Matilda
By: Roald Dahl
Terri Thampan 804
I read this book, "Matilda", to kind of analyze the book that inspired the movie that I watched so many times as a child. As I read it, I sort of got more of Roald Dahl's style, something I never really recognized when I was reading this story back as a kid (I read the book only because of the movie). Though, I feel the movie was a bit better in developing the characters like Mrs. Wormwood and Ms. Trunchbull, I think the book was better in developing Matilda's powers.
One thing I realized was different from the book and the movie was the Mother, Mrs.Wormwood. In the book, she's a plump lady while, in the movie she's a skinny woman. Also, I like how the movie makes her character seem more caring towards her daughter Matilda, because to me it shows that the lady has at least some maternal instincts.
I think that the brother, Michael, was portrayed as the more liked child in both the book and the movie. Only I feel like in the movie it's more pronounced that he is the favorite child.
Something that really struck me in the book were the quotes. At first, it seems pretty innocent like, "Little girls should be seen and not heard," but then you- or maybe it was just me- read the quote "You chose books and I chose looks", in which Mrs.Wormwood says she has a better life because she's pretty and not book smart and that a woman will get nowhere in life with books, and realize the thinking people of that time had. It was fairly modern-ish, probably the early 1990s the date, but you see how women are limited to being like decoration and pretty things to "be seen and not heard". At first, I though it was Roald Dahl putting in his own views, and then I realized, he's not putting down women, he's sending a message for women to break through those social norms of women being decoration. I realized this just by looking at the characters. Matilda is a bright GIRL, who saves the people of her school by getting rid of the horrible Ms. Trunchbull. She is bright, and smart, witty, humble, kind, and clever, and she is a girl. Ms. Trunchbull, who although is the antagonist or villain of the story, is physically and emotionally very overbearing and strong. She instills fear into many adults and children, even though she might not be mentally stable. She is a strong character, who might be a bit of a feminist as she seems to not like that all the women in the poem "Mrs. D, Mrs. I, Mrs. F-f-i, Mrs. C, Mrs. U, Mrs. L-t-y," are all married. But she is strong and overbearing, cruel and vile, and she is a woman. She doesn't have to be a man to be cruel, and Matilda doesn't have to be a boy to be smart.
Ms. Honey is also a character who helps promote the strength of women. She is said to be a bit meek and mild woman who fears Ms. Trunchbull, but she was raised by the woman in fear. Ms. Honey is a character who is strong because she ran away, albeit no that far away, but she does live peacefully by herself. She found a way, even though she was given very little money, to get a house and get away from her Aunt at home at least. That is bravery, as she didn't stay a meek little girl, she had enough as a human and got away, and she wasn't a boy either, she wasn't stronger than the Trunchbull, but she had her courage which is why I like her so much. I think movie kind of does her little justice as in the movie she lives in a nice house, and in the book you see, Ms. Honey is poor, she lives a life that is so restricted, with boxes as chairs, a portable heater, no tap (having to use a well), and a cramped in a small house, but she is free. I guess I understand that they didn't want small children to learn about poverty, so they didn't make her as poor, but it felt like they took away the strength of the character Ms. Honey had deep inside her.
And lastly, I want to talk about Mrs. Wormwood again. She is a character that is also female, but doesn't show strength in the slightest. She lays bingo, and lets her husband bring in the money. At one point, she thinks (in the book) that her husband wasn't truly the "Dream man". I like how the book makes her seem a bit dissatisfied with her marriage, but I also like how the movie makes her seem to actually love her husband. In the book, it fits in with the whole women power message going on, as she lives by looks, and is not truly independent as she depends on her husband. It makes it seem like she only married Mr. Wormwood for his money and the promise of a life full of her material desires, and not truly out of love, and sort of regrets it. But I love how in the movie she seems to love him, because it fits the movie's whole "trying to deepen Mrs. Wormwood as a character" thing. It makes it seem like even though Mr. Wormwood is a horrible man (He is made a bit worse in the movie than in the book) to her daughter and to people in general, she still loves him, and he in his own way loves her, which gives the movie the more family appeal of a loving wife and husband. Though to say which I like more, the movie or the book, I can't decide. The the movie is very good, and quickens the events and sort of adds depth to some characters and certain parts, I like the book because of its secret message. Overall, this is a really great book and movie!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The Graveyard Book *Some spoilers*
The Graveyard Book
By: Neil Gaiman
Terri Thampan 804
I am currently reading "The Graveyard Book", by Neil Gaiman and I am loving it.
The main character is this kid Bod (short for Nobody) Owens, who is raised by ghosts in a graveyard. Why is he in a graveyard? Well, it's a close call actually because he pretty much escaped from his house before he could be murdered.
What I think is a pretty symbolic is the Gray Lady. She is like this figure of Death, but not out right saying it. I like that this figure is a woman because it seems to symbolize even more. I am being a bit feminist-ic (not a word, but I don't know how to say that any other way) because I myself like FEMALE POWER, but when things are in the form of a woman or a man, it's to take on certain qualities or traits that associated with that come with that kind of persona. I feel like the Gray Lady is supposed to be shown as wise as a mother of grandmother teaching the children how to grow, a mysterious kind of seductress, one that we will always meet, but who ultimately is kind. I feel like her white horse was sort of taken from the bible to show she is the bringer of death and moving on to a new plane of existence, like in the bible Jesus is supposed to ride in on a white horse to bring onto the humans an age full of prosperity in heaven during the end times.
What I read during the Macabre Chapter gave the whole story some more depth. In the beginning of the book, many of the ghosts did not think that Bod should be raised in the Graveyard as he was still alive. I get that the Gray Lady made them change their minds, but I felt it was kind of fast that they accepted Bod. The Macabre chapter sort of showed the deeper part of this whole relationship Bod has with the ghosts. Even if he was raised with them, he wasn't truly one of them as he was alive and they weren't. It made me feel like though they tried to be nice to Bod, the fact that he was alive was what always stayed on their minds. He wasn't like them, and so there was a sort of segregation of living and dead. It truly shows in this chapter as not even his Mother (Mrs. Owens who adopted him) would tell him what was going on, and how he ended up at the Graveyard truly alone, and how he danced as one of the living.
