Finally

At the beginning of this semester I was a reader who didn’t enjoy reading or have time to read. My interest towards reading wasn’t the strongest as I thought reading assigned by everyday classes was enough. I preferred not to read unless it was assigned or I absolutely had to read. Over the summers when I had more available time I enjoyed readying anything that was a mystery, it kept me interested and it wasn’t hard to stay focused.

                In elementary school I wasn’t very interested in reading as my mom pushed me to read it was not something I enjoyed doing. When I entered Middle School my mom often tried to emphasize the importance of reading as it would benefit me in my further career. With no hope left and as a last try, my mother introduced me to the Twilight Series in my seventh grade year.  I began reading every day of the summer anywhere on car rides, while on the tree house, and even trying to finish the last chapter after my mom had told me to sleep several times.

                Entering high school I noted the importance of outside reading which emphasized my everyday knowledge and reading speed for academic work. Starting my freshman year I encountered many mystery books that I liked and continued reading.  Sometimes reading can still be a struggle for me or even just making time for reading. Often times when I am not interested in the topic I struggle to focus, consequently I have to read the passage over and over again. Reading has become a strong interest for me and I have learned to find time to read and not use time as an excuse.

Coming to an End

Finishing The Dark Fields this week I realized various things about the character Eddie. When he goes through different situations, Eddie reacted in such ways that shocked me. Under situations of stress and blackouts Eddie begins to go to the extremes to pursue his dreams..
Eddie eventually begins running out of the drug, although he has sent form more to be made by a scientist. One late night Eddie stayed up working on stocks as he had come to a good point in life landing on any job he had preferred. As he prospers further he begins to urge more and more in his life. Finally, when everything is right the plan is in action, Eddie runs out of the drug to supply his life. He begins having blackouts, violent outbreaks, and in the end he is left at the verge to find whats best for him and how he will prosper.

Beyond impossible

This week I picked back up on the book ,The Dark Fields, By Alan Glynn. In the first few chapters Eddie Spinoal a complete loser who loses his girlfriend and can't seem to get his book written right decideds to bring his life back together. Eddie runs into an old friend, Vernon, who is rather successful and a "big guy in a suit."
Vernon listens to Eddie's story and decided he may be some help. Imagine a drug that made your brain fuction with perfect efficiency, tapping into your deepest resources of creativity and drive, realeasing all the passavie knowledge you'd ever collected.
Imagine a drug that made you so charmning that you could land any job you wanted. These are the lines Vernon recites to Eddie appealing to his emotions. Eddie at first refuses and then he thinks about it while returning back to his apartment. At first he dicides no but when he comes into trouble with the apartment owner he thinks why not? He takes the drugs and now we will see the effects of the drugs throughout the book!

Currently

Pages- 250

“See, unlike the rest of the free world, I didn’t get here by accident. And if your parents have you for a reason then that reason better exist. Because once it’s gone, so are you.”
While reading My Sisters Keeper this passage touched me the most becasue such a young child understand so much and it really effected my emotions. Anna is explaining how she came about and entered this world, how she wasent an accident but how her parents had planned her birth. She explains how she is different because her parents had planned for her to come to this world to save her sister and how she is different. This really effected me because Anna is such a young teen and for her to understand so much could effect her teen years.

Mothers emotions or Moral acceptance?

After reading on this week I wanted to analyze one of the main charecters of the story Sara. In My Sisters Keeper Sara plays the role of a mother to her two daughters Kate and Anna. She struggles in being a mother as she does not know what to do when one of her daughters lives is at danger and the other has no real life. Sara, a mother, has internal conflict in this book whether to support her daughter who does not have much time left to live, or love the daughter who she has forgten since the day she entered this world.
In todays socitey people are very judgmental and there are certain ideas that are morally correct verses not accepted in society. After reading and analyzing Sara's charecter I came to realize what Sara was doing to her younger daughter was morally correct. This just comes to show how far a parent can go to save, love, and protect their child. Sara is a great example of a mother who can go to any extent to save her daughter Kate, as far as making a young teen girl go through various operations to save the life of her sister, as far as making a young teen miss out on a childhood, as far as forgetting to love your child. So whats more important the emotions of a mother or moral acceptance of society?

Morally Correct?

This week continuing in My sisters Keeper I noticed some new themes that poped out to me on the page. Like most teenagers Anna is begining to question who she really is or who she realy is supposed to be. She begins thinking and she believes that she has always been defined in terms of her sister. At this age she begins to rebell and makes such a choice that rips her famiy apart and maybe even fatal consequenses for the sister she loves. In this part fo the book the author is examining what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, and a good person. As Anna a young teen rebels against her parents and decides to start a law case with her own parents her older sister is living her last moments in the vision of her family arguing.
While reading various questions came to mind is it right as a parent to push a child to such an extent just to save another child? Then again I thought of myself in the parents position and thought is it okay for a teen to try to discover themselves even if it destroys your family. The idea of using a child to save anothers over and over came to seem moraly incorrect to me as the child is not sure of what they are doing yet under times of stress what is morally correct?

