Music project

American Musical Theater has a set of distinct characteristics that set it apart from other theatrical art forms. Unlike a ballet or an opera, a musical uses song, dialogue, and dance to further a story.
Some different categories of musicals include:
Musical Comedy: "The modern conception of a musical". Musical comedy is a family friendly art form that stars high quality singers.
Operetta- A form of musical theater with positive and light subject matter.
Musical theater traces its roots back to Ancient Greeks, who included music in their stage comedies. However, modern musical theater is an offshoot of the operetta, a type of French theater that became popular in the 19th century. Operettas were like operas, except they included speaking in-between songs and tended to stay away from darker subjects. The 1866 musical comedy The Black Crook is generally considered the first modern musical that included dancing and the use of music to continue the story. The period spanning the early 1940s to the late 1960s is considered the golden age of musical theater, with the introduction of such plays as Camelot, West Side Story, Oklahoma!, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, Cabaret, and Guys and Dolls, but musical theater is still going strong today.


We chose "Chim Chim Cheree" from the musical Mary Poppins mainly because it was a good memorable piece that a lot of people knew from the classic movie. As for our cover, we did a musical summary of the movie 300, which was an epic look at the Battle of Thermopylae. We chose this because each of us liked the movie and knew the story and characters well. The most challenging part of writing a musical was writing the lyrics. We pretty much wrote a poem and so the tricky part was making the syllables in each stanza match up with each other so the rhythm of the song wouldn’t be ruined. As for highlights, all of us would agree that our performances of Chim Chim Cheree were the most fun. We rehearsed well and were able to get our parts memorized easily. It wasn’t long before we actually sounded good.

Current Event

Title: NASA preps for '7 minutes of terror' on Mars
Author: Kate Tobin
Source: CNN.com
Date: 5/23/08
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/05/23/mars.lander/index.html
Summary: NASA is prepping for the landing of the Mars Pheonix Lander on Mars, which, if everything goes right, will land on Sunday. It was launched last August. Seven minutes is all it takes for the spacecraft, travelling nearly 13 thousand miles per hour to hit the Martian atmosphere, slam on the brakes, and reach the ground. During that time, onboard computers will hopefully work to do things like deply the parachute, extend it's three legs, activates the heat sheild, and turs on its thrusters for a nice landing.
Reaction: I find this really exciting. I didn't even know they launched this thing so this i the first time I've heard about it. It is just amazing to me that technology has come this far. This machine was able to fly through space by itself and then if everything goes right it will be able to do all of the elaborate things to land safely on Mars by itself. The NASA guys say this device will provide the next big step to finding out whether or not there was, or is, life there, or if there is able to be life.

Vocab

Interminable

interminable - incapable of being terminated

Indiana Jones is intemrinable. No matter how far in over his head he gets, he always comes out alive. I really hope number 4 doesn't suck tonight.

Tranquility

tranquility - calmness; peacefulness; quiet; serenity

When we visited this place called the Golden Pavilion in Japan I thought it was the most tranquil place I have ever been to. We visited it when the sun was setting which made it even more traquil.

Tortuous

tortuous - full of twists, turns, or bends

The Viper rollercoaster at Six Flags is tortuous. It's full of hills and loops.

Senescent

senescent - growing old

Harrison Ford is like 65 now but despite his senescence, he did Indiana Jones 4, which I am seeing tonight and I really hope it doesn't suck :) .

Proximity

proximity - nearness in place, time, order, occurrence, or relation

I am so glad there is a Panda Express within th proximity of my house. I can walk there when ever I want!

Laboriously

laborious - requiring much work, exertion, or perseverance

It is laborious to be able to skate like Willy Santos.

Intuit

intuit - to know or receive by intuition

Ross Roemer greatly intuits history. He lways knows the facts and spots the fallacies.

Reticence

reticence - reserved

Old people usually have reticence, not in a bad way though. It's more of a relaxed, mature thing.

Education/Technology Article thing

I agree with the article. All that spendin is unecessary, especially when it's on something as useless as textbooks. I remember when I was at a public school the teacher would tell us to read a number of certain pages and respond to questions out of a textbook and I immediately felt un-motivated (is that a word?). It isn't a good way to teach for that reason (many kids jsut won't want to do it) and it is just a regerigation of history in a very boring way so it is no wonder I remember pretty much nothing from textbooks. Application is key. That's why I like this school and feel like I've learned more. To get a good education, schools need to be like ours. Through projects we get to really see the application of a certain concept and this way we will truly understand it. Also, instead of textbooks being the teacher, the teacher needs to be the teacher. It's much more personal at HTHI and the teachers are always willing to help you understand something you can't quite grasp. Working home alone with a textbook won't do that. I think that's the only preference I have. I think it's the only necessary one for a good education. As for technology, I don't think it is a necessity. It makesthings a lot more easier but there are other ways to learn. Still though, in this day in age, it is probably better to utilize technology in our education system because it is ever-present in today's world and the kids will probably need to know how to work with it.

Book Report - Jurassic Park

Crichton, Michael. Jurassic Park. New York, NY. Ballantine Books: 1991.

I chose this book because I just fund out my mom had it and I wanted to read it. Movies that are based on books are usually always different. This is a sci-fi book.

Instead of just recapping briefly on the main idea of the plot, I'll describe the parts in the book that are not in the movie, just so I don't have to describe the movie every one has seen too many times. The book starts out in Costa Rica and Isla Numblar (an island of the Costa Rican coast) and there are numerous incidents with people presumably getting attacked by dinosaurs. One of the scenes is actually one that was put into the second Jurassic Park movie, where there is a family on a beach and their daughter wanders off to get attacked. Also unlike the movie, there is an intense river scene that involves Dr. Alan Grant and the two kids, Tim and Lex, use an inflatable raft to go down a river in Jurassic Park and pass through an aviary with pterodactyls and later go over a waterfall where they have to escape from the T-rex again. Hammond (the founder of the park and the company InGEN) breaks his leg and is eaten by little dinosaurs called compys. At the end, the Costa Rican Air Force picks up the survivors and then bombs the island. They tell the survivors Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum's character in the movie) died from his injuries caused by the T-rex earlier in the story. (In the movie he lives and is in the second one). The survivors are then taken away by the Costa Rican and U.S. governments.

I chose the funniest character of the story, Dennis Nedry. Seeing the movie before reading the book already put a picture in my mind of what he looks like, which is fat and goofy. He has somewhat of a loser status and seems immature at times but the he is a diabolical genius. He breaks in to the park's DNA bank and steals one of each of the specimens in the park to give them to a guy whow will pay him great money. Unfortuantely, when trying to deliver the package the storm gets takes its toll on his jeep and he gets stuck. While trying to fix this problem, he runs into that pesky acid spitting dinosaur and gets eaten. The novel even mentions how Dennis, while blinded and paralyzed by the goop that was spat upon him, could feel the warmth of his intestines that he was holding in his hands due the fact that he was sliced open by that same dinosaur. Poor Dennis.

