Poems...

Out of the poems on our list I find Sea Lullaby by Elinor Wylie the most interesting. It's creepiness and stealthy attitude of the poem makes it very interesting. When it explodes and the ocean murders the boy it is the climax of the poem, when before it was a beautiful sea. It seems very intrueging and seducing as the boy is lured by the ocean, and it comes up to him and murders him. This poem i believe explores the idea of death by murder/assassination. The murderous actions of the ocean show this theme. Also it makes the so called "murderer" seem very pretty and not murderous or vile whatsoever. When the ocean finishes killing the boy, Wylie writes, She choked him and beat him To death, for a joke (15-16).
Analysis:

Wylie is comparing murderers/assassins to the ocean. Phrases like A treacherous smiler (5). A savage beguiler In sheathings of silk (5-6). Show the assassin side of the ocean. It does, because an assassin is very sneaky in their ways, and try to fool or trick one which leads to their death. Creeps, leaps, smooth golden cloak, all of these words also describe the stealthiness and luring aspects of an assassin to the ocean. She chocked him and beat him To death, for a joke (15-16). This shows the murderous side, instead of slicing his throat, or quickly and effectively killing him, she beats him merclessly to death. This is more like an average murderer, not as clean and precise as an assassin's work.

Q1

How do I think I did in this class this first quarter? Well overall. Compared to my previous english grades this is better than both my 8th and 9th grade grades for first quarter. This is kinda ironic since this class is supposed to be alot harder compared to them also, I think I've just been working harder than i used too. I think I learned first of all, how frickin hard this class is going to be :P It's definately so far been much harder than any class at any time I've ever had in my previous school career. I have also learned already to write much better. My word choice is better than it used to be and so is my sentence fluency. I've also learned how to analyze pictures/videos.

Although I've improved and learned many things there are still a few subjects I'm struggling in. I used to be able to get by with my analysis before, but not anymore. I need to work more on analysis and the details of examples/proof. I think I can improve my participation maybe a small amount in class since I am already participating somewhat just probably not enough.

What are my goals? As i previously stated, I wish to improve my writing skills, analysis imparticular. I also want to improve my depth of thought into things, as it can be quite simple at times. Lastly I want to improve my word choice in writing, even though it is good already. Nothing I can really think of to improve learning enviroment except for maybe participate a bit more. So far i really like the enviroment. Some of the students make the class... quite interesting. And humorous.

Last Outside Reading Post! Horray!

I think I'll give a little summarization of the last blog and beginning of this one. Murtagh and Eragon had recently traveled the vast Hadaric Desert. When they reached the other end they encountered the gargantuan Beor Mountains which facinated both of them. Then they decided to head toward the Varden after hearing Arya's (the elf) condition was sever and she had to reach the Varden soon. They barely escaped the kull, the elite urgals and headed into the Varden's sanctuary. Unfortunately Murtagh was imprissoned, ""I'm not surprised by your choice, though I had hoped otherwise....Guards!"" (405). Now Eragon and Saphira have their own private room near the top of the mountain and have just eaten a very pleasurable dinner.

One would not think that Eragon would encounter more conflicts and struggles in the Varden... but it is true. It is very political and everyone seems to be wanting a piece of him. Most of the dwarves do not trust him which just adds to the mess. Luckily Hrothgar, the king of the dwarves trusts him. The Varden's leader, Ajihad is the most trustworthy and openly admits to Eragon what he will face in the Varden. These however are not the least of his social struggles. The twins are by far the worst. They are magic users and have tried to steal ancient words from Eragon and to learn of his abilities. He despises them, however they are still powerfull allies in times of trouble. Eragon has learned that he has to be very wise to be able to survive in this enviroment, and now knows he must become an individual.

Unfortunately the Varden are now faced with a fatal threat. The kull have found them. There is a vast army of them that approach Farthern Dur, " "He was bleeding and nearly incoherent but he had enough sense left to tell the dwarves what was pursuing him:an army of Urgals maybe day's march from here" " (468). There is a huge scale battle against the kull. Even with a strong defensive there seems little hope for the Varden. The kull's numbers are large and their blows devastating. Not to mention their 8 foot tall size. Eragon then discovers it is the Shade who is leading them and they fight. Eragon gains a terrible slice down his entire back. As he looks up he sees Saphira flying down breathing fire. Then the shade begins to cast a spell and Eragon uses his last energy to get up ignite his flame with magic and stab the shade through the heart. He then passed out. When he woke up, three days later, he was told that when the shade died the urgals scattered and fought eachother. He was then proclaimed Eragon Shade Slayer, and was now considered an individual in the world of the Varden.

