Reading Log (Past 3-4) weeks

So, I have been pretty busy with projects and actually one of my AP classes decided to have an early final exam. My reading has slowed to barely 10 pages a day due to my constant studying and projects I have to get done. However, I have made some great headway in about, believe it or not, 4 books. Here is really my combined reading log for the past 4 weeks.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: 0-50
The Name of the Rose: pages 50-120
Tweak( a new book): 0-56
The Prague Cemetery: 30-71
Jack Kennedy: 0-100
 This is all the reading I have gotten done in the past 4 weeks, So I will try to break up and talk about these books separately, in different posts. Today, I will talk about two books, Tweak and Prague Cemetery.
Tweak
Tweak is really an outstanding novel. The writing is, to me anyway, a fresh of breath air and it comes from deep within the person who is writing it. This book is about Nic Sheff, a kid who, at the age of 12 got addicted to smoking marijuana. At age 16, Nic tried and got addicted to crystal methamphetamine. At 18 he started experimenting with heroin and ended up in a Rehab clinic. This book is no ordinary novel, its a popular biography. This book is a memoir of his life during his heavy drug years. I call this "popular" because its focused a lot around what happens to Nic throughout his life, but also contains other elements fiction. Its also a character study and how Nic changes throughout his life. In the beginning of the memoirs, Nic has already dropped out of high school and has just relapsed after being 18 months sober. Even after knowing this information, one might question why? Why does someone relapse after already being 18 months sober? Perhaps his relapse is a reminder of how, has humans, there's a center of weakness in all of us. A voice in us that tells us to do certain things, when we know in our minds that its not what we really want to do. Perhaps this biography is more to expose the dangers of heavy drug addiction and to shed light on this weakness. According to Nic, there's no hope for him because he's already hit rock bottom. He questions himself and actually makes himself believe that he can live his life anyway he wants because its simply his life. I will elaborate more on this as I dive deeper into this novel. So far, this biography is extremely well written and a must read for others when I put it down.

Prague Cemetery
 This book, is an odd one, to put it simply. The Prague Cemetery is one of those rare books that has you re-reading pages because you didnt understand them the first time. Whats even more astounding about this book is the fact that it has you re-re-reading those very same pages. This book takes place in 18-19 century France. A man wakes up in a bed and has no recollection of where he is or who he is. Interestingly enough, this book is more a diary than a 3rd person fiction novel. Everything we learn, we learn through Simonini's writing(the main character in the play). I will go as far as to say that this book is somewhat offensive, but in no way does it reflect the author's actual thoughts; although some critics believe that the views of Simonini himself are the views of Umberto Eco himself. This book talks about "dirty Jews" and how their main mission is to "steal and kill christian children". Yet, I cannot seem to put this book down. I do not have anything against this book because its simply literature. Where would the world be if we simply stopped reading or put things down because we did not like what was expressed in the book? Who knows? All I know is, is that this book is definitely one to read and go pick up at Barnes and Noble somewhere. This popular fiction novel is one of great interest to me, combining the political unrest of the age, with his own characters and his own story line. Now, continuing to the actual story, Simonini reflects on his life through his writing, and occasionally has to "stop because my hand is tired" All the information and story line is seen through the writing of the main character himself. As an analyzer of literature I'm going to break the rules and be completely evaluative, I think this is a perfect way to express this book. Umberto Eco, who also wrote, The Name of The Rose writes a masterpiece of fiction. One to pick up and read. More on the way and more books to analyze.
 

Notes 2 & 3

Notes 2 &3 (Video/Youtube)

Note 2:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uFarFM9sow- Open Range

This clip from the movie Open Range takes a different look at the country and the Western. It moves in a different direction than McCarthy's highly stylized imagery about the country and life in Mexico. This clip follows two cowboys as they take revenge against sinful murderers in a small country town. As the men line up and face one another there is a deathly silence that pierces the hearts of the men, all the while the beautiful mountains and rolling hills in the background. It provides a sanctuary for the dead, even if the men are killed, they die in a beautiful place among the Southern country. The wind whipping about as the men reach for their guns and then shots are fired. In contrast to McCarthy's take of the country, Open Range takes a violent approach, letting one know that death is always lurking about, even in places of boundless beauty. As the men sweat in their cowboy garb, looking down the barrel of their own feeble lives they wonder how they will die and if they can escape death one more time. Fading in and out of the scene, the mountains loom over the men, a monolithic symbol, a beacon of the afterlife. The snow gently falling at the top while the hills and prairies, green with life at the bottom. Not a bad place to die, and for many of them, the dirt becomes their final resting place, The snow-capped mountains reaching out with their fingers to take the lives of the men and laying them down in the valley, they provide a contrast to the death being dealt by the hands of the cowboys. The scene takes a much different approach to the countryside, a more violent appearance does nature have and the people in it. Death, creeps around each house and each valley, an end no one can escape from; for many of the men, the countryside and mountains becomes the last vision they ever see.

