Summary: The ending to the novella was interesting and odd, but I believe it’s due to the fact that I haven’t read many novellas. In the last few pages, Sam has been to many places and a lot has occurred in so little time. So much was happening at once, that he didn’t even have time to cyber chat with Luis. Sam was also arrested once more for shoplifting (it's like he didn't learn the first time). Towards the end of the book, Sam went to Gainesville, Florida. There he partied a lot, and spend enormous amounts of time doing nothing. While he was on his trip in Florida I got to find a lot about Sam. For example, I found out that he wanted to be a Marine Biologist as he grew up, and that his parents are in Taiwan. After some time in Gainesville he returned to New York City to do what he loves most, write weird pieces of literature.
Quotation:: "At the police station Sam called Robert" (Lin 65).
Reaction:Reaction: Sam was arrested again. This time he was arrested for stealing headphones. What was strange about it was that he was stealing headphones because his broke, and headphones costs about five dollars. But I guess something that is worth five dollars is not worth something to Sam, because he was arrested trying to shoplift headphones that cost forty-dollars. In my opinion, he being arrested twice is the climax of the novel, and the falling action is him going to Florida.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Shoplifting From American Apparel; Pages 34-56
Summary: Sam is now out of jail, and will need to serve two days of community service. Well, he had two option: one, have one day of community service and have a record, or do two days of community service and have his record cleared. Sam, wanting to be a promising writer decided to take the two days. While doing the community service Sam had the opportunity to meet other folks who had done something bad as well, and are actually in worse conditions. After the community service was all sorted out, Sam began to work at a vegan restaurant. At the restaurant he would work quite a bit, more than what he was used to. And one day, he mentions to Ben, a fellow co-worker, that he wanted to stop working but still get paid. Sam also mentioned how he was ‘tired of life’. To me, it seems like Sam was never a hard worker, and he lives the simple life. He doesn’t do much but eat and drink many organic products and just hang out with friends.
Though, his relationships with his friends are weird. An example of a weird relationship is the relationship between Sam and Luis. For one, they only talk on Gmail, and they have weird conversations overall.
Sam and Sheila are not together anymore. It’s weird how I find out what happens between friends, because the narrator doesn’t necessarily tell the audience directly. Like the way I found out that they are not together is through a dialogue where another character, Kaitlyn, asked Sam is he still goes out with Sheila and Sam responded ‘no’.
Quotation: “Then why don’t you like her anymore?” / “I don’t know,” said Sam, “I do like her” (Lin 55).
Reaction: The first quotation was asked by Kaitltyn. The question was directed towards Sam and it was pertaining to his ex-girlfriend Sheila. At the beginning of the dialogue Kaitlyn asked Sam if he still liked her, and Sam said ‘no’. But, as you can see with the quotation I have displayed above, he contradicted himself by saying that he does indeed like her. To me, I believe this quote shows the internal conflict that Sam has; weather he should hang on to the feelings he has for Sheila, or letting go and moving on. And as a note, there was a scene where Sam met Sheila in public (when they were not dating), and Sheila was with this guy. Though they walked right by each other and noticed each other, they did not greet each other.
Though, his relationships with his friends are weird. An example of a weird relationship is the relationship between Sam and Luis. For one, they only talk on Gmail, and they have weird conversations overall.
Sam and Sheila are not together anymore. It’s weird how I find out what happens between friends, because the narrator doesn’t necessarily tell the audience directly. Like the way I found out that they are not together is through a dialogue where another character, Kaitlyn, asked Sam is he still goes out with Sheila and Sam responded ‘no’.
Quotation: “Then why don’t you like her anymore?” / “I don’t know,” said Sam, “I do like her” (Lin 55).
Reaction: The first quotation was asked by Kaitltyn. The question was directed towards Sam and it was pertaining to his ex-girlfriend Sheila. At the beginning of the dialogue Kaitlyn asked Sam if he still liked her, and Sam said ‘no’. But, as you can see with the quotation I have displayed above, he contradicted himself by saying that he does indeed like her. To me, I believe this quote shows the internal conflict that Sam has; weather he should hang on to the feelings he has for Sheila, or letting go and moving on. And as a note, there was a scene where Sam met Sheila in public (when they were not dating), and Sheila was with this guy. Though they walked right by each other and noticed each other, they did not greet each other.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Shoplifting From American Apparel; Pages 1-34
Summary: The first thirty or so pages are the novel was quite interesting. The novella begins with the main character, Sam. Sam is a young male who loves to write and his a few books already published. He lives an interesting life. By that I mean his life is not quite like most characters that I’ve read in the past. For example, his best friend is Louis. He met Louis over the internet, and only saw him a couple of times in real life. Their both writers with books published, and they are both mentally disturbed (the mentally disturbed is my opinion). Their friendship would die if it wasn’t for gmail chat. And on gmail chat, they have the weirdest conversations. (I’m not going to speak much about their conversation because it’s really not appropriate for school). If that relationship was not weird enough, then there’s Sheila. Sheila, is his on-and-off girlfriend. What I mean by that is that the novella mentions them being together for some time, and then suddenly it refers to their friendship as ‘just friends’. I guess this happens because almost a whole year has passed in just the first thirty-four pages of the book, if not more.
Currently, the section I finished reading ended of with Sam going to jail for shoplifting from an American Apparel store. He was on his way to a book reading, but then he decided to look at some thing in American Apparel, and ended up walking away with a T-shirt. He got caught and was sent to jail. In jail, a few weird characters were mentioned. Especially a drunk white guy who did nothing but swear at everybody and cried pretty disturbing things, like: “I am going to have sex with your little sister so hard” (Lin 32).
Quotation: “Sam woke around 3:30 p.m. and saw no emails from Sheila. He made a smoothie. He lay on his bed and stared at his computer screen. He showered and put on clothes and opened the Microsoft Word file of his poetry” (Lin 13).
Reaction:This quote technically has no major significance, but rather than it mentions that Sam has a Microsoft Word file for his poetry. I didn’t choose a quote from the book hoping to find a significance in the text, I picked this section of the book because it pretty much gives the reader a clear picture of how the book it set up to be. The sentences are quite short in the novella, which makes it a pretty easy read. The book is somewhat like a depressing book in my eyes because of the short sentences. I believe that as a reader, we should be reading this book as with a ‘sigh’, or something similar. Because during the book reading that I went to, Tao Lin read the first chapter without any emotion, and I understood the book quite well as he was reading it. To finish this off on a good note, it is told in 3rd person omniscient. The protagonist is Sam, and there isn’t a antagonist yet. As for the setting, the story began on a afternoon, sometime during November.
Currently, the section I finished reading ended of with Sam going to jail for shoplifting from an American Apparel store. He was on his way to a book reading, but then he decided to look at some thing in American Apparel, and ended up walking away with a T-shirt. He got caught and was sent to jail. In jail, a few weird characters were mentioned. Especially a drunk white guy who did nothing but swear at everybody and cried pretty disturbing things, like: “I am going to have sex with your little sister so hard” (Lin 32).
Quotation: “Sam woke around 3:30 p.m. and saw no emails from Sheila. He made a smoothie. He lay on his bed and stared at his computer screen. He showered and put on clothes and opened the Microsoft Word file of his poetry” (Lin 13).
Reaction:This quote technically has no major significance, but rather than it mentions that Sam has a Microsoft Word file for his poetry. I didn’t choose a quote from the book hoping to find a significance in the text, I picked this section of the book because it pretty much gives the reader a clear picture of how the book it set up to be. The sentences are quite short in the novella, which makes it a pretty easy read. The book is somewhat like a depressing book in my eyes because of the short sentences. I believe that as a reader, we should be reading this book as with a ‘sigh’, or something similar. Because during the book reading that I went to, Tao Lin read the first chapter without any emotion, and I understood the book quite well as he was reading it. To finish this off on a good note, it is told in 3rd person omniscient. The protagonist is Sam, and there isn’t a antagonist yet. As for the setting, the story began on a afternoon, sometime during November.
Friday, April 30, 2010
A Concise History of Mathematics; The Final Post!
Summary: This last section of my reading was extremely small (15 pages in total). Though, it was 15 pages, it had as much information as the other sections I've read in the past. This section of the book begins to talk about the first half of the twentieth century. In the 20th century mathematics was in flourished. The leading countries in their mathematical advancements at the time were France and Germany. The book also mentioned how mathematicians earned their income in educational institutions, especially those engaged in research to be found on university faculties.
Quotation: "...mathematics was in flourishing conditions, although creative mathematics was still in the main confined to one section of the world, was in most cases an academic profession, and was restricted with few exceptions, to white males of European stock" (Struik 204).
Reaction: As creative mathematics began to grow, more properties to math were found. As I mentioned already, France and Germany were the leading countries when this period of mathematics flourished. In addition, distinguished mathematical work also came out of Russia, Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Quotation: "...mathematics was in flourishing conditions, although creative mathematics was still in the main confined to one section of the world, was in most cases an academic profession, and was restricted with few exceptions, to white males of European stock" (Struik 204).
Reaction: As creative mathematics began to grow, more properties to math were found. As I mentioned already, France and Germany were the leading countries when this period of mathematics flourished. In addition, distinguished mathematical work also came out of Russia, Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
A Concise History of Mathematics; Pages 151-200
Summary: This section on the book is still on 19th century mathematics. It mentions a few great minds which contributed to the study of mathematics, such as: Riemann, Weirstrass, Cantor, Steiner, Cayley, Lobscevkii, Sylvester, and Hamilton. It was because of these men that democratic ideas invaded academic life. With it, criticism rose against antiquated forms of thinking. Then, schools and universities had to be reformed and rejuvenated.
Quotation: "The mathematicians of the nineteenth century were no longer at royal courts or in the salons of the aristocracy" (Struik 165).
Reaction: The chief occupation of the mathematicians no longer consisted in membership in learned academy; they were usually employed by universities or technical schools and were teachers as well as investigators. This is important because now the mathematicians will not only know how to compute complex things, but they will have the chance to teach others what they have learned at the universities.
Quotation: "The mathematicians of the nineteenth century were no longer at royal courts or in the salons of the aristocracy" (Struik 165).
Reaction: The chief occupation of the mathematicians no longer consisted in membership in learned academy; they were usually employed by universities or technical schools and were teachers as well as investigators. This is important because now the mathematicians will not only know how to compute complex things, but they will have the chance to teach others what they have learned at the universities.
A Concise History of Mathematics; Pages 101-150
Summary: The book began to talk about more recent mathematics; mathematics that was being invented, and used during the 18th century. The book mentions many of the great mathematicians during the 18th century, for example, Leibniz, Euler, Lagrange, Laplace, and the Bernoulli brothers. For the most part, mathematical productivity in the eighteenth century concentrated on the calculus and its application to mathematics. The book also mentions the 19th century, and how the French Revolution and the Napoleonic period help further the growth of mathematics. Many of the great minds of the 19th century are: Friedrich, Legendre, Monge, and Galois.
Quotation: "To the France of the Age of Enlightenment belongs the first comprehensive history of mathematics, a very readable narrative, not just a catalog of names and titles like those of the past" (Struik 137).
Reaction: The Age of Enlightenment was one of the most important eras in dealing with how far France has improved scientifically and mathematically. It is important to understand that it was during the Age of Enlightenment that the first comprehensive history of mathematics belonged to France.
