Cut. Eye-catching, right? I thought so too. The title was short but somewhat interesting at the same time. I was right. Patricia McCormick's Cut was entertaining from the very beginning.
McCormick says a great deal in a very short book. Her writing style is very easy to understand and to follow. She writes the story in first person through the eyes of Callie. The reader is able to follow the deeply moving story of Callie and know her feelings and emotions. Entertaining throughout, the story starts off good, and the ending terminates well. Without saying a whole lot, she is able to tell a story full of information in a very short novel.
Callie, the main character, is a patient at Sea Pines, nicknamed Sick Minds by the patients there, which is a "residential treatment facility". Guess what she is there for...yeah, that is right...cutting herself. She does not think she can control the cutting, and she does not know how. The problem, though, she will not talk to the therapist, who is trying to help her. Callie knows why she cuts herself, but will this secret finally be revealed to others?
Going without saying, I recommend that everyone who may think this novel sounds interesting to read Cut. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. If you are though, I am sincerely sorry. I just know this is a story many people will enjoy.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
#4-The Call of the Wild
Everyone knows how the survive. The instincts are deep inside everyone, and when the time is right, those instincts will take over. Much of this happened in The Call of the Wild. Jack London's The Call of the Wild interested me with Buck's great transformation.
London wrote The Call of the Wild with a very serious voice. The book is very down to business, and the story keeps the reader entertained with many wild adventures. I am not a big adventure story fan, but London's style of writing helps to keep the reader focused on the story. The style is very straightforward, so the book does not confuse the reader.
One theme from the book is taking a stand. Buck takes a stand for a position he wants as a sled dog. The stand is a "fight to the death", but who's death is going to be the outcome?
The biggest theme of the book, though, is survival of the fittest. Buck and other dogs have to endure many lessons in survival. Buck, despite having come from a domesticated lifestyle, learns quickly and easily the way of the wild. Instincts deep inside of him overtake his body, and he slowly begins to adapt and transform. In the book, only the fittest survive. GO FIND OUT WHO!
The Call of the Wild is a book I would recommend more to guys than to girls simply because of the continued adventure, but I am not saying girls would not enjoy the book too.
London wrote The Call of the Wild with a very serious voice. The book is very down to business, and the story keeps the reader entertained with many wild adventures. I am not a big adventure story fan, but London's style of writing helps to keep the reader focused on the story. The style is very straightforward, so the book does not confuse the reader.
One theme from the book is taking a stand. Buck takes a stand for a position he wants as a sled dog. The stand is a "fight to the death", but who's death is going to be the outcome?
The biggest theme of the book, though, is survival of the fittest. Buck and other dogs have to endure many lessons in survival. Buck, despite having come from a domesticated lifestyle, learns quickly and easily the way of the wild. Instincts deep inside of him overtake his body, and he slowly begins to adapt and transform. In the book, only the fittest survive. GO FIND OUT WHO!
The Call of the Wild is a book I would recommend more to guys than to girls simply because of the continued adventure, but I am not saying girls would not enjoy the book too.
#3-Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men. This title confused me at first look, and I thought that the book sounded dumb. I know not to judge a book by the cover, though, so I gave the book a chance. As I began reading, I came to realize partial meaning of the title. John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men captivated me with the wonderful story told throughout the book.
The story is written in a very serious manner mixed with some comical relief here and there. Most of the seriousness comes from George, one of the main characters, while the comical relief comes mostly from Lennie, the other main character and George's companion.
The two main characters are total opposites of each other. George is small and cunning, while Lennie is huge and slow-minded. Although the two are total opposites, they share a bond that is almost brotherly because George is always trying to keep Lennie safe and out of trouble. Despite George's constant effort to keep Lennie out of trouble, Lennie manages to get himself into a terrible mess. How does George get him out this time?
The theme I understood from this story is life is better helping others. George could have left Lennie and lived his life on his own, but he chose to give up the life he wanted in order to help Lennie live his life the right way. I also learned dying happy is the best way to go. I will let those of you who have not read the book see where I got this theme from.
I recommend people read the novel because the story told is very interesting and meaningful. The ending is very surprising too!
The story is written in a very serious manner mixed with some comical relief here and there. Most of the seriousness comes from George, one of the main characters, while the comical relief comes mostly from Lennie, the other main character and George's companion.
The two main characters are total opposites of each other. George is small and cunning, while Lennie is huge and slow-minded. Although the two are total opposites, they share a bond that is almost brotherly because George is always trying to keep Lennie safe and out of trouble. Despite George's constant effort to keep Lennie out of trouble, Lennie manages to get himself into a terrible mess. How does George get him out this time?
The theme I understood from this story is life is better helping others. George could have left Lennie and lived his life on his own, but he chose to give up the life he wanted in order to help Lennie live his life the right way. I also learned dying happy is the best way to go. I will let those of you who have not read the book see where I got this theme from.
I recommend people read the novel because the story told is very interesting and meaningful. The ending is very surprising too!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
#2-Pants on Fire
Liar, liar, pants on fire. Okay, so this is an old quote said by many of the immature people of the world, but this quote is a big part of Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot. Pants on Fire entertained me with the book's great use of comical material.
Meg Cabot has always used a writing style I enjoy reading. She writes many of her books with comical material. This is the case in Pants on Fire. Many of the characters have sarcastic wit, while others are just downright hilarious. Katie Ellison, the main character, is one of those others. She is constantly talking to herself and claiming "something is wrong with her". After all, though, she is the biggest liar ever.
The theme of this story is lying only makes matters worse. Katie has told so many lies that she is having trouble keeping them all straight. I am surprised she was able to keep her two boyfriends straight. Yes, I said two! How many lies can Katie tell before she finally bursts? Or can she just keep telling lies for the rest of her life with no regrets? I am not going to tell you, so read the book! You know you want to know!
