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Research #1

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

The book and movie “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” involves a young boy whose father died in the 9/11 attacks. I recently watched the movie and tried to find comparisons to the book. In the book, Oskar’s life revolves around the streets of New York City on a scavenger hunt. The part that gets confusing is when the book intertwines Oskar’s narrative with the story of his grandparent’s life on how they got through the Dresden bombing in World War II.

In the movie, a young boy Oskar (THomas Horn) loses his father (Tom Hanks) during the 9/11 terrorist attack. In the aftermath, Oskar finds a key that was left behind by his father, which he thinks is a resource that will give him answers to his father. He explores New York City, looking for answers, and finds help from an old man who doesn’t speak and lives with Oskar’s grandma.

Oskar’s objective in the book he tries to find meaning with the mysterious key he finds in his dad’s closet. And in the movie, Oskar’s aim is to find the lock that fits the key and to emotionally be able to accept his father’s death. Another difference I found between the book and the movie was the role of the main characters. The grandparents are the supporters in the book and in the movie the Renter (old man) and Oskar’s mother are his supporters. Another thing that I found interesting was the connection of the most meaningful scene. In the book, I thought that the best scene was when Oskar is standing on top of the Empire State Building thinking about how his father died. I think this scene is important because it captures Oskar’s psychological thoughts and shows his personality. While watching the movie, I noticed that the most dramatic scene was when Oskar told his mother that he wishes she should have died instead of his father, and she agreed. I think this moment is very touching considering the mother and son relationship and the loss that they both went through. With Oskar being so young I don’t think he realizes what he said to her and the meaning that came out of it. Being a mother and hearing this from your own child leaves you thinking… Did I raise them good enough?”

Overall, I really enjoyed bothe the movie and the book but I feel like the book is better. However, I liked watching the movie so you can visually see what is happening and the characters’ expressions during different emotions. I wasn’t shocked about the differences because they were both very similar in ways so I was able to stay on track with the book while watching the movie. I enjoyed the minor changes that were made because it makes you look at it from a different perspective and then you can determine which character plays the role the best.

Movie Trailer:  PreviewPreview2:29Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) Trailer HD - Tom …

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The English Patient- Research #2

To learn more about Michael Ondaatje, I decided to watch some of his interviews about his writing career and also the ones about promoting his books. I stumbled upon different segments of the interview that the Louisiana Channel had with Ondaatje. In those segments they discussed his writing style and how his early life influenced his writing.

In the “We Can’t Rely on One Voice” segment, I learned that Michael Ondaatje is an immigrant himself. He was born in Sri Lanka, moved to the United Kingdom at age 11, then moved to Canada when he was in college and still resides there today. His personal life reminds me a lot of the character of Almasy (English Patient) in the book. Their resemblance takes place in the many nations they lived in or belonged to. In the book, Almasy traveled around the world to learn more about the desert and the wind. Similarly, Ondaatje traveled to many nations to chase academic and career opportunities. 

I also learned that Ondaatje started out his career as a poet rather than a novelist. He apparently started out writing poems to people around him then published them without any personal gain since he considered poetry as a hobby. Eventually, he discovered he had a poetic gift and he decided to publish a book that was a poetry and prose mix. Ondaatje claimed that poetry is like sharing a small aspect of something to someone/yourself and that was what led him to start writing novels because he wanted to share a bigger thing with his readers. Personally, it doesn’t surprise me that he started out as a poet. The English Patient was a mixture of descriptive prose and almost lyrical poetry. Poems are very specific with language and that is an element apparent in Ondaatje’s writing. His paragraphs almost resemble music with its flow and rhythm. That writing style added some type of sophistication to the book and also to its characters. It made them seem more passionate with each other. Although the book was written in the 1990s the diction of the book was very similar to that of the 1930s since all the poetic elements added the old English vibe to the book. 

By watching those segments, I learned about the reason Ondaatje uses different voices in the novel. Apparently, by adding different voices to a novel it will make the reader feel more familiar to the storyline. Different voices in the novel is like having a real life conversation that involves different people from different backgrounds and that adds new opinions and stands on issues without making the book seem choppy (it will flow naturally like a real life conversation). Something that Ondaatje said during the interview was that “Pleasure of writing is the element of discovery”. That really stuck out to me because when you write you learn a lot about the world around you and sometimes you tend to discover different sides of yourself as well.