Quotation: "To the France of the Age of Enlightenment belongs the first comprehensive history of mathematics, a very readable narrative, not just a catalog of names and titles like those of the past" (Struik 137).
Reaction: The Age of Enlightenment was one of the most important eras in dealing with how far France has improved scientifically and mathematically. It is important to understand that it was during the Age of Enlightenment that the first comprehensive history of mathematics belonged to France.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
A Concise History of Mathematics; Pages 50-100
Summary: The more I read, the more about the history of mathematics the book talks about. I keep learning new things, like how most of our knowledge of Egyptian mathematics derived from mathematical papyri. The book does not only mention the papyri that it talks about in great detail, but it shows images of them as well. Great civilizations like the Babylonians, Mayans, and Incas are mentioned for their great mathematical achievements. The Mayans constructed a well understood counting system, where numbers from one through four are represented as dots, and a five is a horizontal bar. So, if a Mayan wanted to represent a 9, they will draw four dots and one horizontal bar. The book also mentions how the Mayans had a different base number because they will use all their fingers and toes. As a result, instead of having a base of 10, they had a base of 20.
Quotation: “The best-known achievement of Hindu mathematics is our present decimal position” (Struik 67).
Reaction: The fact that Hindu mathematics provided us with the decimal system is very important. In fact, many of the mathematics that has been studied in the Eastern Hemisphere have great importance. The book mentions how many of the great thinkers like Pythagoras have come from the East, and how many of the ideas that we use in math have come from the East as well. Much of the great ideas we use today are credited to Egyptian, Chinese, Hindu, and Europeans mathematics.
Quotation: “The best-known achievement of Hindu mathematics is our present decimal position” (Struik 67).
Reaction: The fact that Hindu mathematics provided us with the decimal system is very important. In fact, many of the mathematics that has been studied in the Eastern Hemisphere have great importance. The book mentions how many of the great thinkers like Pythagoras have come from the East, and how many of the ideas that we use in math have come from the East as well. Much of the great ideas we use today are credited to Egyptian, Chinese, Hindu, and Europeans mathematics.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
A Concise History of Mathematics; Pages 1-50
Summary: Though math has been around for many years, little progress was made in understanding numerical values and space relations until more modern times. It was went the transition occurred from the mere gathering of food to its actual production, from hunting and fishing to agriculture. The book has a great deal of information, for example it talks about the old Fiji Island language. It mentions how ten boats were called bola, and ten coconuts were called koro, and a thousand coconuts were referred to as saloro. Actually, the first occurrence of numerical terms began to come into play as a quantitative meaning, rather than a qualitative. They were used to make distinctions between one thing, to two things, and many of something.
Quotation: “The development of the crafts of commerce stimulated this crystallization of number concept. Numbers were arranged and bundled into larger units, usually by the use of the fingers of the hand or of both hands, a natural procedure in trading” (Struik 10)
Reaction: As explained in the quote, trading actually had a great significance in mathematics. With trading, the individuals were able to build on their math knowledge of differentiating amount from one another. And what is silly now, was sure not humorous back in the early times. I’m talking about counting with fingers. The men doing the trading might have needed to count with their fingers on a daily bases, and now-a-days we laugh when someone pulls out the finger count. The novel is told in first person, is very much limited. The narrator is just explaining a great deal of events, and the significance/importance math related topics.
Quotation: “The development of the crafts of commerce stimulated this crystallization of number concept. Numbers were arranged and bundled into larger units, usually by the use of the fingers of the hand or of both hands, a natural procedure in trading” (Struik 10)
Reaction: As explained in the quote, trading actually had a great significance in mathematics. With trading, the individuals were able to build on their math knowledge of differentiating amount from one another. And what is silly now, was sure not humorous back in the early times. I’m talking about counting with fingers. The men doing the trading might have needed to count with their fingers on a daily bases, and now-a-days we laugh when someone pulls out the finger count. The novel is told in first person, is very much limited. The narrator is just explaining a great deal of events, and the significance/importance math related topics.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
October Sky; The Movie Post
A preview of the movie...
"A GREAT MOVIE, THAT WILL LIVE IN YOUR MEMORY FOREVER!"
-Larry King, USA TODAY
"You'll laugh with it, cry with it, and go away absolutely loving it"
-Robert Butler, Knight Rider News Service
Sections/characters minimized in the film
As done in many books into film, there were several sections that were cut off. For example, many of the Auk’s were not shown when they were flown. In the movie, a total of 30 Auk’s were set to fly, and in the movie fewer than 15 were actually presented. Sections were not the only things that were minimized and cut out in the film, characters were as well. For example, Tim’s dad dying and Tim having to move away was not mentioned. And Sherman, one of the rocket boys, was not mentioned either. Though, in the movie it mentioned that O’Dell’s name was ‘Sherman O’Dell’. That was odd because Mr. Hickam did not mention O’Dell’s first name at all in his novel. Jake was also left out in the movie, as well as his relationship with Miss Riley. I believe the director did a good job in cutting out certain characters, because it just made the movie more easy to understand. The book itself was hard to understand if I didn’t quiz myself of who was who, so cutting out characters was a great idea. Thus, as Mr. Hickam mentioned in a speech, the director needed to unless the movie was going to be too long.
Sections/characters emphasized in the film
The protagonist was emphasized the most as done in mostly all the movies. Sonny’s dream was probably emphasized the most in the film. His desire to build rockets really made the movie as great as it was. The director did a good job showing the hardships and the triumphs that Sonny had to go through just to make his Auk’s soar the sky. Sonny’s teacher, Miss Riley, was also emphasized in the film. She was the one to help Sonny see what was ahead of him when his dreams became clouded by troubles within his family.
Narration
There was very little narration in the film. Like in most films, the narration was done in the genesis of the movie. It was told in first person, and the omniscient wasn’t there at all. When the narration was taking place, the narrator never spoke about what others thought. The narrator rather focused on the life of Sonny, and what was going on around Coalwood.
Reoccurring images (motifs)
The reoccurring motif in this movie was Sonny’s desire to build rockets. As I mentioned before, the director did a phenomenal job in emphasizing his dreams. The director also made it quit obvious that Sonny’s motif was to build rockets. It was actually mentioned by Sonny 7 times in the film (approximately).
Use of music/sound effects
The music in the movie was awesome. At first, the director played Jailhouse Rock, by Elvis Presley. The song went so well with the scene, it was like they were made for each other. Thus, no one can go wrong with some tunes from the king himself. Throughout the movie other classical’s were played such as Ain’t That A Shame, by Fats Domino. And when there were scenes of the Rocket Boys building their Auk’s and inching closer to the science fair The Coasters would sing their Yakety Yak. To finish it off, one of the last classical that was played was Speedo, sung by The Cadillacs. These songs all went well with the scene in which they were played in. They were great choices, and the director couldn’t have done a better job.
Description of one shot
First off, I’m sorry for the quality of the picture. It’s an establishing shot, with high key lighting. I believe it’s a POV shot, but then again it can be controversial. For my defense, it only seems natural for it to be a POV shot, and if it is, it might be from Sonny’s perspective.
"A GREAT MOVIE, THAT WILL LIVE IN YOUR MEMORY FOREVER!"
-Larry King, USA TODAY
"You'll laugh with it, cry with it, and go away absolutely loving it"
-Robert Butler, Knight Rider News Service
Sections/characters minimized in the film
As done in many books into film, there were several sections that were cut off. For example, many of the Auk’s were not shown when they were flown. In the movie, a total of 30 Auk’s were set to fly, and in the movie fewer than 15 were actually presented. Sections were not the only things that were minimized and cut out in the film, characters were as well. For example, Tim’s dad dying and Tim having to move away was not mentioned. And Sherman, one of the rocket boys, was not mentioned either. Though, in the movie it mentioned that O’Dell’s name was ‘Sherman O’Dell’. That was odd because Mr. Hickam did not mention O’Dell’s first name at all in his novel. Jake was also left out in the movie, as well as his relationship with Miss Riley. I believe the director did a good job in cutting out certain characters, because it just made the movie more easy to understand. The book itself was hard to understand if I didn’t quiz myself of who was who, so cutting out characters was a great idea. Thus, as Mr. Hickam mentioned in a speech, the director needed to unless the movie was going to be too long.
Sections/characters emphasized in the film
The protagonist was emphasized the most as done in mostly all the movies. Sonny’s dream was probably emphasized the most in the film. His desire to build rockets really made the movie as great as it was. The director did a good job showing the hardships and the triumphs that Sonny had to go through just to make his Auk’s soar the sky. Sonny’s teacher, Miss Riley, was also emphasized in the film. She was the one to help Sonny see what was ahead of him when his dreams became clouded by troubles within his family.
Narration
There was very little narration in the film. Like in most films, the narration was done in the genesis of the movie. It was told in first person, and the omniscient wasn’t there at all. When the narration was taking place, the narrator never spoke about what others thought. The narrator rather focused on the life of Sonny, and what was going on around Coalwood.
Reoccurring images (motifs)
The reoccurring motif in this movie was Sonny’s desire to build rockets. As I mentioned before, the director did a phenomenal job in emphasizing his dreams. The director also made it quit obvious that Sonny’s motif was to build rockets. It was actually mentioned by Sonny 7 times in the film (approximately).
Use of music/sound effects
The music in the movie was awesome. At first, the director played Jailhouse Rock, by Elvis Presley. The song went so well with the scene, it was like they were made for each other. Thus, no one can go wrong with some tunes from the king himself. Throughout the movie other classical’s were played such as Ain’t That A Shame, by Fats Domino. And when there were scenes of the Rocket Boys building their Auk’s and inching closer to the science fair The Coasters would sing their Yakety Yak. To finish it off, one of the last classical that was played was Speedo, sung by The Cadillacs. These songs all went well with the scene in which they were played in. They were great choices, and the director couldn’t have done a better job.
Description of one shot
First off, I’m sorry for the quality of the picture. It’s an establishing shot, with high key lighting. I believe it’s a POV shot, but then again it can be controversial. For my defense, it only seems natural for it to be a POV shot, and if it is, it might be from Sonny’s perspective.
October Sky; The Final Post!
Summary: All systems go!
Sonny and the young men from the BCMA have done it! Together they have prepared the best science project that the nation has seen in the year 1960.
Before the young men were ready to set sail on an enormous competition, they needed to come up with some new rocket fuel. What they were using in the previous Auk’s, rocket candy, was just going to be powerful enough to go way over a mile into the sky. That’s when the young men got the idea of combining zinc with alcohol. Now, this was sure to make great rocket fuel, but the boys needed pure alcohol, not the stuff that they sold at the Company Store in Coalwood. That’s when they decided to go to John Eye. It was there where they would find the purest moonshine around. With it in hand, they began to amalgamate the zinc and moonshine to create a compound that would change the way their rockets are launched: zincoshine.
The followings Auks to come have been breaking the barriers on how high the rockets can go. Now, the BCMA were not just building the rockets and hope they would fly. With the book that Miss Riley provided them, they were calculating the precise measurement they wanted their rockets to go. And with each Auk, the boys were thinking big. It seemed as if with each new model, the rockets were being designed to go at least another mile over what the previous rocket had flown.
