The New Trojan War

In the play Paris and Helen have come to Troy where they expect to find some safety from the protection of Hector, Paris's brother. But the Gods have chosen to have a war between Sparta and Troy. Zeus and Ares have chosen to side with Troy while Athena and Hera have sided with Sparta.This is different from the actual story because there are phrases in the play that may not have been invented yet such as "I can't read this it's all Greek to me." The reference to Ajax being a cleaning chemical or material was also not part of that time period. 

Hector was the prince of Troy and brother of Paris. In the actual story of the Trojan War Hector was a very honorable man. He was very brave and courageous but also kind and helpful. In the play "The Hysterical History of the Trojan War" Hector also had these qualities. However, he had one quality that made him different, he was overconfident. He seemed to just laugh at the Spartans by doing things such as pulling Ajax's pants down or coming out to speak with Odysseus alone in front of the entire Spartan army. 

The personality of Ajax in the play reminds me of Cato from the "Hunger Games". Ajax and Cato are both fierce warriors, dedicated to their country, or in Cato's case, district, and both are expected to be the victor of their battles. They are also defeated in the situations they are put in, the hunger games for Cato and the fight with Hector for Ajax. 

Vivid Detials

Author's Note: The outstanding use of imagery can drive a story in an entirely new direction. Find out how that impacts "The Sorcerer of the North" by John Flanagan.

After all the tedious lemon squeezing you’ve been doing it is almost time for a delectable glass of lemonade. You pour the glass and get more and more anxious to take that sip. When you finally do you spit it out immediately, you forgot to add sugar. Fortunately in the story “The Sorcerer of the North” (Flanagan) they certainly did not forget the sugar of imagery in the lemonade of the story. The story is about a young spy, Will, and courier, Alice, who are sent to figure out the mystery of the sorcerer in Grimsdell Forest, neighboring Castle Macindaw up in the north containing extremely harsh weather conditions. Without figurative language the plot of the story would change and it would become undesirable to read.

Imagery is often used about the Grimsdell Forest, the haunted burial grounds of a vile sorcerer.  Personification such as “the vines strangled him as he made his way through the brush” (p 94) or “the ancient trees returned a stare of death to Will and Horace as they watched them.” (p 95) really lets you see the evil in the forest. The tone is changed from maybe slightly suspenseful to a much better one. It sets a tone of suspense and creepiness. If the personification was not introduced into this part the reader may not feel disturbed or terrified and may even be viewed as uninteresting. Grimsdell gets the extra kick of interesting it needs from these few simple phrases.

Personification used for the Grimsdell Forest helps us get the extraordinarily disturbed and suspenseful feeling but the Imagery for the gnawing cold climate is no less important. Similes such as “the cold gnawed your skin like millions of ganterbugs.” (p 157) or metaphors such as “the pile of snow froze death into his back.” (p 186) bring you chills, enjoyment and confusion of what a ganterbug may be. These phrases bring the reader entertainment, confusion of what some of the terms are, and may want you to go grab a blanket as well. While it may not be a huge impact on the plot of the story, it certainly does an excellent job of entertaining the reader. Normally reading about climate can be excruciatingly boring.

Imagery used for the dreadful climate created a more enjoyable read for readers and contributes to the overall impact of imagery on the story. If John Flanagan had chosen to leave out this vivid language the story would be somewhat confusing. Will, the main character,  often is reluctant to speak about his journeys to the terrifying Grimsdell Forest. Without that vivid imagery the reader would be very confused about why he hesitates or if they did understand it they would think nothing of it. Even the language about the climate changes the story. Many characters groan and complain about the weather. Likewise, the climate also impacted their actions such as not being able to see signals through the blizzard or having the snow cover their tracks.

The overall impact of the story really makes you wonder why anyone would ever consider not putting vivid imagery in the story. It makes the story much more enjoyable to read and has set up a good plot for the story. With Grimsdell giving off that aura of fear and the climate giving the chill it would in real life the experiences seem life like and enjoying. Likewise, the characters dealing with these emotions changes the plot and can make you attached to the book.

The Benefits of Friendship

Author's Note: It's always better to have more friends than enemies. However, sometimes you need to turn an enemy into a friend for the good of everyone. Learn how this effects the story "The Battle for Skandia."

