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.

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.

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.

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."

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.  

Blog #22 Anticipating The City of Ember

After reading the back cover and "The Instructions" part of the book, it seems really similar to The Giver.  The community seems like it is going to be more secluded like the community in The Giver.  I am anxious to compare this book to the The Giver and Among The Hidden.  I've already noticed the age for getting jobs is twelve in this book as well...what is up with this age?!

Blog #21 Notable Moment in Among The Hidden

I think the most notable moment in the book is when Luke realizes he isn't the only third child in the world.  It is a huge turning point in the book when Luke sees Jen for the first time.  His character totally changes.  Rather than being a timid little boys, he becomes very brave.  He risks his life by running across the street and breaking into her house.  Although he is very brave about this, he is still very timid when it comes to the Rally. This was very weird to me.  He is risking his life to be at Jen's house so why not go ahead and go to the Rally?

"And then, out of the corner of his eye, Luke caught a glimpse of something behind one window of the Sports Family's house.  A face.  A child's face.  In a house where two boys already lived." pg 41

Blog #20 Anticipating Among the Hidden

I have never heard of the Among the Hidden books.  After reading the back cover, it seems very similar to The Giver.  I am excited to read it because The Giver has been my favorite book so far and I think its because of the dystopia and that is what his book falls under as well.  It seems like it is going to be more similar to the society we live in today and I like that about it.  It doesn't seem like it's going to be totally different like The Giver.

Blog #19 Notable Moment in The Giver

The most notable moment in The Giver for me was when Jonas noticed the apple looked different. This was when the reader realizes that Jonas is different than everybody else.  Jonas doesn't realize this at the time but he is actually seeing the apple's red color.  Jonas is "seeing beyond" and this is how he becomes "The Receiver".  In order to be The Giver, you must have a special quality about you.  The current Receiver's special gift was that he could hear beyond. He could hear music and other pleasant sounds that nobody else could.

"But suddenly Jonas had noticed, following the path of the apple through the air with his eyes, that the piece of fruit had-well, this is the part that he couldn't adequately understand-the apple had changed.  Just for an instant. It had changed in mid-air, he remembered.  Then it was in his hand, and he looked at it carefully, but it was the same apple. Unchanged."  pg. 24

Blog #18 Anticipating The Giver

The Giver was my all time favorite book after I read it in seventh grade.  I am SO excited to read it again.  When I read it, I remember thinking how advanced it was for a children's book.  I had friends who read it in fifth grade, which I believe is the audience it was written for, and I think that age is way to young to understand all the meaning behind this book.  As a seventh grader, I remember being very disturbed at some of the parts, especially about the birthmothers and the "stirrings".  I'm very anxious to read it at this age and see how it affects me.

Blog #17 Notable Moment in Mrs. Frisby

I think the most notable moment in Mrs. Frisby is when the rats realize they are learning to read.  This is what changes the entire story.  Until this moment, they thought they were going to spend the rest of their lives in the lab.  This is also when they realized they were very intelligent and had the mind of most humans, more advanced than some.  Without them learning to read, the rats wouldn't have been able to do any of the things they did.

"By teaching up how to read, they had taught us how to get away." pg 129

When Nicodemus tells Mrs. Frisby this, the readers finally understand why the rats are able to live the way they do.  Mrs. Frisby also learns how her husband was so intelligent.  Until this point, there is no explanation for why the rats are the way they are.

Blog #16 Anticipating Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

I am SO excited to read this book! I read it in seventh grade I think and I don't really remember the whole story. I do remember absolutely loving it though.  I read the back of the book and flipped through some pages to refresh my memory.  I definitely think this is going to be my favorite book so far.

Blog #15 Analysis of Goblet of Fire, Magician's Nephew, and Phoenix and Carpet

I enjoyed all three of these books much more than the first three! My least favorite one was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It was so hard to read it all! (However, it did get me in the mood for the new movie coming up :)!) I absolutely LOVED the Magician's Nephew. The Phoenix and the Carpet fell in between.  As I think back to the three books, the reoccuring theme that keeps coming into my mind is the development of relationships.

In The Phoenix and the Carpet, the children develop a very strong relationship.  Usually children at their age don't get along or want to play together like the children do in this book.  They also become very attached to the Phoenix.  They grow to love him and want him to stay around.

In the Magician's Nephew, Digory and Polly create a very strong relationship.  Although they get into arguements, they are still best of friends.  They also create a relationship with the cabman.  Since all of them encounter so many life changing experiences together, they can't help but to grow closer.