The Last person who I really want to address is Silas. I think Silas is a really cool, really mysterious character. I mean, that's how he's supposed to be portrayed, but like I think he's cool as in he has taken Bod in even though he never even knew Bod. I also think he's hiding a sadness as he is different. I think it's not that he hates himself for being different, but he's sad and wants to do things that those who are living or dead can do. This really makes me feel bad for his character and want to read more to find out about the mysterious Silas.
By: Neil Gaiman
Terri Thampan 804
I am currently reading "The Graveyard Book", by Neil Gaiman and I am loving it.
The main character is this kid Bod (short for Nobody) Owens, who is raised by ghosts in a graveyard. Why is he in a graveyard? Well, it's a close call actually because he pretty much escaped from his house before he could be murdered.
What I think is a pretty symbolic is the Gray Lady. She is like this figure of Death, but not out right saying it. I like that this figure is a woman because it seems to symbolize even more. I am being a bit feminist-ic (not a word, but I don't know how to say that any other way) because I myself like FEMALE POWER, but when things are in the form of a woman or a man, it's to take on certain qualities or traits that associated with that come with that kind of persona. I feel like the Gray Lady is supposed to be shown as wise as a mother of grandmother teaching the children how to grow, a mysterious kind of seductress, one that we will always meet, but who ultimately is kind. I feel like her white horse was sort of taken from the bible to show she is the bringer of death and moving on to a new plane of existence, like in the bible Jesus is supposed to ride in on a white horse to bring onto the humans an age full of prosperity in heaven during the end times.
What I read during the Macabre Chapter gave the whole story some more depth. In the beginning of the book, many of the ghosts did not think that Bod should be raised in the Graveyard as he was still alive. I get that the Gray Lady made them change their minds, but I felt it was kind of fast that they accepted Bod. The Macabre chapter sort of showed the deeper part of this whole relationship Bod has with the ghosts. Even if he was raised with them, he wasn't truly one of them as he was alive and they weren't. It made me feel like though they tried to be nice to Bod, the fact that he was alive was what always stayed on their minds. He wasn't like them, and so there was a sort of segregation of living and dead. It truly shows in this chapter as not even his Mother (Mrs. Owens who adopted him) would tell him what was going on, and how he ended up at the Graveyard truly alone, and how he danced as one of the living.
The Last person who I really want to address is Silas. I think Silas is a really cool, really mysterious character. I mean, that's how he's supposed to be portrayed, but like I think he's cool as in he has taken Bod in even though he never even knew Bod. I also think he's hiding a sadness as he is different. I think it's not that he hates himself for being different, but he's sad and wants to do things that those who are living or dead can do. This really makes me feel bad for his character and want to read more to find out about the mysterious Silas.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Fallen #2 *Spoilers
Fallen
By Lauren Kate
Terri Thampan 804
I have just finished reading "Fallen", and I have to say, it's okay. I mean, I see the appeal as it is a supernatural love story and all that, but I'm at least glad the writing didn't bore me.
I think that Cam falling in love is unrealistic. Unless of course, the reason is explained in some other book, I think Cam is just thrown in to put int a pointless love triangle. Which brings me to an even bigger topic. Throughout the book Cam seemed like the nice guy, the guy who would be good to a girl. Then at the ed, he gets a random change of personality that completely threw me off the loop. Apparently, Cam is the type of guy who likes violence and the like. Now, I never saw a hint of this inside the book and if anything, I would think Daniel would be the more violent character. Which if that happened, I think it would make their love (Daniel's and Luce's) so much more likable because she loves him despite the fact he isn't perfect, because he's a jerk, and is quite violent, but has a good side. Sadly, she just instantly falls in love with him even though he is a jerk, then he reveals this whole thing that would be a spoiler and starts to act kind.
Now, I think the whole thing would be better if Daniel and Luce had like moments where he was nice, like more than the one time AFTER he got jealous of Cam and Luce.
Overall I don't think it's that great of a book, but it's something that other people might enjoy.
By Lauren Kate
Terri Thampan 804
I have just finished reading "Fallen", and I have to say, it's okay. I mean, I see the appeal as it is a supernatural love story and all that, but I'm at least glad the writing didn't bore me.
I think that Cam falling in love is unrealistic. Unless of course, the reason is explained in some other book, I think Cam is just thrown in to put int a pointless love triangle. Which brings me to an even bigger topic. Throughout the book Cam seemed like the nice guy, the guy who would be good to a girl. Then at the ed, he gets a random change of personality that completely threw me off the loop. Apparently, Cam is the type of guy who likes violence and the like. Now, I never saw a hint of this inside the book and if anything, I would think Daniel would be the more violent character. Which if that happened, I think it would make their love (Daniel's and Luce's) so much more likable because she loves him despite the fact he isn't perfect, because he's a jerk, and is quite violent, but has a good side. Sadly, she just instantly falls in love with him even though he is a jerk, then he reveals this whole thing that would be a spoiler and starts to act kind.
Now, I think the whole thing would be better if Daniel and Luce had like moments where he was nice, like more than the one time AFTER he got jealous of Cam and Luce.
Overall I don't think it's that great of a book, but it's something that other people might enjoy.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Fallen #1
Fallen
by: Lauren Kate
Terri Thampan 804
I haven't so much as given up on reading "Eclipse", it's just that I grew rather bored with it, ad wanted something fresh for a while. So I'm going to kind of juggle these two books at the same time.
Today is the first day I have started "Fallen", by Lauren Kate, and I'm 108 pages in. I checked the pages, then thought I had enough reading time to actually write a blogpost about it.
Now I usually read books pretty fast, maybe I get like 200 pages a day (on a good day) or more. On bad days, I ca pretty much get 1 page by. This is what happened with Eclipse, there were a lot of boring parts which I would rather not read. Now, back to Fallen.
"Fallen", has a very familiar plot. A teenage girl has to go to a new place and a new school. Lucinda Price, has been sent to reform school, and it is about the worst place ever. On her first day, she gets into a "Fight" at school; I put quotes around fight because it's more like she knocked into a girl's (Molly's) tray, and then Molly gets frustrated and shoves the food all over Luce's hair, and so Arriane (Luce's new sort-of-friend) punches Molly. There's also this really gorgeous guy who acts like a jerk to Luce even though she does nothing but blush when looking at him. Maybe he hates girls who look at him and blush.
