"The Lemon Tree": Chapter 1- Reading Skills

Unfortunately, I couldn't get The Mark of Athena from the library. So as I roamed through my room for a new book, I came across a book that I bought over the summer. It is called The Lemon Tree. I started reading it in the summer; however, the book got a little to difficult to understand, so I stopped. The book is about the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. After reading a brief overview of the war in English 1A, I started to understand the terms that they used in the book. By the way, this book is based on a true story; in fact, the author, Sandy Tolan, spent 7 years uncovering the story.

The first chapter of the book is quite easy to understand. The chapter is pretty much about a grown-up man named Bashir Khairi and his cousins going to their birth place in Palestine, which is now Israel. Palestinians were banned from Israel, so this is a dangerous journey. They travel on bus to the city that they were born in, al-Ramala. Then it switches to the perspective of Daila, a college student. She is just doing some daily routines. Then it goes back to Bashir's view. They have entered al-Ramala. They go to Bashir's cousins' houses. Finally, they reach Bashir's house and the chapter ends with Bashir pressing the doorbell.

I think that the later in the book, Bashir will be allowed in to go into the house and I think that they will stay there for a while and adapt to the Israeli culture. I also think that the government will find out about them being Palestinians and they will be kicked out of Palestine. I do have some questions though about this book. First off, what type of government did Israel have when Bashir and his cousins came? And finally, where is Bashir's family living, since they were kicked out of the country? Hopefully, these questions are going to be answered later on in the book.

This book sound kind of like the conflict between the Americans and the Native Americans back when America became a country. The Americans, who came to America, kicked out the Native Americans from the land. Likewise, the Israelis kicked out the Palestinians from their home. I also have a personal connection to this book and how Bashir felt. When I first came to Mason, I felt misplaced, because I didn't know anyone in Mason. The only difference is that Bashir actually had memories there and I didn't.
Overall, this book seems pretty good so far. I think that this book might actually be very good, if I understand the information in it.

Click for a book review on The Lemon Tree.

The Heroes of Olympus

 

I was a couple of pages into The Great Gatsby until I totally lost interest in the book. I really didn't get the point of the story. I think that the problem of this story is that the author doesn't intrigue the reader too much. He puts too out too much information and doesn't really make sense to the reader, at least in my opinion. I think that the main problem in the story is the time gap between now and the time that the book was written, 1928. So I will switch to a book that I am more interested in- The Mark of Athena, hopefully, if I find it in the library.

I know that this book is very popular and that I haven't read it, but I really didn't get the chance to. I read The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune in 7th and 8th grade, respectively. So this year I will finish the third book of the series. I have quite a lot of expectations for this book. (If you have not read the series and are interested in reading it, I advise you not read my post further; I doubt that it will give anything significant away). Anyways, I asked someone that read the book and he told me that this is not the last book of the series. Therefore, my first expectation is not going to happen. My second expectation is that by the end of the book, the Greek and Roman demigods will become friends or allies. My final expectation is that the book has a another great plot that Rick Riordan is very good at doing, based on his older books. I really admire the writing of Rick Riordan, because he develops unique plots that literally make the reader feel like he or she is there. Therefore, my expectations for this book is very high. I have full confidence that the book will exceed my expectations. In fact, I think that it will be the best book that I have read.

The first two books of this series is very cool. The first book, The Lost Hero, is written in the situation of Jason, a Roman demigod. And the second book, The Son of Neptune, is written in the perspective of Percy Jackson, a Greek demigod. The first book is unique, because the first time that I read it, I thought that the book had nothing to do with Greek mythology. I thought that it was a tangent. The main character, Jason, didn't know anything about his past; I felt as lost as him when I read it. Trust me if you keep reading, the book will make a lot more sense. However, I realized, well into the book, that it strongly connects with the Percy Jackson series. The second and third book is the continuation of the big plot in the first book, which you can find out if you read it.





I think that if you loved the Percy Jackson series, then you will love The Heroes of Olympus series even more. I, in fact, recommend this series to anyone who enjoys action/adventure books. Even if you didn't read the Percy Jackson series, I think that you will still be able to follow the book. But reading the first series will definitely help you read this series. Overall, this series is a great series that I think that everyone should read. I know that I haven't really elaborated on the plot of the book, but I the plot is actually a mystery in the book and won't get revealed until later. So why should I reveal it now? If you want to know, the evil force, is more powerful than Kronos. So if you didn't star reading this series, get the book now. If you are reading the series, then keep reading it. If you are done with The Mark of Athena, then please don't tell me anything about the book.

