Post B Week 7 Suite Francaise

This novel is really quite depressing. I can only read a few pages at a time with out feeling disgusted, and when I start reading the book again I feel as though I have already read this passage before, as all of the pages are similar. Also there are too many subjects or characters in this book to be able to truly understand what is going on. You finish a chapter and need to go back to several chapters to find out what the next set of people have to do with anything. It’s a frustrating read at times, but I still suppose I like it.

Post a Week 7 Suite Francaise

Vocabulary:
Ochre(148):
any of various earths containing silica and alumina and ferric oxide; used as a pigment
or
a moderate yellow-orange to orange color

Despondent(149):
feeling or showing profound hopelessness, dejection, discouragement, or gloom

Literary terms:
“Meanwhile, he was absently following the service, his heart so heavy and hard it caused him physical pain.(143)” This quote is an example of imagry because you can imagine him being so sad his heart hurts.

“Evil is visible, it burns, it smugly displays itself for all to see(144).” This is an example of personification because it makes the evil a tangible thing.

“Her face, normally so soft, so well made up, so rested, was covered in a shiny coat of sweat; it no longer absorbed the powder and foundation, but turned them to thick lumps, like curdled mayonnaise (147)” This is an example of simlie because her face is compared to curdled mayonnaise.

Quote:
“… To see what I’ve seen! Closed doors where you knock in vain to get a glass of water and refugees who pillaged houses; everywhere, everywhere you look, chaos, cowardice, vanity and ignorance! What a wonderful race we are! (143) This quote sums up the way many of the French feel about what the war has done to the people of France.

Theme: The theme of this novel has consistently been despair and death.

post a Week 6 Suite Francaise

Vocab:
Indignantly(114):
feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base

bequeath(116):
to hand down; pass on, especially by will.

Literary terms:
"He was like a fire. His throat, the inside of his mouth semmed to crack from the heat, dried out by the intensity of the flames. This bright, soft skin quenched his thirst(123)." This is a simile because she compares him to a fire.

"... a ripple of urgency which, once he had opened someones' heart to God, propelled him torwards other conquests, leaving him forever frustrated.(127)" This is personificatoin because urgency cannot truly ripple.

"When they left the villege, they saw a large, overgrown private park, a beautifully deep, clear lake and a house up on a hill. (129)" This is an example of imagry because you can clearly see the area in your head.

Quote:

Theme;
The theme of this now is people relish in the aid of others, but are not truly thankful.

Post B Week 6 Suite Francaise

There is a saying about helping others; that no act of kindness, no matter how small, will be unnoticed. Or Somthing to that affect. When I finished chapter 25, this saying popped into my head and I immeadiatly began to laugh. Father Pericand had been trying to lead a group of orphaned boys out of France, so thay would be away from all of the destruction of the German invaders. He walked miles and miles with these boys, when he should have been with his family, as they desprately needed his help. But he was a priest, so he felt it was his responsibility to the lord to held these ungrateful boys. The boys despised him, as he controlled every aspect of their lives from sun down to sun up. But nontheless, Father Pericand was trying to help them, to get them out of teh danger of the germans into the welcoming hands of his god. So one night, the troop was sleeping in a field along side a large deserted mansion. A few of the older boys snuck away from the group to steal the objects that had once belonged to the family that had lived there. Father pericand caught them, and to make a long story short, the killed him and put his body in a lake. This was a very cruel thing for the boys to do, as he was only trying to help them survive.

Post B Week 5 Suite Francaise

I have noticed that in the beginning or end of almost every chapter, there is a cat mentioned. The cat is meoing, begging for help, or diggng through the trash, frantically searching for food. I think the author may be comparing the desprate people to animals. They are moving in a herd, stampedeing out of Paris in a mad rush. They have lost their civilized manner, and now have only the animalistic way of survival left in thier heads. They have been stripped all convienience, thrust into a world clearly outside thier comfort zones, and most cannot handle it well.

Post A Week 5 Suite Francaise

Vocabulary:
Predestined(75):
to destine in advance; foreordain; predetermine

Gables(76):
The generally triangular section of wall at the end of a pitched roof, occupying the space between the two slopes of the roof.

Literary Terms:
Whenever Philippe spoke, he seemed both enlightened and pasionate at the same time; as if lit up by a very pure flame(75). This is an example of a simile becaus eif compares one thing to another using the word as.