As one can see, this is similar to ELIC. It ends with an overall happy ending by killing the shade and winning the battle. In ELIC Oskar and his mom get over their bad times and love eachother again, and Oskar realizes that he has to let go of his Dad's death.

Picture

4th Outside Reading Post up to pg. 413

After starving himself for days, escaping a huge city Gil'ead, and shooting a shade in the head with his arrow....... Eragon still has conflicts. Its hard to believe how much Eragon is going through, its just incomprehensible. After escaping Gil'ead with the help of Murtagh they have decided to head to the Hadarac desert. Now think of all of the land Eragon has covered already. Months of travel. Now imagine this, searing heat, no water besides the few oasises guarded by bandits, and 4 times that distance. Thats about the size of the Hadarac. Luckily for Eragon he can use magic to bring water up through the sand, and both him and Murtagh are only crossing a small section of the desert which should take around a month. Oh yeah, I forgot their being constantly chased by Imperial Guards and the Ra'zzac. The last thing Eragon and Murtagh need right now is internal conflict between themselves. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens, " "Of course. Murtagh the pack animal. Murtagh the horse leader..." "Whats wrong with you? I'm grateful for what you did..... Don't touch me," he growled. "I said, don't touch me!" Murtagh doubled over, swearing. Then he yelled and launched himself at Eragon" (342). Murtagh had actually been upset because Eragon wanted to go to the Varden. Murtagh later tells Eragon why he does not want to go there, "He paused, then said with a tortured voice, "You have a right to know. I... I am the son of Morzan, first and last of the Forsworn." Eragon was extremely surprised and utterly speechless. However, Murtagh explained that he hated his father, and the Empire and was on Eragon's side. He didn't want to go the Varden though, since they would not be so convinced. When they headed to the Varden from what the elf had told them, and they encountered kull. Kull are the elite of the Urgals, atleast eight feet tall and have the strength of five men. It seemed like they were heading to the Varden to start a war with them and now they are following Eragon and Murtagh. They both barely reach the Varden and escape the kull. When they reach it they meet the Varden's leader and Murtagh's true heritage is discovered and he is put in the jail cell. Eragon has learned through these experiences to be more calm in his thinking and to expect anything. He has also toughened himself even more through his rigorous experiences.

As I have said many times now... sigh... this book is similar to all of the books we have read because of the struggles. Murtagh and Eragon's conflict against eachother also relates to ELIC's conflict between Oskar and his mother. Nothing else to say...

3rd Outside Reading Post -pg 332

Eragon is one tough dude, "When lunch was delivered, he pushed it out the window after his breakfast... Even so, Thoughts of drinking cool water tortured him as each breath dried his breath and throat a bit more. Even so, he forced himself to ignore the pitcher." (Paloni 296). Eragon hasn't eaten or drinken for about two days now and yet he still forces himself not to, to avoid the drugs effects. This guy is extremely motivated, obviously Eragon is the one you look up to to save the world. Unfortunately Brom has died from the Ra'Zac from being stabbed through the ribs. Unbelievably, Brom was a dragon rider like Eragon and explained to him in his last moments, "There on Brom's palm was the gedwey ignasia. "You're a Rider?" he asked incredulously. A painful smile flicered on Brom's face. "Once upon a time that was true... but no more" (Paloni 274). There is also now a new character, Murtagh. Murtagh came into the picture when Eragon and Brom were captives of the Ra'Zac, and saved them from them. He is a about a year older than Eragon and a little taller. However, they have very similar personalities and both are equal in their mastery in swordsmanship. Neither can win against eachother.

Because Brom has died Eragon as had a tough time coping with the loss, as well as Saphira. He had taught him all the ways of how to be a Rider and was infact one himself. Eragon has mostly gotten over it now over the past months, but still remembers Brom. Also, my previous quote about Eragon's hunger was when he was in the jail of Gil'ead. He went through conflict in there having to survive without no food and water, and had to fight a shade before Saphira rescued both him Murtagh and the captured elf. The elf was a woman Eragon had somehow been able to dream about which supposedly is impossible. Also, Eragon has got the hots for her.