Note 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kqoJevTIIQ- No Country For Old Men
The opening of No Country For Old Men embodies all that the countryside can really be. While McCarthy was focused on the positive aspects of the countryside and nature along with the violence and harshness of it in Open Range, No Country For Old Men contains both views of the country. As the sun softly rises in the sky, the silhouettes of the vast mountains appears in the foreground. The massiveness of the mountains gives off a feeling of beautiful insignificance in the sense that the mountains make someone look so small in comparison but highlight the beauty of life in general. As the sun creeps more slowly illuminate the entire valley and mountain range, the whole scope of the world seems to come into view. Flat, arid plains go on for miles until finally giving way to the base of the mountains that stretch out toward the sky, all the while the ominous narration in the background letting one know that perhaps, something bad is coming. The blood red sun beats down hard upon the land scorching it with heat, paralleling the death that is yet to come. As the scene progresses it lifts upon a lone road with a lone car traveling through the arid desert land. Again, making the human look so small in comparison to the open world around them. Vegetation is scarce and the occasional tumbleweed rolls on by, an absence of life, of even death. The beauty of it all is tied together only by the sky looming in the background, a deep pool of blue that sits gently above the surface of the mountain range, holding up the peaks with immense strength. Only is this scene of beauty broken by the blood that is spilled when the deputy is taken brutally by the neck and strangled to death by a seemingly massive individual. This big man looks like the mountains, tall and large, standing straight among a crowd of people, letting them know by his eyes that he is the king, that the world belongs to him. And for a short while as he beings to slaughter, the world is his. This scene encompasses both the beauty in the landscape and the natural world, and the harshness of man and what he can do within this land. This place of beauty, all the mountains, once again, become the final resting place for many unfortunate people.

Reading Log

 Pages read: 1-100
I have neglected my reading thus far for this quarter for many reason. One of them being that I have sustained some injuries and school had picked up pace plus my sport i play outside of school. Nevertheless I have here my first reading post about an obscure novel called Starship Troopers. This is a book that follows the life of Jonny, a young fresh high school graduate who joins the interstellar military force called the Mobile Infantry(MI). It follows his military escapades on other planets in other solar systems. This was written some time ago, perhaps this is a commentary om our own imperialistic military structure. In its time, this novel was considered to be controversial, so maybe I am correct in my assumption about the novels purpose. Robert Heinlein wrote this novel and I think he, this is a personal opinion, was trying to illuminate the inner workings of our own military and all the complexities of it. leaving the real purpose of conquest so obscure that only the politicians know and the men fighting are fed lies. Who know? As i dive further into this book i will try to reveal more and explain some of the action and crucial characters. For now, a brief overview and synopsis of the themes and  motifs wills suffice.

Excersize #3

Reviews read: Dead to You,CHOMP, Cinder:Book One in the Lunar Chronicles

Components of a Review:
(1) opening paragraph about the nature of the work
(2)general summary or synopsis of the events in the novel
(3)what worked well in the novel and what did not
(4)Comparison/Contrast between prequels
(5)Discussion of themes, motifs, etc.
(6) Open ended conclusion leaving room for evaluation of possible sequel 

Note #1

All The Pretty Horses-Country Life

Cormac McCarthy's, in his famous novel All The Pretty Horses, strays away from the typical style Western. McCarthy's uses long and prolix passages to describe the beauty of the Mexican countryside as if the country is the only thing that exists. His passages of the countryside exude senses of calm beauty and a cool formality, almost placing nature and the boundless mountains and prairies on a pedestal- putting to shame the common conveniences of towns and cities. As the main characters ride into Mexico for the first time they notice that "the sun to the west lay blood red among the shelving clouds" while "the terminals of the sky to fade from pale to pale blue." His romantic description their surroundings is a testament to his aberration of the typical western, centered around action and movement. His highly stylized description of the mountains and ranges lead the characters to be filled with a sense of boundless imagination as they ponder and try to think of all that they could do in this new land. Rawlins, one of the main characters, says "where do you reckon that paradise is at?"  These boys are cattle ranchers by heart, and entering this lands fills them with immense gaiety bliss; these boys are in a state of beatitude.He sees this beautiful land around him and thinks that its paradise and his friend, John Grady, agrees. McCarthy's very stylized and poetic diction allows for an effect like none other, as he describes the surroundings, each description flowing along with the rolling hills of the land. Even the wildlife is depicted in great detail, as "a hawk set forth below them and circled in the deepening haze." The sense of limitless comes to mind as these boys keep on riding through the country, and as the country descriptions become deeper and more thoughtful. McCarthy puts much more emphasis on nature, a theme of Romantic writers, than on action, although there is some good action in the novel. This becomes one of McCarthy's central themes as he provides contrast between the country and towns by his short abrupt descriptions of towns and cities in contras tohis long prolix passages about the country. His stylized diction allows the words to flow and roll like the mountains and allows the animals, like the hawk, to become real and tangible.