The boys were ready for the science fair, and Sonny knew they had a chance to impress the judges. The only dilemma was that the judges might be biased since their all from Welch. Coming from Big Creek High, that worried Sonny, but it wasn’t like he was going to quit. No BCMA was a quitter. Going into the country science fair, Homer won first place and moved on to the regional competition. At the region competition Sonny and his presentation shined all the way to first place. Next stop: nationals. Before Sonny could even think about going to nationals in Indianapolis he needed a suit. Sonny was planning on wearing his cotton pants and plaid shirts and penny-loafer shoes, but his mother said otherwise. She wanted him to wear a suit for the science fair, and it wasn’t like Sonny was going to have an altercation with his mother over clothing. Anyways, her word was the law.
When Sonny bought his suit, he was now ready to travel to Indianapolis. Before he traveled, he said goodbye to everyone except Dorothy Plunk (his lover), who wasn’t there to watch him leave. When he arrived in Indianapolis he met a young man named Orville (or Tex) from Lubbock, Texas. They became instant friend, and even swapped roommates to spend the next few days in Indianapolis together. Both Tex and Sonny had projects on rockets, but Sonny’s was better because he actually won the competition. Though, Tex came in second. Sonny would have felt very pleased with himself, but the felicity in all of it slipped away when he lost his chance to meet Dr. von Braun. The rocket engineer he was dying to meet was at the science fair with Sonny, and actually touched Auk XXXI (the last rocket BCMA built). What was ironic about the situation was that when Sonny was looking around for Dr. von Braun, he was looking at Sonny’s project and actually said that he would like to meet the young individual who built Auk XXXI.
At the culmination of the novel Sonny, O’Dell, Sherman, Roy Lee, and Quentin launched their last 5 rockets on the fourth of July in the year 1960. Auk’s XXVI – XXXI flew successfully and the crowd, which was the biggest that the BCMA has had (nearly all of Coalwood attended, and people from other towns as well), all ooohed and ahhhed. Out of all of them, Auk XXXI was the most impressive, as it reached over 6 miles into the sky, and what was special about it was that Sonny’s father, Homer Hickam, was the one to launch it.
Quotation: "'You did really good, Dad,' I told him as a spasm of deep, oily coughs raked his body. 'Nobody ever launched a better rocket than you'" (Hickam 407).
Reaction: By far, this was one of the greatest moments in the book. When Homer launched the rocket, it signaled many things. One of them was the relationship between father and son. To Sonny, that was probably the first time that his father really showed that he cared about what he was doing. It meant the world to Sonny to know that he father had appreciated the work he has done with rockets thus far. The novel itself was like no other that I have read in a very long time. The book being 427 pages long, it felt weird knowing that the falling action and dénouement had been compressed into the last 80 pages or so. Overall, it was a good read, and I felt great satisfaction as I closed the book.
Sonny and the young men from the BCMA have done it! Together they have prepared the best science project that the nation has seen in the year 1960.
Before the young men were ready to set sail on an enormous competition, they needed to come up with some new rocket fuel. What they were using in the previous Auk’s, rocket candy, was just going to be powerful enough to go way over a mile into the sky. That’s when the young men got the idea of combining zinc with alcohol. Now, this was sure to make great rocket fuel, but the boys needed pure alcohol, not the stuff that they sold at the Company Store in Coalwood. That’s when they decided to go to John Eye. It was there where they would find the purest moonshine around. With it in hand, they began to amalgamate the zinc and moonshine to create a compound that would change the way their rockets are launched: zincoshine.
The followings Auks to come have been breaking the barriers on how high the rockets can go. Now, the BCMA were not just building the rockets and hope they would fly. With the book that Miss Riley provided them, they were calculating the precise measurement they wanted their rockets to go. And with each Auk, the boys were thinking big. It seemed as if with each new model, the rockets were being designed to go at least another mile over what the previous rocket had flown.
The boys were ready for the science fair, and Sonny knew they had a chance to impress the judges. The only dilemma was that the judges might be biased since their all from Welch. Coming from Big Creek High, that worried Sonny, but it wasn’t like he was going to quit. No BCMA was a quitter. Going into the country science fair, Homer won first place and moved on to the regional competition. At the region competition Sonny and his presentation shined all the way to first place. Next stop: nationals. Before Sonny could even think about going to nationals in Indianapolis he needed a suit. Sonny was planning on wearing his cotton pants and plaid shirts and penny-loafer shoes, but his mother said otherwise. She wanted him to wear a suit for the science fair, and it wasn’t like Sonny was going to have an altercation with his mother over clothing. Anyways, her word was the law.
When Sonny bought his suit, he was now ready to travel to Indianapolis. Before he traveled, he said goodbye to everyone except Dorothy Plunk (his lover), who wasn’t there to watch him leave. When he arrived in Indianapolis he met a young man named Orville (or Tex) from Lubbock, Texas. They became instant friend, and even swapped roommates to spend the next few days in Indianapolis together. Both Tex and Sonny had projects on rockets, but Sonny’s was better because he actually won the competition. Though, Tex came in second. Sonny would have felt very pleased with himself, but the felicity in all of it slipped away when he lost his chance to meet Dr. von Braun. The rocket engineer he was dying to meet was at the science fair with Sonny, and actually touched Auk XXXI (the last rocket BCMA built). What was ironic about the situation was that when Sonny was looking around for Dr. von Braun, he was looking at Sonny’s project and actually said that he would like to meet the young individual who built Auk XXXI.
At the culmination of the novel Sonny, O’Dell, Sherman, Roy Lee, and Quentin launched their last 5 rockets on the fourth of July in the year 1960. Auk’s XXVI – XXXI flew successfully and the crowd, which was the biggest that the BCMA has had (nearly all of Coalwood attended, and people from other towns as well), all ooohed and ahhhed. Out of all of them, Auk XXXI was the most impressive, as it reached over 6 miles into the sky, and what was special about it was that Sonny’s father, Homer Hickam, was the one to launch it.
Quotation: "'You did really good, Dad,' I told him as a spasm of deep, oily coughs raked his body. 'Nobody ever launched a better rocket than you'" (Hickam 407).
Reaction: By far, this was one of the greatest moments in the book. When Homer launched the rocket, it signaled many things. One of them was the relationship between father and son. To Sonny, that was probably the first time that his father really showed that he cared about what he was doing. It meant the world to Sonny to know that he father had appreciated the work he has done with rockets thus far. The novel itself was like no other that I have read in a very long time. The book being 427 pages long, it felt weird knowing that the falling action and dénouement had been compressed into the last 80 pages or so. Overall, it was a good read, and I felt great satisfaction as I closed the book.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
October Sky; Pages 143-301
Summary: As the young men from the BCMA began to build their blockhouse, they noticed that they needed some materials. Now, Sonny could have asked his father, Homer, but he knew he would only be wasting his breath. Though, in reality, I believe Homer would provide Sonny with whatever he desires, considering he’s-his-son-and-all. The boys of BCMA had learned many things ever since they began to build rockets, and trading well as not one of them. The men who had the supplies the boys needed demanding certain items in exchange. Sonny did not do a good job in negotiating because he just brought the men whatever they wanted.
When everything was collected, the boys began to finish building their blockhouse. And, in a matter of days, Cape Coalwood was finished. (Cape Coalwood is what Sonny had decided to name the land where his father told him it would be safe to launch his rockets).
Jake, one of the engineers that come from Ohio every year to the mine, has become good friends with Sonny. Their friendship is very unique. It’s unique in the sense that Jake is much more of the ladies man, and hooks up with the secretaries of the mine. As for Sonny, he can’t even keep a very close relationship with a person from the opposite sex, other than his mother of course. Despite their major differences, Sonny likes to be around Jake. And he especially loves to look into Jakes telescope. With his fascination of astronomy, Sonny would try to visit Jake’s telescope as much as possible.
Things are going pretty well for Sonny. He’s building rockets like he’s dreamt of doing, and more importantly he’s making more progress with every one. It seems as if with each Auk that gets built, the elevation bar keeps getting higher and higher. Though only a few people are staying to watch the show, the boys kept motivating themselves.
Miss Riley, a new science teacher, will be in charge of the science fair this year. She heard about Sonny and the BCMA from the Big Creek High principle, Mr. Turner. Ever since the first day she met Sonny, she advised him to take part at the science fair, but Sonny always said no because he ‘wasn’t ready’. Wasn’t ready? Now, if you can launch a rocket more than a thousand feet up in the air, when your in high school, your more than ready. Ever since Sonny began to use rocket candy, a type of chemical that he put in the rocket to make it fly, his rockets were shooting up into the air with haste. Though Sonny knew his rockets were going to make a good presentation, he decided to not jump into conclusion about going to the science fair. First of, he didn’t have a book to explain what was going on while the rockets shot up well. In a science project an individual must know what their talking about, unless, they don’t want to try and win the competition. To his luck, Sonny received a book from Miss Riley which he really needed if he was to participate in the science fair. The book helped him and Quentin better understand rockets, and how it’s crucial to have the right weight depending on how powerful the chemicals are.
Life for Sonny has been getting somewhat more complicated now. He has had much on his mind. For example, he has watched the girl he believed he was in love with go to the dance with Jim (his brother). Also, Sonny’s good friend, Mr. Bykovski, passed away at the mine. The mine is a dangerous place, and the men who work at the mine know that their playing with death the moment they step into it. What happened was that one of the engineers had made a miscalculation, and all hell broke loose. With the slightest miscalculation, the engineer can endanger the lives of many because parts of the mine can collapse. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened in the Coalwood mine. Right away I began to think about the conversation I had in my English class with my fellow classmates: How knowing that death has taken a close person/thing that you cared about can make you lose your childhood. To me, it seemed like that’s what exactly happened to Sonny. He didn’t want to talk to no one, not even his parents at home. For a few days he lost the desire to learn more about rockets, and seized the building of them. Sonny was dead inside… he felt nothing.
Quotation: "'We've worked our tails off on your rockets. So you think you can just come down here and treat us like we're nothing? If that's what you think, come on, get up. I'll knowck you down again!" (Hickam 301).
Reaction: When Roy Lee, a member of the Rocket Boys, said this quote it really made me see how Sonny had just treated his friends. Its not mentioned in the quote, but Sonny had said that he's the leader of the group, so he'll be calling the shots. And, if he says that their going to use a type of chemical for the rocket, then their going to use it. After Sonny made those remarks, Roy Lee struck him in the chest. It's important that Roy Lee brought Sonny back to his senses. No one should take advantage of others, especially if they're their friends. Its not only the concept of taking advantage of a person, its respect. And when Sonny said that the group will do something because he said so, there wasn't much respect going across to the other guys. The other members of Rocket Boys did work their tails off to help Sonny launch the rockets he's been able to launch.
Also, the BCMA almost reached a mile in altitude with their latest rocket, Auk XXI.
When everything was collected, the boys began to finish building their blockhouse. And, in a matter of days, Cape Coalwood was finished. (Cape Coalwood is what Sonny had decided to name the land where his father told him it would be safe to launch his rockets).
Jake, one of the engineers that come from Ohio every year to the mine, has become good friends with Sonny. Their friendship is very unique. It’s unique in the sense that Jake is much more of the ladies man, and hooks up with the secretaries of the mine. As for Sonny, he can’t even keep a very close relationship with a person from the opposite sex, other than his mother of course. Despite their major differences, Sonny likes to be around Jake. And he especially loves to look into Jakes telescope. With his fascination of astronomy, Sonny would try to visit Jake’s telescope as much as possible.
