Justice or Injustice ENG2D

McClintock, Norah. Taken. Victoria, B.C.: Orca Book, 2009. Print.

     The situation I have chosen is at the start of the book Taken.  The protagonist, Stephanie, lives with her mother and her mother's boyfriend, Gregg.  Stephanie's mother and Gregg both like each other, but Stephanie strongly dislikes Gregg.  She would rather have him out of her life than in it.  This results in a number of fights between Stephanie and her mother.  Even after all of the disputes, her mother continues to allow Gregg to live with her and Stephanie.

     The above situation serves as an example of injustice, yet assigning blame isn't an easy task.  Stephanie's mother is being selfish by disregarding her daughter's wishes.  However, Stephanie is disregarding Gregg and her mother's happiness by protesting their relationship.  In addition, Gregg does little better by moving in when Stephanie is evidently displeased by the action.  The lesson that can be taken from this situation is that, when in a fight, don't assign blame before considering your own involvement.

    

Identify and Sort ENG2D

McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print.

     In my opinion, the five most important elements of The Road in order of their engagement are as follows:

1. Mood
2. Conflict
3. Suspense
4. Setting
5. Plausibility

      I have chosen mood as the most important element because, without the mood of the story, the reader would not care for the Road's characters.  The Road is not a plot based book.  It tells the story of a father and his son's survival after a world wide catastrophe, relying heavily on their internal struggles.  Without such a heavy mood, the reader can not emphathize well with the characters.  This would lead to a lack of interest in the story as the main aspects of any fiction book are its plot and characters.  For example, here is a quote:

     "She held his (the father's) hand in her lap and he could feel the tops of her stockings through the thin stuff of her summer dress.  Freeze this frame.  Now call down your dark and your cold and be damned."  (McCarthy 19)

     It was hard (at least for me) not to have some amount of pity for the father after reading this.  The quote gave me the impression that, before the catastrophe, the father was a pretty happy guy.  Then, all of the warmth and comfort of his old environment were destroyed.  He was plunged into a new world, filled with a harshness that he had yet to experience.  This new empathy allows me to be further engrossed in the book as I now have a desire for the father to become happy once again.

A Bit About Me

     Probably, I spend more time looking for a good book to read than I do reading it.  Too much romance gets on my nerves, plot holes irritate me and poor characterization is unbearable.  On top of that, I'm quite cheap, always running to the library when I see a book I like.  Then, it's on to the waiting lists. Genre is one of the aspects of a book that I'm a bit more lenient on.  I prefer a story with a complex plot but, if there's a character I really like, I'll read just about anything.

     As for the last books I've read, I can't even remember them.  I do most of my reading on fanfiction.net and occasionally steal my mom's I-pad to go on Zite.  Both of these are good time killers but sometimes only because there are a lot of stories and articles that have to be shifted through in order to find one I like.  Since anything can be posted by anyone, there isn't always quality assurance.  However,  Zite, at least, does a fairly good job of filtering.

     When it comes to my favourite book, my choice isn't that unique.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will always be a favourite of mine.  Having been fond of the Harry Potter series since I was little, it seems only natural that this title should go to the concluding book of the series. The foreshadowing came together perfectly.  There wasn't much else that could have been done to add to it, in my opinion.  And, as stated above, I love a good plot.

Post #9

    
Picture from:  http://www.flickr.com/groups/cinematicworld/discuss/72157624743721193/

   
      As I've mentioned in my last post, The Book Thief doesn't start off in Liesel's ordinary world.  It brings World War Two to her, whether she likes it or not.  The story is told by Death's prospective and he does a fine job highlighting Liesel's problems:

"*** A SPECTACULARLY TRAGIC MOMENT ***
                        A train was moving quickly.
                        It was packed with Humans.
          A six-year-old boy died in the third carriage". (Zusak, Markus. The book thief. United States: Random House, 2005. Print)

     Death is referring to Liesel's brother in this quote.  It was one of the beginning events of the book, clearly not part of Liesel's ordinary world. This event was more like the call to adventure, as it's a disruption as opposed to a typical event for Liesel.  And, because Liesel can't control her brother's death or where the train is going, she can't refuse her call to adventure.

     The meeting of the mentor was when Liesel met Hans Hubermann.  She starts out defiant, as she still missed her family, but eventually Hans taught her how to read and they developed a strong friendship.  Hans is a wise man and older than most, fitting the mentor category perfectly.

     As I've also mentioned in my last post, Liesel's family later hides a Jew named Max.  Liesel was pulled aside and warned not to tell anyone about Max by Hans.  I think this is when she truly crosses the threshold, as she heeds Hans' warning and puts herself in danger by doing so.  That action alone shows that she is willingly involving herself in the war, unlike her habit of steeling books.

      Liesel's journey isn't typical.  She is giving less control in it then I think most protagonists are.  However, despite this when she is granted a choice she takes it and does whats better for Max as opposed to herself.  The Book Thief, in my opinion, is a perfect example of straying off the path to something better.    

