After finishing the Divergent series I have been shopping around for the
next book to read. So after a
.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
The Fault In Our Stars
Which Was Better: The Book or Movie?
So if you couldn't already tell I have been reading the Divergent series the past couple of weeks. And today we are going to continue traveling on that train. As of right now I'm about halfway through the final book Allegiant, and honestly there isn't really anything I could tell you and not completely ruin the book, or to be dramatic, the series. So today we're throwing it back to the book that started it all, Divergent.
As most of you know the movie just came out about a month and a half ago and like the other 99.9% of the teenage population I went to see it. The movie was great! The characters were very well played, the storyline followed very closely to the book and the setting of the city was just as I imagined it while reading the book. You could see the connection between Shailene Woodley and Theo James and you wouldn't have guessed they weren't in love in real life. If you want to see the trailer the link is below.
As most of you know the movie just came out about a month and a half ago and like the other 99.9% of the teenage population I went to see it. The movie was great! The characters were very well played, the storyline followed very closely to the book and the setting of the city was just as I imagined it while reading the book. You could see the connection between Shailene Woodley and Theo James and you wouldn't have guessed they weren't in love in real life. If you want to see the trailer the link is below.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
The Best Line
Although Allegiant is a very good book with many great lines there was one that stood out to me. "'If genetically pure people caused war and total devastation in the past at the same magnitude that genetically damaged people supposedly do now, then what's the basis for thinking that we need to spend so many resources and so much time working to correct genetic damage? What's the use of the experiments at all, except to convince the right people that the government is doing something to make all our lives better, even though it's not?'" -Nita
I feel as if this quote outlines the main problem in the society that these people live in. It's almost as if history has repeated itself and people are again being judged for things they can't control, such as race, religion, or in this case, genetics. But, instead of actually trying to fix the problems that society faces, the government is putting so much time into convincing people that they're trying to fix the problems. This creates a distinct divide in society because one group believes they are better than the other and tension is created.
This quote shows how the plot progresses because eventually the tension led to war and conflict, like the Purity War (a war between the genetically damaged and the genetically pure that eventually led to the creation the the experiment cities.) But because nothing has been done to create more equality in society, the only result can be more rebellion from the genetically damaged and eventually more war and pain. You can see this in the quote because people who are genetically damaged, such as Nita, are obviously upset with the way that the leaders handled the situation and plan to do something about it.
I feel as if this quote outlines the main problem in the society that these people live in. It's almost as if history has repeated itself and people are again being judged for things they can't control, such as race, religion, or in this case, genetics. But, instead of actually trying to fix the problems that society faces, the government is putting so much time into convincing people that they're trying to fix the problems. This creates a distinct divide in society because one group believes they are better than the other and tension is created.
This quote shows how the plot progresses because eventually the tension led to war and conflict, like the Purity War (a war between the genetically damaged and the genetically pure that eventually led to the creation the the experiment cities.) But because nothing has been done to create more equality in society, the only result can be more rebellion from the genetically damaged and eventually more war and pain. You can see this in the quote because people who are genetically damaged, such as Nita, are obviously upset with the way that the leaders handled the situation and plan to do something about it.
Allegiant
So, if you couldn't tell from my last blog posts I have been reading the Divergent series, and this week I started the third and final book, Allegiant. I know I've repeated myself a lot when I say this, but honestly the series is great. All the books are very well written and keep you on your toes with the never-ending plot twists.As of right now, I am about halfway through the book and writing this post has been very hard already, I'm trying my best to avoid any of the major spoilers in the series but if you have read any of her books you know they take many turns. So if you haven't read the second book I don't recommend reading this post.
