FAHRENHEIT 451

Okay... I didn't enjoy this book at all:( sorry for F451 lovers out there. But I really saw no reason in reading about a book that burned other books. While reading this novel I had many unanswered questions. Like, were there a lot children in this book? Cause it seemed like no one believed in kids. Is fire really a mystery like Montag says it is? Or did it really have beauty and have meaning behind it, burn anything that gave you a problem? "What is fire? It's a mystery. Scientists give us gobblegook about fiction and molecules. But they don't really know. Its real beauty is that it destroys responsiblity and consequences. A problem gets too burdensome, then into the furnance with it." (pg 115) Is that okay to beleive in that? Does something beautiful because it destroyed responsibilty and comsequences? Or is it a medicine like Beatty says, "... Montag, you're a burden. And fire will lift you off my shoulders, clean, quick, sure; nothing not rot later. Antibiotic, aesthetic, practical." (pg 115) Do you think it was right that Montag burned and killed Beatty? "Beatty, he thought, you're not a problem now. You always said, don't face a problem, burn it. Well, now i've done both. Good-bye, Captain." (pg 121) Another, was Montags life pointless or did him living help the world? Cause truely he only gave his town ashes... Nothing beneficial to anyone. Did Bradbury compare the war he wrote about to the time period this novel was writen in? Did that affect how his story turned out or was it really his "imagination" taking over?.. Did Montag really love his wife; him imagining her death, does that mean anything? "... the entire structure of the hotel blasted down upon her, carrying her with a million pounds of brick ..." (pg 160) Did he even have feelings for her at the begining of the novel? I told you had so many unanswered questions!! Grrr...

This book had a lot of meaning by the end of it.. Montag was a very confused man and it seemed like he didn't know what he wanted in the world after he met Clarisse. She had a huge impact in his life for the short time period they knew eachother. She was my favorite charecter in F451. I was so sad when she was tragically killed. I thought that was creepy when Montag thought that he was going to die by the same people that killed Clarisse. Scary! Scary!

The hound in the F451 was very weird like beyond okay. I'm really glad that that hound isn't real! The technology of F451 was extraordinary! I loved how Bradbury explained everything in such detail. My favorite invention was the bullet? I'm not to sure if that's the name of it or not, I don't think it is. But I hope you know what i'm talking about:/ Great leason in the book but a very strange way of getting that message out to the reader, I believe.

RAY BRADBURY

Bradbury made his novels write themselves. F-451 was writen in 18 days! And it was still a piece of art. In one of his interviews he said that his characters tell him what to say, he doesn't make anything up. I thought that was pretty amazing and a very unique type of writing style. He also said that he has been writing for 70 years!! That is a passion.

Mr. Electircal? (I think that was his name?) had a huge part of his life; live forever, was something that that man told him and he still remembers it today. "Run away from death and run towards life" was my favorite quote in all three interviews. That is a great way of looking at life... (other then the running away part. Just saying)

I believe that Bradbury's literature had some affect on reality but I don't think that his fiction became reality, if that makes sence? Bradburys fiction gave reality another way to look at things and give the world ideas that many others wouldn't of thought of.

"Imagination should be the center of your life" - Ray Bradbury

STAR TREK

The episode that we watched during class was somthing new for me. I had never seen an episode of that in my life!!! I do believe that Star Trek can be related to modern day, even though it was 45 years ago. The technology is very similiar to today. There were lazers, little cell phone device, and a bluetooth of modern day.

Roddernberry had the imagination of a genius! No one had a creativity like him. If they did they should of wrote it down, filed it, or somthing... He did give scientist ideas for new technology; the gun/weapon, bluetooth, tazer and a few more. Instead of drawing his ideas he put them in film and that made him an amazing artist. His creativity is very unique...

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: PART ONE

Harper Lee's novel has been very discripting, which makes it easy to understand so far. The characters are kinda just like children of modern day but the kids in "To Kill a Mockingbird" also try to see things in the adults point of view; I liked how Lee made the characters seem "realistic". They all came to life and had their own personality; I beleive that's what made the part one of the novel good:)

Jean Louise or known as Scout, Jem, and Atticus are so far the main characters. Lee explains how Scout is seen as a "dirty girl" (Mrs. Dubose) and that how she is a "one of a kind girl" in her time period. People then only believed in women wearing dresses, cooking, and cleaning; that girls shouldn't be doing things that involve wearing jeans or like what Scout liked to wear, overalls. She was looked down upon from most peoples point of view, even her own blood:( She stands by what she beleives in and that's what gets her in trouble most of the time. Jem; he wants to be like his father, a gentlemen, but his pretectiveness for his family gets in his way of that. Atticus; he is a great father for his two kids and is a great role model for them too. Jem wants to be like his dad but i believe so far in the novel Scout resembels him more. His caring nature and loving heart shows how big of a person he is even when people try and bring him down.

Jem and Scout get into a lot of trouble throught the part one of "To Kill a Mockingbird". Some things they regret and others they learned and moved on from the event. Like I beleive Jem had a right to say somthing to Mrs. Dubose but i don't beleive he had a right to destroy her property :( not cool! His punishment was seen as a good deed though because it took Mrs. Dubose's mind off of her addiction to morphine, pain pills, and also Scout joined him a few times when she didn't have to go at all. I beleive that these kids will have a big part in the rest of this novel, but we'll have to see:) can't wait!!