Suffering for the life of my Sister

Reading ,My Sisters Keeper, by Jodi Picoult, I came to understand many themes that are illistrated in this book. Anna was a baby girl created and brought into this world, not to expeierence life but more importantly save her sisters life so that she could expeierence a longer life.
In this story the author portrays Anna as almost a "bad charecter" because she goes against her parents will of saving her sister. Throughout her life she has been using her body parts to save her sister but when she turns 13 there comes a turing point. When Anna is asked to donate her kidney to Kate she refuses because Kate will not be saved for long and she is also putting her own life at steak.
At the age of 13 Anna begins to think of herself and this may seem selfish but shes just a child who wants to live her own life. Anna has this urge insdie her to experience the greatness of life for herself. She starts a law suit against her parents, not wanting to donate her kidney. At this time Anna is portrayed as a selfish, cruel girl who cares little about her sister and family. Looking at it in Anna's persepective life is a beautiful thing that everyone should expeirence and using ones body parts is not a reason to bring them to life.
Anna a young girl goes through alot in the first few chapters, this all comes to show her inner charecter and desires of living a normal life.

Beyond Limitless

This week I was interested in reading the book, The Dark Field, by Alan Glynn. As I had heard much about the movie,Limitless, released several years ago I was interested in reading the book.
The book started off describing the main character and how he lives in a one room apartment, which seems to be too much for him. After losing his job once again, his girlfriend decides she does not appreciate his low life, leading her to leave him. Although the girlfriend stress was not on his mind anymore, he had to come up with ways to pay his one room apartment rent.
The main character, Eddie Spinola, spends much of his time outside of his apartment drinking at bars. Once his girlfriend leaves and he loses his job he is clueless, not sure what to do with his life. At a local coffee shop Eddie runs into an old friend who is rather successful. Of course Eddie was jealous! Comparing himself to his colleges he had made it nowhere while others were prospering in numerous ways. Eddies friend was a clever business-like gentlemen, who was willing to help Eddie, after hearing his tragic story.
After meeting with an old friend Eddie was ready to be successful again he was looking for a new path and all he needed was someone to guide him. In the end of this chapter Eddie's friend offers him a drug that could be magical that could open up all corners of his brain and make his life perfect and the drug is FDA APPROVED! The question is do the limits approve?

Diction Bingo

1.) Discussing the effects of passage, avoid referring to the way it affects "the reader" or "the audience" 
His clam, but intense attention to detail leaves readers intimidated yet expectant for the forth coming of his next step.
http://chieftian.blogspot.com/
2.)Avoid "he says" quote introductions
Baker said the lobby was filled with "towering volumes of marble and glass.
http://mariahsetymologyblog.blogspot.com/
3.)Don't say "this" without putting a noun or a noun phrase after it. 
this creates imagery for the reader of what the daily worker sees.
http://runskunkrun.blogspot.com/
4.)Avoid the verbs "use" and "shows"
The crisp words that are used in Catcher in the Rye depict that his emotions are like a closed box, not wanting to deal with issues that seem non-important to him.
http://readbetweentheblog.blogspot.com/

Practice Diction Analysis

In the excerpt from Nicholson Baker’s The Mezzanine, Baker’s business like figurative language characterizes the refined workplace which he describes. Baker describes the escalators themselves that rise to his office, “They were the free-standing kind: a pair of integral sins swooping upward between the two floors they served without struts or piers to bear any intermediate weight.” The careful diction used to describe the setting escalates an image in the readers mind. In addition, the escalators portray a controlled environment as the sun only shined in the “needly area” of the escalators. Although the escalators suggest a controlled and stiff environment the author recommends a rather welcoming and straightforward environment.

Currently

Pages- 109

1.) In Cormac McCarthy's novel The Road, the straightforward descriptions of the stripped wilderness give the text a minimalistic feel and forcing attention to the rare dialogue between the father and son.
http://norwegianwood329.blogspot.com/
2.) To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, uses the coarsely sophisticated literal language which accurately conveys the dialect of the narrator.
http://bookwormsfiresidereading.blogspot.com/2011/10/style-mapping.html
3.)Even more casually written is Jack Kerouac's On The Road, which incorporates a stream of consciousness that mirrors the complex workings of the narrators mind using words that are far less complicated.
http://charliebucket15.blogspot.com/
I liked all three of these sentences from different passages for many reasons. For example, in each of these passages the writers incorporated strong adjectives used to appeal to the senses.While reading these sentences I felt as if I was familiar with the story lines but in essence I've never read these books. The diction and adjectives immediately caught my attention making these sentences stick out to me!

Life Remains but the Extremes Come to an End

Finally finishing the book Surving The Extremes this week I came to realzie many things about various charecters and family conditions. In these chapters Dr. Kamler goes through various enviroments to treat patients who are survivng in hazerdous condtions.
In each chapter Kamler highlights the behavior of patients in different conditions. These behavior changes may include drinking human urine in the dessert, using mud to fix blooded wounds, eating animals to keep meat on the body. In all of these conditions that Dr. Kamler joins he learns various different things that he would have never learned in the normal hospital setting.
The book was overall enjoyable because the reader gets involved in dramatic medical condtitions that are not only intense but real life stories. In addition, the diction used appeals to the readers emotions and senses. When the patients where feeling extreme pains or undergoing dangerous conditions I could almost feel the pain the reader was trying to emphasize. Often times throughout the book patients were emotionally in trouble or influnced by a loss. When travlers were put at emotional danger the diction effected my emotions and I felt almost as if I had experienced a loss. Overall, reading this book gave me medical knowledge of how the body reacts in different extreme conditions and to what extent the human body can go to experince life.