My Favorite Series- "Percy Jackson Series"

My favorite series of all time would have to be the Percy Jackson Series. I absolutely admire the writing style of Rick Riordan and how he narrates the adventure of Percy Jackson to defeat an evil force. I don't want to ruin the plot of this book, because it can only be told by the author himself. Rick Riordan did an outstanding job on using great imagery throughout the entire series. The series include five books: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. I really like all of these books but the best book in the series is the last one- The Last Olympian. The reason I like the last book the best is because half the book is action and is the ending of the series. I recommend this series to those who enjoy action. The book contains a lot of mythology, but it will be easy to understand, because Rick Riordan did and outstanding job explaining it. I was so intrigued by the series that I read one of the book in just one night.

The series is basically about this one troublesome boy being a son of a powerful Greek god and goes on quest to save the world. I don't want to give too much information, otherwise it would ruin the series for you. More information of the first book will be in the video on this post. Hopefully, the insight of the first book will interest you in the series. Overall, I recommend this series to anyone really, but if you despise action/adventure, then you might not want to read it. I really think that it will be a great book for anyone who likes or does not like reading. So go to the library and get the book now. Or if you have an e Reader, then go get it now.  

Click for more information of the Percy Jackson Series. 

"The Interlopers"- Summary & Theme

 

I am going to be taking a break from explaining The Great Gatsby and shift over to The Interlopers that I read in English 1A. Near the end of August, we began to read The Interlopers in class. This, in my opinion, is the best short story that we have read in class. This story is only three pages, front and back, and it has quite the twist. In this blog post, I will explain the theme that can be derived from the text and also specific evidence from the story that will help explain the theme. But first off, I will quickly summarize the story, which will be pretty short.                                                                                                    

In the story, there is a conflict between two families for the possession of the land and game/deer that are in between both of their homes. They each claim them as their own and they fight over it. That is the background, but on that day, one of them, Ulrich von Gradwitz, and his people were protecting the game that he hunted. He later decides to walk into the forest and confronts his nemesis, Georg Znaeym. They both glare at each other for a while. Unfortunately, a huge tree falls upon them. They both are stranded in the trunks and branches. Soon they both start arguing about which of their people will find them first. After many insults racing back and forth, they soon get tired. Then Ulrich gets a surge of kindness and offers Georg a little bit of wine from a flask he possessed. Georg refuses and still insults Ulrich, despite his kindness. But, eventually, he feels bad for his actions and compromises with Ulrich. They both agree that they will help each other after their people come and find them. They decide to halt their fighting and become friends. In order for their people to find them, they yell. Then they spot shadows and get excited. They realize that the figures are running really fast; they find out that the figures are wolves.


First off, I really like this story for a couple of main reasons. The first reason is that the story contains a very good and influential theme that anybody can learn from. Next, the story itself is very well developed and described. The characters are well-developed and are characterized efficiently. Also they story is very concise, yet it describes everything very well. And finally, they story is quite interesting and contains a very appealing ending.

The theme that I uncovered and liked the most was people should not have an enemy; they might help you or become your friend later on. This is derived from the fact that both Ulrich and Georg were complete enemies of each other. Now, they became friends and helped each other. Ulrich helped Georg by giving him a little bit of wine, so that he won't get cold. This theme emerges from both of them being enemies and also when they compromise on the conflict and become friends. It is shaped through the actions of kindness of one another throughout the time they spent underneath the tree trunk. The quote below basically explains that Georg has thought of Ulrich as a nemesis and even thought he would be all his life; however, now, he wants to become his friend.

"I never thought to have wanted to do other than hate you all my life, but I think I have changed my mind about things too, this last half-hour. And you offered me your wineflask . . . Ulrich von Gradwitz, I will be your friend."

                                                                                   -The Interlopers

The theme that has been previously stated develops in many ways. The theme starts from the beginning, which stated that both Ulrich and Georg were sworn enemies. Then throughout the time that they spent under the tree, they developed a connection and became friends, which is around the end of the story or can even argued as the middle of the story. This essentially how the theme is developed throughout the course of the short story. The portion of the story, where they both become friends, is the turning point of the story. It is not really the resolution, because the main problem in the story is that they both are stuck underneath the tree trunk. However, it can be argued that the point where they become friends is the solution in the text. Going back to the theme, this theme is universal, because in the Harry Potter Series, Harry and Draco develop bitterness between each other in the book and movie; however, Draco sides with Harry at the final battle and soon helps Harry defeat Voldemort. Overall, The Interlopers is a great short story that clearly sends a message to the reader. I really liked this short story (out of all the other ones) and I hope this post helped you identify the theme in The Interlopers.

