Final Blog Reflection

Reflection

The quality of my writing has gotten progressively better due to more practice and reading. One example of this is in my first blog post I have three grammar mistakes and in my newer post I have only one. This is a quick example of how my writing got more refined over the trimester. This helps the reader and shows improvements in quality by having not as many grammatical errors. Another example of my writing quality growth is the length of which my post was near the end compared to the beginning. You might think that this is a quantity over quality but the length of my newer post had more in it with fewer mistakes. I also added in my newer post interactive and viewer friendly comments. I asked questions like “You might ask why do I like the series so much?” I also add a closing sentence talks to the viewer, “Thats all for now, I am close to finishing the 3rd book and moving on to the 4th and by the way, they keep getting better. :)” Adding questions and comments to the reader to help them get actively engaged shows improvement on quality because I have entertained the viewer more than I did in the beginning which is a main objective to be reached in blog posts. Since I am more viewer friendly and open up the reader more they can find enjoyment through connections.  When I wrote my blog post a month after my beginning I felt that my blog posts started to achieve the blogger type writing style more than an essay type of writing. This has helped in quality because I can write in different formats and have expanded my comfort zone as a reader and increased my writing abilities.

One thing I struggled with was the ability to change my writing style by using more casual terms rather than fancy terms used in essays. I overcame this challenge to make my blogs more real and authentic by trying to write my posts as if I was talking to someone in a friendly conversation. What would I say if I was talking to my friend about the book, do I use big words with my friends, etc. I think that this change helped my quality of my blog post by creating a more authentic me reflected in my writing instead of the cheesy words to impress my teachers.  A strength I had in my posts was the dedication to reading books and telling my true feelings instead of hiding to seem normal. This strength helped a lot because I always had material to talk about where some people didn’t read and had to write a ton about Romeo and Juliet instead of books they want to read. This made it easier to want to post blogs and make them lengthier rather than getting them over with as fast as I can. I did not meet my reading goal of 10 books in the trimester which I knew was not going to achieve but pushed me to try. Last year I read a total of 10 books all year which was a pitiful amount but I wasn’t pushed to read or challenged. I was impressed that I read 6 books in the trimester and am happy with my reading abilities. Next English trimester I will try to achieve this goal. I used goodreads.com a lot to help with book recommendations which helped me get into the Heroes of Olympus series which I enjoyed a lot. I think that it helped me connect to other people through books although I stopped updating and checking near the end of the book. I have improved as a reader throughout the trimester a lot. One example is that in the beginning I read one page per minute or so and now I read 2 pages in a minute or so which helped me finish more books in a lot faster time. Another thing that I improved on as a reader was connecting with the author and the book for more enjoyment. Near the end of the trimester I read a lot more and enjoyed books a lot more also. Overall I grew as both a reader and a writer over the course of this trimester which is great.

Romeo and Juliet

     In Romeo and Juliet we are on the fourth act and so far it has been romance with some bits of action. Overall I have not enjoyed Romeo and Juliet.  The action was a little lame because Shakespeare didn't explain or write about the violence. This in my opinion was a lame. You can vividly write about the action an stabbing but he just says Mercutio falls. I know this is not the focus of the event, it inspires Romeo to kill Tybalt and get exiled which leads to problems that help lead to the untimely fates of the young lovers but never the less I think Shakespeare could have added some things in for the male population. This brings me into the next point, Romeo and Juliet are not meant for guys unless they get forced to by their girlfriends and/or school. The whole message and topic are against what guys want; love and romance. Most guys like action and adventure not saying girls don't but that's what guys prefer. Shakespeare had some opportunities to include action and adventure, the fight scene could be elaborated or maybe their are more guy scene about relaxing.

     This paragraph will explain my hopes for the future acts to make them more appealing for guys. Shakespeare can show that the world is nothing beyond the walls of Verona by adding in wildlife and showing Romeo struggling to survive by fighting off bears or spear fishing, something other than Romeo sitting in the woods writing poems and crying because he is separated from his love Juliet. Romeo needs to show he is a man, sure he killed someone but that was out of anger not from him being "manly". I know it wouldn't contribute too much to the plot but it would show how the people of Verona think that the outside world is bad and the reality of it being not bad. I think if I was writing this play I would try to expand my audience as much as possible without losing the real morale and lesson. That what I feel so if your a guy and agree comment if you don't still comment.