The Burning Son (Repost)

Finishing the Desert chapter in surving the extremes this week I came to find that often times parents can make extreme decesions to ensure their childs safety.
In the desert chapter a family on vacation visiting the area decides to explore nature and get away from the modernized hotels. When reaching the desert the family decides to abandon their car and explore the great oppurtunity before their eyes. the father stays back in the car for a few minutes and the family including the son, daughter, and mother travel ahead and loose the father who travels behind. The father travels back to the car when the car stops functioning and his family is lost ahead he has no choice but to travel in the heat and save his wife and children. Day and night he travels under the burning sun without water and food, the love of his family urges him to continue each day. The mother on the other hand, works hard to protect her children killing animals and using plants to keep her children hydrated. The parents fight to meet each other in the desert but never find each other and in the end both the father and mother with the children are killed by the burning sun with no water or food for their body to build off of.
This passage from the dessert chapter shows what parents can do or what extent parents to can go to to save their children and keep them protected. The father puts his body at risk to save his family and in the send sacrifices himself for his children. Emotional attachment to family can lead people to extreme conditions puting their own health at risk under dangerous heat conditions.

Style Mapping

In this excerpt from Little Altars Everywhere, the author ,Rebbeca Wells, uses modestly harsh diction that is straight forward.The literal diction can portray a somewhat bitter and cinical atmosphere to the reader. The author describes the Girl Scouts outfits, " They bring out my worst features---fat arms and short legs. Mama tries her best to give that drab green get-up some style, but I just get sent home with a note because the glitzy pieces of costume jewelry she pins on me are against regulations."
Contrasting the opening of The Guns of August , Tuchman portrays a sophistacated view of regality that harmoniously prescribes a session of kings. The precise diction glorifies the seasoned May morning of 1910. The author further distinguishes the morning, "So gorgeous was the spectacle on the May morning of 1910 when nine kings rode in the funeral of Edward V11 of England that the crowd, waiting in hushed and black-clad awe, could not keep back gasps of admiration." Simlarley, in the passage from Eragon, Paolini uses vulgar diction to portray a meldious tune. The author describes the morning sun rise, " The sun rose the next morning with a glorious conflagration of pink and yellow. The air was fresh, sweet, and very cold." Many others choose different styles of writing making the writing comparable on different levels.

To what extent?

In surviving the extremes many outrageous events have occurred this far in the book. For example in the Jungle Chapter the young boy hurts his hand and mud is used to help the hand and soak the blood. In addition in the dessert chapter a young man is forced to drink the blood of a bad as well as drink his own urine when he is desperate. Also, in the outer space chapter another young man is left in the snow to die while speaking with his pregnant wife. These events in the chapters all come to show the extremes of human endurance and what humans can do to survive and how there minds begin to panic at the thought of death,.
The main theme of this chapter is to show how us humans have various body systems that are affected in different forms of nature and how far we can take it before our body goes into panic mode. In addition within these first few chapters we learn how a doctor can substitute equipment in these extreme environments to ensure patient health.
These chapters in the book also come to show what extent humans can go to gain knowledge on place that humans are not yet aware. In addition, doctors such as the author writing the book may go trips like this to gain experience. At the end of the day this comes to show what extents we can go to gain knowledge, experience, and where our curiosity can drive us.

Currently

Pages: 100

The wrist was caked in mud and dried blood, the hand drooping forward. I wanted to get a look at the car, but I knew that once I removed the mud it would start bleeding again. As we stood there surrounded by a crowd of adults and children of all ages, I spotted what looked like a clean rag in the sand and walked over to pick it up.

This quarter the passage above remains my favorite for many reasons. It comes to show how the Dr. of the book is willing to save lives and make the best of adventures. He has a positive attitude and trys his best to adapt to new locations and at the same time help humans and not put there endurance at test while in these new environments. Knowing that this book is based on real stories comes to show what some people can do to gain knowledge and experience.

Enviroment's nature of attitude

While reading over the past few chapters of Surviving the extremes I have found many things that draw to my senses but while reading through each of the chapters. While reading the attitude of a doctor in a new nature who is treating patients at the limits of human endurance stuck out to me the most. Throughout each chapter the doctor is taken to a new extreme area on a team project and required to live in unsanitary conditions to treat these patients and ensure their well being.
A New York City doctor who has much money is spending his life helping other people in unsanitary conditions when he could be living in a mansion. In addition to this, he learns to adapt to the new environments and the peoples way of life. In each different chapter the Dr. has a very positive attitude towards helping others and understanding their lifestyle.
Not only does Dr. try to adapt to new environments but he finds alternatives in these environments to help the people make this trip as successful as possible without medical endurance becoming a problem. Each new chapter is a little of a struggle for him at first but he learns about the new environments and receives a great experience while also helping others and also receiving knowledge that can be applied at the hospital at home.

Currently

Pages:150

She had given me precisely the same answer I get from non compliant patients in New York. The surgery had been two weeks ago. I wouldn't be surprised if the bandage had come off the next day. 

