Reflection

I have very much enjoyed The Importance of being Earnest. I know my last blog post was also about this movie, but I found it to be fabulous.Anyways, another thing I've enjoyed are the group discussions. I like how relaxed they are, and we're given the time to talk to other people. However, at the same time, it's mildly difficult to have to write them down every time I read something new. Unfortunately, something I really don't enjoy is having to do blog posts weekly, and that they're due on Thursday as well. I have a terrible time reminding myself to do these because it's in the middle of the week. I really want to learn something about fiction in general. I know we've covered a lot about fiction(commercial vs. literary and that sort of thing), but I really want to know more about how commercial fiction sells so well. Even if it does appeal to things the public adores, surely eventually people get tired of it?

The Importance of Being E(a)rnest.

The Importance of Being Earnest is a movie I'm rather pleased I got to watch. Although it's a comedy, it's a very different sort of comedy than something like The Hangover or Family Guy. Despite these all being in the comedy category of films, it takes a much more brain activity to understand the humor in The Importance of Being Earnest. Popular culture has caused some change in the type of successful humor. Today, it tends to be very silly and straightforward. That's not to say that subtle jokes and innuendos don't exist anymore, but they're just not used as often. Although films/plays such as  The Importance of Being Earnest are still popular, it's probably very rare that kids talk about it. It's common to hear people talk about films like Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises, but you rarely think about any old films. I'm like this as well; I'd have a hard time naming just one old movie. I wish people would watch older films more often, since they're a little bit harder to understand, they might become a thinking experience as well as entertainment.

School Funk now a perfume. Driving people crazy.

Although perhaps most well-known as a common weapon of Mark Twain, satire has been used since ancient times. Civilizations like the Greeks and Egyptians even used them. One of the more intriguing parts of this literary technique is that it combines humor and criticism into one. By themselves, these two things can produce some strong emotions in people, and by fusing them together, the reader is allowed to experience both of this emotions. Satire's intention may be to correct a human fault, but it may only be able to correct it in small doses. These days, I bet most of satire posses little criticism, and a lot of humor. Too many negative aspects in satire in today's world has lead to actual violence, and while something satirical could probably be said about that, it's a good idea not to say anything on it. While our group came up with a bunch of different satirical headlines, I realized something: most of these would be considered "inside" jokes, so I suppose that is something to watch out for, satire's got to be made for the entire population, not just a select group.

The Facts of Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice is a delightful book about two people who fall in love with each other, but meet obstacles to their love. In short, the book is similar to a soap opera. And no one likes soap operas. Although I'm not entirely sure if that falls under the soap opera genre. The main couple only goes through one trouble. I believe in soap operas there are multiple trials in order for the couple to be finally united. However, Elizabeth and Darcy come together soon after they recognize their own faults and correct them. This isn't just a bash of Jane Austen's work though. She expertly weaves together various couples together. For example, Lydia and Wickham, Charlotte and Collins, and Jane and Bingley. Although Mary isn't married, she also rarely has an impact in the story, which is similar to Kitty's role in the novel. Anyways, Austen also does an excellent job in describing her characters. They're all very fleshed out and real. The behavior for both genders is accurate for the time period. I wouldn't suggest this novel unless you're the type of person who really enjoys a slow romance. The two don't actually fall in love with each other until around the midpoint of the story. 

Where I like to read

There aren't many of my friends that enjoy reading. At least, if they do, they haven't told me. Most do reading simply because they have to. I'll be honest, I love books, but only some of them. I really like any kind of fiction, but there are some really good nonfiction books out there as well. I'm sorry to textbooks, but they don't make the cut. Ever. Anyways, one of the most important things to be able to read a book is the environment. It's not all about how the book was written, there's tons of factors from the surroundings. For me, I can read a book for hours on end, but I have to be comfortable. I mean, it's kind of hard to focus on reading while doing push-ups. I really find my bed to be nice, even though it's a really easy place to fall asleep in, it's a really good test of the book. If it's interesting, I won't fall asleep; if it's not, I will. Too easy. The only problem I have about reading for a long time is that your body tends to fall asleep. I don't mean your brain, but your feet and legs and such. It's really annoying to have stabbing pains going throughout your body while trying to read. Does anyone else feel that or is it just me?

Done with common app! For now.

