Okay, so I don't know if I should blog this week, as there was no given topic, so I'll write about NaNoWriMo.
I have no idea what to write about. At all.
I have a lovely idea for a murder mystery, but I don't think I could make it into a novel, since it would probably be best in short story format. Therefore, I've spent the weekend reading random stuff in the newspapers (Where I learned Michigan ranks third for serial killers in the nation, and rest areas are their favourite hang-outs), Vogue (For a setting, I'm thinking about Mombasa or Eastern Europe), and random parts out of books I looked at in Barnes & Noble (There are three rows devoted to Vampire books there. I feel like suing Stephanie Meyer for starting this stupid Twilight crap. And, I wanna hire Dexter to kill Edward.)
So now I've decided I'm going to look through National Geographic magazines. That way, I can find a person, a setting, a lifestyle, a job, etc.
Have an enthusiastic time reading and writing, people!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
To Build A Fire
Okay, this story really wasn't my favourite. It was good, I just didn't like it.
I think the descriptions in it were very good. I liked the way the bitterness of the cold was described, and how you could almost feel like your fingers and toes were the ones dying from severe frostbite.
However, I think my big problem was the fact that I kept wondering how the heck somebody could be so stupid as to venture out alone except for a dog on a day-long journey when it's -75 degrees out. The entire story I felt like bashing my head on a table. What idiot would do that? And what's more, why wouldn't he have waited for a better day.
And the dog. I felt so sorry for the dog. He knew better than to venture out, but had to because otherwise he would be whipped. I got so upset when the man tried to kill the dog for the sake of his own survival. It was a hideous image, and I was actually really happy when the dog got away. Plus, he used the dog as a tester for the hidden springs. If you're stupid enough to venture out in icy weather, I think you deserve to fall into a hidden spring, with the exception of venturing out to save someone else. Don't make your dog do it. That's cruel.
I did like the description of death at the end though. It would be a pretty awful way to die, but it sounds better than other ways. Like the show Dexter. I would NOT want to die in a way like the victims of Dexter.
So yeah, not my favourite story, but still it was good.
I think the descriptions in it were very good. I liked the way the bitterness of the cold was described, and how you could almost feel like your fingers and toes were the ones dying from severe frostbite.
However, I think my big problem was the fact that I kept wondering how the heck somebody could be so stupid as to venture out alone except for a dog on a day-long journey when it's -75 degrees out. The entire story I felt like bashing my head on a table. What idiot would do that? And what's more, why wouldn't he have waited for a better day.
And the dog. I felt so sorry for the dog. He knew better than to venture out, but had to because otherwise he would be whipped. I got so upset when the man tried to kill the dog for the sake of his own survival. It was a hideous image, and I was actually really happy when the dog got away. Plus, he used the dog as a tester for the hidden springs. If you're stupid enough to venture out in icy weather, I think you deserve to fall into a hidden spring, with the exception of venturing out to save someone else. Don't make your dog do it. That's cruel.
I did like the description of death at the end though. It would be a pretty awful way to die, but it sounds better than other ways. Like the show Dexter. I would NOT want to die in a way like the victims of Dexter.
So yeah, not my favourite story, but still it was good.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
The Most Dangerous Game
This week, I read "The Most Dangerous Game" for the third time, and I still love it.
For me, this story is something that falls between a catagory of sheer irony and complete disbelief.
I find it hilarious (in an ironic way) that General Zaroff is always so refined, polite, and civilized, yes a completely insane monster ("Ah, yes, Mr. Rainsford. I did install electricity here. In addition to providing fair lighting in all sorts of dreary weather, it also tricks ships into thinking this is a port, and the safe lights really lead their ships onto sharp rocks, wreck their ship, and the survivors wind up on my lovely island so I can kill them. More wine? I had it imported from an expensive vineyard in the hillside of Italy with rare grapes.")
What I really find interesting is how Rainsford manages to keep his wits about him. I would very likely go insane with panic and throw myself off a cliff to die if I were in his position. That would be better, I think, than getting hunted down like a deer. Plus, please note the story never once tells what Zaroff does with the bodies afterwards....
