Summer Reading Assignment: Entry Four

When I originally looked at the list of books that were available to be chosen from, none truly stuck out to me until I arrived at this book, Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley. I think what first caught my attention was the book cover. I know the cliche “don’t judge a book by its cover” but this book just caught my eye. Then, I decided to do a little research on the book and found out that it was about more than just a bird, it was about a boy who magically disappeared into thin air one day, and a high school graduate who wanted nothing more than to get his father’s approval, and how a silly bird could bring all of these things together. For me, I think what really convinced me to choose this book was the fact that the main plot is about a high school boy and his brother who eventually disappears one day, and I too have a brother so I feel a connection to it.

There weren’t many personal connections that I could find between the novel and myself after I finished it. The biggest connection is that I too have a brother like Cullen, but mine is the older sibling, and like Cullen if my brother had disappeared I wouldn’t have been able to get my mind off of trying to find him. It wouldn’t matter what was going on, I would only be able to concentrate on my brother.

I would recommend this book to people that want to read a story about second chances that isn’t completely sad and will not make you want to ball your eyes out. I feel that this book should be read by people that are at all different stages of life, in high school, in college, out of college. In my mind,  this story is for anyone who is looking for a good read that could take a while. I say this because there is a lot of information that some people may not understand if they aren’t at least in high school. Also, this isn’t a good book for people that are looking for a quick read because it can be very slow moving at times, especially in the middle of the book and also because the context of the pages isn’t just something you’re going to want to breeze through if you are going to understand the story.

Summer Reading Assignment: Entry Three

I feel that in this book, Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley that there are only a few sections in the story that contain enough action to spark an interest, or in my case, re-engage me in the novel. The excerpt that I have chosen comes from the end of the book where you feel like the author is just prolonging the ending to meet a page length requirement, and then suddenly he slams a door in your face that is just filled with action. I have decided to exclude the name of the captor since that would nearly spoil the entire colliding of the two worlds that effect each other in the end.

The section of the book that would hopefully hook potential readers says, “With that, (the captor’s name) sat down on the edge of the bed, looked down at Gabriel Witter and his bleeding scalp, and said nothing. He looked over to the television to see a shot of a news program being broadcast from Lily, Arkansas. A small caption appeared under an image of a reporter standing before a patch of swampy woods. The caption read NO SECOND CHANCES IN LILY, ARKANSAS. (The captor’s name) began to laugh. He got louder and louder and finally stopped, abruptly, as he looked back down at the motionless figure on his floor. ‘It’s times to say good-bye, Gabriel,’ (the captor’s name) muttered, standing up and switching off the television.” (Pg 223)

In this excerpt from the book, Gabriel is with his captor and is being grilled with questions of whether he himself is doing the right things in life, and if he is the chosen one from God.  The captor asked  why Gabriel killed all of the fallen angels, and also if Gabriel was the Angel Gabriel from the left hand of God who had prevented humankind from being as smart and powerful as God himself, and also that Gabriel must go home to heaven. During the excerpt, Gabriel is also being thrown about like a rag doll and being abused until finally telling his captor that he is not the chosen one of God. To which his captor’s response is that Gabriel must say good-bye and go home. What really keeps the interest of the audience is that we do not know which home he is going to. Is it Gabriel’s actual home in Lily, Arkansas or heaven to go be with God like his captor thinks is his true home? To find out you’re going to have to read the book. (Or you could just skip to the ending!)

Click on the link for a trailer of the book that gives a good perspective of what the novel is about http://vimeo.com/30104827

Summer Reading Assignment: Entry Two

I feel that the complexity of each character is brought on by their actions and feelings in the novel Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley. The main characters in Lily, Arkansas are Cullen and Gabriel Witter and their best friend Lucas Cader.  They all have one thing in common and that is what they desire. These three all desire to someday make it out of Lily and not get sucked back in by the “Black Hole of Arkansas” (aka Lily, Arkansas). For Cullen, once his younger brother randomly disappears, all that he wants is for his brother to be found and return home. He also wants the rest of the town to treat he and his family normally like they used to before Gabriel’s disappearance.  As for Lucas Cader, all here cares about is getting Gabriel back for Cullen’s sake because of the connection and close relationship that he has with his family. You see Lucas’s brother died in a car accident when he was only 12 years old, so if they lost Gabriel, Lucas would feel that he lost another brother because of how close he is to Cullen and Gabriel. For Benton Sage, I believe that the main thing that he desires is to find a way to truly do the work of God and he feels that he cannot accomplish that when he himself does not fully understand the testament of God.