As I have said in my previous posts this is similar to Black Boy and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Not exactly too much to discuss. Just the typical conflicts and struggles except in a much different manner. And obviously not realistic like in Black Boy and ELIC.

Memoir Mystery

Both of these ideas partially tie into themselves, so you may see me repeating things I have previously said. Also since this isn't a really long topic this blog will be quite short. Why do people write memoirs? One reason I believe people write memoirs for is to reflect their life, and discover who they are. Another reason is to obviously tell a story to the reader. Lastly, they write them to help people learn from their mistakes.

What power is there in telling our own stories? Well its not like fiction, because this is real. It is something that actually happened in history which makes it powerful. Especially if it is an extraodinary story, like of WWII or being kidnapped by a UFO... Another reason our own stories have power is because it tells someone their life. They can then learn from their mistakes, and it might even inspire them to write themselves. Ok, short blog, I know, but I can't think of anything else to write.

Outside Reading Blog #2 (107-223)

Eragon has proven himself to be very brave and somewhat reckless so far in this book. He has fought Urgals, grotesque like creatures who tower above the average human, and has tried to scale a rock wall by himself. This is Eragon.

Just kidding, but the cliff probably looked something like this. This shows his reckless yet brave behavior, since he gets stuck on the wall, "He gave up and said, "I could use some help..." "All right! I made a mistake. Now can you please get me out of here? he pleaded" (Paolini 190). Brom has also gave some more insight into his personal life to Eragon. It is now known that he is a member of the Varden the resistance against the empire. Brom also killed an evil rider showing that he has great power, and has admitted to Eragon that he helped steal the dragon egg from the Empire which is Saphira.

Eragon is going through many new struggles and conflicts. He has been sparring with Brom and getting badly beaten. Yet he has improved near the end of these hundred pages and has learned that he is a very good swordsman. Also he is faced with magic, a power natural to Riders however very hard to learn and use. One of the major burdens of magic is if you cast a spell to powerful for your amount of energy it will kill you instantaneously... Great! Also Eragon is learning it in about a ten times shorter time frame then what the Riders used to learn it in. To add even more struggling to Eragon's burdened life he has to learn how to read. Eragon is also conflicting with Brom in these chapters and has a thirst for knowledge. Brom is quite stubborn and doesn't tell Eragon until near the end of these pages, Eragon now understands why Brom didn't tell him until later and has learned from these experiences to be more patient. From all of these experiences Eragon has toughened, "His arms became corded, and his tanned skin rippled with lean muscles. "Everything about me is turning hard," he thought dryly" (Paolini 171). Through Eragon's multiple mental exersizes he was able to think more clearly and be more patient.

This Novel partially relates to Black Boy. One way in which it relates is from its struggling and harsh enviroments. However, both of the main characters in each book have matured as well. In one way it does relate to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Both characters go through conflicts and stuggles, however their personalities are extremely different.

This book rox! Read it!

Eragon, first outside reading post

So far the main characters in this book are Eragon, his dragon Saphira, and Brom. Eragon is a very tough character and can take alot of pain as shown in this example, "He gritted his teeth and began to drag Garrow down the road. The first few steps sent an explosion of agony through him... It was a fight against his unruly body-a fight he refused to lose." (80). Eragon is the first Dragon Rider in centuries besides the king himself, this is what motivates him, he must continue and never give up. Saphira is a dragon and therefore extremely strong, intelligent, and magical. She has a bit of a sense of humor also, and is motivated because she is one of the land. Dragons were born when the world was born, and she is determined to save the land from evil. Brom has just recently become a main character and is traveling with Eragon in his quest for find the Ra'zac. He supposedly is just a story teller who knows alot about Dragon Riders and their history, but i think he is more than that. He is definately hiding something. His motivation is because this is the first Dragon Rider in centuries, and he wants to go with Eragon on his adventure.

