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.