Senior Exam

   
   Christopher Priest's, The Prestige is based on a story of two competing magicians in the early 20th century and their constant struggle to out-perform one another. When reading The Prestige you feel like you are part of an endless tug-of-war game. "The man stole my life. I steal his trick," (Angier). 

   Parts of the novel such as plot and characters Priest did an excellent job of making the characters just as mysterious as their magic tricks. The two main characters, Angier and Borden are constantly trying to improve their version of the magic trick names, The Transported Man. Borden and Angier both continue to improve their version and in some cases use life-threatening experiments in order to suffocate their obsessions. Each character also has their own chapter, dedicated to showing the reader their opinion, their tricks and their personal life. This kind of severed writing seems like the best way to explain complex characters. Each character needs that much time because especially for Borden and Angier, there is just that much that needs to be said. But not every character throughout the entire novel had their own chapter to explain themselves. Olive, Borden's love interest was one of the weakest characters because of her lack of dialogue. When it comes to the plot, it is also just as split as the separate chapters. There are no loose ends but the way the story is crafted, it does leave you scratching your head. Every question is answered, maybe not the way you might initially think it should be, but it is answered. There are numerous stories tied together and they all end up answering the other ones question. For example when Angier is questioning Borden on how many times he tied the knot around his wife's wrists before she plunged into the water cage, Borden never really answers fully. There is a quote that sums up both Angier and Borden's thoughts very well. We'll have to dress it up a little. Disguise it. Give them enough reason to doubt it," (Ackerman). Not only is this the thought process of the characters, it's the thought process of the author as well. For as much mystery that takes place in this book, the plot moves quite quickly. Speaking on the quality of the novel, Priest wrote it well using insightful sentence structure as well as thoughts. It is also respectable to create such a serious book about such a light-hearted subject. Ranking this book, it ranks high but for reasons such as topic choice and quick-moving chapters, it does not rank highest on the scale. 

   The Prestige is a complex game played skillfully by two magicians. It reels you in with close success and drops you with devastating defeat. The book is not a read for the lazy or unimaginative. The book does not have time for slow readers nor will it take breaks to wait for them. For example when the reader believes that a certain character is a certain way, they may not be as they appear. And the author will not wait around, or write 3 pages of "fluff" to help the reader figure it out. Priest leaves that up to the reader. On a rating system of 5 stars, 5 being the best, this book rates a 3. The use of language, character development and pace of the story intrigue the reader but also might cause too much confusion. This book makes it easy for people to give up on it. Priest takes magic to a whole new level in his creation of this novel. He brings back the danger to magic and lets the reader live the suspense.This novel has a memorizing quality that weaves a web for the readers. Will you pick it apart?

 

Fiction vs. Non-Fiction

I think to be considered non-fiction a book has to be 100 percent accurate. To me that has always been the definition of non-fiction. The job of a non-fiction piece of work is to tell a story yes, but a true story. When I think of non-fiction I think of those children's books talking about birds or explaining the water cycle. Juvenile I know, but that is what I picture and anything far from that isn't really non-fiction in my book. I believe that it does not matter if you are writing a non-fiction piece and you are stretching the truth, as long as you change the genre of the book from non-fiction to fiction. If not, your writing is an outright lie and should be taken down from shelves until the print on the front cover reads non-fiction. In fact, it's not really fair to do that to other authors. They have worked hard crafting their thoughts ideas and experiences into a novel. They aren't lying when they say they are a fiction writer. So what gives you the right to call yourself something that you are not? David Shields was incorrect when he said that we do not need a distinction between non-fiction and fiction. Yes people can write both, but in my opinion when I pick up a book I want to know how true to reality it is or it isn't. I think not defining this will leave readers with more questions than answers. I think it is important to give readers a fair view of yourself and by taking away the definition of your work, you are not doing that.

Challenges in Adapting a Book Into a Movie

Adapting a book into a film seems like a challenge, but a challenge I woud love to take on. In the book, The Help, there are many scenes that a movie would have to include in order for the film to have the same affect as the book. The one that sticks out the most is when Mister Johnny finds Minny cleaning his home. His wife had been hiding the fact that she had hired a maid in order to make it look like she knew how to run a home. The showed well minny's fears as well as what might actually happen is a white man had found a random black woman in his home during that time period. You really get to know Minny as a character and how she would react in a given senerio. Another scene I would have to keep is when Miss. Skeeter goes on a date with the very arogant bachlor. It gives great insight into Miss. Skeeters struggles and how she is different than many of the young women from her time period. The last scene that I think is vital in making a successful movie would be when Skeeter asks Minny to be the main character in her book she is about to begin writing about 'the help'. This is a scene that also shows Minny's attitude toward her job, her place in society and white women. I think there are also parts that could be felt out of the movie such as when Minny gets yelled at by Mister Johnny's wife. It doesn't have anything to do with the story and I think there are already enough examples of Minny being mistreated. You could also leave out the part about the help raising people's children and how the children they raise end up hiring them as 'the help'. It's also an unneeded detail that does not need addressed as much as it is.  