Now, I am not trying to give the plot away, but a guy comes back into to town. According to Katie, he is "only back for revenge", but for what? Like I said before, READ THE BOOK!
I would definitely recommend people read this book. Once I started reading Pants on Fire, I could not put the book away. I might not recommend the book as one guys would enjoy reading. The book should be a for sure for all you females out there, though!
Meg Cabot has always used a writing style I enjoy reading. She writes many of her books with comical material. This is the case in Pants on Fire. Many of the characters have sarcastic wit, while others are just downright hilarious. Katie Ellison, the main character, is one of those others. She is constantly talking to herself and claiming "something is wrong with her". After all, though, she is the biggest liar ever.
The theme of this story is lying only makes matters worse. Katie has told so many lies that she is having trouble keeping them all straight. I am surprised she was able to keep her two boyfriends straight. Yes, I said two! How many lies can Katie tell before she finally bursts? Or can she just keep telling lies for the rest of her life with no regrets? I am not going to tell you, so read the book! You know you want to know!
Now, I am not trying to give the plot away, but a guy comes back into to town. According to Katie, he is "only back for revenge", but for what? Like I said before, READ THE BOOK!
I would definitely recommend people read this book. Once I started reading Pants on Fire, I could not put the book away. I might not recommend the book as one guys would enjoy reading. The book should be a for sure for all you females out there, though!
#1-Antigone
Many people take stands for what they believe in everyday. Many women should respect their rights. Many people let excessive pride ruin their lives. All of these themes can be seen in Antigone by Sophocles. Sophocles' Antigone taught me many lessons through the many themes expressed throughout the tragedy.
- Taking A Stand. Taking a stand is the biggest theme represented in Antigone. Antigone, one of the main characters, takes a stand for her rights. She is a very persistent person, and she will not give up until she got her way. Being persistent is very important in taking a stand. Antigone shows a very good example of the right way to take a stand for what you believe in. Haemon, Creon's son, also takes a stand for Antigone, his wife. I will let those of you who have not read the play see how the stands they take turn out.
- Women's Rights. Antigone took a stand for her rights as a woman in a world dominated my men. She is a very strong woman. She shows this by taking a stand for her rights against a man! A woman has to be very courageous in order to do that. Because she stood up for what she believed in against a man who tried to downgrade her, I respect her.
- Excessive Pride. Creon, the man Antigone was taking a stand against for her rights, was overcome by excessive pride. Creon was who I considered the tragic hero of the play. He let his trait of excessive pride eventually lead to his downfall. I am not going to tell you what his downfall is because the tragedy would be ruined for those of you who have not read Antigone.
Would I recommend Antigone for others to read? Even though I am not a big fan of plays written way back when, mostly because of the writing style, I would recommend people read this because of the many lessons that can be learned from the themes. Plus, Antigone is a very quick read, and I know that is a positive in many people's minds.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Persuasion: Changing Minds And Getting Your Way
In class, we have recently been working in the thematic unit named "Taking A Stand". I have written a paragraph about a time I took a stand, and I am now working on an essay about the art of persuasion. I would like to share my introduction paragraph in this blog. So here is my wonderful piece of writing:
The art of persuasion is a very difficult skill to master, but once people have the skill down, they can easily change other’s minds. They can get whatever they want right when they begin to persuade the other person. Other people are easily manipulated by someone who has the art of persuasion mastered. This is not the case with me. I lack good persuasion skills. This proved true when I tried to persuade my mom to let me get my belly button pierced.
The experience I encountered when trying to persuade my mom helped me to realize I have a lot I need to work as far as the art of persuasion goes. Since I learned a lesson from this experience, maybe next time I will improve on my persuasion skills. Then, one day I may be a manipulator! That sounds somewhat evil, but I do like to get my way. By the way, I was persistent in trying to get my mom to let me get my belly button pierced, so she did eventually give in. She gave me the permission based on me just being annoying rather than my awesome persuading skills.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Sophomore Year: Halfway Done!
Looking back on my experience of my sophomore year, not a lot can be said except the year is going by fast! Compared to last year, this year is not near as fun for many reasons.
Sports is a major reason. I did so much better last year in cross country than I did this year. This year we still won state, an exciting exception. I love playing basketball, but this year is not turning out how I would like the season to turn out. I wish we could go undefeated this year like we did last year, but that is not going to happen. Win or lose, I still love playing basketball.
Another reason is my boyfriend. I got to see him so much more last year. Even though I have not seen him as much this year, we are still going strong. I am very grateful for that.
My classes are not as fun this year either. I have many friends, but most of them are older, so I do not have classes with any of them. They would make my classes so much better. Also, the work in the classes is not as interesting as the work was last year, with the exception of a few classes.
Because half my sophomore year has turned out somewhat boring, I am going to work toward making the rest so much better! I hopefully will succeed in doing so. I would like to add that I am so happy to have a break from school! :)
Sports is a major reason. I did so much better last year in cross country than I did this year. This year we still won state, an exciting exception. I love playing basketball, but this year is not turning out how I would like the season to turn out. I wish we could go undefeated this year like we did last year, but that is not going to happen. Win or lose, I still love playing basketball.
Another reason is my boyfriend. I got to see him so much more last year. Even though I have not seen him as much this year, we are still going strong. I am very grateful for that.
My classes are not as fun this year either. I have many friends, but most of them are older, so I do not have classes with any of them. They would make my classes so much better. Also, the work in the classes is not as interesting as the work was last year, with the exception of a few classes.
Because half my sophomore year has turned out somewhat boring, I am going to work toward making the rest so much better! I hopefully will succeed in doing so. I would like to add that I am so happy to have a break from school! :)
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