Review of Mahdi Taye's post:The Catcher in the Rye: Author's Intrusion

Mahdi's post, here,  is a very strong post about catcher in the rye. This post is strong because it goes deep into the character Holden Caulfield's life and also a metaphor that sort of represents how he doesn't fit in. First of all, I've read this book and I agree that Holden feels that he doesn't fit in anywhere and that his argument with Ackley is represented by the ducks in the lake. I agree that this is an intrusion made by the author to bring up the message. Also, this makes me think about how sometimes people can feel misunderstood and that they aren't respected as they should be. This is a real life issue that I think is made really clear in the book.


I agree with what Mahdi said about how the ducks in the lake are a reminder of the time when Holden was having an argument with his roommate so he went to his friend, and he didn't even fit in there. Throughout the entire book there was a lot about how Holden felt as though he didn't fit in and the author brought it up several times throughout the story, including when the thing with the ducks in the lake and Holde arguing with the taxi driver came up. It made it a really powerful theme throughout the book because of the way the author kept bringing it up, definitely an author's intrusion.



The other thing that came up when I read this blog post is the idea that some people feel as if they aren't appreciated and respected like they feel they should be. Holden wrote a paper for his roommate, Stradlater, and to Holden, (and the reader) it was a very good paper. Stradlater didn't appreciate the work at all. He thought it was bad work and didn't even respect the fact that Holden had done it for him. He felt that he wasn't appreciated and I think that this feeling continues throughout the book. It is also a feeling that is true in real life. I know I've felt that my work wasn't appreciated at times and Im sure almost everyone has.


I think that this is a really great post because it is a good analysis of an author's intrusion, but also any post that gets someone thinking about the world like I did is a good post. Mahdi wrote his ideas and supported them with strong examples. He proved his point and made the reader think about it. I really like this post and it's a great academic post overall.


FIVE STARS!!!

Review of "Decoded" by Jay-Z

When I read Decoded, I was amazed at the pain and struggle that Jay-Z went through in his road to success. Jay-Z lived a poor life, he sold drugs for money just to get by, he was in constant danger of violence for as much as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jay-Z is really inspiring, because he started in what seemed like a hopeless life, and found a talent that he could use to become successful without hurting anyone or doing something against the law. He also had to refine this talent, write down some songs, make some calls to recording companies, before he was successful, and had to keep up with his life during all this time.

I think it's a big self realization for Jay-Z to write about hist time selling drugs because it's something that he knows was illegal. He admits to the world that he was doing something wrong, because he felt it was the best way for him to earn money just to eat dinner everyday. He's sending a message to the world that there are people who have to do things they aren't proud of, even in wealthy countries like America. I think Jay-Z is trying to tell the world that something needs to be done about this because it's not going to stop without lots of enforcement and new opportunities to make money.

The other message that Jay-Z is sending is that even when it seems like there's no hope, you can search yourself and find something worth living for. Jay-Z had no hope in life but when he realized that he could rhyme, and that he had a voice, he became so self aware and determined that he was able to rise to become a legend.

Jay-Z's story is an inspiring journey from hopelessness to fame and confidence, and a message that sometimes doing the wrong thing is the only answer, which shouldn't be the case. People who have to go through tough times like Jay-Z did should know that there is a hope, that you have to search yourself for why you are great, because there is talent in everyone.

Character Developments in The Knife of Never Letting Go.

In the book, The Knife if Never Letting Go, the characters Todd and Viola are devoloping as they are faced with an unexpected adventure. When Todd first found Viola, she was scared and depressed because of her crash in this unexpected land and her parents' death. Now that shto knows that she can trust Todd, she is speaking to him and has expressed that even though she
doesn't have noise, she can still hear Todd's noise. 

Viola told Todd that she could hear all the mean and ungrateful things he thought about her. She had gone through losing her parents and they had saved each other's lives. This would seem like something that would bond them, but since Todd is being so antisocial (which I think is because he is scared and taking it out on her) and he was scared that he might give her "The germ". 


I really like this book and I'm sure the characters will continue to develop. They've already shown a lot of change and I'm interested in what will change and when.

