Theme: How Society Impacts the Individual in "Insurgent" and the "Divergent" Series(Sorry its really long!)

Since it has been quite some time since my last blog post, rather than jump right into the meat of the post I'd like to take a brief moment to reflect on what I have been up to reading-wise lately. During my Spring Break, I found myself with a lot free time on my hands and a lot of gross weather which definitely prompted me to do a lot of reading. After seeing Divergent the day it came out, I was reminded of my love for the book and decided to begin the second book, Insurgent. I could hardly put this book down all of Spring Break, and I found myself reading it whenever possible, whether it be while making myself dinner, in the car, or before bed. I ended up finishing the book in just a few days.This is the most reading I've had the time to do in a while, and I'm glad I was able to get caught up on some reading during Spring Break. I hope everyone else was too! Also, as a side note, if you are looking for something to read, I would DEFINITELY recommend the Divergent series.


But enough rave about the book, I would now like to begin to reflect on my true intentions for this post(as you can see in the title), I would like to discuss how Insurgent showcases how society impacts the individual. If you are unfamiliar with Divergent, some background information will be necessary in order to understand this post. In Divergent, throughout the novel there are five factions who value five different human qualities as the most important quality to possess in life. These five factions work together in life, although they are separated, providing different services based on their beliefs. These factions include: Abnegation(believe in selflessness and are leaders in the government), Amity(believe in happiness and peace and work in agriculture), Candor(believe in honesty and work in law) Dauntless(believe in bravery and provide defense and protection), and Erudite(believe in intelligence and work as researchers, scientists, teachers, etc.). Individuals get to choose which faction they wish to be a part of when they turn 16, and this is the system upon which society has worked for a very long time. The main character Tris, transferred from Abnegation to Dauntless at 16, leaving behind her family for a new way of life. At the beginning of Insurgent, the society is beginning to crumble. Erudite has overthrown the Abnegation government and murdered most of the faction through mind controlling simulations over the Dauntless faction. Now Erudite is "in control" with the help of half of the Dauntless,  half of the Dauntless faction as well as the Candor are against Erudite, and Amity wishes to remain neutral in the Conflict.


Now, giving all of this background information does have a point behind it. Understanding the state in which the society is in is the first step in understanding how it impacts its individuals. Throughout the course of the first two novels, Tris spends time in the heart of each and every one of the factions headquarters. Each time she goes to a new faction, she learns something new and important that she wishes to apply to her life. The society has taught its citizens that they must value and focus on ONE quality in particular and spend all of their time focusing on it and perfecting it. The citizens of the society choose to be content with this system of society for many reasons including that the majority seems to be content with it, and most individuals do not go against the majority. Also, a lot of the citizens feel that the five factions are solely the five personality types that exist, and they feel safe and comfortable and have a sense of belonging in their faction. Continuing these thoughts, there isn't a lot someone could do by themselves to go against the society even if they didn't believe in what it stood for. However, one of the major themes of the story and Tris's discovery through traveling through all of the factions is that all of these qualities are important for an individual to have and apply to their life, as well as many others. Part of her capability to discover this would be her Divergence, or having an aptitude for more than one faction. However, we see multiple times throughout the novel that people make decisions solely based on the majority whether it be due to fear, or naivety, or placing how others see them over their personal beliefs. For instance, we see this example from when Caleb, Tris's brother, betrays her due to his lack of suspicion, "I wouldn't judge him too harshly. Jeanine[leader of Erudite] can be extraordinarily persuasive to those who aren't naturally suspicious." This simple truth could definitely hold true in our society today. Going against the majority can be a scary thing, but it will be unavoidable at some point if you are ever going to get something that you truly want. Unfortunately, as seen in the novel, society often puts ideas in our head that often alter our ideas from what we truly want to what society wants. Society has a huge impact on individuals points of views and minds, and only a select few people such as Tris have the courage to stand up for what they believe in.


I realize the blog was pretty lengthy, and kind of a lot to read and I will try to make them shorter in the future, there was just an unusually large amount of ground to cover considering I was discussing an entire novel. As my link this week I would like to include something that I became particularly interested in over Spring Break, and it has a relationship to the novel and personality types. it is the personality type quiz( you may have already taken something like it if you had ECA) and scientific research states there are more like sixteen personality types rather than the simple five that the society convinces its members to believe. Feel free to take the quiz and read about your personality type through these links(If you already know your type you can read about it on the second link). Explore the websites and have fun with it. Feel free to comment your personality types or ask any questions you have about this blog post in general! I know it was really long and I could definitely see how you could get confused, and I would love to clear anything up for you.


