Blog Reflection

Link to my BEST blog-
http://abolisreadingblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/spring-break-indulgence-reading-longest.html
 
This post demonstrates that I have met the in-depth analysis standards of my independent reading novel. In this blog post, I best show my ability to analyze characters and theme. In the parts where I go in-depth about the characters in this novel, I talked about physical and mental states. Here is a specific example in this blog post about The Longest Ride where I describe the physical states of the characters, "This emotional roller-coaster starts with Ira. He tells us his back story, you learn that he is very old and that he has been injured in a car accident." And another quote describing the physical states of the characters include, "Luke isn't like Sophia. Luke is a country boy, and Sophia is a sorority girl. But, opposites do attract." Both of these quotes introduce the characters. You learn about Ira Levinson, the old man who ends up in a tragedy, nearing the end of his life. And then you have Sophia and Luke. Sophia is the typical college girl who lives in a sorority. This is easy to picture. And then you have Luke. Luke is a country boy who is not afraid to get his hands dirty. Both of these quotes bring about an introduction for the readers to get a grasp on what the characters may look like. Now, there is a different analysis for the mental states of the characters. By observing the mental states, you are better able to connect with the characters. One quote from my blog post that describes the mental states is, "I believe that Ruth's goal is to help Ira to reflect on his life. Ira knows that Ruth isn't there in reality, but is there spiritually. Ruth is helping Ira relive his life, in a way. She begins to reflect on his family and on her family. Ruth is helping Ira stay connected to his life by letting him focus on major events." This quote shows that Ruth and Ira both are thinking about their lives. Ruth had already lost hers, and Ira was nearing his end. They both are thinking about how to stay connected with one another and their past. As Ruth keeps Ira in her thoughts, Luke keeps Sophia in his, "He understands that bull riding is dangerous, but he's doing it for a good reason. Not for the glory, not for the fame but to keep his mother's farm going. However, he learns he can't have the life of a bull rider with Sophia." This quote shows Sophia's and Luke's thoughts. Luke needs bull riding, and Sophia. But, Sophia can't have someone in her life that is at a constant risk of dying. Through my blog post, I was able to analyze the characters' mental and physical states. Not only did I analyze characters, but I analyzed theme, as well. A quote from my post describing the theme is, "So far, this book is based off of what you would give up to be the love of your life." This quote shows that the theme I was able to pull from the book was that to be with the love of your life, you would have to give up something. I analyzed complex characters and the development of theme through my blog posts this year.

After blogging for a semester, I have some future goals set. I will set a page goal that I must reach so that when I type my blogs, it won't be the same part of the book that I talk about. I will also try to make more of a variety of the books that I choose to read. I have read many fiction, yet very few nonfiction. So, in the future I will read a greater variety of genres. I will work on being able to identify voice in books and novels. I will also work on observing writing techniques in the books I read, to utilize in my own writing. That brings me to my next section of goals. This time I have goals set for my writing. I will work on increasing the amount of time I spend writing. I will also try to find my writers' voice next year. Everyone has a voice, and if I continue writing, I will be able to find my writers' voice. Areas of improvement include broadening the genres I read all the way to utilizing my writers' voice along with literary techniques to create great pieces of literature. If I follow through with these goals, I will be better able to develop in my areas of improvement.

Finishing The Longest Ride and Starting To Kill a Mockingbird

Finishing The Longest Ride

This week I finished my ride on Nicholas Sparks' emotional roller-coaster. I have yet to be disappointed by one of his romance novels, and this still stands true after finishing The Longest Ride. This may be a spoiler, however, to say the least, what is expected--happens. Here is a major spoiler; the old Ira Levinson, missing and craving to be with his wife, has passed away. Though this was expected, any death is bound to break the readers heart. However, you could take his passing on to be a positive event. Ira passed on, and now he can be with his wife. He relived all of his major events in his life and now instead of suffering, he is reunited with the love of his life, figuratively. As for Sophia and Luke; it is the happily ever after you would've expected from any romance novel. I commend Nicholas Sparks' ability to grasp a readers attention and truly make them feel something while they read. The two love stories-separated by time-will touch your hearts.

