Life of Pi (1st Prompt)

In Yann Matel's novel Life of Pi the main character, Pi, is quite delusional. Many would assume the loss of his entire family caused this, but he was actually delusional before his family died in a shipwreck. He was first delusional as a young child. Pi's delusion throughout the book helps show his fascination with telling stories and changing them to fit the desires of different people.
Pi was born into a Hindu family, but as he got older, he began his search for the new perfect religion. This was technically, his first delusional thought. There is no "perfect religion." They all have flaws and no one religion can solve absolutely everything. Pi went on his pursuit by talking to a priest and discovering more and more about Christianity. Unfortunately, this was not the answer to Pi's religional dilemma either. Pi's second delusional thought, however, was that he could combine several different religions to make his own "perfect religion". He put together the pieces of a few different religions that he liked, such as the love as in Christianity and the reverence involved with Hinduism. This foreshadows to Pi's later experience with making real events fit to the point he is attempting to get across when he tells of his adventures. It seems weird to think of someone as constantly being delusional, but this was the central focus of Life of Pi. Yann Matel used Pi's delusional thoughts to bring the entire book together. Pi's being delusional in the beginning of the book helped make his delusions at the end not seem as strange. Well if Pi didn't have all these delusions, then his story would of made less sense.

Current Event 4

The anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories is a room that is 99.99% sound absorbent! The room is so quiet that the lack of sound or noise is almost unbearable after a short period of time. The longest time that a person has lasted in there was 45 minutes. When your ears can't hear anything anymore, they start to try and listen for anything and that makes them hear your own heartbeat at an extremely loud volume. And this can cause people to hallucinate. I think that this room is really interesting because of the amount of sound absorption. Companies can even test how loud their products actually are in there without fear of outside noise interference. Sterios, speakers, amplifiers, and vocals; for example. Also, NASA can train astronaughts in there to get them ready for the silence of space. Amazing!

Thornhill, Ted. "We all crave it, but can you stand the silence?." Daily Mail. Daily Mail, 08 Apr 2012. Web. 15 May 2012.

Current Event 3

Facebook has added a new, rather odd and unexpected option amidst its sea of posts and statuses. Now, thanks to the social networking web site, Facebookers can become an Organ Donors with just a click of the mouse. This can be found under the "life event" category, the Organ Donor status should have many positive effects. By becoming an Organ Donor, people not only help save the lives of others with their organs but also spread the word about the benefits of organ donation. This new program is a great way to increase organ donor numbers, and, therefore, decrease the number of people on the organ donation list. I wish everyone would understand that he or she has no use for his or her organs after death and that by donating unused organs, many people can live healthy lives in return.

"Facebook Gives Boost to Organ Donation Registry."Web. 10 May 2012

#3 & 4 Life of Pi

Pi's religious beliefs are now being tested. As a devout Hindu, Christian, and Muslim; Pi has certain practices that he has become accustomed to especially in his Hindu faith because as a Hindu, eating meat is forbidden. Pi tries to fish, showing that he is open to the idea of feasting on meat, but his real transformation happens a little after his failed attempts. After he saw Richard Parker (the tiger)dining on flying fish, Pi takes the difficult plunge and kills a fish for himself. This shows that humans, when faced with difficulties, and possibly religiously affiliated decisions, will most likely choose survival over beliefs. I know I would. But Pi realizes that he must eat to live but that eating meat means that he is violating his religious beliefs.

In this section, it also is becoming evident that Pi is experiencing some of the "zoo morphism" as well. He seems to be becoming more like Richard Parker in his eating habits, just like how Richard Parker is not acting as a tiger should. They both changed their ways to accommodate one another, and weather it was subconscious or not, the morphism allows them to relate to one another and is key in their survival. Pi needs Richard Parker as a companion, and Richard Parker needs Pi for food.

#2 Life of Pi

When the boat sinks it really throws the story into an information overload. The rushing of the flashback moments before the landing in a boat with a tiger gave insight into the logic that runs through Pi, of how the animals must have ended up. Once the realization of the tiger hits him, and after watching the attacks on the other animals by the hyena; he meets the realization of animalistic characteristics and the realization of what could happen to him. His emotions were tested by the physical pain of the animals, even sending him into tears. He still came out prevailing through this though; especially after watching Orange Juice (the monkey) show such human actions, as searching for her two sons lost in the water. This part of the book was much, much more entertaining, and the detail let me feel like I was almost there with Pi.

