Book Report- The Chosen

Potok, Chaim. The Chosen. New York. Ballantine Books: 1967.

Reason, Type and Setting:This book was recommended to me by a relative a while ago. the Chosen takes place in a Jewish Sect of New York during World War II.

Plot: This book follows the friendship of two high school Orthodox boys. One of the boys is a Hasid and the other Orthodox. The two boys have the same faith but were raised entirely differently. While Reuven, the Orthodox boy, was raised by a very intelligent father and was always encouraged to ask question and expand on his knowledge. Danny, on the other hand, was raised in silence by his father. According to the traditions that Danny's family and their followers abide by, Danny would be the next leader of the colony and their connection to God. Danny doesn't wish to follow the tradition, rather he would like to study phsycology and Freud and other famous philosophers. Reuven is one of Danny's outlets and gives Danny the opportunity to talk to someone who can understand his need for change. Unfortunately when Danny's father forbids Danny to see Reuven because of a disagreement of beliefs.

Character:Danny is a curious, head strong and independent young man. He is the other protagonist of the story and is a very interesting character. He is described as a genious and is highly adored by his niave followers. Danny's struggle to follow dreams that he could never expose for the fear of losing his family, made him an even more passionate person. I personally don't like when people use misfortunes in their lives as excuses to fail rather than reasons to succeed. In the end of the novel he was able to stand up for what he honestly wanted to be following rather than for what his father had in line for him.

Evaluation: I really did like the novel and I felt I could relate to it in an acedemic, social, and even religious way. I would definitely reccommend this book to anyone intrested in an exciting and unique read. The story was amazing and the author's style was very unique and i enjoyed it.

The story definitely relates to teenagers and some of the problems they have to deal with in literal and metophorical ways as well. Since the story took place during and after World War II one of the main conflicts in the novel were between the Zionists and the Anti-Zionists. People should know about what was going on during that time between the two groups of Jews, whether it is through reading this book or another.

Author, Context and Trivia: Chiam Potok has also written the books: The Promise, In the Beginning, The Book of Lights, Davita's Harp, Theo Tobiasse. I haven't read any other books by Potok, but I have heard that Davita's Harp is also just as good.

Book Report- Absalom, Absalom!

Faulkner, William. Absalom, Absalom! Place of Publication. Company: Date.

Reason, Type and Setting: This was a narrative about a family in the south during the Civil War. There is action, mystery and adventure throughout the novel. Taking place in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Plot: A woman (Miss Rosa) tells a story of her family and the Supten family to a grandson (Queton) of Mr. Thomas Sutpen. She tells him about the incest, the scandles and the choas. She hopes that one day her story will be shared with the rest of the world if Quenton would become a writer. After one families name was ruined by another, there were murders within the family and scandles through the small Mississippi town. Especially when the half brother of Judith tries to marry her and her brother Henry then kills his half brother Bon, not because of the incestial intentions but the fact that he had negro blood.

Character: Charles Bon is a young man and the abandoned son of Thomas Supten. He has part negro blood on his mother's side, but he is educated and eventually make the decision to enroll in the army. He becomes friend with his half-brother Henry, that neither realised their relation. After Henry introduced Bon to his sister Judith, the two had plans for marriage. Later Henry found out of Bon's relation and then learns of his negro blood and for that reason he murders his sister fiance. Through out the book it is sugested that Henry himself may have had sexual feelings toward his siter as well.

Evaluation: I didn't enjoy this novel as much as other novels I have read recently. The actual story and plot were interesting and unique, but the author's style was untraditiomal and in this case i didn't enjoy the way it was written. I am not sure if i would recommend this book to others, but it did have educational value and I learned more about the south and southern mindset from a different perspective.

It's hard to compare this book to life now because our world is so different then it was then. Though there are prejudices and racism now, it is not nearly as bad as it used to be. Certain parts of the story remind me of current events such as incest and rape, although these are unfortunate events they do happen now and they happened then. It is sad to think that these circumstances have not greatly changed.

Author, Context andfa Trivia:Faulkner wrote many other books including: As I Lay Dying, The Hamlet, The Sound and the Fury, Light in August, and Knight's Gambit. Faulkner is a famous writer and is still recognized today for his talent. I have not read any other books by Faulkner. Even though I have not read a book by Faulkner other than this one, I have read The Color Purple which has similar ideas as Absalom, Absalom!

Art vs. Graffiti

So many people say anything can be art. I see art as only a small part of something aesthetically pleasing. Art to me is more than words painted on a wall with the intention of being destructive. Someone who carefully plans out where and why they create art, is an artist. There must be a reason behind the piece that when it is explained, the reason for creation doesn't need to make sense to any one around but it is an honest and true reflection of the artist's emotions. It can not be said exactly when and how art is formed but it certainly is not found in everything. Beauty, on the other hand, is everywhere. Beauty waits for us to discover it and from there we do as we please. Whether we take a picture, paint a landscape, point it out to a friend or just take a mental image, beauty is their for the talented and the talentless to appreciate. Beauty is timeless and universal. Art is subjective and bias. Graffiti is thoughtless and destructive.

Current Event- Doctor

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/03/03/transplant.trial/index.html

Doctor is accused of expediting patients death and faces 8 years of prison. The reason for the doctor's actions were to use the patients organs. By the time the patient had died, however, the organs weren't even usable. It's hard because it is sad how many doctors are being sued and put on trial. They work hard everyday at one of the most important jobs in the country and are being discouraged from doing the right thing. It is bigger than this case so it's hard to say that what this doctor did was wrong or right, but it is easy to say that that certainly is not how all doctors act around and with their patients.

Vocabulary Week 7

She hides behind the bulwark of her religion.

I always try to emulate people who work hard to do what they need to to get things done.

My niece imitates everything I do.

Everyone hates when people mimic them, it's always so annoying and definitely frustrating.

Her reaction was a precursor to the reaction of her team mates. It was as if her reaction was just a split second earlier.

scuttlebutt - A cask on a ship used to hold the day's supply of drinking water.
bulwark - any person or thing giving strong support or encouragement in time of need, danger, or doubt.
hubris - excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance.
dearth - scarcity and dearness of food; famine.
deference - respectful submission or yielding to the judgment, opinion, will, etc., of another.
emulate - to try to equal or excel; imitate with effort to equal or surpass.
imitate - to follow or endeavor to follow as a model or example.
mimic - to imitate or copy in action, speech, etc., often playfully or derisively.
endemic - natural to or characteristic of a specific people or place; native; indigenous: an endemic disease.
aborigine - one of the original or earliest known inhabitants of a country or region.
inchoate - not yet completed or fully developed; rudimentary.
precursor - a person or thing that precedes, as in a job, a method, etc.; predecessor.
volatile - evaporating rapidly; passing off readily in the form of vapor.