Exercise 2

Weaknesses
(2)"Grey and tall and stocky as the granite outcrop their town was built upon" are the inhabitants described in an unvarnished plain-dealing diction.

  (4) Gaiman's diction has a reminiscent feel that exudes feelings of an ill fated fairy tale, or perhaps just a morose moral story. The description of the neutral town and it's similar inhabitants is enough to leave a optimistic reader pessimistic.

Good Post- Books for Dummies(like me)

Paragraph:Stardust

This is a sample paragraph for Stardust by Neil Gaiman.

In this scene of Stardust, Gaiman utilizes a bold, pedantic style language along with lyrical description to evoke a sense of monumental immaculateness which surrounds the town. The town of Wall sits comfortably "on a high jut of granite amidst a small forest woodland." The houses in the town "are square and old, build of grey stone." These solid images of the town suggest a sense of foreverness. The houses are made of stone and are the walls that protect it. As if nothing can harm the town but nature itself. There is a sense of peace that surrounds it though, a perfect little town jutting out toward the sky. Gaiman continues this very pedantic style language as he describes the roads leading way from Wall. The road is "lined with rocks and small stones" and it evolves to a road "paved with asphalt; followed further the road gets larger." This indicates that the town is actually small in size contrasting with the big imagery he depicted earlier. He evokes a sense of secure solitude, that maybe some travelers will find refuge, and the people in it find refuge from the real world.

Reading Goals

Here are my reading goals for this quarter:
1)Read in 4 odd places
2)read at leas 1500 pages or 7 novels/plays/short stories
3)Read at least 2 collections of contemporary poetry
4) Read out loud to my dog at least once a week.

Anthology Themes

For our combined anthology project, we have selected the contrasting themes of city and country.

Miles Davis, The True Cool Cat (Sumbmission #4)

Miles Davis. Many hear this name and shrug it off. "Who is that", "Is he someone important?" these are the  frequent questions of a musically uneducated person. This post is focused with bridging the gap of ignorance in order to open up the eyes to more people and how this men like Miles Davis can change the face of music. With trumpet in hand, Davis flows out his soul into the air mixing melancholy with the exciting and sometimes confusing. There is a solid formality to him, a "swagger"  he carries that most don't, and it makes him who he is. His music is the embodiment of his own soul. Miles Davis, at the time of his very first recording, was a bit of an outcast in the music industry. A man with no direction, but only when he met John Coltrane(another powerhouse in the jazz age) did things start to change. In his 58' sessions, Miles produced his famous "Milestones" album, which in today's world, stands as a pinnacle of jazz imagination and interpretation. This sparked the term "Kind of Blue Period" and many believe that his works within from, 1955-1961, to be his greatest works ever. This period was a phase of typical jazz style music, not branching out for new innovative sounds. But there is something about his music, a feeling one can't pin down, that makes Miles stand out. Even today, many jazz artists use miles as a comparison Miles Davids, but there is no real comparison. His works redefined what "bop" jazz could be. His sextet burst onto the scene and he caught fire, a ragin' blazing fire. But like many artists, Miles wanted to push his music forward, and create something never heard before. Well in the 1960's he did just that. By this time his style was well known, and Mile's was yearning for something different. Teaming up with Gil Evans, he produced albums that incorporated his renowned jazz style with classical orchestrations. An odd pair at first glance, but his "Sketches of Spain" album was also a fresh breathe in the jazz world. With wild electric bass riffs along with the fluid sounds of cellos, Miles reinvents what jazz can be. New broad colorful sounds added a sense of eeriness to his works. Sounding almost too weird to be music but not so weird as to cause disconnect with the music itself. Gil's original compositions pushed Miles even further. He redefined jazz He would go on to do this several times throughout his life. Therefore, as obvious as anyone can predict, from 1957-1968 was called the "Sketches of Spain Era". His colorful blending of typical jazz lines and classical orchestrations pushed Miles to the forefront of the jazz era, and people were getting excited. Miles produced albums that incorporated smooth tones with basic superimposed rifts and sometimes would create music that's so complex in style and life that it just seems hard to understand. This was Miles' goal, however. Miles went through a couple of period redefining, re-imagining, and reshaping. His flamboyant complexities made Miles one of THE BEST jazz artists of all time. Even his Funk Era helped define who he was. Mr. Davis embodied what music could be. Miles is truly the cool cat of the music biz.