The relationships in Harry Potter stuck out to me the most.  Obviously, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine are already best friends.  Sparks begin to fly between Hermonie and Ron in this book. They start to realize they want to be more than friends.  Harry also begins to have feelings for Cho.  Harry also develops a relationship with Cedric.  Even though they are competing against each other for the triwizard cup, they still form a bond because they are both representing Hogwarts.

Blog #14 Notable Moment In Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

This is a hard one! There are so many notable moments in the book thats is difficult to pick just one.

After reading the book and watching the movie, I noticed that both really accentuate Harry's bravery.  I think the most brave moment of Harry's is when he did what Cedric asked of him and took his body back to his father.  This shows so much about Harry's character.  He is in so much danger and still thinks about his friend and classmate.  Harry could have been killed by "you know who" by risking the time to get over to Cedric's body after getting the portkey.

"From a muffled yell, he thought he had stopped at least one of them, but there was no time to stop and look; he jumped over the cup and dived as he heard more wand blasts behind him; more jets of light flew over his head as he fell, stretching out his hand to grab Cedric's arm-" (pg 669)

 Harry is brave throughout the whole book, and even the whole series (at least according to the movies ha!), which makes his character so much more awesome!

Blog #13 Anticipating Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I wish I could say I am excited to read The Goblet of Fire, but unfortunately I'm not.  I think it's mostly because I have never been interested in reading the Harry Potter books.  Also, I would rather be reading from the beginning of the series, but like we discussed it will be interesting to see if I feel like I am missing out on any information from the previous three books.  However, I have seen the first three movies so I am hoping that will help me out a little bit.  Everyone who reads the Harry Potter books absolutely loves them so I'm sure I will as well.

I read the blog about reading the first sentence of the book and then the last so I got my book out and did that.  I didn't really get much from it.  However, from reading the first sentence, I think the book will give enough details to fill on what the reader missed in the last three if they didn't read them.
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Blog #12 Notable Moment in The Magician's Nephew

The most notable moment for me in The Magician's Nephew was definitely how the women were portrayed so negatively.  While I was reading the book, this occurred to me several time to me, especially the way Queen Jadis or The Witch, treated Polly.  It made me SO angry that she ignored her when she first came back to life.  The fact that she is a women herself irritated me.

Also, Uncle Andrew disrespected Polly and his wife on several occasions. When he need money from his wife, he didn't ask for it, he demanded it! That situation was very odd to me overall because usually the male provides most of the income for families.  Uncle Andrew disrespects Polly by using flattery to trick into taking the rings and misjudging his character.
"It's not every day that I see a little girl in my dingy old study; especially, if I may say so, such a very attractive young lady as yourself." pg. 16

Digory even treats Polly cruelly when he wants to ring the bell in Charn.  He grabs are arm and pushes her to the ground.  Throughout the entire book he constantly puts her down.
"Before Polly's hand reached her pocket, he grabbed her wrist, leaning across her with his back against her chest." pg. 56

Blog #11 Anticipating The Magician's Nephew

I am the most excited to read this book! I have never read any of the Chronicles of Narnia books, but I've always heard how awesome they are. When I told my roommate that I was going to get to read it, she gave me an entire summary of the whole series. I researched online to find some information on C.S. Lewis and I was surprised to learn that he was a Christian author.  I had never heard that before. I am anxious to read how he uses fantasy to connect to Christianity.

Blog #10 Notable Moment in The Phoenix and the Carpet

A notable moment for me in The Phoenix and The Carpet was when the children decided to do something good during the holiday times.  During one of the classes, we talked about negative and positive views on the children in the book.  I always had a positive view of them and the "Doing Good" chapter really made me love them.  I feel like this moment in the book that could change the views of the children for a lot of people.  Many people argued that they did it for selfish reasons, but I think highly of the children for thinking of others during the holidays.

"You know there's something about Christmas that make you want to be good- however little you wish it at other times.  Couldn't we wish the carpet to take us somewhere where we should have the chance to do some good and kind action (pg 138)?"

Blog #9 Anticipating The Phoenix and The Carpet

I am very anxious to start The Phoenix and The Carpet.  Until getting the reading list for this class, I had never even heard of it.  I read the back of the cover and read some things on the internet and it seems like it is going to be a fun, cute book to read. I am a little nervous its going to be more like The Hobbit and I didn't really love reading that one.

Blog #8 Analysis of Redwall

For me, Redwell was MUCH easier to read than The Hobbit.  It was so much easier for me to get lost into. After I finished reading, I thought about the reasons why this way and this is what I am up with.