Right off the bat, I can relate this to Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight", albeit, a bit better. I really like Arriane, and sort of wonder about her past with Cam, as in, why does she dislike him so? I find her personality really sort of say adorable. As in, I might be as psychotic as her. Okay, enough with the as ins, but I find her bubbly like in the way that she acts. Almost a bit cutesy really. But it's more like it's a mask that she wears, a mask that she might enjoy wearing, as she seems to have fun in her own insanity. I find that really cool, as I have a weird like for slightly insane characters (Like Luna Lovegood, she is so adorable), and pretty much find them adorable, while others think she's just plain crazy. To me, it's usually the more insane people, the people who sort of act insane, and super happy, and energetic, are the more sad people. It feels like they use the Happy, Slightly insane (not like actually insane, insane, like killing people insane, but like weirdo insane) to hide their pain, and maybe distract them from it. This makes me want to really learn more about her past.
I also feel like there's a little chemistry going on between Arriane and Cam. She seems to hate him, but I wonder if itt truly is her way of coping with her feelings of maybe liking him. She is unstable enough to get landed into a reform school, so she might not have the emotional capacity to truly come to grips with herself liking him. Or she might feel as if it would ruin things between them. Or, I could be totally wrong, and She knows that Cam is some evil dude, and is trying to protect Luce from him. But I'd rather think she would be jealous if he hung out with Luce, as he obviously likes her. I mean, what better way to hide jealousy then saying you want the other person, not the one you actually like. Note: I don't know if Cam is actually evil, it's just a theory.
While I was reading this book, it was painfully obvious that Luce is going to end up with Daniel (the guy who acts like a jerk to her). What kind of really annoys me is when romance novels totally give away the romance on the back cover/blurb. I think it would have been better for people to make assumptions as to who the characters end up with, then just telling us in the blurb. In fact, it just gets me more angry at the whole Daniel/Luce thing because, not only does he treat her like a jerk, she still flocks to him. I get it, hormones make people attractive, but really, do you have to always stare at him Luce? It's pretty creepy as a person who would rather be a bystander and watch love unfold. I mean, I guess I understand her wanting to know why she has this feeling of deja vu near him, but couldn't she just be like, angry instead that when she first glanced at him, he flipped her off, and has continually been rude to her. Couldn't she have just marched over there angrily and asked what his problem was?
That's why, I would prefer Cam/Luce. He's a total gentleman. He seems like a really nice guy, and he definitely shows that he likes he as well.
I guess, if the romance wasn't given in the back, and if the author slowly starts building up the relationship between Luce/Daniel, I would really love that. In one of my favorite Anime series, Princess Tutu (The anime was made originally, then the manga, and the anime is way better, even though it does sound girly), the main character is Ahiru. That in English literally translates to duck. The anime, though it sounds very girly, is really complex in its story line, as it's about characters who discover that they are actually the characters in a famous book written by a famous and brilliant (but horrible) man who loved tragedies (and could make his stories come to life) and how they try to defy the fate of the tragic ending they are supposed to live through. The first season is not as complex, but it builds up to the complexity of the second season. Pretty much, in the first season, you really want Ahiru to get with the main character Mytho. Mytho is the prince from before mentioned story titled "The Prince and the Raven". In the book, in order to defeat the raven, he breaks his own heart (like emotions, not actual heart). Ahiru, then transforms as the magical Prima Donna princess, Princess Tutu, and collects the heart shards (which are scattered, and posses other people, and make them feel extreme emotion/the emotion the heart shard is)and then returns them back to Mytho. She does this out of her love for Mytho, and you can clearly see how much she loves him, because throughout the whole anime, she tries to vie for his love. Then in the second anime, you start to see her love life take a turn. I mean, I have nothing against girls falling in love with guys who were jerks to them, or vice-versa, but it has to be written or made nicely. In season 2, Ahiru is forced to team up with Fakir, a boy who has been "friends" (more like he's taken care of Mytho because Mytho does stupid things as he has no heart) with Mytho since he was younger (Because Mytho never ages, literally, when his heart is broken, literally as well). He acts like a straight out jerk to Ahiru. But when they are forced to work together, they start to learn how to tolerate each other, and then appreciate each other, then get to know about each other, and then they start to give each other strength, and it is so obviously hinted that they have fallen in love, or that Fakir has anyways, but it seems pretty mutual. But, the way it was so gradual, and not forced or rushed, it just made me love the pairing even more, and I truly treasured that it made me scream, "Get together already!", when before I would never think of those two getting together. That shows amazing story telling, and now, I just seem to be reading stories where the love is being rushed.
Not to say this story is bad, I do think it's pretty good, writing wise; but I'm not loving the romance. I will keep reading as it is more interesting than Eclipse.
by: Lauren Kate
Terri Thampan 804
I haven't so much as given up on reading "Eclipse", it's just that I grew rather bored with it, ad wanted something fresh for a while. So I'm going to kind of juggle these two books at the same time.
Today is the first day I have started "Fallen", by Lauren Kate, and I'm 108 pages in. I checked the pages, then thought I had enough reading time to actually write a blogpost about it.
Now I usually read books pretty fast, maybe I get like 200 pages a day (on a good day) or more. On bad days, I ca pretty much get 1 page by. This is what happened with Eclipse, there were a lot of boring parts which I would rather not read. Now, back to Fallen.
"Fallen", has a very familiar plot. A teenage girl has to go to a new place and a new school. Lucinda Price, has been sent to reform school, and it is about the worst place ever. On her first day, she gets into a "Fight" at school; I put quotes around fight because it's more like she knocked into a girl's (Molly's) tray, and then Molly gets frustrated and shoves the food all over Luce's hair, and so Arriane (Luce's new sort-of-friend) punches Molly. There's also this really gorgeous guy who acts like a jerk to Luce even though she does nothing but blush when looking at him. Maybe he hates girls who look at him and blush.
Right off the bat, I can relate this to Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight", albeit, a bit better. I really like Arriane, and sort of wonder about her past with Cam, as in, why does she dislike him so? I find her personality really sort of say adorable. As in, I might be as psychotic as her. Okay, enough with the as ins, but I find her bubbly like in the way that she acts. Almost a bit cutesy really. But it's more like it's a mask that she wears, a mask that she might enjoy wearing, as she seems to have fun in her own insanity. I find that really cool, as I have a weird like for slightly insane characters (Like Luna Lovegood, she is so adorable), and pretty much find them adorable, while others think she's just plain crazy. To me, it's usually the more insane people, the people who sort of act insane, and super happy, and energetic, are the more sad people. It feels like they use the Happy, Slightly insane (not like actually insane, insane, like killing people insane, but like weirdo insane) to hide their pain, and maybe distract them from it. This makes me want to really learn more about her past.