Starting To Kill a Mockingbird

Time for something new! I hear many conversations about To Kill a Mockingbird. I believe that this is due to the fact that it has to do with a controversial topic. I have researched a little bit about the book and I am prepared to make a few predictions. First, I found that this book has to do with racism or could have something to do with racism. Scout Finch tells the story of her father trying to prove the innocence of a black man accused of rape. The major part of being accused was that it was unjust! To me, this could've been the act of racism. Why else would the author feel the need to mention that it was black man being unjustly accused of rape? I think that what will end up happening will be that the father of Scout, Atticus Finch, will try to prove the black man's innocence, while everyone who seems to have a racist mind, will be set on the fact that due to his skin color, he committed a crime. This is an extremely sensitive topic. This book was set in the 1930's. I think that the author did this to show the prevalence of racism during this era. It was a sensitive topic then, and it still is today. This is the reason I would like to read this book. We have come a long way since the 1930's. People are able to live equal, as one. I think that Harper Lee will try to take us back to the era of racism, and show us what it was like. Thus far, I predict that Atticus Finch will successfully clear the black man of the crime he did not commit. This will set a precedence to the future-showing us that all races should be considered equal and should be accused for things they did-not things their society ASSUMES they did. The book already sounds so interesting, and I am anxious to hear the story of a black man's journey through a racist era-with few friends and many enemies.

Before reading, I looked into the controversy of racism during the 1930's. Racism is major symbol in this story, so I felt the need to examine more of it before reading the book. I learned that, commonly in the south, their was a persistence of inequality for those who had a darker skin color. This seems ridiculous to us now. Who are we to determine what rights people have based on their skin color? Skin color is something you are born with, it is unchangeable. Skin color is merely a pigment, it shouldn't define what rights people are able to have in the community. I think that this is what the book is going for. My prediction is that Atticus Finch will be there supporting the black man. He will be there to push for his rights. Atticus Finch will be the one to make it clear to the court that skin color should not matter and should not be  a factor in accusing anyone. I hope to see that racism will come to a slow stop towards the end. I know that predicting for a complete end to racism is a bit of a stretch, however baby steps could lead to a better future with equal men and women of all races!

These are some quotes from the book-They help to give you an understanding of some the sensitive themes and topics that are evident in this book- http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3275794-to-kill-a-mockingbird 

Spring Break Indulgence: Reading The Longest Ride

The Longest Ride trailer's have emerged in advertisements and on YouTube. I have begun reading the book and I would love to be able to make connections to the movie as the trailers air online. So far, I commend Nicholas Sparks as he has managed to make yet another tear-jerking novel.

This emotional roller-coaster starts with Ira. He tells us his back story, you learn that he is very old and that he has been injured in a car accident. Icy and snowy, Ira Levinson ends up in a steep embankment on the side of the curve in the road. He assumes he wasn't aware of the curve and is now stuck in shattered car. His head is bleeding and he is in bad condition. Then it is revealed that Ira lost his wife 9 years before the crash. "My life came to a full stop" (Sparks 9). This was Ira reflecting on her death. Ruth and Ira were in love, and Ira thought he lost her completely. But, Ira found his love in the car when he was hurt. He found her there when he seemed like he would be left alone, possibly to die. Look at that, even the predictions you are possibly able to make are heart wrenching. Well, Sparks doesn't stop there with his emotional roller-coaster. I believe that Ruth's goal is to help Ira to reflect on his life. Ira knows that Ruth isn't there in reality, but is there spiritually. Ruth is helping Ira relive his life, in a way. She begins to reflect on his family and on her family. Ruth is helping Ira stay connected to his life by letting him focus on major events. Ruth is showing Ira that he is strong and has lived through certain sorrows. Ira and Ruth lived through the days of World War 2. This impacted their lives, and the sorrow of this event hurt them. However, this shows that they were strong together and managed to uplift each other's spirits. She also looked upon their joyful events together. She speaks about how they met and all of the things they did; together. Ruth and Ira relive their past and reconnect. They are holding onto each other through these memories, and I am anticipating a sad ending, or surprisingly happy ending for Ira's life. Way to go Nicholas Sparks, you've pulled emotions out of me through a fictional book. 