Short list #4 Possible Submission Posts

To start off with, I want to do something a little different. I want to focus more on music this week. Specifically Jazz artists, which in today's desensitized society, aren't given enough credit.

1) I would really like to trace and discuss the music of artist Miles Davis. From his Kind of Blue music period all the way to his "Bitches Brew" album, Miles Davis has redefined music in his own image and has really shaped the American Jazz culture. Combining jazz rhythms with funk riffs he embodies all of what music can be and goes above and beyond what anyone has ever expected.

2)Charlie Parker. This is a man whose jazz saxophone skills revolutionized an entire nation. Through him, the form of bebop jazz sax was creating. Inventing a common style which is still heavily used by modern saxophone players today. He sold out concerts during the swinger era of the 1930's his amazing performances stood as a testament to his skills with a sax. Like Miles Davis, Charlie Parker started a music revolution.

3)Louis Armstrong was a man who, like the two I've already discussed about briefly changed the way people view music. From his well known interpretation of "What a Wonderful World" to many of today's jazz standards, Louis has stamped his image into the music hall of fame, so to speak. His rustic voice combined with his impressive musical skills with a trumpet. His New Orleans style of music has transcended music history and his style, is an almost forgotten form of music. Louis Armstrong.

Middle School Response

Middle School. An awkward time for most young adults, but for some, it seems easy. This episode of This American Life, is called "Middle School". This segment illuminates all the troubles, pains, and sometimes pleasures of being in Middle School. This episode spans six acts, acts that deal with a lot of different kids. Each  kid adding to the horrors already explained by the previous, making it seem as if Middle School was a torture house. From school dances to making new friends, Ira Glass explores what it means to be a Middle School Student. The first segment and the Intro serve to open up the floor for discussion and critical thinking. Examining many different students and getting their opinions on the famous, first dance. These stories are not only fascinating, but eye-opening,  letting even me relive those often awkward and traumatic experiences.


This first act opens with different reporters from around the country interviewing kids about their school dance. But this is no ordinary dance, oh no, this is the famous first middle school dance. A kid named Ethan was interviewed and shared his opinion. He said he didn't care so much about the dance in general, but about leaving a good impression with the other students and faculty members. He didn't want to do something that would "be the talk of the school" for the next few days and possibly weeks. When asked about his plans for the dance he gave a very timid response, indicating a sort of fear within him. A fear that we have all come to experience and eventually conquer, but for Ethan, however, it seems more disturbing. In addition to his fears about being embarrassed, he had fears of another first-time event that takes place at these upscale soirees... The slow dance. For many students the slow dance represents all that is adult, a ceremony, a rite of passage from childhood to young adulthood. A ceremony not wished to be ruined or destroyed but the naivety of the sixth grade body. When asked about he, he didn't know "how it was done" or "how to do it right". A problem many of us faced, a problem not solved until we dove deep into that floor of darkness.


Another one of the problems many faced during Middle School was making new friends. In the case of Leo, it can be a thing of pure, disdain. The transition from simple Elementary School life to the new beast of Middle School, all the while forced to the bottom of the pecking order of the Middle School hierarchy can can create much confusion. Especially when you are forced out of your comfort zone and into the wild green yonder of mixed classrooms and new people. For Leo, he's had to endure this situation twice. Once in New York and another when he moved from New York. Sarah Koenig reports on this fragile boy to get the whole story and when she delves deeper, Leo's situation appears much more frightening than people realize. When asked about the move he said it was tough and difficult, but the hardest part, for him anyway, was being thrust into a new school environment. A place where he considered a double outcast. Making new friends, to him, seemed an almost impossible task, a task many of us have struggled with. His feelings of anxiety are reinforced only by his shy timid nature upon the move. A sense of foreboding grimness lies within him as he tries to sort his situation out. Sarah asked him about his plans and throughout Leo commented on the radical notion of getting on a "Greyhound bus and leaving". Sarah was surprised to hear such talk from someone so young, and who has so much to look forward to. These images Leo depicts are disturbing to say the least and really opens the eyes to many adults who have children in Middle School, letting them know that this is a time when kids need their parents advice the most, a time where heavy social pressures combined with the pressures of school can really take a mental toll. This leads into the final part and conclusion.