I also feel like there's a little chemistry going on between Arriane and Cam. She seems to hate him, but I wonder if itt truly is her way of coping with her feelings of maybe liking him. She is unstable enough to get landed into a reform school, so she might not have the emotional capacity to truly come to grips with herself liking him. Or she might feel as if it would ruin things between them. Or, I could be totally wrong, and She knows that Cam is some evil dude, and is trying to protect Luce from him. But I'd rather think she would be jealous if he hung out with Luce, as he obviously likes her. I mean, what better way to hide jealousy then saying you want the other person, not the one you actually like. Note: I don't know if Cam is actually evil, it's just a theory.
While I was reading this book, it was painfully obvious that Luce is going to end up with Daniel (the guy who acts like a jerk to her). What kind of really annoys me is when romance novels totally give away the romance on the back cover/blurb. I think it would have been better for people to make assumptions as to who the characters end up with, then just telling us in the blurb. In fact, it just gets me more angry at the whole Daniel/Luce thing because, not only does he treat her like a jerk, she still flocks to him. I get it, hormones make people attractive, but really, do you have to always stare at him Luce? It's pretty creepy as a person who would rather be a bystander and watch love unfold. I mean, I guess I understand her wanting to know why she has this feeling of deja vu near him, but couldn't she just be like, angry instead that when she first glanced at him, he flipped her off, and has continually been rude to her. Couldn't she have just marched over there angrily and asked what his problem was?
That's why, I would prefer Cam/Luce. He's a total gentleman. He seems like a really nice guy, and he definitely shows that he likes he as well.
I guess, if the romance wasn't given in the back, and if the author slowly starts building up the relationship between Luce/Daniel, I would really love that. In one of my favorite Anime series, Princess Tutu (The anime was made originally, then the manga, and the anime is way better, even though it does sound girly), the main character is Ahiru. That in English literally translates to duck. The anime, though it sounds very girly, is really complex in its story line, as it's about characters who discover that they are actually the characters in a famous book written by a famous and brilliant (but horrible) man who loved tragedies (and could make his stories come to life) and how they try to defy the fate of the tragic ending they are supposed to live through. The first season is not as complex, but it builds up to the complexity of the second season. Pretty much, in the first season, you really want Ahiru to get with the main character Mytho. Mytho is the prince from before mentioned story titled "The Prince and the Raven". In the book, in order to defeat the raven, he breaks his own heart (like emotions, not actual heart). Ahiru, then transforms as the magical Prima Donna princess, Princess Tutu, and collects the heart shards (which are scattered, and posses other people, and make them feel extreme emotion/the emotion the heart shard is)and then returns them back to Mytho. She does this out of her love for Mytho, and you can clearly see how much she loves him, because throughout the whole anime, she tries to vie for his love. Then in the second anime, you start to see her love life take a turn. I mean, I have nothing against girls falling in love with guys who were jerks to them, or vice-versa, but it has to be written or made nicely. In season 2, Ahiru is forced to team up with Fakir, a boy who has been "friends" (more like he's taken care of Mytho because Mytho does stupid things as he has no heart) with Mytho since he was younger (Because Mytho never ages, literally, when his heart is broken, literally as well). He acts like a straight out jerk to Ahiru. But when they are forced to work together, they start to learn how to tolerate each other, and then appreciate each other, then get to know about each other, and then they start to give each other strength, and it is so obviously hinted that they have fallen in love, or that Fakir has anyways, but it seems pretty mutual. But, the way it was so gradual, and not forced or rushed, it just made me love the pairing even more, and I truly treasured that it made me scream, "Get together already!", when before I would never think of those two getting together. That shows amazing story telling, and now, I just seem to be reading stories where the love is being rushed.
Not to say this story is bad, I do think it's pretty good, writing wise; but I'm not loving the romance. I will keep reading as it is more interesting than Eclipse.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Eclipse #2
Eclipse
By: Stephenie Meyer
Terri Thampan 804
So I'm back with the epic love story of. . . EDWARD AND BELLA! Well, it's not really that fun. The story thus far is that Eddie-kins and Bell-bells are like super in "wuv" and Jacob's jealous and then Victoria (the evil vampire) comes back again.
So basically, let me start off with the antagonists of the story. The main villain of this story is Victoria. She's a vampire who as I said before, wants revenge against Edward for killing her mate. I think it goes to show how loyal she is that she tries to get revenge for her mate, and it seems to make her seem like a strong character, as she never seems to get caught by the big burly "men" vampires or werewolves. It makes her a pretty respectable character. From what little she is actually mentioned, she's made out to be quite cunning and swift, being able to move around so freely and get away for her pursers. While Bella on the other hand, just stays at home all worried and doesn't really do anything.
So another thing I read about in this book is something called "imprinting". And frankly, the whole Idea makes me sick. It's the most messed up thing EVER. So, first off, what is Imprinting? I would say something sick and twisted but that doesn't really help out, not to mention it's quite repetitive. Imprinting happens to werewolves; it's when they see someone and they automatically fall in love forever. Though, it's kind of like the creepy stalker kind of love. Like, the person always wants to be with you, is always trying to protect you, makes you feel all fragile and delicate. I have to admit, having someone who loves you and is there for you and is always loyal is really cool. But then, doesn't it get tiring to have to deal with their constant over protectiveness? Don't you start to lose your own traits of self because they try to protect you? Doesn't it start to feel a bit. . . cramped?
Another thing I don't like about this whole imprinting business is that, you can't chose who you imprint on! I mean, Jared is a fine example. He ends up imprinting on this girl in his school. But, before that, he never really cared about her. See! He pretty much ended up MAGICALLY LIKING HER! That is so bad! It makes it seem like the girl, Kim, who liked him, couldn't get a guy to like her because of who she is. And then, you never really get a guy to like you for who you are. Also, if they act all lovey-dovey with you (the person being imprinted on), how can you learn to love the person? Do you really, really know them? It pretty much seems that you're getting a fake mask of love, and not the genuine article. I mean, does this Kim girl ever really hang out with Jared enough to know she thinks he's a good guy. I don't think so, not before the imprinting happened. This is pretty much a cheap way to get a "Happily ever after".