I liked the novel better than the movie. It went into greater depth about how they made the dinosaurs and how the park worked and just made everything more realistic. It also added in more action sequences which is always a plus.

Michael Crichton wrote other science fiction books that apparently were good, like the Andromeda Strain. I definitely will read one of them sometime. I am also might read The Lost World, which is the sequel to Jurassic Park because I am sue it will be very different from the crappy movie, like this book was, except the first Jurassic Park movie was actually pretty good but the book was still cooler.

Current Event

Title: Fresh shocks hits China's earthquake zone
Source: CNN.com
Date: 5/16/2007
Summary: An aftershock hit parts of China already devastated by an earthquake, causing landslides, blockng roads, knocking out phone lines, and burying vehicles. It was a 5.5 magnitude earthquake. Death tolls are at 22,069, with 14,000 still buried, 159,000 injured and 4.8 million homeless.
Reaction: It is so hard to believe an earthquake could do so much. This article is the first I have even heard of the first earthquake let alone the powerful aftershocks. I have never really thought much of earthquakes and then hearing that this ridiculously tragic amount of people have died, gotten buried, inured, or lost their homes is just unbelievable.

Non-Profit Stuff

Name: Splash

Logo:

Splash is an environmental organization that seeks to raise awareness of the environmental impact of car washing and to promote alternate methods that leave smaller ecological footprints.

Vocab!

This is a picture of a just married couple. Amorous - they are showing that they love each other first of all by getting married and then doing things like sharing a dance. Awkward - it was probably a little awkward on there first date until they started to warm up to each other and decide to go on a second date. Consummate - after the recpetion, the odds are these two are going to consummate their marriage. Ecstasy - they just got married and are low dancing with each other. Unless they were forced to get married by their families, they're probably really happy right about now. Enamored - The bride probably captivated her groom when she walked up the aisle in her white dress. I am SO CHEESY. Aroma - I kind of cheated on this one, but the groom is probably wearing cologne and the bride is most likely wearing perfume. They had to smell nice for the wedding, right? Infatuation - Near the beginning of their relationship the feelings they had were probably just an infatuation until it blossomed into love and they got married.

Current Event

Title: Job offers coming up short for class of 2008
Author: Sherry Saavedra
Date: 4/25/08
Source: The Union Tribune
Summary: The job growth rate for college graduates this spring is expected to be at its lowest level in 5 years. More than 2 million students in the U.S. will recieve a bachelor's degree this academic year. For students wanting a career in education or the financial industry, this is a problem.
Reaction: The article said it's more of a problem for people who want to be teachers. This sucks because that's what a want to be--a high shcool English teacher and the rate can only drop from now up until I graduate college. Maybe HTHI will cut me some slack and hire me because I went to school there.

Current Event

Title: Verizon offers live TV locally for cell phones
Date: 4/18/08
Author: Jennifer Davies
Source: The Union Tribune
Summary: Verzin Wireless, using Qualcomm's MedioFlo technology, launched a service that broadcasts live TV to certain types of cell phones in San Diego yesterday. Instead of past ideas, where you would have to download shows or movies, and they would only be a short clip, real, live TV will be broadcasted to the phones with the service. As of right now it is unpopular becasuse of the cost and the very few types of phones that are able to get the service.
Reaction: When I was a kid this kind of thing would make me go crazy--in a good way of course. I was fascinated by the idea of having live TV on something so small and carryable like this (is carryable a word?). I still think it's amazing how far technology has come but I won't go out of my way to get this service even though it sounds cool. I can watch TV at home and I won't miss anything when I'm away because I have DVR. But for people who don't have but have a grip of money laying around, then they should get it. Every body would want to be friends with them.

Vocab.

Defamation

defmamation - the act of defaming; false or unjustified injury of the good reputation of another, as by slander or libel

I remember watching Spiderman and this guy is always trying to have his newspaper print negative things about the hero to DEFAME him, or give him a bad reputation. Don't be mistaken by the use of this reference, I thought the Spiderman movies were crap.

Quell

quell - to suppress; put an end to; extinguish

These firefighters are trying to quell that huge fire.

Vertigo

vertigo - a dizzying sensation of tilting within stable surroundings or of being in tilting or spinning surroundings.

Every time I get off these things I have a feeling of vertigo. It feels like you're still spinning even when you're off the ride!

Panache

panache - verve; style; flair

Audrey Hepburn was the name that came to mind when I saw that panache was on our vocab. list. She could do whatever: be dramatic, be funny, be sweet, be classy, etc. And panache is my favorite word now.

Forlorn

forlorn - desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance

Throughout the beginning of the movie Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart's character, Rick, just seems like a forlorn and synical guy. Then, when his old flame who abandoned him once comes back into his life, along with her husband, he becomes even more forlorn.

Book Report - Into the Wild

Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. New York. Anchor Books: 1997.

I chose this book because I was running out of ideas for books to read and I remembered hearing about how good the book was and its subsequent movie. So, I bought it. I don't know what I would call this book. It's more like a documentary in book form than anything. Maybe even partially a biography. And some action adventure thrown in too. I didn't mean to start that last sentence with "and." The events in the book happened from 1990 to 1992.

The book starts at the end of the main character, Chris McCandless,' story. Hunters come across an abandoned bus in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness and they discover his dead body in a sleeping bag in the back of the bus. The book then flashes back and tells the story of the young man. Chris graduates from Emory University, stops communication with his family, and just hits the road. He does many things, like change his name, give $24,000 in savings to OXFAM charity, goes to a recreational area around Lake Mead in the middle of a desert where his car gets stuck in a flash flood and he burns the cash in his wallet, hitchhikes around and eventually gets to Carthage, Minnesota, where he befriends Wayne Westerberg and works for him. His journey does not stop there. When Westerberg gets in trouble with the law, Chris (now known as Alex) hitches around some more and ends up in Arizona, where he goes on a canoe trip down the Colorado River and ends up in Mexico. He gets lost when the river splits up, but with help from two duck hunters, he gets to the Gulf of California, paddles south, ditches the canoe, and then walks up north, back to America. He makes his way around the southwest and the west, meeting more people, even getting a job here and there, and working for Westerberg in Carthage again. He then starts to make his way up north, into Alaska where he plans to hike an old, yet arduous trail in the wilderness, called the Stampede Trail. He feeds himself with only the bag of rice he brings with him, berries and plants he finds, and a few, lean animals that he is able to kill with his .22 caliber rifle. When he finds the terrain too rough for him to hike to the coast as planned, he camps in an abandoned bus. He tries to leave, but his route is blocked by deep, speeding water created by the thawing snow. He stays at the bus for three months and gets overcome by extreme weakness he believes is from eating the seeds of Alaskan potatoes. The author also theorizes that the seeds contain a toxic alkaloid that causes weakness, and then starvation because it blocks nutrient metabolism to the body. Chris writes his last journal entry, crawls into his sleeping bag, and dies at age 24.