They could smell smoke, very faintly, carried by the soft June wind (77). This is an example of personification because wind cannot literally be soft.

Pale with hunger, blackened by dust, hair dishevelled, eyes burning, a sad and stubborn look upon thier faces, they seemed suddenly older. Thie is imagry because the author throughouly describes the terrbile shape the soldiers were in.


Quote:

This is a disaster Hubert thought with a sigh. This is defeat, I am here watching an enormus defeat, worse than Waterloo. we are all lost.(83) This quote is important because it shows the state of dispair the French military is in. Everyone around hubert most likely feels the same way he does.


Theme: A theme for this novel is despair. The people feel dispair all around them, as they are desprately fleeing the distroyed French land.

Post A Week 4 Suite Francaise

Vocabulary:
circuitous: marked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct, deviating from a straight course.

tacit: understood without being openly expressed; implied

Literary Terms:
There is symbolism in the quote "Between the leaves faded by the burning sun, you could see thier pale faces, weary, angry, and exausted." (50) The soldiers are like the leaves, thier confidence has faded as the war has proceded.

"Their flesh, beneath the bluish, pearly skin, had been as pink as a small childs." (63) This is an example of a simile because he is comparing a fish to a child using the word as.

"The man was small and scrawny, with a big forehead and enormus eyes, a weak mouth and a little weasely chin." (65) This is an example of imagry because i can see the mans face very vividly in my mind.

Quote:
"The faint purfume of strwberries wafted up now and then through the petrol fumes and smoke. The cars inched torward a bridge. Women were calmly washing thier clothes in the river. The horror and strangenss of recent events were softened by these images of peace. Far away, a windmill turned it's wheel." (62) This quote is significant because it shows the calmness and mental tranquillity one can recieve from everday events when one's entire world has been torn apart.

Theme: A theme for this novel is that one should always be kind to others because one never knows the consequences they will suffer from the uncalled for hatred they show to others.

Post B Week 4 Suite Francaise

This novel skips around between protagonists a lot. The first chapters are about the rich Periand family, then there is the story of the poor servants who work for a rich aristocratic family, then the story from the point of view of that family the servants just worked for, and so on and so forth. The story changes from person to person, however there are continuities in that everyone, rich or poor, is living in terror, evcauating Paris in a frenzy of emotion.
There are many different characters in the book, a new group of people in almost every chapter. It is a confusing writing style, but the novel is immensly interesting.

Post B Week 3 Suite Francaise

Dear Gabriel Corte,
You are a dispicable man. You consider yourself to be high class and above others, when in reality, you have done things that most ordinary people would not dare to do. First, you have a mistress, which is most definitely considered cheating on your wife. Also, when you promised to give some of your most trusted employees a ride out of the unsafe city, you turned your back on them and took your mistress instead. Then, when you arrived in a small town out of Paris to seek refuge, you consider the hotel to be inadequate and childishly sleep in the car.

Post A Week 3 Suite Francaise

Vocabulary:

trumeau(34):a mirror having a painted or carved panel above or below the glass in the same frame.

pram(49):a small vehicle with four wheels in which a baby or child is pushed around

Literary terms:

Usually his face had the smooth, defiant look of an old cat purring by a warm stovebut he was so tierd from the previous day that it couldn't but show and his weak jaw drooped like a corpse. (35) This has an example of a similie in the cat part, and in the part where his jaw droops like a corpse. They are similies because the author is indirectly describing the man as these objects.

The plane above thier heads had appeared suddenly; they could hear it's thin piercing sound fading away.(42) The piercing sound is an example of personificaion because sound cannot pierce.

But panic was intensifying, spreading like wildfire from city to city.(44) This is an example of imagry because it appeals to my senses.



Quote:
Christian charity, the compassion of centuries of civilisation, fell from her like usless ornaments, revealing her bare, arid soul. She needed to protect her own children. Nothing else mattered any more.(48) This quote demonsrates the desperation flowing through the minds of all who were fleeing the city in search of saftey.

Theme:
A theme of this novel is survival of the richest, because everyone who has money can find saftey while those who don't are hit the hardest by the tragedy.