I also want to relate the whole Imprinting deal to the world of "Uglies" and "Flowers for Algernon". Because basically, like in Stephenie Meyer's other book "The Host", the entire mindset is being dealt with here. In "Uglies", the surgery to be pretty changes how you think and your personality. In "Flowers for Algernon", the thinking gradually changes, increasing in complexity, to finally deteriorating. In this book, Imprinting is a cool, amazing thing. In those books, the mindset is pretty sad (As Charlie starts to lose his intelligence) or really horrible (Changing the way we think about things, and who we are). But like, to make someone change all who they are, just like that. They could have not cared about the person, and then suddenly magic makes it so they do. What happened to their free will? The ability to choose who we love and like and who we dislike and hate? In "The Host", they pretty much just give up their bodies (the humans), because the aliens are so special and amazing and perfect.
Anyways, Jacob Black also doesn't want to imprint. Why is that important? Because he loves Bella Swan for whatever reason there is. But I know for a fact, that he imprints on someone in "Breaking Dawn" (It's really messed up, the person he imprints on, but you can go wiki it if you care). That really makes me sad for him because his mindset is so drastically changed to love the imprinting.
Imprinting is also gross. Like, Embry, ended up imprinting on a THREE YEAR OLD GIRL! How messed up is that?!!! Oh, here's a hint for Jacob, he imprints on someone younger than that! But really!? That's messed up! Especially when Jacob's like 'oh, he only acts like what she wants him to be, a brother or father or protector!' Well what if she doesn't want to marry big bro? Also, ever heard of child grooming? It's when you make a little kid trust you so they end up doing "dirty" things with you. Really messed up.
But then, there are other victims in this whole thing. The exes. Poor Leah, her man got stolen away by her own cousin. They were in a relationship for years! I bet she thought he was going to propose, oh no, it's instead, "Wanna go to my wedding with your cousin?". That's just awful. Not to mention the fact that "No one can deny the werewolf imprinting on them" kind of stuff being thrown around. I mean, no one can deny all that love, affection, and awe? Really? I mean, if it were me, I would be creep-ed out. I bet you, if the guys who imprinted on them were ugly, they would be calling the cops. Because that's basically what's going on. They can't deny the surface, the fake love. 'Oh, a hot guy is like stalking me! I love it! It's so great!" (Reminds me of Bella and Edward), but if it was some ugly, or a regular looking teenage boy (like a plain dude), the girls would be like "Oh EWW! He is soooo creepy!!!! Why can't he like stop being so possessive and protective? I need my space!"
So pretty much, Smeyer's world is pretty shallow, and never really dips into true love, which this does not pass off as. I mean, I doubt there is any true love in here, which is kind of sad for a romance novel. I mean, isn't love getting to know each other, without magic forcing you to like someone first, and then learning to love someone?
By: Stephenie Meyer
Terri Thampan 804
So I'm back with the epic love story of. . . EDWARD AND BELLA! Well, it's not really that fun. The story thus far is that Eddie-kins and Bell-bells are like super in "wuv" and Jacob's jealous and then Victoria (the evil vampire) comes back again.
So basically, let me start off with the antagonists of the story. The main villain of this story is Victoria. She's a vampire who as I said before, wants revenge against Edward for killing her mate. I think it goes to show how loyal she is that she tries to get revenge for her mate, and it seems to make her seem like a strong character, as she never seems to get caught by the big burly "men" vampires or werewolves. It makes her a pretty respectable character. From what little she is actually mentioned, she's made out to be quite cunning and swift, being able to move around so freely and get away for her pursers. While Bella on the other hand, just stays at home all worried and doesn't really do anything.
So another thing I read about in this book is something called "imprinting". And frankly, the whole Idea makes me sick. It's the most messed up thing EVER. So, first off, what is Imprinting? I would say something sick and twisted but that doesn't really help out, not to mention it's quite repetitive. Imprinting happens to werewolves; it's when they see someone and they automatically fall in love forever. Though, it's kind of like the creepy stalker kind of love. Like, the person always wants to be with you, is always trying to protect you, makes you feel all fragile and delicate. I have to admit, having someone who loves you and is there for you and is always loyal is really cool. But then, doesn't it get tiring to have to deal with their constant over protectiveness? Don't you start to lose your own traits of self because they try to protect you? Doesn't it start to feel a bit. . . cramped?
Another thing I don't like about this whole imprinting business is that, you can't chose who you imprint on! I mean, Jared is a fine example. He ends up imprinting on this girl in his school. But, before that, he never really cared about her. See! He pretty much ended up MAGICALLY LIKING HER! That is so bad! It makes it seem like the girl, Kim, who liked him, couldn't get a guy to like her because of who she is. And then, you never really get a guy to like you for who you are. Also, if they act all lovey-dovey with you (the person being imprinted on), how can you learn to love the person? Do you really, really know them? It pretty much seems that you're getting a fake mask of love, and not the genuine article. I mean, does this Kim girl ever really hang out with Jared enough to know she thinks he's a good guy. I don't think so, not before the imprinting happened. This is pretty much a cheap way to get a "Happily ever after".
I also want to relate the whole Imprinting deal to the world of "Uglies" and "Flowers for Algernon". Because basically, like in Stephenie Meyer's other book "The Host", the entire mindset is being dealt with here. In "Uglies", the surgery to be pretty changes how you think and your personality. In "Flowers for Algernon", the thinking gradually changes, increasing in complexity, to finally deteriorating. In this book, Imprinting is a cool, amazing thing. In those books, the mindset is pretty sad (As Charlie starts to lose his intelligence) or really horrible (Changing the way we think about things, and who we are). But like, to make someone change all who they are, just like that. They could have not cared about the person, and then suddenly magic makes it so they do. What happened to their free will? The ability to choose who we love and like and who we dislike and hate? In "The Host", they pretty much just give up their bodies (the humans), because the aliens are so special and amazing and perfect.
Anyways, Jacob Black also doesn't want to imprint. Why is that important? Because he loves Bella Swan for whatever reason there is. But I know for a fact, that he imprints on someone in "Breaking Dawn" (It's really messed up, the person he imprints on, but you can go wiki it if you care). That really makes me sad for him because his mindset is so drastically changed to love the imprinting.
