I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to write my final blog post of the year on The Fault In Our Stars. Since I will be getting pretty in depth in the story, for anyone who is not as familiar with the novel's plot, or has possibly not read it in awhile, I recommend viewing the video that I have attached. It is the trailer for the upcoming film version of the novel, and it does a good job of summing up the theme and the plot of the novel in two minutes.
Click here to watch trailer
Having just finished The Fault In Our Stars minutes ago, I have many thoughts about the book. I believe that this book was intended for many purposes. If I sit here and look back on the book as a whole, more than one theme pops into my head. One of the largest themes comes directly from the very last few lines of the book, in Augustus's final letter to the author of An Imperial Affliction, Peter Van Houten, "You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world... but you do have some say in who hurts you."(pg 313) The general idea of hurt is a part of most themes in the book, and most of the themes are enforced in this final letter to Van Houten. In my opinion, another one of the most important themes could be summed up in this simile from the letter, "We are like a bunch of dogs squirting on fire hydrants."(pg 313) In other words, we are desperate to leave our mark on the world, and we are often so desperate to be remembered that our mark can bring more harm than good.
The first theme discussed (you don't get to choose if you get hurt) is supported numerous times throughout the novel. Throughout the entire first half of the novel, Hazel worries so much about getting close to people. She does not want people to care about her because she knows that she will die soon enough, and she wants to leave as little destruction as possible when she does. She often refers to herself as a grenade. She doesn't want to hurt people. This is why she is hesitant in her relationship with Augustus. What she doesn't realize is that Augustus is dying as well. What she also doesn't take into account is that if Augustus dies first, it would hurt her, but it would be a hurt she doesn't mind. Therefore, she is spending all this time worrying about hurting Augustus and being a grenade and causing more harm than she has to; in the end, it will be her who is hurt first anyway, so her worries of hurting aren't even valid. In other words, the message the author is trying to get across through all of this is that you shouldn't worry about who you are going to hurt and that you should accept the fact that others will hurt you... you just have a choice in who you allow to do so. As the quote hanging in Augustus's living room says, "Without pain, we couldn't know joy."(pg 35)
The second theme discussed (leaving a mark on the world), is supported through Augustus's desperate need to do something important before he dies. This becomes such a desperate situation that he almost kills himself (on accident, of course) numerous times in an attempt to do so. He makes the realization just before he dies that leaving your mark on the world is not what is so important, but rather, learning, discovering, noticing things about the world. Augustus Waters did not leave such a large mark on the world that millions of people who barely knew him weeped when he died. But he did leave a mark that caused those who knew him well to mourn even more than those million people ever could have.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Friday, May 23, 2014
The Fault In Our Stars: Character Symbolism
As I have continued to read The Fault In Our Stars, by far my favorite part of the novel so far is the characters. I have chosen to create a symbol for each character describing who they are. I thought this would be a fun way to introduce the characters in the novel for anyone who plans on reading, has read it, or maybe even plans on seeing the upcoming movie.
Hazel Grace
Hazel Grace could be compared to many things, but I like to think of her "The Ugly Duckling". She looks at herself and her life, and can't come close to seeing her true value and worth. She sees a "grenade" capable of exploding at any time and destroying everyone in her path. She sees her ventilator that helps her to get through cancer and thinks "ugly". She sees an ugly girl who has no life and wishes to become close to no one for the fear of harming them. And maybe others think this way too, when they first see a cancer patient, just as they did "Th Ugly Duckling." But Augustus sees her for her true value. He recognizes the fact that Hazel is beautiful becuase of all these things. She is far beyond her age in her thoughts, as we see when compared with her friend Kaitlyn. She is not a typical teenager. She has had life experiences that give her true beauty that she cannot recognize.
Augustus Waters
Augustus Waters is much the opposite of Hazel Grace, possible much of the reason they are attracted to eachother. Augustus wears a very confident swagger on his exterior and exuberates it to everyone he meets. However, throughout the story, we notice that truth be told, Augustus is not so stable and secure on the inside. He is constantly fearing death, cancer, and any other bad things. He worries a lot about things he can't control. So he appears strong on the outside but this isn't actually the case.
