Multiple Choice

Multiple Choice was a very different book from those i've read before. Its about a girl called Monica who is obsessed about everything to anything in her life. She would weigh two bean bags to see if they are the same, she couldnt stand an extra hair strand popping out from a stranger's head. Everytime she would do something, she would jump into thinking of conclusions, and if she messed up somewhere. She wanted everything perfect. But at the same time, she didnt want everything to be perfect, because as again she would skip to conclusions, asking what will things be like if they WERE too PERFECT. Monica's life was fine with obsession until she came up with the game called "Multiple Choice." This game decided what she would do, in order to be 'not perfect'. Through this game she could be a complete different person, yet being herslef. Its a fun book to read, that would crack you up at least once everytime you read a chapter. Also, Monica, gives a whole new meaning to 'anagrams' as it plays a crusial part in her life, for figuring out who she really is. Its a great book that anyone can read, and should read! It is fun, with a good vocabulary, and would make a great movie.

Character: 10/10
Setting: 9/10
Problem: 10/10
Plot: 10/10

oh and it had a fine ending...thankfully!

Brutus and the Chivalric Codes

Chivalric codes: Honor, Chastity, Loyalty, Courageous

Honor: Brutus is one of the key characters that we've studied, who shows the greatest bond with honor. Brutus was obsessed with honor. Everything to him was for honor. His actions, his words, his speeches, even his death was to gain honor.
Chastity: Brutus had a wife--Portia, so he was definitely not chastit-ious. Not much was discribed, over if he liked women or not, but we certainly saw that although he loved his wife, he didnt honor her enough to trust her and tell her one of his secrets.
Loyalty: Brutus didnt tell Portia his secret, in order to keep his loyalty towards Cassius and the others. But was Brutus loyal to his wife by doing so? Was Brutus loyal to go Behind Caesar's back and make plans to murder him? It may have seemed to Brutus that he was being loyal to Rome, but in my opinion, he definitely was not loyal.
Courageous: Though not loyal, I think, Brutus was surely courageous. Brutus was a friend of Caesar and respected him. I think, it takes some courage to go behind a friend's back and to kill him. It takes courage to admit that you killed someone, and then to give an outstanding-persuasive speech in front of the commoners, not knowing how the'd react. And it also takes courage to tell someone to take your life. It takes courage to die with honor.

The Good Guy

This is a book by Dean Koontz, who is one of my favorite writers. One of my favorite books by him is Velocity. Dean has a very intriguing way of writing. He mainly writes mistery/thrillers, and is a pro at it. This book, is another mistery/thriller book of his, which starts of with a guy--Tim-- sitting at a bar, who is mistaken by a stranger to be someone else. The stranger dilivers him a photo and a certain amount of money, to kill the person in the picture. Tim knowing that he'd been mistaken for someone else, doesnt say anything and takes the package. What happens next, could only revieled after reading the book.
I say read this book! Yes, it is a mind candy, and a really tasty one! If you for a rollercoaster-istic novel, that paces itself in a great way, then this is the book for you. But, if you are one of those bio-auto bio-fantasy sorta person, then i'd recon to skip this one.

Setting: 10/10
Character:10/10
Plot:10/10
Conflict: Man vs. himself and Man vs. Man.

Camparin' & Contrastin'

Sir Launcelot du Lake. What a name..It is a really strong name, that was given to a courageous night, who was made the head night of the Round Table by King Arthur. There are various legends, and different authors have laid them for us to read in their own different ways. Sir Launcelot's character is shown differently in the two different prospectuses of the legends; Sir Launcelot du Lake and from the Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights, written by Sir Thomas Malory and John Steinbeck respectively. The two images that these writers worked on to portray are extremely different from each other. In Sir Thomas's version, Launcelot's character is explained dramatically, in a very exagerated manner. For example: "Sir Launcelot took another spear and unhorsed sixteen more of the King or North Galys's knights and, with his next, unhorsed another twelve; and in each case with such violence that none of the knights ever fully recovered"(Sir Launcelot.Pg:1078). Many events, just like this one, were described with much fantasy, hence, seemed unrealistic. Istead of being wowed by his brave battles, I was more like "yeah right kido."
On the other hand, Steinbeck's version ilustrates a totally different picture. His version consisted of detailed discriptions and figurative language, which made his writing seem like a emotional story. For Example: "Lancelot exhausted the theme of his hands and squinted down the long hall and watched the movement with eyes so nearly closed that he could not see faces...The knights in long full floor-brushing robes walked lightly or thought their feet barely touched the ground because their bodies were released rom their crushing boxes of iron" (The Acts King. Pg:1094). Through this example, we can see how Steinbeck manages to create a delicate sympathy towards Launcelot. The discriptions for what he thinks, and what he observes are a great way to gain the reader's sympathy. Both the authors did a great job, developing the different images of Sir Launcelot. Where, one was an honorable, courageous, undefeatable knight, the ohter was an emotional, delicate, yet honorable knight with deep feelings. The interesting thing about both the pieces were, that both the writings had a power, that dug out two completely different responses from its audience. Good job writers!