The disbelieving part is that Rainsford actually does survive, and is so calm after he kills Zaroff. I'd free the survivors prisoner underneath the mansion, sail away immediately, anything but stay in the house of a murderer. But he manages, and likely sails away afterwards. The only questions I have are if he stays sane afterwards, and of course, still wants to hunt.
I'd personally become a vegan.
For me, this story is something that falls between a catagory of sheer irony and complete disbelief.
I find it hilarious (in an ironic way) that General Zaroff is always so refined, polite, and civilized, yes a completely insane monster ("Ah, yes, Mr. Rainsford. I did install electricity here. In addition to providing fair lighting in all sorts of dreary weather, it also tricks ships into thinking this is a port, and the safe lights really lead their ships onto sharp rocks, wreck their ship, and the survivors wind up on my lovely island so I can kill them. More wine? I had it imported from an expensive vineyard in the hillside of Italy with rare grapes.")
What I really find interesting is how Rainsford manages to keep his wits about him. I would very likely go insane with panic and throw myself off a cliff to die if I were in his position. That would be better, I think, than getting hunted down like a deer. Plus, please note the story never once tells what Zaroff does with the bodies afterwards....
The disbelieving part is that Rainsford actually does survive, and is so calm after he kills Zaroff. I'd free the survivors prisoner underneath the mansion, sail away immediately, anything but stay in the house of a murderer. But he manages, and likely sails away afterwards. The only questions I have are if he stays sane afterwards, and of course, still wants to hunt.
I'd personally become a vegan.
The End of The Odyssey
Today, I finished The Odyssey, an epic novel telling the heroic journey of Ulysses, as he attempts to get home after the Trojan War. Homer sure was bad with repetion, but he could write an amazing climax.
I have to say this weeks part of the reading wasn't really my favourite, but it was very suspenseful and that kept me pretty interested. I think the biggest thing for me was when Eurycleia discovered the beggar was really Ulysses by his hunting scar. However, I also didn't like this part because I felt Ulysses was pretty nasty to her, even if it could have ruined his plan to take back his home. He basically grabbed her neck and whispered-yelled threats of death in her ear. I think he should have trusted her, because Telemachus and Penelope still did. But when you've been away for twenty years, I guess you'd kind of want the servants to know that just because you had gone missing didn't mean you weren't in charge.
I also thought Ulysses went a little bit overboard with the slaying of the suitors and his unfaithful servants as well. I think he should have kept Antinous to kill last, so maybe he would feel worse about his actions. I also believe that Melanthius shouldn't have been killed so horribly. They could have hung him with the maids (I think that probably would've been rather insulting back then) or just chopped off his head. But mismemberment? That's serial killer sadistic. No one should ever have to die that way, not for something like mocking a beggar.
As for Penelope, I'm very happy for her; She grew a backbone! A strong one too! I almost thought she was just going to be all "Okay, honey! Welcome home!" once she got over her initial shock, but she surprised me by testing Ulysses. And considering the serial killer/ anger management spree he had gone on earlier that afternoon, that was probably a pretty risky thing to do. However, it was also very smart, because who knows? It could have not been real...
Anyway, I'm happy that everything worked out for all the characters in the end. And that Telemachus didn't die.
I have to say this weeks part of the reading wasn't really my favourite, but it was very suspenseful and that kept me pretty interested. I think the biggest thing for me was when Eurycleia discovered the beggar was really Ulysses by his hunting scar. However, I also didn't like this part because I felt Ulysses was pretty nasty to her, even if it could have ruined his plan to take back his home. He basically grabbed her neck and whispered-yelled threats of death in her ear. I think he should have trusted her, because Telemachus and Penelope still did. But when you've been away for twenty years, I guess you'd kind of want the servants to know that just because you had gone missing didn't mean you weren't in charge.
I also thought Ulysses went a little bit overboard with the slaying of the suitors and his unfaithful servants as well. I think he should have kept Antinous to kill last, so maybe he would feel worse about his actions. I also believe that Melanthius shouldn't have been killed so horribly. They could have hung him with the maids (I think that probably would've been rather insulting back then) or just chopped off his head. But mismemberment? That's serial killer sadistic. No one should ever have to die that way, not for something like mocking a beggar.