The conclusion of this podcast, or Act Six, beings with another story about an outcast at a private school. A school among the most prestigious in the state, and even nationally recognized. This focuses on a student who has many social problems, not just with making friends and the school dances, frequent problems arising from the mouths of most normal new students with the most normal Middle School anxieties, but with life at home as well. This is a student who shows up to school dirty and stinky, without his proper attire, and without school work or materials. One may question why this student is even at this school, I know that I certainly did when listening to this particular story. A teacher, Shannon Grande, tries to intervene to see what sort of problems this kid is facing and what solutions they can come up with. In the end, they came up with a way for him to get clean in the morning and properly ready to prepare for the day. He was found a teacher to help him with his homework, but in the end, these problems took a toll on his social life at school. A disagreement turned into a nasty quarrel, words shot from mouths as if they were fired from a Colt .45 ready to kill anyone that stood in their way. Emotions running hot, and Grande stepped in to simmer  the situation. In general, I found this particular podcast to be of great use in realizing the social problems of myself, but of these young kids too. It really helps to illuminate all the frustrations with other people, whether it be fellow Middle School students or coworkers. This piece really caught my attention and it deserves a well though out response.

Middle School informal post

I realize that I have forgotten about the short response to the podcast. Oh well. Here I go now...

The complexities of the mind-entrapping jail that is middle school can be quite overwhelming. Ira Glass, along with a handful of reporters, tries to understand what kids go through during middle school. From grade six to grade 8, possibly 9 in some areas, kids are tossed into a pool of uncertainties and are expected to swim efficiently. Kids from across the country are interviewed and are asked to give their opinions on their upcoming school dances, and for most of us, the middle school dances were like a void to be stared into with fear. Ethan, a timid sixth grade boy was interviewed, he was afraid of the slow dance. For him, along with other new sixth graders, he didn’t know how to slow dance. All Ethan wanted was to be normal at the dance, and not make an obscure scene that would be the talk of the Middle School for the next several weeks. Like Ethan, another middle school student, Autumn, was asked by five boys to go to the dance, and her considerate nature prevented her from giving these boys straight answers. The feelings of these new middle school students are feelings we have all had at some point, after listening to this podcast, I looked over at my friend and started discussing our first experiences of school dances and how awkward those were for us. I guess, I understand where these kids are coming from, these feelings only become more complex as you get further into middle school. Full response coming soon!

Spartan Reader Submission #2

This photo comes from one of the galleries off of Its Nice That. I really liked these photos and the way they were captured and just their appearance in general. These works were crafted by a Spanish man named Pablo. These photos convey a sense of eerie limitlessness. In the background appears to be what looks like a normal spacious room but after taking a few steps out the room is crowded a dark fog like entity almost. Destroying what space this room once held and bringing a new perspective into the room. Most of his works are like this one, where a nice background is crowded by something in the foreground. You can't make out exactly what the thing in the foreground is, but for some reason you know its right where it should be. It makes the right impression and leaves the right thoughts in your head. The fog repels the light, absorbing it almost, and is free to expand into the room sharing its gloominess to the far corners. Reaching out horizontally as if spreading its wings like a vulture, perhaps gives the casual onlooker a sense of self-dissatisfaction almost. The crowdedness of the room conveys the crowdedness(although not a word, I like it) of our own lives. The free life we think we live is crowded by mundane things such as, taking care of your kids, driving to work, even sleeping. Our lives crowded by things we just wave off. I absolutely love this gallery and the works involved and Pablo captures our lives through eerie photos. This is absolutely fantastic and I love the vibes his work gives off, whether they be good vibes or bad vibes, I love them.

Our Man in Havana/ Umberto Eco

 Our man in Havana: pg. 110-end /The name of the Rose: 0-50

This post really encompasses two weeks of reading and I realize that I have not posted about a book in a while. In my absence of posting I have finished Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana and have started Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. After finally finishing Our Man in Havana I have come to realize that it was not my favorite book. Maybe it was because the plot wasn't as riveting as I thought it might be, or perhaps the characters were not that interesting. However, I find this book to be extremely well crafted and the undertones and themes shine through fantastically. I love the way Wormold interacts with the characters and really develops meaningful relationships with his daughter, Milly and his senile, German friend, Dr. Hasselbacher. I love the way Greene uses POV to leave us with just enough information about the characters in order to craft our own opinions about them. This POV, being the third person limited that it is, really helps develop the novel as a whole. It gives the audience and chance to formulate their own idea about the characters and react to situations a certain way. I do not want to ruin the novel for anybody else who is trying to read it but all I can say is that if you pick up this book you will NOT be disappointed with it. Everything works perfectly with one another to create a truly suspenseful and captivating spy thriller. Its a pretty short read, one you can get done with in two weeks, so I highly recommend it.