Now, 4 months earlier, you meet Sophia. She finds herself at a rodeo. She originally didn't feel as though the rodeo was her 'thing', well ironically she may have found the love of her life there. Ironic, yet predictable. She has a back story involving a bad romance. This previous romance including a cheater named Brian. She's single and moping. Her friend decides to take her to a bull-riding area, to help her get her mind off of Brian and just 'cause she needed a wing man. At the bull-riding event, Sophia finds Brian. This quickly turns the whole rodeo experience into a bitter event. However, something sweet seems to make it a little better. Luke. Luke protects Sophia from the frat-boy, Brian. Luke isn't like Sophia. Luke is a country boy, and Sophia is a sorority girl. But, opposites do attract. They learn more and more about each other. They keep each other happy...like Ruth and Ira. One major part of the book is Luke having to choose what he wants to do with his life. He understands that bull riding is dangerous, but he's doing it for a good reason. Not for the glory, not for the fame but to keep his mother's farm going. However, he learns he can't have the life of a bull rider with Sophia. Sophia believed that she couldn't live with someone who she may lose, so she gives him a choice. The bull or her. This ultimatum may rip their romance apart. 

Ruth and Ira alongside Sophia and Ira. They are different generations, however they are connected. After reading deeper into the book. I anticipate that Luke will choose Sophia over bull riding. I also anticipate that Ira will pass away, to be with his love. So far, this book is based off of what you would give up to be the love of your life. I hope that my predictions will be proven right or wrong as I continue to read this book. 

I commend Nicholas Sparks for taking me on this emotional roller-coaster.

Link to the Longest Ride Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUS_Q7FsfqU

The Longest Ride: Predictions After Reading the First Couple of Pages and the Synopsis

Nicholas Sparks has always been known for his romance novels. It seems as though he has perfected his writing to create the maximum level of emotions possible. Whether you're in tears of joy, or tears of sadness, one way or another Sparks has a way of playing with your emotions. Picking up The Longest Ride feels no different, I feel as though I went on an emotional roller coaster from just reading the synopsis. From the synopsis, I learned that the book follows two sorrowful, yet happy, stories. 

One story encounters that of Ira Levinson and his late wife Ruth. Ira encounters a life threatening car crash and in that he feels as though he is reconnected with his wife. His wife had passed away year before, and he is already living in the sadness of that. It seems as though he is hanging onto a thread after this car crash, it seems as though there is something keeping him here on Earth. The synopsis talks about how he imagines having Ruth there, by his side, telling him not to let go. Right there, from just the synopsis, my eyes feel a tad damp. Nicholas Sparks is playing at our heartstrings. The story he formed from Ira and Ruth included tragedy and heartbreak. Tragedy came from Ruth's death and also from Ira's car crash. However, there is a tinge of happiness in this, as well. Ira is reconnected with his wife. He feels as though she is truly there by his side. She is the one letting him know that he has to stay here and relieve his memories. Ruth and Ira are a couple holding onto each other through reliving their memories in their hearts. I predict that Ira will imagine Ruth by his side. I wish I could imagine that Ira will have the courage to stay and fight this battle with the spirit of Ruth. However, I suspect, that because this is a Nicholas Sparks novel, there will be more of a heartbreak involved. So I also anticipate Ira passing away. I predict that he will say he wants to be with the love of his life. And to do that--he must let go. I am aching to know what will be unraveled about Ira's future. 

Alongside Ira and Ruth, is a more modern romance; Sophia and Luke. These two love birds seem to have an indirect connection with Ira and Ruth. I predict that they are their grandparents whose story intertwines with their love story. Maybe, the love stories are connected in some way, whether it's just how the romance unfolds or whether its a family relationship. Right now, one of the reveals in the book seems to be how Sophia and Luke come about Ira and Ruth. I am intrigued by how Nicholas Sparks sets up the book. He tells two stories at once, meaning there must be some relation between the two. However they are separated by time and are unique from one another. Sophia and Luke are the rodeo couple. They come to learn about their differences. Sophia's a college girl who's into frat boys and Luke seems to be in love with horses and riding. When their worlds meet, they learn about each other. It may seem happy and full of glee, however the synopsis reveals that their is tragedy involved. Two love stories; with tragedy and joy. Sounds like a Nicholas Sparks novel to me, and his credibility and his previous novels make me feel even more ecstatic to pick up this book and continuing reading.




http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17407748-the-longest-ride -Link to the GoodReads Synopsis

Satire Blog Post- Pappy the Paper and Today's Overuse of Paper/Cutting Down Trees

An example of satire, where the artist is exaggerating the use of paper in today's society. It is mocking how capitalists, and everyone in general, are cutting down multitudes of trees and leaving little behind.