https://youtu.be/oLeD97p9gcQ

https://youtu.be/bF717oAYvWo

https://youtu.be/3gBVILOsetU

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Research: "Things Fall Apart" #2

https://youtu.be/PM3H1zoXGDQ

I watched an adaptation of "Things Fall Apart" made in 1987. It was not what I was expecting because it deviated from the novel quite a bit. I was very confused about the pacing and the amount of content it covered. It seems that central focus of the adaptation was to give insight on Igbo culture and establish Okonkwo's relationships with other characters. The majority of the movie consisted of talking and chanting. Since the accents of the Igbo tribe members were so thick, I found it really hard to understand what was being said, let alone what was going on. Once I reached the end of the movie, I learned that many characters were left out including Ikemefuna, Enzima, the Oracle, and especially the British people. And entire plot point was stripped from this movie. There was not mention of the British, or any rumors of them. I was pretty frustrated with that because the interactions between the Igbo people and the British were what made the book meet interesting.

Despite the drastic changes, I can respect that the Igbo tribe was represented well. The way they speak to each other is very respectful. I already knew that from reading the original piece of writing, but seeing it with my own eyes was a new experience. The actors did a great job in my opinion.

Assessing the good and bad, I don't think this is a full representation of "Things Fall Apart." In order for the novel to be accurately represented, the later plot points need to be included. The fact that I was expecting for more things to happen made the movie feel incredibly long. I was waiting and waiting for future events to role in,but they never did. While the acting is great, I can't forgive the movie for leaving so many important parts of the original work out.

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Process #4

Interview with Ishiguro: https://youtu.be/_jCB59pPG7k

This post isn’t exactly tied to any specific annotations, but I had a lot of thoughts after watching this interview. I thought I would expand on them here (relating to the entire narrative and theme in general), then connect them to specific passages and Ishiguro’s craft in the explication of my essay.

Before reading this book, I expected it to be a classic dystopian novel reminiscent of the Hunger Games, where an oppressed, dehumanized group rises up against a system that is stacked against them. This novel is a departure from the “brave hero” narrative, as Ishiguro explains in the interview. He states that he was “never interested in looking at…brave slaves who rebelled and escaped,” and rather he focuses on “how much we accept what fate has given us.” From this perspective, Never Let Me Go is a social commentary on the extent of obedience and compliance within our society. Not once did Ishiguro hint that Kathy or anybody else had serious intentions to escape from their given roles, even though they were afforded many freedoms to go wherever they pleased. The furthest any of them went were their “dream futures”, or their fantasies of the life they wished they could live. Even then, these dreams remained a fantasy, and no one actually acted on any of their imaginings.

In my annotations, I connected Never Let Me Go with aspects of social psychology, such as the creation of “in-groups” and “out-groups” and how they related to prejudice and discrimination. From this interview, another aspect of social psychology- compliance- is brought into play. Psychologists like Milgram and Asch conducted studies on obedience and compliance in social settings. Milgram’s study concluded that we are especially obedient to those who we perceive as authority figures, and Asch’s study concluded that in group settings, we are likely to go along with an unanimous group even if we know that the group is wrong. In Never Let Me Go, Hailsham’s guardians were the main form of authority that the students looked up to. As well intentioned as they were, they ultimately primed these children to follow the path that was set for them. At multiple points in the story, Ishiguro introduced situations where students did go against the grain, such as Tommy with his antics and Marge with her questions. In each instance, the outsider was punished not by the adults, but by the other children. Not only do we want to fit in a group, but we also punish others who don’t belong.

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Reading Post #6

“I don’t believe in God, but I believe that things are extremely complicated, and her looking over me was as complicated as anything ever could be. But it was also incredibly simple. In my only life, she was my mom, and I was her son.”

In this passage, my understanding of what the importance was about the key has switched in a different direction. I was thinking this whole time that Oskar was on this journey to look for the lock that matches the key, but it was really about making peace with his father and remembering the memories with him. Oskar learned to accept his father’s death which had a major impact on his life as a young boy. This whole journey led Oskar to become a more responsible young adult that now has knowledge of exploring the real world alone. He learned that his father influenced his life tremendously.

When coming across the meaning of the lock, I think it was meant to have Oskar face more difficult problems in life to become strong. His mom continued to remind Oskar of his father which put more pressure on Oskar. I think the search for the lock was not only to make peace with his father but to get away from his mother in a way to make peace or himself. This quote has Oskar realizing the goal his father wanted for him, which was to accept life in two ways; emotionally and scientifically. This message of this novel is about coming to an understanding that there is not an easy way out to anything in life. You have to work for what you want and believe in yourself and focus on what you want to accomplish instead of what’s holding you back. Personally, I found a connection to this message dealing with my family. My parents always tell me to never settle for anything less in life, always strive for things that make a positive outcome for yourself. Analyzing Oskar’s character and his relationship with his mom, I think he is the same way. After coming to realization, he felt more comfortable and found the love for his mother that was lost.