Chris was a quite intelligent but adventurous guy. He was a deep thinker who just wanted to create a new, free life for himself. I have a major respect for him because he knew how money and materialistic things were completely insignificant and he was actually willing enough to dispose of them. That is something very few people, especially young poeple, myself included, would be able to do.

I did enjoy the book because Chris' story was interesting and all, but I didn't really enjoy the actual writing. I expected an actual story, but reading the book is just like watching a documentary. The events are out of order and are brought forth in interviews of people who knew Chris. So, since it is out of chronological order, it could be confusing sometimes, and it just didn't really capture the emotion of an actual story like it could have. I know it's a true story but still.

I have never heard of this author before reading this so I probably won't read any of his books. However, Chris wrote in his journal about The Call of the Wild by Jack London and how good it is so I might read that sometime because other people have recommended it as well.

My Last Words

So yeah, yesterday morning I was out exploring when one of those things latched on to my face and laid an alien embryo inside me that will be bursting out in about 2 hours. I will die and there's nothing anybody can do, but I have excepted it. I'm really terrible at this kind of stuff so I'll make it quick. Don't take life too seriously, have fun with it. I've seen too many people get worked up over miniscule things and waste a good day stressing out. And in the end, it's no big deal and they get embarassed that they got so crazy. I have good grades but I can still live a relaxed life. We're in high school, which is pretty much a safe zone even though it can suck sometimes. Sure, all that college stuff is coming up that we'll have to do but we're still here! Once we graduate we're in the real, adult world. No more safe zone. So, calm down and enjoy the immaturity of HS. And that's another thing: immaturity. It's ok to be immature sometimes, and not just in high school. Once we leave too. It kind of falls under the don't take life too seriously umbrella. I'm not saying become a bum or anything, but it is possible to be both successful and fun. And take time off work to go somewhere fun, just because. Even if you go alone (even though it won't be as fun). Go to Disneyland or surfing or to Japan or something that's not just shopping or some boring crap. And cherish the cool little moments you have with your friends. The one's where you look back and say "that was really chill," but when you try to tell someone who wasn't there how it was fun and chill, it doesn't seem that fun and chill but to you it still seems fun and chill. Fun and chill. Make EVERYTHING fun. Oh and one last thing before I die: did anybody see the movie 21? Did you like it? Thanks. Alright it's time for me to bounce.

Protest Songs About America

"Americana" – The Offspring
Well I'd like to tell you all about my dream, it's a place

Where strip malls abound and diversion's mere moments away

Where culture's defined by the

Ones least refined

And you'll be left behind

If you don't fit in

It's all distorted

In americana my way

Well fuck you

Whoa Whoa Whoa

Well my dream has come true

Whoa Whoa Whoa

My vision has come true

Now give me my cable, fast food, four-by's, tats right away

I want it right now cause my generation don't like to wait

My future's determined by

Thieves, thugs, and vermin

It's quite an excursion

But it's okay

Everything's backwards

In americana my way

Well fuck you

Whoa Whoa Whoa

Well my dream has come true

Whoa Whoa Whoa

My vision has come trueIt's all coming true

I'm a product Of my environment

Don't blame me, I just work here

But I wanna fuck you!!!!!

My rights are denied by

Those least qualified

Trading profit for pride

But it's okay

Everything's backwards

In americana my way

Well fuck you

Whoa Whoa Whoa

My nightmare has come true

Whoa Whoa Whoa

My nightmare has come true

Yeah, it's all coming true

Yeah, it's all coming true
Obviously, we haven’t really turned out to be the "America that we originally set out to be." The founding fathers had this idea of greatness, but nowadays when you think of American culture, this song just about says it all. The song came out in 1998 so not much has changed at all. If anything it’s just gotten worse now that we have things like the invasion of Iraq.

"Holiday" – Green Day
Hear the sound of the falling rain

Coming down like an Armageddon flame (Hey!)

The shame, the ones who died without a name

Hear the dogs howling out of key

To a hymn called Faith and Misery (Hey!)

And bleed, the company lost the war today

I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies

This is the dawning of the rest of our lives

On holiday

Hear the drum pounding out of time

Another protester has crossed the line (Hey!)

To find, the money's on the other side

Can I get another Amen? (Amen!)

There's a flag wrapped around a score of men (Hey!)

A gag, A plastic bag on a monument

I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies

This is the dawning of the rest of our lives

On holiday

hey!(3,4)

The representative from California now has the flooor...

siege Heil to the president gasman,

Bombs away is your punishment!

Pulverize the Eiffel towers,

who criticize your government!

Bang bang goes the broken glass man,

Kill all the fags that don't agree!

Trial by fire, setting fire

It's not a way that's meant for me

Just cause, just cause, because we're outlaws yeah!

I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies

This is the dawning of the rest of our lives

I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies

This is the dawning of the rest of our lives

This is our lives....On Holiday!

This song talks about our president abuses his powers and will not have anything any other way than his and how war is such a dominant and terrible solution to everything.

"The Hand That Feeds" – Nine Inch Nails
You're keeping in step, in the line.

Got your chin held high and you feel just fine

'Cause you do what you're told

But inside your heart, it is black

And it's hollow and it's cold

Just how deep do you believe?

Will you bite the hand that feeds?

Will you chew until it bleeds?

Can you get up off your knees?

Are you brave enough to see?

Do you wanna change it?

What if this whole crusade's a charade

And behind it all there's a price to be paid

For the blood which we dine

Justified in the name

Of the Holy and the Divine

Just how deep do you believe?

Will you bite the hand that feeds?

Will you chew until it bleeds?

Can you get up off your knees?

Are you brave enough to see?

Do you wanna change it?

So naïve

I keep holding on to what I wanna believe

I can see

But I keep holding on and on and on and on(Repeat x8)

Will you bite the hand that feeds you?

Will you stay down on your knees?
This song was written about how Americans always complain about the terrible things our president has done, (specifically the invasion of Iraq) but do not act or try to change it. I think it really nails a big part of American culture because I myself am a person who complains about issues but never actually tries to find a way to stop it.

