The big green giant above my head starred down at me. The roaring of the roller coaster zoomed past my ears. The shrieking cries of the innocent passengers on this train trail off as they ride to their death, and I was next in line.
I had always been afraid of heights, and roller coasters were included in this fear. Being suspended in the air and then rushing to the ground with its many drops did not seem like fun to me. But today would be the day I unwillingly face my fear. The winding metal fences are prison gates keeping me in line for my “fun ride.” My dad keeps encouraging me to continue waiting in a line that is moving too fast for my liking, which contrasts my impatient brother’s reaction to the long line. I was not ready to make this leap, the rollercoaster went too high. But what is the point to go to the best amusement park in the world, Cedar Point, without trying one ride?
I chose my way of death, The Raptor, which was a roller coaster that dangled the passengers feet, dropped them down like a basketball as they came back up they were flipped into many loops and swirls like a washing machine. The vivid green paint that covered the rollercoaster would soon resemble the lovely shade of green my face would turn. As I walk up to my death sentence, I see the passengers leaving the station with a quick swoop and screams louder than I could ever imagine. My time had come, and I jumped up on the seat. It was very uncomfortable and unwelcoming like what I would imagine for the backseat of a cop car. I buckle myself in restraints that do not seem like they could keep me from flying out of the seat like some type of bird. I hold on to the handlebars as if I am riding a bike for the first time, and the ride begins.
I hold my breath like I am underwater and my knuckles turn white from clinching onto the bar. The train chugs up the hill and like a meteor crashes down to the earth. I then open my eyes, my stomach boils within me and my mouth is pried open by the scream begging to come out. The rollercoaster throws us into the air again and I feel like I am flying, then yanked back like a bungee cord. But then it hit me, I was having fun! The death train was not going to kill me like I thought, but it would open my eyes to be able to face my fears. I loved roller coasters, and I welcomed the twists and turn, ups and downs with a loud screeching scream.
I get off the roller coaster out of breath and smiling. The raptor is a gateway drug, and I am addicted. After I got off the Raptor, I proceeded to ride every single roller coaster at Cedar Point, and I am obsessed with all of them. By facing the big green monster, I can look at roller coasters and heights in a different way.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
intertextuality
Family Guy is a television show full of intertextuality. There is reference to many pieces of texts throughout the show. It also references to many recent events that are taking place at the time.
I chose to do the episode that is referred to as “Soccer Mom.” First, Peter shouts to his son “I love you,” and then mentions to the bystander next to him that is a platonic love. This is referring to the recent rise is the gay community, and also can be reassurance that is there is no inappropriate behavior going on between family members. Chris is playing a soccer game in which he catches the ball. The ref calls a foul and the bystander gets angry at the lack of athletic skills Chris possesses.
The bystander yells for the ref to get “Moby Dick off the field.” This is referring to the popular novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville. This Moby Dick is a whale, so this bystander is calling Chris a whale because of his large size on the field. I am sure compared to the other kids that are playing, Chris would be rather large, and the “Moby Dick” reference would be valid. He mentions something before this statement, which could be important, but I cannot understand him, and the reference is unknown to me. Maybe someone else more knowledgeable to what he is talking about would think the statement is funny.
Peter then proceeds to punch this bystander, who looks like a man, but is in fact a woman. She gets seriously injured, and actually goes into labor while on the ground on the soccer field. This, to me, is just nonsense and is not really referring to anything except for how easily amused America is. It can be slightly referring to the man who had a baby, or how genders occasionally dress or act like the opposite sex, but that for the most part is all that comes out of that segment of the TV show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBLDBDFRp6E
I chose to do the episode that is referred to as “Soccer Mom.” First, Peter shouts to his son “I love you,” and then mentions to the bystander next to him that is a platonic love. This is referring to the recent rise is the gay community, and also can be reassurance that is there is no inappropriate behavior going on between family members. Chris is playing a soccer game in which he catches the ball. The ref calls a foul and the bystander gets angry at the lack of athletic skills Chris possesses.