Finding New Books

     Now that I have finished the House of Hades I have to wait a full year before the next one comes out and then that series will be over forever. The Percy Jackson and Olympus series have been my favorite series as I told you earlier and it seems sad that it will all be over in year. I hope I can find another series as good as this one. With that being said I can get into the purpose of my blog; finding new books and the difficulty. I find new books difficult because I want to keep reading the same series even after it’s over everything I think will suffer in comparison. Time after time I find that a new series that is just as good or even better. You would think I would learn but it just happens time after time and it discourages me to read. I am positive that you have once felt that way and as readers we wish that it could be easier to find a new book. 

          

      I think that to help these problems you should find a book before you finish the one you are currently reading. This may seem weird but it would eliminate worries about the new series and you can get straight in. I have been using this and so far it has worked great for me so I hope it does for you too. Another strategy is to go on websites like Goodreads and find books that are related to the series you are reading now. I love recommendations and find that the Goodreads ones are accurate. My last tip to find a book speedy fast is to ask a friend about books they like. This is a pretty obvious one but I think people underestimate the ability to find good books through friends. I have gotten a lot of recommendations like the Heroes of Olympus from my friend and it has turned out to be one of my favorite book series of all time.  So keep reading so you don’t question your books! That’s all the recommendations I have so far so until next time see you.

The House of Hades-Tartarus

     The House of Hades tells views from different main characters; two of which are located in the Underworld in the place of Tartarus. This place Tartarus is the place where monsters go for eternity to reform after death  and face their misery for the bad deeds done by them. Riordan describes Tartarus as a  person rather than a place which has intrigued me through the book. I never thought Tartarus could be a person but it looks and feels like one in the description provided through the book. A line I liked was, "The Doors of Death was Tartarus's heart it all made sense now." This is an important part of the story and also tells us that Tartarus is in fact a person. Along with this is talked about monsters acting like blisters on Tartarus's skin, reforming and always coming back and when they were full grown they pooped and let out monsters. This was a great metephor for the reader to understand what was happening in this Underworld.

     I feel that Tartarus really is a person, an immortal god of course but not a place anymore. This has changed my thoughts on the afterlife of these monsters, they don't go somewhere Tartarus guards them in his body, he has to be one of the oldest Gods around with a job like that. This was a fun and interesting take on the underworld and I liked every bit. It was a bit weird at first but then I got used to Percy and Annabeth climbing on Tartarus and going through him like blood in a human body. The view had changed how I viewed Percy and Annabeth's journey maybe it was like they made up Tartarus and without monsters Tartarus was without blood, he would die and shrivel up. There is always to sides to things and the monsters kept Tartarus alive and vice verse.

Theme for Mark Of Athena

 I read another book in the series I'm reading over the week from Monday to Wednesday and this book I felt had a great theme I could write about. This book is about a team of 7 demigods with amazing abilities stopping this rising of giants and the Mother of the Gods. Each one of them has an important role in the quest. A theme presented in this book would be; even the smallest abilities and actions can save the day or keep up the structure.  

One thing I have learned is that weaknesses are in everyone but if you have someone to pick up for that than you are a perfect team. All these demigods have weaknesses and all of them are covered with each other, Percy hates the sky, Jason is Zeus’s son. The best team is one that has no weaknesses because they all can be counteracted by each other. One demigod who thought he was a third wheel was Leo and he changed this entire trip. He built the transportation they have been using for this whole entire trip and was willing to sacrifice some things to keep them going. Leo feels like he has done nothing but really he has done and affected this entire quest. Another person who feels like he has done nothing is Frank and he has saved his crew-mates so many times it’s unbelievable. He can shape shift and has caught, swam, and flown to so many rescues that keeps this journey alive. This story is all about one person struggling and the rest of the members helping him/her through their struggles whether that is emotional, mental, or physical.

