Life of Pi Essay: Prompt 3

             Critic Roland Barthes said, "Literature is a question minus the answer." Life of Pi is good literature because it raises a question and lets you decide the answer for yourself. Life of Pi raises the important question of truth, and almost everthing in the story relates back to truth. From the way Yann Martel structured the book to the content of the book, everything relates to the truth.
        Martel even kind of structured the book to seem like a lie. She sets it up so the reader thinks the story is real or nonfiction. The way she switches between the narrator and Pi almost confuses the reader and goes back to the central question of truth. Even the author's notes are misleading. They are fictional, but they seem real. The book leads back to that question without even looking at the plot. In Life of Pi, Pi practices several religions. Which religion is the truth? The book leaves that question open, which makes one even question the truth in religion. To Pi, the truth in religion doesn't even matter as long as one has faith in the religion or religions they choose.
        Life of Pi is a unique book because it elaborates on this plot of Pi being stuck on a boat with animals in the middle of the ocean, but near the end of the book, the reader finds that this story is possibly untrue. The new story isn't introduced until the 99th chapter, so the reader doesn't really know if the first 98 chapters are true. Pi tells the reporters the story that he was actually on the boat with people. After Pi tells the reporters both versions of what happened, he tells them to choose which one they like best because there is no evidence of either. So, which version of the story is true? Are either of the stories even true? These questions are also left open in the end. The book makes the reader question the truth every step of the way. The reader keeps reading to find out the truth, but in the end, the questions are still unanswered. According to Pi, the true story is irrelevent, which questions the relevence of truth in general. Pi feels that both stories were tragic and painful, so it doesn't really matter which one is true.
        Martel leaves many questions unanswered in Life of Pi, including the question of the relevence of truth. The structure of the story and the plot leave loose ends that are never tied together. The reader may never know the relevence of religion or the true story. Martel lets the readers decide the truth for themselves, but in the end, does the truth even matter?
             
          
         

Current event

      President Obama said the economy has been creating more jobs lately, but we need to be doing more about unemployment. In April, 115,000 fewer jobs were created than expected, but Obama stated that more than 1 million jobs have been created in the past 6 months. The jobless rate went from 8.2 percent in March to 8.1 percent in April.       I completely agree that we should be doing more to create jobs in the US. I have worried about my future several times because of the shortage of jobs. I think it is encouraging to hear that unemployment is going down. I think the government should dedicate more time and money to solving the unemployment problem. More jobs would provide people with more money to spend. If people have more money to spend, the economy will improve. I believe that the cost of creating more jobs would be paid back in the long run.

"Obama: Jobs Growing But Weyyyve Got To Do More." Fox News. fox News Network, LLC, 2012. Web. 5 May 2012.

Life of Pi: Part Three and Four

       Well.....the last part of this book is VERY disturbing and confusing! After I read it, I was so confused. It reminds me of when you watch a show and something crazy happens, but at the end of the episode you find out that it was just a dream. When Pi tells an alternative story of what happened by replacing the animals with humans, it makes you believe that that is the real story.
       I think Pi replaced the people with animals in his mind so he could deal with it. Once again, I am reminded of the first part where Pi finds that humans are the most dangerous animal. I think the stories with the humans is so much more grotesque even though it was basically the same as the story with the animals. It is so much more gruesome when you think of humans eating each other or decapitating each other.
      I also started to feel differently about Pi in this part of the book. I thought before that he was sympathetic and compassionate because of the way he acted towards the animals. However, after I found out that he ate a person, I just could not think of him the same way. No wonder Pi is involved in so many religions. He is probably just looking for something to help keep him sane after this tragedy. I really don't know how I feel about this book. I am still a little shocked at the ending. It was definitely not what I was expecting.

Current Event

       Robert Champion, a 26 year old student at FAMU, died after a hazing on a band bus. Charges are to be filed on Wednesday. The ritual hazing consisted of the pledges trying to run from the front of the bus to the back of the bus while being punched, kicked, and assaulted by seniors. He died within an hour of the hazing due to multiple blunt traumas to his body.
       I think the band members that assaulted this guy should be severely punished. They should definitely be kicked out of school and put in jail. I also think the students that sat by and watched the whole thing happen. I'm sure that out of the 100 band members on the bus, one of them was friends with this student, and they didn't say anything to stop the brutality. You hear about things like this happening in sororities and fraternities, but people don't expect things like this to happen with band students. This just kind of showed me that there can be cruel people in any clique or group. 