Current Event 2

In Poland, a local dentist numbed up her boyfriend with novocaine, then pulled out ALL his teeth, bandaged him up without a word, and walked away. He didn’t realize it until he got home! To top it off, his new girlfriend broke up with him, because she didn’t want a toothless man. She now faces jail time. My response? I hope all men in Poland learned that they should never make a Polish woman mad!

Bigler, Taylor. "Novocaine nightmare: Dentist pulls out all of ex-boyfriend’s teeth." Yahoo! News.

10 May 2012. Web. 10 May 2012.

Current Event:

Haggarty, Barbara Bradley. "Christian Debate: Was Jesus for small government." NPR.org 16 April 2012.Web.

This political debate shouldn't involve Jesus. Jesus is technically involved in everything, yes but there is a "But." There is a seperation of church and state for a reason, so that these types of debates couldn't and wouldn't happen. I am a strong believer of Jesus, but we shouldn't use WWJD just to get attention and a  vote. Its personally my decision as to what I believe and follow and I dont need the government criticising it. And Jesus wouldn't take my money and give it to the lazy.

#1 Life of Pi

The author’s note is pretty neat, in how he has travelled and met Pi Patel and stuff that isn’t real but written well enough to be so. And now the book…creeps, creeps and more creeps along. I think that killed my bored manner. Pi’s story is a very detailed and crazy realistic one. Personally, I like the name Piscine its strange, and the story of the zoos and learning to swim was just cool. It’s a great insight into one’s life, especially with the atheist communist teacher that reminds me of history stories, so I relate to that! But the multiple religions that Pi experienced becoming as he aged were also incredibly detailed, must have been well researched, but I can see where the book would test faiths sometimes. However, I agree with his hate, but I like how he decided on Christianity when questioned about it later, and when confronted about being three religions. Overall, the book is interesting, but rather dull in the first several pages.

#2 Fahrenheit 451

The last parts of Fahrenheit 451 are where Montag doesn’t just struggle with what he is going to do about his urges to read; he finally gives way to these urges. Ignorance is so powerful. It has consumed Montag’s entire world. Montag represents the rebellion against ignorance while Mildred and Beatty represent the conformists of passive society. I believe that Bradbury wasn’t completely wrong in his writings of humans becoming so desensitized, because we in todays age are desensitized by technology as well. The youth of my own generation has been wildly influenced by such great technology. We text so its a faster conversation. We create profiles on Facebook and Myspace because online with technology we make ourselves much more fascinating than we really are. Montag like some people today has realized that simple stimulation isn’t enough. One must have substance and that is exactly what Faber tells him. This however is both a blessing and a curse to Montag. The perpetual cloud has been now been lifted from his mind he can no longer see things with blinders on. His mind and the minds of the all the ones he now associates with, have been expanded and the government has no control over them now because they also have power. They now have the power of knowledge.

FAHRENHEIT 451

Fahrenheit 451 has been a great book so far. It started off pretty interesting. It might have been so because I was severely confused and wanted to get explanations for what everything meant but it's ok. I like the way Clarisse is wierd and unusual. She is independent and doesn’t rely on the government, like everyone else to tell her what to think and what to do. She challenges the government, and society; and I think thats what everyone likes about her, even Montag. Mildred, on the other hand, is annoying and I don’t like her. I feel bad for Montag because he seems like he is only with her because he feels like it’s the right thing to do and not because he loves her. At one point in the book she tries to kill herself, and I think this exemplifies her personality and shows why not really anybody likes her. I like the change in Montag I started to see after this. His curiosity in books starts, and he even steals one. His increased curiosity grows everyday and even leads to him quitting his job. I think that all this is leading up to a huge twist I can’t wait to read more and figure out what it is