My Film Review For On The Waterfront

The film On The Waterfront was amazing. Everything about it seemed thought out and well executed including the acting, cinematography, and costumes. On The Waterfront effectively showed the plight of an ordinary man and his conscience, without being overly dramatic or cheesy. In conclusion, On The Waterfront is a quality film that successfully shows how hard it is to make the right choice, especially when one is facing peer pressure.
The main literary aspects of the film On The Waterfront are the setting, the characters, and the symbols. The setting of On The Waterfront is in New York in the 1950’s. The accents, costumes, and occupations of the characters all coincide with this time period and location. Also, as many shots were down on the waterfront docks, there is a lack of women and racial minorities in this film, showing the lack of roles in the workplace for both in the 1950’s. Next, a symbolic figure of the film is Edie Doyle, who represents everything virtuous and noble. She is the only character with blonde hair in the film, so in every scene she appears in, she give off an almost holy looking glow.
The most important dramatic trait of the film On The Waterfront is the acting. The actors and actresses of the film are all perfect for their parts. For example, Marlon Brandon, who plays Terry Malloy is a gorgeous, talented actor. He portrays a tough, but sensitive man, who is not bright but knows the difference between right and wrong. Next, Lee J. Cobb, who plays Johnny Friendly, is a talented actor. He physically looks the part of a mob boss, as he is large, but not plump, and appears like he could tear his enemies apart with his bare hands. He also has a very good sneer and a convincing voice. Last, Eva Marie Saint, who plays Edie Doyle, is perfect for her part. She is supposed to portray an innocent, naïve girl, and she does so with grace. Eva Marie Saint is also very beautiful, and has blonde hair and blue eyes that make her stand out from the rest of the cast. Her soft, ladylike voice is very convincing.
Another dramatic effect in On The Waterfront is the lighting. The lighting throughout the film is very dark and somewhat eerie. An example of this is when Terry is calling to Joey Doyle, it is at night, in the dark, so the streetlamps cast a mysterious shadow across Terry’s face. The use of dark and night show that something sinister is going to happen. Another example of the filmmakers use of dark lighting to set the mood is when Terry goes to find his brother. Edie follows him, and finds him in a dark alley. As she finds him, a truck swerves around the corner, careening towards them. The shock of suddenly being thrust into the bright lights projecting from the headlight creates an atmosphere full of blind panic. The lighting whenever Edie is around Terry is much lighter than when he is surrounded by Johnny Friendly and his mob. Her light hair and pale skin make her appear to be glowing, and this represents how angelic and moral she is. The lighting in this film is effectively used to show the contrast between good and bad.
The three most useful cinematic aspects of the film On The Waterfront are the different angles of the shots and the music and sounds. After Terry unknowingly aids in the murder of Joey Doyle, there is a scene where he and Glover are sitting on top of the roof by the pigeons. The high angle shows how powerless and depressed Terry felt about being involved in such a crime. Another type of shot used to create a mood in this film was the low angle. An example of a low angle shot is when the men trying to get work on the waterfront get into a fight with the man who gives out the work tickets. The low angle makes the men look even more foolish and desperate than they already are. Like in most films, the music and sounds were used to show the characters emotions. When Terry tries to admit to Edie that he was a part of the murder of her brother, a train whistle drowns out his voice. Then he tries more loudly to explain that he didn’t mean to help the mob, but again the train whistle overrides him. Then the music cues in, louder than the whistle, and then all you can hear is Edie sobbing hysterically and see her run off. The sound in this scene show how desperate and trapped Terry feels about being involved in the murder, and also how helpless Edie feels about trying to find out about her brothers’ death. In conclusion, the cinematic aspects of the film On The Waterfront are used to convey an emotion to the viewer.
The novel All My Sons is similar to the film On The Waterfront because both of the protagonists deal with moral dilemmas that have to do with the deaths of innocent victims. Joe Keller knowingly sold faulty airplane part, which broke down and killed the pilots flying the planes. Terry Malloy lured Joey Doyle outside resulting in the death of Joey by the mob. Neither of these men meant for their victims to get harmed, but because of their actions, they each killed innocent people. Terry could not admit that he was a part of the murder, or he would be blacklisted from getting jobs or even could get killed. Joe Keller’s company would have been ruined if he would not have sold those airplane parts. His economic stature would have been destroyed, leaving he and his family in shambles. Both of these men had to make decisions about moral dilemmas, and this goes to show that if you go against your conscience, you will regret it later in life.
I would recommend the film On The Waterfront to everyone because it has high quality plot, characters, and cinematography. Even though the film is old, it is not only for those who adore old films, as the moral dilemmas Terry faces apply to the world today. I am not the only one who thinks this movie is great, as the film won eight Oscars.

