shadow of the wind

in this section of the book Clara describes the joy of reading. also Daniel becomes attracted to Clara, who is twice his age and blind. Clara tells Daniel about a man who also looks for other novels of Julian Carax. but instead of reading them, this man sets them on fire. in this section of the book, Daniel talks about when he once dreamed of becoming a novelist. he later goes into detail about a pen that he heard about when he was younger, and what that pen could accomplish.

DQ: why do you think the pen that Daniel describes represents?

The Shadow of the Wind

the first 26 pages of the novel The Shadow of the Wind, written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, was interesting. i was introduced to the setting -Barcelona , Spain in the aftermath of the civil war. some of the major characters and their history. Daniel, the story's narrator, is 10 years old ("almost eleven") and loves the read. His father is the owner of a book shop and his mother died of a sickness when he was four. after forgeting what his mother looks like, Daniel's father takes him to the cementery of Forgotten book, where he finds the book The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. Daniel now wants to read Carax's entire collection of book and wants to learn more about the author.

Quote: "never trust anyone, Daniel, especially the people you admire. those are the ones who will make you suffer the worst blows."
-Clara Barcelo

DQ: Do you think Clara was right when she told Daniel to "never trust anyone"?

What Happened to Lani Garver

What Happened to Lani Garver, written by Carol Plum-Ucci, is a book about what happens when a girl, who has just overcome cancer, meets Lani Garver-who no one knows is a girl or a boy. the theme of this book was non-comformity. Lani Garver never cared that no one knew what gender he ( i'm just using he because i think Lani was a boy, but that information was never mentioned in the book) was. He also didn't care that because of this fact, he became an outsider who peopled talked about regularly. Lani just wanted to be his self. i really liked this book because it was the first book where a lot of information wasn't given about one of the main characters. so Lani was a mystery to me as well as a mystery for the characters in the book. i think an implied argument of the book was not to judge people because they are different.

questions: Why do you think it was so important for the characters in the book to figure out what gender Lani Garver was?
Do you think Lani Garver was an angel?

The Perks of Being a WallFlower

The Perks of Being a WallFlower, written by Stephen Chbosky, is a fantastic novel about adolescence. the book has multiple themes. one theme in the book was Conformity. this theme was illustrated when one of the characters, Brad, denied his true sexual orientation so his friends and family wouldn't think he was weird. This theme also ties in with another theme, Appearance vs. Reality. Brad was the high school quaterback and he felt that he had to maintain an image that people have of a quaterback. For example, being the tough guy who picks on the nerd and being straight because everyone knows quaterbacks can't be gay. I really enoyed this book; i felt that it covered all the main teenager issues: sexuality, drug&alochol use, abuse, incest and more. i believe one of the author's implied arguments was that you should just be yourself.

question: Who was your favorite character why?
Do you think one day Brad will be ok with his sexuality?

Killing Bridezilla

"We're expected to go from boy crazy when we're little to bridezillas as adults"

in Jessica Valenti's book, Full Frontal Feminism, she addresses the issue of weddings and apparently how over the top it has gotten lately. Valenti feels that wedding fever is the "scariest disease" she has ever seen, "it's excess at it's best". she states that apparently 72 billion dollars a year is spent on weddings. Valenti doesn't understand why should someone spend that much money on a wedding when that could be a down payment for a house. there were two aspects about marriage totally pissed Valenti off: 1) engagements rings; Valenti thinks that "the purpose of an engagement ring is show that you (talking about women) belong to someone" and 2) the changing of the last name; Valenti feels that this "epitomizes the idea that you(talking about women again) are not your own person" and that this is the "ultimate buy-in sexist bull****". according to Valenti, hyphenating your last name is the better way to go.

tone-blunt
fab 40-incongruous
rhetorical strategies- statistics: " a whopping $72 billion per year is spent on weddings"
anecdote: "Recently i was talking to my friend..."

DQ- what is your opinion about expensive weddings?

"Feminism is So Last Week"

"Girls aren't suppose to like sex, especially teenage girls"

Jessica Valenti's book enititled "Full Frontal Feminism" depicts the misconceptions of feminism made by today's Society. Valenti bluntly and humorously sets the record straight that as many attempts people have tried to kill it, Feminism Isn't Dead. the book tackles several issues, one being sex and women. Valenti states that in today society, teenage girls are not suppose to have sex and if they are then they are automatically viewed as sluts or as victims who are being taken advantage of. She argues that our consenting laws are flawed because it implies that "women can't make their own decisions about their sexuality". Valenti also gives an example about a bill in Missouri that requires teachers and doctors to report kids who are sexually active to a state abuse hotline, unless the girl is married "that's their get out of jail free card". Valenti thinks that these laws weren't created to keep girls safe but were in facts developed to ensure that someone "whether a parent, husband, or the state- is making decisions for young women".

tone-candid
fab 40-precise
rhetorical stragegies- statistics: "in recent articles, feminism has been blamed for promoting promiscuity" from Monique Stuart's January 1,2006 The Washington Times article "Slutty Feminism"
annecdotes:"Back in the fifth grade, the love of my life was Douglas MacIntyre, who told me i'd be pretty if only i didnt' have such a big, ugly nose"

question: Do you agree with the consenting laws we have concerning sex?

Cell Phones Cause Traffic Jams, And Other Problems

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205207840

"That SOB on the cell phone is slowing you down and making you late."

W. David Gardner's January 3, 2008 article explains the effect of people who talk on cellphones while they drive. according to Gardner's studies they effect everyone. Gardner spoke with David Strayer, a psychology teacher at the University of Utah, and Strayer's research proved that the reaction time of young adults who talk on cell phones are compatiable with senior citizens. the French Health Ministry believes that obsessive cell phone usage by children should be avoided stating, "one should use a mobile phone with good judgement". in his article, Gardner states that a man in Massachusetts fatally injured a 13 year old boy with his SUV while he was text messaging while driving.

tone-logical

DQ- Do you think cell phone usage while driving is hazardous?