Post #8

For me memoirs can hold any truth’s they want.  As long as a memoir has some truth, I don’t think a percent of truth really does it justice but I would say 50-95% would have to be true for me to call it a memoir. Anything below 50% you would call fiction or based on a true story. And for anything above 95% true/accurate would be called an autobiography. I say this because some fibbing for the stories overall plot and quality is good. If a good and realistic stretch helps the plot or have us understand the characters more, then it is a good detail. If you want to read a full tale of one’s life and it be factually accurate I say you read an autobiography by the author.  With details like location and names and things that don’t directly influence the plot of the book then who cares if they are made up. 

I have often thought about writing a memoir, I mean my life isn’t extremely exciting but some of my ideals and some funny/unlucky things have happened. I would definitely need a major thing to happen in my life to make it more interesting though. Perhaps something that goes off of something that has happened to me. Something realistic to the situation and a little far-fetched, just to add to the plot of my story. I obviously joke about it and wouldn’t write it anytime soon, but years from now when I am the only one to remember certain things I would probably add some interesting fake details to my life. 

Post #7 Shutter Island Movie Trailer

Post #6 Readicide

I agreed with a lot of what Gallagher said about "Readicide" and I believe it's a problem in schools today. I am a big fan in classic novels/plays, I like reading Shakespeare, I love classics like Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird, and I like the discussions that go with them. I use it as a defense in my music choice: The reason we read Shakespeare in High School is because it can tell us something about ourselves and we can relate to the tragedy and deepness. We stop reading books like Go Dog Go because they are simply written and are made to make a buck. This in comparison to listening to Bob Dylan over Justin Beiber or something. With that being said though; I understand what Gallagher means by not understanding today's world. Perhaps reading Hamlet will give you self-awareness but it doesn't tell you of anything going on today in the world. So that’s why I propose what Gallagher already has: the 50/50 plan, read a classic like Catcher and discuss it. Then read something from this era about our modern lives and what is taking place.

For me Literary Fiction does prepare us, it prepares us to look at morals and personal events on who we are and who we want to become. While a genre fiction could probably prepare us for the real world a little bit better. I would be outraged if we had to read Twilight over Of Mice and Men because Twilight doesn't do anything for me, and it probably was influenced by books like Of Mice and men. Twilight might as well be Go Dog Go because it is just a crap teen novel that made a lot of money. But that is probably just the Bob Dylan fan in me, the original; the classic artist who influenced so many others should be listened to before you listen to something like Justin Beiber. So don’t read something like Twilight because it was written today, only if it is giving us an example of what is happening today.

Post #5

With the story Shutter Island by: Dennis Lehane there would be many challenges to overcome with the film making. For one, is finding an island to capture the remoteness and how wild Shutter Island really is. Special effects are cool, but without a base location (specifically an island) the film would be missing one of the most important parts. Another possible challenge in the film making process could be capturing the era or the time it was supposed to be in the story. The year is 1954 so capturing the technology, the appearances, and the overall atmosphere of the 50's would be important and potentially a challenge. I don't think anything should be done to the plot because the plot is A+ material, it is held in regards with movies like Fight Club, Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back, Planet of the Apes, etc. Movies that are similar with similar plot twists at the end. In Shutter Island the term "Twist" almost doesn't do it justice. So the plot should stay the same, but maybe some of the characters could be changed. Such as Doctor Cawley could be more of a villain and he could be sketchy and uncomfortably looking. Also a character like Chuck, I think he would need to look like an innocent, good looking man who could portray even more of a good guy role. I think that the sub plot of having Teddy playing bad cop and Chuck playing good cop would have to go. I think they need to make Teddy look as normal, innocent, and good looking as Chuck does so nothing is given away.

A key scene that should not be changed at all would be finding the letter Rachel leaves behind in her cell. This scene is just mainly important for the plot, meaning it helps us uncover the plot twist at the end. It is important with this writing style because the viewer can look back on this scene and think: “Oh my gosh it was obvious”. It is also part of the uncovering of the ending as well so it is a must scene.

Another key scene that needs to remain in the film is the scene where they enter Rachel's room and they realize how small it is. This is a key moment and must be added because it is a key part of the plot, but also it lets you see what this “treatment” really is. It is less like treatment and more like a prison. This scene really gives you the first glimpse of that and starts the beginning of the plot.

A third scene necessary in the movie is one towards the beginning of the movie when Teddy walks by the garden and an inmate puts up her finger to be quiet or to tell him "shhh". This scene has stuck with me from when I saw the commercial for the movie, seeing the movie, all the way to reading the book in that order. I just think it is an iconic scene and the way the movie portrayed the gal exactly how Lehane describes it really makes the scene powerful and memerable. So this scene should be added because it gives you an idea of what Teddy is dealing with now, it kind of puts you as the viewer and Teddy as the character a little un-settled.

A scene I would cut from the adaptation of the book to a movie would be the very beginning of the book, it goes into a description of Teddy, where he is from, what he looks like, etc. In an adaptation I would have Teddy’s description throughout the book that way you can see the character building as it goes with the plot. Or maybe even at the end after the plot twist, put a full description of him and who he thinks he is.

