses will eventually be "fire-proofed" and education becomes very technology-dependent, rather than literary-dependent.

It brings me to another point through the book that really makes me concerned for the future: the behavior and discipline of the newer generations. Throughout the novel Montag runs into an "insane" character Clarisse McClellan and grows close to the seventeen year-old. Upon the eventually usual meet-up, Montag ponders why Clarisse doesn't go to school like most teenagers. Clarisse, open to answer almost any question, explains how she is "antisocial" and "doesn't mix in" with the normal teenager. I find this especially astonishing because as I grew closer to Clarisse, I concluded she's the perfect intellectual and, regretfully, one of the only intellectuals left within that society. She continues to explain that the teenagers now are violent, bored, and blind as education grew to be an automated process. After losing countless friends due to teenage violence, Clarisse decided to lose contact from school and simply explores the neighborhoods and forests, watching. THINKING. That's what has been lost in that society, the ability to THINK as an intellectual. This is my concern: That the newer generations are becoming increasingly mindless. I fear for the worst but, yet, hope for the best. To hope for the day when the heralded utopian concept falls and humans remain human, rather than instinctive beasts performing tasks simply to complete them.

Here's my mentality, people are different for a reason, there shouldn't be "doppelgangers" only to "fit in". Humans must remain inquisitive if we are to survive and retain independence.

--David Lim, Hot Wings

The Age of Innocence

As I continue reading through "The Age of Innocence" by Edith Wharton, a nineteenth century novel about a power couple in upper class New York facing the pressures and expectations of society in the late 1800's, I realize how similar the social elements in that of two centuries ago are similar to those of today. May Welland and Newland Archer are engaged while living in New York, experiencing the high standards that society holds them up to in order to look presentable and better than the average person so that egos would be crushed and people wouldn't gossip. Image appears to be everything for the upper class families. The couple experience drama throughout the novel centered around how important their relationship is and how well the families would look, I'm currently reading about how they're announcing the big event to their friends and relatives, and how the two are trying to make everything according to perfection.

Although the story takes place more than two hundred years ago, the same societal rules still apply to present day. Each day at school, students are urged to look and act their best, or even differently than they're used to in order to attract people towards them. However, that is not always the case, there are some students prove to themselves and their peers that image isn't everything, and comfort is more of a preference for them. While reading the novel, I was reminded of a quote from the movie "Easy A", when the main character says, "People either blend in, or decide not to care." Although most people choose to care about their presence in front of others, I've learned that it's also important to pay attention to personal feelings and if I am okay with what I surround myself with.

As Archer and May spend their days in New York as a couple passing the days lovestruck, I'm curious to read what happens next in this dramatic novel.

Invisible Man: How will we be defined

As I continue my independent reading of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, I can't help but to wonder how I myself have felt as though I was in the some of the same predicaments and mentality of the narrator. Being a minority, it is almost as though you can not help but to have felt inferior to "The Man", as Ellison describes, at some point in time. Many of times there has been an ignorant comment, selfish action, or an all together ignoring to us all in one way or another. Although the novel was set in the 19030's, many of the returned feelings and washed up emotions can and often are still felt today. It is difficult to explain to the exact being of feeling less than, but Ellison has painted the picture beautifully. Everyone can, in some way or another relate to the injustice within the novel, whether it be racially, religion based, or gender wise. Although I am still in the early chapters of the novel, its obvious self doubt and emptiness of the narrator grasps the readers attention from the very beginning.

Only months prior to making the transaction from high school to higher education, Invisible Man also forces me to ponder one nagging question; As I continue into becoming an educated young women, how will I leave my footprints in the "real" world? Will I allow myself to be invisible among all of the others or force my voice, my beliefs, my ideas to be heard? Soon becoming a student of a prestigious private University this fall, I am most certainly want to leave my mark someway or another, not allowing my campus to define me, but that who I am can rightfully represent the University.

Invisible Man is defined by so much more than simply a young mans journey and a coming of age novel, but rather a recognition of each one of our significant rolls in the book of life.

-Jasmine C

I wanted to read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson, because my parents both read it and I recently saw the movie, which I recommend everyone to see as long as you have the stomach.  It is one of the craziest movies I have seen, and from past experiences, the book is always better than the movie.  The beggining 80 pages of the book is pretty boring since it is all about financial situations and it brings up many names and many cities in Sweden (where the story takes place) so you can't really even pronounce half of the cities and names in your head.  I know I wouldn't have been able to get past the first part if I didn't see the movie, so that is why I think you should see the movie before you read the book because it will help you understand all the confusion in the beginning.

Once you get past the beginnning, it starts into the murder mystery that the story is about.  The two main characters, Mikael and Lisbeth, live separate lives which the book clearly illustrates by switching off between the two stories of the two characters every once in a while.  As you read on the different stories of Lisbeth and Mikael are closer together and I am now in anticipation of when they finally get together to work on the case. 

The only thing wrong with the book is that there are a lot of disturbing parts to it.  It might have been even more disturbing to watch in the movie rather than just reading it on paper, but I haven't gotten to those parts yet so I will keep you posted on how tolerable it is in the book.

In Henry Won\rdsworth Longfellow's work, The Children's Hour, the concerns of the par\ternal figure in society is discussed. In his perspective, Longfellow claims that the status of the father figure to his children is tremendously great in that his love for them is boundless. Longfellow describes how he feels his daughters' immense lovem as he is "[devoured] with kisses", through metaphor (Longfellow, line25). Longfellow holds their love "fast in [his] fortress...in the round-tower at [his] heart", meaning that he equates his daughters love for him with the same amount of love that he will never let go of until death (Longfellow, line 33-36). This metaphor reflects Longfellow's opinion on the fathers of society in that there is an existing unbreakable bond between father and child. Despite that work may take nights, fatheres will never grow tired of their beloved children, who he loves just as much, if not more. The father figure in society during the 19th century appears to be healthy in terms of proper love and nourishment for his children.

Excessively Formal and not at all satirical Introduction

Mandatory Link

Having decided upon reflection that the prior version of this document was unsuitable for publication, I have decided to simply erase it and start anew.


Sadly, there being little of worth to talk about, as those thoughts or actions of worth to talk about would land me in jail, this introduction will necessarily be bland and tasteless. That said, I will nonetheless strive to at least meet the basic requirements of a "post," which will credit me for one of the 5 minimum necessary. Shame I forgot about the requirements, having thought them unimportant at the time, something about book reports, or something.


As one might have noted by now, I have a propensity to be rather sesquipedalian while typing. Fortunately, I do, in fact, know what those words mean, so when I use "big words," I don't feel idiotic when I read what I typed afterwards. Implication through omission.


So yeah, Edmond Dantes, he's a swell dude, buys islands and not afraids of anything. Also the titular Count of Monte Cristo, possessing a fortune roughly the twice the size of continent he resides in, and is also a vampire. Long story short, he was framed and imprisoned, got a decent university level education at said prison, and tripped over a rock after he escaped, thus discovering a fortune which enabled him to travel the world and then completely screw over his enemies, who have all conveniently gathered at Paris. Can anyone say plot convenience? And ... that's it, really, the whole 1000 page volume exists simply to tell that story which I managed to summerize in two sentences. The thousand or so pages not used to tell that succinctly stated tale are all simply filler, admittedtly filler of the highest quality, one rarely even notices that one isn't even reading about anything remotely related to the plot in any way.