Eragon is basically the only one who is going through major conflict and struggles. Raising a dragon would be quite a hardship. First off, Eragon has to do all of his other chores and try to support the family by hunting. Secondly, he has to keep the dragon secret while feeding her food and spending time with her. To top it off, his uncle is killed by the Ra'zac because of Eragon, because he picked up the dragon egg. Thats a pretty deep burden Eragon has to deal with. Another conflicting matter in Eragon's life is with Sloan as shown in this example, "Sloan's mouth twisted as Eragon entered... "How many did you bag this time?" "None" was Eragon's curt reply... "I'm amazed," said Sloan with affected astonishment... "What, no money?" the butcher cut him off sharply. "And you expect to buy meat!" Sloan overall has a mean personality, and is a conflicting character in Eragon's life. Eragon learns that he might actually be succesful and become a Dragon Rider. Through these struggles and conflicts so far he has learned he his much stronger than he ever was before, and already is determined to kill his uncle's murderers.

This novel in most ways isn't like any of the novels I have read in school this year. However there is one similarity. In both Extremely Loud and Incredibly CLose, and Black Boy there are struggles and conflicts. Each main character goes through difficult times like in ELIC when his father dies in 9/11. In Black Boy, since Richard is abused and has malnutrition in many ways. And lastly Eragon and his struggles and responsibilties as a Dragon Rider.

Richard's Hunger

What types of things does Richard Hunger for?

Well, One obvious thing he hungers for is from hunger itself. Food. He is very deprived of it, and when his mother doesn't even have a job they barely have enough money to have enough food to survive. Richard also hungers for knowledge. He is an active reader and has a gigantice curiosity.

Are these things positive?

Yes, they are. Hmm... its negative to hunger for food... thats an obvious one. Ofcourse its a positive thing, one cannot survive without food. Now the second hunger... knowledge. How would you like it if everytime you asked a simple question, maybe why? and then you get slapped in the face by your parents, or in Richard's case usually his Granny. This is an outrage, not to be allowed the simple knowledge of why, because it is desobediant to ask it. I even experience this sometimes in my house from my mother. This topic can really get me going and angry so I'll try to keep calm. Here is an example, ""Get on your hat and coat," Granny said. "What do you want me to do?" I asked. "Quit asking questions and do what you are told" (142). TELL HIM WHAT YOU WANT HIM TO DO!!!! Jeez, why is it such a big deal to not tell him? Here's another example where Richard voices his opinion, "I piped up and had my say... Granny said, "Shut up, you!" and leaned forward promptly to chastise me with one of her casual, back-handed slaps on my mouth" (134). In his parents' and grandparents' minds he is being a bad boy and talking back. To me, and hopefully other normal people he is being good or positive and just hungering for curiosity and knowledge. And what does he get for this? Nearly back slapped in the face. Good thing he dodged and the evil Granny hurt herself by trying to hit an innocent curious boy.

Is Richard a Bad Boy...

Overall Richard is not a bad boy. I believe one reason he is not a bad boy is because he has grown up in a very abusive enviroment which makes him very fearful of his parents and will disobey them if they ask him to come to him (usually for a beating). Another reason he is not a bad boy, is because of his lack of education. He is very questioning and since his parents never taught him much of anything he will get in trouble for asking bad questions or saying naughty words that he does not even know what they mean.

Well.. Richard does act a bit weird like who would purposly set a curtain on fire, it seems like an incredibly stupid thing for someone to do to me, but then again Richard has grown up in a harsh enviroment. I think in Richard's case the enviroment is to blame, however there are times where the person is to blame also. I think if one is grown up in an overall good enviroment they are 100% to blame for their behavior, period, end of discussion. Its your fault for things you do if you don't have something that Richard is going through.

The enviroment on the other hand is to blame in Richard's case. One sign that the behavior of a kid should be blamed on the enviroment is beating. Obviously the kid is going to be terrified whenever he does something bad or maybe he does something bad and he doesn't even know it and he gets whipped, and this is why he might become mean and bullying when he is older, or rebellious. Another sign that behavior is caused by the enviroment is socially. If the school someone goes to doesn't moniter what they do, and lets them learn bad words and bad actions the enviroment is to blame.

Richard isn't to blame!

First Post

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. FYI I've never done a blog before and I'm looking forward to having a fun experience with blogging, and since I can't think of anything else to say just feel free 2 post comments :)