This passage from the book stuck out to me this week because it shows how the Dr. is comparing the different practices of medicine. For example, the New York hospital setting of medicine verses the Jungle setting of medicine. It comes to show how in both settings the Dr. is learning to adapt and how medicine can range from different settings. 

High Mountain Losses

Another chapter in Surviving the extremes that i read was titled high mountains. In the high mountains chapter various tragic events occur and unfortunate families suffer. The helpless travelers suffer to pursue their curiosity even leading to a death.
In the high mountains chapter the group is traveling up to the high mountains on this voyage the author is also involved. He talks of there travels up to the mountain and the struggles. In this chapter the group sets up a base camp with various pharmaceutical medications as well as medical equipment. As they leave from the base camp to higher altitudes and the cold snow falling causes numerous struggles for the team. At one point a team player becomes very sick and he knows of his death he then encourages other the team to go on and leave him behind to die. Although he was humble, he did have one request before dying which was communicating with his pregnant wife before his death. This sad chapter comes to an end with many deaths, tragic, and losses.

What can one do just to survive?

This week I continued reading in Surviving the Extremes and finally came to an understanding of the title. While reading the dessert chapter at first I was a little confused because this chapter did not include the doctor but was about another marathon runner.

In the dessert chapter a marathon runner starts off as a healthy runner along with the other runners. The runner who the author chose to write about was a man who was a road traffic officer during the week and trained often for this marathon. It was finally his day to shine and show his talent that he had worked on. Days after the marathon started the runner loses the group and is off to survive on his own.

He manages to survive off the food and water he had packed in his aid kit for a few days when no rescue helicopter was in reach. Days later the food and water supply began to run out and the suns rays were getting to the marathon runner. He was unsure of what to do he went hungry for a few days but still had a source of water to keep himself hydrated.

Water began to run out and he was desperate he knew if he did not get water he would die instantly under the sharp sun rays. As time goes on the runner is forced to drink a bats blood to keep himself alive this was a great example of what people can do to survive under the extreme conditions. Reading further I came to find that the runner went as far as drinking his own urine to keep his body from becoming dehydrated. These were great examples in the book that came to show what people can do to survive under extreme conditions in different environments. These passages were very visual and I was able to picture them due to the descriptions given by the author almost as if I were struggling along with the marathon runner.

The mud Cake Wrist or the Wester Doctor?

The wrist was caked in mud and dried blood, the hand drooping forward. I wanted to get a look at the cut, but I knew that once I removed the mud it would start bleeding again. As we stood there, surrounded by a crowd of adults and children of all ages, I spotted what looked like a clean rag in the sand and walked over to pick it up. All eyes followed my every step. The audience was far more intrigued by the western doctor than by the injury he was treating, Cuts they've seen before. I started wiping the wound. The boy watched carefully, still without expression, even when the plug of mud fell away in one lump and a pulse of blood spurted out. By the second pulse I could see that the cut was very deep, running straight into the wrist from the thumb side. I sued the rag for compression, placing it where the mud had been. From the liveliness of the bleeding and the dropped position of the wrist and thumb, I knew an artery and some tendons were cut. It was likely that the nerve running between them had been cut as well.
The passage above from Surviving the Extremes shows various thoughts going through Dr. Kamler's brain as he performers an everyday "mini" surgery in a new environment. Although Dr. Kamler adapts to the new location well and has a positive attitude through the surgery I feel as if he is finding the new environment a bit different, weird as well as stressful. Throughout the first few chapters Dr. Kamler shares his experiences and also his attitude and thoughts pertaining to the new environments that surround him.

Currnetly

Pages this week- 101
Pages this semester- 1313

The wrist was caked in mud and dried blood, the hand drooping forward. I wanted to get a look at the car, but I knew that once I removed the mud it would start bleeding again. As we stood there surrounded by a crowd of adults and children of all ages, I spotted what looked like a clean rag in the sand and walked over to pick it up.

This passage was my favorite from this week because it shows how Dr. Kamler learned to adapt in different environments. We can all connect to the situations when we are put under pressure by a live audience. Dr. Kamler describes his circumstance where he is forced to work under strict pressure of an audience trying to save a young boy in a new environment.

Doctor Anyone?

Last year in the class Biomed year two we were required to read the book called Surviving the Extremes. I wasn’t really interested in it much and we always had well over enough work to do for that class including labs and dissections. I finally decided to read the book this week as the description on the back drawled my attention.
Surviving the extremes is a true story that a doctor has written when traveling to many environments and curing different people. Some of these environments include Jungle, High seas, Desert, Underwater, High Altitude, and finally Outer Space.
In the first chapter Dr. Kamler a doctor from New York City is on an expedition with various other scientist. The doctor has accommodated on the trip to serve as the team doctor and watch over everyone’s health at the extreme conditions of weather, adaption, as well as lifestyle changes. Reading through the first few chapters I came to realize that Dr. Kamler is a doctor who is confident of his actions and can adapt to environmental changes. In addition, Dr. Kamler reacts to medical situations in different environmental areas very calmly as well as accurately. In other words in challenging locations and environments Dr. Kamler can pull of a medical procedure and treat patients. For example, as Dr. Kamler is in the Jungle a young Indian boy has cut his wrist open by mistake. Although the doctor does not have the right supplies needed nor the language needed to communicate with the young Indian boy he proceeds with the stitching and successfully reunites the boys wrist to one. The first few chapters focus on Dr. Kamler's attitude, nature, and adaption towards new environments. These new environments come to show and explore different medical options to the extremes.