The Great Gatsby Ch.6-9

As I finished The Great Gatsby, I realized that Gatsby did have reasons behind each things that he did in this story. Gatsby continually uses money related words when referring to Daisy, such as saying that her voice is full of money and how her "value" has increased. This is some what evidence that Gatsby knew how much money had consumed Daisy life and he realized that to win her love, he must first become rich. This is why Gatsby decided to earn money in anyway possible, which happened to be corrupt. During the final chapters, Daisy's true character is revealed. As the reader, I was not happy with Daisy's choices. She shows how she leads guys on and how easily swayed she can be. When all of them are at the hotel, Tom begins telling Daisy why she shouldn't be with Gatsby. So Daisy quickly switches to being in love with Tom again and not wanting a relationship with Gatsby anymore. This was a very disappointing flip to me, why can't she just make up her mind.

The Great Gatsby Ch.1-5

The first five chapters of The Great Gatsby show major changes in relationships. When the story first starts off, Nick implies that he does not know Gatsby at all by saying that the mansion next door was "inhabited by a gentleman of that name." As the book goes on, Nick is able to attend a party of Gatsby's, even though Gatsby was not the one who invited him. Later on in the story, Gatsby and Nick become close enough friends where Gatsby begins telling Nick more about his life. I think that the way Nick and Gatsby's relationship changes is a sharp contrast to that of Daisy and Gatsby. However, Daisy and Gatsby were completely consumed with one another from the beginning but, as time went on, they grew apart due to Gatsby going off to war. I think that this contrast between the two different relationships will continue to play out as the book goes on and will make everything interesting.

The Last "On Writing" Essay

I want to start out by saying that I never thought Stephan King could write like this. All of his other books are scary, creepy, or just really weird; but from reading this I feel like I know him through this autobiography of On Writing. It feels like he has given me lots of advice when it comes to writing. His advice has been so helpful, for example it is said practice makes perfect and that you shouldn't write it all in one day. Another point was that if you read, you can learn through other writers' mistakes and/or successes. Not only has this book taught me a lot about writing but his advice throughout the book but he has also taught me about reading some writings. Determination, good work ethic, and intelligence are three things that will get you through life easier than others and King demonstrated all of these throughout the book He tells you that even when your work is rejected, you should never give up just keep on improving. King was mentally and physically challenged throughout his life through sicknesses, family deaths, etc. and in every situation he makes the best of it and just continues to do what he loves, and that is to write. I can also take this from him, because, while I don't let a lot bother me, I do not always make the best out of any given situation. I don't necessarily know that my future will consist of writing, but I can use King's example and apply it to my life in anything I do and I can be confident that I will be successful in whatever I do.

The Crucible & The Birthmark

The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a short story about a scientist named Aylmer who has a superficial way of thinking about his wife, Georgiana. His wife is almost perfect except for the small birthmark that she had on her cheek. This is the only imperfection that Aylmer sees and tries to convince Georgiana to allow him to remove the birthmark, even though it has never bothered her. Well it never bothered her until Aylmer pointed it out. However, Aylmer becomes obsessed with the removal of the birthmark, he even was going as far as to risk his wife's life for it. Eventually, Aylmer gives Georgiana a substance that causes the birthmark to disappear, but it also kills her in the process. This story is an example of natural human flaws and obsession. In both The Crucible and The Birthmark, human flaw is the evident theme. In The Crucible, Abigail demonstrates the human flaw of jealousy by accusing her former lover's wife of witchcraft. All that Abigail knows is that she wants John Proctor for her self and will do anything that she thinks is necessary to do so. In The Birthmark, Aylmer demonstrates the human flaw of conceit by attempting to rid his wife of a simple little birthmark because he sees it as an imperfection. In both cases though, the ultimate goal is not achieved. Abigail does not end up with John Proctor and Aylmer ends up alone, both having lost the ones that they love so dearly.

