Summer Assignment #4

I picked this book because it was the award winner for this year. The title intrigued me more because "In Darkness" just makes you wonder things like: who's in darkness? What's in darkness? Is there no light at all? As I read, I didn't have many connections to the novel. The main character was a teenager (which is one of my connections) but he was a boy. He grew up in hati (and I've never been) and has killed many people. However I reconized some of the things and places they were talking about. Overall this book was good.  The beginning confused me by switching time periods but once I figured out how to separate the chapters into two different stories it all fit together.I would recommend this novel to anyone who has a Haitian background or has read about Haitis history. There were a lot of historical references in this book not only to Haiti but also France during the time period of Bonaparte. Also I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action or intense parts because this book has battles, explosions and guns. Lastly, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes/believes in or wants to know more about voodoo because this book has ceromonies and beliefs about it.

Summer Assignment #3

The line I choose to hook the reader was " He and Biassou were concealed behind a mound of earth just near the top of the valley. They had ridden at night to take these positions. Now they watched as a series of ranks of men, the steam-breathing horses, the dragged cannons processed uphill. 'Now,' Toussaint said. Jean-Christophe, who was reined up beside them, nodded and spurred his mount, cantering down toward the front line of the French army" (Lake, 197) This quote talks about the Haiti revolution and how they began defending themselves. They begin by trying to work out a peace agreement, yet both army's were ready for battle. The "slaves" (who were now free) were hidden in the bushes, trees,  rocks and caves all alongside the French army without them knowing! They had limited weapons but had a lot of man power. The French army was well trained with good weapons but a smaller army. It was difficult to say who would win the battle and with the Engliah on their way also it's interesting to see how it plays out! Read the book and find out for yourself how both army's handle the situation!

Summer Assignment #2

In the "now"  chapters the main character (which still hasn't been named) just wants to get out of the darkness that he's stuck in. He feels like he is going insane as he thinks his life through because he's starting to believe in some of the voodoo that he's been told about. In the "then" chapters,  Toussaint  wants all of Haiti to be free, he wants the slaves to be free, which he's partly achieved, and he wants to set up a new government of all Africa Americans.  Some themes that are beginning to appear in my book are don't take revenge, but achieve justice. This is shown when the the author wrote "It seemed to him, lying there, that there were three kinds of slaves, three kinds of people. There were those who were so filled with hate by their experience.... There were those who were so filled with sadness by their experience.... In the darkness, Toussaint fancied that he was the third kind of person, and to fire his soul, to fill himself with a sense of the need for justice...." Since Toussaint is the leader of the revolution, he is not seaking revenge against the French, who made him a slave, but is looking for justice for all the African American slaves. This book is structured so that every other chapter changes time periods, going back and forth from now to then.

Summer Reading Assignment #1

The book that I chose to read over the summer is In Darkness by Nick Lake. This book takes place in Haiti, where the main character, whose name is unknown, tells about his life. Currently he is sitting in darkness, in a hospital, after getting shot. He believes that an earthquake happened because he can get out of the room and there are dead bodies and rubble all around him. He talks about his dad (Papa), his mom (Manman), and his sister (Marguerite), and how his dad got killed and his sister taken away. Also, every other chapter, the story changes, going back and forth in time. When the story goes back they talk about the start of a revolution that the blacks started in Haiti to overthrow the French and Americans. They start out with a voodoo ritual and then the revolutions starts. These chapters (then) are from a narrator’s point of view, looking at the character Toussaint, where as the “now” chapters are from the main characters point of view. I think that throughout this book I will find out how the main character got shot and how the past with Toussaint is important. I predict that by the end of this book the main character will either find a way out of the hospital or will be rescued.

Book Review: Divergent

Summary: The book Divergent by Veronica Roth is about this girl Beatrice (Tris) who has to make a very big choice from the start. She has to pick her faction. There are 5 different factions she can choose from but is torn between two, One her family is expecting and wants her to stay there, the other she looks up to and admires. For her the choice was easier than expected and begins her new life. But when tensions among, not only her own faction but also between the factions themselves, rise, Tris has to work and fight harder than she ever has before to survive.

Who would enjoy this book? I think anyone who is interested in futuristic/fiction books would enjoy this. This book, I thought was a lot like The Hunger Games in genres and anyone who read and liked that book would also like Divergent. This book is action filled but also has romance, and I think this book can appeal to a lot of people.