Perhaps the most exciting thing I've done so far in my life is apply for college. It is probably also the most difficult thing I've ever had to do. Fill out application, write essays, make myself look good, and remember to meet deadlines. Ask teachers for recommendations, I gotta do all of this. Fortunately, I'm proud to say, I am done for the next few days! No more essays, thoughts about college, or worries about deadlines! I don't need to stay up late to read through my essays over and over, or write about my activities. I actually get to go to sleep on the same day that I woke up on. I've gotten about three more white hairs from this, and it'd be nice to get any more. I suppose I don't really care about how white my hair turns, but it is irritating how people make it sound it's my fault for having those white hairs. But anyways, this post is more of a celebratory post for not having to labor over the common application for a little bit. Although to be honest, I'm glad the U.S. has this method for applying to college. My parents told me about Chinese college, where you get one chance to do really well on a test. That sounds so terrible. What if you failed? Goodbye college?

That Awkward Moment when...

You marry your mom and have kids with her.Yup, hello Oedipus. Congratulations, you have just created one of the most complicated family trees ever. I was talking about it with my group when we realized exactly how confusing it was. While he was her son, he was also her husband and father of some of her children. The kids are normally just his children. However, if you think about it, they're also his half-siblings.Right? Think about it, while he is Jocasta's husband, he is also her son. And those children of his...are also her sons. So therefore, Oedipus and his sons are both sons of Jocasta, making them siblings. However, they're not full siblings since Laios wasn't the father. Therefore, they have to be half-siblings. Anyways, more about Oedipus, he seems to have a little anger issue. He doesn't blow up at people in public, but it's obvious he really loses it when having private meetings. He pretty much accuses his brother-in-law/uncle about Teirasis's words. These are just my observations of Oedipus as person so far. I'm sure new things will arise as I continue reading about his quest to lift the plague of Thebes.

The Thesis:A More Engimatic Mystery than Theme

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how themes were incredibly confusing to identify. I have found a superior mystery.The thesis. As I said in a previous post, themes are difficult because there's just so many of them. However, there's only one (maybe two) that could really be called the main theme. Anyways, I'm getting myself distracted. The reason why thesis..es or theses, I don't know which one it is, is because they require actual writing. It's not like a theme, where you can read the story, think, and come up with at least one. Oh no, you generally have to read a story, think, and write something decent and preferably intelligent. That last bit is the most difficult. As we went over it in class, Mr. Mullins told us that theses didn't have magic formulas. Unfortunate. For a math and science nerd to be told that, it's kind of depressing. However, to make up for that, I've tried to look up online how to write a better thesis. There are 3 main types of essays that require a thesis expository, analytical, and argumentative. They're all nonfiction, so if you're ever writing a fictional story, good news, you don't need a thesis. Basically I think, if a thesis ends up being a simple sentence, it's probably wrong or as IU calls it "weak". 

http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/1/

God of Small Things

God of Small Things is one of the oddest books I have ever read. To be honest, I really don't recommend it. It's actually based off of a real town from where the author is. However, the plot of the book is incredibly strange. I know this is a literary book, but compared to some of the other ones that I've read; this one is a bit weak. I think it just lacks the insight of something like American Gods. It's not that American Gods didn't have creepy/disturbing moments. It's just God of Small Things is much creepier, as well as confusing. Even if it does start in media res(look at the English vocab!), it's practically impossible to recognize when it flashes back.
This book also uses extremely confusing names for people."Baby Kochamma" is just one of the names in the novel. And even if it sounds like this woman is young, she's not. She's one of the oldest characters mentioned in the novel. While I admit that this book brings up ideas like unconditional love, trust, and home, it's far too weird for my taste.

Existentialism?

Existentialism. The start of my headache in English. From what I understood from the lesson is that people are only who they are through their actions. It doesn't matter what they say, actions are the only thing that describe a person. That's fundamentally what it is, right? While I may be perfectly fine with that, when this type of thinking is applied to everyone on the planet, it just doesn't make sense. Does existentialism mean that even actions from when I was a child still apply to me? Rambunctious, loud, mildly annoying. Ok. That may be true still, but that doesn't work for everyone. What if someone who committed a crime and wanted to turn over a new leaf? Are these people just known as criminals forever? How does existentialism even gain popularity with people? I can understand how scientific thinking could; it was practical. A person could go out, build something, test it, and be done. Something could be proved, disproved, or tested over and over. But all existentialism seems to be able to do is judge people. I'm this, you're that. Who cares? What's the purpose of labeling people? 

