Final Blog

I think it is important for us to study literature because there are so many different kinds of literature. There are also so many different writers, and a lot of them have different writing styles. There are stories about pretty much everything. We have to study literature because it is a general education class at most colleges. I think the reason for this is because colleges want students to learn about different writers and their writing styles which in some cases helps us learn about different cultures. We learned about a lot of different writers and time periods and cultures when we did the literary salons. We also learned how the time period and what was going on in the world affected what authors wrote about. I think this class was a valuable experience for me because I learned a lot and some of the things we did were interesting and fun. Some of the things we did also pushed me out of my comfort zone, which can sometimes be a good thing.
In this class, I have experienced many different places and times through all the reading I have done. In my Novel, Watchers by Dean Koontz, I experienced what it would be like to have a dog that is almost as smart as a human. In my other novel, Twilight Eyes by Dean Koontz, I experienced what it would be like to be a seventeen-year-old who is running from the cops and ends up joining a carnival and traveling with the carnival when they move. Through the Literary Salons, I experienced what it would have been like to be a young adult in the 1980s. We also experienced the 1920s, 1960s, and some other time periods too. We also experienced new things with our cultural opportunities by going to a play, watching a movie we hadn't seen before about an author, and by going to a concert.
In this class, we have experimented with many different things. We had to write flash fiction. The exercise we did right before we actually wrote our story was interesting, but not really helpful. I thought my story was ok, but I think it would have been better if it was longer and had more specific details, but flash fiction isn't supposed to be long or detailed. We also experimented with writing poems. Some of the poetry workshops were fun. We got to experience different kinds of poetry. We also experimented with the ten-minute plays. We didn't have to write any plays, which was a good thing, but we did have to get up and act them out in front of the class which was something new for a lot of the students.
In this class, we did a lot of expanding too. We read short stories and then had mini-book clubs. In the mini-book clubs we expanded our understanding of the short stories by asking and answering questions and listening to others comments about the stories. Some of those short stories were really different. They covered many different topics and writing styles. We expanded on the poetry workshops by doing the poetry slam. The poetry slam was fun to watch, but I really did not like reading my poem. We also expanded our experiences by writing about them in our blogs. We wrote about the reading we did for class and "reading" that we did outside of class this included our cultural opportunities. We also wrote reflections on the mini-book club, the ten-minute plays, Star Wars, and a poem.
Overall, I really enjoyed this class and thought it was a valuable experience. There was a ton of reading. I expected there to be some reading, but not as much as there was. Sometimes trying to make sure I got all the reading done was overwhelming especially since I was taking another class this summer and working too. All the people in our class seemed really nice, and I think I am going to miss them. I think the ten-minute plays were probably my favorite activity from the class. One last thing, don't write on the walls with chalk. The security guards don't like it.

Wild at Heart by Gloriana

Wild at Heart is a country song by Gloriana. It is their only song that I know. It came on the radio today when I was on my home from class so I decided to write my blog about it. I am actually listening to it right now too. I am not really sure why, but I really like it. I think it might be a combination of the music and the lyrics. The music is upbeat, and I like that. The music kind of makes me want to get up and dance. The song is about young people that are "running loose and wild." They are young and think they are in love. They are carefree and willing to do just about anything. I would say it is kind of a romantic song. I like a lot of love songs. I asked my mom why she thought I liked this song. She said she thought it was because I am shy, but I want to be wild, but not wild in a bad way. Wild in a romantic sweep me off my feet kind of way. Romantic things like laying under the stars and kissing in the rain. I think I agree with what my mom said. I do want to fall in love someday, and do romantic things with that person that I am in love with. I am shy and reserved and not always open to new things. Sometimes I wish I was more wild and carefree.
I really like music. I listen to it all the time. I listen to all different kinds of music. I like rock, country, and metal better than other kinds of music. I don't think I really have a favorite band or artist. There are too many good bands and singers to choose just one as my favorite.