Imprinting is also gross. Like, Embry, ended up imprinting on a THREE YEAR OLD GIRL! How messed up is that?!!! Oh, here's a hint for Jacob, he imprints on someone younger than that! But really!? That's messed up! Especially when Jacob's like 'oh, he only acts like what she wants him to be, a brother or father or protector!' Well what if she doesn't want to marry big bro? Also, ever heard of child grooming? It's when you make a little kid trust you so they end up doing "dirty" things with you. Really messed up.
But then, there are other victims in this whole thing. The exes. Poor Leah, her man got stolen away by her own cousin. They were in a relationship for years! I bet she thought he was going to propose, oh no, it's instead, "Wanna go to my wedding with your cousin?". That's just awful. Not to mention the fact that "No one can deny the werewolf imprinting on them" kind of stuff being thrown around. I mean, no one can deny all that love, affection, and awe? Really? I mean, if it were me, I would be creep-ed out. I bet you, if the guys who imprinted on them were ugly, they would be calling the cops. Because that's basically what's going on. They can't deny the surface, the fake love. 'Oh, a hot guy is like stalking me! I love it! It's so great!" (Reminds me of Bella and Edward), but if it was some ugly, or a regular looking teenage boy (like a plain dude), the girls would be like "Oh EWW! He is soooo creepy!!!! Why can't he like stop being so possessive and protective? I need my space!"
So pretty much, Smeyer's world is pretty shallow, and never really dips into true love, which this does not pass off as. I mean, I doubt there is any true love in here, which is kind of sad for a romance novel. I mean, isn't love getting to know each other, without magic forcing you to like someone first, and then learning to love someone?
Monday, December 31, 2012
Nonfiction Post #1
I have recently been reading the nonfiction book "Child Abuse", which is edited by William Dudley. The book is a series of articles about the social issue of child abuse. The article I am focusing on is titles "Child Abuse Perpetuated by Women is a Serious Problem", and is written by Carey Roberts. The main idea for this article is that Child Abuse, when caused by a woman, is not handled the same way as it would be for a man. Mr. Roberts tells us that the punishment for a woman is less than it would be for a man simply because of the woman's sex. Right off the bat, Roberts says this "Because when a man commits abuse, it seems the story is splashed all over the front page. But when the perpetrator is a member of the fairer sex, the story is regulated to the bottom of the Police Report on page C9." This shows us that an abusive woman gets less media coverage than an abusive man does. Roberts also tells the readers about how women have "A get-out-of-jail-free-card" by saying they had things like PMS or Depression when confronted about why they abused or even killed their child(ren). This shows the readers that women get are given more leniency, by being able to claim those things and not have to deal with the punishment, such as getting thrown into jail. Roberts also tells us about how the media also influences leniency by showing a great deal of anger to when a girl gets raped by a man, but when a Woman rapes a boy/child, it is often thought of as the child "getting lucky" instead of realizing that the child just MIGHT have been traumatized. This also proves that Women, when doing crimes against children, have more leniency.
The author clearly wants us to see that there is a social injustice happening. For women to get off lighter than men on the same type of crime is horrible. How he encourages the feelings of disgust and anger is very crafty and intelligent. He starts off with stories of women abusing children. He then precedes to tell the readers that they probably haven't heard the stories because they usually are hidden away and aren't given much publicity, because the perpetrators are women. This causes a feeling of injustice to arrive. He also gives facts about how women usually are more likely to be the ones abusing children. This brings on a feeling of disgust. Roberts also brings up the concept of "Dumpster Babies", which he tells the readers were babies found abandoned by their mothers outside, and were usually dead when found. He then precedes to tell about how a new policy was made to prevent that, and to "accomodate" the abandoners instead of, "prosecuting them". "Under New York law, mothers can now anonymously drop off their infants up to five days old. But if she later has second thoughts, not to worry. She can come back and reclaim the child up to 15 months later. That satisfaction-guaranteed-or-your-money-back offer might work at a Macy's handbag sale, but that's not how a moral society treats its most vulnerable members." In the way he words this, he not only gets the reader to feel disgusted, by comparing the life of a baby to a regular object such as a handbag, but also angry that this is allowed. This is why the author clearly wants the readers to be disgusted by the leniency towards women abusers.
Before I even read this article I knew that there was such a thing as "Women Abusers". I had read the sad tale of Dave Pelzer's life of abuse in his book titled "A Child Called It". I as a girl, have already known that people, in general, do tend to be more lenient with girls or women. The reason is, they think of girls as "weak" or that women need to be protected, and coddled. As a girl myself, I am disgusted that women who want to be treated like equals to men in everything else, don't want to be treated equally in the case of punishment. This shows a sign on bad character and makes me feel ashamed. I personally don't judge people by their gender, but by their actions, or if I know them, their personality. If a woman rapes a child, she is labeled to me as disgusting, and deserves to be punished the way a man would be punished. What I take away from this article is that the leniency towards women is despicable. It won't stop even when a child is the victim? It disgusts me that the woman is made to be more the victim than the innocent child who didn't deserve to be abused or even killed. The leniency towards women when dealing with punishment needs to be stopped. A crime is a crime is a crime, and crimes lead to punishment, and that punishment should be dealt equally and fairly according to the crime, no matter if the perpetrator is a woman or a man. This makes me want to know more about how women are given leniency when faced with having to "Own up" to their crimes.
The author clearly wants us to see that there is a social injustice happening. For women to get off lighter than men on the same type of crime is horrible. How he encourages the feelings of disgust and anger is very crafty and intelligent. He starts off with stories of women abusing children. He then precedes to tell the readers that they probably haven't heard the stories because they usually are hidden away and aren't given much publicity, because the perpetrators are women. This causes a feeling of injustice to arrive. He also gives facts about how women usually are more likely to be the ones abusing children. This brings on a feeling of disgust. Roberts also brings up the concept of "Dumpster Babies", which he tells the readers were babies found abandoned by their mothers outside, and were usually dead when found. He then precedes to tell about how a new policy was made to prevent that, and to "accomodate" the abandoners instead of, "prosecuting them". "Under New York law, mothers can now anonymously drop off their infants up to five days old. But if she later has second thoughts, not to worry. She can come back and reclaim the child up to 15 months later. That satisfaction-guaranteed-or-your-money-back offer might work at a Macy's handbag sale, but that's not how a moral society treats its most vulnerable members." In the way he words this, he not only gets the reader to feel disgusted, by comparing the life of a baby to a regular object such as a handbag, but also angry that this is allowed. This is why the author clearly wants the readers to be disgusted by the leniency towards women abusers.