(How this applies to the real world)

This thematic statement can apply to the real world because if you play a sport and you make one play that could change the game. You block the shot that would have gone in and made tie or lose; or you catch the ball which gives you the first down to keep the drive alive. In a job maybe you kept the project on time or you made up for a missing person to make sure the restaurant went smoothly. There are so many applications for this thematic statement. I would say that this theme is universal and can be related to humans at any time.

Review of The Son Of Neptune

      Over the weekend I virtually had nothing to do on Monday because all my friends were out of town and I was alone in my house with nothing but an Xbox 360, pool table, ping-pong table, T.V, Ipod, Bikes, etc. So I decided I would read The Son Of Neptune which turned out to be an addiction. I got so hooked I read for 7 hours the whole entire book which took up most of my day. I was so happy to be reunited with Percy and his thoughts I couldn't put the book down. I loved the book so much I had to finish the 510 page book in one day. This is why you won't see any other post about this book.

     This book starts you off just like Jason was in the beginning of The Lost Hero. Percy is running away from monsters with zero memory of his past life an not understanding his abilities and position. I think this was a great similarity for Riordan to make because you can see that Percy and Jason are in the same position trying to get the same job done to hopefully save the world. This book was better because it referenced back to Percy's past which I knew about and in The Lost Hero I didn't know much about Jason's past. When I would remember old characters and things Percy faced and he had know clue what or who they were I found humor and sadness which made me feel sympathetic towards Percy's position. I got to know Percy so well in his previous series that I felt like I got to relearn everything about him in a new book. This made me feel nostalgic and this created so much happiness that I couldn't stop reading, I wanted to know more about Percy and his adventures. I also learned a great deal about the Roman side of the Gods and the twin camp of Camp Half-blood. The Roman camp (Camp Jupiter) was very different from the Greek camp, more serious about war, stricter, and had favoritism towards other Gods that the Greeks' really hadn't considered important. This made me feel like I was learning about the Gods and series all over again.

     You might ask why do I like the series so much? I love this series so much because it is a Home-run in every category. I love history especially the Greeks which it has. I also love action and fight monsters that you don't see everyday and this books sure covers this all right. Another thing I enjoy which is weird is riddles and this book has prophecies that are composed of tons of riddles. I also love to read book that has some romance and awkwardness but not tons. One last thing that really makes this book the whole 9 yards is its charcters who have real, authentic personalities and cool powers like controlling water and shapeshifting. I would say this book is perfect to anyone who loves those things. I would put it higher that Divergent series by a long way, this is easily my most favorite series I have ever read and highly recommend it to anyone. Thats all for now, I am close to finishing the 3rd book and moving on to the 4th and by the way, they keep getting better. :)

Review of The Lost Hero

     The Lost Hero was so good I read the last 350 pages in 2 days. I think that this book is easily one of my favorites and should be rated high as well. I love history and the Greek Gods have always fascinated me. I love reading if I can find a book that satisfies my tastes of action and interesting backgrounds; then I will read that book as fast as I can. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who liked the Percy Jackson series and is interested in Greek and Roman Gods. 

     One thing I loved about the book overall is that it connects to the other world of Percy Jackson and the Greek side of the story. I loved the Jackson series and to have it all connected was a huge bonus because I wouldn't want to have to start all over again. I also think Riordan made a great transfer to Jason being the 'main character because he is so common to Percy that it feels almost like the same person. This book is also setting up for Percy to come back in the next book and that would be amazing if Riordan can make his beloved Percy come into this series also. I hope Riordan does make this connection into this series because I loved the other one and would love to see some of the book have Percy Jackson do some chapters and make it like old times. 

     Another thing I loved about this series is the uncanny similarities to the Jackson series. One thing I noticed is that Riordan use 3 characters and two of them are getting more serious about there relationship. This is exactly how Percy and his series was like. Another thing I noticed is how the leader of the group is always scared he can't succeed and doesn't want to be in power. I think not wanting power is a great leader quality because then the leader won't try to take it all when he is placed with power. I also noticed that they have an ability to really make the Gods mad at them and not create friends among them. Al though these similarities might seem small they make the reader still interested in the book because these are similar to the other series.

    Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Gods or the Percy Jackson series. I don't recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read the Percy Jackson series.

The Lost Hero

     I am so far 137 pages into my book and have been enjoying the book so far. This book brings back some memories from the 6th grade when I started and finished the Percy Jackson series because the plot line is the same. I like the plot similarities now because I feel like this is the same world more than I would have if it was different. In my previous blog I felt that Riordan was just copying and milking off his other successful series but now I realize that he is just trying to show you the same world in a different point of view.
    
     My favorite part of this book is how Riordan splits chapters by different points of view and I think that this is a great technique for helping the reader understand the characters better and the decisions they make which effect the overall plot. This technique is really mastered when he creates secret that you don't learn about a main character because you see the point of view from another person and this is fun and creative. This change in character perspective is sort of new to me, I have only read this once before and it makes the variety in books a lot more enjoyable.

     One thing that I hoped for was that a main character be a son or daughter of Zeus and one of the characters is (don't want to spoil anything). This fulfillment has made me one of the happiest readers I think a person can be towards a book. When I found out that he/she was a son or daughter of Zeus I was thinking of how obvious it was. I missed so many clues that it embarrassed me but I was still happy that it happened.

     My final point that I want to make is the absence of Percy has made me upset a lot over the book. I enjoyed having Percy's character in the book because he was exactly like Jason and could be a strong leader. I think though in the next book that Percy will come back and effect the book a lot.
 

Start of The Lost Hero

     I am starting a new series and I have chosen the Heroes of Olympus series. The first book in the series is; The Lost Hero. This book so far is about the main characters of Jason, Piper, and Leo who are close to mirroring the main characters in the Percy Jackson series. I have read all the Percy Jackson books and enjoyed the Gods and how the story focused on the demigods fighting with the Gods. This story begins with a similar problem, the Gods are having problems again and the demigods have to do something to save them.

     So far this story has been all about these three characters going through a mystical creature and learning that they are sons and daughters of the Gods. In the fight Jason, who is uncannily similar to Percy fights off the beast and saves everyone. Then people from the Percy Jackson series show up, one being Annabeth who thought she was going to find her boyfriend there, Percy. The group gets hauled over to Camp Half-blood which is in a little chaos of itself from a dragon running rampant.

     This book has been so far the same mirrored story as the Lightening Thief. I like how Riordan is trying to make his stories connect but he is writing and reusing the same plot line and story. This makes me a little mad because I want something fresh from the Roman side of the story. I almost feel like I am reading the same story again and I don't like that, especially because I have seen other authors make this transition. I hope the more I get into the book that the story strays a little bit more away from the Jackson  series.

Shakespeare

     In our Language Arts class we are reading Romeo and Juliet; the author, well known, is Shakespeare. When I was doing research on Shakespeare I read a lot of how Shakespeare had done things that were almost business like. One thing I read was about how Shakespeare bought a gatehouse property and was said never have lived in it. This tells me he was waiting for the property cost to go up and sell it for a profit or Shakespeare was loaning out the gatehouse to customers. This is a risk and an business man thing to do. He must have known what he was doing because he sold it years later when the city got bigger.

     One other curious thing Shakespeare did was buying stock in a business that he was a high ranking officer in. Stocks are also a thing that buisness men do to help make more money, along with investing in their own company. These actions started to get me thinking on why Shakespeare wrote and did what he did. Did Shakespeare want to be rich instead of being known as a great play writer? Did Shakespeare really do any plays or did he just buy them in business deals? Or was Shakespeare just an overall intelligent person?

     In my opinion I think Shakespeare was more of a business man than a play writer. This is what I think Shakespeare wanted to really do. You might say that Shakespeare was a great writer and if he wanted to be a business writer he should have gone to business school. I learned from my research that all boys his age went to grammar school and other writing schools for education. Shakespeare being a smart business man would have known that he should use what he's skilled at to earn money and then from that job invest it into stocks and property. An according to a chronological timeline this is what Shakespeare did. Shakespeare became known then he started to use his wealth to help invest in business.