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The Kite Runner: Annotations #3

This is the last page of the book. Here Hosseini presents Amir’s growth as a person and his redemption from the past.

Kind of similar to Amir, the symbol of the kite changes from the beginning to the end of the book. As a child Amir sees kites as a way of redemption toward his father for Amir “killing” his mother who died in childbirth. Then the kite turns into a reminder of Amir’s betrayal to Hassan and lastly turns into a symbol of redemption again after Amir fixes his wrongs.

The meaning of the word “running” also changes because at first Amir ran and let Hassan get assaulted, marking his betrayal. Now Amir runs for a greater cause and for Sorhab because he is redeemed.

Hosseini utilized seasons to portray how time heals. Amir’s innocent and happy life in Kabul died in the winter of 1975, but in spring he is reborn as a new person, free of the sins that held him back in the past. The Valley of Panjsher that Hosseini refers to also represents Amir’s freedom from his sins. The Valley of Panjsher was said to never be controlled by Russia during Afghanistan’s communist revolution so it symbolizes freedom.

Amir ends the story smiling, similar to Hassan who was always smiling. Now Hassan and Amir’s roles are switched. Amir acts like a caring, loyal figure to Sorhab, just like Hassan did for him in the past.

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Process #5

This passage is one of the first points in this story when Kathy, the narrator, overtly addresses the difference between her sheltered world inside Hailsham and the “outside” world. In this passage, Kathy and her friends had just completed their plan of walking past Madame, an outsider, to test her reaction. As they expected, Madame physically recoiled from them in disgust and fear. Ishiguro, after a few opening chapters of warm, rather nostalgic stories, drops this cold, sobering moment into the narrative. Throughout this book, the characters rarely actually interact with anyone who is not a clone. In this memory, the sheltered bubble around Hailsham is broken for the first time, just as Kathy and her friends were finding their identities; Kathy recalls that this is when they begin to realize things “about who we were, how we were different from our guardians, from the people outside.” 

Ishiguro slowly begins to build on who is the “in-group” and who is the “out-group”. In psychology, people who identify with an “in-group”, such as a specific ethnicity or political party, often are biased in perceiving greater diversity and positive attributes within their group. Out-group members are viewed as more homogenous than members within the group, so in-group members often make more generalized judgments and prejudices against out-group members. In Never Let Me Go, Ishiguro writes from the perspective of someone in the out-group who barely recognizes that they are outside of the in-group. This passage is the moment when those barriers between inside and outside become more defined, and Kathy realizes “that there are people out there, like Madame, who don’t hate you or wish you any harm, but who nevertheless shudder at the thought of you…”

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Process #6

Similar to the children’s experience with Madame, this is another “coming-of-age” moment for the children of Hailsham, as they start to realize what other people expect them to become. In this passage, Ishiguro reinforces the “in-group” and “out-group” distinction between the “students” of Hailsham and everyone else. Ishiguro uses specific diction to make this distinction, from the outsider’s/guardian’s point of view as well as the thoughts of the children themselves.

Miss Lucy, with much hesitancy, describes the students as “special,” and she implies that this is something that is often told to the students. The word “special"can have positive or negative connotations; most guardians present the word “special” as a compliment, though Miss Lucy’s hesitancy with this word makes it seem more like a euphemism.

According to Kathy, the students knew that they were “different from the guardians, and also from the normal people outside.” While reading this page, I almost missed Ishiguro’s almost casual use of the adjective “normal”. He intentionally crafts a story where the children recognize others as normal, which implies that the children labeled themselves as abnormal. The guardians do not directly label the children as such, but their euphemisms and attitudes toward the children influence the children’s self-image and identity. This reflects what often occurs in real life; others usually do not explicitly label us, but we learn about ourselves from their attitudes and actions toward us.

Finally, I thought it was interesting that Ishiguro repeats the children’s treatment of Marge in this passage. The children collectively believed that Marge had asked a “rude” question and punished Marge, independent of any instructions from the guardians. Kathy expresses how they “hated the way their guardians, usually so on top of everything, became so awkward whenever we came near this territory,” so that was why they “punished Marge K. so cruelly for bringing it all up.” In the interview that I watched, Ishiguro talked about our compliance to what we perceive as our fate. The children’s discomfort toward uncertainty in their authority figures may have been Ishiguro’s way of illustrating our want for the guidance of authority in determining our fate.