The themes of this novel that are beginning to appear are resurrection and second chances. These two themes are heavily called upon throughout the novel and easily connect with each other. They connect because Lily, Arkansas is basically the town where things come back and sometimes where they get a second chance.  In the case of the Lazarus Woodpecker it becomes resurrected after thought to be extinct for sixty years in Lily, Arkansas and gets a second chance to live.

This book is structured very oddly when you first begin to read it. It starts off talking just about Lily, Arkansas through the narration of Cullen but after the first chapter, the novel shifts to the story about Benton Sage, which early on seems to have no bearing on what’s happening in Lily.  As both storylines progress, we see how the two become one.

Summer Reading Assignment: Entry One

In Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley the major characters are Cullen Witter, his brother Gabriel, their best friend Lucas and also Benton Sage who is the most important character of the other part of the novel. Yes, there are indeed two parts of the novel that later intervene which explains the title. The interesting title describes the small town of Lily, Arkansas that happens to be the setting of this award-winning novel. The author, John Corey Whaley gives this town this title because of what occurs in this small town. As Cullen describes it he says, “who tried and subsequently failed to leave this place behind.” (Pg. 10) Cullen means that this small town of Lily, Arkansas is where people come back because that just can’t escape its powerful grip as one of, “ The Black Holes of Arkansas.” (Pg. 36)

The conflict that is on going for the audience is the random, and sudden disappearance of Cullen’s younger brother, Gabriel. This disappearance also occurs right at the same time that a man from Oregon claims to have seen a woodpecker that was said to be extinct for about sixty years in their small and non-important town of Lily, Arkansas. Another conflict is what is going on with Benton Sage because he feels that he is not truly doing the work of God, but I guess we will see if his current position plays out into a larger conflict.

A prediction that I have is that Gabriel will end up back at Lily at the end of the novel because the title says it’s the place where things come back. The novel does not say that Gabriel left town, it just states that he has disappeared.  Another prediction that I have is that Benton Sages’ story will end up connecting and maybe even affecting what is going on in Lily.

I feel that this connects to the song Dust by Eli Young Band because the story to the song is that this girl is sick of the town she’s in, sick of her dreams never fulfilling, and sick of the same old story that keeps reoccurring. The lyrics go on to say that she has the opportunity to leave the town and she takes it. And I feel that maybe if Cullen or one of the other main characters gets that opportunity then maybe they will also take the chance. 

For the lyrics to the song Dust by the Eli Young Band, click on the link provided! http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eliyoungband/dust.html

Final Blogging Reflection

In my previous blog I discussed how one quote can show an incredible amount of information that may possibly be missed without it, how it can also be used to intrigue an audience and also be used as a literary technique.

Identify and Explain the Benefit of the Quote

The quote that I decided to inculde for that certain blogging prompt was a short quote. That quote being, "I have very fond memories actually." (Herbach, pg. 24) This quote benefits the reading of my independent reading novel because it as a reader it allows me to understand that he did actually have good memories in his life, and also that his life wasn't completely terrible. I had chosen this quote becuause it was the only real positive thing that Felton had discussed throughout the novel, up until that point. This quote adds value to my conversation within my blog becuase I later discuss how a short qute can be used as a technique and can alos be used to add voice to your own writing. Utilizing only a short quote allowed me to more thoughtfully anazlyize the underlying details in the text that I would've missed had the writer include a lengthy quote instead. This engages the reader more becasue it allows them to use the context in which the quote is inset to find out more iformation that mey be new to them.