Your nation is in danger of being destroyed by another. As one of the higher ranking officials in your government you must figure out plan of action. However, you are greatly outnumbered and the faith of your nation’s people dwindles away. The only way to survive is to have an old enemy become your new ally. This is a decision Erak, a high ranking general, must make in the book the “Battle for Skandia” (Flanagan). He and his apprentice, Horace, must team up with a long time enemy and rival, Halt and his apprentice Will. The bonds that these leaders and apprentices

At first, Halt and the senior war leader Erak are fierce enemies. Their nations oppose each other and coming together to join forces without warning isn’t something they’re pleased about. Constantly bickering between each other about what is the better strategy or tactic, they’re anything but friends. However, when Erak’s tactics fail with numerous casualties he takes the time to listen to Halt’s suggestions. As Erak listens closer he finds that they’re well thought out, very simple, and unexpected by their opponents. He takes to liking Halt and with the new respect that Erak has found for him they become fierce allies with an unbreakable bond.

While the bond of Erak and Halt affects the story greatly, the bond of their apprentices Will and Horace is just as strong and important. The two youthful men have been acquaintances for a duration of time but only because of the competitive spirit that each of them has. Each of them always trying to surpass the other has pushed them to be lethal warriors. However, the term acquaintance is too weak of a word once Will saves Horace’s life. Horace takes a vow that if Will is in need he will be there for him no matter what. Thus a true bond of companionship is made and their ideas put together prove to aid many in the upcoming battle.

These two bonds of friendship remind me of many stories but one that I could relate this to very well was the Lord of the Rings series. For example, Frodo and Sam were friends while they had normal lives in the Shire. But Sam is determined to protect Frodo on his perilous quest and their bond of friendship grows stronger throughout the story. Another example is the friendship between Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. When they first meet up they are not very fond of each other. However, throughout the story they take place in many battles and encounters that strengthen each other and their friendship.

The pacts of friendship made changed  the outcome of this story. By befriending others and learning their strengths they were able to win their battle and become prosperous allies. In our world today this needs to happen more if we are to succeed at keeping our life of peace and plenty. We could achieve greater standards if all our nations joined forces.

Sadness, Happiness, and the Meaning of Life

Here’s the thing about my life, I’m a guy who has everything and nothing. My parents died before I was six and I was raised in the care of my  dreadful uncle. A stubborn man as he may be he posses  the title “multimillionaire”. Living with a person who has money to burn would be a dream come true for most people. For me this is a prison without bars. My uncle has never been fond of me. Taking me in after my parents died he warped me to be his slave.

“Get up boy!” he snarled, “Get up and get my coffee!”

Clumsily and wearily Will got up and tumbled out his room and down the main staircase. He reached the kitchen and started his morning routine.

“Hurry it up now boy, I ain’t got all mornin’!”

“Yes, uncle.” Will grunted in reply.

Will reluctantly handed the mug over to his uncle, who merely grunted in reply. He was about the leave and get prepared for school and wake up the chauffeur, Jay, when his uncle called him back over.

“Go get ready for school and tell Jay to take the day off, you can walk through the rain.”

Will stood there paralyzed, partly because of fear and partly because of anger. It would be a nearly seven mile walk in the midst of a thunderstorm. He was about to unleash a frenzy of complaints and then shrugged off the urge to do so. It was a miserable journey for a miserable life he thought.

Only 2 miles out Will was already chilled to the bone and soaking wet. As raindrops danced on the top of his head he thought about his life. He recalled the precious few times he had smiled, the precious few times he had laughed, the precious few times he had enjoyed life. The more he considered this the slower he walked and eventually Will stopped. He fell to his knees and prayed, he prayed for a sign. A sign that would reassure him his life would get better. Suddenly he felt warmth on his face. Will opened his eyes to see a crack of light in the wall of death that ruled the sky.

It lit up what seemed to be a pathway starting at Will and ending at the doors of the BP on the side of the street. Without questioning or thinking Will got up and walked on a new path of hope. He opened the door and walked up to the counter.

“Can I help you lad?” The man behind the counter asked.

Author's Note: Some people are very ungrateful for the basic essentials in life. They mistake food, water, family, and shelter for essentials that will always be there. However, some people actually understand it.

Will shook his head. “Just looking.” He stated.

The man nodded several times and went back to restocking lottery tickets.

“Wait, would it be alright if I bought a scratch-off?”

