The Life of Pi: Section 2

Section two is a part of the book where one with a weak stomach might need to take a break or two.  But the  initial focus is put on Pi's religious practices.  If one were to place people into certain sects or religions, Pi would not fit into any one of them exclusively.  He simply wanted to find one way to God, and does not care about the specific details that might entail.  Eventually he did get baptized and such and found his way to God.  Later, after Pi's father makes the decision to move to Canada, the narrarater meets Pi's wife and children.  Soon Pi's decision to set sail on a ship turned bad as the ship crashed and sank.  Pi was spared on a lifeboat and ended up with a tiger named... Richard Parker?  Pi would go on to explain the name for the tiger.  As he goes on living with his new "family" in the animals he was with, the hellacious part of this section comes with the actions of the hyena that he was with.  Then he finally find himself some water.  And did he relish in the joy of it!!  This section really revealed a lot about Pi's character and more of what he really was deep inside.  Anybody put in those kind of conditions would probably also show their true colors.  This is obviously not a great stopping point, so I ended up going further before I was supposed to (oops), but I would not necessarily define that as a problem.

The Life of Pi: Part One

My first impression of The Life of Pi was that it was very mysterious and shaded.  This trend seemed to continue through the first part of this book.  Sometimes the switch between Pi's narrative and the narrorator confused me and made me confused on what was what.  But overall, I can see that this beginning is leading to a major event that turned this story in a crazy direction.  To me, the beginning so far seems like an almost regular story of someone growing up... So I am really in anticipation of this change.  I am a little tired of hearing the story of the origin of Pi's name and of his growing up in zoos honestly, but I expect that something different will happen in Part Two.  Hopefully the story of Pi develops even more as the story goes on.

The Color of Water: Section I

Initially in Chapters 1-9, I was very intrigued by the switch of point of view in going between Ruth and James' point of view.  It really in the beginning showed an adult and child's opinion, and you could tell by the way that it was written.  I really felt like I learned a lot about Jewish backgrounds and lifestyle's through Ruth's descriptions of her life.  I found the story after her husband's passing about riding through the black neighborhood streets very interesting and really helped me realize toward the beginning how much different Ruth was as a person and a mother.  She even completely turned from her Jewish background religiously and became a rather devout Christian.  I don't feel like I learned as much about James as I did Ruth.  But it was interesting to hear his opinion on how it is to have a mother that was different and how he responded to questions that he faced.  Overall, I saw this section as kind of a stepping stone to the highest and most strong points of the book.  I feel that it is gaining momentum as the book goes on, and leaves me in anticipation of the events to come in the book.

Stephen King - On Writing!

I think anyone that knows me personally would know that reading is not my cup of tea.  However, "On Writing" by Stephen King opened a new horizon on the topic of writing for me personally and changed my outlook on the art of literature.  Stephen King's allusions to writing through his life experiences truly was a different approach than the standard, some would say "textbook" methods of teaching writing skills that one often sees today.

King takes gives each aspect of writing its own personal overview in this book.  He examines the different attributes of a good writer and gave his opinion on what should and should not be used;  Take for example the literary device of passive voice.  King holds a strong and negative opinion of this device, saying that it almost seems fearful and scared to get to the point.  It got me thinking, and he has a very valid point.  The passive voice is rather weak and avoids reaching directly to the core of what one is trying to say.  King is also a stickler for good word choice and using vocabulary wisely.  He doesn't like when vocabulary words are tossed into paragraphs like a football into a crowd;  King strongly believes in having a high vocabulary, but using it in ways that enhance the MEANING of the writing and it doesn't just add unnecessary wordiness.

I really appreciate that early in the book King introduced the reader with his personal stories.  It would have been so easy for him to have just given a list of his qualifications, a quick intro, and then a bunch of writing information.  Yet I think as a great writer himself,  he understood that this was not going to attract many people and could even bore someone that was an aspiring writer.  Even though I am not planning on going into any writing field,  I could relate to his personal viewpoint and enjoyed hearing his stories, even from his early days working with his brother's small town paper.  I am convinced that using this technique that he indirectly sent to the reader would improve anyone's writing, especially if the main topic of the literature is not exactly "attractive".