     One more thing before I finish my blog is about the "Lost Years of Shakespeare." These 2-4 years of  Shakespeare's life could of been spent doing anything; glove making, apprenticeship, or business school. This is a bit of a stretch but I think this could of been where Shakespeare learned his knowledge of making money and stocks.

Review of Insurgent

     Usually I do summaries and reviews together because that makes sense so you know what I'm talking about but since I did an extensive summary in the last book I feel repeating would be a waste of time. So if you want a lead into or refresher on Insurgent, go ahead and read my last post.

     Now that I have that out of the way I can start my review. This book has lots of similarities to the first book to the way it's written and the structure with some plot too. Although as I stressed in my last review of Divergent I told you about how much annoying romance there was and how I didn't enjoy it. Just to give you an idea of the romance level I will give a quick sneak peek, "He [Tobias] kisses me back. His hands start on my cheek, and then brushes over my side, fitting to the bend in my waist, curving over my hip, sliding to my bare leg, making me shiver. I press closer to him and wrap my leg around him. My head buzzes with nervousness, but the rest of me seems to know what it's doing, because it all pulses to the same rhythm, all wants the same thing: to escape itself, and become part of him instead." Now if you don't think that is somewhat romantic then you might want to read it again. This scenario happens through the book all the time and has really been annoying rather than cute or well placed. I do know this is bias because I'm a guy and that's not what I'm looking for in a book but then again this is my review so if you don't agree put it in a comment or write your own blog post.

     If I ignore the romance I liked the book a lot and read it in about a week, I don't like reading at all and this was a great accomplishment for me. I don't usually pump out 500 page plus books in a week so I enjoyed the story and how fast I could read it with comprehension of what's going on. This should tell you how much I liked the book. This book was one full of mysteries and bound of twists. The minute you thought you knew something was going to happen something completely different happens and it was fun. I like books where I have to solve some of the pieces not just looked at the finished puzzle. The author makes you see multiple points of views and motives of people that fueled the conflict and made Tris want to go on this wild journey. I just want to say if you like twists and enjoy books with complicated plots then this book is perfect.

     My final thing I have to say about the book is Roth's ability to make ever character you meet mean something in the outcome of events, even ones you forgot about from Divergent. I also remember and realize that if you pay close attention to what Roth says then you can predict most of what happens in the future. This reminds me of Scooby-Doo and how one person they met always ended up the criminal. I like a book that can do this with actual twists and not make it too easy to predict. I hope that if you enjoy books like this than you will give this series a try.

Summary of Insurgent 2/3 of the Way Through

     So far what has happened in Insurgent is Tris, Tobias, and abnegation members have been using the Amity campus as a refuge from the Erudite. The Amity are a faction and so far have been neutral for the war between Erudite and Abnegation. Marcus has been working using his political influence to persuade the Amity to help the Abnegation cause but Amity wanting peace are stubborn to join. Tris a curious person has been lurking around the Amity compound and stumbled onto Marcus the only leader left of the Abnegation talking to the Amity leader. Marcus talked about how the Abnegation were hiding secret and powerful information that Jeanine wanted to know since she loves information and was suspiciously dangerous. Once Jeanine found out the information she wanted all the people who also knew the information to die which is why she planned the attack on the Abnegation in the last book. Tris curious of the information tries to convince Tobias; boyfriend and son of Marcus to help her find the secret information but Tobias thinks to bias and decides not to help her and calls the idea crazy.

     While Tris is once again snooping around the compound she hears cars which are only driven by the Erudite. Tris in panic decides to warn the other refugees and tells them to leave. They all decide its too late and decide to hide from the Erudite by blending in. When the Erudite start to catch on they make a run for it and some of the Abnegation died but the main characters survived. Not to give some spoilers I won't tell you which characters did in fact die. The refugees then search for a sanctuary and decided that the factionless could help, this decision was a little biased because they had guns to their heads. The factionless bring the refugees to the factionless headquarters. They are told that they can stay and the other Abnegation are in the Abnegation headquarters again and some of the Abnegation leave to find their former faction. The Factionless also told the Dauntless refugees that the faction has divided into halves, some with the Erudite and some with the Candor. The group of Dauntless refugees in the factionless and with Tris. When they get to Candor they are surrounded by Dauntless soldiers, the soldiers capture and arrest Tris and Tobias only under the charges of treason. They must go under trial for there part in the serum in the last part.While taking the trial they must reveal secrets and personal layers that will help the Candor people to show they are telling the truth. How much can Tris reveal? Will she cause conflict and outbursts with the secrets she knows, only time can tell?

