crooked house

I spent the whole day reading Crooked house by Agatha Christie. This book was SO interesting I just couldn't put it down! This book was more than just you're average murder mystery. Everything was designed intricately enough that the reader could not pinpoint the murderer right away (and in my case, mistake another character for the murderer). The characters all seem capable of committing a murder. They all have a somewhat dark side to them and could benefit from killing their grandfather. Another thing I loved was how the author was descriptive. I could just picture what each room in the big mansion looked like. I was really REALLY shocked when I found out who the murderer was. The character did not seem like they would do something that extreme. Overall, I was impressed with how the author was able to create such a complex murder mystery and have such a clear idea of what the setting was like. This book was one of those books that are just enjoyable reading. But if I had to state the theme, I would say it's : "do not underestimate ANYONE. Everyone is capable of doing anything if they really want to."

The Alchemist: the language of the world

Santiago understands the language of the world, while the Englishman is trying to figure out/learn the language of the world. I think the author values intuition and learning through experience more than gaining knowledge through reading books. I guess knowing the language of the world is something you cannot achieve through books; you either know it or you don't. The Englishman has spent years deciphering literature about Alchemy, yet he's still gotten nowhere. He knows what results he should get, but do not know what steps he should take to get them. The boy, on the other hand, just naturally gains everything the Englishman is looking for. I think it will be interesting to see what each character achieves by the end of the novel.

The Alchemist

Along with all the make up work I had to complete, I was frantically reading The Alchemist to catch up in English class.

Some interesting things about the book so far:
-At this point, I don't think the boy was madly in love with the merchant's daughter. If you're madly in love with someone, they should always be on your mind (meaning you do not just forget about them), which isn't really the case here. He even said that himself; the merchant's daughter is not as important as his sheep. At the same time, I don't think the author would bring in that character for nothing, so maybe the merchant's daughter will have some significance later on.
-The author always uses the word "boy" and never his name. I think this is done to portray the boy's character and personality in part one. Maybe the author will start using Santiago when he becomes a more knowledgable person.
-The boy's way of learning is mainly through experience and observation rather than through "proper" education. One of the author's message for the readers?
-The King of Salem seems to be omnipresent.
-Between the time period of his encounter with the thief and starting to work for the crystal merchant, the boy suddenly becomes wiser.

Inkblotz: Issue #2

Today I read all the poems, short stories, and wise sayings in the second issue of Inkblotz. This was actually my first time reading Inkblotz, so I was really suprised to see how many talented writers we had at our school. I think each of the poems and short stories with an emotion as a theme (joy and envy) succeeded in portraying that emotion perfectly. When I was reading them, I was thinking, "Yup, that's exactly what envy is." The short story I could relate to the most was the one about the older brother being envious of his younger brother. The younger brother is basically a bad kid. He deserted his home and attends parties everyday, where he gets drunk. Ever since he left, his father has been sitting by the window, waiting for him to come home. The older brother is a good son who does not get into trouble and does everything in his power to please his father. Yet all his father looks to is the chance of his younger son returning home. The poem I could relate to the most was the one titled math. I feel exactly the same way about math as the writer does :(

Vanity Fair

So I've been reading Vanity Fair and it's actually taking me longer than I thought. First, the book is the same length as the fourth harry potter book, more or less. Second, I have so much schoolwork that I am not reading every single day and forget what happened in the story the last time I read. I've had to go back and re-read some of the story a couple of times...

It still bothers me that women did not have rights during this time period. The only way for women to gain class in this society was by marrying the "right man". The ideal husband was a man from a well to do, respected family and a steady income. It did not matter if the man was old enough to be your father or had a nasty personality. Rebecca, when hunting for a husband, aims for a rich man. The first person she goes after is her best friend's (from school) older brother. He is a chubby merchant in India who has absolutely NOTHING attractive about him. He only cares for food and drinks, nothing else. In Rebecca's opinion, he is also on the dumb side. But she chases him and flirts with him because he has class and money. I'm really glad that our current society doesn't really have that kind of a mindset anymore...although some people still do consider being rich more important.

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair is a novel about a young girl Rebecca wanting to move foward in society. Although she is a very accomplished, bright young lady, she is constantly ignored because of her family's social class and because of her job as a governess. Rebecca tries to increase her rank in society by trying to marry a rich bachelor and winning over the affections of "important figures" with her charming personality.


In those days, governesses were looked down upon even though they were very learnt and educated. The wealthy and the nobility thought of them as "high class wannabes" and ignored them. Yet it was okay for a boy from a middle or low class family to move up the class ladder. This is shown through the life of another character in this novel. I think this mindset is ridiculous and sexist. What makes it okay for men to move up the social ladder without anyone lashing out at them, but not for women? Why is this profession not acknowledged? Women have to learn and master subjects in all areas (not just academics, but cooking, sewing, etc). I think this is a much bigger accomplishment then learning just one trade or living off of family fortune's.

Short stories and AR questions

I really like the short story unit we're doing. I actually like stories that are really twisted and creepy, kind of like Lamb to the Slaughter or stories that have an unexpected ending because it leaves the reader really shocked. I really enjoyed reading Lamb to the Slaughter because the ending just left the reader hanging. The reader has to imagine what happens next and figure out the character of the wife. Is she psychotic? Does she have a mental disorder? I think the author was wise to leave the reader hanging because that just makes the story even more creepy and scary. I thought she had a mental disorder because her giggling at the end was a symptom for a mental disorder I learned about while peer editing in writing class. I also did not know Roald Dahl was capable of writing such scary stories because usually he writes books for children. His novels are kind of weird too and have a lot of imaginary creatures involved.