Things are going pretty well for Sonny. He’s building rockets like he’s dreamt of doing, and more importantly he’s making more progress with every one. It seems as if with each Auk that gets built, the elevation bar keeps getting higher and higher. Though only a few people are staying to watch the show, the boys kept motivating themselves.
Miss Riley, a new science teacher, will be in charge of the science fair this year. She heard about Sonny and the BCMA from the Big Creek High principle, Mr. Turner. Ever since the first day she met Sonny, she advised him to take part at the science fair, but Sonny always said no because he ‘wasn’t ready’. Wasn’t ready? Now, if you can launch a rocket more than a thousand feet up in the air, when your in high school, your more than ready. Ever since Sonny began to use rocket candy, a type of chemical that he put in the rocket to make it fly, his rockets were shooting up into the air with haste. Though Sonny knew his rockets were going to make a good presentation, he decided to not jump into conclusion about going to the science fair. First of, he didn’t have a book to explain what was going on while the rockets shot up well. In a science project an individual must know what their talking about, unless, they don’t want to try and win the competition. To his luck, Sonny received a book from Miss Riley which he really needed if he was to participate in the science fair. The book helped him and Quentin better understand rockets, and how it’s crucial to have the right weight depending on how powerful the chemicals are.
Life for Sonny has been getting somewhat more complicated now. He has had much on his mind. For example, he has watched the girl he believed he was in love with go to the dance with Jim (his brother). Also, Sonny’s good friend, Mr. Bykovski, passed away at the mine. The mine is a dangerous place, and the men who work at the mine know that their playing with death the moment they step into it. What happened was that one of the engineers had made a miscalculation, and all hell broke loose. With the slightest miscalculation, the engineer can endanger the lives of many because parts of the mine can collapse. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened in the Coalwood mine. Right away I began to think about the conversation I had in my English class with my fellow classmates: How knowing that death has taken a close person/thing that you cared about can make you lose your childhood. To me, it seemed like that’s what exactly happened to Sonny. He didn’t want to talk to no one, not even his parents at home. For a few days he lost the desire to learn more about rockets, and seized the building of them. Sonny was dead inside… he felt nothing.
Quotation: "'We've worked our tails off on your rockets. So you think you can just come down here and treat us like we're nothing? If that's what you think, come on, get up. I'll knowck you down again!" (Hickam 301).
Reaction: When Roy Lee, a member of the Rocket Boys, said this quote it really made me see how Sonny had just treated his friends. Its not mentioned in the quote, but Sonny had said that he's the leader of the group, so he'll be calling the shots. And, if he says that their going to use a type of chemical for the rocket, then their going to use it. After Sonny made those remarks, Roy Lee struck him in the chest. It's important that Roy Lee brought Sonny back to his senses. No one should take advantage of others, especially if they're their friends. Its not only the concept of taking advantage of a person, its respect. And when Sonny said that the group will do something because he said so, there wasn't much respect going across to the other guys. The other members of Rocket Boys did work their tails off to help Sonny launch the rockets he's been able to launch.
Also, the BCMA almost reached a mile in altitude with their latest rocket, Auk XXI.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
October Sky; Pages 71-142
Summary: After not getting in trouble for damaging his mother’s fence, Sonny was rewarded with a cool, but foolish nickname: rocket boy. The boys that helped him build the bomb didn’t get away from the criticism either; they were called ‘rocket boys’. Sonny didn’t pay much to the criticism, I guess it was because he was determined to catch up on the space race.
With no where to begin to build a more powerful and successful rocket, Sonny had no other than to ask Quentin for help. Quentin was very intelligent and used words that no one could understand. No one talked to Quentin, which was sad to read. He was more like that nerdy guy in every school, who people just ignored, but knew was there. When Sonny began to talk to Quentin, Quentin immediately said that Sonny was not going to be able to copy his homework. That was not a big deal to Sonny because he wasn’t there to ask for homework, he was there strictly for rocket business. Though, if Quentin had gave him his homework, Sonny wouldn’t have minded copying it.
When Sonny told Quentin about the idea of building rockets, he thought it was a splendid idea and would have loved to work with Sonny and the crew on a new rocket. From the start Quentin wasn’t a bad guy after all. Now, with a group of five Sonny felt that he was ready more than ever to catch up on the space race. As the president of the club Sonny decided to give everybody roles. One of the most important roles in the club was being the scientist, which Quentin had. Anyways, he was the only member in the team who actually knew what they were doing when it came to some of the rocket building stuff.
The Big Creek Missile Agency, or the BCMA, was the name of the group. Sooner or later, with the help of a Life magazine (which had a diagram of a rocket), they began to build their first rocket. Sonny named is Auk I. Auk I was not so much of a success, so they had to build more rockets. Keeping the same ‘Auk’ idea, they named their rockets. Many of the Auk’s flew, but they didn’t fly straight up in the air like Sonny and all the other guys wanted.
It was a good thing that their rockets flew, but it was a bad thing too. For one, they were launching their rockets near the mine. Being the superintendent of the mine Homer needed to keep control of things. As I have foreshadowed, one of the rockets flew into the mine work space. This had upset Homer to the ends of the Earth. Not only does he not like the whole fact of the rocket building, but it was Sonny’s rocket. Since the day Sonny was born, he and his never quite got along. Since that father and son connection wasn’t there, Homer let Sonny have a piece of his mind when he got home.
Ever since that day, when Sonny had to hear his fathers mouth and saw his father dump all his chemicals for the rockets on the ground, he wasn’t allowed to fly rockets by the mine. Not only by the mine, but ever in his life. That did not stop Sonny, for he was too determined to keep on chasing the Russian’s in the space race. One day in church the reverend talked about father and son relationships. And how the father needs to listen and help their son’s in achieving their dreams. And how the son is supposed listen to what his father has to say. After church was over, Sonny’s father told him to go with him somewhere. They got in his car, and what was strange was that Homer let Sonny drive. Something about the reverend’s speech made Homer change his attitude towards Sonny a little bit. When they got to their destination, it was a big open field which was perfect for flying rockets. Homer had told Sonny that if he wanted, he could build rockets once more and fly them. There were some conditions that went along with Sonny’s new privileges: he wouldn’t fly rockets in Coalwood, and he couldn’t use the coal company’s supplies for his rockets. Excited about the new offer, Sonny couldn’t wait to tell Quentin. Soon after the crew new all about their new location, they began to build their blockhouse because they did need somewhere to hide for cover when the rockets were being flown.
Quotation: "'Sons, obey your fathers. But fathers, help your sons to dream'" (Hickam 125).
Reaction: The quote was said by Reverend Lanier. This quote is one of the most powerful things he mentioned when he was giving his homily during the mass. Much of what he was saying in that mass was about father and son relationships, and how need to become stronger. What was odd about it was that while the reverend was speaking, he was looking at Sonny for most of the time. And, it was because of this that Homer probably had a change of heart with Sonny. After all, most people do listen to the reverend’s, so, when he said fathers ‘help your sons to dream’, it was have hit Homer in the heart. He must have noticed that he needed to be a little bit more supportive of Sonny’s dream in building a rocket.
With no where to begin to build a more powerful and successful rocket, Sonny had no other than to ask Quentin for help. Quentin was very intelligent and used words that no one could understand. No one talked to Quentin, which was sad to read. He was more like that nerdy guy in every school, who people just ignored, but knew was there. When Sonny began to talk to Quentin, Quentin immediately said that Sonny was not going to be able to copy his homework. That was not a big deal to Sonny because he wasn’t there to ask for homework, he was there strictly for rocket business. Though, if Quentin had gave him his homework, Sonny wouldn’t have minded copying it.
When Sonny told Quentin about the idea of building rockets, he thought it was a splendid idea and would have loved to work with Sonny and the crew on a new rocket. From the start Quentin wasn’t a bad guy after all. Now, with a group of five Sonny felt that he was ready more than ever to catch up on the space race. As the president of the club Sonny decided to give everybody roles. One of the most important roles in the club was being the scientist, which Quentin had. Anyways, he was the only member in the team who actually knew what they were doing when it came to some of the rocket building stuff.
The Big Creek Missile Agency, or the BCMA, was the name of the group. Sooner or later, with the help of a Life magazine (which had a diagram of a rocket), they began to build their first rocket. Sonny named is Auk I. Auk I was not so much of a success, so they had to build more rockets. Keeping the same ‘Auk’ idea, they named their rockets. Many of the Auk’s flew, but they didn’t fly straight up in the air like Sonny and all the other guys wanted.
It was a good thing that their rockets flew, but it was a bad thing too. For one, they were launching their rockets near the mine. Being the superintendent of the mine Homer needed to keep control of things. As I have foreshadowed, one of the rockets flew into the mine work space. This had upset Homer to the ends of the Earth. Not only does he not like the whole fact of the rocket building, but it was Sonny’s rocket. Since the day Sonny was born, he and his never quite got along. Since that father and son connection wasn’t there, Homer let Sonny have a piece of his mind when he got home.
Ever since that day, when Sonny had to hear his fathers mouth and saw his father dump all his chemicals for the rockets on the ground, he wasn’t allowed to fly rockets by the mine. Not only by the mine, but ever in his life. That did not stop Sonny, for he was too determined to keep on chasing the Russian’s in the space race. One day in church the reverend talked about father and son relationships. And how the father needs to listen and help their son’s in achieving their dreams. And how the son is supposed listen to what his father has to say. After church was over, Sonny’s father told him to go with him somewhere. They got in his car, and what was strange was that Homer let Sonny drive. Something about the reverend’s speech made Homer change his attitude towards Sonny a little bit. When they got to their destination, it was a big open field which was perfect for flying rockets. Homer had told Sonny that if he wanted, he could build rockets once more and fly them. There were some conditions that went along with Sonny’s new privileges: he wouldn’t fly rockets in Coalwood, and he couldn’t use the coal company’s supplies for his rockets. Excited about the new offer, Sonny couldn’t wait to tell Quentin. Soon after the crew new all about their new location, they began to build their blockhouse because they did need somewhere to hide for cover when the rockets were being flown.
Quotation: "'Sons, obey your fathers. But fathers, help your sons to dream'" (Hickam 125).
Reaction: The quote was said by Reverend Lanier. This quote is one of the most powerful things he mentioned when he was giving his homily during the mass. Much of what he was saying in that mass was about father and son relationships, and how need to become stronger. What was odd about it was that while the reverend was speaking, he was looking at Sonny for most of the time. And, it was because of this that Homer probably had a change of heart with Sonny. After all, most people do listen to the reverend’s, so, when he said fathers ‘help your sons to dream’, it was have hit Homer in the heart. He must have noticed that he needed to be a little bit more supportive of Sonny’s dream in building a rocket.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
October Sky; Pages 1-70
Summary: Coalwood, West Virginia, is where Homer ‘Sonny’ Hickam, Jr. resides. Coalwood is a town that is mostly known for its coal mine. Most of the men who live in Coalwood work at the mine. And, if a man doesn’t work at the mine, he basically doesn’t have anywhere else to word. Therefore, he will be forced out to move out of Coalwood, and his family as well if he has one.
Sonny is fourteen at the beginning of the novel, and he lives only a few hundred yards away form the mine of Coalwood. He lives with his father, Homer Hickam, the superintendent at the mine, Elsie Hickam, his mother, and Jim Hickam, his brother football star.
