I am currently reading Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. I'm only up to around page 45, so I don't know much about the conflict or themes in the book yet. The author did give little hints on what they might be, and a big event already happened, but mainly Picoult is just introducing a lot of characters. In this blog post, I'd like to talk about a little about two characters we meet in the beginning.
The first character we meet is Alexandra Cormier. She is a lawyer but from how the author describes her setting and other events happening around Alex, it seems as if Alex isn't the typical lawyer. The author starts off the book by saying that Alex was running late to work. When I picture someone running late, I picture their hair all messy, their shirt half on, having one shoe on, being unorganized, etc. I wold think that if she was a lawyer, that there wouldn't be this kind of situation. So, I think the reason Picoult started off saying that Alex was running late was to show that she's not the typical kind of lawyer. I wouldn't exactly say that it's in a bad way, but I'm not really sure how to explain it. I think the best way to describe her would be that she kind of reminds me of a teen who's pregnant. Inexperienced I guess? Again, I'm not really sure how to explain it, but I don't think Alex would be a bad kind of character later on in the book.
The next character we meet is Josie Cormier, Alex's daughter. From what I read, at first I didn't really like Josie's character. But when I was reading the blurb, it said that Josie was going to be the "state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened before her very own eyes - or can she?", so I'm predicting that Josie will be going to go through a hard time later on in the book. So basically, I think that Josie's character will change and become more grown up. But the reason why I didn't like Josie's character at first is because she was the kind of girl who tried to hard and cared too much about impressing people around her. On page 6, it said that "Josie thought of her life as a room with no doors and no windows... a room half the kids in Sterling High would have given their right arm to enter...there wasn't really an escape." It also said that Josie was "either someone she didn't want to be, or someone who no body wanted. These lines show that Josie tries to be someone she's not, and I think the author was trying to say that the kids at Sterling High wanted really badly to see how Josie would "suffer" I guess. They kind of want to look at Josie's really self and wanted to see how she really acted. I'm not sure if this is what the author really meant though. Another line also stood out to me: "The problem was, when Josie looked in the mirror, she noticed what was underneath that raw skin, instead of what had been painted upon it". This line says that Josie can only see her real self and not what others though of her. I really liked that about her. But then what made me dislike her as a character again were these lines: "she understood what she was supposed to look and supposed to act". The author then said what she wore, how she looked like, how she "liked feeling the eyes of other girls in the school" on her, how she "liked having guys stare at her when she walked down the hall with Matt's arm around her", etc. These lines, again, showed that she looks and acts how she thinks she's supposed to an shows that she likes the attention. I admit that we all do like attentions sometimes, but I feel like Josie works too hard for it and is somewhat desperate.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Blog Post # 18: The Maze Runner
I still have a few more chapters in The Maze Runner. In this blog post, I'd like to talk about the themes in the book, what the author wants the reader to think, feel, and know. In my most recent blog post (# 17), I talked about how my ideas connected to life and what the events taught us about living in the world. To briefly recall, I talked about how Ben's banishment showed the need for self-control and how there are no second chances in life. As said in that post, we need to control what we say and what we do to have order. And if we don't have order we make mistakes, and there are no second chances. Like in the book itself, the Keepers always stressed about having "order". Always doing what was told, following the rules. Therefore, I think the theme based on these ideas would have to be to be orderly and systematic in life. One point I'd like to make though is that the book doesn't necessarily "revolve" around this theme, like it may would around other themes. I feel that this theme is a very small one, but I still think it's important to the book, and still applies to the book. I think I remember once in the book where one of the Keepers said that if there was no order, then they wouldn't have survived for two years in the Glade. I think it also goes for the real world. If we didn't plan things out, have laws, ways of doing things, etc., the world would be chaotic. I believe that order is key to the world.
Throughout the whole book, everyone in the Glade was brave. For the two years that they've been stuck there, they never got scared and panicked. Towards the end, when the Grievers would come at night, they would stand their ground. When they needed to physically fight off the Grievers, they were brave and did what they had to do. I think this is another small yet important theme because again, without the bravery they wouldn't have survived for so long. Bravery also kind of makes me think about the Gladers working together. They helped each other get through things, helped comfort each other when needed to, and just basically lived and worked together. I think that yet again, without that team work they wouldn't have been able to live through the next day and the next.