Before I even read this article I knew that there was such a thing as "Women Abusers". I had read the sad tale of Dave Pelzer's life of abuse in his book titled "A Child Called It". I as a girl, have already known that people, in general, do tend to be more lenient with girls or women. The reason is, they think of girls as "weak" or that women need to be protected, and coddled. As a girl myself, I am disgusted that women who want to be treated like equals to men in everything else, don't want to be treated equally in the case of punishment. This shows a sign on bad character and makes me feel ashamed. I personally don't judge people by their gender, but by their actions, or if I know them, their personality. If a woman rapes a child, she is labeled to me as disgusting, and deserves to be punished the way a man would be punished. What I take away from this article is that the leniency towards women is despicable. It won't stop even when a child is the victim? It disgusts me that the woman is made to be more the victim than the innocent child who didn't deserve to be abused or even killed. The leniency towards women when dealing with punishment needs to be stopped. A crime is a crime is a crime, and crimes lead to punishment, and that punishment should be dealt equally and fairly according to the crime, no matter if the perpetrator is a woman or a man. This makes me want to know more about how women are given leniency when faced with having to "Own up" to their crimes.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Eclipse post #1
Eclipse
By: Stephenie Meyer
Terri Thampan
I am currently reading the book "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer. This book is third in the Twilight "Saga". The main character is a girl named Bella Swan and in the first book she moves to Forks and meets a vampire named Edward Cullen. At the end of the book some Vampires come and try to kill Bella, but Edward kills one of them (James) so the other one (Victoria) wants to kill Bella, because she's Edward's "mate", as revenge for Edward killing her mate, James.
Before I can actually start going on about how terrible this book is, I need to really show why it's so famous. Because really, I do understand why this book is loved by many (females).
This book has very alluring points to it, I will admit that. I mean, come on, what girl doesn't want the "Dream Guy"? I mean, he's handsome, rich, smart, and is totally devoted to his girl and cares for her.
But then, he's too perfect. He ends up having flaws that aren't intentional, but when you think about them, make him a very scary character. Edward Cullen is a creepy, stalker, pedophile, maniac! I mean, he comes into Bella's house at night, through her window, and watches her sleep.
Now girls, if a guy ever watches you in your sleep, and your dad is a cop, I think the first reaction was to get the law on this guy. Watching someone sleep is kind of weird. I mean, I bet some couples do that, but like, sneaking into the other's house JUST to watch them sleep is really obsessive and VERY stalker like.
Also, he's very controlling. He doesn't let Bella do anything, even though Bella constantly says he "spoils" her. Really, I can't call it spoiling her. I mean, he constantly refuses her requests to become a vampire. He says he doesn't want her to be a monster. I mean, I guess that's pretty normal, him looking out for her, but he still wants to date her?! That's really, kind of creepy. He doesn't want her to be a vampire, but will let her grow older and still date him. I mean, that's kind of horrible. She could get labeled as a pedophile, plus, it's really unfair to her. I mean, her humanity is her choice, and if she wants to throw it away, she can do that. But that brings me to the topic of Immortality, and I will fully talk about that later.
He's controlling not just in that, but in her choices. She doesn't like expensive things, he goes and buys her expensive things. She doesn't like birthday parties (what a freak), he goes and throws her one (New Moon). He truly doesn't seem to care about her opinions. I mean, he could of got her a present and be done with it. But he has to constantly press his wants onto her. 'Oh, no one has ever truly aged here, so we want to at least throw a birthday party for you!' My response for that is: Go throw yourself a party, it doesn't matter if you age or not, a birthday is a birthday! If you want to celebrate it, do that, if not, then don't. It's the person's choice here! But not only that, he likes to open up all opportunities for colleges for her. Now Bella totally doesn't like that, which I can understand. I mean, I don't want to go to a college because my boyfriend paid for me to get into it/bribed my way into it. I mean, it's great that he does that, but he doesn't seem to be concerned about Bella's feelings, despite her telling him she doesn't want or like something.
Now, here is my final piece of evidence. Edward Cullen is controlling because he does not let Bella do what she wants. I mean, she wanted to go visit Jacob Black, and he says no. His excuse: Werewolves are dangerous Bella! Yes, but so are vampires, I mean, Jasper totally went berserk when Bella got a PAPER CUT. If you still hang out with her, and let her near Jasper, then why can't she hang out with Jacob? I mean, I understand him being jealous, but to go all the way to prevent her visiting Jacob, not cool. I literally got scared for Bella's safety when I read one of the scenes in this book. She was going to visit Jacob, and it was dark. So she leaves her house and goes to her a truck. Now really, the reason why she's visiting Jacob is because her dad made her feel guilty. So she goes into her truck and tries to start the engine, but it's silent. So she tries again. Then she sees something from the corner of her eye. She jumps. Lo and Behold, guess who's in the car with her; Edward Cullen. He's playing with a car part, and is most obviously the reason why her car isn't starting. I don't know about you, but when I read that I freaked out. That is literally the scene in a horror movie where the character dies. That's one of the creepiest things ever. I would be scared for my life. But what's worse is that he tells her he won't visit her if she closes her window (because she's mad at him and he freaking KNOWS it), and so she closes it, but then OPENS IT! OH MY GOD! HOW STUPID IS THIS GIRL?! She literally is calling for danger.
Now that that's over with, let's talk about another issue here: Immortality. Humanity really. So in this series, being a human sucks. You can't do anything. And basically, you age. I mean, Immortality is a very alluring thing as well. Who doesn't want to stay beautiful and young? As superficial as it is, we have to face it, humans are pretty superficial, we do like to stay in the prime of our youth. Though many often like to grow older. Growing older gives you many more experiences. Take Edward for example, he's forever stuck in the "mindset" of a seventeen year old boy, well a psychotic seventeen year old boy. I mean, I might be getting all philosophical here, but isn't the point of life to change and grow as you live, so that your life is never boring? But I guess it's all on perspective. But really, I don't like the human bashing.