The bystander yells for the ref to get “Moby Dick off the field.” This is referring to the popular novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville. This Moby Dick is a whale, so this bystander is calling Chris a whale because of his large size on the field. I am sure compared to the other kids that are playing, Chris would be rather large, and the “Moby Dick” reference would be valid. He mentions something before this statement, which could be important, but I cannot understand him, and the reference is unknown to me. Maybe someone else more knowledgeable to what he is talking about would think the statement is funny.
Peter then proceeds to punch this bystander, who looks like a man, but is in fact a woman. She gets seriously injured, and actually goes into labor while on the ground on the soccer field. This, to me, is just nonsense and is not really referring to anything except for how easily amused America is. It can be slightly referring to the man who had a baby, or how genders occasionally dress or act like the opposite sex, but that for the most part is all that comes out of that segment of the TV show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBLDBDFRp6E
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Blue Highways pages 1-88
The novel Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon is really horrible to read. I do not find it the slightest bit interesting and it was very difficult to get through the first 88 pages. I actually do not think I even fully comprehended the last half of the reading because I was so bored with the book that I started to space out a little bit. It was very boring and it reminded me of boring high school books that we were forced to read and if I was in high school still, I probably would not read it.
I do not like the style of the book. It seems like he is rushing through his travels and I am not sure where he wants to end up. It skims through the people and his experiences way too fast, and so it makes me less interested. It is more of a travel log, as opposed to a story. I like to connect with characters as I read, and I feel like this will be a very boring book to get through at the pace it has started out on. I cannot image reading any more of this book, and we are nowhere near the end of it.
I really liked Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name. Even though the ending was a little bit disappointing, I still really enjoyed the book. The close connection we had with Clarissa by the end of the book is what I like about reading. In Blue Highways, I do not feel like I have a connection with a character which makes me want to continue reading. I really hope this book starts to get more interesting so it is not such a chore to read the book. It is so long and I cannot image it being any more boring than it already is, so I think it has to get better. I only wish that there is more interaction with characters, as opposed to just mentioning who he meets on his journey, and then does not mention them again.
This book made me fall asleep while reading it. I would rather read another book as opposed to this one because am really not interested in this book. I wish it could be more like Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name, and have more of a storyline.
I do not like the style of the book. It seems like he is rushing through his travels and I am not sure where he wants to end up. It skims through the people and his experiences way too fast, and so it makes me less interested. It is more of a travel log, as opposed to a story. I like to connect with characters as I read, and I feel like this will be a very boring book to get through at the pace it has started out on. I cannot image reading any more of this book, and we are nowhere near the end of it.
I really liked Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name. Even though the ending was a little bit disappointing, I still really enjoyed the book. The close connection we had with Clarissa by the end of the book is what I like about reading. In Blue Highways, I do not feel like I have a connection with a character which makes me want to continue reading. I really hope this book starts to get more interesting so it is not such a chore to read the book. It is so long and I cannot image it being any more boring than it already is, so I think it has to get better. I only wish that there is more interaction with characters, as opposed to just mentioning who he meets on his journey, and then does not mention them again.
This book made me fall asleep while reading it. I would rather read another book as opposed to this one because am really not interested in this book. I wish it could be more like Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name, and have more of a storyline.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Rough Draft Close Reading
The close reading I am going to analyze is from Let the Northern Lights Erase your Name by Vendala Vida. This close reading starts off with the section labeled “Family Portrait about Altar” on page 65, and with the first paragraph on page 67 of Vida’s book. Clarissa is a troubled character whose actions can relate to an overall theme of running away. These problems are deeply rooted in her childhood, and they are even hereditary with her mother having similar life experiences.
In this passage, Clarissa is leaving the hotel room to escape to her next location. Clarissa leaving is not uncommon for her, and is what she learned from her mother. As Clarissa was leaving, she did not bother to wake Kari who was on the ground from the night before. Kari was in need of some help, even if it was just as simple as getting him on a comfy surface. This is similar to the situation that Clarissa’s mom left. She ran off without even bothering taking care of her mentally challenged son who needed her, and leaving Clarissa stranded at a mall. The lack of concern for other people’s well being was passed down to Clarissa from her Mother.