Post B Week 2 Suite Francaise

This novel seems to be about the elite upper-class looking down upon the lower class. Madame Pericand looks down upon her maids and other employees, Father Pericand looks down upon the orphan boys to the point that he hates them, and is also terrified of them. The writer Gabriel Corte does the same with his servants, leaving them with large responsibilities then becoming angry with them for not performing the tasks up to his high expectations.

Post A Week 2 Suite Francaise

Vocabulary:
Imperceptible(17):
very slight, gradual,

Bequeathed(19): To pass on to another.

Literary Terms:
But his smile was very sweet, slightly shy, with a kind of gentle reproach: “I love you,” it seemed to say. “Why don’t you love me?” (20) This seems to be imagery, as I can imagine a shy priest who rarely smiles but when he does he is a bit self-conscience.

The metallic shudder of falling iron shutters was the only sound to break the silence. (24)
This is an example of personification because of the shuddering of the shutters, and of imagery because of the word metallic and the ringing it leaves in your mind.

In the corridor, whispering shadows passed by.(25) This quote has imagery and personification. It has imagery because it shows how lonely and desolate Paris has become, and has personification with the whispering shadows part.


Quote:
“Their superficial obedience was terrifying…. They were the children of Satan, without even the spirituality to elevate themselves to a point where they desired divine light; they didn’t feel it; they didn’t want it; they didn’t miss it.” (22) This show how cold Father Pericand is towards the orphan boys. He doesn’t have enough heart to be in charge of them as he does not want the best for them.

Theme: A theme of this book is the elite class thinking they are better than the normal people.

Post B Week 1 Suite Francaise

Dear Madame Pericand,
You make me very angry. You are one of those people who take it upon themselves to point out how generous and kind they are to their inferiors. You allow your servants watch television with you and wonder why they don't find you to be the kindest person they have ever met. You grace others with your appearance and then wonder why they don't sing you praises of approval. I will give you the compliment of being persistent, however, because once you have an idea in your head, you never give it up, even if you later find out you were totally wrong.
Taylor

Post A Week 1 Suite Francaise

VOCAB:
Invalid: (6)
A person who is too sick or weak to care for himself or herself

Venerable: (10)
Commanding respect because of great age or impressive dignity; worthy of veneration or reverence, as because of high office or noble character

LITERARY TERMS:
"To them it began as a long breath, like air being forced into a deep sigh." (3) This is an example of a simile, because is it comparing a breath of air to a siren.

"Those still asleep dreamt of waves breaking over pebbles, a March storm whipping the woods, a herd of cows trampling the ground with their hooves, until finally sleep was shaken off and they struggled to open their eyes." (3) This is an example of imagery because the waves breaking appeals to my senses, and of personification because the waves breaking, and the storm whipping are examples of giving a non-living object human-like qualities.

"The sun came up, fiery red, in a cloudless sky." (4) This quote is imagery because the way the sky and the sun are described appeals to your sense of sight.

QUOTE:
"She took pride in her husband's position (she would have preferred a more domestic lifestyle, but following the example of our Dear Saviour, each of us has his cross to bear). She had come home between appointments to oversee her children's studies, the baby's bottles and the servants' work, but she didn't have time to take off her hat and coat." This is an example of Madame Pericand's uptight and condescending nature. She tries her hardest to be what she considers a good Catholic, saying that her not being a domestic is comparable to what happened to Jesus. Also, she is about keeping up appearances, always looking presentable to her demanding public.

THEME:
The theme of this novel seems to be masking fear in order to appear calm.

Post B Week 5

Dear Roald Dahl,

I really enjoyed reading this memoir. It was fasinating to read about the insirations for your books. The ways that adults treat you differed greatly. Your mother always loved and supported you, while all of your teachers beat you and treated you like dirt. You have quite an imagination, which comes through in your novels and in your memoir. I also found it fitting that you wrote a memoir solely on your childhood, because most of your fictional novels aer for children. Your point of view was interesting. You went from a childs point of view to the present time. I loved reading your memoi because you are one of my favorite writers.

