A conversation I'd love to have with a character in my book would definitely be with Tally. She's the main character in Uglies (as I spoke about her in last week's post) and she is so fixated on sticking to her current society in Uglyville / New Pretty Town that she can't see how it's really effecting the people around her and herself! They're controlled completely by the Specials, and don't have any power to make their own decisions; don't even have the freedom to remain the way they were born to look by the time they turn 16 years old. She is searching for her friend Shay who lives in The Smoke which is a place far away from the society Tally and everyone else (as far as she knows) lives. She wants to give Shay away even though Shay is her friend because the Specials will not give her the Pretty Operation until she does so and brings her back to Uglyville.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Monday, January 27, 2014
Redicide (Best Sellers)
Renocide is definitely a problem in schools. I've read stories in school that I disliked (like The Shadow Club) and I read through so much of the book and then realize that I was so bored I wasn't even paying attention to what it was saying and had to read it again. Reading it through again is torture, and I think that for that reason especially we should read more stories that kids tend to like in schools. Or even, let the kids pick the story they want to read for themselves; give them options! That would help so much because 1. we feel independent already, like we have a say in how we use our time reading and 2. we enjoy the books more when we know that we picked it for ourselves and liked it. We need to give a little more leeway when it comes to books because kids need to like a book to understand it. I think it's a well-known fact that if we don't like a story it's really hard to actually pay attention: it's just like a guy watching a chick-flick; they get bored so quick that they can't tell their girlfriend a single word used in the whole movie when it's over.
I think we want kids to read books because they are key parts of being able to read important things later in life. These things (like fine print in a legal statement, terms and conditions, and most people when they are grown will have a job that involves some type of reading even if it means just writing an application and reading the questions) are so important in everyday life! We read all the time when it comes to something as simple as a dinner menu at a restaurant. Illiterate people have a hard time making it in society today; almost everything needs to be read to be understood in the economic world.
I think we want kids to read books because they are key parts of being able to read important things later in life. These things (like fine print in a legal statement, terms and conditions, and most people when they are grown will have a job that involves some type of reading even if it means just writing an application and reading the questions) are so important in everyday life! We read all the time when it comes to something as simple as a dinner menu at a restaurant. Illiterate people have a hard time making it in society today; almost everything needs to be read to be understood in the economic world.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Blog Post #6 (English 1A)
The main character, Tally, has changed very much since she was first introduced. In the beginning, in her strange society of Uglyville and New Pretty Town, she followed Shay her friend through thick and thin. Shay was always a rebellious character, liking the way she looked even though she was an Ugly, which may sound strange but in this futuristic place it's very out of the ordinary to be like this. Tally didn't agree with everything Shay thought, but respected her for most of it and promised to keep her secrets and not give her away when Shay swore to run away with a character named David, whom Tally didn't even believe was real until just recently.
Now, though, Tally is dying to become pretty through the operation. The Specials found out that Shay had gone missing into the Outside, and also found that Tally knew where she had gone through the riddle letter Shay had given her before she ran away, just in case Tally may want to come too so she wouldn't have to get the operation (but Tally never thought anything of that; she wanted to become pretty more than anything she'd ever known). And although Tally had made that promise to Shay, she was willing to do anything to get the life-changing operation so she's now finding out where Shay is so the Specials will make her pretty.
But until then, they swear that she will be an Ugly. If she doesn't find Shay for them and bring her back for the operation along with David and their crew, Tally will stay ugly forever. So I believe she will go to just about any lengths to become beautiful, but we will have to see. The theme later may turn out that friendship is more valuable than anything, in that case Tally decides not to become pretty anyway, which is a theme I expect to see sometime throughout the story. It's predictable.
Now, though, Tally is dying to become pretty through the operation. The Specials found out that Shay had gone missing into the Outside, and also found that Tally knew where she had gone through the riddle letter Shay had given her before she ran away, just in case Tally may want to come too so she wouldn't have to get the operation (but Tally never thought anything of that; she wanted to become pretty more than anything she'd ever known). And although Tally had made that promise to Shay, she was willing to do anything to get the life-changing operation so she's now finding out where Shay is so the Specials will make her pretty.
But until then, they swear that she will be an Ugly. If she doesn't find Shay for them and bring her back for the operation along with David and their crew, Tally will stay ugly forever. So I believe she will go to just about any lengths to become beautiful, but we will have to see. The theme later may turn out that friendship is more valuable than anything, in that case Tally decides not to become pretty anyway, which is a theme I expect to see sometime throughout the story. It's predictable.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Blog Post #5 (English 1A)
I am currently reading 'Uglies' which is about a future society in which everyone normal is considered an 'ugly' up until their 16th birthday where they are given an operation that makes them a 'pretty'. The theme of this story (as I can tell so far) is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I think that because the main character, Tally, makes a new friend named Shay after her old best friend Peris became pretty before her (his birthday came first) and she now spends time with Shay who doesn't really WANT to become pretty; in this society that is absolutely absurd and almost unheard of ... Almost.
Tally finds out that outside of Uglyville Shay has friends there who don't want to become pretty like her, and no matter how much Tally tried to persuade Shay that she is ugly and needs the operation, Shay won't listen because David doesn't feel the way Tally does.
Tally finds out that outside of Uglyville Shay has friends there who don't want to become pretty like her, and no matter how much Tally tried to persuade Shay that she is ugly and needs the operation, Shay won't listen because David doesn't feel the way Tally does.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Blog Post #4 (English 1A)
Currently, I'm reading Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. It's a beautiful and heartbreaking love story all throughout. There are many ups and downs throughout the book. Now, the plot line is one of the most surprising I've ever read / heard of! Sparks decided to take a very unique route in the romantic novel.