In the next paragraph, where Clarissa’s is explaining her quick hygiene, she refers to it as a “whore’s bath” (67). This is a term that her mother told her about. I am slightly confused of the mothering skills Clarissa’s mom had, because using the term “whore’s bath” does not seem appropriate when talking to your young daughter, let alone explaining it. It is sad that in a sense, Clarissa degrades herself to the status of a prostitute for her actions from the night before. She realizes that what she did was out of character and not appropriate. Her sneaky exit from the hotel room was similar to what her mother did at the mall. She left without a trace, and is exactly what she did to Pankaj.
As Clarissa walked outside, she notices the snow. Vendela Vida uses a lot of similes and metaphors, and this is an example of one. She refers to the snow as “baby powder,” which could be foreshadowing her pregnancy with Pankaj. At the end of this paragraph, Clarissa points out that she “felt comforted by the steady sound of its one good wheel bumping over cobblestones” as she pulled her suitcase (67). This could be mirroring Clarissa’s journey as she tries to find her father. She has only one good wheel left, similar to one hope left, and it was on a bumpy road. It can foreshadow how Clarissa’s future will be.
Then a taxi stopped in front of Clarissa, and she thought it was for her. This resembles the false fathers that she has and soon will encounter. She thinks that the taxi/fathers are hers, yet soon finds out that she is wrong. Clarissa was disappointed in both of those situations. Then, when the couple came out of the car, they set down empty beer bottles, and one fell over and crashed. This could be showing her life, how it is on a quick spiral downwards ever since the death of her “father.” She is trying to organize her life, such as putting the beer bottles in order, but something will fall apart.
Clarissa then goes to the train station to get directions and a ticket. While trying to find a place on a map, she says “[She] hadn’t been looking far enough north” (68). I thought this was very clever of Vida because it incorporates the title of the book, Let the Northern Lights Erase your Name. She reaches her goal by looking north, to the sky, to the northern lights, to eventually get some closure to her situation. She then proceeds on to kick a pigeon away from her foot, and gets some sort of satisfaction from it. This seems odd to want to hurt someone, but she maybe needs to feel in control of a situation and to put harm on someone since she has been hurt so much in the past. She may be displacing her anger, frustration, and sadness onto something that has nothing to do with her experience to make herself feel better and to let out some emotions.
The train is called “The Santa Claus Express.” I thought this was a fitting name because Christmas is all about happiness, presents, and family. Clarissa was trying to find her happiness and regain family by finding her real father. This train was going to lead her to the best present that she could receive, or so she thought at the time.
While on the train, Clarissa meets her sleeper-mates that were smoking right in front of her. She gets very upset to the point of almost tears at these men. This is another example of displacement of feelings that Clarissa has deep inside of her that she expresses to innocent bystanders. The amount of emotion that Clarissa does have is overwhelming, and a breakdown seems inevitable. She then looks out the windows and sees vibrant colors, and relates them to a children’s book. This is relating back to her childhood, because all of her problems with life started there. Her mother left her, and she is now revisiting memories of her and her “father,” because she feels like he was not her legitimate dad. Children’s books also have happy endings, and I feel like Clarissa’s is yearning a happy ending to her own sad story.
The novel then proceeds to say “The farther north we traveled, the darker it grew. By three o’clock, it was already night” (69). This again relates to the title of the book, and can possibly relate to the news she is about to receive about her first fake father, Eero. The closer she gets to him, the darker it gets outside, which is communicates the dimming of her dream to find her father.
In the next section, she is waiting in the train station and lies down. She “slept with [her] purse held close to [her], like an infant. On a nearby bench, a woman slept with her baby held close to her, like a purse” (70).This is again alludes to her pregnancy, even though at this point she is unaware that she is with child. Clarissa brings up motherhood, children, and infants many times throughout the novel because of the constant thought of her mother, and how poor of a mom she was to Clarissa and Jeremy. The childhood reference is again brought up in the next paragraph when Clarissa is watching children go off to school.
