May 30 Blog Post Ready Player One

I think that Ernest Cline wrote the book Ready Player One for a number of reasons.  The first reason is to entertain the reader with an action packed story of a teen's quest to become rich.  He does a really good job of this because he adds a lot of references that a teen might understand because they have to do with video games.

The second reason is to warn the world about the future and what is to come if we continue down the road of mind-numbing technology.  This book takes place in the future when a virtual world has been created to take the place of the real one, which is much worse.  In this fake world, people are safe.  They can't see the people starving in the real world.   They can't see the violence and crime that takes place in the real world.  If we keep neglecting Earth, our world will become so polluted and populated that we will have no escape but a fake one.  I think that what happens in Ready Player One could definitely happen to us, so it teaches us an important lesson.

May 27 Blog Post Ready Player One

Book Review

Ernest Clines's Ready Player One is a thrilling novel about a teenage boy's journey to find billions of dollars before the entire world.  All in a simulated video game.  This video game is a program called the OASIS, and it is where the entire world now goes to escape the horrors of the real world.  In the OASIS, people can be whatever they want to be.  They can look however they want to look and talk however they want to talk.  There are machines that even make it feel like the real world.  The creator of the OASIS died, and he leaves his enormous fortune to whoever can solve the scavenger hunt that he puts in place.

I would give this book a 4 out of 5 star rating.  First of all, it is a really intense book and I could see it happening in the future.  Eventually we will have the technology to create simulated worlds that look and feel exactly like the real one.  When this happens, nobody will ever leave their own homes.  Also, Ernest Cline writes in a style that is quick paced and action packed.

I think that anyone who like science fiction books or someone who likes video games would like this book.  Also, people who like 80's culture would like it because the book is constantly referencing it.  The creator of the OASIS was fixated on the 80's, and the book is filled with 80's life.

May 20 Blog Post Ready Player One

The most important line from the 19th chapter of Ernest Cline's Ready Player One is, "No one ever gets what they want in the world and that is beautiful."  This is the most important line because it is the passcode to Wade Watts' OASIS account.  The OASIS is a virtual reality system that the entirety of the human race spends almost all of their time on.  The OASIS acts as an escape for its users from the horrific world that is around them.  This shows that Wade feels very depressed and lonely because even though he is a superstar in the OASIS realm, he is completely alone in the real world.

Voice Assignment 5/13

       3. Which of the passages creates the most intricate sensory experience for you, as the reader? 

 

The second passage creates the most intricate sensory experience for me as the reader.  I believe this because it tells the deep feelings of the main character and allows you to really experience what they are feeling.

6.  What is the tone of EACH passage?  How do you know?

I think that the tone of the first passage is light-hearted.  I believe this because it is about elementary schoolers, who are generally happy and care-free.  The author also portrays this tone by the way the write.  This can be seen in the quote, " But the class would not settle down.  They whispered and giggled.  They squirmed and made faces.   They were even rude during story time.  And they always refused to do their lessons."  The diction and short sentences that the author uses keeps a light-hearted tone.  The tone of the second passage is more harsh.  I believe this because the diction that the author uses is very dark and depressing.  This can be seen in the quote, "I don’t want to be cool.  I want to grab her by the neck and shake her and scream at her to stop treating me like dirt.  She didn’t even bother to find out the truth – what kind of friend is that?"  This quote reflects on the main character's pain and feelings toward the other character.

 

 7. Characterize or explain the voice of your creative non-fiction piece so far.  How do you know? How would we know it is YOUR piece? What purposeful choices have you made to create voice? Is this a strength or weakness of your writing?

I think that the voice of my creative non-fiction piece so far is critical.  I believe this because the whole piece is criticizing how people waste too much time glued to a screen.  You would probably know that it was MY piece because I use a lot of sarcasm to get my poin across.  This is present in the quote from my piece, " And we wonder why so many marriages are ending in divorce."  I use this type of voice throughout the passage to convey my message better to the reader in a more humorous way that isn't as harsh.  I think that this is a strength of mine because it really helps to make your piece more interesting to the reader.  If the reader is laughing, they might forget how bad your piece actually is.