Phillips, Rich. "Charges to be Filed in FAMU hazing case." CNN 1                  May 2012, n. pag. 0.

Life of Pi Part Two

      The second section was much easier for me to read than the first part! I like this section more because it has more action instead of just talking about religions. This section also tells you the traumatic event that Pi alludes to in the first section.
      We find out that the ship Pi and his family were on sinks, and Pi's whole family dies. Pi ends up on a lifeboat with a tiger, a hyena, a zebra, and an orangutan. Most of the section is about his struggle to survive on this boat. The book gets a little gruesome when the hyena kills the zebra and decapitates the Orange Juice. This part made me pretty upset, because Orange Juice is my favorite character in the book.
       Pi seems very compassionate towards the animals. For example, he basically saves Richard Parker by  getting him to get on the boat, so he won't die. He also feeds Richard Parker and keeps him alive. I guess he also did that so the tiger wouldn't eat him. When Orange Juice dies, Pi seems pretty upset.
       I thought it was really interesting that Pi holds on to religion. I think religion kind of kept him holding on because it gave him hope. Pi's passion for religion in the beginning of the book is probably because it helped him get through this time. 
        It's pretty cool that Pi is able to pretty much train Richard Parker and they kind of bond. The weirdest  part of the book so far is when Pi runs into another blind guy in the middle of the ocean. What are the chances that he would run into some other guy in the ocean. Ii shows the bond between Pi and Richard Parker when Richard Parker kills the guy for trying to kill Pi. This reminded me of Pi learning in the beginning of the book that humans are the most dangerous animal. 

Current Event: Spate of Bomb Threats Annoys Pittsburgh Students

        Since February, the University of Pittsburgh has had over 50 bomb threats that were all false alarms. These threats have continuously disrupted the university campus. About 29000 students attend the university, and each threat is followed by an evacuation. The campus has had to tighten security, but they are still receiving threats.
        I think it is crazy that someone is sending bomb threats to this school just to cause a scene. I definitely think it is good that the school has tightened security just to be safe. I think the worst thing about these bomb threats is that if there is a real bomb threat, the students may not take it seriously. Also, several students' classes have been disrupted which can definitely hurt their education. I do think the school needs to try a little harder to track the threats and solve this problem.
        

Life of Pi: 1

           So far, I like this book more than I thought I would. Other people had told me this book was boring, but I think it is a pretty interesting book. It is a little difficult to read at some points because it is completely different from any book I have ever read. At first, I was a little confused about the switch from Pi talking to the narrator talking, but I caught on when you explained it in class.
           I like that the book kind of has some mystery to it in the beginning. Pi alludes to a tragedy from his past, but he doesn't tell you what happened. I think this technique made me want to keep reading to find out more. Pi also pursued degrees in religion and zoology, which seems kind of random because they are completely different. I am not sure if these two degrees are connected in some way or have some kind of symbolism.
           Pi talks a great deal about his passion for religions. He kind of believes parts of several religions, but he hates people that don't believe in anything. I can't really decide if Pi is just really open-minded or confused. It seems like the more he learns about religions, the more confused he becomes. Pi also talks a lot about his interest in zoology. His dad used to own a zoo, and Pi loved the animals. At some point, Pi learned that the most dangerous animal of all is man.

Farenheit 451: The Sieve and the Sand & Burning Bright

             I thought this book was actually way more interesting than I thought it would be. I really enjoy dystopian books that get you thinking, so this was a good read to me. Farenheit 451 reminds me of Harrison Bergeron in a couple of ways. In both dystopian societies, people are prevented from thinking individually. In Farenheit 451, books are burned to eliminate controversy or debate among people. In Harrison Bergeron, people are given handicaps, so everyone is equal, and they are forced to wear caps that zap their brains if they think. Another similarity is the search for instant gratification. In Farenheit 451 and Harrison Bergeron, people are more connected to characters on TV than they are to the people they know.
      In Farenheit 451, people overstimulate themselves just to feel something. They all feel numb because they aren't allowed to do things that provoke thought. Instead, they fill the time with television or some other form of technology. For example, the only time Mildred feels anything is when she is talking to her virtual family. I cannot stand Mildred! She doesn't care about Montag at all. She burns his books and even tries to turn him in. The sad part is that society has made her that way through technology.
       