Post #8

            Picture:  n.d.  Ellijay holiday cabin.  2011.  Ellijay, Georgia.  homeaway.  15 Dec 2011.     

     Liesel Meminger, the protagonist of The Book Thief, doesn't start out in her "ordinary world."  When the plot of the book begins to develop she is on her way to her foster parents along with her brother and mother.  After her brother dies and her mother leaves for a concentration camp, she is left on her own with her new family.

     It takes some time, but eventually Liesel adjusts to life on Himmel Street.  She befriends Hans Hubermann, her foster father, along with a boy named Rudy almost instantly.  The beginning of World War Two lurks in the background of Liesel's life as her family starts to struggle to make ends meet and Max Vandenburg, a Jew, turns up outside her door. Yet, things are still bearable.  Hans Hubermann still plays the accordion while Rosa Hubermann, her foster mother, still yells.

     Eventually, with lots of help from her foster father and thievery, Liesel learn how to read.  She turns to books when events become too much to handle, along with the days when they aren't.  Life might not be perfect for Liesel, but it could be a lot worse and she seems to know this:

"That summer was a new beginning, a new end.  When I look back, I remember my slippery hands of paint and the sound of Papa's feet on Munchin Street, and I know that a small piece of the summer of 1942 belonged to only one man.  Who else would do some painting for the price of half a cigarette?  That was Papa, that was typical, and I loved him."  (Zusak, Markus.  The book thief.  United States:  Random House, 2005.  Print.)

    For Liesel to be able to call something typical, she has to know how it usually behaves, so to speak.  In order for her to know that, she'd have to be around it long enough to observe and/or hear about it.  Besides, if Liesel wasn't familiar or comfortable with her foster father why would she say she loved him? 

     My conclusion is that  Book Thief doesn't take Liesel out of her ordinary world; it brings the horrors of war in.  Horrors, that someone like Liesel should never have to witness.

Post #7

                Why does Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, use digressions in his writing?
      I have read many books on the process of writing good fiction and a piece of advice I have found to be repetitive is that if something isn't relevant to the plot of your book it should be discarded.  The average reader doesn't typically care about the exact shade of red the protagonist's hair is or what type of juice they had for lunch.  This is why I find it intriguing that Markus Zusak chose to use digressions in his writing.

Here's an example of two from The Book Thief:

"***THE ONLY THING WORSE THEN****
              A BOY WHO HATES YOU
                   A boy who loves you.
                           (Zusak 52)."

                                and

"***A GUIDED TOUR OF SUFFERING***
                         To your left,
                    perhaps your right,
            perhaps even straight ahead,
           you find a small black room.
                      In it sits a Jew.
                        He is scum.
                      He is starving.
                       He is afraid.
           Please-try not to look away.
                       (Zusak 138)"

   My theory is that Markus Zusak isn't only aiming to advance the plot of The Book Thief when he writes these digressions.  The book took place during Hitler's rise to power, a time filled with extreme emotion for most.  Setting the mood in The Book Thief would be important to the readers if they were to truly understand what was going on in the story.  I believe that's what the digressions are for.  Whether they're giving the reader a piece of the German culture during the second world war or poking fun at an event in the story, after the digressions are read the reader is left with something more than just plot.

     It's no wonder that The Book Thief  is a bestseller

White, Trudy.  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  2005.  http://butterybooks.com/bookclubpartyideas/the-book-thief-markus-zusak/.  Web.  1 Dec.  2011.


For the lack of a better image to represent my question: 

Post #6

     "He accused me of being "Dumbledore's man through and through,"."

     "How very rude of him."

     "I told him I was."

     Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again.  Behind Harry, Fawkes the phoenix let out a low, soft, musical cry.  To Harry's intense embarrassment, he suddenly realised that Dumbeldore's bright blue eyes looked rather watery, and stared hastily at his own knees." (J.K Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood prince 334)

     This part of the book shows us that Harry Potter, the hero of the Harry Potter series, proudly follows Albus Dumbledore.  Generally, when someone follows someone they do it because they assume it will help them; this is what makes me believe that Albus Dumbledore is a mentor (as mentors are known for helping the hero).   However, this isn't the only action that links Albus Dumbledore to that archetype.  Albus Dumbledore is an older man, as most mentors are, with exceptional wisdom.  Also, before the above quote, Albus Dumbledore was about to teach Harry Potter in the hope of helping him on his journey (to defeat Voldemort).  Some might argue that that was done for a selfish reason; I personally don't think that matters.  It is a mentor's purpose to aid the hero and through the whole Harry  Potter series that is what Albus Dumbledore did.

Side Note:  It has been pointed out to me that Albus Dumbledor is also a bit of a shape shifter.  I have to agree with that now that I have read The Deathly Hallows.  Albus Dumbledor wasn't always good.  He used to help the previous dark lord gain power.  Then, there is the small fact that he neglected to inform Harry that he had to die in the end.