As for Penelope, I'm very happy for her; She grew a backbone! A strong one too! I almost thought she was just going to be all "Okay, honey! Welcome home!" once she got over her initial shock, but she surprised me by testing Ulysses. And considering the serial killer/ anger management spree he had gone on earlier that afternoon, that was probably a pretty risky thing to do. However, it was also very smart, because who knows? It could have not been real...
Anyway, I'm happy that everything worked out for all the characters in the end. And that Telemachus didn't die.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
The Odyssey 13-17
I really liked "The Odyssey" this week as well. Go Team Ulysses!
Okay, I was really happy that Ulysses is FINALLY getting home. I feel as if the story is now falling into place. Penelope was also alright in this particular section of the story. She actually grew a vertebrae of mental backbone or two when scolding Antinous for being so awful. Maybe even three. I felt though, that Ulysses shouldn't have left his treasures in a cave, even if it was sealed with the stone. It was probably the safest place to store treasure when traveling by foot back then, but I still have a bad feeling about it.
Telemachus survived the suitors as well, at least for the time being. What's more, is Minerva sent him all the way out to Wheretheheckistan and all he really did was tell the same story over and over again and be a good guest. And get an awesome chariot. I think that this part of the story proved that the gods just play around with the people they find interesting. I also like how Telemachus and his dad are okay with crying. Crying is a good thing, and I feel like the men in "The Odyssey" are really touchy-feely (not in a bad way) and emotional. They are okay with being "weak" sometimes.
My favourite part was how Ulysses was a beggar, and then how he got hit with the chair, and didn't even wince. I think that was kind of a mental toughness type of thing. It was like he was proving to the suitors he was tougher than them, and therefore better.
My least favorite part was the pigs. I swear to God Homer was obessed with those creatures... I hate pigs more than copper!
Cheerio, Jenna
Okay, I was really happy that Ulysses is FINALLY getting home. I feel as if the story is now falling into place. Penelope was also alright in this particular section of the story. She actually grew a vertebrae of mental backbone or two when scolding Antinous for being so awful. Maybe even three. I felt though, that Ulysses shouldn't have left his treasures in a cave, even if it was sealed with the stone. It was probably the safest place to store treasure when traveling by foot back then, but I still have a bad feeling about it.
Telemachus survived the suitors as well, at least for the time being. What's more, is Minerva sent him all the way out to Wheretheheckistan and all he really did was tell the same story over and over again and be a good guest. And get an awesome chariot. I think that this part of the story proved that the gods just play around with the people they find interesting. I also like how Telemachus and his dad are okay with crying. Crying is a good thing, and I feel like the men in "The Odyssey" are really touchy-feely (not in a bad way) and emotional. They are okay with being "weak" sometimes.
My favourite part was how Ulysses was a beggar, and then how he got hit with the chair, and didn't even wince. I think that was kind of a mental toughness type of thing. It was like he was proving to the suitors he was tougher than them, and therefore better.
My least favorite part was the pigs. I swear to God Homer was obessed with those creatures... I hate pigs more than copper!
Cheerio, Jenna
The Lottery
Well, this is probably the most creepy story I've read in forever....
"The Lottery" was a spooky story, and I really didn't like it. It reminded me of Stephen King and the Twilight Zone. My mom told me she saw the movie in middle school, and it still scares her some times.
About halfway through the lottery was when I first started to realize something wasn't right. It's like watching a horror movie and knowing that the girl who just said "Bye!" to her parents as they drive away for the night is going to be in deep trouble once the sun sets and the phone rings... Ugh. It also reminded me of some kind of cult town, how they were all so civilized and then randomly starting to stone some one to death. Which is gruesome, but actually better than what I had expected to happen. It also reminded me of every day life. People might like you one day and then turn on you completely the next.
This is also kinda off topic, but when the town turned on Tessie, I immediately pictured her as Everett in a hairnet saying, "Damn! We're in a tight spot!" Over and over again.