From these descriptions, we can see that Augustus and Hazel Grace are opposites. Augustus is confident on the outside but in reality is pretty weak, and Hazel Grace believes she is weak on the outside, but is actually very strong on the inside. Possibly this is why they need eachother so much
Hazel Grace
Hazel Grace could be compared to many things, but I like to think of her "The Ugly Duckling". She looks at herself and her life, and can't come close to seeing her true value and worth. She sees a "grenade" capable of exploding at any time and destroying everyone in her path. She sees her ventilator that helps her to get through cancer and thinks "ugly". She sees an ugly girl who has no life and wishes to become close to no one for the fear of harming them. And maybe others think this way too, when they first see a cancer patient, just as they did "Th Ugly Duckling." But Augustus sees her for her true value. He recognizes the fact that Hazel is beautiful becuase of all these things. She is far beyond her age in her thoughts, as we see when compared with her friend Kaitlyn. She is not a typical teenager. She has had life experiences that give her true beauty that she cannot recognize.
Augustus Waters
Augustus Waters is much the opposite of Hazel Grace, possible much of the reason they are attracted to eachother. Augustus wears a very confident swagger on his exterior and exuberates it to everyone he meets. However, throughout the story, we notice that truth be told, Augustus is not so stable and secure on the inside. He is constantly fearing death, cancer, and any other bad things. He worries a lot about things he can't control. So he appears strong on the outside but this isn't actually the case.
From these descriptions, we can see that Augustus and Hazel Grace are opposites. Augustus is confident on the outside but in reality is pretty weak, and Hazel Grace believes she is weak on the outside, but is actually very strong on the inside. Possibly this is why they need eachother so much
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Research Article Study on the Importance of Spending Time With Your Family
While researching for my Creative non-fiction piece, a found a number of numerous articles which I really enjoyed reading and whose messages I really took to heart, making me desire to spend more time with my family. I have attached links to the three articles I have chosen to compare and contrast at the end of this post. These three articles are called "Importance of Family Time on Kids Mental Health and Adjustment to Life", "The Importance of Family Bonding Time", and "Family Strengths: Time Together". Notice a common theme yet? Anyway, my creative nonfiction project is on the importance of family time in the lives of children and marriages, which is something that is rather lacking in our busy society today. These three articles are very well written, and do an excellent job of moving their audiences to action, and I would love for my creative nonfiction piece to succeed just as well at this.
I love the fact that all three articles open with the importance of family time on everyone in the family and conclude with a list of good ways to incorporate family bonding time into your life. I think this is a really great strategy in moving the audience to action because you give them explicit examples of how to apply the point to their own life. Not to mention the fact that I feel very strongly about the topic that is discussed in these articles. I think it's really interesting that lack of family bonding can hinder the growth and development of a child in every aspect of life. I also completely agree with the fact that family bonding should take primary importance in life because your family will be the people who stick by you your whole life an their love and support will be unconditional, never phony or fake.
Anyway, this is a topic I feel very strongly about, and I highly recommend checking out these articles! Who knows, maybe it will lead you to make a huge difference in your family life that will effect you for the rest of your life.
Article #1
Article #2
Article #3
Kayla
I love the fact that all three articles open with the importance of family time on everyone in the family and conclude with a list of good ways to incorporate family bonding time into your life. I think this is a really great strategy in moving the audience to action because you give them explicit examples of how to apply the point to their own life. Not to mention the fact that I feel very strongly about the topic that is discussed in these articles. I think it's really interesting that lack of family bonding can hinder the growth and development of a child in every aspect of life. I also completely agree with the fact that family bonding should take primary importance in life because your family will be the people who stick by you your whole life an their love and support will be unconditional, never phony or fake.
Anyway, this is a topic I feel very strongly about, and I highly recommend checking out these articles! Who knows, maybe it will lead you to make a huge difference in your family life that will effect you for the rest of your life.
Article #1
Article #2
Article #3
Kayla
Monday, April 28, 2014
The Fault in Our Stars: John Green Research
I recently began reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I noticed he has a very unique and relatable gone while riding. His voice was something that really caught my attention while reading the novel. I decided to conduct some research on him and some of his other works and accomplishments. I found that he has written many other books and received numerous awards including:
New York Times best selling author for:
•Looking for Alaska
•An Abundance of Katherines
•Paper Towns
Co-author of:
•Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Recipient of:
•Michael L. Printz Award(2006)
•Edgar Award(2009)
•Los Angeles Times Book Prize(2 times)
Also, John Green embarked on a project in 2007 to help to educate the nations teenagers in a fun and interactive way. He has a youtube account that he shares with his brother. They make a combination of science and history videos. They talk about everything from biology to chemistry to ancient civilizations to current events. Their videos are extremely enthusiastic and make learning typically boring topics interesting. From the videos I have watched I have noticed that Green's tone in his youtube videos is very similar to that which he writes with. It is a very sarcastic time that helps in getting across a very serious message. After doing thorough research on Green, I would definitely recommend checking out his novels and his youtube channel. They are both really interesting and reliable ways to learn something new!