"Sleep Now in the Fire" – Rage Against the Machine
The world is my expense

The cost of my desire

Jesus blessed me with its future

And I protect it with fire

So raise your fists

And march around

Just don't take what you need

I'll jail and bury those committed

And smother the rest in greed

Crawl with me into tomorrow

Or I'll drag you to your grave

I'm deep inside your children

They'll betray you in my name

Hey, hey

Sleep now in the fire

Hey, hey

Sleep now in the fire

The lie is my expense

The scope of my desire

The party blessed me with its future

And I protect it with fire

I am the Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria

The noose and the rapist

The fields overseer

The agents of orange

The priests of Hiroshima

The cost of my desire

Sleep now in the fire

Hey, hey

Sleep now in the fire

Hey, hey

Sleep now in the fire

For it's the end of history

It's caged and frozen still

There is no other pill to take

So swallow the one

That made you ill

The Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria

The noose and the rapist

The fields overseer

The agents of orange

The priests of Hiroshima

The cost of my desire

To Sleep now in the fire
This song talks about the terrible things America has done in the past, such as the conquest of Native Americans, slavery, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Agent Orange in the Vietnam war. This song is a prime example that we are not the America we once set out to be.

"…And Justice For All" – Metallica
Halls of Justice Painted Green

Money Talking

Power Wolves Beset Your Door

Hear Them Stalking

Soon You'll Please Their Appetite

They Devour

Hammer of Justice Crushes You

Overpower

The Ultimate in Vanity

Exploiting Their Supremacy

I Can't Believe the Things You Say

I Can't Believe

I Can't Believe the Price You Pay

Nothing Can Save You

Justice Is Lost

Justice Is Raped

Justice Is Gone

Pulling Your Strings

Justice Is Done

Seeking No Truth

Winning Is All

Find it So Grim

So True

So Real

Apathy Their Stepping Stone

So Unfeeling

Hidden Deep Animosity

So Deceiving

Through Your Eyes Their Light Burns

Hoping to Find

Inquisition Sinking You

With Prying Minds

The Ultimate in Vanity

Exploiting Their Supremacy

I Can't Believe the Things You Say

I Can't Believe

I Can't Believe the Price You Pay

Nothing Can Save You

Justice Is Lost

Justice Is Raped

Justice Is Gone

Pulling Your Strings

Justice Is Done

Seeking No Truth

Winning Is All

Find it So Grim

So True

So Real

Lady Justice Has Been Raped

Truth Assassin

Rolls of Red Tape Seal Your Lips

Now You're Done in

Their Money Tips Her Scales Again

Make Your Deal

Just What Is Truth? I Cannot Tell

Cannot Feel

The Ultimate in Vanity

Exploiting Their Supremacy

I Can't Believe the Things You Say

I Can't Believe

I Can't Believe the Price

We Pay

Nothing Can Save Us

Justice Is Lost

Justice Is Raped

Justice Is Gone

Pulling Your Strings

Justice Is Done

Seeking No Truth

Winning Is All

Find it So Grim

So True

So Real

Seeking No Truth

Winning Is All

Find it So Grim

So True

So Real
This song uses some symbolism and depicts a corrupt legal system (America’s). Obviously, having a justice system that is so filled with injustices, is an oxymoron and no the way we originally set out for.

Professor's Last Lecture

When I watched this I was amazed at how charismatic the guy was despite the fact he was dying. He even made jokes about how he was dying. But, then again, that's how you have to be when you know you're dying. You can't do anything about it so you might as well have fun. The lecture made me think of my childhood dreams and how most of the time, I dismiss them as being to difficult to accomplish. I've gotten better with that, but still. Things aren't as impossible as I make them out to be sometimes. So, I might go ahead and audition for that small role in that small movie and maybe go from there and become a real actor. You never know. I love doing it. Wow. I think I just realized what I'm passionate about. That's cool. Alright I'm out.

Current Event

Title: Inspectors say FAA ignored lapses
Author: Matthew L. Wald
Source: The Union Tribune
Summary: Three Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectorstestified that their agency allowed Southwest Airlines to fly uninspected planes and that the airline continued to fly the planes even after it later found cracks in one of them. The inspectors said that when they complained, their bosses threatened their jobs. One was removed from his job as an office manager and another was encouraged to apply for a transfer. A third was temporarily removed from his role overseeing Southwest after complaints from the airline.
Reaction: I thought this was hilarious but obviously sad at the same time. It's sad because it's just another harsh example of the corruptness of American corporations. It's scary to think a person was fired because they knew the truth. It's like friggin' 1984!

Book Report SPRING BREAK EDITION - To Kill A Mockingbird

Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. New York, NY. HarperCollins Books: 1999.

I chose this book because I realized I have never read it (for some reason every class I was in never read it) and it is probably one of the most referenced, appreciated, classic book in literature. So, I picked it up to see what the hype was about. It takes place in the 1930's in a town called Maycomb, Alabama.


The story is narrated by a six year old girl who goes by the name Scout, who lives with her older brother Jem and her father Atticus. The kids and their friend Dill are fascinated by a neighbor man named Boo Radley, who is never seen anymore. They talk about rumors that describe how he might look and why he is hiding. The kids start to discover small gifts being left in a hole in a tree outside of the Radley house for them. Atticus, who is a lawyer, agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson who is accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell. This is subject to much controversy from the townspeople. The time for the trial comes along and Atticus doesn't want the children to watch it, so the kids sneak in and watch from a balcony where the "colored folk" sit. As the trial goes on, Atticus questions Bob Ewell, the town drunk and father of Mayella. Ewell says how he came from the woods on the day of the "rape" and heard his daughter scream and looked in the window of the house and saw his daughter being raped by Tom Robinson. Afterwards Atticus tells him to write his name to prove he is left-handed (because bruises on the right side of Mayella's face (supposedly from Tom Robinson) were most likely from a person hitting her with their left hand). Mayella testifies after her father and says she called Tom inside the house to do some chores for her, and then he preceded to take advantage of her. Atticus cross examines her with great questions, one asking how Tom could have committed the crime if his left hand is ruined from an accident with a cotton gin from childhood. When the prosecution rests, Atticus calls Tom to the stand and asks him his side of the story. He says when he was passing by the Ewell home, like he does every day, Mayella called him in. He did some chores and one of them involved him getting on top of a chair to get a box down from on top of a dresser. While he stood, Mayella grabbed his legs, startling him enough for him to jump down. She wrapped her arms around his waist and told him to kiss her and Bob caught her through the window, called her a whore and even threatened to kill her. Tom then ran away. Mr. Gilmer, the prosecutor, cross examines him and badgers him. The kids leave the courtroom for a bit and return when Atticus is imploring the jury to see Tom as not guilty. Atticus sends them home afterwards. Tom is convicted and later he is shot and killed trying to escape from prison. Bob Ewell makes threats to Atticus for making him look like a fool. Jem is sad about how unjst it is and Scout even asks him how her third grade teacher, when she lectures on how horrible Hitler was and how important equality is, could preach about equality when she said racist things when she exited the courtroom on the day of the trial. Ewell causes mischeif around town with the people involved with the trial and on Halloween night, he attempts to kill Jem and Scout when they are returning home from a school play. In the dark of the night the struggle ensues and Jem gets his arm broken and knocked unconcious. The fighting is stopped and after a few moments Scout who is unharmed sees a man in the light of the streetlight carrying Jem towards their house. When they get home Atticus calls the sheriff while Aunt Alexandra calls a doctor. They both arrive and the sheriff says Bob Ewell is dead with a knife in him under a tree. Scout tells everyone what happened and realizes the man that carried Jem is Boo Radley. The sheriff decides to call Ewell's death an accident even though every one knows Boo Radley did it to protect the kids because Tom Robinson died for no reason and Ewell was responsible and he also says that Boo doesn't need to be bothered by all of the townsfolk. Scout and Boo say good night to Jem and Scout walks Boo home. She goes back to her home and Atticus reads to her until she falls asleep.

