Digging Deeper

I recently started re-reading Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. I really enjoyed this book when I first read it. I found the story and characters very well done. I hope I have the same or better experience this time around. When I first read Tunnels, I had a constant feeling of suspense and excitement. I desperately wanted to keep reading and see what happened on the next page. While the beginning was actually quite slow, the book really picked up speed towards the middle and end. When it ended in a cliffhanger, I knew I had to read the rest of the series. Which I did.

Now for the section that's actually about the book. The book starts with Will Burrows and his father, Dr. Burrows digging up an archaeological site. The author describes it as, "Under the combined glare of their helmet lamps, each greedy handful revealed more of the old wooden planking beneath, exposing its tar-coated grain and splintery surface." ( Williams, Gordon, 2). This is one of the only interests Will shares with his Dad, digging. Dr. Burrows, the curator of a struggling museum, comes into the possession of a strange artifact. Soon after, he disappears. Eager to find his dad, Will and his friend Chester start examining his last known whereabouts. I won't go into much further detail since that will probably spoil the book. However, I remember it being a good book and will post a more detailed review after my re-read. 

Pontius Pilate: Follow-Up

Since I finished my book about a week ago, I've decided to write a follow up post about it. I have to say that I enjoyed the novel. It was definitely interesting from a historical prospective and since I do like history in general, it kept me interested for the entire course of the novel. Like I mentioned in my last post, there are not many exact historical facts about Pilate's life. However, most of the events that happened in the book are actual events that happened. In his note, the author talks about the historical accuracy's in the book "such principal events as his involvement in the standards affair, the aqueduct construction and riot, the episode of the golden shields, the clash with the Samaritans, and his recall are all attested by ancient sources, notably Josephus and Philo." (Maier, 301). There are other events that may not have actually happened, but instead were speculation based on facts. The book also gave insights on politics in Ancient Rome at the time. Which involved lots of paranoia and assassinations. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical books and historical fiction.

Pontius Pilate: A Novel

Recently for the book club I am in I started reading Pontius Pilate: A Novel. While you might think this is a biography, it is actually historical fiction. In the forward the author states that "There is too little source material on Pontius Pilate for a biography, yet too much for recourse to mere fiction. These pages attempt a compromise which might be called the documented historical novel." (Maier, 1). Interesting, right? The author tells Pilate's story without adding too much fictional exaggeration and sticking mostly to the known facts. So far it's working out. The book chronicle's Pilate's life from the time of his appointment to the region of Judea to his death from a less known perspective, the Roman one. While given the religious context, it is a very historical book and spins facts into the story. I am enjoying it now and look forward to continued reading.

Column Blog Post

For class this weekend we had to read several columns by different authors. The column I most enjoyed was by Dave Barry and was called "A ruff and ready playmate". The column was about dogs and the pros of owning one. The author was sarcastically humorous in his description of the behavior of dogs. "I look down and see that my right arm has disappeared up to the elbow inside the mouth of a dog the size of a medium horse, I am not alarmed. I know that his is simply how a large friendly dog says: "Greetings! You have a pleasing salty taste!" (Barry). I enjoyed the author's use of sarcasm and exaggeration in the piece and felt that it contributed very nicely.

Theme Handout

Why Individual Self Expression Is Important

Olivia Popovich, Kayla Blumberg, Jenna Caimano, Andrew Hahn, Aaron Goetz

Bell 4

Timeline

• After meeting Clarisse, Montag starts to question his life and if what he’s doing, with burning the books is actually the right thing to do for society.
• During the situation with Ms. Blake, and her showing Montag all of the books she owned, and telling Montag her true feelings and thoughts on being able to have books, changed the way Montag  looked at himself and his actions.
• Meeting Faber and showing him a want to go see the books, and not turning him in. Obviously being a person that starts fires for a living for people that have books, it doesn’t seem like a usual thing to do to not start a fire for someone with books. This shows Montag’s change in character ever since realizing that books may actually be a key party to the way society works
• When Montag reads the poem, Dover Beach to Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles, he is trying to get them to see how important self expression is to individual people and to society.
• After burning down his house, Montag kills Beatty because he is willing to do anything to save the books.
• After the bombs hit the city, Montag starts remembering the book of Ecclesiastes,  Montag gets time to reflect on his life, and he thinks about everything he has done and all that had just happened to him, through the actions of him showing his true self.

Montag grows as a person in the book, and shows more self expression as it goes on.

Textual Evidence

• “Of course I’m happy.  What does she think?  I’m not? he asked the quiet rooms.” (Bradbury 8)
• “Then the old man grew even more courageous and said something else and that was a poem, too.  Faber held his hand over his left coat pocket and spoke these words man’s coat.  But he did not reach out.” (Bradbury 71)
• “He twitched the safety catch on the flame thrower.  . . . And then he was a shrieking blaze, a jumping, sprawling gibbering manikin, no longer human or known, all writhing lame on the lawn as Montag shot one continuous pulse of liquid fire on him.” (Bradbury 112-113)

Why Is this Theme Important to the story?

This theme is important to the story because without it nothing would’ve happened, Montag would never feel the same way towards books if he would have never showed his true feelings about how books can really change the way someone views society and life in general.

How does this theme connect to modern society today?

This theme connects to modern society today because in our country we are able to show who we are through the clothes we wear, our religion and many other things that we can turn to to express our own self expression, which shows up in Fahrenheit 451 multiple times. It’s very important to be aware of this because without it, everyone would be and act in the same manner.

Twelfth Night

Recently I've been reading Twelfth Night, by Shakespeare. The story takes place in the fantastical country of Illyria, a fictional country where love, instead of logic, rules. "But the Illyria of Twelfth Night is a head-over-heels land of fantasy, where everyone seems to be at least a touch mad. Love, in this play, comes dangerously close to delusion." (Introduction, 15).  This quote describes the comedy in the play. Everyone thinks they are in love with someone else, even if it is a delusion or the person they love does not love them back. While the Elizabethan English can be hard to understand, the play is definitely worth a read if you are interested in comedies.

451 Narrative

(from the point of view of Mrs. Phelps.)

I walked out of Mildred's house, still crying. Mrs. Bowles was walking next to me, comforting me. "Terrible words... such terrible words," I whispered.  "There there," Mrs. Bowles reassured me, "Why don't you go home and turn on the 'family', that will make you feel better." I nodded as we both walked to our beetles.

I was driving at 70 miles an hour to get back home. The green blur of grass and the white blur of houses rushed past me as I drove on. I was thinking about the words Mr. Montag had said. "for the world, which seems To lie before us like a land of dreams, So various, so beautiful, so new, Hath neither joy, nor love, nor light, " "I'm happy, aren't I?", I asked myself, "If I'm happy, then why am I crying?" I couldn't stop thinking about what Mr. Montag had said, no matter how hard I tried.

I slowed down my beetle as I approached home. I had thought about the poem Montag had read for the entire ride. When I entered the house, it seemed very quiet. I glanced at the parlor and briefly thought of turning it on, but decided not to. It seemed so quiet and peaceful without the constant clamor of the 'family'. I had given Montag's words lots of thought and now they didn't seem so frightening. Instead of turning on the parlor walls, I decided to go to sleep instead.