The book begins with a group, including Tris and Tobias, going outside the fence and to carry along with the theme of the rest of the series, drama comes included. When they finally escape, they find the people responsible for the Edith Prior video, and a new discovery about the city that they had called home for so many years. It is just an experiment, many years ago scientist tried to change people's genetics, trying to make people "perfect,"but the experiment ultimately caused a much greater problem. The "bad" qualities that people possessed also served a positive purpose, and with these gone the population split into two groups the genetically pure and the genetically damaged. Now there is a new problem, leading to the creation of the cities for the genetically damaged to try and fix the problem. This is where Tris and Tobias came from. Now if you want to know any more about the book you have to read it yourself!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Five Star Rating
Over this past weekend I finished the second book in the Divergent series, Insurgent. I can honestly say the book lived up to the expectation set by the first book in the series. Roth managed to make it just as suspenseful and exciting as Divergent. Then, you begin to see Tris and Tobais' relationship develop even more and it adds another fold to the plot. So obviously if you are reading Insurgent I'm assuming you've read Divergent too. For those who haven't and have just stumbled upon this blog there are a few things you need to know: First, the setting is a futuristic time where "Chicago" has been split up into five factions, Dauntless, Candor, Erudite, Amity, and Abnegation. Each faction is now known for a specific thing, Dauntless are brave, Candor are honest, Erudite are smart, Amity are kind, and Abnegation are selfless. But, the twist is a there are people who have the ability to be in multiple factions- these people are the Divergent. Seen as a threat to society, many hide in one faction in hopes of going unnoticed. The second thing you need to know is at the end of the first book Jenine Matthews has started a war by trying to control the Dauntless with a simulation and destroy the Abnegation. This did not go over well with many of the Dauntless and the city has now been split up into two sides, people siding with Erudite and against them.
This is where our second book starts off. As we all now know Jenine has started a war and the city is now in turmoil. With random attacks on both sides it has turned into a battle with neither side winning. Jenine has become more aggressive with eliminating the Divergent, war is on the brink. Now I wont tell you that much because the majority of this book is plot twists and page turners, but I can tell you one thing, the Dauntless who are resisting the Erudite pair up with an unlikely partner and new drama is revealed that will keep you begging for more.
I think that anyone who enjoyed the Hunger Games series or just like the futuristic, dystopian society setting would like Insurgent, but it also has the perfect mix of romance and action. Overall I would give this book five out of five stars, it was interesting, dramatic, exciting, and most of all even with he radical setting you can still relate to the characters.
This is where our second book starts off. As we all now know Jenine has started a war and the city is now in turmoil. With random attacks on both sides it has turned into a battle with neither side winning. Jenine has become more aggressive with eliminating the Divergent, war is on the brink. Now I wont tell you that much because the majority of this book is plot twists and page turners, but I can tell you one thing, the Dauntless who are resisting the Erudite pair up with an unlikely partner and new drama is revealed that will keep you begging for more.
I think that anyone who enjoyed the Hunger Games series or just like the futuristic, dystopian society setting would like Insurgent, but it also has the perfect mix of romance and action. Overall I would give this book five out of five stars, it was interesting, dramatic, exciting, and most of all even with he radical setting you can still relate to the characters.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Krista Ramsey Column
We have recently been studying columns the past week in English class, and today I read a couple written by Krista Ramsey. The columns I read focused on how technology has taken over young people lives today and how society has slowly become more casually dressed on a daily basis. If you want to read more of her writings the following link is to her page: Krista Ramsey Column.
Even though I wasn't exactly a fan of Ramsey's writing there was one line in her column that really stood out to me, "What all kids need is more training in three dimensions," Clark says. "Life is not two dimensional." I really feel like a lot of people can relate to this statement in more ways than one. We live in a world that is so obsessed with technology that sometimes people, myself included, forget that there is more to life that just what's on the computer screen. It's easy to become interested in what's on TV or the latest sports game score popping up on your phone instead of going to play outside or read a book. But as with anything else, there is a fix to this problem that seems to be sweeping the nation. And that fix is moderation. A little TV never killed anyone, but the same can be said for reading a book. In this quote you can definitely see how Ramsey prefers to write, even though it was a quote said by someone else it represents a large part of her columns, she likes to use a lot of outside sources and research and back up her points.
