Red 2.0

Red 2.0

I'm glad I am posting this after class, because I ended up going to dinner with Maggie this evening, and something she said totally related to the book: it reminded her a lot of the school play, and how it seemed like the girls in both the book and play were whining about life. This seemed very interesting to me- though I thought the same thing, I never related it to the play.

Now, there were instances in which this "whining" was appropriate, but for the most part, it was just a bunch of girls whining about what they hated in their life. As much as I like reading, I don't like to read non-fiction. I did appreciate the book, but I just needed a plot and one specific character to follow. This book reminded me a lot of a case study, which is exactly what our school play was- Reviving Ophelia.

I totally wouldn't have chosen that play, first of all, because the boy character was a jerk, and second because I don't think the audience likes to hear about a bunch of depressing stories. I totally understand why the book ties into our class, and I did like some of the stories, but for the most part, I just had a hard time paying attention. Again, I'm willing to bet it's because the book is non-fiction.

I like books like Part-Time Indian. =D

My Young Adult Novel

My novel would be amazing, because I'm awesome! It would be about my life, from birth to present day. I would tell my most awesomest stories (which is pretty much every single story I have to tell), so it would be pretty long. I would totally use the illustration method that Alexie uses in his novels, because I think it makes for a more interesting read. Also, I would do the illustrations myself, because why hire someone to do it for me and have to split my profits with them? LAME!

I would use my experiences from my life and they would be relatable to teens because I feel that the way I write is pretty relatable to people. It is easy to read and I tell it "like it is." Therefore, it will be an easy read for everyone.

Kids and adults would totally buy my book because it would be critically acclaimed on all of the Best Seller lists. I would probably write it like I normally write, which is humorous. It may have some bad words and some parts that would make it banned in high schools, but it would be okay and probably allowed to be read because I am awesome and my book would be so good! And of course we can't forget that Hollywood would come knocking at my door for rights to the movie! I would probably want to write the screenplay as well though, because my life can't be summarized. There would definitely be sequels. And Britney Spears would be in my movie because she's awesome and talented! =D

Part-Time Indian

I loved this book! It's one of my favorites! I loved everything about it, from the pictures, to the storyline... It was a great read, very easy, fun, etc. I think a lot of the issues in the book, though heavy in subject matter, were toned down because of the pictures, humor, etc. from the author, which I think makes for a more enjoyable read. It was very easy to connect with Junior because Alexi made him a very likable character.

I found that this book could be enjoyed by teens and adults because of the way it was written. Also, I feel it would make a great movie, but I agree with what we discussed in class about how Alexi isn't sure about an actor who would be able to play Junior. I think it would take a talented, diverse actor, maybe even someone who is unknown, because of the diversity of the book. Junior would need to be play by an actor who won't overshadow the character because the character is too good to be overshadowed.

Lastly, I wish someone would have told me about the dog dying. This was VERY hard for me to read. I cried. I don't even think I will be able to put my own dogs down. Well, I know I won't. I just don't like hearing about puppies dying. :( And I wouldn't be able to even IMAGINE if my dad did that to my puppy... I would be so upset/depressed/grief stricken... It wouldn't be a good thing. This scene would totally have to be omitted from the movie...

Betsey Brown

I wasn't very fond of this novel. The ending left a bit to be desired. I just felt like it was incomplete, I guess. I was expecting Carrie to come back and when she didn't I was like... Oh... :( I understand why Betsey's mom fired Carrie... That's like, duh... But still, I mean their relationship was like a mother/daughter relationship. That's just disappointing to a reader. Other than that, I really am not sure what to say. I just was disappointed with the novel. I appreciate what the author was trying to do, but it didn't seem controversial to me (except maybe when the white teacher didn't know black poets). I just felt that there were many directions the novel could've gone and it didn't. Like the ending... She's contemplating life? We went through that with her, it was like a recap. If I wanted to recap, I could just go on sparknotes. That seems like a waste of pages... I don't know, just disappointing to me... Sorry... :(

Essay Outline

For my essay, I am going to concentrate on how authors choose to speak in an adolescent voice, even though they may be much older than the character they chose to portray in their novels. Obviously, I will set this up with a beginning paragraph (introduction) explaining what I am going to talk about and why. Ideally, what I wanted to talk about is a comparison to a novel I have currently read that featured a teenage character and then one of the ones that we have discussed in class (this is all of the information for the bulk of my paper). If I can do that (I still need to check and make sure) then I would probably be using The Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks, and Charlotte Temple, because that is my favorite novel in class so far. I think it would be interesting to compare the two, especially because of the amount of time when they were written. I would discuss what is taboo during each time and focus on the obstacles each character has to overcome and why they are so relevant to the time period in which they are written. Also, I think that the message of the novels needs to be discussed as well, because each novel was written for a specific purpose. If I can't use The Last Song, I will just use another novel we have read in class. Lastly, I will do a conclusion paragraph summing up what I have talked about.