On Writing #3

In this last section of On Writing, Stephan King focuses more on how to revise and end with your finished project. One of the first things mentioned in this section says, "... but it seems to me that every book- at least every one worth reading- is about something. Your job during or just after the first draft is to decide what something or somethings yours is about." This stood out to me because it is such a simple and seemingly obvious statement, but for me, is so forgotten. When writing, I often find myself getting easily off topic and then I end up being unsure about that I was writing about in the first place! Then when I go back and revise, I do not realize how off topic I am. Also, throughout most of this section, King mentions in some way about waiting a while to work on your next draft. This is hard for me because once I start writing something, I feel as though I am "on a roll" and I have to finish all of it right then. I know see how that can be a problem. If I don’t wait at least a day or so, I will still have the same mind set I had while writing and I won’t catch my mistakes. The last thing that stood out to me was this quote where King says, "I’d gotten going, there was that much. The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better." I feel as though I can relate to this the most because every time I write, getting started is the hardest and most stressful part. I always sit and stare at a blank page for what seems like hours waiting for my brain to start working. But once I finally have my topic and come up with my thesis, ideas start flowing, and, like King said, things only get better.

State of the Union

Watching the State of the Union Address was kind of difficult for me. First of all, my father was commenting on every other word that came out of President Obama’s mouth. Second, as a seventeen year old, it was very hard for me to understand some of the issues brought up; such as business and taxes and foreign exports. I wasn't sure what to think, seeing as how I have never had to deal with any of these things before. But, I tried to relate to whatever I could and form opinions. President Obama mentioned wanting to stop student loan rates from doubling. He also mentioned requiring colleges to cut costs instead of raising tuition. This would directly affect me in the next coming years and I fully agree since college is as ridiculously expensive as it is and having to pay more money would only make things harder. To improve the school system and education, Obama proposed a no- dropout policy. This policy says that each and every student must either graduate or stay in school until they are at least 18. I personally, do not agree with this. Not all students are meant to stay in school. The students that don’t want to, or don’t need to, be there often disrupt the classroom and keep other students from continuing their education. While I did not understand everything that President Obama brought up, these few things stood out to me. I’m sure that the older I get, the more relevant the other issues will be to me. I look forward to one day being able to form opinions on all of the country’s issues.

The Second set of 100 pages

The What Writing Is and Toolbox sections of On Writing showed me how deep thought goes into writing even one single sentence. Stephen King explains all aspects of writing, including how to write within your own vocabulary. He says, "One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you are maybe a little bit ashamed of your short ones." He means that it's better to use smaller words in the right ways. He also says that the first rule of vocabulary is to, "Use the first word that comes to your mind." Well, I agree with King and his view on vocabulary, because one of my pet peeves is when people use vocabulary in the wrong way. King also makes it known that grammar is just as important as vocabulary. "Bad grammar produces bad sentences," he said. Knowing how to use correct grammar is one of the key tools in writing. Overall, I think hearing Stephen King tell me about grammar and writing makes me more likely to actually listen and put the advice to good use because he is such an interesting character.

The 1st 100 Pages of On Writing

I’ve been a Stephen King fan long before this book and it reminds me why I love his stories so much. On Writing begins with a very humorous description of his life and his forms of writting. The second foreword tells how most books about writing are as King said "are filled with bullsh*t", that also pretty much sums up my opinion of them as well. But to be completely honest, I have actually really enjoyed reading these first hundred pages, because they are not what I would have normally expect. I never would of imagined writing books as being full of questionable words that I can't even type on a school blog, even though I would LOVE to quote some of his stuff from this. But I can relate to some of the stuff that he has written. Such as his story about "strep throat", haha. But as far as with the needle stuff, no way, I shudder. I hate needles. He didn't make it any easier to read with all those descriptions either, eeeekkkkk. "Loud kissing sound" and "hot fluid" do not make needles sound any more appealing at all. However, I do have to admit that I laughed at the part about the poison ivy. I'm not allergic to it, so I found it even more funny, because I can not relate to that. I didn't really care much about his publishing stories though, even though I'm pretty sure that's what I'm supposed to care about. The stories about his ideas for books and how he got rejected so often; it just didn't appeal and/or impress me. I mean, it's not that I don't admire his effort or respect the fact that he kept trying despite the rejection he got into; it just did not seem as important to me to read. The stories about the newspapers in school when he wrote the book on "The Pit and the Pendulum"; however, were much more interesting and thus kept my attention entirely on them. But as of this moment the book is going well and I am enjoying it; well the first one-hundred pages atleast.