What goes around, comes around

The Role of Fate: What goes around…comes around. There are people who don’t believe in fate and there are some who believe their lives are strongly based upon it. In Antigone, it was said that the house of Thebes has been cursed. Tirisius, the oracle told King Laius that his son would kill him. Oedipus, his son eventually did kill him and married to the king’s wife, oblivious to the fact that she was his mother. They had four kids, out of which Antigone was one of them. Creon was the queen’s brother, who was crowned as the king after Oedipus. The myth continues, and things change. Antigone commits suicide, and Haemon, Creon’s son, commits suicide as well. He was Antigon’s husband to be, and killed himself from the grief of his lover dying. Creon’s wife, latter, kills herself, “The burden…closing her eyes” (Antigone 1.5.99-117). It was Creon’s fate to suffer and end up living a dreadful life. His stubbornness, and arrogance and caused three lives, “when we were….of the dead” (Antigone 1.5.44-76). It was pitiful; Haemon, Antigone and Eurydice dying. Antigone had paid for her stubbornness, and for her father’s, and brother’s mistakes. It was Thebes’s fate to break apart. Thebes paid for such ruler and a cowardly audience. It was karma that brought Creon’s pride to an end. Antigone had once said, “O tomb…equal my own” (Antigone 1.4. 58-70). Here Antigone had asked for an equal punishment for Creon, only if she was right to stand up for the right thing. And again, there is something in return for every action. Good for good and bad for bad. I believe in fate, in karma. Every time I do something from the goodness of my heart, I believe that there is something in return for that. This something that many writers, and film producers use to gain sympathy out of their audiences towards their characters. Ex, if something bad happens to the protagonist, the audience would cry, and if the vilen dies, it brings some sort of a satisfaction. I’ve always wondered why is that we expect, and why is that things happen. Just the way they do…

Le Women

The Role of women: It has always been a struggle for women to gain respect and dignity. The society has always looked at the female race, to be lower than that of men’s. In the ancient days and surprisingly even now a days, this absurd thinking continues. Antigone, plays an important role in Sophocles’ play Antigone. She is stubborn, right, and courageous. The traditional role of women is to sit at home, 'produce' kids, take care of them and the house, and play a happy-go-lucky wife around her husband.
Antigone could be referred to as a feminist play, as in this play the women’s voice is heard, and Antigone stands up for herself against the Greek ruler Creon, in defense for her brother Polyneices, "And you, Antigone.....Now I do not" (Antigone 1.2.50-72). According to me, Antigone was very determined and a very confident women. She not only spoke against a man, but against her father in law to-be, who was the emperor of Greek. Creon was an overconfident, proud, and an outrageously stubborn ruler, who believed that he was the government and that whatever he said was the law. Whereas Antigone followed and spoke in favor of the gods law. Due to her cross behavior towards the king, she was asked to be executed. She was loyal to her brother, to her sister to her family and herself. Fingers were pointed at her, intentions were made to put down her self esteem, yet she stood strong in front of the society and the king, " Like her father....done"(Antigone 1.2.75-98). Where the society's lips were sealed, from the fear of the king, words were exhanged behind his back of Antigone's outstanding courage. Just like this play, many movies use this theme in their plot, ex: Legally Blonde, Raising Helen, Ugly Betty (series), Pirates of the Caribbean. In all of these entertainments, the female lead plays a crucial part.