One big theme I realized was present in the book was trust. When Thomas first entered the Glade, he didn't know who to trust, he didn't know anybody and his memory had been wiped out. But it actually turned out that he was able to trust the others pretty quickly and that made me realize why. He was able to trust others quickly because that was the only way. There was no one else he could really count on and they had been there longer than he has. He had no one else to turn to, and even though some turned out to seem really mean at first, like Gally and Alby, he didn't exactly make enemies with any of them because again, they were all in fact on the same side, the same boat, no where else to go. In the middle, the Keepers had lost a little of their trust on Thomas because weird things were happening after he arrived.Thomas had to gain it back quickly because without it, he wouldn't been able to go anywhere, and probably the rest of the Gladers couldn't have gone anywhere either. The author writes this to show that trust is important. We need that trust to help us communicate with people to move forward in life. And sometimes, not having the trust is also important, will also help us move forward in life. I was watching the show Criminal Minds the other day, and in every episode, they have a quote said in the beginning of the episode and at the end of it. When I was watching it, the quote at the end was "you may be deceived if you trust to much, but you will leave in torment if you don't trust enough". So basically it means you have to have the right about of trust: can't trust too much and can't trust too little because either way, you'll "suffer". I think trust is a very important and good theme to make in this book.
Throughout the whole book, everyone in the Glade was brave. For the two years that they've been stuck there, they never got scared and panicked. Towards the end, when the Grievers would come at night, they would stand their ground. When they needed to physically fight off the Grievers, they were brave and did what they had to do. I think this is another small yet important theme because again, without the bravery they wouldn't have survived for so long. Bravery also kind of makes me think about the Gladers working together. They helped each other get through things, helped comfort each other when needed to, and just basically lived and worked together. I think that yet again, without that team work they wouldn't have been able to live through the next day and the next.
One big theme I realized was present in the book was trust. When Thomas first entered the Glade, he didn't know who to trust, he didn't know anybody and his memory had been wiped out. But it actually turned out that he was able to trust the others pretty quickly and that made me realize why. He was able to trust others quickly because that was the only way. There was no one else he could really count on and they had been there longer than he has. He had no one else to turn to, and even though some turned out to seem really mean at first, like Gally and Alby, he didn't exactly make enemies with any of them because again, they were all in fact on the same side, the same boat, no where else to go. In the middle, the Keepers had lost a little of their trust on Thomas because weird things were happening after he arrived.Thomas had to gain it back quickly because without it, he wouldn't been able to go anywhere, and probably the rest of the Gladers couldn't have gone anywhere either. The author writes this to show that trust is important. We need that trust to help us communicate with people to move forward in life. And sometimes, not having the trust is also important, will also help us move forward in life. I was watching the show Criminal Minds the other day, and in every episode, they have a quote said in the beginning of the episode and at the end of it. When I was watching it, the quote at the end was "you may be deceived if you trust to much, but you will leave in torment if you don't trust enough". So basically it means you have to have the right about of trust: can't trust too much and can't trust too little because either way, you'll "suffer". I think trust is a very important and good theme to make in this book.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Blog Post #17: The Maze Runner *Spoiler Alert*
I am continuing to read the book The Maze Runner by James Dashner. I would first like to talk about how my thoughts changed on the character archetypes. The hero is still unidentified, though starting from chapter 17, when he is trapped in the Maze with Alby and Minho, it feels that Thomas has turned into a hero. He first of all, saved Alby by almost risking his own life, and defeated four Grievers. But ultimately, I still predict that all the Gladers will be heroes. As I read on, we got introduced to Minho, another Keeper. I believe that even though there are many Keepers in the Glade, the ones who talk to Thomas and walk him through and teach him are the real mentors, such as Newt, Alby, and Minho. For the shadow of the book, I don't think it's the Changing anymore because I find out later that people only go through it if they've been attacked by a Griever, which Ben did. I still don't know an actual person who might be the shadow, but I still think it's possibly the Glade and the Maze. as for the shape-shifter, I think I know for sure what it may be. There's actually no shape-shifter and I think it's because the two different sides are very clear and direct. The Gladers are innocent teens who have no idea where they are or how to get out while the "bad side" may be the Creators. According to Newt and Alby that's who made this horrifying place.