Identify and Discuss Purposeful Diction and Syntax

The diction and syntax choices that I utilized to enhance my voice were a short sentence, asyndenton, and casual diction. The casual diction was used to enhance my voice becuase I feel that you do not always have to use big words to make your own writing style stand out and also that it allows the reader to not feel overwhelmed by the vocabulary.  For example, I keep the vocabulary simple in this section by saying, "his mom sang him all of these distinctive songs as they sat under a star and moon lit sky." This quote enables the audience to freely move about my article and not feel overwhelmed by large words. As for syntax, I used a short sentence that followed the quote, and also an asyndenton. The quote for the asyndenton is, " This line is important to the plot because it foreshadows that this summer will be different form most since his mom isn't taking them camping this summer, his best friend moved to Venezula, a new family moved into his best friend's house." This technique is used to list out events while leaving out conjunctions between phrases. In its coontext it was used to list the events that allowed me to see the foreshadowing of the summer, and was hoping that it would lead others to the same conclusion. 

Technology

The technology that I used in my blog post was a link that lead my audience to another site where they could learn other techniques that would add to their voice and also make their writing more interesting. This benefits my specific audience for that blog post because it can lead them to see new strategies for making their writing more intriguing to others. This allows further thought and consideration by opening their views of how to add voice and make their writing more interesting to new ideas that they may have never been taught before.

The most important line from a chapter is…

    For me the most important line from a chapter would be, "I have very fond memories acutally." (Herbach, pg. 24). This short quote comes from Chapter 5 in Stupid Fast. Although this chapter is only about a page and a half, I feel it gives the audience background on Felton's summer life and what it means to him. For Felton, it means being one thing that he feels he doesn't have. A normal family. 

    When Felton syas that he has good memories of summer he is describing going on the camping trips with his brother and his mom. One example that Felton givees us is when they went camping his freshman year of high school and his mom sang him all of these distinctive songs as they sat under a star and moon lit night sky. He later goes on to say that his mom is a really good mom even though they've had their rough times and the fact that Felton thinks she is really wierd. 

    This line is important to the plot because it foreshadows that this summer will be different from most since his mom is not taking them camping this summer, his best friend moved to Venezuela, a new family moved into his best friend's house. Also I like how Herbach gives such an important line at the beginning of a chapter that is only one sentence long. This is a technique that I feel could be very benefical to not only my writing style, but also everyone else's. 

For more ways on how to make your own writing more interesting, click on the link below: http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/some-tips-to-make-your-writing-more-interesting/

Predictions: Stupid Fast

So I just started reading this book titled Stupid Fast, and there have already been some interesting details that have been shared. One such detail being that Felton Reinstein, the main character, his dad committed suicide when Felton was only 5 years old. I feel that this piece of information will be important later on in the story because he constantly keeps referencing his dad. Also Felton talks about the issues he has had in his life like the anxiety attacks only in school, getting DQ'd (Disqualified) at regionals for track and also once again, his dad.

Some predictions that I have are that Felton will later get a second opportunity to qualify for state and instead of getting disqualified, he will win and move on to the state meets. Another prediction that I have is that he will end up playing high school football because the front cover of the book shows him in a football locker room with shoulder pads on. A third prediction that I have is that his best friend Gus, will not return from Venezuela because his grandma is terminally ill. Due to the fact that she is ill, I feel Gus's mother will want to stay in Venezuela for a while to be with her family. Also due to the inconvenience that Gus is out of the country for the summer Felton has to do his paper route and finds out that a new family is renting the house and Felton then has to deliver paper's to that house as well. But that's beside the point. The point being that my final prediction is that Felton will fall in love with the girl that is staying in Gus's house because he describes her as being beautiful and pleasurable to look at.

A few question that I have come across my mind are, why is Felton's dad committing suicide relevant to any part of the story?, or is the author giving us background information for later in the novel? Also, will there be a relationship between the new girl and Felton, and what will happen if Gus's family does move back into the house?