Halfway Through Insurgent

     So far I'm halfway through Insurgent and I have enjoyed the book. The author Roth has made Tris traumatized of holding a gun now, since she killed a good friend. This and her nightmares about the day of the attack has made Tris have erratic and unstable behavior. Tris has been pushed to the brink with thoughts of suicide and insanity. One thing has always kept her from turning though; her parents dying for her. When Tris threatens suicide she starts thinking and stops herself, "I lean forward, into the air, holding onto the window with one hand. Another few inches and my weight would pull me to the ground. I would not be able to stop it. But I can't do it. My parents lost their lives out of love for me. Losing mine for no good reason would be a terrible way to repay them for that sacrifice, no matter what I've done." This is in the thoughts of Tris who has a lot on her plate like most girls and is having problems with everyone. I think this moment will help Tris latter in the book because I feel she will have to shoot someone and will remember this to shoot the person.

     Tris and the people against the Erudite reign of Tyranny are creating a master plan using the divergent to help them achieve their goal. In the book it talks about the leader of the Factionless, Tobias's Mother is watching and marking the Divergent population. I have some predictions about the reason she is finding the Divergent. One of my predictions is that Tobias's Mother know that the Erudite will poison the  enemies and she wants to know how many people she has to fight against the serum. Another prediction is that she wants to know so she can turn in the Divergent for the other people's safety. I am not sure if I quite trust Tobias's Mother yet but I hope she turns out to be a person who wants to stop the Erudite. I think Tris needs all the support she can get from everyone because she is going through a rough time but she can fix it if more people rally under her.

Relationship Between Tris and Tobias

     The most important relationship for Tris the main character in the book Insurgent is the one with her boyfriend Tobias. In this book so far, both characters have witheld information from each other because they can't trust each other. I personally feel that the Dauntless initiation has made them not have the ability to trust and rely on other people. The Dauntleess leader Eric has decided that trusting is not a major priority for being brave and therefore has concealed it and disapproves of it. I also say that the information they kept secretive is personal but if they want to be in a commited relationship they have to have some level of trust. One part in this book when they both reveal truths they have witheld from one another unwillingly comes out they start to get mad at each other. Here is the quote, "'Tris, I wish you had trusted me [Tobias] enough to tell me things like that.' 'Don't pretend this is only me problem,' I [Tris] say. 'I don't trust you,you don't trust me either.'" (160) This quote best represents their relationship struggles because they come straight out and say they both have problems trusting each other.

     I know what this is like, I have not told people close to me secrets about my life and they do hurt not to tell, but the sooner you do say the better the relationship stays. I'm sure we have all heard our parents and adults tell us that it is better to own up to the things we do bad than to get caught. I think if they would have told each other even if they had doubts the relationship could grow to a point where they did trust each other. Now of course I don't quite understand the problems they face because i have never had to admit I killed someone to a girlfriend. I'm not going to pretend that I know exactly what they are facing beacause I don't. I think this helps people connect and enjoy the book even when they aren't facing the antagonist.
  
  I do like how Roth adds more conflict to the story than just a flat plot with one problem. I feel like this is more real than just a plain story, I enjoy books that I can feel that could happen, not just too far out there. In the future I think I will try to find more books that show changing and realistic relationships rather than one with a cool fighting scene with a cool cover.