Book Project 1

Book Project 1- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children trip to Wales!

Jacob Portman couldn’t get enough of Wales, old homes and solving the death of his beloved grandfather. And now you, the fans of Ransom Riggs novel summer novel can experience the suspense and discovery for yourself. An exclusive trip to Wales includes an eerie tour of the children’s mansion, a travel through the time loop and a chance to meet see Miss. Peregrine in her bird form.

In Miss. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Jacob Portman discovers and old abandoned, destroyed mansion that he eventually find out, contained his grandfather at one time. A fter intense exploration and unknown time travel, Jacob stumbles upon the children and Miss. Peregrine herself. The amazing place of Wales offers the reader the chance to personally experience what weather, city and lifestyle that Jacob was exposed too. “Fog closed around us like a blindfold. When the captain announced that we were nearly there, at first I thought he was kidding; all I could see from the ferry’s rolling deck was an endless curtain of gray. I clutched the rail and stared into the green waves…” (Page 66).

The old mansion was destroyed when Jacob first found it but the reader will be able to experience the house both ways. The first home they enter will be like the one Jacob first found, burned and torn apart with old artifacts and pictures scattered about. The second house down the road will contain actual people dressed as each child, performing each special power they have and even Miss. Peregrine herself in bird form. She will be located in the rear of the home, placed in a large, black iron cage. There will also be pictures floating around the home. Pictures of Emma and Jacob will be lined in a specific order to tell the story of them, “The entire history of my love life in a dusty box in the closet,” (Page 229). This quote from Emma herself explains why the pictures are so important to not only her and Jacob’s relationship but to the plot of the story as well. 

 One of the last expeditions that will be offered to the fans will be a chance to solve the murder at the bay themselves. The hunt will take them to different places around Wales like the bar/hotel that Jacob and his father were staying at as well as the bog which Jacob is forced to run through multiple times in the novel. "I could feel the bog sucking me down with it. The more I struggled, the more it seemed to want me. What a strange find the two of us would make a thousand years form now, I thought, perserved together in the past," (Page 303).

                Travel is enjoyable for most people and seeing new places and having new experiences broadens people’s perspective. Taking the time to travel to a foreign country will give the reader the exact feeling that Jacob had. People who maybe had only a slight interest in the book while reading it will be able to dive deeper into the novel. The experiences they gain from Wales will begin the craving for more books from Ransom Riggs. This will be an experience of a lifetime and hopefully will encourage those involved to read more from Riggs as well as continue their stay in Wales longer than the tour and exploration of the home. Not only is this trip designed to encourage more reading but it encourages peoples own exploration. I want people to begin to live like Jacob, and I think once they connect with the character on such a deep level, they will be able to fully understand why he did the things he did and why he traveled to all of the places that he did. Minus the flesh-eating monsters maybe.

What Is A Book?

A book is map. Books teach you lessons, show you how to live and sometimes, show you how not to live. But all of this knowledge is gained from the words, not from the illustrations or the thread that went into sewing both covers onto the front and back of the pages. I agree with Joe Meno when he says that the book is more important than the actual form it takes. There have always been words but they have constantly changed the way in which they are displayed. For example, people used to write down important information onto stone tablets, then animal hide and now paper. I think the next step in this line of change is to view the words from a computer screen. Do I personally think that reading off a computer screen is the most comfortable way to view something? Absolutely not, but it’s the way that technology is heading. And it has been proven in the past that no one can slow or stop technology form advancing. I enjoy leafing through the brilliantly colored books at Barnes and Noble just as much as anyone else. I enjoy sitting down in a big comfy chair with a warm latte and reading all afternoon, looking up 3 hours later with ink on my fingers. But if technology is changing that experience for people, then I don’t feel like I can do anything to stop it. Soon there might not be a Barnes and Noble down the street that I can browse through. Said? Yes for me it is, but I can’t really do anything about it. I also strongly agreed with Victor LaValle when he makes the point that we worship the actual physical book too much. It’s not the hardback cover that we pawn over so heavily, it’s the message inside that kept us turning the pages at 2am. The message is what needs to be ‘worshiped’ or appreciated, not the physicality of the novel. 

Why Do We Read?

Why do we read? We read to imagine. We read to learn. We all read for different reasons yet we all gain the same thing from reading, new knowledge. I’m not an avid reader but I do enjoy the task. Some of the favorites include The Great Gatsby and The Wettest County In America. I learned something new from each book. For example, in The Great Gatsby I learned about relationships and about solid writing. The author worded his sentences in such a way that you felt like you were standing right where the character was. I don’t say this very often because I’m a movie lover but Great Gatsby is one of those books that could never be fully represented in a film setting. The vocabulary and sentence structure is just too vivid to put into film. From reading The Wettest County In America I learned about our country’s past. I learned about the moonshine industry and how much turmoil it brought throughout America. I learned about sibling relationships and the battle between good and evil. These books both stand out in my mind and mean something to me. We read to learn and we write to express.