Thanks for reading,
Kayla


 Personality Quiz


 Info about YOUR personality type(take quiz above first)

Final Blog Post

The growth within my writing on blogger throughout the trimester has evidently improved. For instance, in my first posts, I was not very successful in trying to connect with my audience, and therefore it made my posts kind of boring. An example of this is how in my older post, I simply ended the post at the end of a thought, without drawing a conclusion or making any kind of connection. Throughout the trimester I attempted to work on making my posts more interesting, so that people would enjoy reading them. In my second post, I ended with a connection to another novel, The Hunger Games, which is a novel that most people in this class have probably read. This would allow a reader to connect to my post more easily. Also, my vocabulary has improved throughout the trimester. In my first post, my vocabulary was kind of dull, and when describing characters I did not use very many effective descriptive words,       I only counted a total of two. In my second post, I highlighted the many examples of where I attempted to use more descriptive words, and tried to really go in depth about my impression of each character. Lastly, I believe that my transitions have improved. In my first post, I hardly used transition words, and went straight from one topic to the next. In my second post I used transition words such as so far, also, therefore, for example, etc. Overall I just believe that the general quality of my writing has improved.

            One thing that I struggled with through the blogging experience was incorporating technology, as well as keeping up on my reading well enough to publish as effective of posts as I could have. The reading was due to a busy schedule, but I did my best to find books that I enjoyed reading so that I would find myself reading during my free time. To incorporate technology I did my best to be on the look-out for external articles, media, and pictures that related to something I was reading so that I could incorporate it in my post and give the reader something to read or watch that may help them better understand the post. One strength I had while blogging was the content of my blogs. I felt that I was successful as far as meeting all of the rubric requirements which included characterization, analyses, book summary, etc. I believe that I found effective ways to connect with an audience while still reflecting these important elements of reading throughout my blogging experience. I am sad to say that I did not even come close to my reading goal, as high school presented far more time commitment than I had originally expected. I ended up 18 books off of my reading goal, which is something I would like to work on next trimester when I hopefully have more time. I updated Goodreads throughout the trimester by saying which books I had finished, liking quotes, and marking books that I wished to read. I have improved as a reader throughout the trimester overall by just beginning to enjoy and look forward to independent reading, and really working on finding novels that I was passionate about.

My plan for this trimester

I am only about a little half way through Divergent, and I am already looking for another book to read. I am considering reading 2 books at once in order to finish 3 by the end of the trimester. I am thinking about a lot of different books, so if you have read any of these, please tell me if you enjoyed them. I just watched the movie The Great Gatsby this weekend, and I really, really, enjoyed it. Possibly one of the best produced movies I have seen in a while. I am aware that this story was originally a 1920s novel, and I was wondering if anyone has read it and if it was any good, especially compared to the incredible movie. I was also considering The Notebook, because I picked it up the last time I was at the bookstore but have not read it yet. I'm not sure if I'm really into reading a Nicholas Sparks novel right now, unless it is extremely good. If I finish Divergent in time, I might just try to finish the series or start the next book. Lastly, The Fault In Our Stars has come up a lot recently, and I have kind of been wanting to read it as well. Also, if you know of any good Christmas time novels, please tell me, because I'm kind of already in the Christmas spirit:).

Divergent: Book Review/ Thoughts

I am only about half way through this book, but I really like it so far. I think that the plot line is really intriguing, and the way each chapter ends would make anyone want to read more. It is really sci-fi, which a lot of people don't like, but I think that this is one of those rare cases where a sci-fi novel can appeal to all, or most people. I think this novel appeals to people in a way similar to the sensation of the Hunger Games. The overall theme and message really tugs at you and makes you feel for the main character. I also know that this book is going be a movie coming out this Spring, and I've found myself really looking forward to being able to see this book produced on the big screen. It will be a different experience for me than the Hunger Games, because I saw the movie first in that series, so I am excited to get a different outlook on a big sci-fi production. I would definitely recommend reading this novel to anyone and everyone, and remember, don't judge a book by its cover. You will never know if you like it until you read!