Mainly in this blog post, I'd like to discuss my character's (Thomas) archetypal journey. I think there were many positive people and events that impacted Thomas. Even though some may be mean, or never serious with him (for example, Gally) I think that everyone was a good person. They're all Gladers, they're all there because of the same reason, and basically, they're all at the same position. No one is an enemy towards anyone because in order to survive in the Glade they have to work together and get along. Events that may have impacted Thomas were when he learned about the way things worked around the Glade. One example would be that when Alby gave Thomas his tour around during the second day he arrived, Alby demanded absolutely no questions asked until the end. The author didn't point this out, but what I think this teaches me about living in the world is that you have to be always moving. You don't have time to stop and ask questions in life, and sometimes, you have to go with the flow. Questions equal uncertainty which equals confusion which then equals not being able to move forward. It may not have been pointed out by the author, but this part made me realize this.
Again, I don't think there are any negative people in the Glade, but a negative thing would obviously have to be the scary Grievers as well as where this story is set: the Glade/ the Maze. The Maze is definitely a scary concept to think about: only the best of the best will find their way around the Maze, it changes (course) every night, for two years no one has figured a way out yet, etc. One very important event that really stood out to me was Ben being banished. To recall, Ben was the kid who had to go through the changing. I think Thomas described him as being one or two years younger than him. Thomas was wandering around the woods once (around chapter 11) and Ben had tried to attack him. Ben was claiming that Thomas is a bad person and Thomas described him as looking like an uncontrollable beast. A little later on, Chuck tells Thomas that Ben is being Banished for trying to kill Thomas (page 88). The whole chapter 14, Thomas described what he saw in front of him as the Keepers took a collar attached to a long pole, and put the collar around Ben. Ben was then thrown into the Maze, just before the doors shut tight for the night. I think this is a negative event that impacted Thomas because it made him feel guilty at first, like he was the reason why Ben had to be banished. But it wasn't Thomas' fault at all. I think what this teaches me about living in the world is that you have to have self-control. You need to control your own actions, what you say, etc. If you don't, then everything will just be bad for you. Ben's banishment also shows that there are no second chances in life. Second chances are only for the lucky ones. While the Keepers were getting ready for Ben's banishment, Ben was pleading to be given a second chance. His banishment teaches me that you have to get things right the first time. Sure, everyone makes mistakes, but that would take us back to self-control, back to what you choose to do and not to do, just like in Ben's situation. I think this is a fantastic event to show us these two important life lessons.
I don't want to talk about how Thomas changed/ what he's learned/ what he accomplished overall just because I haven't finished the whole book yet. But I would like to talk about those things, after he got trapped in the Maze with Alby and Minho. I'm up to page 143 right now, so they still haven't got out yet, but Thomas did accomplish a few things mentioned before: he risked his own life for Alby and defeated the Grievers. Because of these events I think he has changed emotionally, mentally, and physically. To start off, I think he changed physically because he was doing tons of running in the Maze, the strength he used to tie Alby up on the stone walls, the strength he used to climb/ swing back down to the ground, etc. He built up stamina, momentum, and especially endurance while trying to escape from the Grievers. I look up to him for that because he's really young, maybe a little older than me. And probably before he's never done so much running in his life. The most important changes were the mental and emotional ones. He changed mentally because he had to think of a quick way to hide from the Grievers. He not only had to think of himself but Alby as well because he was down. Thomas knew he couldn't run like Minho told him to do because he knew he couldn't leave Alby. Again, I look up to him for that because he didn't of himself and also, he was extremely fast of thinking up a plan. Finally, he changed emotionally because after defeating the Grievers with the help of Minho, he broke down crying. This shows all the pain he endured, all the strength he used, and all the little risks he had to take. The crying also represents the emotional impact on him while he was sin the Maze. I wouldn't exactly say there were emotional changes, but definitely a lot of emotion involved.
I absolutely love this book because of the action put into it. It's definitely a page turner and gets you interested on every page. I'm not fully done with the book, but I already know it is one of my top favorite books of all time.
Mainly in this blog post, I'd like to discuss my character's (Thomas) archetypal journey. I think there were many positive people and events that impacted Thomas. Even though some may be mean, or never serious with him (for example, Gally) I think that everyone was a good person. They're all Gladers, they're all there because of the same reason, and basically, they're all at the same position. No one is an enemy towards anyone because in order to survive in the Glade they have to work together and get along. Events that may have impacted Thomas were when he learned about the way things worked around the Glade. One example would be that when Alby gave Thomas his tour around during the second day he arrived, Alby demanded absolutely no questions asked until the end. The author didn't point this out, but what I think this teaches me about living in the world is that you have to be always moving. You don't have time to stop and ask questions in life, and sometimes, you have to go with the flow. Questions equal uncertainty which equals confusion which then equals not being able to move forward. It may not have been pointed out by the author, but this part made me realize this.