First, I would forget that I was reading about animals and would think I was reading about people. Of course this wouldn't last long because they called each other mice and rats every other sentence.  Jacque did such a good job giving the animals human characteristics. It was easy to connect with the way the characters were feeling.

Second, there were many relationships in Redwall.  Matthias and Cornflower had feelings for each other throughout the entire book.  Methusela and Mattias built a great friendship around their bond for finding Martin's sword.  The relationship of all the Redwall mice and creatures was very close and loving as well.  Then there were relationship that weren't so positive.  Cluny's relationship with his army was full of hatred, abuse, and murder.  The sparrows also had bad relationships in their nest.  

Although, being nineteen and reading this book kills the "suspense" part of wondering if Cluny will win the battle and take over Redwall, it was still exciting to reveal the outcomes of the book.  I would get lost in the story and seriously read for like three hours at a time even though I knew what it was going to be.  If I would have read this book as a little girl, I think I would have read it in one sitting for sure.

The only downfall of the book was that it drug on in some parts.  For a while I didn't think Matthias was EVER going to find the sword.  The same thing was happening over and over and over again. He would go try to find it and it wouldn't be there then it would repeat. 

Blog #7 Notable Moment in Redwall

The  most notable moment for me was when Methuselah and Matthias figure out what "I am that is" means.  Matthias had always wanted to be just like Martin the Warrior, and when he figured out he was "the chosen one" to take Martins place as the Abbeys warrior, he was determined to find Martin's sword. This marks the beginning of "the quest" in the book, which to me, was the most important part of the entire story. After cracking the first code, Methuselah and Matthias begin to solve all the other riddles that would lead Matthias to the sword.

"It couldn't mean anything else! Your name has eight letters in it. So has 'am that is.' An M, two A's, two T's, an H, an I and an S. Whichever way you look at it, Matthias or 'am that is,' it comes out the same."

Blog #6 Anticipating Redwall

Until this class, I had never even heard of Redwall. I am anxious to see if I will like it better than The Hobbit. I've been asking some of my friends and the ones that have read it said really great things about the book. I am definitely staying positive about it and will start it with an open mind!

Blog #5 Analysis of The Hobbit

While reading The Hobbit, I never loved the story. I couldn't figure out why I wasn't very interested in it, until I was talking to some of my friends about the book. One of them mentioned that they didn't like it because there was no romance of any sort in it. I started thinking about the story, and thats when I realized that that was absolutely true. As I kept thinking about the book, I then realized there aren't any females ever mentioned in the story.  During the last in class lecture, Dr. Du Plessis mentioned this.  I think it is a huge part of the reason why I didn't enjoy the story.  The book is definitely more appealing the young boys.  In fact, Bilbo reminds of of an average boy who lived in the 1930s. The decisions he had to make, resembled decisions little boys make everyday.

Although I wasn't very interested in the story, I enjoyed the overall lesson in book (at least that lesson I got from it).  Most people are very greedy for materialistic things, like the dwarves, and we shouldn't care about these things nearly as much as we do. If we were all more like the hobbits and cared about the important things in life, it would be a much better world.  Thorin learns the lesson on the exploration before he dies. I think this is a message everyone needs to hear, especially at a young age. 

When Dr. Du Plessis mentioned that Tolkien used the different characters to represented different races, I went back and looked at detailed that portrayed this. It especially shines through for the dwarves being represented as Jews.

Overall, I didn't enjoy The Hobbit near as much as I hoped I would. Whether it was the lack of romance and female characters or if it was the high fantasy, I hope I like the rest of the stories more than this one. I am definitely keeping an open mind though!

Blog #4 Notable Moment in The Hobbit

As I read The Hobbit, I marked the moments I believed were notable. After I finished I went through those moments and picked out the one I thought was the most notable. I came down to two different moments. The first one was when all the dwarves showed up at Bilbo's hole. This moment is very important to the story because as each dwarf is arriving, their unique personalities and characteristics begin to unfold. Each one has a unique quality about them that sets them apart from the others. It is crucial to take note of these characteristics because they shine through all throughout the book and it is easy to get to dwarves confused because there are so many of them.  

The other notable moment was when Thorin was dying. I read this part of the book on Friday after class and while I was reading, I couldn't get over thinking how valuable this part was to the story. When Thorin says "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world," it was a turning point the book stating that Thorin had learned a very important lesson on the exploration.  This statement defines hobbits because they are not greedy for gold and materialistic things like the dwarves are. During the book, Thorin was the most greedy dwarf of all and the fact that he learned this lesson before he died makes this part the most notable moment in the entire story.