         

The Hearth and the Salamander

         Guy Montag is a fireman in charge of burning books in this futuristic society.He wears a helmet with the number 451 on it (the temperature at which books burn). While walking one night, he meets Clarisse, a seventeen year old who questions the society she lives in. She has "wild" ideas of what society used to be like and she rebels against the norm. Guy is intrigued by Clarisse's individuality, and he starts to spend more time with her. Clarisse makes Guy start to question his life and the society he lives in.

          Although this book was written a pretty long time ago, it predicted a lot of things that have come true today. For example, many people are obsessed with technology and instant gratification. this book predicts a society that is ruled by technology. Reading is illegal in the book because it threatens the control of the government by provoking people to think individually. Most people in this dystopian society are dependent on anti-depressants and sleeping pills, because they are so unhappy. They don't think or even talk to each other.

          Clarisse is one of the few people that is not obsessed with technology and pursues individual thinking. She kind of reminds me of Katniss because she lives in a controlling society that opposes individuality, but she is is curious about how she can escape it. 

Great Gatsby Essay

The Great Gatsby has many themes, but the main theme is the withering of the "American dream." The American dream is essentially the opportunity for success and prosperity. Throughout The Great Gatsby, there are many examples of the withering of this dream. The main characters in the story live the American dream, yet they are not happy. These characters become so obsessed with their wealth and success that they lose sight of their morality, which ultimately leads to their demise.

In the book, Jay Gatsby embodies the quintessential American dream. He was raised in poverty, but he became rich and successful to impress Daisy. Although he was successful, he sacrificed his morality to attain his wealth. All that matters to Gatsby is having material possessions, so Daisy will love him. He gives up everything to attain his dream. He leaves his family and home in the moral West and gets involved in shady business. Gatsby dreams of being with Daisy because she represents everything he wants: glamour and wealth. Tom says in the book that Gatsby was bootlegging alcohol and Gatsby basically confirms it, which shows his lack of morality. Gatsby flaunts his wealth and uses his material possessions to win Daisy's affections. Gatsby's obsession with money and Daisy eventually leads to his death. After Gatsby dies, only three people attended his funeral. This just shows that even though Gatsby had money, he had no friends because he was greedy.

Tom Buchanan is another prime example of the withering of the American dream. Tom is the egotistical husband of Daisy. Tom believes he is superior to the people that live in West Egg because he has always had money. Tom does not believe in equality which contradicts the American dream. Tom is greedy and does not want anyone to be able to rise out of poverty or their social class. Tom also has the "perfect" family and the "perfect" lifestyle, yet he indulges in immorality because of his greed. Tom has an affair with Myrtle which leads to her murder and the murder of Gatsby. Tom takes no responsibility for his actions because when he got caught up in the materialism of the East, he lost his morality.

Daisy represents all the materialism and lack of morality of the 1920s. All of Daisy's actions are motivated by her pursuit of money. Gatsby falls in love with Daisy, but she won't marry him because he doesn't have money. She marries Tom because he has money and social standing. Even her affair with Gatsby is motivated by money. Gatsby impressed Daisy with his extravagant lifestyle, so she decided she wanted to be with. Daisy becomes so obsessed with living her perfect life that she kills Myrtle for interfering with her "American Dream." Daisy becomes so corrupt by money that she exemplifies the disintegration of the American dream.

The 1920s was a time of luxury and materialism, yet it was a time of moral decay. For the characters in the story, the money they had was never enough and in the pursuit for more money, they lose their morals, love, and in two situations they lose their lives. In the 1920s, morality was lost, and the American dream was corrupted.