Link to psychological and ethical definition of in-groups and out-groups: https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/in-groupout-group

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Research: “Things Fall Apart” #3

I researched some artwork to see how other people perceived the sad story of “Things Fall Apart.” As an artist, I know it is incredibly difficult to capture the essence of story. Especially if the story is personal or a lot of events take place in it. It’s challenging to make a great cover that captures all the events without it being cluttered. However, this artist was able to make an effective cover that intrigues the audience. My book doesn’t have this cover and it is much simpler than the one above. But I would like to have a book with this beautiful cover because it reveals so many plot points and I can see what I’m getting myself into. Analyzing the work, we can see that there is a shape of Africa with the title written in white. Africa is where the entire book takes place. At the top right, there is a man hanging. His arms and face are not visible. Oddly enough, I believe the man hanging from the top is Okonkwo. The odd placement shows that his body is limp and therefore not alive. At the end of “Things Fall Apart,” Okonkwo decides to hand himself because he is fed up with his tribe refusing to fight back. Okonkwo has a fighting spirit and after he returns to his Fatherland, he is unable to fit in with the dying society anymore. If I am correct, the cover is showing a big spoiler. I’m not sure why cover artists do that, but maybe they thought it was important to show everything that happened in the book because it will show the reader the gravity of the situation. Near the middle, we see a woman with a tear streaming down her face. She could be crying about a few things. She could be crying about the abuse she faces by her husband. Umofia is a strong patriarchal society that welcomes women and children being mistreated for disobedience. Or the woman could be crying about one of her children. I believe the woman in the cover is Ekwefi because she endured heartbreak after heartbreak. She had several miscarriages and it brought her great sorrow.  There are a few images of modern technology in the background: an electric tower, and a gun. A red body with a collar is holding the gun, so I can tell that it is a European man. The Europeans invade Umofia and neighboring towns with their religion first, and then take over by force shortly after. The remaining images show the culture of Umofia. Some masks of the Underworld demons, and elder wearing a red hat. I remember the elders wearing red hats in the movie I watched yesterday. And a man holding a torch of fire. So we can see that the European man is holding a gun and is facing the men of Umofia. He is threatening them with their advanced weapons. I am very impressed with how much this cover contains. While I would prefer that spoilers such as hanging were avoided being depicted here, I think everything blends well with the serious atmosphere!

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The English Patient- Reading #7

Final Thoughts:

Now that I have reached the end of the book I’m honestly disappointed with the ending I was expecting more from the relationships in the book. At the end of the book, the characters find out that the Allies dropped a nuclear bomb on Japan. The news of the bomb shatters the relationships in the book as Kip gets furious by the news since all the characters know that a nuclear bomb like that would’ve been dropped on a white-nation. This causes Kip to go back to India and become a doctor leaving behind all the memories and relationships he had in the Villa, especially his relationship with Hana. I honestly felt like the last chapter of the book was the climax and the entire book was a slow build up to end. At the same time, the ending felt rushed since we didn’t get to learn more in detail about the character’s life after the nuclear bomb. Ondaatje only mentioned Kip getting married and having kids with an Indian woman while Hana remained single all those years. 

The drop of the bomb killed the trust that Kip had for the English and it also made him fooled since his family warned him that the Allies don’t care about colored people and view them as less valuable than white people. Likewise, Kip running away proved to Hana her previous suspicions that he would eventually move on fast if something were to happen to her or their relationship. The war also broke Hana’s nationalism as the drop of the bomb made her feel tricked and betrayed since this sort of thing wasn’t what she signed up for.

Even though the ending wasn’t the best and it was rushed a little, I still liked the book because it introduced ideas and concepts I’ve never read about before. It was a little hard to read the book since the author used a lot of descriptions/imagery throughout that made the book a slow build. I really enjoyed other techniques he used though such as the flashbacks, foreshadowing, and the multiple narrators. 

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Reading post 1: this is one of my first annotations that I had in my book and this stood out to me because leading up to this point the book was sort of confusing in a sense due to the fact that the main character was seen as a very smart person in his town for a black man, and was supposed to give a speech, but at the same time he was thrown in a ring to fight against white men while being blindfolded. I felt like Ralph Ellison was trying to get at something deeper along the lines of like what life was like in his time period and where no matter how smart a black man was he was still always going to be in a fight while at a disadvantage.

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Reading post 2

In this passage what really stood out to me was the descriptive words that Ralph Ellison was using to describehow the narrator is feeling and he’s able to do it in such a way where he doesn’t directly say that the narrator feels left out and not seen by his peers and how they are better then him in a sense. Also towards the end of this page the narrator talks about how there is benevolence, and wealth in a cardboard mask, but when in reality these better people are faking these wonderful things.