Textual Reading

I have done a lot of textual reading this week. I read two chapters in my geology book. I am really glad those are the last two chapters I have to read in that book. The two chapters weren't bad. They were just long and kind of boring. The first one was about tectonic plates and the second one was about mountain building. I do not really care how the continents got to where they are today or how the mountains were formed. I guess it is kind of interesting, but I think they go into too much detail explaining it. I do not plan on being a geologist so I don't think I need to know all of the very specific details. What makes it worse is we are quizzed on what we read. We can use our books on the quiz, but it is really hard to tell what stuff the teacher is going to ask, and I do not think we are given enough time to take the quizzes.
I finished by novel, Watchers by Dean Koontz. The ending was really good. I am not going to tell you how it ended. My blog from last week gives a pretty good summary of the book, although it does leave out some really interesting stuff.
I have started reading another book by Dean Koontz. The title of it is Twilight Eyes. I have only read the first five chapters, but it is pretty good so far. It is not like the other two Dean Koontz books where the chapters have different sections and the different sections are about different people. This book has chapters and the chapters have titles, and it is just one story. It does not switch back and forth between characters. It is about a seventeen-year-old boy who calls himself Slim MacKenzie. That is not his real name. He has changed his name many times because he is running from the cops. He is wanted for murder. He killed his uncle with an ax. The story takes place at a carnival. On his first night there, he kills a man. He claims that the people that he kills are goblins.
The last thing I want to write about in this blog is the readings we have done for the literary salons. Most of the readings and presentations have been really interesting. There was one that had some pages that were really hard to read because they didn't copy very well. There was another one that I had a hard time reading part of because the print was really really small. Most of the poems that were included in the readings were good, but some of them were hard to understand. I liked the readings that had short stories because I liked being able to read the whole story. I think that makes it easy to understand what is going on.

Cultural Opportunity: Concert

For the concert cultural opportunity, I went to a concert at the fair tonight. Three bands performed at the concert. They were Trapt, Mindset Evolution, and a band from Chicago that I cannot remember the name of. I had never heard of the band from Chicago before and I did not know any of their songs, but I thought they did a pretty good job. Mindset Evolution is a local band. I have seen them perform before. I thought they did a really good job tonight. I do not really know any of their songs either, but I have heard a few of them before. They also sang Billie Jean by Michael Jackson. They did a really good job with it. I really liked it. They had someone dress in the kind of clothing that Michael Jackson would have worn, and he danced while they played the song. I think out of the three bands, Mindset Evolution had the best performance. They were jumping up and down and dancing the entire time they were performing. They had a lot of energy and really looked like they were having fun. Sometimes I wish I had as much energy as they did tonight. All three of the bands seemed like they were really happy to be there. Trapt was the headliner. They played longer than the other two bands. I only know a few of Trapt's songs, and I really like all of them that I know. They played all of the ones that I know at the concert tonight which was good because I prefer to listen to them play songs that I already know. They did a really good job performing too. I enjoyed listening to the songs that I did not already know too, but I liked the ones that I knew better.
Here are some things about the crowd of people that were at the concert. There were a lot of people that were kind of rude. They were pushing and shoving their way through the crowd and running into people. I have been to concerts before and the people are always like that so that did not bother me, but I thought I would mention it anyways. I also don't understand why people that are at least six inches taller than me always fill the need to stand right in front of me. That did kind of annoy me because every time I would move so that I could see the person in front of me would move too. There was one girl wearing a really really short dress and shoes with about a four-inch heel. I do not know why anyone would wear that to a rock concert, and especially one that is outside where you are standing on gravel the entire time. There were two different people that brought a baby with them to the concert. One of the babies looked like she might have been about three years old and the other one did not look like she was even two. I have no clue why anyone would bring children that young to a rock concert where the music is really loud. I do not think that is a very smart thing to do. One girl was standing about ten feet away from the speakers with the baby. Are you trying to blow out the child's eardrums?