“Umm… if you can pay for it I guess.”

Will gave the man money for the ticket and started scratching. His first symbol was a pineapple, one of the jackpot symbols. The second was also a pineapple, as well as the third, fourth, and fifth. Will stared at this ticket. He stared at it until his head hurt. With the money from the jackpot he could get away from his uncle and set up a new life for himself. No more pain or slavery to his cruel uncle. No more sorrow or suffering. Will let a smile escape from his lips. These thoughts could soon be his future. He felt awkward as if he were committing a crime. Then he realized he was. He took the ticket and ripped it into several pieces. After he cast the pieces to the ground he started to laugh. He just kept laughing harder and harder, so hard he almost lost his balance.

“You OK over there, lad?” The man behind the counter asked.

Will recovered from his laughter and said “Yes sir I’m alright.”

He realized that he was fortunate to live with a wealthy man, fortunate to have a wealthy uncle who can give him food, shelter, and pay for his education. The way his uncle acts towards him was just the weight on the other side of the scale to make sure his life was balanced with happiness and despair. 

Pain and Beauty

In the story “Ribbons”, by Laurence Yep, the grandmother shows signs reflecting the culture she is used to living in, the Asian culture. For example, she treats Ian, her grandson, better than her granddaughter, Stacy, because in the Asian culture boys and men are everything. Women have little to no rights and receive little attention. Also, when Stacy attempt to show her the dancing she does with ribbons on her shoes the grandmother loses it. In her culture ribbons were used to bind young Asian girls’ toes behind their foot. It was considered to be “beautiful” in the Asian culture. The Grandmother was disgusted by them because that is what happened to her when she was a little girl. She was ashamed by them and never spoke of them and told people who knew never to speak of it. When Stacy found out she didn’t know what to feel. A mixture of sadness and awkwardness overcame her when she found out the whole story. She was not used to the culture, being born in America. She later tells the grandmother she feels sorry and shows how beautifully she can dance with the ribbons to prove that they don’t only bring pain.

Reverse-Racism

In the story Mrs. Wilson is acting overly nice to her son’s friend Boyd. This is a reverse-racism situation. She has assumed that since he is black he has no money, home, or food to eat. As you read throughout the story you find that Boyd has father who possibly makes more money than Mrs. Wilson’s family does and that others in his family are finding success. When it states that “Mrs. Wilson felt defeated” it means that she felt awkwardly that she was wrong about Boyd. She then tries to overwhelm Boyd with a very large offer of clothes they don’t wear for free as if she were almost forcing him to say he was poor and needed them. When Boyd rejects the offer and mentions he has plenty of clothes Mrs. Wilson starts getting angry. She thinks that just because she saw someone who is black living on the streets that all of them must be poor. 

The Challenge of Enjoyment

Author's Note: The challenge that pleasure and enjoyment bring is more than often worth the hard work that is needed.

 Have you ever had that one thing in life that felt challenging but exciting? For me that is what  physical activity is. It’s the challenge in life that brings you big rewards, brings you excitement, brings you closer to your friends. It is life’s way of saying challenges can be hard but you should try and make the most out of it whether you win or lose. Physical activity provides challenges and enjoyment.

The challenge that physical activity brings is what it is all about. You’re always trying to push yourself to meet your goals and improve on your previous progress. The whole point of training and practicing is to beat a time, a height, or a distance. It’s about putting in a large amount of time and effort so that a large reward can come out of it. If minimal time is put into achieving goals then very little can be brought out of the experience. It seems that if physical activity were taken away there would just be a big gap in most people’s lives because they lose the enjoyment and encouragement that this brings.

Challenging as physical activity may be it can also provide lots of social interaction. Many people are persuaded by friends to sign up for sports so they can talk and enjoy the sport even better. A friend may just want another friend to come workout with him so that they can keep a conversation going or push each other to do better. Both of these experiences have happened to me and it helped me to enjoy physical activity and encouraged me to more sports and workout more. Now I always try to encourage my friends to join sports and activities that I’m doing or considering doing.

Physical activity may provide you with more social interaction but also enjoyment in general. My overall mood is changed because of physical activity. I feel that I am a healthier person and generally feel good knowing that this is my lifestyle. With one of the goals of physical activity being to stay healthy or get healthier I feel very accomplished. This accomplishment makes me enjoy myself and encourages me to do better at other things such as my education. I accomplish more things there and just enjoy myself that much more.