Clarissa then looks at a magazine and sees a man on the cover, and fantasizes about how good of a father this man would be. She continually looks at her father that raised her in a bad light because he is not her biological father. She does not appreciate the fact that he was there for her Clarissa’s whole life. She also resents Eero, whom she thinks is her real father, because he was out of her life for so long. Nothing is satisfying Clarissa, and she is searching for happiness in all the wrong ways.
In this passage, Clarissa is leaving the hotel room to escape to her next location. Clarissa leaving is not uncommon for her, and is what she learned from her mother. As Clarissa was leaving, she did not bother to wake Kari who was on the ground from the night before. Kari was in need of some help, even if it was just as simple as getting him on a comfy surface. This is similar to the situation that Clarissa’s mom left. She ran off without even bothering taking care of her mentally challenged son who needed her, and leaving Clarissa stranded at a mall. The lack of concern for other people’s well being was passed down to Clarissa from her Mother.
In the next paragraph, where Clarissa’s is explaining her quick hygiene, she refers to it as a “whore’s bath” (67). This is a term that her mother told her about. I am slightly confused of the mothering skills Clarissa’s mom had, because using the term “whore’s bath” does not seem appropriate when talking to your young daughter, let alone explaining it. It is sad that in a sense, Clarissa degrades herself to the status of a prostitute for her actions from the night before. She realizes that what she did was out of character and not appropriate. Her sneaky exit from the hotel room was similar to what her mother did at the mall. She left without a trace, and is exactly what she did to Pankaj.
As Clarissa walked outside, she notices the snow. Vendela Vida uses a lot of similes and metaphors, and this is an example of one. She refers to the snow as “baby powder,” which could be foreshadowing her pregnancy with Pankaj. At the end of this paragraph, Clarissa points out that she “felt comforted by the steady sound of its one good wheel bumping over cobblestones” as she pulled her suitcase (67). This could be mirroring Clarissa’s journey as she tries to find her father. She has only one good wheel left, similar to one hope left, and it was on a bumpy road. It can foreshadow how Clarissa’s future will be.
Then a taxi stopped in front of Clarissa, and she thought it was for her. This resembles the false fathers that she has and soon will encounter. She thinks that the taxi/fathers are hers, yet soon finds out that she is wrong. Clarissa was disappointed in both of those situations. Then, when the couple came out of the car, they set down empty beer bottles, and one fell over and crashed. This could be showing her life, how it is on a quick spiral downwards ever since the death of her “father.” She is trying to organize her life, such as putting the beer bottles in order, but something will fall apart.
Clarissa then goes to the train station to get directions and a ticket. While trying to find a place on a map, she says “[She] hadn’t been looking far enough north” (68). I thought this was very clever of Vida because it incorporates the title of the book, Let the Northern Lights Erase your Name. She reaches her goal by looking north, to the sky, to the northern lights, to eventually get some closure to her situation. She then proceeds on to kick a pigeon away from her foot, and gets some sort of satisfaction from it. This seems odd to want to hurt someone, but she maybe needs to feel in control of a situation and to put harm on someone since she has been hurt so much in the past. She may be displacing her anger, frustration, and sadness onto something that has nothing to do with her experience to make herself feel better and to let out some emotions.
The train is called “The Santa Claus Express.” I thought this was a fitting name because Christmas is all about happiness, presents, and family. Clarissa was trying to find her happiness and regain family by finding her real father. This train was going to lead her to the best present that she could receive, or so she thought at the time.
While on the train, Clarissa meets her sleeper-mates that were smoking right in front of her. She gets very upset to the point of almost tears at these men. This is another example of displacement of feelings that Clarissa has deep inside of her that she expresses to innocent bystanders. The amount of emotion that Clarissa does have is overwhelming, and a breakdown seems inevitable. She then looks out the windows and sees vibrant colors, and relates them to a children’s book. This is relating back to her childhood, because all of her problems with life started there. Her mother left her, and she is now revisiting memories of her and her “father,” because she feels like he was not her legitimate dad. Children’s books also have happy endings, and I feel like Clarissa’s is yearning a happy ending to her own sad story.