"The Rocking-Horse Winner"

In English 1A, on Friday, September 13, 2013, we analyzed the first paragraph of The Rocking-Horse Winner, did some word maps on the short story, and eventually read it independently. As discussed in class, the first paragraph basically describes the mother's dislike or carelessness towards her children. She disregarded them as her children. This can be seen by the following sentences from the first paragraph:

"She married for love, and the love turned to dust. She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them."

          -The Rocking Horse Winner

Now, I will tell what I know of this story in this blog and my opinion on this short story. However, I will not tell the ending of the story, as for it has quite a twist.

The story, as I told before, starts with the author explaining the lack of affection the mother has towards her children. It then explain the house that they live in and that they have an affluent lifestyle and a high social position; yet they have a very small income. On top of that they have servants. Based on this part description, I can tell that the both the parents are very improvident. The children kept hearing the phrase," There must be more money! There must be more money!" On Christmas, they figu
re out that a rocking-horse has been saying this. Later in the story, the small child, Paul, and the mother are talking about luck. After that scene, Paul is vigorously riding on the horse to the end of his "journey." The story mainly revolves around Paul, his uncle, Oscar, his other, and the gardener, Bassett. So Paul make a bet with his uncle for about one thousand pounds that Daffodil will win the next horse race that he is in. Paul wins the bet and gets the money; he also reveals his partnership. His uncle wants in on the partnership. Paul says okay, but only if he doesn't tell his mother. After winning a couple more times, Paul, being the good boy he is, tries to make his mother happy by giving here a thousand pound for her birthday every year. His mother finds out that he is making bets on horses. Then the story goes on to the conclusion, so I won't tell you anything more. There are some important facts that I left out, but I think that I should leave them out because that might ruin the surprise.

In conclusion, the story had a great plot and had fantastic characterization of the boy, Paul, the mother, and a little bit of Uncle Oscar. The problem with The Rocking-Horse Winner is that the topic of the book is very difficult to comprehend, because I don't really understand betting. Also the author doesn't really tell too much about the physical appearance of the character; D.H. Lawrence only develops the thinking and the actions of the characters. However, since it is a short story, it doesn't really need to describe the appearance of the characters. Those are the main cons of this story. Overall, the author told a very good plot with some cons; however, the pros outweigh the cons. I will have to admit that I liked the story mainly because of its plot. So far it is probably the best short story that I have read in English 1A. Finally, it is a must read only if you are interested in a thrilling and mildly horror story with a great plot.

Click to read The Rocking-Horse Winner.

"The Great Gatsby": Chapter One- Setting

 

In my last post, I have summarized about the characters that have been characterized in chapter one of The Great Gatsby. In this post, I will explain the setting in more detail than the last post based on the analysis of two quotes. The setting in The Great Gatsby might be hard to relate to right now, as for the book has been written in the 1920's, so the quote will need thorough analysis. The author thoroughly explains the setting of where Nick lives and the surroundings of his home; we will be using that to draw out inferences. The following quote tells the location of his house:

"It was a matter of chance that I should have rented a house in one of the strangest communities in North America. It was on that slender riotous island which extends itself due east of New York — and where there are, among other natural curiosities, two unusual formations of land."  

                                                                 -Pg. of The Great Gatsby

Based on this quote, it can be understood that Nick lives on Long Island, because that is the only island in New York. Obviously, it is known that New York is the one in the United States, because it talks about it being in North America. We also can tell, based on this quote, that Nick lives in a house in a strange or unique community. This strangest community can be defined or interpreted in many ways. First, it can be defined as unknown to Nick, because he recently moved there. Also it can also mean that the community itself has awkward things or customs; since this story is written in his view, we can interpret that it is based on his opinion. Overall, the setting described in this quote from the book is that Nick lives on Long Island and in a weird and awkward community, as he explains it to be.

"I lived at West Egg, the — well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them. My house was at the very tip of the egg, only fifty yards from the Sound, and squeezed between two huge places that rented for twelve or fifteen thousand a season. The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard — it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden. It was Gatsby’s mansion. Or, rather, as I didn’t know Mr. Gatsby, it was a mansion inhabited by a gentleman of that name. My own house was an eyesore, but it was a small eyesore, and it had been overlooked, so I had a view of the water, a partial view of my neighbor’s lawn, and the consoling proximity of millionaires — all for eighty dollars a month."  
                                                                  -Pg. of The Great Gatsby

This quote is quite long; however, it thoroughly describes the envirnoment that Nick inhabits. In the first sentence, he tells that he lives in the less fashionable of the two communities. He says that he lives in a house that is small, because he says that his house is squeezed between to expensive houses, since it costs twelve to fifteen thousand dollars per season.  Also it can be inferred that he lives in a small house based on this quote only, because it says that his house was squeezed, which means that he isn't that rich, as in terms of his house, or that his house isn't that big. Anyways, if his house were big, the author would probably compare the houses and tell the differences between them. Overall, this quote states that Nick lives in a small house, as I inferred, and that his neighbors are rick, which is obviously stated.