Boo Radley is a reclusive man is involved in the story in a strange way. The rumors about him fuel the imgatinations of the kids at the beginning of the story and then it seems as though he isn't going to be talked about again. But then randomly he is the one to save the kids from being killed. He sort of adds another message to the main "equality is hard to find but very valuable" message that you get from the story. The message I think Boo adds is just simply something along the lines of "prejudice is bad." Simple, but powerful nonetheless.

I liked the novel. It delivers a good message and is realistic when it shows the reactions of children in the face of the injustice that went on. This makes the message even more powerful. And the fact that it was released in 1960 makes me have much respect for it because that was another time when people needed a lesson on equality.

I have never heard of Harper Lee before this book so I have not a clue what she has written before. I didn't even know she was a woman until I read the sleeve. It doesn't look like I'll be reading another book by her but I do see why this one is such a classic now.

Current Event

Title: Home-schooling ruling could affect thousands
Date: 3/7/08
Author:Maureen Magee
Source: The Union Tribune
Summary: According to a recent court ruling, it is now illegal in California for parents to home-school their children without cridentials. The number of home-schooled kids in California alone ranges from 100,000 to 200,000.
Reaction: It's hard to have a strong opinion on this just because I have never been home-schooled so I don't know the benefits first-hand, but I really don't think it should be illegal. It should be left up to the parent and the student whether or no they want to be home-schooled. And besides, if it's illegal, people are going to do it anyways. The only difference now is that it will be an underground thing. And, some kids actually do better in home-schooling than regualr schooling and feel more comfortable and learn more.

Book Report WAR PROJECT EDITION - A Farewell to Arms

Hemmingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York, NY. Scribner Paperback Fiction: 1995.

I read this book because first of all, I needed a non-fiction novel about World War I, and secondly, my mom said Hemming way is really good. I would call it historical fiction/romance I guess.

The book starts off in Italy during a summer in World War I. The main character and narrator, Henry, is an American lieutenant and he meets a British nurse named Catherine at a British hospital through his friend. They get close and Catherine asks Henry if he loves her, and he lies and says yes. Henry gets a wounded leg in battle and a doctor treats him before he is taken to the hospital. The doctors send him by train to a hospital in Milan where he will get better treatment but the night before a couple friends visit him. They let him know America has just declared war on Germany and Catherine will be serving at the hospital in Milan. When Catherine visits, Henry realizes he really is in love with her and they make love. They spend a lot of time with each other in Milan and they get acquainted with people in the town and go to things like horse races. The allied forces are not doing well and Henry's leg heals and gets three weeks of leave before he must return to battle. Catherine tells him she is 3 months pregnant. Henry gets sick and the hospital superintendent, Miss Van Campen finds empty liquor bottles under his bed and accuses him of purposefully making himself ill to avoid battle. She files a report that takes away his 3 weeks of leave and he is sent to battle again in the Bainsizza mountains. The Italian army is forced to retreat from the bombardment they recieve. Henry and his men separate from the large group and take a smaller road, before their car gets stuck in the mud, forcing them to continue on foot. On a bridge, they see German troops on a nearby bridge and are terrified. They hide in an abandoned farmhouse until nighttime, when they set out again and come across a large group of Italian troops being separated from each other by Battle Police. The Battle Police are singling out officers and interrogating them about how they are treacherous and were the reasons for the defeat. A nearby lieutenant colonelis questioned and then shot to death. Henry ecapes and jumps in the river, and avoids getting shot. After floating for a while he gets out and hops on a train. After he gets off in Milan, he goes to the hospital to find Catherine is in another city, Stresa. Henry finds her hotel and they are happy to see each other. They agree it would be nice to go to Switzerland and they go to bed. The next night the bartender warns Henry of military police coming to arrest him, and he sends Henry and Catherine with his row-boat to Switzerland on the river. After being caught by customs guards, they are taken to get visas to stay in Switzerland and stay in a hotel. The couple are moved in to a nice wooden house where they live a peaceful and romantic life for a while. In March, to be closer to a hospital, the couple moves and Catherine eventually goes into labor. She needs to have a C-Section. Afterwards, when he sees the doctor coem out with the baby, he rushes past them and talks to Catherine and tells her the baby is fine. The nurse takes him outside of the room and tells him the baby is dead because he was strangled by the umbilical cord. Henry gets dinner and returns to have the nurse tell him Catherine is hemmorraging. He is terrified and Catherine tells him she is going to die. Henry stays with her until she dies and tries to say good bye to her, but he finds it is like sayin bye to a statue. He then walks to his hotel in the rain.

Henry is interesting to me just because he is so ordinary. He wasn't some crazy hero or extra golden-hearted guy or anything and I think this makes him more appealing to me because i can relate to him a lot easier. At one point where a friend calls him a war hero, he even denies it and explains hy he isn't.

Honestly, I thought the book was kind of boring at times. Actually, it was really boring at times. But the action packed and romantic parts make up for the boring parts so overall I did like the book. It was fun to see how in love the two main characters are (yes, I'm touched by that kind of stuff) and te ending really evokes emotion from the reader.

When Henry escaped the Battle Police, I realized I would have done the same thing. Why should someone get accused of "treachery" just because they were forced to retreat from a violent battle that they couldn't have won anyway?