Currently

Pride and Prejudice- Pages 150


Tell No One, Harlen Coben
My heart slammed into my throat. "Elizabeth!"
No answer. The panic rose. I fell off the raft and started swimming toward the dock. But my strokes were loud, maddeningly loud, in my ears.

After analyzing my four currently blogs the sentences above from the book Tell No One by Harlem Coben still appeal to my senses the most. These sentences when rereading the blogs are my favorite because they appeal to my five sense, I feel as I can connect with the character and visualize his thoughts. In addition, I feel as any reader could connect with these sentences because we all have been through situations in which our heart is excitingly beating, and we put ourselves in pain or risk to save our loved ones. The sentences above written by Harlen Coben are short yet very descriptive and enough to appeal to a readers senses.

Total Pages This Semester-1212
Total Pages This Week-150

True Colors

As I had wrote in my post yesterday Mr. Collin is a new character in the story bringing about a climax. The intentions of Mr. Collin were revealed in the excerpts I had read today from Pride and Prejudice.

Mr. Collin has come to the Bennet house because he has his eye on Mr. Bennet's money as well as property. In this society or time period it is important to know that property was only to be inherited by a male therefore Mr. Collin saw it appropriate to marry a daughter from the Bennet household in order to entail the Bennet property. The intentions of Mr. Collin shows how often in this time era greed was a major vice rather it be in marrying a women for her fathers property or steeling.

After being turned down by Elizabeth, Mr. Collin has no one to marry in the Bennet house hold. Weeks later a further shock reaches the Bennet house hold that the Lucas daughter has married Mr. Collin. Elizabeth is very confused of why Charlotte would do such a thing of marrying Mr. Collins. Charlotte explains to to Elizabeth that it was important for her to marry because of her financial situation. This is another difference in time era shown in the book. Often in this era women would marry at younger ages due to family financial situations as this is less likely to happen in today’s society. In Pride and Prejudice often times comparisons are shown from the time era the book was written in verses the time era and society today. The culture, family situations, and everyday lifestyles were very different as family life was much more valued in the era the book was written.

Mr. Collin the twist

Reading on in Pride and Prejudice the novel takes a different twist as well as introducing a new character who will play a role in affecting the Bennet family.

Over the weeks interactions between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet have led Mr. Darcy to notice Elizabeth Bennet. Mr. Darcy begins to fall for Elizabeth who still sees him as an arrogant, high class guy. While the love story of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth continues Jane Bennet deepens her friendship with Mr. Bingley. As their friendship continues Jane pays a visit to Mr. Bingley at his mansion. As she hikes on the way to the Bingley Mansion, Jane manages to get mud all over her dress. Reaching the Bingley mansion with a spattered dress, she is looked down upon by the snobby Miss Bingley, Mr. Bingley's sister. As Elizabeth had accompanied Jane on the trip, Miss Bingley notices that Mr. Darcy pays a lot of attention towards Elizabeth. This observation burns Miss Bingley as she looks down upon the Bennets as well as feels for Mr. Darcy.

Although Mrs. Bennet does not wish for Jane and Elizabeth to return so soon, the girls return and come to meet Mr. Collin who is visiting their household. Mr. Collin is a clergyman who has acts very different when described in the text. Mr. Collin seems to have odd intentions as he proposed to Elizabeth after knowing her for a short period of time. In this time era that Pride and Prejudice was written marriages and short proposals such as the one Mr. Collin presented were common yet the behavior of Mr. Collin around the Bennet daughters is strange. At this point in the novel I have come to find that in this time era settings and appeals to the senses are very different as well as culture. These factors play a major role in the story as well as the climax of the entrance of Mr. Collin.

Creative Sentence

Object: Golden Temple

Ornamentation- shiny, distant, beautiful, adorable, attractive, clean, bright, elegant, excited, artistic, graceful, goregous, precious, famous, spotless, poised

Setting- expensive, alive, powerful, fragile, gifted

Scale- immense, great, massive, broad, square, wide

Condition- Outstanding, beautiful, important, rich, real

Infer-admiring, calm, passionate, fanciful, adorable, amazed, appreciative, ardent, tranquilizing

In this image of the Golden Temple poised, elegant ornamentation, alive setting, immense scale, and rich conditions emphasize ardent and tranquilizing exuberance.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=harmander+sahib+at+night&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1R2SKPT_enUS425&tbm=isch&tbnid=9nzAsskJ6I0WSM:&imgrefurl=http://www.sikhnet.com/gallery/v/Gurudwaras/AmritKaur0408.jpg.html&docid=DtIpUYGXioAtlM&w=640&h=481&ei=QkB5ToeBBaHosQKK8fy0Aw&zoom=1&biw=1366&bih=530&iact=rc&dur=2&page=1&tbnh=153&tbnw=214&start=0&ndsp=11&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=158&ty=85

Currently

Pride and Prejudice: 151 pages

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

I admired this passage from Pride and Prejudice for various reasons. These sentences express Mr. Darcy's proposal of marrige to Elizabeth Bennet. These lines are significant because they symbolizes the transformation in Mr. Darcy's feelings. In the begging of the book Darcy classified Elizabeth as a women who was not "handsome enough" yet many chapters later Darcy classifies Elizabeth as "handsome enough" and asks for her hand. These lines show how charecters throughout the book learn to remove their Pride and Prejudice and love another for who they are.