The novel then proceeds to say “The farther north we traveled, the darker it grew. By three o’clock, it was already night” (69). This again relates to the title of the book, and can possibly relate to the news she is about to receive about her first fake father, Eero. The closer she gets to him, the darker it gets outside, which is communicates the dimming of her dream to find her father.
In the next section, she is waiting in the train station and lies down. She “slept with [her] purse held close to [her], like an infant. On a nearby bench, a woman slept with her baby held close to her, like a purse” (70).This is again alludes to her pregnancy, even though at this point she is unaware that she is with child. Clarissa brings up motherhood, children, and infants many times throughout the novel because of the constant thought of her mother, and how poor of a mom she was to Clarissa and Jeremy. The childhood reference is again brought up in the next paragraph when Clarissa is watching children go off to school.
Clarissa then looks at a magazine and sees a man on the cover, and fantasizes about how good of a father this man would be. She continually looks at her father that raised her in a bad light because he is not her biological father. She does not appreciate the fact that he was there for her Clarissa’s whole life. She also resents Eero, whom she thinks is her real father, because he was out of her life for so long. Nothing is satisfying Clarissa, and she is searching for happiness in all the wrong ways.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
end of NL and paper
I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and a good story line. I had a hard time putting this novel down and it was actually fun for me. The end of the book was pretty surprising. With Clarissa so set on trying to find her father, or the rapist of her mother, I was shocked to see the book ending without actually talking to the father.
When Clarissa saw her mother, I felt like it was anticlimactic. Vida built up the suspense so much, and then the apathy of Clarissa’s mom made the reuniting of mother and daughter not so interesting. I actually think I got a little angry when I read it. I wanted something else to happen to make the moment more powerful or special. I do not think this moment had to be an embrace or loving relationship to follow and create a happily ever after type storyline. I do not think that a fairy tale ending would fit properly with this book anyway. I feel like more emotion out of the mother, a fight or sudden outburst from Clarissa would have been more exciting from all the rising action that had led to this point. The walking out to the room, the separation and lack of conversation was frustrating to me, and I would assume would be quite frustrating for Clarissa. That is probably what Vida wanted to go for while she was writing this segment, but I am still not sure if I agree with the storyline at that point. I feel like the “falling action” from this climax really was a quick drop off, or at least that is what it felt like to me. The ending wrapped up very quickly, and to be honest, not the way I would like it to. I did not feel any closure with the relationship. I guess there was closure with her mother, but again, I was not very happy with the reunion, which makes that closure not seem good enough for me.
I really wish that she would have had some interaction with the rapist. I know he is insane, but I feel like more information on him would be helpful. The reader only gets little pieces of information, which was fun to put together as the story unfolded, but yet in the end, I still am unsure of this rapist character. That might be a good character to do some back story on for my paper.
The paper is full of possibilities for me. I have a lot of ideas, but I am not sure which one to pick out. I feel like doing a close reading is always interesting, I just would not know which pages to pick out of a whole book. I think the best would be something from the rising action, so I could connect the foreshadowing with actual events, and also have enough background on some of lives of certain characters.
I think doing a narrative of the rapist would be challenging. It is difficult to write, because I would have to make a lot of crucial decisions. Some of these decisions would be if I make him a decent character at first, or was he always a bad man, why he did what he did, what kind of mental problem does he have, and was he always insane, or did certain things in his life make him crazy? There are many unanswered questions because of the lack of knowledge about him. I think this would be difficult in the sense that I am not sure how this character should be since rape is such a sensitive issue. I am not sure I have the knowledge to write something involving such a tragic event.
Another one of my options was to rewrite reunion with the mom, and ultimately rewrite the ending of the book. I think more drama with the meeting would be more interesting and climactic as opposed to how it is now. I would also include a meeting with the father. I would make it brief since we do not know much about him, but to give her closure that she found him and that it is good that he is not in her life. Also more story with Anna Kristine would be interesting because she knew about the situation the whole time and sought Clarissa out. I think that was a very interesting twist, so going into more detail would be a good addition.
