Final Blog Reflection

http://sanjananathsreadingblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/tfios.html
In my blog, I believe I have met the expectations of in-depth analysis because while I was reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, I was able to discuss how the two main characters developed throughout the story. I discussed what their emotions were towards each other and the outside world. For example, in my first blog post regarding TFIOS, I discussed how Hazel had a m;ore negative aspect on life. Lung cancer caused her to see everything as something that would come to an end. She didn't believe anything would last, as her life had been shortened because of this disease. However, as I stated in my second blog post about TFIOS, Augustus truly changed Hazel's outlook on life. He makes her feel more positive and gives her much more to live for.

In the future, I would definitely like to read more avidly. I wanted to read more than I actually did this year, and it was disappointing to see that I did not reach my goal for the number of books I read. I want to be able to soak up as much knowledge as possible while I can, and I believe that reading is an extremely attention-grabbing way to do so. Reading isn't a boring thing, as several novels can take you to a completely different world altogether. Next year I plan on making more time specifically dedicated to reading. In regards to my writing, I would like to advance my vocabulary. I believe that word choice, or diction, is very important when writing. In order to grab the reader's attention, the writer must have proper diction that will successfully draw them in and make them want to read more. I want to make people who read my work, want to read on as well. So, in order to do this, I will work on improving my vocabulary and diction. Another thing I would like to work on when writing, is to stay on track and keep the reader interested. I believe that I'm more successful at grabbing the readers attention in the beginning, rather than maintaining a consistent level of interest in reader's.

TFIOS

As I have continued reading the novel The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, I have become far more hooked than I thought I would be. I didn't expect to love this novel as much as I do. Before I started reading, I thought the novel would be alright, probably just another godawful love story (and let me just tell you, I cannot stand cheesy romances). However, TFIOS has become very attention-grabbing, very quickly. I never believed I would enjoy a romance novel so much. I believe the novel has become so enjoyable for me because of the cancer aspect. Two teenagers, one suffering from cancer, the other in remission, fall in love.
While reading, I was able to see that Hazel Grace Lancaster, the main character of the novel, has changed quite a bit. In the beginning of the novel, I saw that she had a more negative outlook on life and didn't expect much, as she knew her life would be short. However, you are able to steadily see the change in her mindset. After being introduced to Augustus, she has a more positive outlook. Personally, I believe that Augustus gave Hazel a purpose to live. She had just been alive before meeting Augustus. After establishing a real relationship with another person who she could really relate to, she had more of a reason to live, and enjoy the life she had been given, along with all of the flaws that were present as well.
So far I have read up to the point at which Hazel and Augustus plan on traveling to Amsterdam together. They have all of their bags packed and they plan on traveling so that they are able to meet the author of Hazel's favorite novel, Peter Van Houten.

Above you can see an image of Amsterdam during the spring.

TFIOS

This week I decided to pick up the novel The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Of course, I'm a little late to join the enormous club of people who have already read the novel, but better late than never right? Although I've only picked up the novel yesterday, I'm already quite interested in the plot. I've been introduced to the main character who is dynamic and round, Hazel Grace Lancaster. Young Hazel is no ordinary teen, however, as she has been cursed with lung cancer for the greater part of her life. Due to this, she has developed quite a different take on life than her peers. Hazel is quite a unique girl for a teenager and her thoughts seem to be quite negative, as any cancer patients would be. However, when her mother convinced her to attend a cancer support group (her mother believes she's depressed), she meets someone who intrigues her. Augustus Waters, a teenage boy in remission. He immediately shows an intense interest for Hazel. They are both immensely quirky. For example, Augustus has a habit of using cigarettes, yet he does not smoke them. When Hazel first sees Augustus putting a cigarette in his mouth, she's disgusted and contemplates abandoning their new friendship. However, he shows that it's only a metaphor; he does not plan on actually smoking the cigarette. He states, “It's a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing.” (Green).

After reading this quote, I was hooked. I love how unique the novel is. One thing I'm wondering is where the author got his inspiration from. Does he have a relative or friend who has a fatal disease as well? Or was it purely imagination? The book definitely isn't lacking in the memorable quotes department. I think I've found about 9238472948 that I've written down by now.. All in all, I hope to continue to read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I am curious as to what will happen in the future and I'll update again next week!! :-)


Above you will see an image of chemotherapy. This is a method by which cancer is treated. The chemotherapy destroys all of the white blood cells in order to take out the white blood cells that contain the cancer.

Of Mice and Men

This week I decided to begin the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The story takes place in California. The main character George and his companion Lennie are both introduced here. I haven't gotten to reading too much, however I have heard people raving about the book and I can't wait to read it. I'm looking forward to this novel, as it'll be a great read for me! I'll be sure to have a major update on what I've read next week.

Satire activity

          In the cartoon above, you can clearly see the satire introduced. A zombie with a stereotypical state of mind (searching for brains), is roaming the streets, where he passes by two young men. One of the men is wearing a shirt supporting Obama and the Democratic party, whereas the other man is wearing a shirt supporting Romney and the Republican party. He seems to analyze them and continue his search for brains. This was quite amusing because it was indirectly stating that Obama and Romney have no brains. This is an example of Horatian Satire, as it gently pokes fun at politics and ridicules the absurdities of these political figures. This also is evidently situational irony. In most cases, one would expect the zombie to take the brains from the two men, whereas in this case the zombie doesn't, as he suspects the men don't have any brains whatsoever. All in all, I thought this cartoon to be amusing as it poked fun at the intelligence level of both political parties.