Taylor

Post A Week 5

Vocabulary:
Supercilious;(169)
haughtily disdainful or contemptuous, as a person or a facial expression.
Sombre:(171)
gloomily dark; shadowy; dimly lighted
Appeals:

1. One appeal is when Roalds mother asks him if he wants to go to college. "no, thank youu," I said. "i want to go stright from school to work for a company that will send me to wonderful faraway places like Africa or China." (166) This shows how much Roald wants adventure.

2.Another appeal is after Roald gets beaten for no reason, he gives up his faith in God. "It was all of this, I think, that made me give begin to have doubts about religion and even about God. If this person, I kept telling myself, was one of God's chosen salesmen on earth, then there must be something very wrong about the whole business."(146)

3. The last appeal is humorous. When asked by his employer if he wants to go to Egypt, Roald responds. "It's.. it's.. it's, I stammered, it's too dusty sir." (172) This is funny because that is a very poor excuse to not go somewhere.

Quote:"But that is another story. It has nothing to do with childhood or school or Gobstoppers or dead mice or Beazers or summer holidays of Norway. it is a different tale altogether, and if it all goes well, i may have a shot at telling it one of these days." (176) This pretty much sums up the feeling of the mamoir.

Themes: The theme of this book is childhood.

My lovely(ish) film review...

The film The 400 Blows was good. It was not a spectacular piece of art or a theatrical masterpiece. However, it kept me entertained or at least awake, and the mischievous actions of Antoine made me crack a smile. It was not a happy film, but at the finish I was in a good mood, and not because the film was over. Overall, this movie was satisfactory.

In the film The 400 Blows, the protagonist is Antoine. Antoine is a twelve-year-old in the 1930’s, living in Paris, France. He struggles to find acceptance at school and at home, so he lashes out and does rebellious things. He first gets caught with a dirty picture in class. Then, while he is being punished for having the picture, he writes on the wall. The teacher finds out and to punish Antoine, he must talk to his parents and have them pay for the damage to school property. He does not tell them, and instead of going back to school the next day and facing his teacher, he and his best friend skip school. While he is running around town, he spots his mom kissing a man that was not Antoine’s’ stepfather. She sees that he saw her. Both of them are busted, but neither can do anything about it, or they both will be caught. The next day when Antoine goes back to school, the teacher wants to know why Antoine was not in school. Antoine makes up a tale that his mother had died. This story backfires when one of the kids Antoine goes to school with tells his parents Antoine was not in school. When his parents arrive at school, Antoine is busted. After all of this happened, Antoine stole his fathers typewriter and got caught with it. In the end, Antoine is sent to a Juvenile Delinquent School and then escapes.

Jean-Pierre Léaud plays Antoine in the film. Jean-Pierre Léaud played the role of a bad French boy very effectively. He is very scrawny and that makes it all the more convincing that he is a poor suffering child. He also looks French and obviously speaks French as his first language, so he fits his description well. His costumes are very dirty and old looking. Claire Maurier plays Antoine’s mother. Her character is glamorous and flamboyant and she looks like both of those things. Her classic French features and 30’s style blonde curled hair make her perfect for the part. She pulls off the snobby, bratty, wannabe society girl flawlessly. Even though her family is poor, she has very nice clothes including furs. Guy Decomble plays the frustrated French teacher. He looks the part; his clothes are geeky, and he is old. However, the part is a bit overdone. He seems very unnatural, and a bit embarrassed to be in front of the camera. Overall the acting in this film was not perfect, but also not horrible.
There were different cinematic aspects in this film. The music was the same throughout, a melodic tune that changed slightly to correspond to the situation. The photography was not commercial, it was arty. It had odd camera angles, especially in Antoine’s house. Some shots were very long. The shot of the children watching the puppet show seemed candid, but went on forever. The shot of Antoine escaping was endless. He ran and ran, in a very peculiar manner, and if the shot would have been several minutes shorter, it would have gone with the flow of the film much more seamlessly. The end of the movie was terrible. It ended with Antoine at the ocean, which would have been cool if they would not have simply stopped the camera on Antoine’s face. They could have faded out into black or stopped the camera on the ocean, but because they ended it on a blurry image of his face, the ending seemed choppy.
The film The 400 Blows and the novel Black Boy by Richard Write are similar. They both have struggling/oppressed protagonists. Antoine and Richard both want to have freedom, but freedom is not socially acceptable for either. They both have a horrible family life, as Richard is oppressed and beaten and Antoine is ignored and then discarded. Their family considers them a burden to carry. They are different though. They escape from their terrible lives in different ways. Richard writes and Antoine watches films. Also Richards’ life is less sheltered than Antoine’s. He Deals with the threat of death daily, while Antoine’s parents refuse to beat him. Richard has good morals. He only steals when it is necessary, where as Antoine steals for the thrill of it.
I highly recommend this movie. I especially recommend it to those who are into old films. The plot was simple, the characters were very well portrayed and old fashioned. The costumes were true to the time period. Any one who is into films would look at this as a film that is highly important and well one. I think that the film would appeal to everyone to old sentimental folks to young mischievous children who need a role model.