OK! This is the second part of my post. This next book is called The Name of The Rose by Umberto Eco. I have read The Prague Cemetery  by him this past December. I really like his style of writing because of lot of it is period pieces. His writing is really complex and very hard to get through sometimes. One of the things that I really like about his book is the prologue/introduction. This really gets you into the whole period of the writing and what sort of political and economic things were going on in that time. It is very well written and extremely informative. This story is about a Franciscan monk who becomes involved in a bizarre string of murder.  Brother William, one of the Franciscan monks has to become Italy's detective and solve this string of murders. A lot weighs upon his shoulders as he struggles between what is morally right and ethically right. This is one of the major themes in this book and one that, upon completing this book, I will look into. What can you do when you are confronted by two opposing codes, one of morals and one of ethics? Which path do you follow, but more interestingly which one will Brother William follow. I am really attracted to old style detective books like this, I have read a series of books by Michael Georgio, another Italian Author who wrote about a detective living in Prussia( While it was still called that). I love these kinds of novels and I am extremely excited to get into the meat of this book. Again, I would classify this book as a popular fiction combined with literary fiction because the emphasis is toward the plot and how it is resolved and the Franciscan monks choices and ultimately his character himself. The next post about this book will be in about a week, this novel is hard to get through so this book will take me a little while to complete. More to come, what will Brother William do next?! muaha! (Just kidding)

Submission Entry #1

Tilting your head, eyes cockeyed, lips pursed, all motions in pursuit of the apparent hidden meaning. Faded faces, faded colors, faded minds, thoughts that occur to one as they attempt to analyze contemporary art; sculptures with lifeless limbs, paintings twisted with blues and pinks. Exhibit halls walked by a pair of wandering eyes and crowded brains deciphering all around them, clueless on how to do it, and perhaps there is no way to. The forest of metal and plaster bound to be rooted in all history, molding their place in the courtyard or grand show rooms, the story of life and how it ends. Art. 

Three twisted blocks upon, what looks to be, a concrete slab display a sense of rustic dullness. Lifeless in motion and in color, and the absence of exuberance open up its precious space for imagination and illustration by the gazing minds. The drab blocks hold up one another-holding upon a grim visage of loneliness-simplicity while upholding a standard of integrity. The three geometric shapes, mere images of each other, wind upward as if stretching toward the sky, beauty without complication or exaggeration; perhaps to find the deeper meaning of this model we must look inside ourselves first. Searching for an answer upon which these white blocks reside, sturdy and rigid.

There is a void between these blocks, their bended nature surrounding a lone space destined to be lone forever. The twisting spire of space between the blocks suggest a grim desperation, the frantic escape from our own destiny. This powerfully simple piece serves to illuminate the voids in our lives and maybe offer a hand of hope, as seen through the blocks supporting one another, of escaping our destined path, if there is such a thing.

Top 5 Links for Submission

Here are my top 5 links for The Spartan Reader magazine.
After browsing my classmate's blogs, I have come up with 5 different links that I really enjoyed...

1)http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/picturing_the_century/postwar/postwar_img76.html -This one if from Book Blathering

2)http://lightbox.time.com/2011/12/07/time-picks-the-top-10-photos-of-the-year/#1- This is from, More Cowbell, Please ( Great series of photos def. one of my favorites)

3)The Next is on Don't Sweat my Swag. Any of the articles are interesting

4)The next one is an interesting onehttp://reasonstoliveproject.tumblr.com/ this is from WonderStruck

5) the Last link that was my personal favorite is from Lets get rich and give everybody  nice sweaters! http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/nancy-fouts

Potential Articles for Magazine

I have not recently posted due to my illness; however, I am back and have a great list of things that I would personally like to write about for the new up-and-coming Spartan Reader.

1- Leaving Rockwell. This is an idea that I am very much excited about. Ive talked to all of the members of this local homestead band. Some of the members are close friends of mine and would obviously love the potential advertising, but would also like to share what it means to be in a band and create your own music. Music, to me, has been a very big part of my life, I have been involved in a couple of bands but it never really stuck. A podcast project for this particular idea would be perfect, it allows for a one-on-one conversation with the members and allows them to express how they feel about music and why they make music the way they do. 