Krista Ramsey column review

          Krista Ramsey's column talks about how one can help and understand people with poor quality of life/those who live in poverty. She talks about how one must be able to interact and socialize with people in the lower class if they truly want to make an impact or connection.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/07/03/krista-ramsey-sherman-bradley/12201889/

          I believe that the strongest line in Ramsey's column would be: " 'People want an immediate return on things, but relationships don't happen that way,' he says. 'We need people to see beyond their preconceived notions – but to do that, people need to engage with an open mind and a desire to get to know people. In the end, you have to come being willing to receive.' " This line is very strong, as it connects the entire piece and summarizes it into one big idea. It's stating that the only way the haves and have-nots can truly connect is through interaction and understanding. Empathy is the key to forming solid relationships. It leaves a lasting impact on the reader, as it is the closing sentence in the column. It allows the reader to truly grasp the key concepts and ideas being discussed throughout the column. The line is advanced and more impressionable with the use of diction and syntax. Ramsey selected quotes with quite interesting word choice. The phrase "preconceived notions" is a wonderful choice. As for syntax, you can see that the sentences are descriptive and somewhat lengthy, as they carry an important message.
          After reading around four of Ramsey's articles, I am able to grasp a lot about her writing style. Ramsey tends to draw in readers by writing introductions that interest readers and cause them to feel the need to read more. Her informal writing style allows for people to read at a more conversational level, and they do not have to make an effort to grasp the message she is trying to promote. Her bluntness and simplicity makes it easy for one to understand what she writes. In an article titled Super Bowl QBs score points for great style, Ramsey states, "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 wondered why you bothered. Keep bothering." In this statement, you are able to see how Ramsey is clear with what she is saying. Her sentences tend to be on the longer side, however she keeps readers interested by maintaining a casual tone and writing short and blunt sentences every now and then.
          With the small amount of experience I have with Ramsey and her writing style, I have gathered a few questions. If I was to ever receive the opportunity to speak with her, I would start off by asking about how she came about her career. I would want to know about when she decided that she wanted to work for The Cincinnati Enquirer and what made her choose to do so.
          Another thing I am curious about is how she decides to write about what she does. I have noticed that she generally writes about positive topics, such as the start of a charity in order to help a person or group of people. She also tends to write about something that relates to the benefits and harms new trends can have on people. However, I still wonder what drives her to write columns about things like this.
          A final question I would ask Ramsey would be: How long did it take for you to truly develop a solid and unique writing style? Do you gain experience every day or are you continuously applying previous knowledge on writing? I would like to know if she gained her writing voice over a long period of time or if it was there from the moment she began to write.
          In conclusion, I enjoyed reading Ramsey's column and I think her informal writing style will enable readers to learn more, and enjoy it as well.

A Long Walk to Freedom

Final Blog Post

After reading the incredible novel by David peltzer, The Child Called “It”, I decided I wanted to take a look at an international role model and freedom-fighter, Nelson Mandela. The novel takes place in Southern Africa during the age of apartheid. Apartheid was the segregation of people due to race. It allowed the white people to receive several opportunities that the blacks would never have in their entire lifetime. They were constantly segregated; the blacks even had to use their own restrooms. Everything the blacks had was significantly worse in quality when compared to what the whites had. What angered the native South Africans most, was that they were being degraded and deprived of rights in their own land. This was their country, and yet they weren’t allowed to vote for their own leader.

In his novel, A Long Walk to Freedom, Madiba (meaning “leader” as the people of South Africa call him) explains the struggles he faced as he stayed in the Robben Island prison for 27 years. The Robben Island prison was the most secured prison in all of South Africa and the nature of it was very similar to Alcatraz in that it was completely isolated from continental South Africa.  Mandela was put into this prison because of apparent treason to South Africa when he only desired to improve relations between the blacks and whites and end apartheid.

Madiba describes the challenges he faced and the living hell that he was put through in his time in the Robben Island prison. After he had been released from prison, he had felt furious. His entire life as a young man had been wasted as he rotted in a prison for trying to fix the evil that had been prevalent in southern Africa. Mandela had spent about four years after his time in prison isolated, as he was so angered. He had been looked up to by most of the native South Africans, as he was fighting for their rights. So, when he was released from prison, he was continuously asked to take over the position as president of South Africa. He describes how he would wait until his time was over, and how he would attempt to instill in the prisoners an idea that peace takes precedence over violence and reason takes precedence over impulse. This idea was extremely odd to many of the black prisoners as they feel that they should have revenge on the individuals who had done them so much harm. They felt that violence and rage was the only way to deal with the injustice that they faced on a day to day basis simply because of the color of skin they were born with. Mandela instituted the ANC(African National Conference) after his release from the Robben Island prison which was composed of black men who desired freedom from discrimination. He became President of South Africa in 1994, at the age of 76.

Madiba’s incredible story can inspire a generation. His death was a loss to all but that does not mean his legacy will not live on.

A sign segregating the whites and blacks by assigning them specific lavatories.