I read Mrs. Sen's today between getting my haircut, shoe shopping, lunch, and food shopping. I could really relate to what Mrs. Sen was going through with being in a completely new country. She always compares things to the way things were in her country. She always goes, "In India they always had..." I do that all the time and I'm sure people get really annoyed and just want to tell me to shut up, I really can't help doing it. I guess Mrs. Sen and I both miss our homes too much.

Question on the AR reading test...
when is it going to be set up? Because i really need to return my library book, i'm tired of renewing it :p

I finished reading The Catalyst. Kate was really self-centered and selfish in the beginning. She thought she was in the worst situation ever and pitied only herself. Even though she knew that Teri had been through a lot more than she has, Kate could not bring herself to symphatize with Teri. She's too caught up with her own life plus Teri has always been a bully. I think one of the messages the author is trying to tell is "even if you don't get into the college of your dreams, it won't be the end of the world. life will still go on." She's trying to say there are more important things than just studying and going to a prestigious university.

I think this is a good message for a lot of Korean students (including me). In Korea, students AND parents are obssessed with getting straight A's, scoring well on the SAT, doing well in AP or IB classes, graduating top of the class, and getting accepted to one of the top colleges in the US/ world. A student's high school, and sometimes middle school, life revolves around achieving these goals. But life isn't about going to Harvard; it's about what you choose to do with your life after college, what kind of a person you become.

I can personally relate to Kate's busy high school life with no sleep. Even though I'm not in any IBs yet, balancing forensics with school is really difficult. I prepped SO MUCH for the first competition because if I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it right. Sure, it paid off, I placed well in both of the events I participated in. But now, because I was working so hard on forensic stuff, I'm so behind on school stuff that is all due next week. I'll pull it off somehow because I'll be so hard on myself it I don't, but it's just stressful...

'I've been running too much. My legs need a rest.' -Kate Malone

I couldn't agree more.

Climax

Although a series of unfortunate events (harhar) have been happening one after another throughout this novel, the climax would have to be when Mikey was killed. Mikey, Teri's younger brother, was playing in his new house when he was accidentally electrocuted. Teri is SO devastated by this; "She howls louder than an ambulance, louder than a thousand screaming crows, eyes rolled back in her head so she doesn't have to watch the worst of everything, this end." pg 154. Her reaction breaks down the "tough girl who doesn't have feeling for anyone/anything" image that she masked herself with for so long. Mikey was the one person Teri really, truly cared about.


At this point in the book, the reader finds out a lot of things. First, Mikey was actually Teri's SON. I'm guessing it was her father's doing since he seems like the only character that has been introduced to the reader so far that would do such a thing. It also reveals how Kate's thinking about Teri has changed. Before Teri moved into her house, Kate only knew the outcast Teri who did mean things to her when they were younger. But now, Kate knows what Teri has had to deal with at home and understands why she put a barrier up so people couldn't get through. Kate wants to protect Teri: "I hold her shoulders, slippery, desperate, to keep her from crashing." pg. 154

A character worth examining

A character I didn't mention in my last post is a girl called Teri. Teri is your average outcast who doesn't have any friends. She has a mother who is blind and a little brother. She's a tall, big girl who uses violence to protect herself from the bullies. Kate does not really like her because Teri always bullied her in elementary school. But she's forced to be hospitable toward Teri and let her be a guest in her house when Teri's house is burned down.
Teri has a shield up when she is with people. She's automatically rude and doesn't want to open up. This is also because of the things she has gone through in her life.
Teri and Kate don't get along because both have a prejudice of the other. Kate thinks Teri is just a mean person who doesn't care about anyone else and who isn't worth her time (she'd rather spend time coming up with a plan to get into MIT). Teri thinks Kate looks down on her and bullies her around.
I predict by the end of the novel, they are going to find out they're more similar than they realize and will get along.

Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

The story is so far very interesting, which is good because I hate it when books only get interesting in the last thirty pages. It's about Kate Malone, a senior in high school whose dream is to be accepted into MIT. She's an over achiever; she took AP courses in science and math, scored well on the math SAT, and is on the track team. Kate has two family members. Her dad is a pastor and her younger brother is a perverted fourteen year old. Her mother died when she was in fourth grade, and according to Kate, she isn't really saddened by her mother's death because she died when she was little. Her mother graduated from MIT. Although it doesn't say much so far, I think that Kate does miss her mother and wants to follow in her footsteps. She has a boyfriend named Mitch, a best friend named Sarah (who also has a boyfriend). Her life suddenly takes a quick turn with the occurring of several events, one of the first being the rejection from MIT.
I think this book can be a good way to see how human psychology works. Kate is so obssessed with MIT and confident about being admitted that she reacts unrealistically to the results. A normal student would be sad, but admit the reality of the situation and try to move on. Kate thinks they've made a mistake and comes up with a plan to plead her way into MIT if they haven't made a mistake.
The story is interesting so far, but I think it's kind of obvious. Kate was obviously going to be rejected (to create a story) and I think in the end she's going to learn to move on.