Again, I don't think there are any negative people in the Glade, but a negative thing would obviously have to be the scary Grievers as well as where this story is set: the Glade/ the Maze. The Maze is definitely a scary concept to think about: only the best of the best will find their way around the Maze, it changes (course) every night, for two years no one has figured a way out yet, etc. One very important event that really stood out to me was Ben being banished. To recall, Ben was the kid who had to go through the changing. I think Thomas described him as being one or two years younger than him. Thomas was wandering around the woods once (around chapter 11) and Ben had tried to attack him. Ben was claiming that Thomas is a bad person and Thomas described him as looking like an uncontrollable beast. A little later on, Chuck tells Thomas that Ben is being Banished for trying to kill Thomas (page 88). The whole chapter 14, Thomas described what he saw in front of him as the Keepers took a collar attached to a long pole, and put the collar around Ben. Ben was then thrown into the Maze, just before the doors shut tight for the night. I think this is a negative event that impacted Thomas because it made him feel guilty at first, like he was the reason why Ben had to be banished. But it wasn't Thomas' fault at all. I think what this teaches me about living in the world is that you have to have self-control. You need to control your own actions, what you say, etc. If you don't, then everything will just be bad for you. Ben's banishment also shows that there are no second chances in life. Second chances are only for the lucky ones. While the Keepers were getting ready for Ben's banishment, Ben was pleading to be given a second chance. His banishment teaches me that you have to get things right the first time. Sure, everyone makes mistakes, but that would take us back to self-control, back to what you choose to do and not to do, just like in Ben's situation. I think this is a fantastic event to show us these two important life lessons.
I don't want to talk about how Thomas changed/ what he's learned/ what he accomplished overall just because I haven't finished the whole book yet. But I would like to talk about those things, after he got trapped in the Maze with Alby and Minho. I'm up to page 143 right now, so they still haven't got out yet, but Thomas did accomplish a few things mentioned before: he risked his own life for Alby and defeated the Grievers. Because of these events I think he has changed emotionally, mentally, and physically. To start off, I think he changed physically because he was doing tons of running in the Maze, the strength he used to tie Alby up on the stone walls, the strength he used to climb/ swing back down to the ground, etc. He built up stamina, momentum, and especially endurance while trying to escape from the Grievers. I look up to him for that because he's really young, maybe a little older than me. And probably before he's never done so much running in his life. The most important changes were the mental and emotional ones. He changed mentally because he had to think of a quick way to hide from the Grievers. He not only had to think of himself but Alby as well because he was down. Thomas knew he couldn't run like Minho told him to do because he knew he couldn't leave Alby. Again, I look up to him for that because he didn't of himself and also, he was extremely fast of thinking up a plan. Finally, he changed emotionally because after defeating the Grievers with the help of Minho, he broke down crying. This shows all the pain he endured, all the strength he used, and all the little risks he had to take. The crying also represents the emotional impact on him while he was sin the Maze. I wouldn't exactly say there were emotional changes, but definitely a lot of emotion involved.
I absolutely love this book because of the action put into it. It's definitely a page turner and gets you interested on every page. I'm not fully done with the book, but I already know it is one of my top favorite books of all time.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Blog Post #16: The Maze Runner
I am currently in the beginning of the book, The Maze Runner by James Dashner. It is about a boy named Thomas who is in an elevator and suddenly gets "transported" into a whole other world known as The Glade. He forgets everything except his name, even his last name. In The Glade, he sees a lot of people, ranging from different ages, from 13 to 17, all boys. The people we meet in the very beginning of the book already introduces us to the character archetypes, but I am still interested in reading further to learn more about each of them (the hero, the mentor, the shadow, etc.) because I can tell there's a lot more to them.
The hero of the book is still unidentified, though I thought it was Thomas at first because he is the main character. But I doubted myself on that because nothing has really happened yet to make him the hero. But because of so many people that are present in The Glade, who are just as confused as Thomas as to how to get out, I feel that in the end, all of them may be the heroes.