Finally I was thinking I could possibly do something involving a narrative with Clarissa’s future. The end of the book quickly skims through Clarissa’s life and how she can forget her past. I personally feel like you cannot escape your past, so I would make her revisit some of the place she has gone before, possibly more interaction with Anna Kristine, who would be an active grandmother in the child’s life, or even running into Pankaj at some point to introduce him to his daughter. Like Clarissa’s father, I feel like there was not much closure on the relationship with Pankaj, she just left like her mother did to many people. I finally would include something with Jeremy. He was left out of the majority of the book, yet he is still should be a big influence on Clarissa. It is difficult for me to understand how people could leave loved ones, let alone the ones that need family the most. I think Jeremy should be revisited in the end of the novel, and possibly Clarissa should include him in her new family. Since I feel like the past cannot be forgotten, I do not feel like Pankaj, Jeremy and all of the other characters can be left without any trace in Clarissa’s new life.
When Clarissa saw her mother, I felt like it was anticlimactic. Vida built up the suspense so much, and then the apathy of Clarissa’s mom made the reuniting of mother and daughter not so interesting. I actually think I got a little angry when I read it. I wanted something else to happen to make the moment more powerful or special. I do not think this moment had to be an embrace or loving relationship to follow and create a happily ever after type storyline. I do not think that a fairy tale ending would fit properly with this book anyway. I feel like more emotion out of the mother, a fight or sudden outburst from Clarissa would have been more exciting from all the rising action that had led to this point. The walking out to the room, the separation and lack of conversation was frustrating to me, and I would assume would be quite frustrating for Clarissa. That is probably what Vida wanted to go for while she was writing this segment, but I am still not sure if I agree with the storyline at that point. I feel like the “falling action” from this climax really was a quick drop off, or at least that is what it felt like to me. The ending wrapped up very quickly, and to be honest, not the way I would like it to. I did not feel any closure with the relationship. I guess there was closure with her mother, but again, I was not very happy with the reunion, which makes that closure not seem good enough for me.
I really wish that she would have had some interaction with the rapist. I know he is insane, but I feel like more information on him would be helpful. The reader only gets little pieces of information, which was fun to put together as the story unfolded, but yet in the end, I still am unsure of this rapist character. That might be a good character to do some back story on for my paper.
The paper is full of possibilities for me. I have a lot of ideas, but I am not sure which one to pick out. I feel like doing a close reading is always interesting, I just would not know which pages to pick out of a whole book. I think the best would be something from the rising action, so I could connect the foreshadowing with actual events, and also have enough background on some of lives of certain characters.
I think doing a narrative of the rapist would be challenging. It is difficult to write, because I would have to make a lot of crucial decisions. Some of these decisions would be if I make him a decent character at first, or was he always a bad man, why he did what he did, what kind of mental problem does he have, and was he always insane, or did certain things in his life make him crazy? There are many unanswered questions because of the lack of knowledge about him. I think this would be difficult in the sense that I am not sure how this character should be since rape is such a sensitive issue. I am not sure I have the knowledge to write something involving such a tragic event.
Another one of my options was to rewrite reunion with the mom, and ultimately rewrite the ending of the book. I think more drama with the meeting would be more interesting and climactic as opposed to how it is now. I would also include a meeting with the father. I would make it brief since we do not know much about him, but to give her closure that she found him and that it is good that he is not in her life. Also more story with Anna Kristine would be interesting because she knew about the situation the whole time and sought Clarissa out. I think that was a very interesting twist, so going into more detail would be a good addition.