The Great Gatsby

         I feel like this book is kind of still sinking in for me. I can't exactly decide how I feel about it because  it is really different from any book I've ever read. I think the book was really depressing, and when Gatsby got shot, I wanted to throw the book down. Although it isn't how I wanted the book to end, It gets the point across and really shows you theme. 
        All of the main characters were living the "American dream," but none of them were truly happy. Also, none of the main characters had real love. Tom and Daisy don't really love each other, and Gatsby loves Daisy, but they don't end up together because Daisy is materialistic.
        One of the things I noticed was the part in the book where Gatsby talks about the reasons he fell in love with Daisy. He said that he liked that many men were in love with her and that she was wealthy. I think this shows how important wealth and social status were to Gatsby. To him, love and money are intertwined, which is the problem for most of the characters. Money and love are so closely related to each other with the characters that lose sight of real love and just pursue money. In this way, all of the characters of the book are corrupt. 
        I also noticed that even though Gatsby has wealth and status, he has no friends. At Gatsby's funeral,   there are only four cars including the hearst. He had hundreds of guests at all of his party, but only four people showed up at his funeral. I think this shows that wealth doesn't necessarily lead to happiness.

The Great Gatsby: Ch. 1-5

       One of the major themes of the Great Gatsby seems to be that money does not truly bring happiness. Many characters in this story are extremely wealthy, yet they are not content. For example, Gatsby has a huge mansion and lives an extravagent lifestyle, but he only wants Daisy, so the money doesn't matter to him. Daisy is married to a rich man, but he doesn't treat her right. She doesn't really love Tom but she married for money, but she is unhappy and sad throughout the story.
    Another theme is the negative side of the American dream in the 1920s. Fitzgerald believed that people lacked morals and would do anything for money. Gatsby most likely gained wealth by doing immoral things. Daisy married for money instead of love. The characters seem so caught up with being rich that they lose sight of their morality.
    So far, I have noticed a little bit of a contradiction by the narrator, Nick. In the beginning, Nick says that he is "inclined to reserve all judgement," but throughout the chapters, he contiuously judges people. He believes that Jordan is a liar. At Gatsby's party, Nick judges everyone around me. He think all of the people are snobby and unwanted at the party. These are just a few of the judgements he makes.
    One of my favorite parts of the chapters so far is the love story between Gatsby and Daisy. Gatsby's dream was to be with Daisy. The green light that Gatsby is reaching for at the beginning of the book symbolizes his hopes to be with Daisy. In chapter 5, they reunite and their love is kind of rekindled.
    I don't think this book is going to end the way I want it to. I highly doubt that Gatsby and Daisy will end up together because I doesn't seem like one of those happily-ever-after fairytales. Most of the characters are not especially likeable, and they all seem to be tangled up in dark things.

The Minister's Black Veil

 The Minister's Black Veil is a short stor about Reverand Mr. Hooper, a minister. He starts wearing a black veil over his face, which made the church congregation scared and uncomfortable. He wore it all the time and the congregation was so uncomfortable, they only called for him at funerals. Mr. Hooper was a great minister, but noone could get past the veil, so they ostracized him. In the end, he states that the black veil is his symbol of secret sin. He wears his outwardly and sees the black veils on others.

In The Minister's Black Veil and The Crucible, any form of social deviance or difference is persecuted. In The Minister's Black Veil, He is excluded and feared just for wearing a veil on his face. In the Crucible, these women are condemned for things like living with their boyfriends or having diffferent customs.

On Writing Final Essay

         

            In On Writing, King states that a good writer writes often. Throughout his life, King demonstrates his dedication to his writing and shows that a good writer, such as himself does write often. No matter how many rejection letters he got, King never gave up on his writing.

            At a young age, King started reading comic books all of the time. He started copying these comic books and adding his own parts into them. Eventually, he started writing his own stories to show his mom, and he kept writing and progressing. Although he was really young, he continued to write all the time.

            When King was an adolescent, he sent in some of his  stories to be published, but they were all rejected. For example, King sent in his “Happy Stamps” story to Alfred Hitchcock, and it was rejected. He even started nailing rejection letters to his wall to motivate him to keep improving on his writing. He never gave up on his writing, and when he was 16, he started receiving notes with the rejection letters. Little by little, King improved and became one of the best writers of our time.

               In On Writing, King says a good writer should read a lot and write a lot. He takes books wherever he goes and doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He is dedicated and knows it is part of his job as a writer.