Geoff Herbach: Author Research

    The author of the new book that I am reading is Geoff Herbach. Mr. Herbach is the author of The Miracle Letters of T. Rimberg, Stupid Fast, Nothing Special, and I'm with Stupid. He is an award winner of the Cybils Award in Young Adult Fiction and Minnesota Book Award. His books have also been selected for the Junior Guild, listed among the year's best by the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Association and many state library associations.
    Geoff Herbach was born in Dubuque, Iowa on October 30, 1969. He is married and has two children and resides in Mankato, Minnesota. Not only is Geoff an award winning author, he is also a script writer for multiple plays. Geoff Herbach has also managed to produce comedy shows and tour with rock clubs all the while telling weird stories. He is currently teaching Creative Writing at Minnesota State, Mankato. 

For more information on Geoff Herbach click on the link below:
http://geoffherbach.com/about/about.html

Columnist Unit-HW Assignment

Krista Ramsey is reminiscing about the irresponsible acts of vandalism that she saw take place at Opening Day. This act would be committed by a 7 or 8 year old boy who was uprooting pansies while standing in a flower pot to get a better view of the Opening Day Parade.

Click on the link below to view the whole story

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/04/12/krista-ramsey-vandalism/7659161/

I feel like the best-written line of the entire piece is when Krista Ramsey is when she says, "Whatever source I expected for the carnage, it was not a kid being given a gilded view of a parade." The impact that this line has on the audience is that it nearly tells the story in one line. The diction of this line is low key, and there are only 2 words that are elevated, and those are "carnage" and "gilded". This line also shows Ramsey's tone of how surprised she was to see that the wreckage being done was do to the un-carelessness of a parent allowing their son to do whatever they wanted.

Ramsey's writing style is consistent throughout the three pieces, and she also shows great passion for each story. It came to my attention that she tries to keep the audience engaged by asking a question such as in the first article, "The result?" although this question is answered immediately after, it is enough to keep a hold on the attention of the audience. She exemplifies this grasp of the audience by allows ending with a strong concluding statement, in the second article she ends it by saying, "Whatever the score of the game, they'll both look like winner." to wrap up the entire piece into a strong, powerful sentence that sticks with the reader. But for the third article, the one that I choose. Her grasp of the audience, is immediate. The very first line, "You will never remember the moment. I can't forget it.” This opening line is enough to grab a hold of the audience to make them wonder, what is it that she can't forget? It is clear that Ramsey does her best to grasp the audience whether from the very beginning, middle, or end, you know you're going to be brought in under her grasp at some point.

Questions:

1. How do you come up with ideas to write about so quickly?

2. How do you know when to include question at the right time?

3. Should you always include some sort of question in a columnist piece?

Explain what you plan to read next and why

I plan to read the novel Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series because not only is it about baseball, but it's also about history and from the reviews that I have read actually teaches valuable morals to life. Some of these important morals include; greed, guilt, fame, cheating, and revenge which led to the ultimate punishment for a baseball player. Being banned for life. I feel that not only do these morals and themes teach valuable lessons in sports, but could be easily appiable to life in general. 

Another reason that I plan to read this book next is because it is a non-fiction book and earlier in the year one of my reading goals was to mix-up the genres that I read for this year, and this seems like a good point to add in a different genre. I feel like this would be an appropriate time for me to incorporate a non-fiction title into my independent reading because I recently took Best-Sellers class which all that we really read was fictional novels so I want to read something with a historical side, but something that could also be intriguing. Another reason that I want to read Eight Men Out is because I love novels about sports, and especially baseball, and also I am a really big history buff, and to me it is fun to read a piece that actually happend and wasn't just made up.

For more information on Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series, click on this link:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eight-men-out-eliot-asinof/1100470602?ean=9780805065374 

Post about a dynamic character and support how that character has changed throughout the text: Fahrenheit 451

I feel that the most dynamic character in the novel, Fahrenheit 451 was Guy Montag. He was the most dynamic character in the book because he changed and developed so much from the beginning of the book to the end of the book. Also if Montag hadn't changed none of the events that took place never would've happend.