Sonny has been in an odd situation for most of his life, and his mother seems to be the only one helping him with his dreams. Though, Sonny isn’t the weirdest guy in town because he does have friends: O’Dell, Roy Lee, Sherman, and Tim. Though, Tim moved one day with his mother and Sonny never heard form him again. The group’s size has decreased, but their friendship still grew as the days went by.
One day Elsie woke Sonny up and told him to hurry up because she wanted him to hear something. So, Sonny got ready with haste and did as his mother told him. When he went to the kitchen where his breakfast waited for him, he heard something on the radio: Sputnik! Sputnik was a satellite which the Russians have launched into space. This was a great deal at the time because the Russians have won the race to launch a satellite into space. Though the Russians won the race, it didn’t mean that the Americans were not going to try and catch up.
After Sputnik was a success for Russia, and Sonny heard how the U.S. was now trying finish their satellite as fast as possible, he became interesting into building rockets. With the help of his friends O’Dell, Sherman, and Roy Lee, he built a small rocket for the first time and decided to launch it by his mothers fence. In their desire to be in the space race, they made their first rocket out of a plastic flashlight. They made a hole in the bottom and put in it, and lit it up. For one, rockets are much more complicated than just putting a hole in the bottom of a cylinder and putting fuel in it. Their hope to build the next successful rocket failed. Not only did they fail, but they tore apart Sonny’s mother’s fence as well.
She wasn’t as mad as he thought though because he was doing something he really wanted to do. It seems quite odd to not be mad at your child when they just blew up your fence, but all Elsie wanted was for Sonny to prove his dad wrong. Sonny’s dad believed that he wasn’t going to be something big like his brother is in football, and that he’s going to be like all the other guys in Coalwood: working at the mine for a living.
Quotation: "'He's just like Homer,' I remember toothless Poppy lisping to Mom while I squirmed... 'No, you're not,' she crooned just loud enough so only she and I could hear. 'No, you're not'" (Hickam 15-16).
Reaction: The quote shows how Elsie disagreed with Sonny’s grandfather. She believes that Sonny could be much more than his father, and that he can get out of Coalwood. Sonny is the protagonist of the novel, and his father, Homer, is the antagonist. Now, to be a character one must have a desire, and Sonny’s desire is to built a rocket. His father as the antagonist is the person who interferes with Sonny’s desire. As for the plot, the story takes place in Coalwood, West Virginia, in the 1950s.
Sonny is fourteen at the beginning of the novel, and he lives only a few hundred yards away form the mine of Coalwood. He lives with his father, Homer Hickam, the superintendent at the mine, Elsie Hickam, his mother, and Jim Hickam, his brother football star.
Sonny has been in an odd situation for most of his life, and his mother seems to be the only one helping him with his dreams. Though, Sonny isn’t the weirdest guy in town because he does have friends: O’Dell, Roy Lee, Sherman, and Tim. Though, Tim moved one day with his mother and Sonny never heard form him again. The group’s size has decreased, but their friendship still grew as the days went by.
One day Elsie woke Sonny up and told him to hurry up because she wanted him to hear something. So, Sonny got ready with haste and did as his mother told him. When he went to the kitchen where his breakfast waited for him, he heard something on the radio: Sputnik! Sputnik was a satellite which the Russians have launched into space. This was a great deal at the time because the Russians have won the race to launch a satellite into space. Though the Russians won the race, it didn’t mean that the Americans were not going to try and catch up.
After Sputnik was a success for Russia, and Sonny heard how the U.S. was now trying finish their satellite as fast as possible, he became interesting into building rockets. With the help of his friends O’Dell, Sherman, and Roy Lee, he built a small rocket for the first time and decided to launch it by his mothers fence. In their desire to be in the space race, they made their first rocket out of a plastic flashlight. They made a hole in the bottom and put in it, and lit it up. For one, rockets are much more complicated than just putting a hole in the bottom of a cylinder and putting fuel in it. Their hope to build the next successful rocket failed. Not only did they fail, but they tore apart Sonny’s mother’s fence as well.
She wasn’t as mad as he thought though because he was doing something he really wanted to do. It seems quite odd to not be mad at your child when they just blew up your fence, but all Elsie wanted was for Sonny to prove his dad wrong. Sonny’s dad believed that he wasn’t going to be something big like his brother is in football, and that he’s going to be like all the other guys in Coalwood: working at the mine for a living.
Quotation: "'He's just like Homer,' I remember toothless Poppy lisping to Mom while I squirmed... 'No, you're not,' she crooned just loud enough so only she and I could hear. 'No, you're not'" (Hickam 15-16).
Reaction: The quote shows how Elsie disagreed with Sonny’s grandfather. She believes that Sonny could be much more than his father, and that he can get out of Coalwood. Sonny is the protagonist of the novel, and his father, Homer, is the antagonist. Now, to be a character one must have a desire, and Sonny’s desire is to built a rocket. His father as the antagonist is the person who interferes with Sonny’s desire. As for the plot, the story takes place in Coalwood, West Virginia, in the 1950s.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Parrot in the Oven; The Final Post!
Summary: What’s so special about gangs? What’s the purpose of entering a gang? Individuals in society devote their lives to gangs. Joining a gang is a mere devotion that can cost the individual their life. Personally, I wouldn’t join any form of cult which can endanger my life to an extreme, such as a gang.
Manny surely viewed the aspect of gang’s differently than me. I’m sure he knew the dangers of gangs, after all, he’s a bright individual. What he lacked was a sense of awareness. Manny decided he was going to go forward the initiation of the gang, even after knowing that brutal assault that comes with it. Manny was not too worried so much about getting hurt, he was just worrying about if he was actually going to get to kiss one of the females that was promised by his friend Frankie.
It was the next day and Manny was surely sore from the beating he had to take. I could only imagine getting hit by others, and not being able to strike back. What a dehumanizing way to get accepted into a cult. When Manny woke up and had gotten ready to meet up with his new ‘gang’, he realized that he had made promises to his mother about doing chores around the house. These chores consisted of cleaning his room, which he did poorly, and raking the leaves outside. When he was done with the chores he grabbed a baseball cap and his old mitt just to look casual as he left his place. The only problem was that Rebecca is not dumb; she does a very good job at analyzing the situations very well. In saying that, she mentioned to Manny that she knows he stopped playing baseball months ago, and it’s too cold to be playing ball. Despite her true accusations, she still left Manny go along.
Manny would later meet with his gang near Long’s Drugstore, by the mall. The crew wanted to steal things, but once someone gave an idea, the other will make an excuse of why not to proceed with the idea. After some time, Eddie ventured off with Manny, after having a hot dispute with Frankie. Manny knew Eddie was up to no good, and that all he wanted to do was just to get away for he can actually steal something with him.
When Eddie decided on which individual was going to be his next prey, he approached her like a cheetah: with haste, but silently, and with caution. As took the purse from the defenseless women, Manny saw him bolt right passed him. Not knowing what to do, Manny began to chase him. Unconsciously, Manny knew it wasn’t doing him any good, so he stopped. Then, he began to think about the situation, and that’s when he found himself. He has finally recognized who he really should be.
Manny went home, to where he belonged. And like the old saying goes, ‘there’s no place like home’.
Quotation: “In that instant of trying to call out Eddie, everything changed. It was like I’d finally seen my own face and recognized myself; recognized who I really should be. Then I didn’t feel like catching up to Eddie anymore… I slowed down to a walk just as the wind and rain were dying” (Martinez 210).
Reaction: One of the most important things about life is finding who one really is. We can’t let society determine what shirt we wear, what cell phone we have, what hairstyle you decide to get, nor the shoes you want to wear. Manny was one of those guys who tried to do what others were doing for he can fit in at times. But now that he has found himself he doesn’t need to do that. The dénouement of Parrot in the Oven, was truly one of my favorites. The novel ended beautifully with Manny describing the irony of his living room: how Rebecca spent so much time making it nice and peaceful, but Victor spend most of his time trying to ruin the unity and the peaceful harmony of the living room.
Manny has found who he truly is, can you?
That’s the true question in life, can one truly find ourselves in the mist of life.
Manny surely viewed the aspect of gang’s differently than me. I’m sure he knew the dangers of gangs, after all, he’s a bright individual. What he lacked was a sense of awareness. Manny decided he was going to go forward the initiation of the gang, even after knowing that brutal assault that comes with it. Manny was not too worried so much about getting hurt, he was just worrying about if he was actually going to get to kiss one of the females that was promised by his friend Frankie.
It was the next day and Manny was surely sore from the beating he had to take. I could only imagine getting hit by others, and not being able to strike back. What a dehumanizing way to get accepted into a cult. When Manny woke up and had gotten ready to meet up with his new ‘gang’, he realized that he had made promises to his mother about doing chores around the house. These chores consisted of cleaning his room, which he did poorly, and raking the leaves outside. When he was done with the chores he grabbed a baseball cap and his old mitt just to look casual as he left his place. The only problem was that Rebecca is not dumb; she does a very good job at analyzing the situations very well. In saying that, she mentioned to Manny that she knows he stopped playing baseball months ago, and it’s too cold to be playing ball. Despite her true accusations, she still left Manny go along.
Manny would later meet with his gang near Long’s Drugstore, by the mall. The crew wanted to steal things, but once someone gave an idea, the other will make an excuse of why not to proceed with the idea. After some time, Eddie ventured off with Manny, after having a hot dispute with Frankie. Manny knew Eddie was up to no good, and that all he wanted to do was just to get away for he can actually steal something with him.
When Eddie decided on which individual was going to be his next prey, he approached her like a cheetah: with haste, but silently, and with caution. As took the purse from the defenseless women, Manny saw him bolt right passed him. Not knowing what to do, Manny began to chase him. Unconsciously, Manny knew it wasn’t doing him any good, so he stopped. Then, he began to think about the situation, and that’s when he found himself. He has finally recognized who he really should be.
Manny went home, to where he belonged. And like the old saying goes, ‘there’s no place like home’.
Quotation: “In that instant of trying to call out Eddie, everything changed. It was like I’d finally seen my own face and recognized myself; recognized who I really should be. Then I didn’t feel like catching up to Eddie anymore… I slowed down to a walk just as the wind and rain were dying” (Martinez 210).
Reaction: One of the most important things about life is finding who one really is. We can’t let society determine what shirt we wear, what cell phone we have, what hairstyle you decide to get, nor the shoes you want to wear. Manny was one of those guys who tried to do what others were doing for he can fit in at times. But now that he has found himself he doesn’t need to do that. The dénouement of Parrot in the Oven, was truly one of my favorites. The novel ended beautifully with Manny describing the irony of his living room: how Rebecca spent so much time making it nice and peaceful, but Victor spend most of his time trying to ruin the unity and the peaceful harmony of the living room.
Manny has found who he truly is, can you?
That’s the true question in life, can one truly find ourselves in the mist of life.
Parrot in the Oven; Pages 140- 184
Summary: Help! Someone, hurry, Magda is not feeling well, call 911!