Column Assignment

Duncan MacKenzie

Mrs. Cronin

Honors English 1B

5/6/14

Advice from an Innocent Child

In the style of Mary Schmich

            Inside every teen lurks the belief that they know everything that there is to know about the world.  Most of us, alas, believe that this knowledge must be shared with everyone.  Many of us will never be able to share what we have learned about the world because we are just meager children of a meager age, oblivious to the real world.  You may have already stopped reading by now because of my age, but if you have lasted this far, I ask you to stay with me.  Consider, but do not follow, all of my advice for you.  But I recommend that you do.  After all, I know everything there is to know about the world.

Always buy ice cream from the ice cream man.  You never know when he might forget your neighborhood when you need it the most.

Trick or treat until you’re 18.  This way, you will always remember how great Halloween was as a kid.  If you stop at a young age, you will forget what it was like as a kid.  When you grow up, Halloween will become just another miserable day of your miserable life.  Also, candy tastes better free.

Never take the last donut.  There is a reason that it is the last donut.

Whenever you go to a fancy restaurant, always order the most expensive item.  It’s not your money!

When given the opportunity to try something new, always take it.  When you’re old and boring, you can waste your life on doing the same things over and over.  When you’re a kid, it’s okay to make mistakes at something new.

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Sleep as late as you can on the weekends, even if this means skipping church a couple of days.  You never know when you might have to stay up late during the week to do some “homework”.

Whenever you really want something from your parents, follow these steps.  First, ask them a bunch of times and get them really annoyed.  Then, when they finally agree, act like you have changed your mind.  This will get them even angrier.  They will be so mad that they will have lost their common sense, and they’ll do whatever you want them to do just to get rid of you for the day.

Never stand adjacent next to another man in a line of urinals.

When practicing an instrument that you were forced to learn, play it as loudly and obnoxiously as possible.  This will make everyone in your house hate listening to you practice, and your parents will never tell you to practice again.

Don’t post a lot of stuff on social media.  People care about you just as much as you care about them. Nada.

If you move your bookmark in you book back a couple of pages every week, it will seem like you’re reading.

Follow this advice and you will achieve true happiness and inner peace.

Book Review: The DaVinci Code

The DaVinci Code is a gut wrenching novel about a young historian, Robert Langdon, being thrust into a desperate search for the Holy Grail.  Sopie Neveu, a French cryptographer, also joins him in the quest.  Her grandfather is murdered in the art mueseum that he works at.  He is the leader of a secret society called Priory of Sion.  Their goal is to keep the Holy Grail's location secret.  When Sopie's grandfather dies, he passes the secret on to Sophie using many different codes and puzzles.  Running from the police, Robert goes to his Grail-expert friend, Sir Leigh Teabing. who helps them to further their search for the Grail.  Sophie and Langdon are not the only ones who want the grail all to themselves.  Having ownership over the grail would mean endless power over the church.  Sophie and Langdon rigorously search for the Grail, while running from the police, and others who want the Grail to themselves.

I would give The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown, a five out of five star rating.  This is one of the most exciting and intense books I have ever read.  The action is constant, allowing the plot to always be moving.  Everything in the books is real, but the story is made up.  There really exists a Holy Grail that is said to contain secrets that the church tries to hide.  There really exists a religious sect called Opus Dei that uses forms of Corpral Modtification to inflict pain on themselves.  The book brings up various real-world problems. 

I recomend this book to anyone who likes to read.  The book involves a ton of actoin, but it is also about a relationship between two people who search for the grail.  The DaVinci Code also contains a lot of true history.  You probably have to be a little older to read this book because parts of it can be confusing.  There is a lot of information in the book that a little kid might not be able to comprehend.  I think that everyone should read this book because it is an all around great book.

Minor Character - The DaVinci Code

One minor character in the book The Davinci Code, by Dan Brown, is Remy Legaludec.  He is the manservant of Sir Leigh Teabing, a renound British historian.  The character's role in the plot is to do whatever Sir Teabing asks him to do.  He helps move the plot along by carrying out various orders that Sir Teabing commands him to do. 



This is a picture of what Remy looked like in the book's movie

If the author made Remy have a more important role in the story, I think that the plot would be a lot different.  The author could make Remy more important by giving him more speaking lines that counteract what Sir Teabing tells him to do.  I think that Remy disagrees with a lot of things that Sir Leabing tells him to do.  This can be seen when Sir Leabing ties up the monk Silas and holds him hostage on his private jet while they escape the French police and fly to England.  Remy does obviously not agree with this decision because as soon as Sir Teabing leaves them alone, Remy cuts the duct tape that binds Silas together and Remy gives Silas his pistol.  This could strengthen the originality of the plot because I have never read a book before where a once small character makes one decision to influence the entire plot of the story.