All in all, I thought it was a creepy story, and shall now move on to cheerier posts. And Megan is here in one week too!
"The Lottery" was a spooky story, and I really didn't like it. It reminded me of Stephen King and the Twilight Zone. My mom told me she saw the movie in middle school, and it still scares her some times.
About halfway through the lottery was when I first started to realize something wasn't right. It's like watching a horror movie and knowing that the girl who just said "Bye!" to her parents as they drive away for the night is going to be in deep trouble once the sun sets and the phone rings... Ugh. It also reminded me of some kind of cult town, how they were all so civilized and then randomly starting to stone some one to death. Which is gruesome, but actually better than what I had expected to happen. It also reminded me of every day life. People might like you one day and then turn on you completely the next.
This is also kinda off topic, but when the town turned on Tessie, I immediately pictured her as Everett in a hairnet saying, "Damn! We're in a tight spot!" Over and over again.
All in all, I thought it was a creepy story, and shall now move on to cheerier posts. And Megan is here in one week too!
O' Brother, Where Art Thou?
Well, as far as movies go, "O' Brother Where Art Thou?" has always been one of my favourites, from the R-U-N-O-F-T-D to the Toad squashing. I simply never have linked it to "The Odyssey" before. And there are a lot of similarities!
Similarity number one is Big Dan T! compared to the Cyclopes. In the movie, Big Dan wears an eye patch over one eye, attacks Delmar and Everett, and then procedes to squash Pete the Toad (This part of the movie is priceless). Also, there's another similarity with this as well (the burning cross), but I don't wanna spoil that part.
The second parallel is "Them syreens who loved him up and turned him into a... horny Toad." The three women at the river washing clothes seduce Pete, Everett, and Delmar with their singing, but instead of drowning the guys, they plan on turning them in to the Police. Also to go along with this is Circe. In "The Odyssey", Circe turns Ulysses' men into pigs after they drink her wine and eat her food. In this case, dear ol' Pete gets turned into a horny Toad, according to Delmar.
Another similarity is when George “Babyface” Nelson is fleeing from the cops and begins to shoot the cows because he hates cows. This could be related to the killings of the oxen of Helios, god of the sun. Also, the Devil man and his hound are like Neptune, constantly tracking the trio down. Another thing is that Everett's wife is named Penny, short for Penelope.
Ulysses Everett McGill (I am going to make Monika name her next cat that) also shares many personality traits, such as diplomatic sweet-talking, high intelligence, leadership skills, and his ability to talk himself out of tight spots... and now I'm laughing about the barn thing. Also, Pete and Delmar are like Odysseyus' crew, because they are so loyal to him, even after he steals from Pete's kinfolk. Last, but not least, suitors are after both Everett's and Ulysses' wives and both men return to their wives in disguise.
Similarity number one is Big Dan T! compared to the Cyclopes. In the movie, Big Dan wears an eye patch over one eye, attacks Delmar and Everett, and then procedes to squash Pete the Toad (This part of the movie is priceless). Also, there's another similarity with this as well (the burning cross), but I don't wanna spoil that part.
The second parallel is "Them syreens who loved him up and turned him into a... horny Toad." The three women at the river washing clothes seduce Pete, Everett, and Delmar with their singing, but instead of drowning the guys, they plan on turning them in to the Police. Also to go along with this is Circe. In "The Odyssey", Circe turns Ulysses' men into pigs after they drink her wine and eat her food. In this case, dear ol' Pete gets turned into a horny Toad, according to Delmar.
Another similarity is when George “Babyface” Nelson is fleeing from the cops and begins to shoot the cows because he hates cows. This could be related to the killings of the oxen of Helios, god of the sun. Also, the Devil man and his hound are like Neptune, constantly tracking the trio down. Another thing is that Everett's wife is named Penny, short for Penelope.