Friday

Poem copied in Moleskin by Robert Bly

Waking from Sleep
By Robert Bly b. 1926 Robert Bly

Inside the veins there are navies setting forth,   

Tiny explosions at the waterlines,

And seagulls weaving in the wind of the salty blood.

It is the morning. The country has slept the whole winter.

Window seats were covered with fur skins, the yard was full

Of stiff dogs, and hands that clumsily held heavy books.

Now we wake, and rise from bed, and eat breakfast!   

Shouts rise from the harbor of the blood,

Mist, and masts rising, the knock of wooden tackle in the sunlight.

Now we sing, and do tiny dances on the kitchen floor.   

Our whole body is like a harbor at dawn;   

We know that our master has left us for the day.

Pride and Prejudice Results in Love

As I read on in Pride and Prejudice the story began to take a different twist. I had begun to feel like I was living in this era or time period in England because the author has done a great job of describing and including imagery.

The Bennets’ neighbors are the Lucas family. The Lucas family includes Sir William Lucas, Mrs. Lucas, and their children.  In the Lucas family the eldest daughter is Charlotte who is best friends with Elizabeth Bennet.  Just like Mrs. Bennet, Mrs. Lucas is also a gossip queen who is in search of a suitable husband for her daughters. The morning after the ball the two gossip queens unite to discuss the actions of Mr. Darcy as well as Mr. Bingley. As the two women discuss how Mr. Bingley viewed Jane Bennet to be gorgeous of all girls at the ball. Excitement had arisen in Mrs. Bennets mind as she thought of all the benefits for her daughter, Jane.  Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Lucas approach Elizabeth on her thoughts on Mr. Darcy as they had seen the two interacting the night before. Elizabeth explains that she will never dance with Mr. Darcy after his rude behavior the night before. Together everyone agrees that Mr. Darcy is too arrogant for the town.

As time goes on Mr. Bingley expresses additional interest towards Jane Bennet each day. In attempt to break off any ties between Mr. Bingley and Jane, Mr. Bingley’s sisters often visit the Bennet family.  Although, Jane is not affected by behavior of Mr. Bingley’s sisters she is not yet sure if Mr. Bingley is the one.  Elizabeth and Charlotte Lucas warn Jane that if she waits to long to express her feelings for Mr. Bingley he may not stay in town waiting for her. Meanwhile the love story of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth begins as they put their pride and prejudice to the side.

Prince Charming and his low class Princess

Elizabeth Bennett and Darcy the two main characters of Pride and Prejudice fall in love yet their character roles and places in society are of wide ranges. Elizabeth Bennett the second daughter out of five, portrays many different roles as well as skills that differ from others in her family as well as others that are a part of this era. For example, Elizabeth Bennett often shows her intelligence, honesty, and cleverness. In addition, the context of Elizabeth's words have came to show numerous times that Miss Bennett has the qualities and skills to converse, although often times examples have shown that her conversing can be sharp to judge others. As Elizabeth soon falls in love with Mr. Darcy, a character who portrays many different interest, she is forced to change her life style and make adaptions.

Darcy on the other hand is a character of higher social class and has a different basis of character. Mr. Darcy is the son of a wealthy family and has been brought up in different ways than Miss Bennett. Although of different class Darcy is the match for Elizabeth because like Elizabeth he possess many admired qualities and traits. These traits include, intelligence as well as cleverness. In addition, Mr. Darcy often has the tendency to judge people too quickly, just as he had done with Elizabeth.

Although the social status of a family plays a major role in this era, Elizabeth's and Mr. Darcy, have many character traits that are similar. As they begin to fall in love they learn to make adjustments with era of society as well as social status upbringings. Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth learn to put their Prejudice aside that they had both felt for each other when first meeting at the ball. In the end is it our Pride and Prejudice that leads us to a peaceful, happy, and gainful life?

Currently

Pride and Prejudice (152 pages)
Tell No One (5 pages)

Which do you mean?” and turning round, he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said, “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me.”
This passage from Pride and Prejudice was significant to me while reading for many reasons. For example, this passage come to show how at the ball Darcy shows his arrogance and true charecter to the reader. This passage shows how interaction between Darcy and Elizabeth continues throughout the other aquaintances of Darcy and Elizabeth.

Total pages: 157

Self Test

After taking the self test I learned a few new things about myself which was unexpected. I came to find that my managment skills are strong as well as judging. This led me to view many interesting careers such as education, nursing, buisness, as well as managment.