More about The House of the Scorpion

In my last post about this book I wrote that the original Matteo Alacran was just making a clone of himself out of spite, but recently in the book I read that he just made the clone so that he could take it's organs for transplants when he was close to dying. When I read this and that he had done this before to other clones, given them the impression that they were actually loved, I was really appalled. It is sad that someone would make a clone of them self just to harvest its body and live longer. He says the reason for doing this was because all his seven siblings died when he was young and el patron thinks he deserves to live their lives by doing this.

I think that a reason he's doing this that he couldn't say was that he was scared of dying, because he had so much in his life that would fall to ruins without him. His family would let the farm fall to ruins because they would be clueless as to how to run it. El patron knew that his last days would be the last days of the empire he spent his life building. I think that he wanted to extend his life because he wanted to spend every last second that he could creating a perfect world, even if that meant cheating death and harvesting a person who's only purpose was to die for him.

The house of the Scorpion

This book has some really strong plot action going on, but in this blog post I'm writing about the inner feelings of the main character, Matt. Matt is a clone of the lord of an opium farm. The farm usually makes clones with no brain for field work, but Matteo Alacran, the original Matt, wanted to make a copy of himself in his old years. Matt is just starting to learn what he is and dealing with the fact that he's different from people. And he's going through this at about 9 years old.

Matt is going through a lot of emotions. He's sad that he's not normal, mad that people hate him for being a fake human, and scared of what's going to happen to him as he gets older. Even though it's very in the moment and  about what Matt is figuring out about the world while he's young, I think it's sort of a coming of age story. He's being exposed to a world he never knew all at once, a world full cruelty and love, and he is maturing in a way. This is a strong story and I like it a lot so far, even though I've just started reading it.

The true plot in Shades of Grey

I'm reading; Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde, and I'm starting to finally see the real issues in the book. Until recently this book has been a utopia-like book that is supposed to be messed up somehow but had no huge problems. Now that there are problems showing up I can really analyze the book more as I read it.

I think that this book has a really strong theme of how social hierarchy hurts the people who are excluded from the top. At first it's just the way it is, the hierarchy seems normal, but then you realize it is really destroying their world. The way their classes work is people can only see one color, or none at all. The people who can see colors are judged and treated based on the color they can see. People who can't see any color; "Greys" are seen as inferior to the rest of society, much like black people were treated during slavery and segregation. For example in one scene when they were playing hockeyball, Courtland referred to Jane, a grey, as just "The grey" instead of Jane, which, despite being true, is a big put-down to say. The greys always have to work labor jobs in factories or serve as house maids, or a similar job. The author does a good and moving job of showing how people believe greys are simply not as good as everyone else. When I read parts like this, it was angering. It's just like what our country went through.

I think that the author didn't just write this book as a fun book, he wrote it to show how terrible social classes and hierarchy can be. Their society supports the idea that certain people are superior to others.

This book makes such a big point of how bad this kind of a society is that it is disturbing, but I think it does this in a way that doesn't turn off the reader but brings them into the lesson. I really like it so far and want to keep reading and I'm sure something will change with the social system.

What really hard things are happening in "Shades of Grey"?

            In "Shades of Grey", the main character, Eddie, is leaving the soft and "normal" life he has always known to go to a new town. This book actually has a lot of social justice going on. People are ranked by what colors they can see. Certain people are simply better than others, with greys at the bottom. This is racism and it shows throughout the whole book. Eddie is starting to realize that there is something wrong with the way that people treat each other.
            I think that the characters are going through some really hard things. They have to face the fact that certain people are better or worse than them based on their color, and they are not supposed to be friends. I think that Eddie is starting to understand why Jane is so mad at everything and realize that he isn't happy with the way the world is. I haven't read much of the book yet but I know it will turn out to have a really deep and serious look at the issues of racism and prejudice.
            This book directly relates to people being treated differently based on how they look, what they believe, or who they love. When I first started reading the book I was really disturbed by how vividly and literally these issues were portrayed. I think it's a really strong book so far and I really like it.