In the beginning of the book Montag is the model citizen in a dystopian society that controls everything and has outrageous laws. He never breaks any rules, never thinks for himself, never questions the government or society, and just goes with the flow. As guy says in the beginning of the book when he is talking with Clarisse, "Of course I'm happy. what does she think? I'm not?" (Bradbury, pg. 8) This shows that at the start of the novel, Montag was happy with his current position as a firemen, husband, and citizen of his society.

After this point in the book, Montag's character is never truly the same. He is constantly thinking about the question that Clarisse asked him, of wether or not he is happy. And that becomes Montag's journey and adeventure for the remainder of the book. Montag starts exploring his life, job, and society to see if he really is happy. After some time, Montag comes to the conclusion that he isn't truly happy, that he was in turn, really just wearing a mask of happiness like the rest of the society.

At the end of the book we see Montag become a outlaw in the eyes of the government, he starts asking questions, thinking for himself, and starts reading books. An example of when Montag begins thinking for himself is when he says" I'mnot thinking. I'm just doing like I'm told, like always. You said get the money and I got it. I didn't really think of it myself. when do I start working things out on m own?" (Bradbury, pg.88) Since Montag is a firemen, it is his job to burn houses that have books in them since it is illegal to have possesion of or read books. So, wehn Montag beginnings reading books his house gets burned down by Chief Beatty. After some events that un-fold at the house Montag goes on the run as a wanted fugitive for killing Chief Beatty and other firemen but also for having books.

By the very end of the story Guy Mntag has become an entirely different person from the beginnig of the book. Now he is an independent person who thinks for himself.

This relates to our in-class discussion about if Montag is truly happy, and if not will he ever find true happiness.

How has a character changed since they were first introduced?

The character that I feel has changed since they were first introduced was Guy Montag. When Montag was first introduced in Fahrenheit 451, he was very pro-government and a good citizen who followed the laws, kept to himself, and performed his job extremely well. As the story progressed and Montag met and began to talk to Clarisse, he started to think about her along with her peculiar family and strange ideals. The more and more he thought about her, the more he questioned his dystopian society and what the government stood for. Montag's change went form subtle questioning to performing illegal actions such as reading books in a short period of time.
 
 In the beginning of the book my opinion of Montag was that he just went with the flow, he was a good citizen (in the governments eyes), and never caused any problems. To me, he wasn't a very dynamic character. Honestly, I felt Montag was very flat up until the part where Chief Beatty allowed for the woman to be burned and die in the fire with the house and the books. This was the ultimate turning point in Montag's character for me. From this point forward he starts realizing that Clarisse was correct in her statements from the beginning of the book. One such statement that he finds true about himself was that when Clarisse asked Montag if he was happy he quickly replied yes, but later in the novel he realizes that he truly isn't happy in his current position as a fireman, a citizen, and a husband.

 After Montag starts on his journey to find happiness by reading books and participating in other illegal acts that allow for a person to think for themselves, I feel that Montag has become a more dynamic character that arouses new problems in the story. In other words, he has become an individual in a society that doesn't allow for one to be themselves.

For more information on the main character, Guy Montag, it may be benefical to check out the website in the below link if you have any concerns or troubles while regarding the analyisis of Montag.

http://www.shmoop.com/fahrenheit-451/guy-montag.html

Reading Wish List

Some books that I wouldn't mind reading for pleasure next trimester are 1. Divergent by: Veronica Roth, 2. Hunger Games series by: Suzanne Collins, 3. American Sniper by: Chris Kyle, 4. Let Me Off At The Top by: Ron Burgundy, 5. Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series by: Eliot Asinof

Book 3 Review: Lone Survivor

The book Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell (in theaters now) is one of two books written by Marcus who is a former United States Navy SEAL. He received the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart for his courageous and brave actions he took in 2005 while fighting a couple hundred Taliban in Operation Red Wings, which was a special operation aimed at taking out a high priority Taliban leader and American target. Lone Survivor is a memoir of the accounts that occurred on the fateful day in Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush where the other members of his SEAL team were killed with the hatred for Americans that existed in the heart and cold soul of those Taliban warriors. This is the story of a brotherhood.  “It’s strictly American brotherhood, mostly forged in blood. Hard-won, unbreakable.”