I was just as worried as Manny when Madga came in the house, crying in pain and holding her stomach. Manny didn’t know what was going on, and I sure didn’t know. Though, I did make several guesses in the hope that ill get the cause of her suffering correct. None of my guesses where correct, and I was disappointed. Though I was disappointed, it didn’t mean I was going to stop reading. As I continued to battle my way through these chapters, I realized that she really was about to lose her child. I couldn’t help but notice that Manny was slowly, but surely, becoming a young man and most importantly, a vato firme. Manny assisted his mother when she needed help in taking Magda to the hospital. In doing so, I realized that he was taking on more responsibilities as a character, and showing maturity more often now.
The hospital was not a success though, because the family left the same way they entered: worried about Magda, and not knowing what to do. When they arrived back home, Magda was still not feeling well, and how could she be if no one has treated her yet?
While Magda was in pain, Manny stepped up once more to try and help his mother, but most importantly, his sister that was suffering. He did not have success this time around in trying to help, directly that is. What he merely received for trying to be heroic and trying to convince Rebecca that Magda should go to the hospital was just a smack to the face. Rebecca wanted Manny to go back to bed when she noticed that he was awake, because she feared that his big mouth might wake up Victor. No one wanted to wake Victor up, especially from his sleep because he could be just as dangerous when he’s intoxicated with libation. As the minutes of Magda suffering in pain continued to press on, Manny woke up his father. He surprised everyone by what he did next: he began to help the family with Magda. Victor suggested putting her in water, which was a great idea because it ended up helping Magda with her suffering. It was odd how he knew exactly what to do, and how he decided to help, instead of complaining to Manny for waking him up. Victor showed a change of heart, and in doing so, he probably saved the life of his beautiful daughter Magda.
Some time had passed, and everything seemed to be going well. Victor found a job, and Nardo did as well. Manny helped Nardo at his job, but he didn’t want Nardo’s boss to figure it out because it might hard Nardo’s chances to continue working. Mr. Giddens was not dumb, and he noticed that Manny was helping Nardo distribute the products as a delivery boy. Mr. Gibbens did fire Nardo though; he kept him on the staff, and encouraged Manny to keep helping Nardo with his work. By the way, Manny was the best delivery guy that Mr. Gibbens had around.
Manny was invited to Mr. Gibbens daughter’s party. Though, Dorothy, Mr. Gibbens daughter, did not cordially invite Manny. It was Mr. Gibbens who decided to invite Manny to his daughter’s party, and Dorothy just agreed on it. It was strange hor Mr. Gibbens just happened to invite Manny to his daughter’s party, especially when that was Mr. Gibbens first day talking to Manny. That strange fact alone smelled like trouble. It seemed far too out of Mr. Gibbens way to invite a stranger to his daughter’s party, and on top of that, Dorothy agreed with him (though, at first she didn’t like the fact that Manny was going to be at the party). Then, as Dorothy walked out, she smiled at Manny. Manny knew that she didn’t mean it as a welcoming or acceptance type of smile, it was anything but that. Right then and there, it hit me! Dorothy must have quickly planned something out to make it a living hell for Manny at the party. She did just that, as Manny was eventually driven outside by a few guys, mostly this one tough red-haired gavacho (also, everyone at the party was Caucasian/white). Though the chapter ended with Manny outside with the guys, I knew he was in for it. If Manny doesn’t come up with a good plan, he’s going home defeated. And if he does get defeated, he should kick the bucket on helping Nardo at work for Mr. Gibbens.
Quotation:“I’d stare hard into the mirror and order myself over and over to be strong… be a man!” (Martinez 174).
Reaction:The strong internal conflict shown in the quote is another example of Manny wanting to be a vato firme. Not just a vato firme, but the quote show’s what a novel that’s a bildungsroman is all about. This is one of the best examples of Manny coming of age thus far. It’s clearly stated that he was ordering himself over, and over to be stronger, more importantly, a man. This quote was said when he realized what Magda and Nardo were saying about him needing to be careful at the party was true. Manny couldn’t just walk in there with his chin facing the stars, and walking with a type of swagger that in meant to put himself above everyone else. He didn’t know anybody, and thus, the party was going to house mostly whites, if not, all whites. Manny had courage going to the party; let’s just hope he survived the harassment’s that are bound to happen.
I was just as worried as Manny when Madga came in the house, crying in pain and holding her stomach. Manny didn’t know what was going on, and I sure didn’t know. Though, I did make several guesses in the hope that ill get the cause of her suffering correct. None of my guesses where correct, and I was disappointed. Though I was disappointed, it didn’t mean I was going to stop reading. As I continued to battle my way through these chapters, I realized that she really was about to lose her child. I couldn’t help but notice that Manny was slowly, but surely, becoming a young man and most importantly, a vato firme. Manny assisted his mother when she needed help in taking Magda to the hospital. In doing so, I realized that he was taking on more responsibilities as a character, and showing maturity more often now.
The hospital was not a success though, because the family left the same way they entered: worried about Magda, and not knowing what to do. When they arrived back home, Magda was still not feeling well, and how could she be if no one has treated her yet?
While Magda was in pain, Manny stepped up once more to try and help his mother, but most importantly, his sister that was suffering. He did not have success this time around in trying to help, directly that is. What he merely received for trying to be heroic and trying to convince Rebecca that Magda should go to the hospital was just a smack to the face. Rebecca wanted Manny to go back to bed when she noticed that he was awake, because she feared that his big mouth might wake up Victor. No one wanted to wake Victor up, especially from his sleep because he could be just as dangerous when he’s intoxicated with libation. As the minutes of Magda suffering in pain continued to press on, Manny woke up his father. He surprised everyone by what he did next: he began to help the family with Magda. Victor suggested putting her in water, which was a great idea because it ended up helping Magda with her suffering. It was odd how he knew exactly what to do, and how he decided to help, instead of complaining to Manny for waking him up. Victor showed a change of heart, and in doing so, he probably saved the life of his beautiful daughter Magda.
Some time had passed, and everything seemed to be going well. Victor found a job, and Nardo did as well. Manny helped Nardo at his job, but he didn’t want Nardo’s boss to figure it out because it might hard Nardo’s chances to continue working. Mr. Giddens was not dumb, and he noticed that Manny was helping Nardo distribute the products as a delivery boy. Mr. Gibbens did fire Nardo though; he kept him on the staff, and encouraged Manny to keep helping Nardo with his work. By the way, Manny was the best delivery guy that Mr. Gibbens had around.
Manny was invited to Mr. Gibbens daughter’s party. Though, Dorothy, Mr. Gibbens daughter, did not cordially invite Manny. It was Mr. Gibbens who decided to invite Manny to his daughter’s party, and Dorothy just agreed on it. It was strange hor Mr. Gibbens just happened to invite Manny to his daughter’s party, especially when that was Mr. Gibbens first day talking to Manny. That strange fact alone smelled like trouble. It seemed far too out of Mr. Gibbens way to invite a stranger to his daughter’s party, and on top of that, Dorothy agreed with him (though, at first she didn’t like the fact that Manny was going to be at the party). Then, as Dorothy walked out, she smiled at Manny. Manny knew that she didn’t mean it as a welcoming or acceptance type of smile, it was anything but that. Right then and there, it hit me! Dorothy must have quickly planned something out to make it a living hell for Manny at the party. She did just that, as Manny was eventually driven outside by a few guys, mostly this one tough red-haired gavacho (also, everyone at the party was Caucasian/white). Though the chapter ended with Manny outside with the guys, I knew he was in for it. If Manny doesn’t come up with a good plan, he’s going home defeated. And if he does get defeated, he should kick the bucket on helping Nardo at work for Mr. Gibbens.
Quotation:“I’d stare hard into the mirror and order myself over and over to be strong… be a man!” (Martinez 174).
Reaction:The strong internal conflict shown in the quote is another example of Manny wanting to be a vato firme. Not just a vato firme, but the quote show’s what a novel that’s a bildungsroman is all about. This is one of the best examples of Manny coming of age thus far. It’s clearly stated that he was ordering himself over, and over to be stronger, more importantly, a man. This quote was said when he realized what Magda and Nardo were saying about him needing to be careful at the party was true. Manny couldn’t just walk in there with his chin facing the stars, and walking with a type of swagger that in meant to put himself above everyone else. He didn’t know anybody, and thus, the party was going to house mostly whites, if not, all whites. Manny had courage going to the party; let’s just hope he survived the harassment’s that are bound to happen.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Parrot in the Oven; Pages: 110-139
Summary: He ducks, shuffles to the left, ducks once more, and throws a haymaker! The opponent falls, it’s done! He’s done!
That’s the thrill that went through my mind as I read this chapter. Chapter 7, The Boxing Match, was like a movie, a whole 2 hour movie compacted into just one chapter. At this point in the story Manuel did not get into the school across town. Rebecca’s plans to transfer Manuel didn’t go quite well, and the administration said it was too late. Manuel also mentioned how there was an imbalance in the student body. This could have been due to the fact that most of the student body was primarily white/Caucasian. It’s not like Manny was going to rue the fact that he wasn’t accepted, he was still being himself.
With his friend Albert Sosa, he sat outside eating lunch on a picnic table during school hours. The only reason why those two sat there eating lunch was because they wanted to get a glimpse of Miss Van De Meer. Manny would describe her as the next big thing around the block. Albert and he were obsessed, and I mean obsessed with the women. It didn’t matter if it was cold, those two would have been eating their lunch outside to watch the way she would fluff her hair and fix the collar of her ruffly blouse.
Manny and Albert were interrupted one day by Lencho Dominguez, a tuff guy who loved to box. Lencho knew why Manny and Albert were there at the picnic table, and the rest of the school probably picked up on it as well. When Lencho spoke, he immediately mentioned Miss Van de Meer, and how she teaches a bunch of ‘gavachos’. This is very interesting, for one, gavacho is another term used by Mexicans to describe white people. Like gringo, gavacho is used in the same way. Though, the difference between these words is that gringo has a stronger connotation. Gringo is also most often used by Mexicans, and any other Spanish-speaking individual around the world to describe a white person. Lencho also mentioned that Miss Van de Meer has couches and comfortable chairs in her classroom, which raises the question about equal opportunities. It seems that in Manny’s time, and still today, many Mexicans, and even worse, Hispanics, don’t get the same fair treatment as the non-colored folks do. This is not always true though.
As Manny and Lencho continued to have their dialogue, Lencho asked Manny if Nardo (Manny’s brother) wanted to join the boxing club. Manny didn’t really know if Nardo wanted to box, because if anything, he would have asked Manny, ‘Hey, Manny, do you think I should join Lencho’s boxing team?’ The other problem was that Manny didn’t have a close relationship with his brother lately. In the novel, Manny even mentioned himself that Nardo “hadn’t asked [him] a thing that lately.”
A few days had past, and Manny had realized something that even surprised me: Alberto joined Lencho’s boxing team. Manny said it was a surprise for him because Albert couldn’t punch the wind out of a buddle, not that he’ll try that of course. But it wasn’t only Albert that joined the team, it was this other fellow named Chico. Manny described him as a nice guy, but he also described him as a soft type a guy, a guy who wouldn’t be the bully, but the victim. In knowing that, Manny began to hang around with the boxing team, and helped out as much as he could with the equipment. He had noticed that Lencho wanted Chico and Albert to be as fast as possible, so they did a great deal of conditioning, and Lencho kept them away from the weight machines. Lencho wanted those two to be at their best when it was time for the matches.
ASIDE: Coach Roger’s is the basketball coach and he’s also the coach of the boxing team. Coach Roger’s had a secret weapon on his boxing team: Boise Johnson. Boise is a black individual, as well as a feared one.