Here's a sneak peak of the trailer for the movie, because my post kind of turned into my excitement towards it :).

Romeo and Juliet: Modern Versions

In class, we have been reading Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the unit, I have discovered how many modern remakes of this plot line there have been. The play by Shakespeare was one of the greater works in history, and it is still being recreated today. I figured that I could add something a little more interesting to my blog by making a list of some of these modern remakes and discussing them. All of these remakes show the legacy and impact of Shakespeare's great love story.Who knows, maybe watching one of these remakes will help you get a better understanding of the play!

1. Romeo and Juliet(1968 film)- directed by Franco Zeffirelli- This film version of Romeo and Juliet sticks to the initial script and setting. It takes place in the original time period and is a director's take on the film.

-

 

 

 

2.William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet(1996 film)- This film version of Romeo and Juliet sticks to the original script, but takes place in a modern setting of Verona Beach, and the characters are much more modern. This creates a contrast between the way the characters talk and the setting.

 

3. West Side Story- Believe it or not, West Side Story was actually inspired by Romeo and Juliet. Although the plot and the characters are not entirely the same, the general storyline is close enough to see the similarities. It is an American musical set in the early 50s in New York City

 

4.Gnomeo and Juliet- This is an animated film version of Romeo and Juliet. It is a modern and quirky take on the plot, and is meant to be a comedy version with the characters being garden gnomes.

 

 

5.Romeo and Juliet(2013 film)- This film version is the most recent and modern. It uses the original setting of Elizabethan Verona similar to Zeffirelli's adaptation, but does not stick to the original script.



 



 

 

6. Love Story by Taylor Swift- This final adaptation of Shakespeare's famous love story is a modern song by pop-country artist Taylor Swift. It is most definitely influenced by Shakespeare's play and shows the legacy of the story.





Divergenet: Questions/Predictions

I just recently finished Chapter 15 in Divergent. One thing that I have noticed about this novel is that the end of each chapter definitely leaves you hanging. After finishing chapter 15, many questions and predictions formed in my head. Chapter 15 is about the visiting day when Beatrice gets to see her parents. Only her mother comes, and her mothers reasoning of why her father didn't is that he had to "work". However, her mother acts very strangely toward the end of the chapter. She seems to know quite a bit about Dauntless, being an Abnegation. At the end of the chapter, Beatrice realizes that her mother was once Dauntless, before she chose to be an Abnegation at 16. Beatrice's mother also somehow knows that she is Divergent, and knows how dangerous it is. I believe that Tris's mother was also told she was Divergent at the aptitude tests. She seems to know more than anyone should unless they were Divergent themselves. A questions has also formed after reading this chapter and that is why has Four been acting so strange lately? He was particularly rude to Beatrice's mother when he met her, and has just been acting weird lately. That is the only updates I have for today! Once again though, this book is getting extremely exciting and I would recommend checking it out!

Romeo and Juliet: Comparison to Film Versions

As you most likely know, recently in class we have been reading and analyzing the famous Shakespearean play "Romeo and Juliet". After reading each scene, we have been watching two different film versions of the scene, which include a film version that is true to the Elizabethan Era in which the play was originally intended to be set, as well as a different film version which includes a more modern take on the play's setting, which affects great deal of the play, however, but sticks to the original script. In viewing all three versions of the play, I have noticed many differences. However, each take on the original script allows for a better understanding of the play. For instance, after reading only the script, some of the details about setting, as well as the characters actions can be somewhat foggy, because the script includes only their words. After viewing the film versions, I was also able to pick up the tone in which certain words were meant to be said, which I hadn't been able to do after just reading the script. For instance, I believed Lord Capulet to be a light-hearted, calm man when just reading the story, but after viewing the films, I realized that he was not calmly scolding Tybalt, but completely yelling at him. Therefore, the film takes also impacts characterization. Despite the differences between all three versions, they all have the same theme and true impact and meaning behind each scene, and viewing the films has greatly impacted my understanding of the story of "Romeo and Juliet." Therefore, I highly recommend watching each of the film versions if you plan on reading the play. Below, I have included the trailer for each.
Romeo and Juliet (1968 film version)

Romeo and Juliet Trailer(1996 film version)