With the enjoyment, socializing, and challenges that physical activity brings it would be ridiculous to not give it a shot. It is a great activity that could improve your lifestyle in more than one way. Who knows, you may find that along the journey you find something even more like a new friend or renewed friendship between old friends. No matter what happens that outcome of physical activity will always bring a smile to your face.

A Sad, Evil Story

Something I thought was well done in the movie was the sad and creepy music at the beginning of the film. While this is a sad story you would expect to hear sad music, which you do, but the small twist that is added gives the music a sense of evil or dread. I think this is very appropriate since some things said in the story and film are very evil. For example, when the younger waiter makes comments such as "you should have killed yourself last week" that is just pure evil and sets that tone of creepiness.

One thing I didn't agree with is ow they represented the waiters. The story has them being twenty to forty years apart in age but in the film they seemed almost the same age. Maybe one did look a bit older but not by much, maybe a few years or so. I can understand if the director's resources were limited but I would have liked to see someone older play the role of the older waiter. However, I thought that the old man was perfect for the role of the old, deaf man. He looked old a fragile which is what I would expect to see for an old man who is deaf. That was a wise choice by the director.

Selfish

The young waiter in the story reminds me of Horace from the Ranger's Apprentice 1. These two are both self-centered and they don't know the consequences of their actions until it's too late. For example, the young waiter tells the old man that he should have killed himself just because he wasn't going to leave the bar and he wanted to go home. Horace betrays one of his peers and ends up getting themselves captured and his peer killed.

Sacrifice

Author's Note: It's never easy to follow the path that contains sacrifice. However, it sometimes hurts more to not take that path at all. Learn how this fact is contained in the story The Icebound Land, by John Flanagan.

If you had a choice of having a life of peace and plenty or risking your life to save a friend so close he feels like a brother which would you choose? In the book the Icebound Land (John Flanagan) many people take the chance at having their friends back rather than a peaceful life. An apprentice ranger named Will, a close friend to many, is captured by ruthless warriors. While those close to him are forbidden to go look for him most ignore that option. Sacrifice was the solution to many problems in this story.

One problem that was a major part of the story was the fact that Halt was bound by honor to stay and do the bidding of the king instead of going off to search for Will. The solution to this problem was that Halt had to be banished from the kingdom. By doing this he would have no honor binding him to do the pitiful tasks that the king needed done. However, banishment would mean giving up his life as a ranger and destroying everything that he has worked on in his lifetime. Halt decides that this boy is worth more than all of it and takes his chances getting banished and chasing after Will.

While Halt’s solution of sacrificing much of his own life Will’s solution for saving Evanlyn includes the same, if not larger, amount of threat towards his life. Will has taken a vow to protect the innocent girl that he found on his journey before being captured. When Will finds out of Evanlyn’s royal blood and that their captors’ leader, who rules with an iron fist, has sworn to end any and all royalty he knows keeping her safe means he has to give everything. When they are forced to work among other slaves Will takes the mighty blow of the life threatening labor leaving her with the safest chores. The only way for Will to survive his injuries during these jobs is to take a vile drug that amputates the mind, destroys memories, and makes the person a mindless walking drone.

While Will’s life threatening solution is very courageous, another solution of courage is made by Horace, Will’s closest friend. Horace’s problem is the fact that he has been driven mad by grief at the loss of his friend. He chooses to embark on a quest to save Will by traveling with Halt. By choosing to travel with Halt he puts his own life at risk. While Halt is trained in the art of stealth to sneak past many obstacles Horace is often left behind by Halt and is taking the hammering blow of the obstacles.

The best solutions for characters in this story are by means of sacrifice. They have decided that the aura of happiness that their friend carried about him is more important than a peaceful life. The thought of hearing the unsynchronized laughter of the conversations they had is something they want to hear again. Their lives contain no happiness without this person and they must have him back.

Irony in the Ransom of Red Chief

In the story the Ransom of Red Chief, I think the mist important quote in the book is when the father of boy asks for 250 dollars to take the boy back because it introduces the main feeling of irony in the story. This is also enhanced by the fact that the two main characters end up paying the father the money to take the boy back because they think they'll go mad if he stays around them any longer.