Finally I was thinking I could possibly do something involving a narrative with Clarissa’s future. The end of the book quickly skims through Clarissa’s life and how she can forget her past. I personally feel like you cannot escape your past, so I would make her revisit some of the place she has gone before, possibly more interaction with Anna Kristine, who would be an active grandmother in the child’s life, or even running into Pankaj at some point to introduce him to his daughter. Like Clarissa’s father, I feel like there was not much closure on the relationship with Pankaj, she just left like her mother did to many people. I finally would include something with Jeremy. He was left out of the majority of the book, yet he is still should be a big influence on Clarissa. It is difficult for me to understand how people could leave loved ones, let alone the ones that need family the most. I think Jeremy should be revisited in the end of the novel, and possibly Clarissa should include him in her new family. Since I feel like the past cannot be forgotten, I do not feel like Pankaj, Jeremy and all of the other characters can be left without any trace in Clarissa’s new life.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
NL 1-38
The protagonist in this novel Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name, Clarissa, Is a very troubled character. She has many problems, and is dealing with them in a very interesting manner. It is hard for me to judge what she is doing, because it is a situation that I am unfamiliar with. Family troubles are so difficult to deal with and Clarissa Is just trying to find a way to make her painful past go away.
I actually enjoyed reading the first couple of pages, which is unusual because of I really dislike reading. I think I enjoy this book because I am not familiar with the character’s story. It is pretty outlandish story; it seems like everything that could go wrong to her does. She is acting very irrationally, but possibly with reason. Because she is so unstable, and the circumstances are so far from my life, I think it is an interesting read.
At first, I thought Clarissa’s behavior was insane. She was pushing away her brother, kicking her fiancé out her life, and running away from the people who care. With the recent death of her “dad” and the realization that her “dad” was not her biological father, she needs those people around her. But like a child, she runs away from home to escape her problems. If she was thinking clearly, she would realize that. But she is so distressed that irrational behavior, such as her encounter with Kari, will probably become more prevalent, and also making for an interesting story.
The childlike behavior can be because of regression to a childhood state. Her problems all started when she was a child, such as her mother leaving, her brother’s birth with a mental disorder, and her lack of a biological father. By going back to childish actions, she is acting more irrational. She probably feels the need to revisit her childhood to make sense of what is going on in her life, and to reevaluate the relationships she has with people. This could bring people closer to the main character, or possibly push them away even further.
I actually enjoyed reading the first couple of pages, which is unusual because of I really dislike reading. I think I enjoy this book because I am not familiar with the character’s story. It is pretty outlandish story; it seems like everything that could go wrong to her does. She is acting very irrationally, but possibly with reason. Because she is so unstable, and the circumstances are so far from my life, I think it is an interesting read.
At first, I thought Clarissa’s behavior was insane. She was pushing away her brother, kicking her fiancé out her life, and running away from the people who care. With the recent death of her “dad” and the realization that her “dad” was not her biological father, she needs those people around her. But like a child, she runs away from home to escape her problems. If she was thinking clearly, she would realize that. But she is so distressed that irrational behavior, such as her encounter with Kari, will probably become more prevalent, and also making for an interesting story.
The childlike behavior can be because of regression to a childhood state. Her problems all started when she was a child, such as her mother leaving, her brother’s birth with a mental disorder, and her lack of a biological father. By going back to childish actions, she is acting more irrational. She probably feels the need to revisit her childhood to make sense of what is going on in her life, and to reevaluate the relationships she has with people. This could bring people closer to the main character, or possibly push them away even further.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Reading History
Reading is actually one of my least favorite activities. I successfully avoided reading every book that was assigned in high school. I do not remember the last book I read for fun. If I did actually read something, I usually would enjoy more recent authors. The only exception is that I did enjoy reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I am not totally sure of what kinds of books I actually enjoy.
I do enjoy watching movies. My favorite movies are comedies and action movies, but there are definitely a variety of movies that I enjoy. Some of my favorites are Boondock Saints, Juno, Elf, and many more. My least favorite movies are A Clockwork Orange and No Country for Old Men. I think I like watching movies because it is so different from reading. I can really relax when watching movies. There are a lot of movies that I have not seen yet, but it is mostly because I cannot find the time to sit, relax, and enjoy a good movie.