Watchers

For my novel, I have been reading Watchers by Dean Koontz. I have already posted one blog about it. In my first blog Ms. Stephanie comment had a few questions in it so I am going to answer them first. Yes, I would say that Watchers is a horror story. The only other book I have by Dean Koontz is The Bad Place, and it was really weird but it was good too. The reason why I think Watchers is so hard to put down is because of the way it is written. There are different sections in each chapter and the different sections switch back and forth between different characters. It makes you want to know more, and to find out more you have to keep reading. Everything is described really well. All the descriptions make it really easy for you see what is going on. It helps you visualize the characters and situations.
I have not finished reading the book yet, but I am almost there. I have about one hundred pages left. In my last blog I told you that one of the main characters was Travis Cornell. He finds a dog in the canyon that he was visiting. Something was chasing the dog. So Travis took the dog home with him. After a few days of watching the dog, Travis realized that he was really smart. So Travis named the dog Einstein. Einstein can do many things that normal dogs cannot do, like opening the refrigerator and turning on the water hose. One day Travis and Einstein go to the park. At the park they met Nora Devon, who is being stalked by her TV repair man Art Streck. Nora and Travis start dating and eventually get married. Travis and Nora figure out a way to communicate with Einstein and they teach him how to read. Einstein tells them where he came from and how he was created. He also tells them about the thing that was chasing him in the woods. They call the thing The Outsider. The thing that was chasing him that day is still searching for him. It wants to kill him because it hates him. The Outsider has been killing people along his path to find the dog. The National Security Agency is searching for the dog and The Outsider. So far The Outsider has not gotten to the dog, but it came really close. It was in Travis's house when Einstein, Nora, and Travis got back from their honeymoon, but they scared it away and then left the house permanently.
I left some stuff out of my summary above because I think you should read the book and find out all the details for yourself. So far I think this book has been really good. I have really enjoyed reading it. I hope the ending is good too.

Cultural Opportunity - Movie

For my movie, I choose to watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The reason why I choose this film was mainly because it was the only one that I could find at the video store. I had never seen any of the movies on the list before and had only heard of a few of them so it did not really matter which one I watched.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is based on a 1971 novel by Hunter S. Thompson. It starts with a flashback of a protest or march about the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. That last for a couple of minutes then it goes to the main characters driving down a desert road in a red convertible. The main characters are a journalist named Raoul Duke (played by Johnny Depp) and his lawyer Dr. Gonzo (played by Benicio Del Toro). Raoul Duke is sent to Las Vegas to write a story for a magazine about the Mint 400 motorcycle race. They pack the car and leave for Las Vegas. They take a suitcase full of many different kinds of drugs with them. They also have many different kinds of alcohol with them. They are searching for the American Dream. While they were driving, they picked up a hitchhiker. That they scare so much that he jumps out of the car and runs away. They get to Las Vegas and go to the motor cycle race, but they do not watch the whole thing. They go to the theater and get in for free, but are kicked out a few minutes later. They also went to the casino circus. They trash the hotel room and run up the room service bill. Then leave without paying the bill. Raoul is on his way back home when he gets pulled over by the cops. The cop lets him go, but tells him to go to the rest station up the street and take a long nap. He calls Dr. Gonzo and ends up going back to Las Vegas where he checks into a different hotel. At this new hotel, the cops are having a Convention for Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. So basically Raoul and Dr. Gonzo are high and drunk throughout the entire movie. They hallucinate, trash hotel rooms, run from the police, make people mad, and wreck cars.
I did not really like this movie. It was kind of boring. There were a few times when I thought I was going to fall asleep watching it. It was a two-hour long movie, and for the majority of the movie nothing happened, except for two people getting high. They wake up in the mornings with the hotel room trashed, and they do not remember anything that happened the night before. For a movie that includes all the things I mention above you would think that it would be more exciting, but it really wasn't.

Intro to Poetry

I did not like reading the Introduction to Poetry. It was way too long. It took me a really like time to read it, and I did not think it was ever going to end. There were a lot of vocabulary words. Some of them were good words for us to know, but I think some of them should have been left out. I do not think that it needed to go into as much detail as it did with some things. For example, I think they could have left out most of the stuff about meter and the different marks that are used to denote unstressed and unstressed syllables. I thought the part about the figurative language was good. I liked how the book described what each of the types of figurative language was and then gave examples to help you understand it. By the time I was finished reading this section I had about eight pages of notes. It is probably a good thing that we did not have a quiz over this section because even though I took notes I probably would not have been able to find what I needed to answer the questions.
I liked reading the poems out loud in class. I think that was a good way to cover the poems without making us sit there and read them all to ourselves. It was hard to for me to pick a poem to read in front of the class. Especially since we were supposed to pick a poem that we had not read before. Another reason why picking a poem was hard was because I wanted to pick a poem that I understood. I also had to find a poem that did not have any words that I did not know how to pronounce. I ended up picking "Tell All the Truth, but Tell it Slant" by Emily Dickinson.