This is Just to Say

Author's Note: Sarcasm can change the most appreciative apology note into a practical joke.

I have taken

the eggs

that were in

you nest

and which 

you were probably

admiring for

pure enjoyment

Forgive me

Angry bird I

was so hungry

and weary 

Small Things Make a Big Difference

Author's Note: Minor characters can sometimes play the biggest role in a story. Find out what these characters have to offer in the Rangers Apprentice the Ruins of Gorlan.

While reading your book you think a certain character should have been mentioned more than he or she has. Now that you think about it this character was hardly mentioned in the parts they have been in. You start to wonder what the point of the character is since he or she has such a minor role in the story. Then you realize this character is a symbol that changes the course of the main character. This is the role of certain characters in the book Ranger’s Apprentice, The Ruins of Gorlan, (By: Rick Riordan). Minor characters in the book Ranger’s Apprentice, The Ruins of Gorlan have the role of playing a major symbol in the book.

One of the main symbols in the book is Will’s mentor Halt. Halt stands for grim past and a promising future. In the book Halt is reluctant to speak about his past or anyone’s past. He is focused on setting a path for the future for Will. This makes the reader wonder what has happened in the past and if there is some mistake or something Halt is trying to hide to improve his reputation. It also makes Will a very curious apprentice. He asks many questions about the past and often doesn’t receive a satisfying answer. However, Halt is not the only symbol in this story.

Will’s horse, Tug, is also another major symbol in the book. Tug stands for the fact that something shouldn’t be stereotyped. In the book Will states “He’s sort of….. small,” and judges the horse as he is judged by others (P 88). He later learns that this horse is much like himself. The size of the horse is small but his levels of bravery and courage are colossal, just like Will. Tug is definitely a symbol but there is another in this story.

Finally the last major symbol in the book is Horace, one of Will’s peers. Horace stands for renewed friendship and understanding. Horace, at first, despises Will and the fact that he is training to become this ranger. He often taunted Will saying things such as “I see the apprentice spy is with us today,” and other things the take the meaning out of life for Will (P 116). But when Will saves his life, Horace takes a vow to be there for Will when he is in need of aid, thus proving he is a worthy friend and companion.

Characters that play minor roles in the book Ranger’s Apprentice, The Ruins of Gorlan play as major symbols in the book. Even though their role is minor the symbol that they represent impacts the reader with a better understanding of the book and the change that is made in the story. These crucially important details to understanding the story make the book all the more enjoyable for the reader.

Missing Something

Author's Note: Sometimes something extra is added to make things better. Find out what this missing piece is in the book Mocking Jay.

You have waited and waited for something incredible to send a jolt of joy through your body your entire life. If something did seem worthy of your enjoyment it would always prove to lack something. You don’t know what it is but you desire something more from this. In writing the missing piece is figurative language. In the book the Mocking Jay (By: Suzanne Collins) figurative language shapes the view taken by the reader. Without figurative language the book Mocking Jay would not attract the reader’s attention.

Mocking Jay is the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy. It is about Katniss Everdeen and a group of rebels overcoming the iron fist of their rulers, the Capitol and President Snow. As Katniss overcomes her haunting past with the Hunger Games she now gains strength to overthrow the Capitol and President Snow. However, her thin list of people she can trust shrinks while her list of enemies grows.

In certain parts of the story the author inserts figurative language to make a scene or sentence stand out or to express emotion that attracts the reader. For instance, when Peeta and a few other prisoners are rescued from the Capitol Katniss sees how happy two people are to finally see each other again and how she desires to see Peeta. She describes this feeling as “A pain of jealousy hits me.”(Page 176). This metaphor impacts the reader with the thought of jealousy. Should it have been described “I am very jealous.” the reader would not feel that emotion and simply read on being very bored. However figurative language expresses more than just emotion.

Actions also help make the scene more interesting. Such as when Katniss returns to her destroyed home and explores around. Her exploration is described as “I move through the downstairs on hunter’s feet.” (Page 12). This metaphor not only explains she is trying to be silent but also recognizes Katniss’ trait of hunting silently. Should it have been said “I moved silently through the downstairs.” it wouldn’t remind the reader that even though she has changed in many ways she is still at heart a grim, skilled hunter and set a different tone to the scene. Figurative language has allowed the actions of the story to have a larger meaning.