In high school, I read most of the assigned books except for senior year. I hated most of the books I read, and did not comprehend most of them. My reading comprehension and my lack of interest really hurt my reading history. I also judge a book by its cover, literally. If I do not like the summery, cover, or the first couple of pages, I find it very hard to continue or even start reading the book. I really need to be attached the novel from the very beginning to enjoy reading. I hated just about every book that my high school made me read. I really felt like I wasted my time reading them, especially because I would skim through most of it. Most of the books I read, which I cannot even remember the titles, just kept pushing me away from reading with each horrible book I read.
In college, I have gotten a little more motivated to read texts for my classes. I still have not done any reading for leisure. I was hoping the summer before I entered college I would have some time to do some reading. I was distracted by trying to read Beyond UFOs, which was one of the worst books I have ever attempted to read. My dad even tried to read that book because he thought it would be interesting, yet he could not even finish the book. My mom bought books for my whole family for Christmas, except for me, because she knew I would not have the time to read anything.
Reading is very valuable and I wish I was more passionate about it. It would make me understand simple references to novels that go right over my head. It also increases vocabulary which is something that is very important to me. I wish I had time and the interest to read more. I also believe it helps writing skills. By reading different writing styles, it can help improve my writing, which would also be very valuable to me. My sister loves to read and always suggests books for me to read, but I never find the time to even get them let alone read them. Hopefully, I will at one point find the time to read, and find the value in reading.
In English 112, I will try to keep up with the reading streak I have started since college. I know it will be very difficult for me, especially because I do not like sitting and reading for a set amount of time. Possibly with the tips and hints into better comprehension we went over in class, and by setting small goals, I can possibly get through the books. Who knows, maybe I will even think the books are interesting, and possibly enjoy the books. Now that I think about it, I should probably start trying to read the first 38 pages that I am supposed to read for Tuesday.
I do enjoy watching movies. My favorite movies are comedies and action movies, but there are definitely a variety of movies that I enjoy. Some of my favorites are Boondock Saints, Juno, Elf, and many more. My least favorite movies are A Clockwork Orange and No Country for Old Men. I think I like watching movies because it is so different from reading. I can really relax when watching movies. There are a lot of movies that I have not seen yet, but it is mostly because I cannot find the time to sit, relax, and enjoy a good movie.
In high school, I read most of the assigned books except for senior year. I hated most of the books I read, and did not comprehend most of them. My reading comprehension and my lack of interest really hurt my reading history. I also judge a book by its cover, literally. If I do not like the summery, cover, or the first couple of pages, I find it very hard to continue or even start reading the book. I really need to be attached the novel from the very beginning to enjoy reading. I hated just about every book that my high school made me read. I really felt like I wasted my time reading them, especially because I would skim through most of it. Most of the books I read, which I cannot even remember the titles, just kept pushing me away from reading with each horrible book I read.
In college, I have gotten a little more motivated to read texts for my classes. I still have not done any reading for leisure. I was hoping the summer before I entered college I would have some time to do some reading. I was distracted by trying to read Beyond UFOs, which was one of the worst books I have ever attempted to read. My dad even tried to read that book because he thought it would be interesting, yet he could not even finish the book. My mom bought books for my whole family for Christmas, except for me, because she knew I would not have the time to read anything.
Reading is very valuable and I wish I was more passionate about it. It would make me understand simple references to novels that go right over my head. It also increases vocabulary which is something that is very important to me. I wish I had time and the interest to read more. I also believe it helps writing skills. By reading different writing styles, it can help improve my writing, which would also be very valuable to me. My sister loves to read and always suggests books for me to read, but I never find the time to even get them let alone read them. Hopefully, I will at one point find the time to read, and find the value in reading.
In English 112, I will try to keep up with the reading streak I have started since college. I know it will be very difficult for me, especially because I do not like sitting and reading for a set amount of time. Possibly with the tips and hints into better comprehension we went over in class, and by setting small goals, I can possibly get through the books. Who knows, maybe I will even think the books are interesting, and possibly enjoy the books. Now that I think about it, I should probably start trying to read the first 38 pages that I am supposed to read for Tuesday.
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