Based on the quotes above, we can tell that Nick lives on Long Island and in a strange community or just an unknown community based on his opinion. Also we inferred that Nick lived in a small house and supported it with an explanation, even though it is stated in the book later on. Finally, we also know that he lives next to very rich neighbors, who are millionaires as it stated in the second quote. Overall, the author uses great writing that can be understood through careful analysis.

"The Great Gatsby": Chapter One- Characters

I began to read The Great Gatsby just yesterday. I have heard that the book is very interesting, but the beginning can be kind of insipid and boring. I have only read one chapter in the book so far and of course the beginning of the first chapter was very long and prosaic. Usually, I stop reading the book if the book starts of apathetically. But, I trust the words of my friends, so I will continue to read it. In the first chapter, it basically introduces some characters and it seemingly leads to a plot, but I faintly understand it. I will go more into the depth of the characters introduced in the first chapter. First off, I will discuss about Nick Carraway, who is the narrator and one of the main characters. His name is not directly stated in the words of the author, but I know this because on pg. 21(if you have the eBook version), another character says his name. The quote says as follows:

"'What you doing, Nick?'"    

                       -The Great Gatsby (pg. 21)

(This is said by Tom Buchanan, the husband of his cousin, also known as his cousin-in-law, to the main character, Nick.)

Nick grew up in a family of highly respected people in Chicago. His family were descendants of the "Dukes of Buccleuch". Nick has a passion for literature. Nick graduated in New Haven, which is probably from Yale. Also he fought in World War I and he actually liked war for some reason. Now, he aspires to be a businessman, because everyone he knew went into business. After a hard decision, Nick's father finally agreed to finance him for an entire year. The following quote gives some insight about his family:

"My family have been prominent, well-to-do people in this Middle Western city for three generations. The Carraways are something of a clan, and we have a tradition that we're descended from the Dukes of Buccleuch, but the actual founder of my line was my grandfather's brother, who cam here in fifty-one, sent a substitute to the Civil War, and started the wholesale hardware business that my father carries on to-day." 

                                                                                   -The Great Gatsby (pg.9)

So he moved to New York and found a house to share with a man from office. At the last minute, the man was appointed to Washington. Now he was alone in New York living in a bungalow that cost eighty dollars per month. On either side of the bungalow, there was two colossal mansions. Nick's second cousin once removed, Daisy, and her husband, Tom Buchanan, both live in New York as well. Tom and Nick both went to college together. Also, Tom was one of the most powerful tight ends who played football in New Haven; on top of that, he also grew up in a rich family. The second part of the first chapter took place at Daisy's mansion. The video on the bottom is from The Great Gatsby movie from 1974 and the scene where Nick goes over to Daisy's mansion. Over there Nick met Jordan Baker. At first, Nick didn't realize that it was Jordan Baker until the end of the first chapter. Jordan Baker is a sports figure and the first chapter doesn't really hint what sport she plays. Throughout the time Nick spent with her, he showed some affection towards her. Here is an example:

The Great Gatsby (1974)

"I looked at Miss Baker, wondering what it was she "got done." I enjoyed looking at her. She was a slender - with an erect carriage, which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulder like a young cadet."

                                                                                              -The Great Gatsby (pg. 23)

A very important character that is faintly described in the first chapter is Mr. Gatsby. Coincidentally, Mr. Gatsby is the neighbor of Nick; he lives in the mansion on the right of his house. Though he is a main character in the book, not much is revealed about him in the first chapter, except that he is rich. At the end of the chapter, as Nick is outside his house in the night, Mr. Gatsby was strolling on the lawn. Nick called out to him; however, Mr. Gatsby vanished. The ending of the chapter intrigued me into knowing why Mr. Gatsby ignored Nick. Overall, the first chapter tells a lot about a couple of characters, especially Nick, and faintly introduces an essential character as well. I just hope to learn more about Mr. Gatsby as I embark my journey through the book.



Click to find a review on The Great Gatsby.