2-David Richard Contemporary Art Gallery- This, is more of an abstract culture idea. Falling under the Spartan Reader category of culture and potential art? This gallery is a contemporary, abstract gallery. Sometimes the paintings are just a collage of colors that are indecipherable, sometimes they are photographs of lone pots or vases. Perhaps the disarray of art is a testament to our own unruly minds and this would be a fantastic collection of pieces to analyze and to connect to our own disorderly and non-perfect lives, breathing a fresh breath of interpretation and imagination.

3- David Sedaris. Mr. Sedaris is an accomplished essayist and novelist, combining his works with short little anecdotes and personal opinions. Most of his stories come from life experiences, sometimes they are humorous and flashy, and other times they are saddening and horrifying. His essays have been called groundbreaking and he speaks to our very souls and all the problems that we as humans have but has the courage to write about them. He connects, with his writing, on a personal level to the audience and would be great to write about and analyze potential short essays in some of his books. I guess I am attracted to this type of writing, letting me know that there are other people outside of my close-knit circle of friends who share some of the same problems. David Sedaris, is one to read and one to watch for in the future. 

These are, for this week anyway, the topics I would like to potentially write about, and a podcast series I would like to potentially create and keep creating and adding to.

Our Man in Havana Second Post

pages read: 99-(closest chapter around 100 pages in length) ~ 200ish
In my earlier post, I established the fact that Our Man in Havana, written by Graham Greene, is BOTH 
popular fiction and literary fiction. This statement means that the novel is character focused as well as plot focused and since the characters feelings influence the action of the novel, it's no surprise that this novel exists as both types of fiction. Last week I had analysed the main character Wormold, and explored in depth the meaning of his character and how it influences his choices surrounding his daughter, Milly, and close friend Dr. Hasselbacher. In more simpler terms, I analysed the literary fiction aspect. This week I am taking time to really shed light on the plot of the novel. First, this novel is an espionage thriller, so at some points in hard to develop the action in the story. Multiple characters work against and with each other at different times, and to understand the story you have to understand how these character relationships change according to new events unfolding. At the stop of page 99 or around that area, Wormold had started falsifying reports to his superiors in London. He was given an assignment to uncover intelligence in Cuba. The fact that this novel written around the time where Cuba became a huge international concern only heightens the hastiness of the action in the novel. As soon as Wormold is given the assignment, he is clueless on how to perform it. Although given certain instructions, he is still adamant about the entire operation. He sends requests for  money, and even has the good graces to cut his assistant manager in on the deal. Soon he starts adding 20 pasos to his salary(granted that 20 pasos in that time is a life sustaining salary). But he [Wormold] does not even attempt to gather information. He starts sending false reports about factories in the mountains and the plains and about all the new sketchy people he has made contact with at his local country club( one of the perks he got when he assumed the job). This is all fine for a great summary of the story, but what is a critical analysis without analysis? And what is analysis without questions? One of my questions is simply why? Why does Wormold choose to falsify these reports, just to humor his superiors in London, or does he have some alternate motive? One of my conclusions is that, living a life in Cuba is difficult. And since Cuba has become the target of high international scrutiny, he is trying to make enough money to keep his family alive and his business afloat. But soon things turn for the worst when these reports start coming true!- but thats for a later post when I am done with the novel. One of the things I would like to point out is the way that Wormold communicates with London. They use a simple book code( something I cannot even begin to explain). But the book code isn't important. It is the BOOK that they use. They use a copy of Charles Lamb's Tales of Shakespeare. When I first read this part my curiosity was peaked as to why this is the book they use. Wormold mentions that he had read it before and that it was not of particular interest to him. However, that does not stop me from questioning Graham's reasoning for choosing this specific author and title and the source of important communication. My conclusions to this important fact will also be revealed in my next post which will also serve to illuminate the final truths about the characters and final moments in the falling action and I will eventually analyse the resolution of the novel and how it all ends. Until next time. This is Stephen Colbert Jr. Signing off.