Biblical References

"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? is possibly one of the more depressing stories that I have read. It didn't seem so depressing at first, I just thought the girl wasn't the brightest for following some 40-year old man into his car. I mean, come on. Girl + male stranger will never result in love. Try pain and suffering. However, after going over it in class, I realized that she had been raped in her own home. That's just sick. Home is commonly thought of as a safe haven from the rest of the world.
At first a simple story about an unlucky girl, with a few readings, it can be turned into a religious representation. The old man is clearly painted as the devil, while the girl is seen as humanity as a whole. This leads to some disturbing thoughts. Does that mean all humans pretend to be tough when they're outside? And if this was a biblical reference, why is humanity abandoned?

Bank Robberies

The other day in class when we discussed "Hills Like White Elephants", people had no idea what operation the story had been talking about. I thought I had figured it out, but I was completely wrong. It was a highly embarrassing experience, considering how right I thought I was. A lot of people in class agreed that the operation the couple had been talking about was abortion. Yeah...not what I thought. My bright idea was that the lady had robbed a bank. Both Beccas wasted no time in making fun of me. How could someone get bank robbery out of a talk about abortion? My argument with them would have had a lot more logic if the couple had been even more vague, but no, I was an idiot. I misread possibly the most important line in the entire short story. Instead of reading that the man was saying, "It's a simple operation, Jig", I saw "It's a simple operation," Jig said. Two totally different things. I ended up thinking that Jig was the man and the woman remained nameless. I just wanted to clear that up in case anyone in my class started to think I was a complete weirdo.

Theme: An Enigma

Theme has always been one of the more difficult things for me to identify. A teacher can ask me to find plot, characters, main idea, or any other part of the story. Bam bam bam. I'll find it. Straight up. Tell me to find theme. I'll be sailing out on an wave of confusion. That's not to say I can't find the theme; I just get something different. I'd be fine with getting something different than what was normally seen, but I usually end up in the complete wrong direction. If there's a theme about trusting in friends, my theme will probably be about keeping everyone at arm's distance. I have no idea why this happens. I remember studying about Romeo and Juliet and how their lives fell apart. Other kids mentioned fate, love, or something else profound. I talked about how I thought it was a warning for others. You know, not to fall too deeply in love or something. I mean, the two did end up killing members of each of their families.

Sad plot endings

I don't think there's a real reason to have a sad ending to a story, unless there is going to be a sequel. In that case, I think any kind of ending is fine because you know that the ending you just read isn't really the ending. There's going to be more of the story afterwards. A prime example of that is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Sirius dies and that sucks. However, you know that it'll get better because there's a sequel where Harry cheers up.The Destroyers was just odd. The ending was terrible. The old man's house fell down and that's all. You don't even get to know if the old man discovers who broke down his house. I know that it's literary fiction, but what's the point in even writing literary fiction? Books are made for people to read them. If no one reads your book, what's the point of writing it?

That poor guy

Child by Tiger demonstrates what happens when a black man angers white society before people began to push for equality. Although I agree that Dick committed murder and should be judged for it, it's also pretty bad that a mob rode out and basically filled him with bullets. The first couple of shots were enough to kill him. And tying him to a tree just to shoot him some more is simply a waste of time and bullets. The mind is already gone. Because the mob never took him in for questioning, people will never know why Dick started killing people. It was very obvious that it was preplanned, as Dick went out and bought a gun. He specifically meant to use it on Christmas Day. He even told the children  that he had a "surprise" for white society on that day. It's probably a good thing the kids believed him, since he might have murdered them right then and there. He was very smart about hiding his anger. Many of the kids loved him, and even the adults thought Dick was a good man.

Most Dangerous Game

Although claimed by Zaroff to be exceedingly simple, tiger hunting is in no way simple. As Zaroff claims, a man just needs his wits about him and a high-powered rifle. There are several established ways to hunt tigers, but one man alone is not any one of them. Humans have used fire, nets, poison, and dogs to weaken tigers and more importantly, flush the tigers out. Tigers are difficult to spot in the grass and can kill before being seen. On some occasions, the hunter does not even need to kill the tiger by hand. By digging a pit and planting stakes at the bottom, hunters can avoid getting their hands dirty. Judging by Zaroff's personality, he most likely used a sacrifice to distract a tiger or killed one in its sleep. It would be nearly impossible to kill one with just a rifle.