This was my first book from this author. I know Hemmingway wrote other classic books, like For Whom the Bell Tolls and the Old Man by the Sea and I think I will read them. I have no idea what they are about, but I think I like this author so I'll check them out sometime.

Vocab.

Imitate

imitate - to have or assume the appearance of; simulate; resemble

This is Ditto. He's a Pokemon that can take on the appeance of anything or anybody. That's what I call imitating.

Endemic

endemic - belonging exclusively or confined to a particular place

Chopsticks are endemic to the countries of Asia, though some people attempt to use them elsewhere.

Dearth

dearth - an inadequate supply; scarcity; lack

Even after two and a half years have passed, there is a dearth of relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Volatile

volatile - able to fly or flying

Superman is a bloody cheater. Not only does he have super strength, x-ray vision, heat vision, and supersonic hearing, he's volatile.

Scuttlebutt

scuttlebutt - rumor or gossip

A while ago there was a scuttlebutt that Hannah Montana got pregnant which was later proven to be false.

Current Event

Title: Bush presses anew for surveillance law
Date: 2/29/08
Source: The Union Tribune
Summary: Our oh so wonderful president strikes again. He's trying to pass a bill that will make it easier for the government to wiretap. On top of that, he threatened to veto any law that does not include giving the telecommunications companies legal immunity.
Reaction: I couldn't help but think of 1984 when I read this article. I mean, not to the extent of when I first got word of the Patriot Act, but I mean now the guy is actually threatening to veto any law that doesn't give him absolute power. It's just so unecessary. What are the odds of finding a real threat in all of those innocent conversations held between innocent people who just want a little privacy. I will not have the civil liberties I'm guaranteed taken away because of our power hungry, redneck president.

Vocab.

Obsolete

obsolete - of a discarded or outmoded type; out of date

CD's and CD players everywhere are becoming obsolete now that the iPod has conquered. Once I got an iPod Video, I couldn't imagine going back to a CD player.

Obviate

obviate - to anticipate and dispose of effectively

In Terminator 2, Arnold is sent back in time to prevent John Connor from getting killed so he can live on and save mankind in the future.

Penchant

penchant - a strong inclination, taste, or liking for something

I have a penchant for skating. Personally, I'm not that good, but I really enjoy doing it and I like being around the sport and even just watching it too. It's its own culture and it's fun being a part of it.

Sycophant

sycophant -
a self-seeking, servile flatterer

I know I've used Jack Sparrow as an example of a vocab word already, but when I read the definition of sycophant that guy came to mind. Look at that picture: he's trying to flatter and make jokes to get himself out of trouble.

Taut

taut - emotionally or mentally strained or tense

Milton from Office Space is the perfect example of a taut person. He's so tense he can't stand up for himself or even talk without stuttering.

Current Event

Title: Only 1 in 4 Americans recognizes heart attack symptoms, study says
Date: 2/22/08
Author: Asscoiated Press
Summary: So yes, the title says it all. The article talks about this and how women are more likely to get symptoms besides chest pain during a heart attack. For some reason the article doesn't say why.
Reaction: I think there should be a health week or something in schools and one of the things they learn about is this. If schools in the midwest can waste a week on an abstaining from sex program, then schools can have this. It will definitely help. And it's annoying that the article says women are more likely to experience symptoms besides the chest pain but it doesn't say why.

Vocab. 4

Insurrection

insurrection - an act or instance of rising in revolt, rebellion, or resistance against civil authority or an established government

For this one I could have easily put the American Revolution or something easy like that, but, I wanted to show that other types of rebellion have taken place that are non-violent. In this case, I chose music, and I think the Sex Pistols are pioneers in musical insurrection. They were one of the very first punk bands and their songs showed their unhappiness with the way things were in the world and government, and they took stabs (lyrical stabs of course) at important figures like the Queen of England. It really opened the door for the future of the then-young genre of punk rock and showed it was possible to rebel through music. This is the longest vocab picture explanation I've ever done.

Fidelity

fidelity - loyalty

I know it's kind of cliche to say dogs are loyal, but seriously, they ARE. My friend's dog follow him everywhere and will actually protect him. How cool is that?

Acumen

acumen - keen insight

Jack Black's character in School of Rock shows he has an acumen in music by having an extensive knoweledge of it and it's history.

Lucidity

lucid - easily understood; completely intelligible or comprehensible

Here's something that seriously lacks lucidity. The SAT is filled with questions that are worded in the wierdest ways, just to though you off.

Complicit

complicit - choosing to be involved in an illegal act

In Fight Club, the main character Tyler starts an underground fighting club that later becomes a rebellious act called Project Mayhem, that goes around doing organized destructive activities, like bombing headquarters of major credit card companies. The members of Project Mayhem choose to do this so they are complicit.

Book Report 3 - Journey to the Center of the Earth

Verne, Jules. Journey to the Center of the Earth. New York, NY. Barnes and Noble Books: 2005.

I chose this book because, like I said in the book report for "80 Days," I like Jules Verne books and this was one I have been wanting to read. I would classify it as an action adventure book. Sweet. It takes place in 19th century (1863 to be exact) Hamburg, Germany.