post b week 4

Dear Roald Dahl,
You seem to have had a very rough childhood. Yet you always appear o be optimistic. It is actually very inspiring. The way that you deal with your problems is very mature. Was that how you were raised to be or is that just naturally one of your characteristics? You are a very clam, cool, and collected type of guy, and that shows in the writing of this book and in the other childrens books you have written.
Taylor

Post A week 4

Vocabulary:

Lacerated: (120)
to tear roughly; mangle: The barbed wire lacerated his hands.
to distress or torture mentally or emotionally; wound deeply; pain greatly

Comradely: (122)
heartily friendly and congenial


Appeals:
1. 'My sisters shrieked with laughter when I appeared. "He can't go out in those," they cried. "He'll be arrested by the police!"'(139)
This has emotional appeals because it makes a person feel bad for Roald. We have all been forced into a ridiculous outfit in our lives, so why make fun of others who unfortunatly look ridiculous at the moment?
2. 'Nobody's taking the slightest notice of you' my mother saidas we walked through Bexley High Street. And Curiously enough nobody was.' (139) This has humorous appeals because Roald made a huge fuss about having to wear the ridiculous uniform, but no one cared about what he was wearing.
3. "At Repton, the prefects were never called prefects. They were simply called Boazars, and they had te power of life and death over us junior boys." (141) This quote make you feel bad for all of the underdogs at Repton school.

Sig Quote.

" A ritual took place in the dormitory after each beating. The Victim was required to stand in the middle of the room and lower his pajama trousers so that the damage could be inspected. Half a dozen experts would crowd around you and express thier opinions in highly professional language. This quote is significant because it show how commonplace beating childern was in this time period and in this book.

Themes:

One theme in this book seems to be fear of those who are above you.

Post A Week 3

Vocab:
Disentangled:(103)
1. to free or become free from entanglement; untangle; extricate

Depressed: (105)
1. sad and gloomy; dejected; downcast.
2. pressed down, or situated lower than the general surface.
3. lowered in force, amount, etc.
4. undergoing economic hardship, esp. poverty and unemployment.
5. being or measured below the standard or norm.

Appeals:
'Proceeding at no more than four miles an hour all the way, we finally made it to Dr Dunbars house. I was hustled out of the car and in through front door with my mother still holdingthe bloodstained hankerchief firmly over my wobbling nose.
"Good Heavens!" cried Dr Dunbar. "It's been cut clean off!"'(105) This has exciting appeals because having some one's nose almost fall off might be a tad bit exhilerating.

'They were tough those masters, make no kistake about it, and if you wanted to survive, you had to be prettytough yourself.' (113) This has humourus and sad emotional appeals. It is humorous because it is a ten year old child talking about being tough so that he can survive, but it is also very sad because this situation is reality for all of the boys that attended these schools.

'These were word of doom. A Stripe!... All around the room I could hear murmers of sympathyfrom every boy in school.'
This has emoional appeals. Raold had run out of ink and asked his nieghbor for some. He got caught and got in huge trouble.

Sig Quote:
"Having no nib, I was unable to write another word about 'The Life Story Of A Penny', but I was able to finish it the next afternoon instead of playing games." (118) This quote is significant because it is when Raold Dahl began to like to write stories.

Themes: The main theme of this memoir is the triumphs and tribulations of Roald Dahls' childhood.