A boxing tournament was mentioned in every homeroom, and flyers were stapled everywhere around the school. Finally, when it was time for the fight, Manny was more ready than ever. He took his assistance seriously, like some scientist working on the latest high-tech project, and probably nothing could have stopped him from being ring side. Though, the Berets, the crew Lencho was associated with could have replaced many by the ringside, but they were the only ones. Manny’s job at ringside was to get it organized, so he did in a meticulous manner.
Albert was up to fight first, and his opponent was Rochel Johnson, Boise’s brother. The fight ended soon after it began. Albert only lasted two minutes in the ring with Rochel. For the most part, Albert was backing away from Rochel throughout the whole fight, until Lencho cried, “charge!” With that, Albert charged, but it didn’t do him much good, because Rochel saw him coming from a mile away. Albert tripped and stumbled onto the crowd, and in seeing this, Coach Mazzini mercifully waved the fight over. Chico was supposed to fight the second match, but when Manny was through with taking Albert to the locker room, to his surprise he saw Chico coming in. Unready for the match, and after seeing the damage on Albert, he was about to walk away from it all. That’s when Manny once more stepped up, and told him he can’t back down, unless he’s scared of course. With Manny’s words, Chico got prepared and headed out to the ring. When the first bell rang, Chico immediately began to attack his opponent. He was aiming for his stomach, but mostly hit his arms and shoulders. Chico’s opponent was Malcolm Augustus, who had biology class with Manny. Surprised at first by Chico’s aggressiveness, Malcolm soon clamed down and began to swing back at Chico’s head with jabs. Both fighters were strong until the third round, until Chico got hit with the bomb. Chico was doing somewhat well, until he tried to duck a jab and come inside, but instead ran into Malcolm’s elbow. He was out cold, and there was no way he was getting up. The fight was over! If it wasn’t for the deadly elbow, we might have seen round four!
With the end to Chico’s and Malcolm’s fight, the crowd began to talk about Lencho and Boise, and how they wanted to see them fight. Both were extremely tuff individuals, and there was no knowing who would win, until they settled it in the ring. That’s exactly what had happened too, Lencho and Boise went at it in the ring. The first round was intense; both fighters throwing deadly rights, and combinations. It was the meanest fight of the night, and there was no doubt about it. When the rounds began it was somewhat clear of the winner of all the rounds. Boise was mostly the more aggressive one, the one who threw more blows and actually landed them. Though, Lencho would smile when the blow’s seized to a stop, as if they didn’t faze him one bit. By the third round, Lencho was really in for it, and Manny wasn’t sure what Lencho’s plan to begin with! Boise threw punches that landed like sledgehammers, and when they landed, Manny saw Lencho’s jaw vibrate like electricity just ran through it. More rounds had passed, and the misery didn’t stop for Lencho. But, finally, Mr. Hart rang the bell, the fight was over! Lencho lost the fight! At the fight, Lencho’s crew was there, the Beret’s, and they witnessed it all. Due to the results of the fight, they decided to kick Lencho out, saying that he was an embarrassment to the crew. Manny didn’t leave Lencho alone by the ring though, he knew that he must have felt horrible deep inside. When everybody exited the gymnasium, Manny walked up to Lencho, and began to work on the gloves because Lencho needed them to be unwrapped. Once more, a sign of maturity in Manny was shown, he’s realizing how others are feeling, and trying to comfort them to an extent.
Quotation: "Right then no one was around, except me, and Lencho kept searching for somebody to take off his gloves... I went over and began peeling the tape and undoing the laces-because Lencho wanted somebody to take off his gloves" (Martinez 139).
Reaction: Manny did not only take off the gloves because Lencho needed someone to take them off, I believe that he felt bad for the guy and wanted to abet him. In the novel we have seen Manny coming of age, getting more mature and becoming a man. He’s done many great things that were great examples. For one, he comforted his sister when the father was arrested by the police. And the most recent example of his coming of age is helping Lencho when he was in a sorrow state of mind. The character Manny, which is our protagonist, must have desires, if not, then he’s not a character at all! We are in luck, because I have found the true desire’s of Manny Hernandez, he wants to be a vato firme. A vato firme is the type of guy who people respect.
Manny wants to be respected, and I respect that!
Why? Well, for one, most males want to be respected, and not just viewed as an individual who people could walk all over on.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Parrot in the Oven; Pages: 49-109
Summary:
Consequences…
It’s hard not to be a drunk when you don’t have a job I guess. That’s how Manny surely must see it. His father was at Rico’s one night doing the usual, drinking, talking with some pal’s, and swallowing some of that libation which can surely kill your brain cells. It must do exactly that, because most drunks can’t keep a straight face, and on top of that, walk in a straight line. I have also seen cases were the drunks are irascible, and Manny’s father was surely one of those people. Alcohol, or no alcohol, he was easily angered. While Victor, Manny’s father, kept on wasting every single cent he had in the bar, the rest of the family was at home, getting prepared to eat. The family was about to begin their feast, but then Manny’s mother, Rebecca, decided to go get Victor. Manny stood beside his mother as she went to go get Victor, which showed a sign of maturity. Knowing that his father was probably not going to like being embarrassed by a female telling him to go back to his house, he still wanted to see all go down. When they got to Rico’s, Rebecca searched around for Victor. She found him, in the male’s bathroom of course. Manny described his father as a man who seemed to be untouched, and proud, as if he had his chest out when he walked out of the bathroom. It’s as if the entrance of his wife to tell him to leave the bar didn’t faze him at all. Victor didn’t leave the bar though, he decided to stay there, and Rebecca went back home with Manny. In the meantime, Victor decided to come back home, to only realize that his wife wasn’t there. Now, he was extremely mad about his wife embarrassing him in front of his friends, though she did not intend to do so. He went around looking for his rifle, and when he got it, he began his other hunt: searching for bullets. Victor had told Manny that he was going to shoot his mother, and try to expunge her from the face of the earth. Manny’s words just went through on ear, and out through the other when he was trying to appease him. It’s hard to pacify someone who is drunk to begin with! Once Victor found the supplies he need (the rifle and some bullets), he began his hunt. He went to Rebecca’s friend’s place, that’s where Manny told him that Rebecca was before Manny knew that he was out to kill his mother. Victor found Rebecca, and just chased her around the neighborhood with a rifle in his hand. They ended up in their house after all the chasing was over. By this time, the police was well on their way. When the police arrived, they were able to tell what was going on fairly easily, and Victor’s gun was taken away from him. Victor was then arrested a few seconds after for being is possession of a non-registered firearm. The family didn’t know when he was going to be released, because Rebecca was not going to pay the bail. Manny noticed that his father’s arrest didn’t affect the family as much, but the person who was extremely affected by this was Pedi. When Victor was arrested, Pedi immediately burst into tears. Manny noticed she needed to be comforted, so he stepped up to the job, and acted like an adult as he pacified his little sister.
Life for Manny couldn’t get any worse, but it eventually did. His father was released from prison, and he still couldn’t believe his mother didn’t wise up to leave him. When Victor came back, Rebecca and he immediately began to hug, and say promises to each other. They took turns saying promises. Promises like, I’ll actually get a job and not just look for one (Victor said this). After that first night, things were back to normal: Victor’s tyranny began to set in place once more as he ordered the children around, and did nothing himself. Manny’s grandmother died (from his mother’s side) soon after his father was released from prison. Rebecca was extremely heavyhearted when her mother passed away. Like any other caring daughter, she cried, and cried, and eventually just stared at the ground, motionless, and emotionless.
Some time had passed, probably only a few days, and Magda had a date with her boyfriend. It was safe for her to leave the house, because Rebecca was over her mother’s place, cleaning the house and packing stuff. As for Victor, he was at Rico’s again. Magda wanted Manny to look over Pedi for her, so he did. As for Magda, she soon left the house with her boyfriend who was ready to begin smooching with her by the tree. While Magda was out, Manny got a hold of Victor’s rifle. He examined it, and wondered why his father loved it so much, but he couldn’t find the answers to his own questions. He then took a look then the long, cold barrel of the rifle and saw the last thing he wanted to see for as long as he lived: Pedi. The gun fired, Pedi fell back, and she must have been dead. As Manny recalled, the way she fell back, it was without a doubt that she was dead. There was no way in the world she could have survived, it was at POINT BLANK RANGE! Suddenly, Pedi began to cry, to his relief, he then laughed, and he immediately knew that she couldn’t be crying if he hit her from that close up. Manny’s lucky he’s the worse shooter in the world, because if it wasn’t for his lack of skill, his sister would have had a whole as big as an apple through the center of her face.
Quotation: “He [Nardo] didn’t know why Grandma would want to leave a message for me, but the dream sounded like a warning. I would die alone, he predicted, in a very cold place” (Martinez 86).
Reaction:This quote seems to foreshadow how Manny is going to die. Though, I still don’t know if Manny is going to die or not in this novel, but I can assume that he’s not. The reason why is because the story is told in a first person POV, so, it’s not possible for the narrator, to tell the story, if the protagonist is already dead. The narrator probably can, but it will just be awkward. Thus far, we have seen conflict arise in the novel. The major type of conflict in man vs. man: this is when the father is struggling with his drinking problem. Manny’s desire’s are vague at this point of the story; all we were informed of was that he wanted a baseball mitt at the genesis of the novel.
Consequences…
It’s hard not to be a drunk when you don’t have a job I guess. That’s how Manny surely must see it. His father was at Rico’s one night doing the usual, drinking, talking with some pal’s, and swallowing some of that libation which can surely kill your brain cells. It must do exactly that, because most drunks can’t keep a straight face, and on top of that, walk in a straight line. I have also seen cases were the drunks are irascible, and Manny’s father was surely one of those people. Alcohol, or no alcohol, he was easily angered. While Victor, Manny’s father, kept on wasting every single cent he had in the bar, the rest of the family was at home, getting prepared to eat. The family was about to begin their feast, but then Manny’s mother, Rebecca, decided to go get Victor. Manny stood beside his mother as she went to go get Victor, which showed a sign of maturity. Knowing that his father was probably not going to like being embarrassed by a female telling him to go back to his house, he still wanted to see all go down. When they got to Rico’s, Rebecca searched around for Victor. She found him, in the male’s bathroom of course. Manny described his father as a man who seemed to be untouched, and proud, as if he had his chest out when he walked out of the bathroom. It’s as if the entrance of his wife to tell him to leave the bar didn’t faze him at all. Victor didn’t leave the bar though, he decided to stay there, and Rebecca went back home with Manny. In the meantime, Victor decided to come back home, to only realize that his wife wasn’t there. Now, he was extremely mad about his wife embarrassing him in front of his friends, though she did not intend to do so. He went around looking for his rifle, and when he got it, he began his other hunt: searching for bullets. Victor had told Manny that he was going to shoot his mother, and try to expunge her from the face of the earth. Manny’s words just went through on ear, and out through the other when he was trying to appease him. It’s hard to pacify someone who is drunk to begin with! Once Victor found the supplies he need (the rifle and some bullets), he began his hunt. He went to Rebecca’s friend’s place, that’s where Manny told him that Rebecca was before Manny knew that he was out to kill his mother. Victor found Rebecca, and just chased her around the neighborhood with a rifle in his hand. They ended up in their house after all the chasing was over. By this time, the police was well on their way. When the police arrived, they were able to tell what was going on fairly easily, and Victor’s gun was taken away from him. Victor was then arrested a few seconds after for being is possession of a non-registered firearm. The family didn’t know when he was going to be released, because Rebecca was not going to pay the bail. Manny noticed that his father’s arrest didn’t affect the family as much, but the person who was extremely affected by this was Pedi. When Victor was arrested, Pedi immediately burst into tears. Manny noticed she needed to be comforted, so he stepped up to the job, and acted like an adult as he pacified his little sister.
