Column Thoughts

Today my blog post is going to be over the set of columns that I read for homework. The first column I read was over the Winter Olympics and specifically went over the event of the United States beating the Soviets. The event was called the Miracle on Ice and it was a miracle because the Soviets were one of the toughest hockey teams at the time. I really liked the column because it was over the story of the United States winning and I was able to relate to the column. The second column I read was over the Boston Marathon and I also quite enjoyed it. The column talks about the greatest moments in sports and then goes to one of the worst moment in sports which was the Boston Bombing. The column gave me a new sense of how brave and heroic the people were when they tried to save people without even knowing if there was going to be another bomb that would explode.

The next column that I read was called An Image a Little Too Carefully Coordinated. The column was over the new justice the president picked for supreme court. He talks about how the clothes the family was wearing were not original and on how the pictures would always look the same. I did not really enjoy the column because what the author wrote was something that did not seem to relate to me and did not feel important or funny. The next column that I read was over Kate Middleton's wedding dress. I did not like the column because I couldn't relate to it at all and it did not seem like a very important topic. The column talks about how whatever Kate Middleton wears will be a big deal and that it would go down in fashion history. The next column that I read was over on how moms plan birthdays compared to dads and I really liked the column because I found that I could relate to it and that the author added many aspects to it that added humor too. The last column I read was on how the author wanted a dog. I enjoyed the column because I could relate to it and it had humor in it also. The author goes on to tell all the reasons he wanted a dog and I could relate to that to the way I go through all the reasons I want something when I have to beg my parents for something.

 

Fahrenheit 451 Theme Handout

Fahrenheit 451 Theme Hand-Out

Theme Statement: People should take action rather than watch a society falter and possibly crumble.

Timeline:

Part 1:

“Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?” (Bradbury 12).

“Montag hesitated. “Was--was it always like this? The firehouse, our work? I mean, well, once upon a time…” (Bradbury 38).

“You weren't there, you didn't see,” he said. “There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing” (Bradbury 54-55).

Part 2:

“This afternoon I thought that if it turned out that books were worthwhile. We might get a press and print some extra copies--”(Bradbury 81).

“Go home and think how it all happened and what did you ever do to stop it? Go home, go home!” (Bradbury 98).

Part 3:

“And then he was a shrieking blaze...no longer human or known, all writhing flame” (Bradbury 113).

“We all made the right kind of mistakes, or we wouldn't be here...You want to join us, Montag?’

‘Yes” (Bradbury 143).

How the theme improves understanding of story:

Throughout the story, Montag displays his self-willed nature, by questioning society at first, which later progresses to him taking an active stance against the government, and acting out against their laws in an attempt to fight for what he believes in.

How the theme connects to modern day society:

In a society in which there are injustices present, the only way change can be brought about is through individuals standing up for what they think is right, and many cases in  modern day show that society, those who take action are the ones who ensure that society won’t deteriorate to a worse state.  

The Da Vinci Code- Dan Brown

           Over the past couple of weeks I started reading and finished the book The Da Vinci Code. I would recommend the book to anyone who wants to read a electrifying thriller. I would say the book is one of the best books I have ever read. The author relates a lot of the things to what we see today. The book opened my eyes to the idea of the Holy Grail.The author uses many creative writing skills to make the reader think about the Holy Grail. He uses everyday symbols and relates it to the Holy Grail that is what opened my eyes the most.                                                                             Throughout the book the character Sophie Neveu changes throughout the book and is a dynamic character. In the beginning Sophie's grandfather dies and then Robert Langdon is accused of killing Sophie's grandfather because in the crime scene Sophie's grandfather writes," 13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5/O, Draconian Devil!/Oh, lame saint!/ P.S. Find Robert Langdon"(Brown 43) This makes the cops think that Robert Langdon is the killer but Sophie thinks that her grandfather wrote the note down so that she would be able to get information from him the find who the killer actually is.

This is when Sophie helps Langdon escape because of what she thinks and it turns out that she is actually right Langdon helps her on the quest to find out who killed her grandfather. Sophie learns a lot from what her grandfather was like and the secret society he was in. Through finding everything out she realizes her grandfather was doing everything for her own good and that she shouldn't have left him for what he was doing. With all of the clues it led up to the idea of the Holy Grail and it is a race to find the Holy Grail. With all the event Sophie becomes a better officer and learns many things about her family in general that have been haunting her for years since her parents died in the car crash.