Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Outside Reading Blog
The book that I chose for the outside reading project is called "Deception Point" by Dan Brown. I chose it partially because the cover has a very cool picture. I also liked the other books written by Dan Brown ("The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons") so it seems like this one should be good as well. I also read several reviews praising it. http://a2.vox.com/6a00fa96774f0200020123f17b5a3a860f-500pi
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Outside Reading #2
Jack London has a very specific voice in his novel, "The Son of the Wolf". A very good example that shows much of the voice is as follows:
"Then came the expected knock, sharp and confident, and the stranger entered. Dazzled by the light, he hesitated a moment at the door, giving to all a chance for scrutiny. He was a striking personage, and a most picturesque one, in his Arctic dress of wool and fur. Standing six foot two or three, with proportionate breadth of shoulders and depth of chest, his smooth-shaven face nipped by the cold to a gleaming pink, his long lashes and eyebrows white with ice, and the ear and neck flaps of his great wolfskin cap loosely raised, he seemed, of a verity, the Frost King, just stepped in out of the night."(106)
Jack London uses a great deal of descriptive writing in his book. Every new character or setting has at least a page dedicated to its description. The fact that everything is situated really helps add to one's understanding of the story, especially as an outsider that has never been to the Yukon. Many of the descriptions share the same tones. This passage has a tone that is very impressed and awe inspired. In this case, the character becomes framed in a sort of formidable appearance. This gives him much more power in the story, because the first impression of him is almost that of royalty. London even mentions that he seems to be a "Frost King". Jack London's voice is very formal and serious, yet it is still nonchalant. He has a dry yet quite descriptive manner of writing. He is also very knowledgeable about the subject of the Yukon and the types of people in it.
Jack London uses a great deal of descriptive writing in his book. Every new character or setting has at least a page dedicated to its description. The fact that everything is situated really helps add to one's understanding of the story, especially as an outsider that has never been to the Yukon. Many of the descriptions share the same tones. This passage has a tone that is very impressed and awe inspired. In this case, the character becomes framed in a sort of formidable appearance. This gives him much more power in the story, because the first impression of him is almost that of royalty. London even mentions that he seems to be a "Frost King". Jack London's voice is very formal and serious, yet it is still nonchalant. He has a dry yet quite descriptive manner of writing. He is also very knowledgeable about the subject of the Yukon and the types of people in it.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Outside reading #1
"Here is Jack London, writer of The Son Of The Wolf. He is also the author of The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and The Sea Wolf. Nice to have you on the show Jack."
"Its good to be here."
"So Jack, tell me a little bit about why you started writing, for example, where does your inspiration come from?"
"Well Simon, as you may know, I went to Cal, mostly to pursue my passion for writing. However; I eventually dropped out of school to try my luck at the Alaska Gold Rush, also known as the Klondike. I lived in very harsh conditions for a winter, and at one point I even got scurvy because of our lack of fresh foods. It was during this time that I became acquainted with many of the situations that I described in my books."
"Hmm interesting. Here is a quote from "The Son of the Wolf" that I found very interesting: "Man rarely places a proper valuation upon his womankind, at least not until deprived of them. [. . .] But the hunger will continue and become stronger; he will lose interest in the things of his every-day life and wax morbid; and one day, when the emptiness has become unbearable, a revelation will dawn upon him."(21) Much of the book is written in much the same tone, lack of female contact being a prominent recurring theme throughout the story. Do you have any reasons for this prominence?"
"The Yukon is one of the most lonely, cruel places I have ever been, and I went on my voyage there with only one other man, my brother-in-law. I felt exactly as I wrote, that the emptiness soon became unbearable."
"You truly do write like one who has true experience, the story even feels like non fiction, due to a tone of knowingness. Its been great to talk to you. Thank you for coming on the show."
"It has been my pleasure."
"For more information on Jack London visit http://london.sonoma.edu/jackbio.html or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_London. Tune in next time on NPR."
Funding provided by listeners like you. Thank you. This is National Public Radio.
"Its good to be here."
"So Jack, tell me a little bit about why you started writing, for example, where does your inspiration come from?"
"Well Simon, as you may know, I went to Cal, mostly to pursue my passion for writing. However; I eventually dropped out of school to try my luck at the Alaska Gold Rush, also known as the Klondike. I lived in very harsh conditions for a winter, and at one point I even got scurvy because of our lack of fresh foods. It was during this time that I became acquainted with many of the situations that I described in my books."
"Hmm interesting. Here is a quote from "The Son of the Wolf" that I found very interesting: "Man rarely places a proper valuation upon his womankind, at least not until deprived of them. [. . .] But the hunger will continue and become stronger; he will lose interest in the things of his every-day life and wax morbid; and one day, when the emptiness has become unbearable, a revelation will dawn upon him."(21) Much of the book is written in much the same tone, lack of female contact being a prominent recurring theme throughout the story. Do you have any reasons for this prominence?"
"The Yukon is one of the most lonely, cruel places I have ever been, and I went on my voyage there with only one other man, my brother-in-law. I felt exactly as I wrote, that the emptiness soon became unbearable."
"You truly do write like one who has true experience, the story even feels like non fiction, due to a tone of knowingness. Its been great to talk to you. Thank you for coming on the show."
"It has been my pleasure."
"For more information on Jack London visit http://london.sonoma.edu/jackbio.html or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_London. Tune in next time on NPR."
Funding provided by listeners like you. Thank you. This is National Public Radio.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Adoption of paired texts
The two novels, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest should be accepted as a part of the 11th grade curriculum because many very important issues are addressed in these books, rendering them very valuable to the adolescents in junior year. The themes of these books include insanity, drug abuse, making a difference, and rebellion. Everyone comes to certain points in their lives in which they are confronted with these things, and having previous insight and opinions help make the right choices. Junior and Senior years in high school are very emotionally draining and there is a great deal of drug abuse, development and rebellion against authority figures. Most teenagers are thus able to relate to the novels. The books are very interesting, especially when read together because the non-fiction novel, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, is the true story behind the fiction novel, giving it more background and more insight.
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