Huck Finn

I honestly have to say that I can't stand reading Huck Finn. I don't like that it is written in slang, though I totally understand why Twain did it. However, I like watching the movies. I think it is just hard for me to read because I can't even stand when people talk in slang. It is just confusing to me. I really think that if the story would be edited and written in proper English and there were the original version and a proper English version, I would enjoy reading it more, because I really like the story lines. That said, I obviously had a hard time reading it and probably missed information because I drifted off while reading it. Again, I understand why it is written in slang, and it was controversial for the time it was written, which I appreciate when an author does that, because they are usually trying to make a point. I wish I could have read it without a bias, but it really didn't happen. I tried, which I guess is all one could ask for. I will just stick to watching the movie with Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

Modern Charlotte Temple

My modern day version of Charlotte Temple would basically leave the characters with the same names. I really liked their names. Here are the changes:



When Charlotte gets pregnant and Montraville decides to marry Julia, Charlotte goes mad. Since she is against abortion, she won't get rid of the baby. She goes to confront Julia on her wedding day and her and Julia get into a fight. Charlotte ends up falling down the stairs and goes to the hospital, where she learns she has had a miscarriage. Julia blamed the entire fight on Charlotte, so Montraville doesn't believe that Charlotte is innocent. Charlotte becomes depressed and believes that no man will ever love her again. La Rue gives Charlotte several ideas of how to get over Montraville, one of which is to have a sex change and become a man. Charlotte, being young and impressionable, falls in love with this idea, as she thinks she won't be able to have children ever again. Afterall, no man will love her, she may as well start liking women. Charlotte goes away to Mexico to have her sex change operation, and in the meantime, Montraville hears about what happens and finds out the truth from a guilt-stricken Julia. He heads to Mexico to get an annulment and then goes to find Charlotte. However, before he can get to her, Charlotte has had a successful sex change operation and she is now a man. Charlotte, now Charlie, learns that Montraville is right outside her hospital room. Charlie allows Montraville to see him and Montraville apologizes and confesses his undying love to Charlie. As soon as Charlie hears this, he is overwhelmed with emotions. He apologizes for everything that happened with Julia and tells Montraville he still loves him and has never stopped. Montraville says he will love Charlie even as a man, and when Charlie is released from the hospital, they plan to get married. They also plan to adopt a child in a 3rd world country (after hearing about Angelina Jolie's adoptions) and live happily ever after.

Charlotte Temple

The ending of Charlotte Temple was really good. I actually enjoyed the book. It reminded me of an episode of Days of our Lives, which is probably why I liked it. I am really interested in reading the sequel. I didn't like that the narrator kept cutting in to the story to tell the reader what was going on. I know that was a popular literary device at the time, but it just got on my nerves. Also, I really like Montraville at the end of the story, because I think he felt bad for what he did. After all, Belcour was more the one to blame... That's just my opinion...

Essay Ideas

Some of the ideas I have for my essay are as follows:

Can adults write authentic teenage voices?

Finding a role model

Fear of the teenager

The differences between how real teens write and how former teens write

The quest in teen novels

I am not sure which one I want to do, but I am thinking on it still. I have a few ideas for each, but I am probably leaning more towards the role model, writing teenage voices dor the differences. Maybe the quest. Not sure...

Last Friday's Discussion

The reading and the discussion from last Friday got me to thinking about a few things. First of all, I found it interesting about what Hines said about how males view their types. Being a boy, I can say that, for me at least, this is true. A lot of my family is overweight, and I have been fortunate enough to maintain a decent physical appearance. Now, I'm no Marky Mark, as Hine mentions, but I'm still slender enough to take pride in what I look like. However, until reading this, I really didn't understand or realise just how relevant this actually was. Some of the things that Hine mentions, such as the showers in gym class, stood out because that's exactly how they happened in my gym class.

Another thing that stands out is how pro-youth the author really is. Though it does seem at points that he could be anti-youth, I like how he tries to (and successfully proves) that teenagers are, in fact, valuable resources to all generations. The very end of the book sticks out because Hine states that "we should accept youth as a gift that can benefit us all... We were young once too (304)." I believe this is very true. I can't stand when old people are always complaining about young people and vice versa. Maybe if people took the time to listen to each other instead of bitching about and at one another, problems would be solved and everyone would (somewhat) be able to understand one another. I understand that times change and it may be hard for a younger person to grasp an elder's perspective (and the other way around), but it's not that hard to take time and listen to each other.