Post B Week 3

Dear Raold Dahl,
Your memoir is very interesting. I love reading about your Norwegian herritage and visits to the Norwegian Fjords because I am very Norwegian and when I visited my cousins who live there, we went to a few fjords. Also, I never knew you went to a very strict boarding school. I think that school is strict now, but compared to what you went through at school, Edina High School seems easy. You were very clever when you were in school. The way you got yourself sent home for having Appendisiteice was very cool. Also it is funny that you had such a good family life because in most of your books, like Matilda, the protaganist has evil parents.
When your "ancient" sister drove horribly, I thought it was mean of you to critisise her driving skills. I thought that until she got into the acident and your nose fell off. I thought you were kidding or exagerating until you called the docter and he verified it. It's almost funny, really. There seems to be a lot of disgusting surgeries and accidents in this memoir. When they just sewed your nose back on with out any anesthesia and you blacked out, I felt your pain. I also felt for you when your mom gave you a few random coins as compensation for your nose almost falling off.

Taylor

Post A week 2

Vocab:
Enlightened (101): the state of being enlightened

Spurred (102): anything that goads, impels, or urges, as to action, speed, or achievement.

Appeals
1) One of the appeals is homesickness. Roald Dahl oves his family a lot. He doesn't ever want to be away from them. "Homesickness is a bit like sea-sickness, you don't know how bad it is until you get it. (93)

2) Another one of the appeals is childhood. Roald Dahl is childish, young in this memoir and it show through in his writing. He is guilable and lovable. "I would never lie to you child," she answered. "so let that be a lesson to you to neveruse an old toothbrush." (95)

3) The last appeal is danger. When his family is driving their new car, they get into a terrible car accident. "the ancient sister, never have being faced with a situation like thisbefore shouted Help!" (103)

Theme
There is a theme of childhood still, that youth is important to how you grow up.

post b (week 2)

Dear Roald Dahl,
It is very interesting to read about your childhood. I can see where you get most of your ideas for your books. Your stories of bording school were very sad. The ways in which childeren were treated in the past are terrible. The censorship, the beatings, and the constant fear that you had to endure was eye-opening.

The tales of surgeries in the past disgusted me. When they just pulled out your tonsils with out any pain killers or gloves, or even a hospital, I was horrified and a bit nauseas. Also when you sister got her apendix out and they did it at you house, and you got to keep the appendix to look at was gross.

So far I am really enjoying your book. It is nice to read a happy book once in a while.

Post A

Vocab:
saturated(32): to cause (a substance) to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance, through solution, chemical combination, or the like.

anaesthetic(32): a substance that produces anesthesia, as halothane, procaine, or ether.

Appeals:

"All of a sudden, I was a murderer."(40) This has emotional appeals because Roald was a young child and you just have to laugh when he thinks he has become a murderer by giving an old woman a heart attack. The old woman, of course, did not die.

"I don't mind girls. I never 'ave no trouble with girls, but boys is 'ideaus and 'orrible. I don't 'ave to tell you that, 'Eadmaster, do I?" (44) This has emotional appeals because it is a very sexist thing to say.

"I could hardly believe what I was seeing. It was some awful pantomime. The violence was bad enough, and being made to watch it was even worse, but with Mrs Pratchett in the audience the whole thing became a nightmare." (47-48) This also has emotional appeals. Roald Dahls explaination of young boys being whipped with a cane was disguting to read.

Quote:

"The summer holidays! Those magical words! The mere mention of them used to send shivers of joy rippling over my skin." (53) This book is a happy one. It is refreshing to read a book that is not about sad, depressing topics. This quote sums up childhood nicely, especially Roald Dahls. He is always looking forward to his next adventure.

Theme:
This book seems to include a lot of adventure and anticipation of adventure.

Post B

Boy, Roald Dahl.
When I was younger, I read many of Roald Dahls books. His memoir is written in the style of most of his books, meaning that they are easy to read and with his same quaint, English way of wording things. Even when Roald Dahl is telling the history of his family, as in where his mother and father came from, there is a interesting, almost playful tone that comes across when you are reading. One can tell that he got many of his story ideas from his childhood. He went to the candy shop after school many days, and he and his friends would make up stories about the origins of the candy. They made up a story about the candy being made out of rats' blood. So Roald Dahl puts a mouse into one of the jars of candy. Other mischeivious events like this show where Roald Dahl gets his inspiration.

I think this is how you make a blog...

I think this is how you make a blog...