"On Writing" undoubtedly surprised me when I read the first 25 pages.  I personally had my ups and downs while reading it, sometimes being bored out of my mind.  I think it is partially my fault for being closed off to the topic, but overall I would say that this book gives very respectable and commendable insight into even the slightest of details of how to write in different situations and venues.  If I encounter anyone who is headed into a field in writing or journalism, I will now make sure to recommend this book to them.  In hindsight, I may have not been the most interested in the topic, but I was impressed with the deep evaluation and advice provided by Stephen King in this book.  Thumbs up to King for "On Writing"!

State of the Union: We're Awesome!!

There's a reason that I have a title as "exotic" as I do.  It's because that is really the vibe that anyone that tuned into the speech got.  Obama's exciting, although superficial statements would catch the attention of anyone that had any pride in their country.  Now when it came to making real points and promises, President Obama was not empty-handed.  He assured that Republicans and Democrats would work together, and that statement was supported by the actions of those respective parties in attendance.  Unlike previous years in which each party would sit separately (a vague way of showing their refusal to agree on any matter), this year the parties mixed and sat together.  I would venture to say this gave a "united" feel to the government of the United States, and probably improved his perception in the eyes of an everyday US citizen.  If the goal of the speech was to give us as citizens a "warm" and "comforting" view of our country's state, then Obama certainly succeeded in that manner.

However....... This is not the purpose of The State of the Union speech.  His sole purpose is to lay out the "state" of our country and how we are doing financially, economically, and socially.  I'm not so sure that this speech accomplished anything more than being a pep talk for the country.  The added facts were superficial and only half-truth.  I mean who really believes that there is as little wrong with the country as President Obama leads us to believe?  I do appreciate the enthusiasm he shows and I feel it is a vital component of a great leader and president.  However, as informed citizens, I feel that we have the right to know to a decent extent the ups and downs of our country at this time.  So if you are seeking information on our current recession, oil prices, or economy struggles, this speech is not the answer.  Although it created excitement for the future of the United States,  it left many questions un-answered and many well-informed citizens shaking their heads.

On Writing -- Toolbox/Part 2

Wow, what a dramatic change I saw in the first third of the book and the second!  Even though King continued to use life examples and such to explain his writing techniques and critiques,  he used them differently in this part of the book.  Personally for me,  all of the information to be taken in about writing skills could get a little bit boring.  But he used blunt humor to really capture my attention and help me stay connected with his explanations.  I found the first part of the book to be more interesting probably because I am more of a simple reader; I don't really like to read ABOUT reading or writing.  It seems almost redundant to me; But at the same time, I see its relevance and I understand that it is important for aspiring writers and readers in general to learn reading and writing skills, especially from as talented of writers as Stephen King.

A very good thing about this part in King's book is that he avoids making the book just another lesson on how to write, like in your standard English class.  He adds in his dislike for things like adverbs and passive voice, and gives advice on how to use your vocabulary.  The personal touch makes it so much more applicable, because often students will zone out on your ordinary literary critiques.  I feel that I can translate an abundance of information from this section into my writing in the weeks to come.

Stephen King: A Different Story to Stardom

In Stephen King's autobiography and self-proclaimed guide for writers, he elaborates on his rise to stardom in the writing business.  In the beginning parts of the book, we really only see his humble beginnings as a writer and how he started off with a small town newspaper and even his brother's small community paper which weren't exactly "mass produced".  I found the approach King took to writing this autobiography very entertaining.  He didn't just write a "trophy case" book, as many famous figures seem to.  He explored through his good times and bad, and added personal detail (sometimes vulgar, haha) to all of those situations.  His writing style leaves you in anticipation of what's going to happen next.  I think this is mostly because he presents how his childhood and early years were not any different then the average person, and the reader can identify with that.  It is especially a phenomenal read for aspiring writers, as it gives them inspiration and shows them that even the most highly prestiged writers come from very humble beginnings.  His humor level gives a loose-ness to the read and helps to  avoid a manual-like experience.  Overall, I came away impressed with the first part of the book and I am left with an eager anticipation of what's to come in this clever and funny autobiography.