Someone I really like as a character is Jacob Black. He's actually a very fun character, especially in New Moon. I found his character very fun to just read about, and he made Bella have more personality and not just a boring Mary Sue. But sadly, in this book and the book after, he starts to become a huge jerk. Maybe it's a symbol about how puberty makes guys jerks? Maybe, maybe not. I don't know really, and it can't be true for all guys.
What I found really creepy was how Edward is like the fatherly kind of person to Bella. He does act like she needs to be taken care of, and acts more like a parent towards her, which is creepy as he is going out with her. And Bella, has protective, maybe even maternal instincts come out when she's with Jacob. I feel like, even though she considers him a friend, she does have a more motherly side as she knows he's younger than her. Which makes it really creepy as Bella is in love with Edward and Jacob likes Bella.
Creepy love of those who act like parents?
I am now scarred.
By: Stephenie Meyer
Terri Thampan
I am currently reading the book "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer. This book is third in the Twilight "Saga". The main character is a girl named Bella Swan and in the first book she moves to Forks and meets a vampire named Edward Cullen. At the end of the book some Vampires come and try to kill Bella, but Edward kills one of them (James) so the other one (Victoria) wants to kill Bella, because she's Edward's "mate", as revenge for Edward killing her mate, James.
Before I can actually start going on about how terrible this book is, I need to really show why it's so famous. Because really, I do understand why this book is loved by many (females).
This book has very alluring points to it, I will admit that. I mean, come on, what girl doesn't want the "Dream Guy"? I mean, he's handsome, rich, smart, and is totally devoted to his girl and cares for her.
But then, he's too perfect. He ends up having flaws that aren't intentional, but when you think about them, make him a very scary character. Edward Cullen is a creepy, stalker, pedophile, maniac! I mean, he comes into Bella's house at night, through her window, and watches her sleep.
Now girls, if a guy ever watches you in your sleep, and your dad is a cop, I think the first reaction was to get the law on this guy. Watching someone sleep is kind of weird. I mean, I bet some couples do that, but like, sneaking into the other's house JUST to watch them sleep is really obsessive and VERY stalker like.
Also, he's very controlling. He doesn't let Bella do anything, even though Bella constantly says he "spoils" her. Really, I can't call it spoiling her. I mean, he constantly refuses her requests to become a vampire. He says he doesn't want her to be a monster. I mean, I guess that's pretty normal, him looking out for her, but he still wants to date her?! That's really, kind of creepy. He doesn't want her to be a vampire, but will let her grow older and still date him. I mean, that's kind of horrible. She could get labeled as a pedophile, plus, it's really unfair to her. I mean, her humanity is her choice, and if she wants to throw it away, she can do that. But that brings me to the topic of Immortality, and I will fully talk about that later.
He's controlling not just in that, but in her choices. She doesn't like expensive things, he goes and buys her expensive things. She doesn't like birthday parties (what a freak), he goes and throws her one (New Moon). He truly doesn't seem to care about her opinions. I mean, he could of got her a present and be done with it. But he has to constantly press his wants onto her. 'Oh, no one has ever truly aged here, so we want to at least throw a birthday party for you!' My response for that is: Go throw yourself a party, it doesn't matter if you age or not, a birthday is a birthday! If you want to celebrate it, do that, if not, then don't. It's the person's choice here! But not only that, he likes to open up all opportunities for colleges for her. Now Bella totally doesn't like that, which I can understand. I mean, I don't want to go to a college because my boyfriend paid for me to get into it/bribed my way into it. I mean, it's great that he does that, but he doesn't seem to be concerned about Bella's feelings, despite her telling him she doesn't want or like something.
Now, here is my final piece of evidence. Edward Cullen is controlling because he does not let Bella do what she wants. I mean, she wanted to go visit Jacob Black, and he says no. His excuse: Werewolves are dangerous Bella! Yes, but so are vampires, I mean, Jasper totally went berserk when Bella got a PAPER CUT. If you still hang out with her, and let her near Jasper, then why can't she hang out with Jacob? I mean, I understand him being jealous, but to go all the way to prevent her visiting Jacob, not cool. I literally got scared for Bella's safety when I read one of the scenes in this book. She was going to visit Jacob, and it was dark. So she leaves her house and goes to her a truck. Now really, the reason why she's visiting Jacob is because her dad made her feel guilty. So she goes into her truck and tries to start the engine, but it's silent. So she tries again. Then she sees something from the corner of her eye. She jumps. Lo and Behold, guess who's in the car with her; Edward Cullen. He's playing with a car part, and is most obviously the reason why her car isn't starting. I don't know about you, but when I read that I freaked out. That is literally the scene in a horror movie where the character dies. That's one of the creepiest things ever. I would be scared for my life. But what's worse is that he tells her he won't visit her if she closes her window (because she's mad at him and he freaking KNOWS it), and so she closes it, but then OPENS IT! OH MY GOD! HOW STUPID IS THIS GIRL?! She literally is calling for danger.
Now that that's over with, let's talk about another issue here: Immortality. Humanity really. So in this series, being a human sucks. You can't do anything. And basically, you age. I mean, Immortality is a very alluring thing as well. Who doesn't want to stay beautiful and young? As superficial as it is, we have to face it, humans are pretty superficial, we do like to stay in the prime of our youth. Though many often like to grow older. Growing older gives you many more experiences. Take Edward for example, he's forever stuck in the "mindset" of a seventeen year old boy, well a psychotic seventeen year old boy. I mean, I might be getting all philosophical here, but isn't the point of life to change and grow as you live, so that your life is never boring? But I guess it's all on perspective. But really, I don't like the human bashing.
Someone I really like as a character is Jacob Black. He's actually a very fun character, especially in New Moon. I found his character very fun to just read about, and he made Bella have more personality and not just a boring Mary Sue. But sadly, in this book and the book after, he starts to become a huge jerk. Maybe it's a symbol about how puberty makes guys jerks? Maybe, maybe not. I don't know really, and it can't be true for all guys.
What I found really creepy was how Edward is like the fatherly kind of person to Bella. He does act like she needs to be taken care of, and acts more like a parent towards her, which is creepy as he is going out with her. And Bella, has protective, maybe even maternal instincts come out when she's with Jacob. I feel like, even though she considers him a friend, she does have a more motherly side as she knows he's younger than her. Which makes it really creepy as Bella is in love with Edward and Jacob likes Bella.
Creepy love of those who act like parents?
I am now scarred.
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