Monday, December 13, 2010
Reflection
I can't believe the semester is already over!! It seems like just last week we were talking about The Hobbit. I really enjoyed this class and I'm sad it's over! What other class allows you to read children's book for a grade?! Coming into the class, I thought we would be reading books for younger children, more like picture books. However, I really enjoyed the books we did read. I hadn't read most of them which made it even more exciting!
Blog #29 Coraline
Rhetorical Reflection
Coraline was the most disturbing book I have ever read. I didn't think it was going to be near as dark as it was. I had never read it before or watched the movie. I remember when the movie came out I thought it looked too scary for children to see. This book was definitely one of my least favorites.
Notable Moment
"They went into the kitchen. On a china plate on the kitchen table was a spool of black cotton, and a long silver needle, and beside them, two large black buttons." (pg 45)
These part of the book was very disturbing to me because I kept imagining the pain of having buttons sewn into my eyes....OUCH!!!
Analysis
Throughout the book, Coraline is always seeking a way out of the position she is in. At the beginning of the book, she is bored with her real parents and wants to find out what is in the other landing. When she is told that it is dangerous and she should stay away, it makes her want to go even more. At first, she loves her other world. Her parents giver her everything she wants and she has much more to do. She decides she wants to live in that world forever. However, she soon learns that her new parents aren't what she thought they were. They were evil and wanted to keep her with them and sew her eyes shut. Once she realizes this, she tries to escape back to her real parents. At the end of the book, she realizes that she should be happy with the family she has and accept the love her parents give her.
Coraline was the most disturbing book I have ever read. I didn't think it was going to be near as dark as it was. I had never read it before or watched the movie. I remember when the movie came out I thought it looked too scary for children to see. This book was definitely one of my least favorites.
Notable Moment
"They went into the kitchen. On a china plate on the kitchen table was a spool of black cotton, and a long silver needle, and beside them, two large black buttons." (pg 45)
These part of the book was very disturbing to me because I kept imagining the pain of having buttons sewn into my eyes....OUCH!!!
Analysis
Throughout the book, Coraline is always seeking a way out of the position she is in. At the beginning of the book, she is bored with her real parents and wants to find out what is in the other landing. When she is told that it is dangerous and she should stay away, it makes her want to go even more. At first, she loves her other world. Her parents giver her everything she wants and she has much more to do. She decides she wants to live in that world forever. However, she soon learns that her new parents aren't what she thought they were. They were evil and wanted to keep her with them and sew her eyes shut. Once she realizes this, she tries to escape back to her real parents. At the end of the book, she realizes that she should be happy with the family she has and accept the love her parents give her.
Blog #27 The Bad Beginning
Rhetorical Reflection
Lemony Snicket is one of the most unique children's authors I can think of. I remember when I was around twelve, I started reading this book. For some reason I didn't finish it, I can't remember why though. Anyways, I remember reading the note on the back of the book that Lemony Snicket writes to the reader and thinking how odd it was that he said how depressing the book was. However, when I read the back of the book this time, I found that the letter made me want to read the book to see what all was going to happen to the children.
Notable Moment
"'Would it be so terrible to be my bride, to live in my house for the rest of your life? You;'re such a lovely girl, after the marriage I wouldn't dispose of you like your brother and sister.' Violet imagined sleeping beside Count Olaf, and waking up each morning to look at this terrible man."
Analysis
Depressing. That is the only word I can think of to describe the entire book. Every time something would start to look good for the children, something even worse would happen. They lost their parents in a tragic fire, had to live with a DISGUSTING relative trying to steal their fortune, and try and save their sister from having to marry him. I can't imagine having to deal with all of these things after losing my parents. I would go down in a deep hole and not come back out.
The children in this book are very close. They reminded me of the children in The Pheonix and the Carpet. They all help each other out and play together very well.
Blog #26 James and the Giant Peach
Rhetorical Reflection
I really enjoyed James and the Giant Peach. I think my favorite thing about the novel is the outrageous things included in it. For example, at the beginning of the novel, Dahl writes that James' parents are killed by getting eaten by a rhinoceros. This is just the beginning of the weird things Dahl writes about. I love that I was able to get lost in my imagination in this book. In my opinion, its the darkest one we read this semester. I was really surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did.
Notable Moment
My favorite part of the book was when the peach rolled through the chocolate factory. This is probably because Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of my all time favorite movies. I think it is really neat that he incorporated one of his other books into James and the Giant Peach.
"The building happened to be a famous factory where they made chocolate, and almost at once a great river of warm melted chocolate came pouring out of the holes in the factory wall." (pg 50)
Analysis
James and the Giant Peach was definitely one of my top five favorites that we read this semester. Like I said before, I liked all of the weird and different stuff Dahl put in the book. It is what makes it so fun to get lost in. The book reminds me a lot of Cinderella. A boy who lost his parents and is living with evil relatives. The peach is like the Fairy Godmother and saves James from his miserable life. I feel like there are a ton of books based on this set up but Dahl does a great job making it different and stand out.