Satire

Today in society, you see people printing out projects, presentations and pictures. We are disregarding where these papers are coming from. We use them like tissues. We take one and if we mess up, we throw it away and take another! Taking one piece of paper is like one hit to a tree. Think about if we continue to hit paper, and continue to hit that tree, won't the tree fall? We act like we rely on tree and we act like we care about Mother Earth, but do we really? This is precisely what is being shown in this comic. It is showing a conversation between trees, talking about how they see their father in the newspaper the man is reading. And ironically the newspaper he is reading is talking about the rights of mother nature. If we act like we depend on trees so greatly, why is it that our forests are slowly being wiped away? Trees may not seem like a big deal, because we have so many of them. You have the amount of trees you need and the amount of paper you need now, however one day that won't be the case. The amount of paper will begin to decrease, and our variety of trees in nature will also decrease. We need to learn to moderate our paper usage, as well as moderate the amount of trees we are taking down for our scribbles. 

This piece of satire is a horatian satirical piece because the artist added in talking tress which created more of a witty feel rather than a serious/angry tone. Though this comic is talking about a serious topic, the images and the way the trees are speaking create an amusing emotion for the audience. This comic ridicules human beings on their usage of paper. Again, the talking trees play a major role in making this a horatian satirical piece. This comic could be taken as a form of farce. This is because the comic is set in an improbable situation, where the trees are speaking to each other noticing the newspaper and recognizing it as their father. I, also, see that this could be taken as a form of irony. Two forms, actually. One would be situational irony because you wouldn't expect the trees to have feelings or connections to paper. But we are missing the point that we are killing living creatures to create paper that sometimes, we waste. This occurrence is considered situational irony because we don't expect, nor do we quite understand, that trees could have "feelings" and by grinding them to a pulp, we could bring them to a close decease in the future. We can prove this to be comic of horatian satire because by reading it, you hear a witty and amused tone, even though you are speaking of a serious topic. 

Krista Ramsey Blog Post

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/05/22/krista-ramsey-thanks-parents/9468497/- The Third Column

Well Done, Mom and Dad. Well Done.

Summary of the Column

In this column, you learn to appreciate. Krista Ramsey uses her time to emphasize how thankful we should be for all that our parents have done and sacrificed in order for us to have the successions and opportunities that we have today.

The Best Written Line
"A choice to mold a character that usually didn't want to be molded." -Krista Ramsey. The impact this line has on the reader is the fact that we all know what it feels like to be stubborn against a parent. We all have had a time where we redundantly refused to understand a parents' decisions. I believe that we don't think that what a parent is doing in the present will affect us in the future. We don't realize how much we truly appreciate a parent till it comes time for us to leave them and we look back on your past and you that your parents were a a pertinent component in your success and your character. This line is impacting any reader because everyone can relate to this, everyone has had a parent figure in their lives that has tried their best to form a great kid, though that kid may not want it at the time. Some observations that I noticed in this line was her diction. By using simplistic words, anyone can easily relate to this, whether they are parent or child. Even though these words are simplistic, they help us imagine and understand what Ramsey is trying to get across. Using the word 'mold' helps us imagine a parent, watching their kid grow up and making decisions that will shape who they will become. Also, the syntax in this line was unique because Ramsey tried to connect the child to the parent. She in a way rephrased the first part of the sentence to fit how the child was feeling, while the first part of the sentence showed how the parent was feeling. Choices made by Ramsey in word choice and sentence structure help create an impact on the reader and help them connect to her words.

