The New Classic Teen Love Story?

   Wow. Eleanor & Park. Just... wow. I'm about 120 pages into this book, which is already a shocker in itself because recently I've been talking about how I haven't found any new books that I can immerse myself and get lost in. I can't put into words how I feel about this book, but on the day Mrs. Bross assigned 20 pages of independent reading, I ended up staying up till midnight, having read 90.

   This book is written from a third person narrative point of view, alternating from the experiences of Eleanor and Park. It's been done before, but here it seems so purposeful. It does something magical. It creates two main characters, and lets the reader follow and get to know both characters equally as they fall in love. I adore this structure, because it lets me break away from reality, where I'm always wondering what the other person is thinking. Something else I love about this book is it is so realistic. Both characters lead very different family lives, Eleanor having an abusive stepfather and a large, broken family with financial troubles, and Park, a privileged boy who feels pressure from his father. Yet, they manage to bond over a common love for comic books and music, proving that people can have many of the same passions but be completely different in almost any other way. I first realized this when the author was focusing on Park when he saw Eleanor reading his comic book along with him. Rowell writes, "Park didn't say anything. He just held his comics open wider and turned the pages more slowly," (34). At the beginning of the book, both characters judged each other based on their appearances, but here we see that they are not so different after all, which I think is an exquisite start to a beautiful love story.


I found a good book review on this novel by a girl my age, so you can get another perspective of it. If you haven't read the full story yet and don't want spoilers, I recommend only watching to about a minute and twenty seconds into a video, if you just want a very brief opinion on it.

I am hoping that everyone reads this story and it becomes the new The Fault in Our Stars. Fingers crossed!

Eleanor & Park

Since we are going to be testing all week, I decided to pick up a new book to keep myself occupied so maybe my head wont explode from stress. Fingers crossed! Anyway, I'm going to be reading Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. This is a book that has been recommended to me more times than I can count. It seems like the typical love story book between teenagers... actually, now that I think about it, is there really a "typical" love story?


Hear me out. I think that the meaning of the words "teen love story" have changed a lot throughout the year. Before, when you'd hear those words, you'd think of a tail of two star-crossed lovers who took their lives. Now, you're reminded of an incredible story between two cancer patients that had a love that was almost indescribable, thanks to one of the best people ever, my man John Green. The association with those words changes through the ages.


Could this book be the new great story everyone thinks about when they hear those three words? I hope so!

David Sedaris: An Author to Look Out For

Hey guys! Do you ever watch a movie and see an actor in it that you instantly fall in love with? And then have a marathon of all the movies featuring that actor, no matter how big his/her role is? Or do you ever hear a song by a certain artist and immediately feel the need to buy their whole album?

Well, that happens to me a lot, especially with authors. A while back I discovered David Sedaris, you may remember him from one of my past blog posts. This man writes very unique novels: each new chapter in the book is a different short story, or essay (I bet when you read that word you groaned, but trust me, it's not like that). Over the holiday season I was at the book store and was feeling very festive, so I picked up Holidays on Ice by Sedaris, a collection of stories all about the holidays, just to see what it was about. And let me tell you, it was a hoot. No author has EVER made me laugh until I cried, so Mr. Sedaris gets the honor of being the first with this one. Even though it's now April and nowhere near Christmas, I'm re-reading this book, enjoying it as much as my first time reading it. He appeals to many different senses of humor in his book, so if one of the short stories doesn't appeal to you (even though they're all amazing in my opinion), you can just skip it and go to the next! How neat is that?! I highly recommend picking up some of his works when you're in the mood for a good laugh.

Since I read this book, I've picked up 3 other of his collections of essays, and am loving each one. Do you see what I mean about obsessing over a certain author? 

I will now end this post with one of my favorite quotes from Holidays on Ice.

"If I could believe in myself, why not give other improbabilities the benefit of the doubt?"

My Favorite Column

Hola! So in English, we're studying a topic I'm actually really enjoying for once. Just kidding. But seriously I love the columnist unit. I like reading opinionated pieces because they allow me to relate to what the author is saying, or completely disagree with him/her. I like arguing with people - I hope that isn't a bad thing - so naturally when we started this unit I was intrigued.

My favorite column that we've read so far is "The mother of all parties" by Dave Barry. This guy is SO FUNNY. When I was reading this column, I thought it was so funny that I called my mom over to read it with me. I really liked how the author used a lot of allusions because I could easily picture what he was trying to get me to visualize. For example, at one point, when talking about some parties his wife has thrown for his daughter, Barry writes:

"Last year, our theme was ``The Wizard of Oz,'' and my wife decided that, among many other touches, we needed to transform our front walkway into a Yellow Brick Road by covering it with a roll of yellow plastic that she bought from the House of Really Slippery Surfaces (...) Her feeling was, yes, there could be injuries, even deaths, BUT WE WILL HAVE A YELLOW RICK ROAD. And so we did."