My Hopes for Insurgent

     I just finished Divergent and the book had a half ending. The book finished some conflicts and problems but still left with a lot more. One hope that I would like to see is Tris having some closure about her killing Will who was a great friend in Dauntless. She is terrified every night with nightmares that include Will. One quote I found was, "I wake with his name in my mouth. Will. Before I my eyes, I watch him [Will] crumple to the ground. (1 Roth)" This quote resembles how Tris is still haunted by her killing Will. I don't think Tris has weighed the options of the situation, it was her or Will. If she died the war would cause thousands to die and her mom would of died in vein. Where if Will dies then she loses a friend. Tris did do the right thing, I don't think she has realized this yet.

     Another hope I want for Tris is for her to trust Tobias enough to express how she feels. She always pushes and pulls Tobias to her. I think she still has problems knowing what love is, coming from her Abnegation background, I do want her to learn that love is whatever you want it to be. I feel like Tris is scared of Tobias which is not helping their relationship, Tobias doesn't care if Tris isn't perfect. Tris has to get past some of these insecurities and this will help Tobias and Tris get into a serious relationship.

     My last hope for Tris is that she and Tobias can beat Jeanine and end the faction war. In the last book Tris and Tobias got away safely from the war and in this book I hope they can end it and put Jeanine in her place. This is the main plot point for the series, I know but I would like to see the third book be more about the world outside of this dystopian Chicago. I want to know whats out there, did the world go to war? Was there a financial crisis, did Chicago go independent?
     

Summary and Review of Divergent

     On September 9, 2013 I finished my book Divergent. In a future dystopian Chicago is turned into a city with factions that help run the neccassary things for Chicago to survive. The five factions and there roles are; Abnegation (Government Body a.k.a Congress), Erudite (Advance science and knowledge, technology too), Dauntless (Provide security), Amity (Grows crops), and Candor (the curious and honest). Beatrice is the main character and is like Katniss in many ways, well rounded but thought of as a threat to the government. Beatrice grows up in Abnegation where you are suppose to be selfless and always care for others which is why they were chosen to make up the government. Beatrice is nice but doesn't feel like she belongs in the faction, and the first day they place the story in is a big one for Beatrice. The day is the apptitude test day for the 16 year olds; they take a simulation that will show their personality, this will help them decide which faction they belong in. On Beatrice test she scores a rare personality Divergent, this personality is dangerous to the leaders because of the way they reign the people and society. The next day after the evaluation they must chose a faction, Beatrice is under lots of pressure and will likely decide the rest of her life, which faction can she chose, which one is safe? Can Beatrice find out why she is considered dangerous, can she stop them?

     My review of Divergent is a very mixed opinion. I do like the plot and the characters in the book, however I don't like the romance between the characters. That being said my biggest complaint about the book from a guy's point of view is the overflowing romance in the book with those cheesy rom com scenes. Everytime I got to one of those parts in the book I shivered a little inside. I am not a fan of tons of romance and this book contained lots of it. This did effect the plot in some ways though and helped Beatrice make decisions. One thing I did like about the book the new spin on the Hunger Games idea and the female protagionist. Right now people are liking the female protagionist and like the idea of the Hunger Games. The author, Roth used lots of description to help show you how Beatrice saw this old rundown Chicago that's divided into factions and parts. Another great thing about how Roth wrote was the her ability to show Beatrice's feelings and character through her actions with other characters. I learned a lot about Beatrice's misunderstandings and flaws with her reactions to characters, one thing i learned was her disability to understand when someone likes you and how to be affectionate.

     Last but not least, I recommend this book to readers who liked the Hunger Games and are ready for a lot more romance, the book is also a little more violent, I wouldn't say 8 year olds should be reading this book either. I would say that this book is a good read, I don't like to read books but this one kept me reading everyday.

Review and Summary from New York Times

Divergent - Tris, Complex Character

     In this novel Tris is the main character. She is similar to Katniss in many ways, she is a girl protagonist, brave, smart, and has curiosity. In the beginning of the book Tris is talking about her life in Abnegation and how she is having a horrible time because she doesn't feel like she belong. One example of this is when Tris thinks, "I have tried to explain to him that my instincts are not the same as his-it didn't even enter my mind to give my seat to the Candor man on the bus-but he doesn't understand, it so easy for him. It should be that easy for me." This quote shows how Tris doesn't fit in with the instincts that the other kids have. Later in the novel Tris starts to change her personality to fit her faction and her true character shines out. Tris has more to her personality as we discover in the middle of the novel, one instance is when Tris is talking in a conversation, "What?" I [Tris] demand. 