Ramsey's Writing Style 

Krista Ramsey takes her writing and emphasizes it by adding in specific examples. By observing three of her columns we see that in some form, Ramsey lists of examples to prove her point. Like in For Better Vision, Kids Need Time Outdoors. Ramsey says, " “The visual field is being artificially restricted,” Clark says. “If you train your eyes or use your eyes in only a narrow visual field, that will become your limitation.”With the brain, as with other parts of the body, it’s a matter of use it or lose it, Clark says. “When you use less and less of the peripheral retinal cells, less and less signal gets to the brain from that area and it gets less strong or goes away. So there may be more brain processing power dedicated to a task like watching a computer screen – but it may come at the cost of peripheral vision,” he says." Ramsey uses an outside source to list off reasons, scientific reasons, to prove her point. Another example we see is in Super Bowl QBs Score Points for Great Style. Here Ramsey says, "If you’re the parents of the bride who put thousands of dollars into an elegant wedding, you might well feel a pang when people arrive in jeans with sunglasses atop their heads. The sight of sports jerseys and sweat pants at a carefully planned memorial service could be hurtful. And as you look down at your fitted blazer and heels in a sea of shorts, T-shirts and nylon jackets at your daughter’s college graduation, you probably wonder why you bothered. Keep bothering." We see another use of listing off events to prove a main idea. Ramsey utilizes this and makes us understand where shes coming from. We can understand her point of view better with examples given. Now in the article we just read, Well Done, Mom and Dad. Well Done. Ramsey says, "If we were having coffee and I thanked you for these things, you would wave them off as nothing. Just what parents do, you'd say. But each of them was not an obligation but a choice. A choice to put the promise of someone else's future above the ease of your own present. A choice to believe in talents you couldn't yet see. A choice to mold a character that usually didn't want to be molded. A choice to invest your time, money and – most perilously – your heart in a project that would largely succeed to the degree it cut its tethers to you." Here we see her style again. She is really emphasizing her main ideas by giving us examples that helps us understand better and more. Krista Ramsey always brings her style out in a different way in her columns, no matter what the topic, you will see her defending her point with ease.

Three Questions for Krista Ramsey

1. What inspires your vast variety of topics? Do you like choosing out of the ordinary topics?


2. Have you always known that writing would play a major role in your life?


3. How do you create a voice in writing? How do you know that when someone reads your article they know that it is Krista Ramsey?

The End of the KKK. A Learning Experience for the U.S.

This picture is a representation of the racial prejudice created by the KKK, we have learned today to remain equal, no matter the race. 

KKK- Ku Klux Klan- They will forever go down in history as a 'gang'.
The KKK began, Tennessee became forever feared that it is possible that the KKK could affect the freedoms that the civilians have. This book had multiple personal accounts, and this is what made the book really come alive. I was able to see many perspectives and also understand why the KKK did what they did. I am not say that I condone their violent behavior, however they made rash decisions due to reasons including race and benefits they could have. The KKK prided themselves on being a gang, and they believed they were doing a service to the society by killing off freedmen. Our society today has learned from this wrongdoing. We are able to live together, with multiple races and cultures. Here is something we learned from the KKK's mistakes. Race and culture don't matter. It is not something a person can change. It shouldn't be a matter of life or death. 

One thing that I thought was really interesting is that if we think about a day in our age/generation, you would never believe that this would ever really happen. The idea and the events that took place during the KKK did really happen and by studying the past, you can learn for the future. Though the KKK is always thought of as negatively, you could pull a positive. Today, we have the arms and abilities and nationalism to better prepare and protect citizens against these terrorist groups. The KKK, though extremely negative, gave us hope today that we will remain as safe as possible, knowing and learning from the past. One of the most interesting parts of the book, was when I learned about the similarities of the KKK to a fraternity. This is because the Kuklos came about from the the fraternities. They had the same violent activities like frat's did, like hazing. Another interesting thing, and what I think is one of the most important parts of the book is that the KKK came as ghosts. Not only ghosts, but ghosts of the Confederate Army. Also, they dressed as Confederates and rode on their horses at night. They took the violence out upon freedmen. You could say that they 'haunted them'. Freedmen had to defense and were blindsided by these attacks. 

This book also does a decent job of allowing us to see the amount of fear that was built up due to this horrific group. Many people had joined out of fear, not because they agreed with the values of the KKK. The KKK had become very popular. Out of fear, fear of death and fear of pain, people impulsively joined in and participated in the violence. The KKK feared as well, they had a fear that the dark skinned people would take over the South. And their solution was to wipe out as many of the freedmen as possible. One person that was introduced to me was Mittie, she needed the protection of the white women. She shivered with fear as she thought about what the KKK could do to her. This book had a common theme; learning from the past and violence is not the answer. Does violence really solve anything? Or will it just create unnecessary fear and chaos? Obviously, the KKK chaos led us to today. Where we are free to be who we want without being ferociously murdered for it. Death was not the answer, changing who you are is not the answer. We have learnt to be able to deal with these types of situations during modern times.

The KKK negative, yet taught the modern U.S. what NOT to be. 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/flood-klan/- More information about the KKK

-Aboli Kesbhat