A SEPARATE PEACE

Well were do I start at... Hmm Knowles writing was very deep and i really enjoyed reading "A Separate Peace" This book has to be my favorite out of the list of readings we had this summer.

Before even talking about the book itself I want to point out my favorite parts in "A Separate Peace". I loved how in the third chapter Gene had said, "America is not, never has been, and never will be what the songs and poems call it, a land of plenty. Nylon, meat, gasoline, and steel are rare. There are too many jobs and not enough workers. Money is very easy to earn but rather hard to spend, because there isn't very much to buy. Trains are always late and always crowded with "servicemen." The war will always be fought very far from America and it will never end"... I will have to say this quote is very true even for today. No matter how hard you work nothing will ever be done. The wars will never end even if you send your best men to go fight them. And America is always going to have "to many people" living on the land and not enough were they're needed the most. And there isn't enough of anything; we're all going to run out of the things we need eventually... The second quote i loved was when Mr. Handley was talking to the boys, Gene and Brinker, about how "times change, and war change. But men don't change..." agian i love how Knowles brings up things people wouldn't normally think about :) the seconds, minutes, hours, days, years and so on change... Every war has had its changes but if you think about it every man that fought in them hasn't at all changed. They all fight the same, all have a family back home, and they all have the same goals... Make it home safe. In reality all men are the same they just have a different story to tell.

Ok about Gene and Phineas... I never thought that by the end of the book Finny would of been dead :( that was really depressing; I thought Gene would of took his death a little harder but i guess he was right... Can't cry at your own funeral. They were really part of eachother. Finny forgave Gene for ruining his life; sounds bad but it's true. I have no idea how i would of handled any of these situations Gene and the other guys went through at Devon... I know by the end of the book Gene owed Phineas his life and i think that's why Gene stayed with Finny till the end. But i still don't understand why Finny forgave him. I mean, i know that they were bestfriends but what bestfriend is so jelous of you that he pushes you out of a tree? Like really? The only conclusion I could think of is that Phineas had no one else... He only had Gene as a bestfriend. And I guess that's what kept them together until Finny's fatal surgery :(

THE CRUCIBLE

Out of all the books we have read this summer so far this is the only one that I've liked:) I loved how this book was about something true that happened but had another person's story added so others could understand the hardships the "witch's" had to go through to keep their secret and to stay alive. Also I loved how Miller wrote "The Crucible"as a play. Like how there were two different fonts; the actions and the people talking.

I didn't realize how hard people had it in the 1700's... if they were a "witch" then they had to keep it secret because if anyone knew then they could inform the police and they would be hung and also there family members; like John Proctor and Elizabeth. The "witch's" of the town couldn't trust anyone and had to lie to there loved ones... that is no life to live. Lying to someone you love shouldn't be healthy on them or on the "witch's" even if everyone says that they have no more feelings and they gave their souls to the Devil. Also i didn't think that it was right about how the village had to be informed about everything that was going on to other towns people. I believe that the village has no business on what goes on with others unless it has harm to their lives... I read that when Proctor admitted to Danforth's questions that they were going to write down the confession and nail it on the church door so everyone could see. I believe that what Proctor did was the right thing to do for him and that a person's name is really all they have left. That's so true even now in modern day... but i believe that if the town took the "witch's" differently then no one would of had to be hung because of what others thought or even what they were. Like what if they just vanished them out of the village? Or had their own part of town; or something? Was hanging them or crushing them to death the only option they had left to keep everyone safe? I believe it wasn't at all...

I think reading "The Crucible" gave me another look at how others are. Like even if people judge others, don't take what they say as the truth; even if someone was accused of witchcraft doesn't mean that they are a "witch"... They aren't what others say until they admit to it. I understand that how witchcraft sounds pretty un-normal others may think that it is the right way of life and the normal thing to do; serve the Devil. But you can't really judge witchcraft till you give it a chance and understand why the people are living their lives like they are... Our worlds history, i believe, never gave anyone the rights to there own individual life. And that is the biggest different from the past to the new millennium.

THE SCARLET LETTER

In the time period this book was writen for it shows how one mistake someone makes can effect their life forever... Even their love ones. In this story a mother had made a sin by having an affair with a man while her husband was lost at sea and had a baby as the consequence of her action. She has a life time shame of her deed though... To wear the scarlet letter, an "A", to represent that she had did adultery; also her child had to wear the same letter but a different color... I understand what this was sappose to mean by doing so but don't you think they could of re thought her action out after a certain amount of time? Or was that to much to ask for? Hmmm

I also thought that how some of the charecters in the book called Pearl a devil child was a little much... I didn't think that was right at all. Even though her mother did a nasty thing it wasn't Pearls fault. Also how they put a different kind of scarlet letter on her but it just meant that she was a scarlet baby... I also didn't think that was right; i understand that this book is from the seventeen hundreds but really? I believe that Hester should of recieved the punishment since it was her action that was the wrong in this story.

Even though Pearl got a punishment, as well, for her mothers actions... I believed that it made them both a stronger person at the end of Hawthornes story.

Reading this book I believed that there was kinda a moral to it like no matter what you do in life it can affect it even when you don't think it will... Or like how your actions can change your whole life around.