Lone Survivor takes place in the mountains of Afghanistan, specifically, the Hindu Kush. This mountain is a well-known Taliban tribesmen hideout and home to multiple Taliban leaders. One of these Taliban leaders being Ben Sharmak was Marcus’s SEAL Team’s objective, to either capture or kill the ferocious Taliban leader who despised Americans for everything they represented. He was also the man who killed hundreds of Marines in roadside bombs and ambushes in weeks earlier.

                  While reading this great book, many people may wonder why Marcus Luttrell refers back to the ROE’s and Liberals and tries using a strange sense of humor in his detailed description of the battle and other accounts while stationed in Afghanistan. It seems that Marcus tends to incorporate this humor into his writing style to almost ease the pain of what he is saying, like a nervous joke or laughter. First off, ROE stands for Rules Of Engagement, which are the rules that all U.S military personnel must follow. And these rules state, “that we could not shoot, kill or injure unarmed civilians… How about the innocent-looking camel drovers making their way through the mountain passes with enough high explosives strapped to the backs of their beasts to blow up Yankee Stadium? “ Later on in the paragraph, Marcus tries to explain this further with humor by saying that, “we could not shoot that camel drover before he blew up all of us, because he might just be taking his dynamite for a walk.” Although most people might see this as a funny and comical remake, like it was meant to be, Marcus is all business when he is explaining this.

                  As Marcus tries desperately to describe his fallen brothers, Mike Murphy, Matthew Axelson, and Danny Dietz there is never any point in the entire book that Marcus isn’t grateful for the actions that those brave men took on that mountain. The development of the characters isn’t the best but it will be suffice since Marcus couldn’t really develop them in any way. He gives us, the audience, a straight-forward approach to each character. For example, when Marcus originally introduces Mike Murphy he right away tells us that he thinks he is the bravest man he has and ever will meet. As the audience, we later find out why when Marcus is carefully explaining each of his members deaths in the battle. Marcus explains how Mike Murphy died by flat out saying, “And the Lieutenant Murphy walked out into the open ground… walked until he was more or less in the center, gunfire all around him, and he sat on a small rock and began punching in the numbers to HQ…Knowing the risk, understanding the danger, in the full knowledge the phone call could cost him his life,” Marcus later goes on to tell how Mike was shot and continued to fight until he eventually died. This in-depth account of how just one of his brethren died is horrific enough, so now imagine witnessing that two more times. From reading this novel and just sitting in shock from the words on pages, there is no true need to try to develop Mike, Matthew, and Danny since the words speak for themselves.                                                                                                                            

Like all great novels there are multiple themes that are present, but there’s always a select few that stick out and make an impression on the audience. In many fictional novels it may be difficult for a reader to find that needle-in-the-haystack theme that has a lasting effect on your life. For me, that theme was a part of the Navy SEALs promise. A promise that has been lived out by many men and women that aren’t only SEALs, but also civilians. And that theme is that you are never out of the fight. This means that no matter what happens, you keep on fighting, you never give up, and you most certainly never quit! Marcus gives the audience a couple chances to discover the theme. The first one is when he was at Navy SEAL prep training and he had broken his leg and kept on trying to climb up the wall even though he kept falling and landing on his broken leg. The second example was when Lieutenant Murphy is shot in the back when making the call into HQ; he keeps on fighting till his last breath. Even-though there is blood spurting out of his chest and back, he keeps on firing and taking down enemy combatants to protect his teammates, who like himself have also been shot and injured.