The book starts out with Professor Lidenbrock arriving at his house. He shows a really old Icelandic book he just bought to his nephew Axel (who is the narrator). While looking through the book a piece of paper falls out with Runic letters written on it. The gents translate it to Latin but once they do they find the letters are jumbled up. They try for a long time to crack the code and Lidenrock even locks himself, Axel, and the maid in the house until it is cracked. Axels cracks it by accident but doesn't want to tell his uncle because the paper says the way to enter the center of the earth. He knows his uncle will want to try it and it will be a dangerous journey so Axel keeps it to himself. After two days he is starving so he just tells his uncle. They depart for Reykjavik, hire a local guide named Hans, and travel to the volcano known as Snaefellsjokul. The piece of paper instructed to go to this volcano and go down the chimney that the shadow of a nearby mountain called Scartaris touches at noon in late June. They go to the top and eventually the sun comes out and casts a shadow over the chimney they must go down. They travel to the bottom and find a tunnel that goes even deeper, presumably the one that leads to the center of Earth. They take it and after a while they run out of water but before it's too late they hear a subterranean river through the walls of their granite prison and Hans uses a pick axe to get some water to come through. They don't plug it up because it can supply them water throughout the journey because the floor slants downward and the river will easily be able to travel. As they travel on, Axel gets separated from the other two and the river somehow but finds them again by being able to talk against the granite wall and have his voice travel to them. They communicate and Axel heads in their direction but falls down a vertical shaft and gets knocked out. He wakes up to find himself back with his uncle and Lars. They are in a huge cavern that is lit by some electrically charged gas floating around above. There is a forest of giant mushrooms and prehistoric trees that lead up to an underwater beach. Yes, an ocean underground. Lars builds a raft (he comes in handy a lot in this book) and they set sail. They go on forever until they come across two prehistoric dinosaur/monster/fish fighting each other. They then run into a crazy storm and eventually they land. They look at the compass and they realize they are back at the north coast they started on! Reluctant they still explore the place more since it is in a different spot than exactly where they started off. They find piles of bones of prehistoric creatures and they walk through it until they find they body of humans. The corpses are mostly in tact and even have skin. They travel on surprised until they reach a forest. They look ahead and see a live heard of mastodons! And that's not all, they see a twlve foot, hairy human being watching over them! Stunned, wierded out, and scared they trio runs back to the coast where they find a passage with the initials of Arne Suknassem (the guy who wrote on the piece of paper how to get to the center of Earth) engraved in it. They head inside the cave to find it has been blocked by a cave in. Hans sets up some gun cotton and a fuse, Axel lights it, and runs back to the raft with the others to be safe on the water. The explosion blows a hole that sucks up water and it sends the raft zooming down a steep tunnel. For hours this happens until they are blasted upwards. The temperature rises due to water and magma that is blasting them up. For hours they rise quickly until they burst out of a hole in the side of the volcano Stromboli in Italy. They make their ways back home and Hans goes back to Iceland. They are all famous and their story of their journey is spread worldwide on newspapers. Axel marries his sweetheart and Lidenbrock solves the mystery of the compass. They find it points south instead of north, so when they thought they landed on the same coast they started on during the underground storm, they were really on the south coast they originally were headed for. The poles of the compass got mixed up by a fire/lightning ball that spun out of control near the raft, magnetizing all the iron on board. So, when that happened, the compass got jacked. THE END.

Hans is the greatest character ever. The young Icelander with long red hair and a beard stays incredibly cool during all the hectic times in the book. And plus he had a solution to EVERYTHING. And plus plus he says about 10 words throughout the whole book. The plot doesn't change him at all. Like I said, even during the crazy times, his cool spirit stays the same.

The novel was good. Better than "80 Days" but not quite as cool as "20,000 Leagues." It was definitely interesting and imaginitive but I was expecting the subterranean world to be even more strange. What Verne did was just put preshistoric creatures in the bowels of the globe. That's cool and everything but it would have been more fun with a dark, wierd, gross subterranean environment that would have been less predictable. The deeper meaning I got out of the book was, "you never know until you try."

Obviously the book is fiction because the real center of the earth is only a magma core (boring). But then again, how do WE even know that? We haven't been there either! But anyway, if someone wanted to excape reality and go on a fun little adventure, read this book.

If I was in Hans' position throughout the book, I would have asked for more money. This intense journey should have paid better. But then again, if Hans would have asked for more money, he wouldn't be Hans!

Jules Verne. Cool guy. Good books. Will I read again? Nope. I have read all the Verne I have wanted to. And plus I really don't know any more of his titles than the three I have read. But, if I do come across one that looks interesting, I will read. But until then, the mext books I'm reading are Farewell To Arms (Hemmingway) and then the Stand (King).

Current Event

Title: Gay-marriage foes return with competing measures
Author: Lisa Left
Source: The Union Tribune
Summary: Groups that are radically against gay marriage are at it again. The groups ProtectMarriage.com and VoteYesMarriage.com talked to the CA Secretary of State to try to completely limit marriage to one and one woman but must get 694,354 signatures from voters before being able to do so. Apaarently they have a lot more money and backing this time from some psycho religious groups. In 2005 they tried the same thing but did not get enough signatures.
Reaction: PLEASE just give this up. I don't even want to talk about how ridiculous it is because it's been said so many times. There's no doubt that it's descrimination so I don't even need to bring that up. And why rob people of an opportunity that should be universal? I mean the term marriage to me is just a legal term but everyone should have a right to it. I mean come on. I hope these groups fall flat on their faces again.

Vocab. 3

Repudiate

repudiate - to reject with disapproval or condemnation

In Pirates of the Caribbean 3, the British Navy told the pirates to stop being pirates, or they would continue to hunt them down. But did those pirates surrender? NOPE. They repudiated the order and chose to fight against the navy. Go them.

Relapse

relapse - to fall back into illness after convalescence or apparent recovery

House, besides being the best tv show on the air, has great examples, in every episode of the word relapse. Every episode follows a pattern: at the beginning of the show you see the patient get bad, then, once in the hospital, they get worse. Then there's always a short time period where they seem to have gotten better, but then they get even worse then they were before.

Sanguine

sanguine - cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident

This comic strip made me laugh. The guy in the black suit on the right is sanguine.

Austere

austere - strict in manner or appearance

The principal from The Breakfast Club is austere. He won't hesitate to give you detention again if you talk back to him.

Baleful

baleful - harmful

Many people don't know this, but the platypus is a baleful animal. It can hurt you. How? It has sharp spurs on its ankles that actually inject venom.

Current Event

Title: Judgement nears for coastal toll road
Author: Terry Rodgers
Date: 2/5/08
Source: The Union Tribune
Summary: Tomorrow the state Coastal Commission will vote on a proposal for a toll road that runs right through San Onofre State Beach. The toll road would connect San Diego and Orange Counties, and it will lessen traffic on the 5. There are many endangered species in the area, and the four-lane road would rob surfers of one of their most sacred spots and people who wantto camp there.
Reaction: No. No. No. I have been to San Onofre beach and it is really nice. Surfers call it the Yosemite of surfing, and the park is home to many endangered species. It isn't worth having another freeway, especially one that just goes to the same place. If lazy people get on the road at the right time, there won't be as much traffic on the 5, jeez! And plus if they build this monster, it could spark other ideas. I can see it now, a freeway that cuts right through Yosemite, or a nice freeway to get people conveniently across that pesky Grand Canyon.

Book Report 2 - Siddhartha

Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. New York. New Directions Publishing Corp: 1951.