Another scene I would adapt/add to the movie is in the beginning maybe show the making of the island, meaning have a narrator describe how shutter island came to be before anything happens. Like the prequel to the movie but making it a very dark kind of sketchy scene of crazies and their crimes.

Book 1 project: Room yearbook

            The year book of Room features a description of all of Jack’s friends in his world. This is before his escape, so all of his friends happen to be objects and things (with the exception of Ma). The idea was made up, because it is both interesting and disturbing of how Jack talks of objects as if they are living beings.

            “Good night Room,” I say very quiet. “Good night, Lamp and Balloon.” (pg. 42) As you can see here, Jack wishes the lamp and balloon good night as if they are his friends: Bob and Tom for example. It is odd to think that this boy only knows one person in the entire world. It is all Jack has ever known, his Ma and things in room. Room is Jack’s world; the objects could be counted as countries/states/places in his world. As if you’re going on vacation and you told your neighbor: “hey watch the house, I’m going to California for the weekend”. To Jack that is walking probably 5 feet to go from the toilet to the bed. But the difference is he sees the objects not as states or places but as one of him like people. Towards the end of the book after they have escaped and left room, Jack asks his grandma if they can recover some of Room’s old objects (His friends!). In this part he finally gets his rug back, and is told by different people to throw it away or get rid of it. “I think of Rug, I run to get her out of the box and I drag her behind me. ‘Where will Rug go, beside the couch or beside our bed?’” (pg. 305) His “Ma” tells him its useless and to get rid of it. But for Jack getting rid of something he is so close to is difficult. It reminds me of the classic childhood story of the kid with the bad influence friend or something, and your mom telling you to stop hanging out with him because he is a bad influence. For Jack this is his situation but trying to get rid of Rug. It is a close friend that he has been through a lot with that he can’t just kick to the curb.

            Putting these fake scenarios/analogies into your head is one of my favorite parts of reading. Especially for this book, because it is absolutely mind boggling to try to think like Jack would. In that he only knows an 11x11 foot space and his world revolves around his Mom, Room, and the things in that Room. So in parts of the book where Jack says: “It makes my head hurt” after hearing something as simple as there are other people outside the tiny room frustrates me. Just because I am so used to the way things are in the world. For us or the Lehman it would be like someone telling us aliens really did live outside the universe and that they have seen them. We probably would not believe it, label them crazy, and have our head hurt too. That is why I think this attraction of something simple like a yearbook could really work for this book. Because it brings us to realize how minimal and small Jack’s world was. Of how much these objects meant to him, they are like his family. He was more excited to get his vomit filled, dungeon kept rug back then to see his Grandma and family. The idea of characterizing the objects into people is awesome. This year book for jack is like looking back on Room as if I will when I graduate from high school and point out different people I remember and loved.

ROOM- first post

I am on page 230 of Room by Emma Donoghue, so I have read a good 2/3 of it. At this point, it seems like the one climax of the book has happened. I say one climax, because it is really the only thing that could have happened so far and I imagine for the rest of the book. I found it weird that this one thing happened half way through the book, I don't know what else can happen now besides Jack learning about the "outside" as he puts it. I really want to criticize the book, because it seems like nothing happens. Besides a stretch of about 75 pages, its just small talk and nothing much happening. I really want to hate the book, but I continue to read it and not get bored with so little action. I guess that is just the magic of Ms. Donoghue as a writer, and I guess nothing much can happen when you live in an 11x11 foot space. So it may be boring but I continue to read it and not feel bored. In other words, I will read for a period of time and not be bothered, but afterwards I think back to what I read and think wow nothing really happened in those past 50 pages! 

Post 2: What is a book?

According to the Merriam- Webster dictionary, a book is:
"a set of printed sheets of paper that are held together inside a cover : a long written work."
Based off of that definition, ebooks are actually not even considered as a book. Considering they are digital, with no printed sheets of paper that are held togather inside a cover. Based off of the definition itself I think that the likes of  Joe Meno and Tom Piazza (People who hold printed books above ebooks) would agree. At first I agreed with these gents, for me a book was the definition, the "written copy" if you will. But I thought, If I am going to look at literal definitions I better look at meriam webster's second half of their definition. Which is "a long written work". I held this on the defense of the hard copy books. But then it struck me that even a hard copy book isn't actually written. They are typed and have been since Bi Sheng invented the Printing press in the year 1041. Considering books are typed as opposed to written I don't agree with Meriam-Webster's definition of a book. Why should a book have to be 'long', 'witten', 'printed', or even on paper?

Books are like people, you get to know the character, you put yourself in their shoes, and get to relate to them. Reading a book is like talking to a person, its conversating with yourself. So I guess it's like your conscious. It is whatever you make it to be, even with a non fiction book, the discription of the subject feels as if your listening to a professer give a lecture. A book truely is whatever you want it to be, it shouldn't have to be long, written, printed, or have to be on paper. A book is your conscious, no matter what form/device it is in.