Rating: I would give this book 5 out of 5 because it is one of the best books i have read. I like how relatable a lot of the characters are even though they aren't real. Also throughout the book you are always on your toes (sometimes literally) just waiting to find out what happens next. 

Writing Style: the writing style of this book is mostly lower diction so it is an easy read but also has a lot of descriptive words and figurative language that gives you, the reader, a clear picture in your mind about what’s going on.

How did the Author Build Suspense in the Book?

The author built suspense in the book in different ways. The most common way that i noticed way by dragging on explanations and building the image in your head using descriptions. Another way i noticed would be to give hints but leave out crucial information for the reader to realize whats really going on like in chapter 32 she says "I don't even know how I'll explain it later. I don't even know how to think straight. But i do know how Erudite will get us to fight"(Roth, 415). Then the chaper ends. This makes you want to keep reading so you too can know how they will get them to fight.

Describe How the Different Characters deal with the Main Conflict of the Novel

The main conflict of the novel at this point is just being able to get through initiation. This for a lot of the characters is very difficult (some more than others). Some people feel so threatened that they will got to extreme lenghts to make sure they can get in to the faction. Like when someone stabbed Edward in his sleep so they could get above him in rankings. This caused another person to drop out just out of sheer fear that they would be stabbed next. For the other person, Myra, to drop out it shows that she was a coward and wouldnt really fit in to Duantless anyway. However it also shows that she is strong for being able to stand up and say she is leaving because the faction wont even do anything about her friend being stabbed. When Tris and Christina are talking they say "'Should we tell someone?' 'You really think the Dauntless will do anything?' I say. 'After they hung you in the chasm? after they made us beat eachother unconscious?'" This just shows how little the Dauntless leaders care. For the other initiates to stay it shows that they truly want this and that they are willing to put their lifes on the line for something they want, eccpecially when the leaders are willing to let them kill eachother for this.

Final Blogging Assesment in English 1B

My book, Divergent, is also a movie and I noticed a lot of key differences between them. One of these differences happens when Tris finds out her mother used to be Dauntless. In the movie Tris is working with some of the other initiates in her faction when her mom takes her and talks to her. After that it takes her a long time, almost to the end of the movie, to figure it out completely. Whereas in the book, they have visiting day (which they completely left out in the movie) where the kids who switched factions are able to see their parents. Tris sees the way her mom looks around, almost nostalgic to the place, and the thing that really told her that her mom switched was "She walked away, and I am too stunned to follow her. At the end of the hallway she turns and says, ‘Have a piece of cake for me, all right? The chocolate. It’s delicious'"(Roth, 188). This may seem like a normal sentence but this means something to Tris because in the moment after that she thinks "She has remembered the compound before. She remembered this hallway. she knows about the initiation process. My mother was Dauntless" (Roth, 188). This is just one of the key differences between the book and the movie.

Another Difference I noticed was in the movie they cut out a lot of things like when Tris and the other initiates are taken on a trip to the wall, which in the future they may have to guard. This part is important to the book because Tris notices one important thing, the lock is on the outside of the wall not the inside. A small detail that may be important to remember for later.





The movie trailer can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sutgWjz10sM

How has the character changed since they were first introduced? What have they done or said to change your opinion of them?

The main character Tris has changed a lot from the beginning. In the beginning, she was born into Abnegation, which are selfless and kind to others. At first I saw that in her, although I could tell she didn't completely fit in and didn't like it. She looked up to the Dauntless. Now in the middle of the book, she left her family, showing true bravery but also selfishness, by doing something she would want to do rather than what her family would want her to do. You can tell that she fits in a lot better there, and she has changed a lot. At the beginning she wore lose, conservative clothes with no extra ammenities, but now she wears tight revealing clothes and got a tottoo, a dramatic change.

What Does This Book Tell Us About How The Society Affects The Individual?

This book, I believe, is mostly about this theme, how society affects individuals. Many times throughout the book, the characters are forced by society, to make a choice. One example of this is when Tris and the other kids are forced to choose their faction. I know I wouldn't want to make that big of a decision, a decision that changes your entire life forever and decides what you do for the rest of your life. The back cover of the book even says "One choice decides your friends. One choice defines your beliefs. One choice determines your loyalties-forever." This shows how society changes Tris because she is forced to leave her family behind for something she is good at, she is forced to make the decision to be brave and change her factions, knowing she might not be able to see them ever again. She is forced to change and she goes from being selfless to being a fighter, being brave.