I believe that the mentor is pretty obvious right from the start: Alby. Thomas says that he thinks Alby is the oldest, because he looks the oldest. Also, he seems to be the leader of everyone because in the beginning, he kind of introduced The Glade to Thomas and helped made sense of some things for Thomas. He states that no questions to be asked until the next day, he was able to throw anyone off The Cliff, etc. He seems to symbolize knowledge and experience. But at the same time, there's two others that could also be the mentors under Alby: Newt and Gally. Newt is the nicer version of Alby who kind of seems playful, but at the same time, he seems to know his way around things. Gally is the meaner one who always taunts Thomas, but at the same time seems to know his way around just like Alby and Newt. Even though Gally is the meaner one, I don't think he would be so dark that he would be considered the shadow of the book. I think there are more bigger things than Gally, and also because Gally is just like Thomas: trying to figure his way around The Glade and how to get out, even though he has been here for a longer period of time.
The shadow is still very mysterious, but I think I have some ideas on who (or what) the shadow is. First off, Thomas has some acknowledgment of the Changing. He wasn't supposed to go into the room, told by Alby and Newt, but on page 20, he saw a horrible sight. He saw Alby and Newt surround someone supposedly named Ben and Ben looked beaten up with "sickly green veins webbed across the boy's body and limbs". He only saw a few seconds of him, but Alby immediately blocked the image and yelled at him to go away. Everybody, including Gally called it the Changing. I'm not sure what it is, because it definitely isn't "changing" into anything good. Another bigger shadow could be The Glade it self. When I picture it in my head, I think of a dark murky place, just like the cover may suggest. It definitely is a mysterious setting and it seems to hold a lot of secrets. Chuck (a smaller mentor who is the nicest to Thomas, who leads him around) keeps mentioning the Maze, but he won't tell Thomas what it is. Also, it's obvious that all these people, including Thomas are trapped here and still haven't a way out. There's also a gate/ door that Thomas was introduced to on page 25, and it opens in the morning, but closes tight at night. The Changing and The Glade and the Maze are obviously not good things/ places to be in.
As for the shape-shifter, I don't think there is one yet identified.
The hero of the book is still unidentified, though I thought it was Thomas at first because he is the main character. But I doubted myself on that because nothing has really happened yet to make him the hero. But because of so many people that are present in The Glade, who are just as confused as Thomas as to how to get out, I feel that in the end, all of them may be the heroes.
I believe that the mentor is pretty obvious right from the start: Alby. Thomas says that he thinks Alby is the oldest, because he looks the oldest. Also, he seems to be the leader of everyone because in the beginning, he kind of introduced The Glade to Thomas and helped made sense of some things for Thomas. He states that no questions to be asked until the next day, he was able to throw anyone off The Cliff, etc. He seems to symbolize knowledge and experience. But at the same time, there's two others that could also be the mentors under Alby: Newt and Gally. Newt is the nicer version of Alby who kind of seems playful, but at the same time, he seems to know his way around things. Gally is the meaner one who always taunts Thomas, but at the same time seems to know his way around just like Alby and Newt. Even though Gally is the meaner one, I don't think he would be so dark that he would be considered the shadow of the book. I think there are more bigger things than Gally, and also because Gally is just like Thomas: trying to figure his way around The Glade and how to get out, even though he has been here for a longer period of time.
The shadow is still very mysterious, but I think I have some ideas on who (or what) the shadow is. First off, Thomas has some acknowledgment of the Changing. He wasn't supposed to go into the room, told by Alby and Newt, but on page 20, he saw a horrible sight. He saw Alby and Newt surround someone supposedly named Ben and Ben looked beaten up with "sickly green veins webbed across the boy's body and limbs". He only saw a few seconds of him, but Alby immediately blocked the image and yelled at him to go away. Everybody, including Gally called it the Changing. I'm not sure what it is, because it definitely isn't "changing" into anything good. Another bigger shadow could be The Glade it self. When I picture it in my head, I think of a dark murky place, just like the cover may suggest. It definitely is a mysterious setting and it seems to hold a lot of secrets. Chuck (a smaller mentor who is the nicest to Thomas, who leads him around) keeps mentioning the Maze, but he won't tell Thomas what it is. Also, it's obvious that all these people, including Thomas are trapped here and still haven't a way out. There's also a gate/ door that Thomas was introduced to on page 25, and it opens in the morning, but closes tight at night. The Changing and The Glade and the Maze are obviously not good things/ places to be in.
As for the shape-shifter, I don't think there is one yet identified.
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