Close Reading Bingo

Chillin In The Nyle-  Rule #6- (use) 
http://letsgetawesome5.blogspot.com/

Apples to Apples- Rule #4 
http://wowfaktor.blogspot.com/

That one guy's blog- Rule # 9 (this)
http://mrbsbooks.blogspot.com/2011/10/activity-2.html

As Told By Ginger- Rule #4 (use)
http://mbutchko.blogspot.com/

Practice Diction Analysis

The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker has a somewhat straightforward diction. The description is precise and has a somber bitterness to it. The rubber handrails "wavered slightly" and had a "black luster." On  sunny days there was an "escalator of daylight" which conveys a poetic dullness, yet a common denotation. The word choice is dull and low-level, but it still has a high level of description like the escalators described as a "pair of integral signs swooping upward." Overall, Baker wrote a very descriptive paragraph, but lacked colorful and exciting diction.

Currently

The Help by Kathyn Stockett.
Pages this week: 110
Pages this semester: 872

Style Mapping
http://the-squirrel-monkey.blogspot.com/
http://thatperuviangirlathomestead.blogspot.com/
http://ticanthunder.blogspot.com/

Favorites ^

Style Mapping

The Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy has a musical and elegantly figurative sound to it. The words used for description are somewhat poetic and melodious. McCarthy writes, "Days of riding where there rode no soul save he. He's left behind the pinewood country and the evening sun declines before him beyond an endless swale and dark falls here like a thunderclap and a cold wind sets the weeds to gnashing." Stardust by Neil Gaiman is more denotative and specific however. His way of description is littoral, precise, and common. His description is seen by the excerpt, "The houses are square and old, built of grey stone, with dark slate roofs and high chimneys." The Help by Kathyrn Stockett is lower and blunt, but is still somewhat poetic with a figurative rhythm to it. One of the characters, Aibileen, says, "But I ain't never seen a baby yell like Mae Mobley Leefolt. First day I walk in the door, the she be, red-hot and hollering with the colic."

The Help

I'm about a quarter of the way through The Help! At first it was somewhat hard for me to understand the way Aibileen talks but I've gotten a little more used to it now. Right now in the book, Aibileen is feeling really sad because it's the three year anniversary of her son, Treelore's death. Treelore wanted to be a writer and wanted to write a novel about what it was like being a negro working for white people in Jackson, Mississippi. He died before he could write it though and now Miss Skeeter wants to take his idea. She wants to interview the help (maids) in white people's homes. So far however, she can't find a maid to agree to interview with her. I don't blame the maids either. Aibileen sums it up by saying, " if I agree to take this interview, I might as well burn my own house down." Which at the time, it was a good possibility to have your house burned down for using the wrong bathroom. Aibileen's neighbor was blinded by a mob of white men for using the wrong bathroom, when there wasn't even a sign indicating it was a white only bathroom! Different bathrooms?! ridiculous.

Quarterly

This quarter, my favorite book has been The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Actually, it's my favorite book I've ever read by far. It is a book I will never forget and I will probably end up reading it several times over for fun. The themes in the novel appealed to me and I connected with them well even though Amir lived half way around the world from me. I would find myself reading The Kite Runner until 2 in the morning because it reeled me in completely. Right now I'm reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett and I'm hoping it's just as good. Everyone that has read it has told me they loved the book, but I honestly don't think that any book could top The Kite Runner. I'm hoping that I'll be surprised and love The Help just as much however.
Next quarter I want to try to read more consistently, instead of reading a bunch Thursday night so I can reach my weekly quota. I also want to try to relate my blog posts more to my reading, rather than simply rambling about my life and whatnot.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Pages this week (week 8): 104
Pages this semester: 762

Currently

I am currently reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett and have finished Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen


Sentences of the quarter:
1.) "No matter how poor we are," Mother said, backing into the parking space in front of Shuster's Shoes up on North Avenue, "we still need shoes." She winked at us. "They're important to our souls." (Whistling in the Dark)
     Well, I LOVE SHOES so this sentence is self-explanatory. I spend too much money on shoes and I have a lot a shoes, some would say I have too many, but that is a false statement. You can't have too many pairs of shoes.


2.) "Children aren't coloring books. You can't fill them with your favorite colors" (The Kite Runner)
       This sentence has really stuck with me all quarter. It was one of the first sentences I have read in a long time that made me stop, and reread it several times over. I believe that this statement should be told to every parent everywhere because I think that in general, parents pressure their kids way too much to be perfect spitting mini images of themselves. It is beyond stressful and if I get a complex, I'm blaming my mother.


3.) Laughter not only is the best medicine, it's also the best disguise. (Google?)
       I forget where exactly I heard this sentence and I still can't put a finger on why I like it so much. Laughter has healing powers no doubt, laughter is good for the soul. Fake laughter however, is a great disguise to what you're really feeling inside. Laughter can be extremely deceiving sometimes.

The Help

I just started reading The Help! The movie looks so so so good and I love the the actors in it. What I have found though is that the book is ALWAYS better than the movie. For example, Harry Potter, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Twilight, My Sister's Keeper, Narnia, Marley and Me, and many many more. The book is always better because it allows you to picture it yourself and experience it for yourself. When watching a funny movie you tend to laugh with everybody else, but laughing while reading is like a little secret, a little inside joke you have all to yourself. Reading can entrance you in a whole different way than movies can. I like reading, unfortunately, I don't read as much as I should because I am always so busy! I tend to procrastinate quite a bit too however.

Tripped.

I hate being guilt tripped into things. Especially into things that I really don't want to do. Usually, I don't allow myself to get pulled into things, I'm actually pretty stubborn. But I was guilt tripped by a sweet old lady to ref a couple soccer games on Saturday, when I was planning to go shopping instead, and needless to say, I'm fricken ticked! I hate reffing, and my mom said I could stop reffing when I  got another job, which I did. I was planning on never reffing ever again (never happened, my mom made me keep on reffing anyway, can you say hypocrite much?) Then my dad tells the referee assignor that I can ref on Saturday. The referee assignor happens to be a nice old lady that nobody can say no to, and she pulled a major guilt trip on me. It was so unfair. So much for my strong sense of willpower and stubbornness.

Talking about stubbornness reminds me of Troo, a girl in a book that I'm reading right now. She wouldn't be guilt tripped into anything! Her evil stepfather, Hall, hit her three times trying to get her to cry, which she never did. She wouldn't give anybody the satisfaction of seeing her cry, talk about willpower! Troo also always get her way no matter what. Along with being stubborn, she is also very manipulative. It kind of scares me to be honest!