The Most Important line from Chapter 15 is...

One Important line from chapter fifteen is "She has been to the compound before. She remembered this hallway. She knows about the initiation process. My mother was Dauntless." This happens after Visiting day, a day when children who switched factions get to see their parents if they come. Tris was lucky enough to have her mother come however her father wasn’t as happy with her. Her mother began talking to her suspiciously, leaving a lot of questions unanswered. This led Tris to believe that her mother was Dauntless before changing. This show how alike her and her mother were and how they both have a lot of the same skills. This also develops the plot further by making a new connection for Tris and her mother, bringing them closer even though they are further apart.

Why was I interested in this book?

I wanted to read this book because it was sugested to me by a friend. She said she couldn't stop reading it and read it almost 4 times. Also just by looking at the cover I was interested, how it was a good reads choice award for favorite book as well as the futeristic looking setting. Another thing that grabbed my attention was the back cover saying " One choice decides your friends. One choice defines your beliefs. One choice determines yuor loyalties-forever."This made me want to read about what that choice was. And also why it determines the rest of your life. Why couldn't you just change it like you change jobs in modern society? Also the reviews on it were very good. I thought it would make a good book for this trimester.

Krista Ramsey Introduction Activity

The article I read was about how teachers should not be armed with guns, in case of the evnt of a school shooting. This article taks about how arming teachers would give them a huge responisibility as well as make the a teacher-law enforcement hybrid. The best line in this artice is "It's unrealistic and, in fact, insulting to think people who entered the profession of education should be turned into teacher-law enforcement hybrids." because it makes the reader think about what they are really doing, they are making teachers do a police officers job by defending the school. Also by connecting the words law enforcement and teacher it make another effect by showing that they are combined. Ramsey writing style is casual becasue she dosn't use a lot of big words or evidence like when she says "not just in the unlikely event of a school attack but in the everyday, unpredictable life of a school." She never goes on to say how unlikey the school shootings are or what she means by the unpredictible life of a school, so its like she talking to you. If I could ask Ramsey three questions they would be; Where do you get the ideas for your columns? How do you pick what your going to write about? Can you relate to the articles you write about?


http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/02/22/krista-the-very-poor-case-for-arming-teachers/5744065/

What issues are reflected in the text? What does the author say about these issues?

One of the major issues I see throughout the text is dividing society into groups. This becomes a major problem for the main character, Tris because she doesn't just fit in to one group. Most of the people go into a group and stay there for life, but since she is divergent, she is different and is "dangerous to society" just for being her self. Personaly I don't see why it is that big of a deal that she dosn't fit in, other than not being able to control her as easily, but wouldn't it be more helpful to have someone that is good at more than one thing? Also I believe that if I were trying to find the divergents I would use them to my advantage. Instead of labeling them dangerous, I would label the valuable. The author is saying that we shouldnt have people just conform to fit in becasue there are always going to be people that are different and don't fit in. I agree because if we did this wouldn't we all become slaves? Serving our purpose to the government then leaving, like in the book?

What are the Best Things About the Book?

A few of the best things, in my opinion, are how vividly the setting is described in every part and how the author can relate to the reader even when the characters are so different. Each part of the book I can visualize so easily that I get a movie in my head! Like when shes describing how she could fall "I can imagine my body plummeting, smacking into the bars as I fell down and my limbs at broken angles on the pavement, just like Rita's sister when she didn't make it onto the roof." (Roth, 146) This is so descriptive in the words that she chooses and the way she relates to another event to show what she imagined. Also how the author can relate to the reader in small ways, making me at least, feel as if I were in the book, watching what happened and listening to the thoughts of the characters. Throughout the book I found a few small themes, like chose your own path, when Tris chooses a different faction then her family. These small themes can help connect people as readers to the books, like it did for me.

What is the Context, History, and Background Information?

This book takes place in a futuristic world where everyone was divided into 5 different groups called factions. The government did this to keep order and peace throughout America. The 5 factions are Candor, Dauntless, Amity, Abnegation, and Erudite. The city is surrounded by walls but the characters are unsure whether its to keep something out or to trap them in. The lock is on the outside of the gate. This is one of the mystery's that the main character Tris must figure out. There are also people called Divergents. These are the people that cannot be picked to go into one faction and must choose their own.