The reader’s attention would not be drawn to the book Mocking Jay if not for figurative language. The actions and emotions of the story are expressed better and have a greater meaning to make the reader want to question the book and keep reading. Without metaphors that change the view of certain things the book would be considered boring by the reader and it would be a struggle to continue reading. 

Two Opposites

You might think you were in a graveyard because the grasp that silence had on everyone. All you can do is hope. Hope that you will be safe. Hope your family will be safe. Hope that you can keep going until at least next year’s reaping. This is the effect the book the Hunger Games (By Suzanne Collins) and the movie the Hunger Games (Directed by Gary Ross) put on you. But the two tell their tale differently than each other. There were few similarities but many differences between the book and the movie of the Hunger Games.

The book is viewed as a beginning to something great, in this case the main character, Katniss is going to start an uprising on their controllers, the Capitol and it’s leader President Snow. The movie makes Katniss appear more as a hero embarking on a dangerous quest with no other major story, almost like the Lord of the Rings (J.R.R Tolkien) series. However the movie does provide some detail on this hidden story in the Hunger Games. The scenes that are not in Katniss’ point of view such as President Snow’s conversations with Seneca Crane, the Head Game-maker or the father of Rue attacking the peace-keepers and starting a rebellion in District 11. However a major difference between the two are the way certain scenes played out.

Changes made in the scenes are the major difference of these two tales of the Hunger Games. Scenes such as Katniss and Peeta in the cave during the games. In the book Katniss is not sure what to think about Peeta. She doesn’t know if she loves him, hates him, or if she just needs to get him out alive. For instance, when the book says, "Getting the broth into Peeta takes an hour of coaxing, begging, threatening, and yes, kissing." (Page 262) the reader is not sure what Katniss thinks of Peeta. The movie it made Katniss appear to be grateful to find Peeta and then go straight from that to loving him. Or in the scene with the mutation wolves. In the book Peeta and Katniss go out to hunt the last tribute and win the Hunger Games together and when they find the last tribute, Cato, they then meet up with the wolves as they were chasing Cato. How the movie portrays it is they are attacked by the wolves before they meet up with Cato. The scene changes really provide how different the book and movie are but there is a similarity needle in the difference haystack.

One  thing that was similar between the book and movie was they always showed that Katniss always had her hands full. She never got to not worry about anything that went on. She solved one problem just as a new one appeared. The situation may be presented differently in the book from the movie but the general idea still got across to the viewer.

A whisper of similarity is very unnoticeable in a crowd of difference but it is still there for these two stories of the Hunger Games. While these two amazing stories shock and entertain many people around the world, everyone will like one better than the other because of the few similarities. However, could other movies and books prove to change a viewer’s mind on how some different scenes change the story entirely? 

Stamping Out the Flames

Author's Note:

This girl has caused me to have too much grief. If could have the chance to kill her without anyone noticing or caring I would have taken it in a heartbeat. A wild fire burns over Panem from the spark she made. There will be no dousing this fire it will have to burn out on its own. If I cannot stop the flames from consuming my control over Panem then I shall root out the source of the flames and destroy them. For I am President Snow, a bold and powerful  man, symbol, leader.

It shall start with the Quarter Quell. I shall make arrangements for her to be selected as tribute once more. But how? I can’t just throw her in there with some other worthless tributes. No, she will need to be placed in the arena with tributes that possess great skills. Who though? The Career tributes from Districts One and Two obviously can’t take care of her. Possibly I could select tributes who are strongest and most skilled from each district. No, too obvious that I want her dead if I put her in that situation. Past tributes? The Victors? Yes, yes that’s perfect. I shall fight the girl on fire with fire. But what about the boy, Peeta?

If I use the victors he most certainly will go into the arena with her. If it comes down to just the two of them again surely he will let her win. They can’t use the same stunt again, that can be assured. I could make them prime targets for the victors but will they be able to stop them? Perhaps I could limit their resources while in the arena. Take away her bow and she is useless. No, to noticeably directed against her. Water and food could be depleted, though they may outlast other tributes in that area. Natural disasters? Yes, that will do it. They’re not directed at anyone, are very difficult to escape, and once she is gone peace can be restored once more in Panem.

 I will have beat Katniss before she even knows what to expect. She shall go into the arena blind and just when she expects that she has a bounty on her head she will be killed. Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire, and Peeta Mellark, the protector, against 22 other highly skilled tributes with natural disasters at their backs. It surely seems that the odds are not in their favor.