I could clearly picture his wife laying down yellow plastic on their walkway and people slipping on their way in, which made me laugh really hard for some reason.

I think it is really important to include references to outside sources so your audience can easily connect to your piece.

If you're interested in finding some more of Dave Barry's work, here is the link to his website:
Dave Barry's Site

Fahrenheit 451 Theme Assignment

Fahrenheit 451 Theme Hand-Out

Theme Statement: People should take action rather than watch a society falter and possibly crumble.

Timeline:

Part 1:

“Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?” (Bradbury 12).

“Montag hesitated. “Was--was it always like this? The firehouse, our work? I mean, well, once upon a time…” (Bradbury 38).

“You weren’t there, you didn’t see,” he said. “There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing” (Bradbury 54-55).

Part 2:

“This afternoon I thought that if it turned out that books were worthwhile. We might get a press and print some extra copies--”(Bradbury 81).

“Go home and think how it all happened and what did you ever do to stop it? Go home, go home!” (Bradbury 98).

Part 3:

“And then he was a shrieking blaze...no longer human or known, all writhing flame” (Bradbury 113).

“We all made the right kind of mistakes, or we wouldn’t be here...You want to join us, Montag?’

‘Yes” (Bradbury 143).

How the theme improves understanding of story:

Throughout the story, Montag displays his self-willed nature, by questioning society at first, which later progresses to him taking an active stance against the government, and acting out against their laws in an attempt to fight for what he believes in.

How the theme connects to modern day society:

In a society in which there are injustices present, the only way change can be brought about is through individuals standing up for what they think is right, and many cases in  modern day show that society, those who take action are the ones who ensure that society won’t deteriorate to a worse state.  

Fahrenheit 451: Final Toughts

     Wow! I can't believe I'm finally done with this novel. I have to say that I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. I especially like Ray Bradbury's writing style. His use of  figurative language and allusions really engaged me the novel and made it so easy for me to put myself in the place of Montag.
     At one point, when Granger was talking to Montag he brought up something I was familiar with. Granger said, "There was a silly bird called a Pheonix back before Christ, every few hundred years he built a pyre and burned himself up. He must have been a cousin to Man. But every time he burnt himself up he sprang out of the ashes, he got himself born all over again" (156).
     This reference to the mythological Phoenix helps Bradbury get his point across to the reader. he is saying that humans make the same mistakes over and over, expecting good results. The Phoenix reference helped me make a connection and understand it better.
     If you are having trouble understanding the allusion, watch this video of a Phoenix dying and being reborn:

Farenheight 451: Narrative from Mrs. Bowels' Perspective

     I slammed the front door behind me and slid down it, my hands shaking and my breathing ragged. I was quite shaken up indeed. I could not believe that Montag had the audacity to read such a horrid story from his book. He has a book. He must be completely off his rocker. Well, I'm sure he'll be pleased to know what the council thinks of it, once I inform them.
     I stood up and brushed the gravel off my pants, suddenly unaware of why I was on the ground in the first place. What a strange thing to do, sit outside when we have chairs inside of our parlor! I walked briskly, eager to get back to my home and listen to my seashells. But suddenly, a strange feeling came over me. I slowed down and noticed something quite peculiar about the trees around me. Their leaves were no longer green, but rather a sea of colors ranging from dark purple to yellow. The air was cool and I could feel it each time I took a breath. At that moment, I remembered something a man had said to me once, not too long ago. I believed his name was Montag. "Go home and think of your first husband divorced and your second one killed in a jet and your third husband blowing his brains out," he had said. "Go home and think of that and your damn Caesarean sections, too, and your children who hate your guts!"
     My eyes widened and I looked all around me. Everything seemed to have changed. The sky was nearly black, but my mother had always told me it was blue. The trees were swaying and I felt a continuous invisible force blowing onto my face, sweeping my hair back. I was frightened, but everything seemed to hit me all at once like a ton of bricks. I started to think about my last husband, whom I had not thought of in so long. I felt like my heart had sunk into my stomach and my head filled with a million questions.. Why had he put a bullet through his head? Wasn't he happy and at ease? Could I have done anything to stop him? Is this what it feels like to miss someone?
     I walked slowly over to a bench at the side of the road and sat down, dread filling me and my desire to go to the parlor had vanished.