            Even after he became a famous writer, he continued to practice and push himself to do better. He wrote during all of the hard times in his life without giving up. He wrote while he was overcoming his drug problem and his drinking problem, and he is still writing best-selling books.

            King’s commitment and devotion to writing inspires many writers. His desire to keep improving is the reason he is such a wonderful writer, and I hope many writers learn from that.

On Writing: Part 3

King speaks a great deal in this section about several different aspects of writing a book. He focuses on using thematic thinking, making revisions, pacing the story, and researching.

King states in this section the importance of having a theme. He also says that any book worth reading has to be about something. I tend to get a little lost when I'm writing an essay or something because I never think about a theme before I start writing. Now, thanks to this section, I know that I can't just come up with a theme as I go.

Next, he talkes about making revisions to the writing. King suggests that you at least write two drafts for an essay before finishing it. I am the type of person that only writes one draft, but I realize now that if I want to do my best I need to write more than one. He says that the first draft should be written with no help, but you can ask for opinions on the second draft. This is important because you need to at least see another perspective to have a well-rounded book or essay.

He states that pacing and research are very important. He showes that a story doesn't need to be too fast paced or it could lose a lot of the story because the reader can get confused or worn out. He also shows that you ca't have too much back story because it can distract from the main story you are tryig to tell.

State of the Union

I have never really been an Obama fan, but I was pleasantly suprised by this State of the Union speech. I read the speech which really allowed me to concentrate o the things Obama was saying.

He talked a lot about bringing jobs back to the U.S. and making taxes lower for businesses that stay in the country. I think this is great because there are so many unemployed people because of the lack of jobs. Also, I hope to have a job in the future and it would be wonderful if there were jobs available.

One of my favorite things Obama says is that he wants to give schools the resources to keep good teachers around and reward the best ones. My mom is a teacher, so I think this is very important. Also, I don't want to think of any of my favorite teachers being fired just because there wasn't enough money to keep them. He also said that schools should be granted flexibility to teach with creativity and passion. I am tired of just learning things that are going to be on the state test or ap exam. I always feel like I get the most out of classes that don't just teach about the things on the test. I would love the opportunity to be in more classes that allow creativity and passion.

Obama also addresses the problem with the cost of college. College tuition is hard to pay for so many families, icluding my own. I agree with Obama that congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling and that states need to make higher education a priority.

"Higher education can't be a luxury - it's an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford."

-Obama

On Writing: Part 2

"You must not come lightly to the blank page." This is the main point in the section, "What Writing Is". I agree with King that you have to take writing seriously. I know that whenever I am trying to write an essay or paper, and I 'm not dedicated or taking it seriously, it never turns out very well. 

The most important section to me is "The Toolbox". In this section, he shows that different writers have different vocabulary styles. He says that you should never try to dress up your vocabulary because you are ashamed of using short words. I am often guilty of trying to dress up my vocabulary to make my essay sound more sophisticated. This section has taught me a very valuable lesson that I will not soon forget.

I really appreciate his use of examples in the sections. He makes it so much easier to understand writing with his examples and comparisons. In the Toolbox, he gives you specific examples of writers that use different vocabulary. In the writing section, he gives you examples of sentences.

Stephen King taught me several things about writing. He kind of motivates me to work harder and really push myself to excel in writing.

 

On Writing Response

At first when I found out we were supposed to read a Steven King book, much less a book about writing, I was not thrilled to say the least. Surprisingly when I started reading On Writing, I found Steven King to be very personable and incredibly relatable. He doesn’t hold back any details or emotions in his stories. I felt like he was giving me intimate details about his life. I really felt like I related to his story about going to the doctor and getting those shots in his ears. It brought back a memory of when I had this bad stomach virus when I was younger. I couldn’t stop throwing up or hold down any medicine. The doctor told me I had to have a shot and that it wouldn’t hurt at all. Like Steven King, I believed him. It ended up hurting a great deal. This story made me feel a definite connection to King which made the book more enjoyable to read. He has become an inspiration to me because of everything he has overcome to get where he is. He has faced rejection, poverty, and a drug and alcohol addiction, yet he is still one of the most successful writers of our time.