Blizzard Bag - Summary / Romeo and Juliet

I am still reading the book, The Davinci Code, by Dan Brown.  There are many things that are going on in the book right now.  First, Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu and on Robert's friend's private jet.  Robert's friend is named Sir Leigh Teabing.  He has devoted his entire life into studying the Holy Grail, desperately trying to find out where it could be.  Their destination is England, where they hope to find safety from the French police that are now chasing them.  Robert is now thought to have murdered four people, then they stole something from one of the most heavily guarded banks, and now they are keeping a monk prisoner in the back of their jet.  They have no idea that when they touch ground in England, there will be a convoy of armed policemen waiting.

There is a lot that I don't understand about Romeo and Juliet.  The first thing that I don't understand is how if the Capulets and Montagues are sworn enemies, how can Romeo be allowed to attend a Capulet party?  It doesn't make sense that Capulet would just allow that.  The other thing that I don't understand is how Romeo and Juliet can fall in love just by looking at one another, especially when Romeo only went to the party to see his other love, Rosaline.  It's like he just flipped a switch and bam, he's in love with somebody else.  

The Davinci Code - Real Life Issues in the Text

Recently I have been reading The Davinci Code, by Dan Brown.  The Davinci Code is about two strangers, put together by the act of fate, and their attempt in finding the Holy Grail.  These two people are Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu.  Sophie's grandfather, the currator of a famous art museum, is shot and killed in the museum.  Sophie's grandfather is the leader of a secret society called The Priory of Sion.  His killer is an albino monk named Silas, a member of the Christian sect Opus Dei.  Some members Opus Dei practice a form of self inflicted pain called Corporal Mortification.  The Opus Dei is a real orginazation that exists in the United States today.  This is a problem because many people choose to hurt themselves daily because they believe that it cleanses them.

This is an example of what a cilice may look like.

I think that the author thinks that this is a very bad thing.  In the story, Opus Dei is seen as the bad guys, showing that their practices may also be bad.  The object that Silas wears around his leg to inflict pain, a Cilice, does a lot more to Silas than hurt him.  When Silas confronts Robert and Sophie, trying to steal the keystone that shows where the Holy Grail is, Robert's friend hits him with his crutches on his Cilice.  This causes Silas to crumple in pain and be captured by Robert and Sophie.  This means that the Cilice leads to Silas' defeat.  Dan Brown also shows Opus Dei as a corrupt organization that manipulates people with money, even though Opus Dei is a church sect.  This is a real problem in today's world.

Memoirs of a Geisha - Suspense

The author built suspense in the book, Memoirs of a Geisha, in many different ways.  The first main way that he built suspense was by telling a story of someoby's life, and the one goal that kept them going throughout it.  One example in the text that shows this is,“The heart dies a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves until one day there are none. No hopes. Nothing remains.”  This quote tells of the main character's struggles as a young girl, and how her hopes had been vanquished.  This builds suspense by making the reader wonder if the main character, Chiyo, does ever reach her goal.  This forces the reader to keep reading to find out what happens next. 

Another way that the author builds suspense is by including many antagonists. One of these antagonists is Nobu, the man whom she thinks is inevitable to give her money in return for her company.  The character Nobu helps to build suspense in the book because the reader wants to know if Chiyo is going to have to spend the rest of her life with a man that she doesn't love.  Throughout the book, Chiyo has many interanl conflicts because of this.  She knows that Nobu has a deep interest in her, and it seems as the the man that she loves, the Chairman, doesn't even notice her.  Another antagonist in the story is Hatsumomo, the older geisha that lives with Chiyo.  Hatsumomo goes out of her way to beat down Chiyo emotionally and physically.  This helps to build suspense in the story because you never know when Hatsumomo will strike and how Chiyo will react.  An exapmle of Hatsumomo's meanness to Chiyo can be seen in the quote, "A name as sweet as she is. I'm afraid these days even the common chambermaid can call herself a geisha. So, it's nice to see such a sincere young maiko, isn't it?"  In this quote, Hatsumomo is making fun of Chiyo at a formal gathering.