As a said before, a large part of Ramsey's columns incorporate adding in outside information, and I think that is part of the reason I didn't like her writing as much as other columnist I have looked at. As I was reading, I felt as if information was just being spit at me and the column seemed to turn into a news article or persuasive paper. For example, in the third article, Our kids tell the story of why preschool is a must, I felt as if she was just recalling facts when she says, "Now she ranks advanced or very advanced on every measure of Kindergarten readiness." Or another example is, "Dr. Joseph Clark, a professor of neurology and rehabilitative medicine at UC health, worries that it's [small screens] are shrinking it [kid's vision]." from the first article, For better vision, Kids need time outdoors. Finally, my third example comes form the second article, Super Bowl QBs score points for great style, where Ramsey states, "My husband always told the boys if there's ever any kind of business situation, wear a suit and tie."
If I had the chance to ever sit down with Krista Ramsey there are three main questions that I would ask that come to mind. First, What motivated you to become a columnist? Second, How do you come up with the topics for your columns? And lastly, What other columnists do you enjoy reading?
In conclusion, I feel as if all columns are different in topics, writing style, and craft and it was interesting to see Krista Ramsey's take on things.
Even though I wasn't exactly a fan of Ramsey's writing there was one line in her column that really stood out to me, "What all kids need is more training in three dimensions," Clark says. "Life is not two dimensional." I really feel like a lot of people can relate to this statement in more ways than one. We live in a world that is so obsessed with technology that sometimes people, myself included, forget that there is more to life that just what's on the computer screen. It's easy to become interested in what's on TV or the latest sports game score popping up on your phone instead of going to play outside or read a book. But as with anything else, there is a fix to this problem that seems to be sweeping the nation. And that fix is moderation. A little TV never killed anyone, but the same can be said for reading a book. In this quote you can definitely see how Ramsey prefers to write, even though it was a quote said by someone else it represents a large part of her columns, she likes to use a lot of outside sources and research and back up her points.
As a said before, a large part of Ramsey's columns incorporate adding in outside information, and I think that is part of the reason I didn't like her writing as much as other columnist I have looked at. As I was reading, I felt as if information was just being spit at me and the column seemed to turn into a news article or persuasive paper. For example, in the third article, Our kids tell the story of why preschool is a must, I felt as if she was just recalling facts when she says, "Now she ranks advanced or very advanced on every measure of Kindergarten readiness." Or another example is, "Dr. Joseph Clark, a professor of neurology and rehabilitative medicine at UC health, worries that it's [small screens] are shrinking it [kid's vision]." from the first article, For better vision, Kids need time outdoors. Finally, my third example comes form the second article, Super Bowl QBs score points for great style, where Ramsey states, "My husband always told the boys if there's ever any kind of business situation, wear a suit and tie."
If I had the chance to ever sit down with Krista Ramsey there are three main questions that I would ask that come to mind. First, What motivated you to become a columnist? Second, How do you come up with the topics for your columns? And lastly, What other columnists do you enjoy reading?
In conclusion, I feel as if all columns are different in topics, writing style, and craft and it was interesting to see Krista Ramsey's take on things.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Insurgent Author Information
This week I have begun to read the second book in the Divergent series, Insurgent, written by the world renowned author, Veronica Roth. I read the first book in the trilogy during the first trimester and have been dying to get my hands on the second book ever since. She was born in New York City, New York on August 19, 1988. As the youngest of three children Roth graduated high school from Barrington High School and attended Carlton College. After a year she transferred to Northwestern for their creative writing program. During her senior year she began writing her first book, Divergent. It took off around the world and propelled her to the top of the New York Best Sellers list at the early age of 22. Now married to photographer Nilson Fitch, she lives in the Chicago area. After Divergent's success, she wrote the next two books in the trilogy, Insurgent and Allegiant. Roth has also released a short story telling the life story of Tobias Eaton before Divergent. Three more stories are due to be released in July of 2014. Divergent was just recently released as a movie, also getting great reviews.
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