Life for Manny couldn’t get any worse, but it eventually did. His father was released from prison, and he still couldn’t believe his mother didn’t wise up to leave him. When Victor came back, Rebecca and he immediately began to hug, and say promises to each other. They took turns saying promises. Promises like, I’ll actually get a job and not just look for one (Victor said this). After that first night, things were back to normal: Victor’s tyranny began to set in place once more as he ordered the children around, and did nothing himself. Manny’s grandmother died (from his mother’s side) soon after his father was released from prison. Rebecca was extremely heavyhearted when her mother passed away. Like any other caring daughter, she cried, and cried, and eventually just stared at the ground, motionless, and emotionless.
Some time had passed, probably only a few days, and Magda had a date with her boyfriend. It was safe for her to leave the house, because Rebecca was over her mother’s place, cleaning the house and packing stuff. As for Victor, he was at Rico’s again. Magda wanted Manny to look over Pedi for her, so he did. As for Magda, she soon left the house with her boyfriend who was ready to begin smooching with her by the tree. While Magda was out, Manny got a hold of Victor’s rifle. He examined it, and wondered why his father loved it so much, but he couldn’t find the answers to his own questions. He then took a look then the long, cold barrel of the rifle and saw the last thing he wanted to see for as long as he lived: Pedi. The gun fired, Pedi fell back, and she must have been dead. As Manny recalled, the way she fell back, it was without a doubt that she was dead. There was no way in the world she could have survived, it was at POINT BLANK RANGE! Suddenly, Pedi began to cry, to his relief, he then laughed, and he immediately knew that she couldn’t be crying if he hit her from that close up. Manny’s lucky he’s the worse shooter in the world, because if it wasn’t for his lack of skill, his sister would have had a whole as big as an apple through the center of her face.
Quotation: “He [Nardo] didn’t know why Grandma would want to leave a message for me, but the dream sounded like a warning. I would die alone, he predicted, in a very cold place” (Martinez 86).
Reaction:This quote seems to foreshadow how Manny is going to die. Though, I still don’t know if Manny is going to die or not in this novel, but I can assume that he’s not. The reason why is because the story is told in a first person POV, so, it’s not possible for the narrator, to tell the story, if the protagonist is already dead. The narrator probably can, but it will just be awkward. Thus far, we have seen conflict arise in the novel. The major type of conflict in man vs. man: this is when the father is struggling with his drinking problem. Manny’s desire’s are vague at this point of the story; all we were informed of was that he wanted a baseball mitt at the genesis of the novel.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Parrot in the Oven; Pages: 1-48
Summary: What a start to the new term! I have just finished reading through the first three chapters in Parrot in the Oven, and boy was it amazing. At first there was humor as Manny, the narrator, explained his brother’s failure to holding on to a job. Manny lives by the projects in his hometown with his mother, father, his older brother, Bernardo (Nardo), his older sister, Magda, and Pedi, his younger sister. The father doesn’t have a job, just like Nardo, and he spends his time drinking at a bar where he gets drunk and curses with his friends. Manny mentioned how he came from a blood-line of people who worked hard, like his grandfather, Ignacio. This was evident from the very beginning. Manny was determined to buy a new baseball mitt, so he decided to work on the fields picking chili to earn the money he needed. Nardo went as well after Manny convinced him that he’ll be able to buy new weights. At the fields with them were many “wetbacks”, as Nardo would say. Though he was Hispanic/Latino himself, he still denigrated the Mexicans who worked beside him. Manny’s family was all screwed up, though he did not mention it. He only described the problems that most of his family had, like his father’s drinking issue. The mother was the figure who seemed to hold the family together, and she only wanted the best for Manny. That’s why she wanted to transfer Manny from his previous school, to a much better school across town, where the middle class and some upper class folks resided.
Quotation: “As he reached the door, he swung back around and pointed right at he president’s picture on the twenty-dollar bill, said, ‘Don’t you think I know people like this?’” (Martinez 48).
Reaction: In the quote, Manny was describing his father’s actions right after Manny’s teacher drove off. It was his teacher who gave him the twenty dollar bill right before he drove Manny home. It’s evident in the quote that Manny’s father did not take politely the generosity of Mr. Hate, Manny’s teacher. It wasn’t mentioned in the quote, but the father refused to shake Mr. Hate’s hand. Manny mentioned how his father did not like folks like him: people who wore white shirts, and a black tie. The quotation shows the struggle that Manny has to deal with at home, and it’s not like he’s visiting Utopia every time he goes home. His family is rather broken apart slightly because of the struggles that their going through: his father not having work, his father’s drinking problem, the lack on money, and the lack of communication between family members. The story is told in a first person point of view, and Manny is the protagonist. The antagonists are the Garcia brothers: Bobby (the oldest), Stinky, and Little Tommy. The time of year in the first chapters is summer time, and boy was it hot near Sierra, California! Manny mentioned that one day the temperature had reached 110, and how that summer could have been the worst in the many years that his family lived in the valley desert.
*Additional quotation: “He [Dad] believed people were like money…You could be a thousand-dollar person or a hundred dollar person-even a ten-, five-, or one-dollar person. Below hat, everybody was just nickels and dimes. To my dad, we were pennies” (Martines 25-26).
This quote shows the beliefs of Manny’s father, and its quite obvious the man he grew up to be: classifying people in these groups, and believing that he was better than his wife and children.
Quotation: “As he reached the door, he swung back around and pointed right at he president’s picture on the twenty-dollar bill, said, ‘Don’t you think I know people like this?’” (Martinez 48).
Reaction: In the quote, Manny was describing his father’s actions right after Manny’s teacher drove off. It was his teacher who gave him the twenty dollar bill right before he drove Manny home. It’s evident in the quote that Manny’s father did not take politely the generosity of Mr. Hate, Manny’s teacher. It wasn’t mentioned in the quote, but the father refused to shake Mr. Hate’s hand. Manny mentioned how his father did not like folks like him: people who wore white shirts, and a black tie. The quotation shows the struggle that Manny has to deal with at home, and it’s not like he’s visiting Utopia every time he goes home. His family is rather broken apart slightly because of the struggles that their going through: his father not having work, his father’s drinking problem, the lack on money, and the lack of communication between family members. The story is told in a first person point of view, and Manny is the protagonist. The antagonists are the Garcia brothers: Bobby (the oldest), Stinky, and Little Tommy. The time of year in the first chapters is summer time, and boy was it hot near Sierra, California! Manny mentioned that one day the temperature had reached 110, and how that summer could have been the worst in the many years that his family lived in the valley desert.
*Additional quotation: “He [Dad] believed people were like money…You could be a thousand-dollar person or a hundred dollar person-even a ten-, five-, or one-dollar person. Below hat, everybody was just nickels and dimes. To my dad, we were pennies” (Martines 25-26).
This quote shows the beliefs of Manny’s father, and its quite obvious the man he grew up to be: classifying people in these groups, and believing that he was better than his wife and children.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Che: The Diaries of Ernesto Che Guevara ; The Final Post!
Summary: At this point in the novel, Che’s life is coming to an end. It’s sad to read how his life was taken away from him, and must have been a struggle for his children’s and family. Not did his death affect those who knew him well, but it affected the nation of the Cuban citizens. Many Cuban’s were supporters of the Cuban revolution, and were strong believers of the work that Fidel and Che did for the country. In the final section of the novel which I read, the setting took place in Bolivia. He was trying to start a revolution against the Bolivian government, very similar to what Fidel and the guerilleros did in Cuba. Che struggled with the revolution as many of the guerilla groups were captured by the Bolivian army. As I read I found this very frustrating. Che, as a great man that he was and the many things he did for many people, I hoped that he would be as successful as he was in Cuba. The diaries in this portion of the book were far more apart from each other. In earlier events in the novel, Che wrote more frequently, but in these last few pages, it seemed that he wrote monthly at times. The final passage that Che would come to write was on October 7, 1967, two days before he was captured by the Bolivian government and murdered.
Quotation: "The current was so strong he [Benjamin] was deagged away as he tried to gain his footing; we ran to sae him, but as we were taking off our clothes, he disappeared under the water... After five minutes we gave up home" (Guevara 127-28).
Reaction: One of the guerilla men had fallen in a river, at it made it hard for the crew to save him. As described in the quote, the current was too powerful to try to strife. At a point the crew just gave up home, because it became nearly impossible to save their fellow men’s life. This quote showed the danger that the guerilla army faced, especially when traveling near the Río Grande, which was indeed the river that Benjamin fell into though it was not mentioned in the quote. The narration that Che gave in the last few pages on the novel was different from the previous pages. In the section that I read recently he sometimes referred to himself in third person. For example when Che was referring to a medic he said, “El Médico [Ernesto] arrived with news that Monje was there” (Guevara 124). In translation, médico means medic in English. This change in narration took me nearly reading the page over nearly 3 times to pick up on the fact that he had switched his narration momentarily. The denouement of the novel occurs with some of the farewells that Che wrote to the individuals that had a great impact on his life nearly2 years before his death. These farewells consisted of writings to Fidel Castro, to his parents, and his children: Hildita, Aleidita, Camilo, and Ernesto.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Che: The Diaries of Ernesto Che Guevara ; Pages: 95- 118
Summary: What a thrill! Che mentions when he went to the United Nations (UN) to speak on behalf of the new revolutionized Cuba. He was in attendance at the UN on December 11, 1964. The passage that he wrote that December was directed to the president of the US at the time, Lyndon B. Johnson. In the passage Che mentioned many things about Cuba, and the relations that it had with other countries. Che expressed the views that Cuba had on many situations in regard to other countries, and the plans that Fidel and the government wanted to put-in-play. He mentioned the struggles that Cuba had with other countries, and the threats that were opposed to Cuba. Though, many dark-sided things were mentioned in this passage, there was also life. In the passage it mentioned the positive things that Cuba has done to keep from causing dilemmas with other nations. For example, Che would travel on behalf of Cuba to visit other countries and hopefully gain alliances in doing so.
Quotation: "Patria o muerte!" (Guevara 117).
Reaction: The quote means: Homeland or death! These are very powerful words, coming from a very well known individual. De facto, Che said this in his speech at the UN right before he stepped off the stage. When it was said, the representatives of other nations applauded for the great words of wisdom spoken by Mr. Guevara. By the reaction of the crowed (this could be seen in the video below) it was evident that they agreed with him. I also myself am in favor of this. I believe that one should dedicate to one’s homeland unless a dictator is forcing your family members out the country. The protagonist, Che, is going through the rising action thus far in the novel. He is experiencing many things that could eventually lead up to a major problem in Cuba (the climax). Cuba is like Che’s homeland, after all, he is going to be a citizen of Cuba in the near future as it is displayed in the prologue.
*** CHE AT THE UNITED NATION'S **
(Not viewable if on the school based internet network!)
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