John Green Youtube Channel
Thanks for reading,
Kayla
New York Times best selling author for:
•Looking for Alaska
•An Abundance of Katherines
•Paper Towns
Co-author of:
•Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Recipient of:
•Michael L. Printz Award(2006)
•Edgar Award(2009)
•Los Angeles Times Book Prize(2 times)
Also, John Green embarked on a project in 2007 to help to educate the nations teenagers in a fun and interactive way. He has a youtube account that he shares with his brother. They make a combination of science and history videos. They talk about everything from biology to chemistry to ancient civilizations to current events. Their videos are extremely enthusiastic and make learning typically boring topics interesting. From the videos I have watched I have noticed that Green's tone in his youtube videos is very similar to that which he writes with. It is a very sarcastic time that helps in getting across a very serious message. After doing thorough research on Green, I would definitely recommend checking out his novels and his youtube channel. They are both really interesting and reliable ways to learn something new!
John Green Youtube Channel
Thanks for reading,
Kayla
Monday, April 14, 2014
Krista Ramsey "Children Need Puppy Kisses, Not Beepers"
In short, this column goes through the story of a young girl who is given a "beeper"(the equivalent of a cell-phone) for he birthday and wished to trade it for a puppy. Her request is denied by her parents, and enforces the message that we are forcing our children to grow up to fast, and taking away an important part of their lives they will never get back--childhood.
Read Column Here
The line I have chosen from the column that I personally believe to be the best would have to be the following: "She is of medium height and slight build, with hair that refuses to take orders from a barrette. She talks softly and hunches her, the kind of girl who hides behind others in school pictures." I absolutely love this line. It was the first line in the column, and matter of fact the first line I read in any column by Krista. I was drawn in immediately. Her diction and syntax are on point for her audience. She uses personification when she states "with hair that refuses to take orders from a barrette". This figurative language helps us to really visualize this girl in our head and even relate to her. Rather than just saying "the girl had messy hair" we get a real feel for not only the girl's appearance but also personality. Also, we see casual diction used to attract an audience of your normal day-to-day people who are skimming through the paper to see if anything catches their eye. We see other examples of figurative language and diction strategies in this line as well. Overall, it is very well-crafted!
Ramsey's writing style as a whole could be described as very casual and relatable. She is very persuasive throughout her stories, and really wants you adopt her viewpoint on any particular issue. She uses a lot of creative writing styles to make her pieces more interesting, and they are more like a narrative than a newspaper article. I think he way she writes about such relatable topics in such a down to earth way really draws in a great audience of readers.
Three Questions for Ramsey:
What makes you notice things like this little girl one day at Kroger? What prompted you to question her?
For the purpose of understanding the message better, was your childhood one like the ones you described as "useless, tail-wagging, double daring, bubble gum-blowing fun" childhoods, or was it like the "being trained at seven to attend an Ivy League" childhood?
If you could suggest one thing to make a difference in the way our society parents their children, what would you suggest?
Read Column Here
The line I have chosen from the column that I personally believe to be the best would have to be the following: "She is of medium height and slight build, with hair that refuses to take orders from a barrette. She talks softly and hunches her, the kind of girl who hides behind others in school pictures." I absolutely love this line. It was the first line in the column, and matter of fact the first line I read in any column by Krista. I was drawn in immediately. Her diction and syntax are on point for her audience. She uses personification when she states "with hair that refuses to take orders from a barrette". This figurative language helps us to really visualize this girl in our head and even relate to her. Rather than just saying "the girl had messy hair" we get a real feel for not only the girl's appearance but also personality. Also, we see casual diction used to attract an audience of your normal day-to-day people who are skimming through the paper to see if anything catches their eye. We see other examples of figurative language and diction strategies in this line as well. Overall, it is very well-crafted!
Ramsey's writing style as a whole could be described as very casual and relatable. She is very persuasive throughout her stories, and really wants you adopt her viewpoint on any particular issue. She uses a lot of creative writing styles to make her pieces more interesting, and they are more like a narrative than a newspaper article. I think he way she writes about such relatable topics in such a down to earth way really draws in a great audience of readers.
Three Questions for Ramsey:
What makes you notice things like this little girl one day at Kroger? What prompted you to question her?
For the purpose of understanding the message better, was your childhood one like the ones you described as "useless, tail-wagging, double daring, bubble gum-blowing fun" childhoods, or was it like the "being trained at seven to attend an Ivy League" childhood?