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Annotation #3:

The Little Foxes

In this passage at the end of the book, Regina has just gained the upper hand in the cotton mill deal and is trying to blackmail her siblings into giving her a larger share in the investment. We’ve already seen the siblings turn against each other, but this is the first time that the whole trio structure falls apart completely. Regina is in control instead of Ben, Ben is struggling for once in his life to regain that control, and Oscar is finally seeing the flaws of the sibling he looks up to - Ben.

It’s interesting to finally see Ben seem nervous. Throughout the book, Hellman made Ben use unique metaphors and phrases to display his greater intelligence and therefore his control over the trio. However, in this passage, Ben’s metaphor like, “Horace has already clipped your wings and very wittingly. Do I have to clip them, too?” displays Ben’s attempt to regain his power and dominance over his siblings. Yet, this is a failed attempt, as Regina has learned her brother’s ways and will not relinquish her power in the situation. We even see now that Hellman begins using em dashes at the end of Ben’s sentences to show how Regina feels comfortable and powerful enough to interrupt her siblings - something she has been reluctant to do in previous scenes of the play.

Another important aspect of the play that I have already discussed in other annotations is Hellman’s use of repetition. In this passage, Hellman uses the repetition of smiling in both the dialogue and the stage directions. Smiling is used by Hellman in this passage not to represent happy moments, but to hide nervousness (for Ben) or to flaunt power (for Regina). I think this is important to consider because now that I think of it, there was never a time where smiling was used to symbolize a happy moment throughout this play. An action that is supposed to represent happiness or joy was transformed by the Hubbards into an action that represents power and greed.

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The Kite Runner: Annotations #2

Status plays a big role in Hassan and Amir’s relationship. Amir clearly struggles to be friends with Hassan because of history, culture, and religious values that are keeping them apart. Despite being raised together, Amir cannot ignore the fact that he is Pashtun and Hassan is Hazara because in their society Hazaras are opressed.

Amir acts according to his high status and is always telling Hassan what to do. Notably, he describes Hassan as “a boy with a Chinese doll face.” The actions of a doll are always controlled by its owner.

Hosseini further indicates Hassan’s low status by the symbol of his harelipped smile. Hassan’s harelip is an “imperfection” that Amir cannot look past, just like Hassan’s status. Low status characters, including Ali with his crippled leg and Hassan with his harelip, are given imperfections in contrast to the high status people they serve that don’t hold these obvious, unique physical characteristics.

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All the Light We Cannot See

This is the book I choose to read, which takes place during WW2. When choosing a book, I wasn't sure which one to pick because I had a harder time getting into a book or it wasn't interesting for me. Some other books I looked at were Secret Honor and The Night Watch. Both of these revolved around the same timeframe. All the Light We Cannot See is a great book so far, and the author Anthony Doerr does a great job at immediately captivating the readers attention.

The book smoothly introduces the characters and the position of the war. Marie-Laure who is a blind girl, and Werner Pfennig who is a radio coordinator. The book has detailed aspects and I'm looking forward to reading more.

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All the Light We Cannot See

Right off the bat, this passage stuck out to me. It had countless instances of descriptive imagery, connections I made, and portrayed a feeling of suspense. I enjoy how the book has taken off and how it can create important and detailed moments throughout.

This passage had a handful of descriptive imagery such as "An avalanche descends into the city..." and "the single bulb in the ceiling winks out". To give more context to the situation, this grand city that has withstood centuries of time is occupied by Australians. Being approached by an unknown force of bombers, presumably US, the city is being attacked. As the bombs begin falling, the author describes it as a descending avalanche, combined with a hurricane. He transmits the sense of chaos and destruction through these natural disasters. Furthermore he adds in details of how loud and powerful the scene is. "...roar becomes loud enough to separate membranes in the middle ear". This creates am incredibly strong sensory image, allowing us to imagine just how loud and chaotic it was.

Alongside that, the mentioning of a proverb form the Old Testament is referred to. This caught my attention and was able to immediately recognize the connection. Referring to locusts who work together without a leader, but as one unit, is exactly what the bombers appeared to be from down below. This added context and created a connection to the Bible without mentioning more then then the locusts. The author is able to intertwine many different elements, such as connections to other sources or literature, and imagery to create an immersive story to follow.

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The book I chose to read is invisible man by Ralph Ellison. At first I was having a hard time finding a book that I wanted to read because I wanted something that was going to offer me something more than just plain old reading and after reading the summary of the book and realizing that this book could often resemble by future journey to college and offer some insight into how to handle different problems in the future. So that was pretty much the thought process I went through when choosing my book.