I am still reading The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Scheider. The main character, Ezra, is getting more and more complex as the story goes on and as he gets to know the new version of himself after his accident. The accident isn’t talked about much in the story, but I predict that more details are going to be uncovered because it seems to relate to multiple characters. Currently, Ezra and Cassidy are spending a lot of time together because they’re a couple, both within the same friend group, so Ezra is also doing a lot of activities with his new friend group. He is progressing on the debate team and overall just learning a lot of new things in general. He is finding a balance between who he is now and who he used to be through interactions with old friends, and socially accepting himself more. I think the author does a good job of keeping the story engaging because it keeps portraying Cassidy as a mysterious, new girl who has a lot going on for her that we don’t know about.
Author: KATHRYN B
The Beginning of Everything– Reading Update
The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider is from the point of view of Ezra Faulkner, the main character in the book. Ezra is a dynamic character in general because of his new found situation after he was injured in a car accident. So far he is experiencing his new life, without the same activities and sports he used to be able to do, as well as the relationships in his life that are changing and being introduced. One of them is with Cassidy Thorpe, who I think is the most complex character in the book even though we don’t see her point of view. Cassidy and Ezra quickly become friends because she is new to his school- I think because Ezra feels new too, after coming back from his accident. Cassidy has a history of winning countless debates and organizing fun events at the debate competitions. However now shes dropped out of debate all together. I think there is a reason for her decisions and more to her character in general, because she doesn’t really like to say much about herself.
Book Review- One of Us Is Lying
Overall, I really liked and recommend One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus. It keeps you interested throughout the whole story, although there are some parts you have to be patient with, especially because the mystery isn’t solved until the end. The sudden, mysterious death of Simon happens at the beginning of the story, and the characters present for it are drawn into the mess that unfolds the rest of the story. Throughout it you learn secrets that contribute to the complexity of the mystery, especially the ones about Simon and the truth behind the sudden death and who was really involved. Almost if not all of the characters featured are dynamic because it really thoroughly describes each individual character’s thoughts along the way. The chapters are set up to rotate through each character’s perspective which also keeps the story very interesting during the entirety of it.
Fresh Ink Choice Reading- Super Human character development
In the coming of age story Super Human by Nicola Yoon, Syrita is a dynamic character who is overwhelmed with and learning from her emotions. She was the first person to ever be saved by the superhero, X, and has been sent to stop him from destroying the world. She first admits that she has changed since being saved: “That’s how Syrita felt about herself too. There was the Syrita she’d been before she was almost killed—rich, frivolous, untouchable. And the Syrita she’d become after, was still becoming, really” (200). Syrita first acknowledges that she is still finding herself and who she is since that traumatic experience happened to her. The visit with X is making her confront a lot of things about herself and her connection with him. Furthermore, she is constantly trying to analyze and understand X to get to the reason why he wants to destroy everything and everyone. “And those black eyes are looking at her with equal parts pain and wrath. She wants to tell him not to be angry, but how can she ask that of him?” (207). She learns that X was shot by police earlier in his life just because of his race, and starts to see a whole new, complex side of him. She realizes that his past experiences are influencing him and his decisions more than she thinks. This allows her to make a big decision that will hopefully bring out the side of him he is losing. “She’s counting on his humanity. She walks over to the edge of the roof and falls backward” (209). Syrita is putting herself at a huge risk to show X that humanity is still valuable, and there is still a lot to live for. Overall, she has to learn a lot about X and what will convince him to spare the earth during a short period of time, with intense pressure, and everything at risk. There had to be a lot going on for her internally to be able to handle this situation.
One Of Us Is Lying– independent reading update
I am still reading One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, and so far I really like it. It follows a mystery from the perspective of a group of high schoolers who were all in detention when their classmate had an allergic reaction and died. I’m kind of at a calm point of the story where nothing big is happening because of the investigation, but it still stays interesting throughout the whole story.
Poetically Dealing With Loss: “champagne problems” by Taylor Swift
I think an example of music poetry is the song “champagne problems” by Taylor Swift from her evermore album. The whole album has a calmer tone than her other albums because I think the songs are more about processing different problems. “Champagne problems” for example, paints a picture of someone trying to deal with a loss but being conflicted about it, how much help they should get, etc.
In the beginning of the song, she sings,
Your mom's ring in your pocket My picture in your wallet Your heart was glass, I dropped it
I think the last line is similar to a metaphor or simile because she is comparing her someones heart to something she can/did shatter. The line helps get introduced to the problem and how she feels responsible for part of it. Another line say,
And soon they'll have the nerve to deck the halls
That we once walked through
She is referring to ex friends in this verse, but I think it can be related to more than that. I don’t know if she is using a specific poetic device, but the clever wording shows how much the situation impacted her, even if we don’t know what it’s about exactly. The deck the halls lyric sounds like poetry to me. Finally, the last verse of the song says-
You won't remember all my
Champagne problems
I think that this is a very powerful last line because even though it doesn’t use much figurative language or poetic devices the simplicity of it after such a powerful complicated song stands out. I think it shows that after all the experience and thoughts the person just went through, it can still be put into another perspective and invalidated in a way. I think that’s also why this song goes through a lot of complications that come with loss and how you can tell how conflicted the person is.
Overall, lyrics that portray this deep of a message and story can easily be compared to the way poetry communicates different themes.
The Inheritance Games Book 2- Review
The Inheritance Games is a series that has a third book coming out soon. I recently just finished book 2, “The Hawthorne Legacy” that has a detailed and intriguing story line like the first book. It follows the story of The Hawthorne’s, a very wealthy family in Texas. When the uncle and keeper of all the money dies, an ordinary girl named Avery is called to the Hawthorne property for the reading of the will. The books follow Avery and the Hawthorne brothers as they try to solve mysteries that the old man left behind for them, and figure out why Avery is there in the first place. I recommend reading the books in order, as the 2nd book wouldn’t make sense without reading the 1st one first. The second book however, keeps the story going with new events that keep you interested.
The Little Mermaid
THESIS- The Little Mermaid, (the 1989 film), promotes a dominant narrative that women should sacrifice themselves and anything about them to adapt to a man’s needs. While Ariel is a confident female lead that sets herself apart from the rest by departing on adventures despite her obligations and restrictions as a mermaid, she still represents the dominant narrative when the prince comes into play. After falling for the powerful male character, she immediately focuses on doing anything possible to be with him, including giving up her own assets and life altogether.
I agree with the cultural analysis of Pochahontas and how they found that it incorrectly portrays Native Americans and what happened when Europeans first came to America. Using examples from the conversation between her and John Smith was a really good point because the relationship is a main storyline to the movie.
English A Blog - Our Stories 