I really enjoyed James and the Giant Peach. I think my favorite thing about the novel is the outrageous things included in it. For example, at the beginning of the novel, Dahl writes that James' parents are killed by getting eaten by a rhinoceros. This is just the beginning of the weird things Dahl writes about. I love that I was able to get lost in my imagination in this book. In my opinion, its the darkest one we read this semester. I was really surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did.
Notable Moment
My favorite part of the book was when the peach rolled through the chocolate factory. This is probably because Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of my all time favorite movies. I think it is really neat that he incorporated one of his other books into James and the Giant Peach.
"The building happened to be a famous factory where they made chocolate, and almost at once a great river of warm melted chocolate came pouring out of the holes in the factory wall." (pg 50)
Analysis
James and the Giant Peach was definitely one of my top five favorites that we read this semester. Like I said before, I liked all of the weird and different stuff Dahl put in the book. It is what makes it so fun to get lost in. The book reminds me a lot of Cinderella. A boy who lost his parents and is living with evil relatives. The peach is like the Fairy Godmother and saves James from his miserable life. I feel like there are a ton of books based on this set up but Dahl does a great job making it different and stand out.
Blog #25 Analysis of The City of Ember
After concluding The City of Ember, I realized that the kids had broken rules throughout the entire book. However, without them going against the rules, they would have never saved the city.
At the very beginning of the book, Lina and Doon broke the rules by exchanging jobs. They each had drawn each others dream job out of the box and decided to switch. Later on the book, Doon broke the rules and decided to go find the generator underground. If he hadn't of done his, he would have never known how to fix the City. Once the children de-code the letter they found, they went on a mission to find the solution to the City. All of the city officials were trying to find them to stop them but they went anyways. They went on the boat alone and out into the world alone.
This leads to bravery. The children showed tremendous amounts of bravery throughout the entire novel. They are only twelve years old trying to save a city that has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years.
At the very beginning of the book, Lina and Doon broke the rules by exchanging jobs. They each had drawn each others dream job out of the box and decided to switch. Later on the book, Doon broke the rules and decided to go find the generator underground. If he hadn't of done his, he would have never known how to fix the City. Once the children de-code the letter they found, they went on a mission to find the solution to the City. All of the city officials were trying to find them to stop them but they went anyways. They went on the boat alone and out into the world alone.
This leads to bravery. The children showed tremendous amounts of bravery throughout the entire novel. They are only twelve years old trying to save a city that has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years.
Blog #24 Th City of Ember Notable Moment
A notable moment in The City of Ember is at the very beginning when the seventh mayor becomes very ill and tries to open the box. Because he tried to open it and break the rules the previous mayor gave him, the lost ended up lost in the back of a closet. The box being lost resulted in the community not knowing what to do when the lights started going out. This foreshadows that are the going to be a lot of problems later on in the book.
"But his strength was failing by then. All he managed to do was dent the lid a little. And before he could return the box to its official hiding place or tell his successor about it, he died. The box ended up at the back of a closet, shoved behind some old bags and bundles. There it sat, unnoticed, year after year, until its time arrived, and the lock quietly clicked open."
"But his strength was failing by then. All he managed to do was dent the lid a little. And before he could return the box to its official hiding place or tell his successor about it, he died. The box ended up at the back of a closet, shoved behind some old bags and bundles. There it sat, unnoticed, year after year, until its time arrived, and the lock quietly clicked open."
Blog #23 Analysis of The Giver and Among the Hidden
After finishing both The Giver and Among the Hidden, the one thing that stuck out the most to me was that the main character of both was a male who was different than everyone else.
In The Giver, Jonas receives a job that secludes him from the rest of the community. He isn't able to tell anyone what he is doing or learning. This makes him be alone a lot of the time. The only person he can talk to is the Giver because he is teaching Jonas. Many times throughout the book, Jonas mentions that he doesn't like being alone or secluded.
In Among the Hidden, Luke is considered to be against the law because he is the third child in his family. In the community he lives in, parents are only allowed to have two children. Since he is the third child, he has to remain hidden all of his life. Being caught by the government means he could killed. Luke doesn't have any friends and isn't allowed to go out of the house. One day, he finds out he isn't the only other third child and escapes his house to talk to the girl he has been seeing in the house across the street. He finds out that Jen is like him and there are others too. Jen becomes Luke's first friend and he is able to talk to her about things he has had to keep bottled up inside.
Although Jonas and Luke's lives are completely different, they do share the same characteristic of being unique individuals who struggle with being alone in the world.
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