Who Said What

You’ve prepared for this for a while now, your job interview. Practicing day and night, memorizing what to say, knowing how much you need this. This interview was much more than just for a job. It was the outcome of future events,  it was life and death for people close to you, it was a difficult decision with only one clear choice. This is how Katniss felt in the book Catching Fire (Collins). In the point of view of others the decision Katniss has to make may seem more or less difficult.

Katniss must prove to the world that her and Peeta are madly in love or many of the people close to her may be killed. President Snow has come to talk with her about how having two people win in the Hunger Games may set up an uprising against the Capitol. He wants her to prove to be madly in love with Peeta. In her point of view risking the lives of her family and friends is too much to bear and is set on trying to convince people her and Peeta are in love, however she is not sure if she is in love with Gale, one of her oldest friends. Katniss’ view on this may be different than others’ view.

In President Snow’s point of view the decision is not difficult at all. He thinks all this girl has to do is prove she is in love with a boy, what is the harm in that? While he knows about Katniss and Gale he thinks nothing of it. He is just determined to keep people under control so a war doesn’t break out.

He also thinks that by putting a threat in his statement Katniss is sure to choose to fall in love with Peeta so she can save the lives of those close to her. In his point of view he is just trying to keep balance in the world.

Another book with a crucial decision is the book Speak. Melinda has had a chance to make her decision right but instead hides from everyone. She is too afraid to tell anyone what happened and thinks that it will hurt some people if she does speak the truth. However, in the view of her friends she is being psychotic about the whole deal. That she would feel better if she would speak the truth.

The decisions made by Katniss would have seemed more or less difficult if there was a  different point of view. Maybe if others viewed it in her way they would think differently about the actions and impressions they made on her. It would have dramatically changed the story and made Katniss’ life a little bit easier.  However, if Katniss saw what they thought and knew perhaps she would have thought differently as well, and how she needed to change to make things normal or safe.

Bibliography

Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic Press, 2009.

Determined for Greatness

Author's Note: When determined for greatness or respect people are usually not set back easily. Learn how far Duncan went knowing that.

People die every day. You see it all over the news as if it’s just another thing, just another day, just another person. But what if this was your friend or family member? You wish you could have done something to have prevented it. This is how Duncan felt in the book Acceleration. In his minimum wage, waste of time job Duncan discovers the diary of a serial killer and learns of his foul plots and feels determined to stop them. A major theme in this book is determination.

The diary that Duncan finds is one of the greatest things that gives the book the theme of determination. The things that this psychopath has done and plans to do is driving him crazy. He can’t turn this in to the police, since there is no name they might think it’s him or not take it seriously. However, he can’t let it go either. Determined to possibly save lives Duncan uses the diary to his advantage, occasionally finding hints to who this person is. However, determination being the theme is not just because of the diary

Being known for a slacker and law breaker Duncan is determined to fix his reputation. Now that he is old enough for his juvenile crimes to be erased from his records he wants to prove to the world that he can be a good person."Your a no good child, that's why you have a no good job" is a quote that really sets him off. He is determined to get over the discrimination, and bullying that he puts up with on a daily basis. Believing that he can be a hero and be respected by everyone Duncan pushes through to find this mad man. However, his age and outer appearance had a major role in his determination as well.

If people don’t know him well enough to know about Duncan’s bad reputation they will discriminate him by his age and style.  Duncan is a teenager with the usual teenager attitude, lazy and uncaring. He can’t ask the police for help because they’ll think he is pulling a prank. Other people he tries to convince will think the same way because, for all they know, he’s some teen trying to get free money or help. Duncan is determined to try and not appear this way but there is nothing he can do.

Determination is also a main theme in the book the Fighting Ground. The main character, Jonathan is determined to show his father that he is old enough to fight in the Revolutionary War. He can handle and clean a gun, knows combat techniques of the colonists and the British, and many of his friends are fighting in the war. While his father is set on not letting him go Jonathan’s determination to go and fight helped him make the choice for him to leave his father.

Duncan’s strong determination is one of the major themes in this book. The chance to overcome doubt and prove to the world that you can make a difference is just too great to throw away. The overall acts of doubt, hate, and discrimination never stood a chance for Duncan.