The rating that I would give this book is a 10/10, because of the in-depth detail and extremely precise accounts of what happened in Marcus’s life as a U.S Navy SEAL and also what happened on the mountain. Another reason this book deserves a 10/10 is because of the emotion that as a reader I can feel in his writing, even though I don’t know Marcus or any of the fallen SEALs. The final reason would have to be the theme; because it just gives off such a powerful and radiant light that everyone could incorporate into his or her lives.

Lastly I want to take the time to thank Marcus Luttrell for his service for this country and also shinning the light on a story that needed and deserved to be told to do justice for those who had fallen during Operation Red Wings. 

Book Talk Presentation

Post 9: Heroes

In my book Lone Survivor, the protagonist is most certainly the US Navy SEALS especially Marcus Luttrell (author) and his fellow SEALS (Matthew Axelson, Michael Murphy, and Danny Dietz, along with other members of SEAL Team 10 that were killed while attempting to rescue them in a helicopter when it was struck with a RPG). Unfortunately Marcus’s fellow SEALS were killed in a massive firefight in the Hindu Kush that involved an army of close to 200 Taliban soldiers against 4 US Navy SEALS. In Marcus’s memoir he tells how the real protagonist is his fallen SEAL buddies that were killed on that mountain, but he himself is the lone survivor and is also a protagonist. The SEALS and Marcus fight into an archetype and that would be Epic Hero. I believe that the word “Epic” is used way too much and that it has lost the true meaning of the word. But in this situation these SEALS went above and beyond the call of duty and were in my eyes “epic heroes”. According to the definition of an Epic Hero: The hero participates in a cyclical journey or quest, faces adversaries that try to defeat him in his journey, gathers allies along his journey, and returns home significantly transformed by his journey. The epic hero illustrates traits, performs deeds, and exemplifies certain morals that are valued by the society from which the epic originates. They usually embody cultural and religious beliefs of the people. Epic heroes have no superpowers but they're smart, brave, and have fears but overcome them to protect their friends, families, and countries. An epic hero can also be a warrior of some sort who performs extraordinary tasks that most find difficult. This hero is loyal, smart, and brave. I believe that Marcus and his buddies surpassed and crushed what we define as an Epic Hero, and should be the guide of what to call an “Epic Hero”. If you were to ask me if the characters in this memoir challenge the traditional patterns of a hero I would most certainly say they don’t challenge the pattern at all, but they do add another level to that pattern that would be extremely hard to reach. Let’s keep this in mind though that these heroes aren’t fictional, these were real, living, and breathing, dying SEALS, which would make having a protagonist obtain this new level of being a hero that much more complex.

Thank you Marcus Luttrell for shinning the light on this story and being able to give your SEALS the respect they deserved. I thank you for your service to this nation.

Post 8: Truth in a Memoir

How true does a book have to be in my mind for it to be considered non-fiction?

In my opinion a non-fiction book should be 99% true because by definition a non-fiction book is " writing that is about facts or real events" (Merriam-Webster dictionary). Of course in a book the author will not be able to write exactly what happened on everyday of a specific event, that's why I say it should be 99% true. Also an author is going to most likely going to over-exaggerate a little bit, because the author wants you to feel how they think they felt, at that exact moment even if that means that they throw in an extra expression that didn't actually occur. As a reader, I also understand that an author is going to have some creative juices flowing while writing a non-fiction piece and may come up with extra details to give the novel some more drama while keeping the story as close to the truth as possible while also writing a good, interesting book. 

Are half-truths okay if it’s still a good story? 

I do not believe that half-truths are okay even if it turns out to be a great story! As I said above, an author should stay as close to the truth as possible and try their best to not stray far from the truth. If an author were to write a half-truth than I believe that they should either put a disclaimer in the book, or not call their book non-fiction, or a memoir and just say it is a book that has some elements of actual events that occurred in real life.  

Do we need lines between genres? Do we need to label something fiction or non-fiction?