Ulysses Everett McGill (I am going to make Monika name her next cat that) also shares many personality traits, such as diplomatic sweet-talking, high intelligence, leadership skills, and his ability to talk himself out of tight spots... and now I'm laughing about the barn thing. Also, Pete and Delmar are like Odysseyus' crew, because they are so loyal to him, even after he steals from Pete's kinfolk. Last, but not least, suitors are after both Everett's and Ulysses' wives and both men return to their wives in disguise.
Monday, October 4, 2010
A Good Man is Hard to Find
"A Good Man is Hard to Find" was not my favourite short story. The grandmother was okay in some parts of the story, like when she was talking with The Misfit at the end, but other than that, I couldn't stand her anymore than any of the other characters. June Star and John Wesley were absolute BRATS (especially when the lady at Sammy Red's told June Star she was cute and how she would love to have a little girl like her) and the mom and dad just didn't seem to care much about anything. The grandmother seemed kind of racist as well when she told the story about her suitor, Mr. Edgar Atkins Teagarden, and how he left her the watermelons. When she said how the little African-American boy ate the watermelon that said E.A.T. I felt she was making fun of him for what he did.
Therefore, I was pretty happy when they died at the end. Of course, no one deserves that, especially by murder, but of all the people that it could have been, I'm glad it was their family, since I hated the characters.
Therefore, I was pretty happy when they died at the end. Of course, no one deserves that, especially by murder, but of all the people that it could have been, I'm glad it was their family, since I hated the characters.
The Odyssey 9-12
One week until the British are coming, the British are coming!
The Odyssey reading went well this week as well. I liked Ulysses' adventures, he's so much more interesting than Telemachus (he's a few apples short of a bushel). My favourite part was when he went to Cyclopes' island. It reminded me of how you have the stereotypical horror movie in which it's a lovely fall day. A group of teenagers decide to spend that day exploring a haunted house after they accidentally throw a baseball through the front window, or see Sheep and food in Cyclops' cave. However, the smart person in the group (who is not Ulysses in this case) says, "Let's go, this place is bad and scary. If we don't get out of here with whatever we want, we'll be killed." No one, surprisingly, listens (if they did, no one would like the story due to a good plot line being taken away), and people get killed. Also, they don't get the baseball, or if they do, it's not until the very end. So what I'm basically trying to say is, Ulysses diplomatic tendencies get him in trouble in this chapter. His jeering at the Cyclopes, which Neptune apperantly adores and dotes upon, didn't help either, and Ulysses (who was a few chips short of a cookie) should have chewed his words before spitting them out.
My second favourite part was when Circe turned Ulysses' men into pigs. It sounded like something out of a Disney movie, with more description. When she turned them back, though, was even better. It was like she recycled the guys and turned them into stronger, faster, more youthful versions of theirselves. Therefore, Ulysses got a new bunch of sailors for free!
So the rating for books 9-12? Nine out of ten!
The Odyssey reading went well this week as well. I liked Ulysses' adventures, he's so much more interesting than Telemachus (he's a few apples short of a bushel). My favourite part was when he went to Cyclopes' island. It reminded me of how you have the stereotypical horror movie in which it's a lovely fall day. A group of teenagers decide to spend that day exploring a haunted house after they accidentally throw a baseball through the front window, or see Sheep and food in Cyclops' cave. However, the smart person in the group (who is not Ulysses in this case) says, "Let's go, this place is bad and scary. If we don't get out of here with whatever we want, we'll be killed." No one, surprisingly, listens (if they did, no one would like the story due to a good plot line being taken away), and people get killed. Also, they don't get the baseball, or if they do, it's not until the very end. So what I'm basically trying to say is, Ulysses diplomatic tendencies get him in trouble in this chapter. His jeering at the Cyclopes, which Neptune apperantly adores and dotes upon, didn't help either, and Ulysses (who was a few chips short of a cookie) should have chewed his words before spitting them out.
My second favourite part was when Circe turned Ulysses' men into pigs. It sounded like something out of a Disney movie, with more description. When she turned them back, though, was even better. It was like she recycled the guys and turned them into stronger, faster, more youthful versions of theirselves. Therefore, Ulysses got a new bunch of sailors for free!
So the rating for books 9-12? Nine out of ten!
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