Fate takes its own turns

There are many main themes that I have encountered while reading through the book Pride and Prejudice. One of the main themes is reputation, this theme being one that we all can connect to very well. In today’s society, ones reputation is highly valued as well as viewed. In fact, just within the walls of a high school reputation can be valued or weighed rather highly.
Reputation plays a key role in the book Pride and Prejudice. In this era that Pride and Prejudice takes place a women reputation is of utmost importance. In society women are expected to act certain ways and if they cross those social boundaries they are considered vulnerable or not acceptable.
An example of a women who would be considered vulnerable or ill mannered in this era is Mrs. Bennet. She acts rather snobby and approaches others with the thought that she is better than them. In addition, Mrs. Bennet can be rather annoying, obnoxious, or even pushy at other times. This behavior led others in society to view Mrs. Bennet as and underclass women.

Another theme portrayed in this book is the differences among social status and class. Both reputation and social status reflect the strict nature of life for the different classes in England. Just as reputation is heavily viewed so is class the boundaries between different classes are easily drawn. Although, the Bennet family is a middle class family they still socialize with upper class families such as the Bingly's as well as Darcy’s. Middle class families did associate with upper class families but the lower class families were looked down upon. In the England society in which Pride and Prejudice are written both reputation and social class play major roles in the story. Social class leads to ones reputation in this society as well as where the fate is to lead them.

Gossip Queen Mrs. Bennet

After watching the Hindi movie Pride and Prejudice numerous times I finally decided to read the English version of Pride and Prejudice. While reading I have found many difference within the Hindi movie of Pride and Prejudice in comparison of the book.
The books starts off with the news spreading through the town of Loungbourn of a young wealthy named ,Charles Bingly's, visit to Loungbourn. In Loungbourn many families act very unreasonable in reaction to this new these families including the Bennet family. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are the parents to their five unmarried daughters. Mrs. Bennet, is a women who often times acts foolish, over-energized, as well as a towns gossip lady. When the news arrived at the Bennet household of Mr. Bingly, Mrs. Bennet was already arranging marriage details for her daughters. Mrs. Bennet insists on seeing Mr. Bennet to meet the star of town, Charles Bingly.
After meeting with Mr. Bingly the Bennet family invites the prince to their house for dinner yet he does not attend due to his return to London. Weeks later Charles Bingly had returned to the town along with his two sisters, brother-in-law as well as his best friend, Darcy. Not much time after return the Charles Bingly and his company attend a ball in a nearby town. Coincidentally the Bennet daughters also reach the ball along with Mrs. Bennet.

At the ball Mr. Bingly dance with Jane Bennet, the eldest of the Bennet daughters. Bingly declares that Jane is the most beautiful creature he has met. As Mr. Bingly advises Darcy to dance with Elizabeth he refuses because he prefers not to dance with women who are slighted by other men. Darcy's comments discourage Elizabeth and sends a message about Darcy to other town members. In the end the Bennet ladies return home and Jane celebrates her dance with Mr. Bennet by informing her family, of course Mrs. Bennet was content!

Week Two Blog Tour

1.) Noodles
2.) Hidden in a Journal
3.) As Told By Ginger
4.) On paper Wings
5.) ETYAFTER:Diggin In
6.)The Ozone layer
7.)Insideout
8.)M_Hendrix
9.)Lucky

Reading List

Books: Tell No One -Harlem Coben
Linda spoke up. "Do you think these two men are more victims of"----she hesitated---"KillRoy?" She said it in a hush. KillRoy. Just uttering his name chilled the room.

This week I picked these sentences because they are sentences showing the true inner emotions of Dr. Beck. In addition, the strong words in the passage come to show how Dr. Beck feels of KillRoy. As I read through these lines I felt as if the room had chilled just as Dr. Beck describes above. 



Pages read this week- 152-302 (150 pages)
Pages read this semester-302

Molding of the Mind

I started unblinking at the computer screen. I couldn't move. My senses were past overload. Every part of me was numb. It couldn't be. I knew that. Elizabeth hadn't fallen off a yacht and assumed drowned, her body never found. She hadn't been burned beyond recognition or any of that. Her corpse had been found in a ditch off Route 80. Battered, perhaps, but she had been positively IDed.

As my eyes gazed over the thoughts going through Dr. Beck's mind I had come to a conclusion. In the book Tell No One the author gives the reader messages of Dr. Beck's changes in physiological states. These messages are given through passages such as the one listed above it shows what Dr. Beck is thinking and how his state has changed numerous times from the beginning of the book.
After the loss of Elizabeth Dr. Beck has found it hard to live peacefully and his mind continues to wonder about different situations. Often in the book Dr. Beck's mind takes him back to the night of the incident each time he recalls something new from the night. In addition, as he begins to receive these e-mails from "Elizabeth" his mind begins to go out of control. He feels as if Elizabeth is still alive and he should go find her but he is confused because logically he knows that Elizabeth is dead because they found her body eight years before. As I read through the book I feel as if these details make the book more visual and detailed. The book will carry on to show how these e-mails and police investigations continue to mold Dr.Becks mind as well as thought process. It can take one night, one incident, or one e-mail to effect someone mind and change their life forever.

Who to tell?