Due to the issue of authors creating memoirs that contain only half-truths, I do think that it's necessary to have lines between genres. And we also do need to label something fiction or non-fiction because now we have writers who think they can get away with creating a story that is partially true and partially false, and I think that they should create a new genre that is a mix of fact and fiction. That way it would allow authors to tell half-truths and people not get mad about it.

Post 7: Book 2 Trailer

Post 6: Readicide

Is Readicide a problem in schools?

In my opinion as a freshman, readicide is definitely a problem in schools. The teachers in almost every class have you read material so you can test well, not have a joy of reading and growing up to be literate adults who have an understanding for the world around them. In today’s society you see less and less kids reading for fun and enjoyment and more reading only the required amount for classes. If that means they have to read a chapter in a textbook for homework one night, that’s the only thing they’ll read that night, they won’t want to read any other material than what they have to for that day.

Is genre fiction less “worthy” than Literary Fiction of our time as readers? Is it less worthy of a place in a school’s curriculum?

I believe that no genre should be called “less worthy” since the worthiness of a book and its genre is determined by the people read the book and the books that fall in that genre. I also think that genre fiction is just as worthy in school curriculum as is Literary Fiction because by studying books in genre fiction it allows the students to experience not only classic books, but also new best-selling books, and books that affect the way people see and think about the world today.

Why should we want kids to read anyways?

We should want kids to read today because it allows them to have a greater sense of the world around them, and also they can then become literate adults who can pass down important details about their life and important details about the world and how it was when they were a kid to generations to come. Another reason we should want our kids to read anyways because it allows the kids to use their imaginations and also discover new ways of thinking and learning.  

Post 5: Adapting your Book 2

      Some challenges that filmmakers would have in bringing Argo to the big screen is that it's based on a true story, so you have to bring some kind of plot twist to keep the audience interested. The book is extremely long and goes into great depth to explain very minor and minute details that most filmmakers would say aren't important, so those details would need to be most likely cut. I believe that in order to make the plot and characters work is that they need to keep the characters how they are in the book, but add a little more detail to them, and their persona. An example would be like giving their character a little more of an adventurous lifestyle so to speak. The plot of the story for the most part should stay the same, but you would probably need to add a little bit more drama to the embassy attack and the escapes.
      One scene that is tremendously essential to keep is when the U.S Embassy is under attack by the Tehran revolutionaries.This most be in the film because not only is it one of the most tense parts of the book, but it is always the whole plot of the book. In this scene we see the U.S Embassy workers brave the crowds of the revolutionaries and actually hold out for hours waiting for help to arrive, only to be disappointed and eventually have to give up the embassy and be taken as hostages.
      A second scene that must be kept is the reaction that the CIA and Washington D.C. show when they find out about the embassy being taken over. The shock of the whole situation in my opinion is captured in this very moment and chapter. as an audience we see the massive shock on the face of the U.S in this sole chapter because of all of the cables that the CIA were receiving for the attack on the embassy.
      The final scene that is a must-have, in order for this movie to be successful, would be the exfiltraion scene. This is when Tony and Julio (a member of the CIA) enter into Tehran disguised as Hollywood producers looking for a sight to shoot their new movie Argo. The whole time that Tony is in Tehran he his actually making a plan with the 6 American Emassy workers that managed to escape, to get out of Tehran. As Tony, Julio, and the 6 are trying to escape and exfiltrate the country, they encouter close calls and a near breaking point for some of the houseguests.
      One thing that the filmmakers must cut out of the story would have to be when Tony Mendez is explaining who everyone at the office is, and what they do, where the person is from, where they have been, and all sorts of unnecessary information like that. This information is relevant to the story, but it doesn't have a sense of importance to it like some other scenes.
      I would also cut out the scene when he is talking about the NESTOR operation because this one example is just Tony Mendez giving an example of how one of his past plans was successful, and he is hopping that this operation will be just as successful. There is also another scene like this earlier in the book that I feel is more relevant to the current situation that is present in Tehran. Tony goes into deep detail about the operation involving a high-level KGB officer code named NESTOR and him needing help with getting out of the country, and Tony making a creative disguise for the officer.