I think the author (SPOILER ALERT) wrote this work to show people that in reality, not all love ends in happily ever after. I think thematically he wants to show us all that the loves in stories sometimes are only stories. We seem to think as kids 'Ooh I want a love like theirs!' while watching a movie or reading a book, but sometimes it just doesn't happen. I think he doesn't want everyone to get their hope up too high, because some do end up like John, where his wife found another husband while he was gone. Love is different than is portrayed behind movie screens and hardcovers. We need to accept that, and Nicholas Sparks approves of this message.
I think the author (SPOILER ALERT) wrote this work to show people that in reality, not all love ends in happily ever after. I think thematically he wants to show us all that the loves in stories sometimes are only stories. We seem to think as kids 'Ooh I want a love like theirs!' while watching a movie or reading a book, but sometimes it just doesn't happen. I think he doesn't want everyone to get their hope up too high, because some do end up like John, where his wife found another husband while he was gone. Love is different than is portrayed behind movie screens and hardcovers. We need to accept that, and Nicholas Sparks approves of this message.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Adapting Book 2 (Best Sellers)
• A filmmaker would have some challenges making Dear John into a movie possibly because of all the battle scenes that John begins to talk more and more about throughout the book as he starts to lose hold of Savannah. He's in the army, all over the place: in Kosovo, Kuwait, etc. and it would be difficult to create all of those battle scenes and stay within any budget. To make this work, we'd need to cut a little out of the plot in the story, by making there be fewer in-action scenes of battle to save money. It's not necessary to change any of the characters in the story; there are only around 6-7 talked about in the whole book.
• One specific scene essential to keep is the scene where John jumped into the ocean to grab Savannah's bad for her, and you can't change how that occurred or else it may not seem like such a big deal how they met. But this was how they stayed together for a long time, and it's arguably the most important scene in the story. Another scene essential to keep is where Savannah and John's dad were bonding over the coins in his den because this is what allowed her to study him and see that he may have Asperger's, which led to the huge arguement between her and John because Savannah had overstepped her boundaries. It's a major plot twist in the story because while they seemed before that perfectly happy and a healthy couple this was their first fight like this; no one saw this coming. And thirdly you'd need to keep the scene where John is reading the letter from Savannah where she is telling him sadly that she has now fallen in love with someone else while he was off in battle over in Germany because we all know as readers how heartbroken he must have felt when he read that letter, and that is the climax of the story, their relationship continued downhill and plummeted to a stop. This also leads to his reasoning for resubmitting into the military, and is why he spent his leaves with his dad alone and not with Savannah.
• One part of my book I would have to cut if adapting it would be the scene where they go to the aquarium. That was an unimportant scene, and doesn't really have an effect on anything that happens throughout the book after that. It was a little silly at parts, but really the point of it was to show their time spent together, which was obviously shown many more times in the story besides that one. Also, another part in my book I would have to cut is the scene where John is saying goodbye to Savannah tearfully for the second time (after his second leave) because it would save time (I can see this being a long movie) and it is pretty much already implied because everyone can see how much she loves him and how much she misses him, and based on the first goodbye and their relationship had gotten even stronger by that time they wouldn't need to show that again. We would exclude these two scenes to include more of the toll that 9/11 took on both of them and on the country so that we can clearly see his reasoning and Savannah's understanding for John signing up a second time for a two-year time trial in the military. Everyone was so shocked and filled with pride for their country that they could and would protect themselves that John felt it impossible to abandon his military buddies now, in their time of need.
• One specific scene essential to keep is the scene where John jumped into the ocean to grab Savannah's bad for her, and you can't change how that occurred or else it may not seem like such a big deal how they met. But this was how they stayed together for a long time, and it's arguably the most important scene in the story. Another scene essential to keep is where Savannah and John's dad were bonding over the coins in his den because this is what allowed her to study him and see that he may have Asperger's, which led to the huge arguement between her and John because Savannah had overstepped her boundaries. It's a major plot twist in the story because while they seemed before that perfectly happy and a healthy couple this was their first fight like this; no one saw this coming. And thirdly you'd need to keep the scene where John is reading the letter from Savannah where she is telling him sadly that she has now fallen in love with someone else while he was off in battle over in Germany because we all know as readers how heartbroken he must have felt when he read that letter, and that is the climax of the story, their relationship continued downhill and plummeted to a stop. This also leads to his reasoning for resubmitting into the military, and is why he spent his leaves with his dad alone and not with Savannah.
• One part of my book I would have to cut if adapting it would be the scene where they go to the aquarium. That was an unimportant scene, and doesn't really have an effect on anything that happens throughout the book after that. It was a little silly at parts, but really the point of it was to show their time spent together, which was obviously shown many more times in the story besides that one. Also, another part in my book I would have to cut is the scene where John is saying goodbye to Savannah tearfully for the second time (after his second leave) because it would save time (I can see this being a long movie) and it is pretty much already implied because everyone can see how much she loves him and how much she misses him, and based on the first goodbye and their relationship had gotten even stronger by that time they wouldn't need to show that again. We would exclude these two scenes to include more of the toll that 9/11 took on both of them and on the country so that we can clearly see his reasoning and Savannah's understanding for John signing up a second time for a two-year time trial in the military. Everyone was so shocked and filled with pride for their country that they could and would protect themselves that John felt it impossible to abandon his military buddies now, in their time of need.
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