I chose this book because people in the class read it and said it was good, and I was kind of late on starting a book this time so I needed a short one (I'm not lazy! As a matter of fact, I'm reading The Stand by Stephen King for my next book which is intensely long!). I'm not sure how to classify the book. I would say it's a spiritual fiction novel. It takes place in ancient India.
The story starts out talking about our main character Siddhartha and how everyone likes him and he is good at everything. But, even though he has the love of his family and his best friend, Govinda, he is unhappy with life. He questions the life he is leading with the Brahmin (Hindu religious leaders) and questions their concept of enlightenment. So, to his fathers sadness, Siddhartha leaves, with Govinda, to join the Samanas, a group of wandering priests in hope of finding true enlightenment. But, after 3 years of being with them, he realizes they are no more enlightened than the Brahmin he used to live with. So, when he and Govinda hear Gotama the Buddha has appeared, they leave the Samanas and join a camp of Gotama's followers. Gotama teaches them about enlightenment and the many aspects of Buddhism. Govinda completely dedicates himself to Gotama's teachings, while Siddhartha once again, notices some flaws and contradictions in the teachings. Reluctantly, he realizes this way of life isn't for him either and he leaves his friend behind. Siddhartha goes in search of a life that isn't dependent on someone's religious teachings. He realizes that the true path to enlightenment comes from yourself. It is up to you to find true enlightenment. He thinks of going back to see his father, but realizes it is in the past so he shouldn't. While Siddhartha wanders, he really starts to notice things in the world around him. He spends the night in a ferryman's hut and the next day asks him to take him across the river on his bamboo raft. Siddhartha apologizes for not being able to pay him, but in response the ferryman tells him it is ok because Siddhartha will return and give him a gift at that time instead. He walked and when he came across the city he saw a beautiful girl being carried by four men on a chair. He later finds out her name is Kamala and she is a courtesan. The next day he has the barber shave off his beard and after he bathes in the river. He then goes to meet Kamala. He tells her he wants to learn from her, about love, but doesn't want to learn anything until he has enough money and gifts to provide her. Siddhartha asks if she is willing to kiss him in exchange for a poem. After he recites a poem just for her, she kisses him and comments on how good it is. Kamala gets a visitor so Siddhartha has to leave. But, it is not before Kamala recommends her friend Kamaswami, a business man to him, so Siddhartha can get money. They meet each other but Kamaswami doubts Siddhartha. When he find out Siddhartha can read and write he agrees to take him under his wing. Kamaswami notices he has a very carefree attitude towards business and dismisses any failures he has. He starts to pay him, to motivate him, but Siddhartha still retains his attitude. Kamaswami tries to tell Siddhartha about the joys wealth can bring, but Siddhartha find it silly that people get so attatched to material things and suffer because of them. In the mean time, Siddhartha learns a lot about from Kamala and respects her more because she can dismiss the material world and reminds him of the way Gotama lives. They get intimate, physically and emotionally, but they never fall in love. Siddhartha starts to get really into the game of business and becomes wealthy and starts to really care about the material world and starts gambling, eating expensive food, and wearing really nice clothes. After years go by, Siddhartha has spiritual dreams that prompt him to go meditate. He realizes the life he had recently been living as a rich merchant has done nothing for him, so he leaves without telling anyone. Kamala finds out he is gone, and no longer accepts visitors. She also finds out she is pregnant with Siddhartha's child. Siddhartha wanders by the river and thinks about killing himself because nothing can enlighten him. All of the sudden, his spiritual side wakes up again, causing him to stop him from killing himself, and just falling asleep by the river. He wakes up to find a monk meditating and realizes it's Govinda. Govinda doesn't recognize him at first. Govinda talks about how he is a religious pilgrim looking for enlightenment, still under the teachings of Gotama, and Siddhartha says he also is a religious pilgrim. However, Govinda doesn't believe hi at first because of the way he is dressed. Govinda leaves, and Siddhartha realizes he has been trying to hard to find a path to enlightenment. He then feels attached to the river and never wants to leave it. He meets the ferryman, named Vasudeva, again, and he tells him he wants to live with him. Vasudeva remembers him and sees that the river has spoken to him, so he lets him. Siddhartha learns many things from the river, like the fact that time does not exist. Later, the news that Gotama the Buddha is dying spreads and people flock to him. Kamala and her son are among this group and when they are close to the river, she is bitten by a poisonous snake. The boy cries for help, Vasudeva hears, and takes them across the river the the hut. Siddhartha recognizes Kamala and they talk. She tells him the boy is his son, and they talk about each other's inner peace status, and she dies. The son dislikes life with Siddhartha and Vasudeva by the river and wants to return to a life of material possessions. Siddharths cherishes the father-son bond so he doesn't let him go despite Vasudeva suggesting he should let him go. The boy runs away one night, and Siddhartha looks for him but cannot find him. Siddhartha realizes he must let him go on a spiritual journey on his own, and returns home with Vasudeva. Siddhartha is saddened, but at the same time thinks about how his father felt when he let him go to join the Samanas. Soon he starts to feel peace. He and Vasudeva sit by the river and saw pictures of people in their lives and heard voices of different emotions. During the hour they sat there, Siddhartha stopped fighting his destiny, and harmonized with everything in his life. Vasudeva sees this, and leaves him, making Siddhartha the new ferryman. His old friend Govinda comes to visit the river, seeking enlightenment. Once again, Govinda doesn't recognize him at first. Siddhartha tells him everything he learned, including that is it up to you to find enlightenment, not to get it from someone else's teachings. When Govinda asked if there was anything else he should know, Siddhartha told him to kiss his forehead. He did, despite the strange words and when he did images of people and events harmonizing flashed in front of his eyes, like they did to Siddhartha when he looked into the river. Govinda, now enlightened, and with tears running down his face, bowed to Siddhartha.
Siddhartha goes through many stages throughout the book. From the start, you tell he is not like the others. He is more of a deep thinker. He retains this characteristic throughout, and he learns more about the meaning of enlightenmentand how it is truly attained. He does lose his spiritual center for a while, when he becomes a rich merchant, but in the end it comes back to him and he continues learning more until he finally becomes a fully enlightened man. He's so enlightened, he is able to enlighten his friend just by having him kiss him on the forehead. That's pretty enlightened if I do say so myself.
I know I have said this for pretty much all of my book reports, but I liked this book. At the start I thought it would be boring, just because the way it was written made it seem like it would, but there is some really good messages that come from it. Really deep stuff, I like it. It really makes it clear that if you are seeking happiness or enlightenment, you have to do it yourself. You are not going to get it from following someone else's path to happiness. You aren't trying to find THEIR happiness, you're trying to find yours. I would recommend this book for others. It's a "feel good" book, for the most part anyway.
This book compares to real life directly. It talks about how it's not wise to live by a religous teaching to be happy, and people do that in today's world. The book also tlks about thinking too hard about how to get to happiness, and that' definitely present in today's world. I'm one of those people, as a matter of fact, not the religious part, but the thinking too hard part, I do that a lot.
If I was in Siddhartha's position, I would have returned to visit my father, just for a little bit at least. Siddhartha made a good point about it being the past and everything, but I would want to show my father how far I've come on the road to enlightenment. I like the way the book ended though.
I have never heard of the author before reading this so I have no idea what else he has written. So, I really don't think I'm going to read more from him. Siddhartha was a pretty good read though.