Our Man in Havana First Post

Pages read this week: pgs. 1-99


Our Man in Havana, written by Graham Greene is a novel centered around the actions that happen to a character called Wormold. I consider this book to be literary fiction combined with a sense of popular fiction. I base my conclusions around three central truths to this novel. 
1) The characters are explored in depth, their actions scrutinized by the narrator, and their feelings have an ever increasing impact on the novels plot line. ex "He was a familiar figure near the National Square, where he would sometimes linger and stop his counting long enough to sell a packet of pornographic photographs to a tourist" This indicates the story is more of a character study of certain key and secondary figures within the story. 
2) In keeping with the style of popular fiction this story is also plot based, driven by the choices the characters make within the confines of the main action.
3) The setting is KEY to the structure of the story and plays a heavy part into how the characters act and react with one another, causing the narrator to explore the feelings of these characters based upon the setting in Cuba. 
To start off the first post, I would like to explore the character that is Wormold, for obvious reasons he is the character to meticulously scrutinize because the essential action is centered around him. Wormold, on the surface, is an uninteresting man, selling vacuums in the poor conditions of Havana's streets. One of the big essential parts to his character is the knowledge that Wormold is English and not Cuban. This is important to the reader because it sets up biases for the characters about Cuban's and the Cuban way of life. Ironically enough, his best friend Dr. Hasselbacher is German, although the question arises as to which part of Germany  Hasselbacher hails from, a question he so readily avoids, Wormold finds  a sense of intrinsic value about Dr. Hasselbacher. Perhaps his friend reminds him of himself? Perhaps his friend reminds him of a life better lived elsewhere than poor Cuba. We will never seem to know. Because the narrator is 3rd person limited, we can only infer the true feelings of Wormold, which is real drawback to the essential point of the novel but the exact point Greene implies throughout the novel. " It had been long before Wormold realized that the duenna was not always by her side. Milly as meticulous in her behavior at meals and had never neglected her night-prayers, as he had good reason to know since..." The third person limited POV limits the amount of information we receive from the characters, but because the plot is driven more toward Wormold it makes up for it. Wormold constantly questions his motives and eventually comes to makes decisions he never would have thought to make, were it not for the pressuring nature of his dire economic situation combined with the complexity of his new found spy game. His life now thrust into a downward spiral of lies and deceit, his mind ultimately pays the price as he reaps the benefits of informing but gets into trouble when he starts sending fake reports. But for what purpose? Wormold, in a pragmatic sort of way, sends what the agency wants to hear but in the process could he destroy his ethical and moral code? We wont know until later. 

Nighthawks Interpretation

Elements to analyze in "Nighthawks"

1)Lighting Effects-bright inside store, more dreary on the streets, building across street appears uninhabited due to shadows surround shops etc.
2)The people's demeanor's- one couple sitting at bar- appear indifferent, man sitting alone looks sullen, the waiter(man in white) looks content, and attentive.
3)Space surrounding buildings and people-"seems" crowded, although only 3 people sitting. The bar is "filled" with items and people. Outside place, empty space between buildings.
4)General color scheme- bright inside bar. Fanciful colors. Dull and brooding for empty building across street. Also seems more dark.
5)Actions of the patrons themselves- boring and lack of movement among patrons. The husband seems stoic, and the man sitting alone seems fixed into place. 

Claim: 
"Nighthawks", painted by Edward Hopper, conveys a contrast between the bright and seemingly lively shop with the dark, brooding tone of the empty building in order to express a sense of animated joviality and grim loneliness. 
 

My Reading Autobiography

To start things off, I would like to consider myself an avid reader. I read all types of literature from science fiction all the way to biographies and everything in between, but it this wasn't always the case. I began to read at an early age mostly because my parents wanted me to become an intelligent individual. However, I would like to think that the teenage rebellion phase set in much earlier for me and I went against my parent's wishes from an early age as well. When I was younger I could never see the value in books, I'd like to think this is so because I grew up in the technological age where video games and television dominate the entertainment market, and I always associated books with boredom. My mother and father always saw that I would rather play mindless video games than read a good book, and up until the beginning of my sophomore year at Homestead, this was indeed the case. At the beginning of my sophomore year, I began to see the value in picking up a good book and reading it for a couple of hours. Earlier, in my freshman year, I was one of two people to test into the Sophomore block program here at Homestead which signaled the necessity for a solid reading base, which in my case, was non existent. Throughout my sophomore year we read around 6 books, which doesn't seem like a lot but in my case it was, and this sparked my new lifelong journey for the search of new and invigorating literature. Now, I read for fun and for school. One of my favorite things to read is poetry, Alfred Lord Tennyson is, in my mind, a master of the English language, is one of my favorite poets. Reading poetry is a way to unlocking the hearts secrets and, in the process of reading it, a way to find out more about yourself. If I could read more, which I plan on doing, I would like to read more modern and contemporary poetry, dating around the post World War II era, and before the post-modernist movement. This is where I would like to spend my time reading and analyzing. Well, this is my first post and a little about my reading Autobiography. This is Steven Colbert Jr, signing off.