"You're Divergent," he [Four] replies. Divergent means that you are brave, selfless, and smart. In the beginning of the book Tris didn't get to show these traits. In Abnegation she would have not shown her traits and she would have been timid to show them, however now Tris is more comfortable with her abilities and is getting use to showing who she is. 

     Tris interacts with other characters with timidness and little emotion. Being a past Abnegation Tris doesn't understand emotions and love. One example of this is when Tris is hitting on Four but doesn't realize it, "'Of course.'" He [Four] winks. I can't help it. I smile. Will clears his throat, but i don't want to turn away from Four, even when he walks back to his friends." In this quote we can see how Tris is attracted to Four even though she has no idea. She can't help but smile and tries to suppress her feelings but can't. Even in the end Tris still tries to show little emotion another example of trying to keep feelings out of her interactions is, "'Do they have to be so public?' I [Tris] say. 'She just kissed him.' Al frowns at me. In this interaction you can see how Tris is not to personal and likes to keep emotion on a minimum with other people. 

     The main character Tris develops a theme early in the story. The theme developed in this story is to be yourself no matter the status quot. Tris lives in the Abnegation faction which character type they focus on is selflessness. When teenagers turn 16 they have to decide what faction they want to live the rest of their lives in. Most teenagers chose their own faction because when they take a personality test the day before that whats recommended. Tris is a special case and is Divergent which means she gets recommended to Abnegation, Dauntless, and Erudite. At the choosing ceremony only a hand full of kids switch factions as I shared before. Tris doesn't want to live the rest of her life being selfless and not having any self indulgent moments so she decides to go to Dauntless. Her dad is furious and shocked by this decision. I know that the author (Veronica Roth) uses Tris to show people that you should be yourself no matter what society thinks. Tris defied what everyone thought and pressured her to chose to follow what she wants to do. This is a great example of being yourself and a lesson to be learned. 

Blog Practice

       Complex characters specifically Cormac Wallace in the book Robopocalypse develop throughout the story. One piece of evidence from the story is taken from the beginning, " The trick is to be calm and methodical, just like them. Rob must've rubbed off on me over the last couple of years." This quote tells me before I've read anything in the book that humans have changed from living lives about not having to worry about surviving to more of an animalistic type of day. In early chapters it talks about how humans were clueless as what was going to happen on December 21, to getting some suspicions. In one of the chapters the book talks about how Cormac Wallace was a boy who worried more about school and his brother. From the quote above, it show Cormac as a tough guy, strong shelled, leader. Cormac changed from a kid with teenager problems to a grown up leading a squad of soldiers.

        Cormac Wallace a main complex character talks and interacts with his and his brother's squad as a tough guy, not caring for much. One example from the text is, "'Fuck our humanity,' I say. 'I want to live. Don't you get it? If you go out there, there going to kill you, Jackie!'" Cormac is talking to his brother who he loves at ton and looks up to. This doesn't differ too much from how he talks to anybody. Cormac has formed a hard shell when he talks, only trying to make decisions and if you don't agree Cormac gets mad. In the beginning Cormac admired people, now he thinks of humans as partners. In the war Cormac has forgot about being polite and says the straight up truth. 

      Cormac pushes the plot and develops the theme by telling the stories and events in chronological order. All the short stories show how the robots started advancing and showing the different alliances of humans all around the world. Cormac's journal helps move from a long period of time (2 years and 7 months) to short chapters to give us quick tidbits that will help us understand the final stand. With the journal focusing on the major events that changed the tide of the war to the humans' side, the book can stop and cut down on irrelevant stuff that swerves away from the plot.

Robopocalypse Movie or Series?

This article is about the development of Robopocalypse from Steven Spielberg. The author talks about the delay and problems of Spielberg's project. The author though did have an interesting opinion, Robopocalypse is a big book and could be turned into a TV series. Do you think Robopocalypse could become a series or a movie?