What characteristics make up a monster? We often connect the word monster with an epic creature who has super powers,unreasonable behaviors, and unrealistic body features. This question came to mind as I read the description of Killroy, the monster who had killed Elizabeth along with fourteen other women. Killyroy confessed of killing fifteen women all who were dumped on the side of the road. This monster had no heart, he had taken fifteen lives away, ruined fifteen families, and he could still live with himself without guilt.
 All had been branded with the letter K. Branded in the same way as a cattle. Killroy had took a metal poker, stuck it in a blazing fire, waited until the poker turned molten red with heat and then he seared each of women's skin with a sizzling hiss. Killroy had put these women through such pain he had made every sunset and sunrise left miserable for these women. After reading of this harsh treatment I could only imagine the pain, hear the screams of these women, and feel the their cold tears drop down the sides of my face. Turning the page, I began to predict the punishments that would lead up to Killyroy's death.
After committing many crimes Killroy was still given the right to be alive and breathe. As his victims rotted, Killroy in jail was given the right to breathe, to experience life, and to smile while making others suffer. Was Killroy not a monster? After reading this chapter from Tell No One I learned that a monster can be human and doesn't always have to have unrealistic traits. Anyone who has bad intentions and evil to any extent can be classified as a monster. In the end a monster has no one to tell; the author, Coben, says "Tell No One" but I say "who to tell?"

Currently

Tell No One, Harlen Coben
My heart slammed into my throat. "Elizabeth!"
No answer. The panic rose. I fell off the raft and started swimming toward the dock. But my strokes were loud, maddeningly loud, in my ears.


While reading through the book this passage stuck out to me. The dicition in this passage is not too advanced yet at the same time the reader can almost visualize what Dr. Beck is emphasizing. When reading this I could feel that shock, danger, and blood rush flowing through my body just as Dr. Beck did. The passage is well written making the reader feel as if they are in the spot of Dr. Beck.



Pages this week: 152

To what extent?

That was when I heard her scream. I lowered my head and swam, swam hard, my arms pumping my legs kicking wildly. But i was still far from the dock. I tried to look as I swam but it was too dark now, the moon offering just faint shafts of light, illuminating nothing. I head a scraping noise, like something being dragged. harder. My lungs burned. ( Coben7)

As I read this excerpt of the book I could feel the pain of Dr. Beck I could hear the screams and visualize the dark night. This passage summarizes the thoughts of Dr. Beck as he swam to save his wife. In addition, these thoughts of Dr. Beck in this passage indicate the fact that Dr. Beck is willing to go to any extent to kill the cause of those screams and ensure his wife's safety. Furthermore, the pain described by Dr. Beck while furiously swimming leads to the fact that often we are willing to put ourselves in pain in order to kill the fear of a loved one and ensure their safety. Every reader can connect with this excerpt from the book rather a wife or a close family member we can go to any extent to save loved ones in danger.

No one to tell

As I have been reading through the book Tell No One by Harlan Coben I have encountered various different character traits within the main character, Dr. Beck. As the book starts off Dr. Beck's diction shows that he is a bit frustrated, irritated, and not so fond of his relationship with his wife Elizabeth. The couple has been married for less than a year but they have been dating since the age of seven.  In his writing, Coben is almost trying to portray that Dr. Beck is at a climax where he is tired of this relationship yet at the same time not ready to leave it, in other words Dr. Beck is stuck in the middle of this situation. In addition, I found that on the night of their anniversary, Dr. Beck was at a point where he was tired of these many traditions carried on since he was the age of seven. The setting shows that Dr. Beck saw all these traditions as repetitive verses Elizabeth who saw these traditions important to their relationship.
As the story takes a turn and Dr. Beck loses his wife Elizabeth his character changes. Eight years later in the book and the diction of Dr. Beck comes out to show that he is lost without his wife. Within these eight years Dr. Beck realizes the place Elizabeth held in his life and what was the importance of this place. Dr. Beck does move in with his sick grandpa after the death of Elizabeth and his behavior and character traits change as he learns to accept he is on his own and tries to settle down. Eventually Dr. Beck begins to miss his wife and even becomes a little depressed ,as his life takes many turns. Dr. Beck is surrounded by many patients, family members, and friends within the first few chapters, yet he has no one to tell. How can you tell no one when there is no one to tell?
Dr. Beck's life brings another adventure when he receives an email containing information pertaining to his and Elizabeth's relationship. The information in the email leads Dr. Beck to think that there is more trouble behind the incident that happened with Elizabeth and her murder. As more clues come about Dr. Beck's character comes out to show a brave and dedicated character verses the hopeless and unemotional character. Just in a few chapters of the book I have encountered many characters within the main character, Dr. Beck.

A corner of the world

Over the summer my family and I were visiting in Punjab, India. While visiting we decided to go to the Golden Temple. As I entered the temple I saw the beautiful temple made of pure gold and heard the water that surrounded the temple. Peace came to mind after seeing such a beautiful view in a different corner of the world.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=harmandir+sahib+live&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1R2SKPT_enUS425&biw=1366&bih=563&tbm=isch&tbnid=Cds9O9QP09oyNM:&imgrefurl=http://www.idesilive.com/p/live-kirtan-from-darbar-sahib.html&docid=xxpshT7_c4Tn5M&w=800&h=535&ei=YPZWTqjLAc_isQKyv9WsDA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=165&page=1&tbnh=132&tbnw=221&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&tx=100&ty=52