Blog #3 Anticipating The Hobbit

I have never read The Hobbit, but I am SO excited to start it. I've actually never read the Lord of the Rings series either. And as much as I hate to admit it, I've never seen any of them movies. I am excited that I get to read it without knowing anything about it. I'm hoping I will want to start reading the others and watch the movies after I read The Hobbit. I was looking at my roommates bookshelf the other day and noticed she had The Hobbit on it. When I asked her about it, she raved about how awesome it was and how much I am going to enjoy it. I am a Harry Potter fan, so I am anticipating on really getting into this book.

Blog #2 Rhetorical Analysis

I love reading fantasy novels. They are definitely at the top of my list. I can already tell I am going to enjoy reading the books assigned for the class because they are so easy to get consumed in. I love reading a book and escaping the real world.  After looking over my survey answers, I would have to say that mystery books are my all time favorite to read. When I read mysteries, I seriously don't put the book down from start to finish. I have to know what is going to happen next.

As far as resistance goes, I don't think I have any. I am excited to read all of the books. The ones I have read like Harry Potter, James and the Giant Peach, and The Giver are three of my favorite novels, so I have no doubt that I will enjoy the rest of them. 

Blog #1 Survey of Reading Preferences

Survey of Reading Preferences – Questions
What associations do you have with reading?  Do you have any personal history that makes reading seem more or less pleasurable?

• I love reading when I get to choose the novels. Reading a book that I am assigned to read makes it much more less pleasurable.

Why do you read?

• I read because it is very relaxing and can usually take me to another place besides the stressful place I am in.

What has been your best experience in a literature course? (high school or college)

• I had a teacher in high school who was very challenging but she chose the best novels for us to read and really made us connect to them.

What has been your worst experience in a literature course? (high school or college)

• I have never had a bad experience in my literature courses. All of my teachers have made me fall in love with it. 

What college-level literature courses have you taken in the English department?

• This is my first english class to take here. I took 104 and 105 as dual credit in high school.

Compared to other literature courses you have taken, what do you expect will be the level of difficulty of this course?  Why?

• The blogging part will be the hardest part for me because I have never done it but I think the reading will be very enjoyable. I have already read some of the books on the list and love them so i think I will really like them all. 

What themes do you look for when you read literature for adults?

• My favorites are mysteries.

What are your favorite books written for adults?

• I can't say I have an absolute favorite book. If I like the first couple of chapters and can connect to the characters, I usually love the entire book. 

How do you determine whether a book you have read is good?

• If I feel like I know the characters personally after I finish the book. 

Do you think it is a good idea to study children’s literature?

• Yes.

Why do you think scholars study children’s literature?

• It is important to understand the difference of how a child's mind analyzes a novel compared to an adults. 

When you think of “children’s literature,” what comes to mind?

• Harry Potter
• A Series of Unfortunate Events
• Junie B. Jones
• Holes

What do you look for when you search for a children’s book?

• I haven't bought many children's books because I am the youngest in my family and buy the time I started buying my own books to read I was past the age of reading children's books.

Why would you look for children’s books?  What do you do with children’s books?

• Sometimes I buy books for my nieces and nephews but they are only 5 years and younger so I haven't had much experience buying books for children. 

What children’s books do you most admire?

• I absolutely love Holes. It is my favorite book of all time. 

What were your favorite children’s books as a child?

• Holes and Junie B. Jones books

In what contexts did you read children’s books as a child?

• I read book from the A.R. list that I got to pick from. 

Are there certain themes that interest you in children’s books?

• Not really, I liked all sorts when I was a child.

Are there certain types of books that you think children shouldn’t read?

• No, I think children should be able to read whatever types of books they want. 

How do you judge whether a children’s book is good?

• If it captures my attention from the beginning to the end. 

What do you think of when you think of fantasy?

• The Giver. 

Do you like fantasy literature? Why or why not?

• I love fantasy literature. I think it is amazing how an author can make me believe in something that can never actually happen while I am reading the book. 

Explain your reaction when you learned that this course would focus on fantasy.

• I was excited to see that there were a lot of fantasy books on the list. Especially since I haven't read very many of them. 

Rank the following from most to least valuable:
Nonfiction 8
Poetry 9
Historical Fiction 7
Romance 3
Fantasy Fiction 2
Science Fiction 6 
Horror 5
Mystery 1
Adventure 4
Explain your choice for #1 and #9 in your rankings above.

Mystery books are my absolute favorite. Anytime I read one I seriously cannot put the book down until I finish it. Poetry is my least favorite because I have always had a difficult time pulling the poem apart and figuring out the meaning behind it.