If you could suggest one thing to make a difference in the way our society parents their children, what would you suggest?
New Book:Mindy Kaling's"Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?(And Other Concerns)"
(Video Showcases a little of the personality Mindy has throughout the book)
About two days ago, I could barely tell you who Mindy Kaling was. Now I honestly feel like she's one of my best friends. I stumbled across this book kind of by accident, and ended up putting aside "Allegiant" to read this memoir I stumbled across at Target. It seems kind of lame at first, but I am confident that most females can relate to something in this book. It is basically just a bunch of hilarious stories from Mindy's childhood to now, each one showcasing what lessons came out of them. And did I mentions she's hilarious? She's something that's hard to find: a relatable, down to earth TV star, who is willing to open up about herself to teach lessons to others. She uses so many different comical devices throughout the story including satire, irony, word play found throughout her section titles, and just has a sense of humor about her voice and tone in her writing that makes you laugh out loud as your reading.
There are also a lot of valuable lessons to be learned throughout this book. I'm not quite finished yet, but I would say some of the more valuable lessons I have learned would be about friendship, and how it's better to have a couple of close friends, who can relate to you and you have a lot in common with, than to surround yourself with a lot of friends that you have absolutely nothing in common with and can't really find much interesting to talk about. The friends of the first type will be the friends who support you through everything you do and stay by your side. They will be a large part of your success in life. There is so much more I have learned and laughed about throughout this book, and I definitely, definitely recommend reading it to find out more! You won't regret it!
-Kayla
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Allegiant: Setting Description
Today I would like to blog about the setting at the beginning of Allegiant. I have just begun this book so I don't know a whole lot about the plot, but the way the setting was brought forth in the first 50 pages or so is very clear. I would like to include some quotes from the novel to demonstrate this. These quotes also showcase the great imagery in the novel
•"It wasn't clean as it was in the days when it was the Erudite compound; now it is ravaged by war, bullet holes in the walls and the broken glass of shattered light bulbs everywhere. I walk over dirty footprints and beneath flickering lights..."- pg 4
•"This floor of the Erudite Headquarters is all glass, even the walls. Sunlight refracts through it and casts slivers of rainbows across the floor... A long narrow room with beds on either side. Next to each bed is a glass cabinet for clothes and books, and a small table."-pg 15
• "We reach the end of the lawn . The metal structure is larger and stranger up close than it was from far away. It's really a stage, and arcing above it are massive metal plates that curl in different directions, like an exploded aluminum can."-pg 26
•"Ahead of us is the Hancock building, and beyond it, Lake Shore Drive, the lazy strip of pavement that I once flew over like a bird. We walk the cracked sidewalk side by side, our clothes smeared with Edward's blood, now dry." -pg 41
•"I only find myself in a ransacked laboratory, beakers and test tubes scattered across each counter. Torn pieces of paper litter on the floor, and I'm bending to pick one up when the lights shut off."-pg 49
In conclusion, I think that the setting descriptions on Allegiant really help to enhance the story and I think that they are very visual to help you get an idea of what it looks like in this novel.
Read Book Reviews, author Q&A, and Summary of Divergent on Amzon
•"It wasn't clean as it was in the days when it was the Erudite compound; now it is ravaged by war, bullet holes in the walls and the broken glass of shattered light bulbs everywhere. I walk over dirty footprints and beneath flickering lights..."- pg 4
•"This floor of the Erudite Headquarters is all glass, even the walls. Sunlight refracts through it and casts slivers of rainbows across the floor... A long narrow room with beds on either side. Next to each bed is a glass cabinet for clothes and books, and a small table."-pg 15
• "We reach the end of the lawn . The metal structure is larger and stranger up close than it was from far away. It's really a stage, and arcing above it are massive metal plates that curl in different directions, like an exploded aluminum can."-pg 26
•"Ahead of us is the Hancock building, and beyond it, Lake Shore Drive, the lazy strip of pavement that I once flew over like a bird. We walk the cracked sidewalk side by side, our clothes smeared with Edward's blood, now dry." -pg 41
•"I only find myself in a ransacked laboratory, beakers and test tubes scattered across each counter. Torn pieces of paper litter on the floor, and I'm bending to pick one up when the lights shut off."-pg 49
In conclusion, I think that the setting descriptions on Allegiant really help to enhance the story and I think that they are very visual to help you get an idea of what it looks like in this novel.
Read Book Reviews, author Q&A, and Summary of Divergent on Amzon
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