In Act III of All My Sons...
I predict that in the end, Larry will be pronounced dead, his body found in a crashed plane. I think that Joe will fess up about what he did, and go to jail for it. Therefore, Steve will be released. I also think that Ann and Chris will end up getting married, without the support of anyone, and Kate will kill herself in devastation. A sad ending yes, but not everything can have a fairy tail ending.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Prediction For The End.
I have about 50 pages left in my book. I have no idea what is going to happen, but I'm going to take a shot in the dark. The Glass Castle has so far been set in only Jeannette's childhood. It started as her at about age 3, and she is now 13 years old. With age, she is realizing that her life is not easy, and that her parents aren't really doing all that they could. I believe that the end of the story is going to pace a bit faster, and Jeannette will grow up and move out. I think she's going to ditch her family for the most part, and pursue dreams of becoming a writer, a vet, anything to get out of her current situation.
"I was studying hard because I wanted to become either a veterinarian or a geologist specializing in the Miocene period, when the mountains out west were formed. I was telling him how geodes were created from bubbles of lava when he interrupted me. 'For the daughter of the town drunk, you sure got big plans,' he said (pg.183)."
I think her parents are going to be stuck in their ways, not wanting help from Jeannette. I feel her siblings Lori and Brian will also get away. I can tell Jeannette wants something better for herself, and shes going to go out and get it. Maybe she will get married... but I know the book will finish with her in a better position.
"I was studying hard because I wanted to become either a veterinarian or a geologist specializing in the Miocene period, when the mountains out west were formed. I was telling him how geodes were created from bubbles of lava when he interrupted me. 'For the daughter of the town drunk, you sure got big plans,' he said (pg.183)."
I think her parents are going to be stuck in their ways, not wanting help from Jeannette. I feel her siblings Lori and Brian will also get away. I can tell Jeannette wants something better for herself, and shes going to go out and get it. Maybe she will get married... but I know the book will finish with her in a better position.
losing trust
As I earlier predicted, Jeannette starts to lose trust in her dad as The Glass Castle continues. He is the town drunk wherever they move, and his empty promises are starting to lose meaning for Jeannette.
"Why do I always have to get Dad?" I asked (Pg.181).
Jeannette is sick of taking responsibility for the father she once believed in, but never comes through.
"'I don't blame Dad,' I said. And i didn't. But Dad seemed hell-bent on destroying himself, and I was afriad he was going to pull us all down with him" (pg.188).
Previously, she would always stick up for her dad and would do anything for him. I thought it was about time she figure out hes not worth the wait, and she is definately moving on.
"Mom never told Dad that I'd urged her to leave him. That summer he still thought of me as his biggest supporter, and given that there was so little competition for the job, I probably was (pg.189).
I really hope that Jeannette's dad steps up for his family, but I highly doubt he will. Jeannette is finally starting to realize this and is at the point in her life where she wants her family to be better off. I believe shes the one who'll come through over her drunken dad.
"Why do I always have to get Dad?" I asked (Pg.181).
Jeannette is sick of taking responsibility for the father she once believed in, but never comes through.
"'I don't blame Dad,' I said. And i didn't. But Dad seemed hell-bent on destroying himself, and I was afriad he was going to pull us all down with him" (pg.188).
Previously, she would always stick up for her dad and would do anything for him. I thought it was about time she figure out hes not worth the wait, and she is definately moving on.
"Mom never told Dad that I'd urged her to leave him. That summer he still thought of me as his biggest supporter, and given that there was so little competition for the job, I probably was (pg.189).
I really hope that Jeannette's dad steps up for his family, but I highly doubt he will. Jeannette is finally starting to realize this and is at the point in her life where she wants her family to be better off. I believe shes the one who'll come through over her drunken dad.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
400 Blows Paper
Here is part of my paper! (Intro, Literary aspects, comparison)
The 400 Blows Review
The 400 Blows, by François Truffaut, is a black and white movie made in 1959. Overall, I enjoyed it. This film was very effective as a memoir. The actors in the movie portrayed emotion well, making me feel as though I were a part of it. Truffaut was able to bring his work to life through the use of literary, dramatic, and cinematic elements. The plot of The 400 Blows was also very exciting and kept me engaged. Through this film, I got a great sense of what François’s childhood was like. I liked the movie in general, and thought it was very effective in its purpose.
The 400 Blows shares many aspects with literature. Setting is one example, and the movie takes place in Paris, France. Two other main literary elements include plot, and characters. The story’s plot is exciting, and during it, many characters are developed. Antoine is a troubled kid, and the relationship he has with his parents’ is strained, especially the one with his mother. Antoine’s mom is discouraging, which feeds his desires to live on his own. He and his friend René skip school and attempt to escape their home several times throughout the film. Antoine continually runs into trouble as he lies to his teacher, sets part of his house on fire, steals a typewriter, and runs away with his buddy. Antoine’s parents try to improve his behavior by rewarding him and punishing him, but both efforts fail. Mr. and Mrs. Doinel eventually decide they don’t want to put up with it any more, and send their son away to an observation camp. Antoine can’t stand the camp, making a break for it during one of the daily activities. We never find out if he makes it as the last scene ends with him still running. Many themes can be taken away from the film as well. The one I find most significant is as follows: Maturity can not be forced, but is something that must come naturally. As displayed in my explanation of the plot, Antoine’s parents attempt to force him into maturity through bribery, discipline, and finally just sending him away. Other literary elements occur throughout the film, such as point of view and symbols. The many aspects that The 400 Blows shares with literature enhance the overall quality of the film.
There are many parallels between The 400 Blows and Black Boy. First of all, both stories are memoirs. Richard Wright and François Truffaut outline a part of their earlier years in their work. Another similarity that The 400 Blows shares with Black Boy centers around the main characters. In The 400 Blows, Antoine is an outcast in his family. He is rebellious, and because of this is sent away, disowned by his parents. Richard, from Black Boy, is rejected in his family as well. Richard’s grandma and aunt are very religious. When he decides not to pursue religion, Richard does not even exist in the eyes of his close relatives. Contrasting the two works, they are very different through the setting. While The 400 Blows occurs in Paris, France, Black Boy takes place in the deep south of the United States. Truffaut’s The 400 Blows and Wright’s Black Boy are alike in many ways, but also have aspects that differ.
The 400 Blows Review
The 400 Blows, by François Truffaut, is a black and white movie made in 1959. Overall, I enjoyed it. This film was very effective as a memoir. The actors in the movie portrayed emotion well, making me feel as though I were a part of it. Truffaut was able to bring his work to life through the use of literary, dramatic, and cinematic elements. The plot of The 400 Blows was also very exciting and kept me engaged. Through this film, I got a great sense of what François’s childhood was like. I liked the movie in general, and thought it was very effective in its purpose.
The 400 Blows shares many aspects with literature. Setting is one example, and the movie takes place in Paris, France. Two other main literary elements include plot, and characters. The story’s plot is exciting, and during it, many characters are developed. Antoine is a troubled kid, and the relationship he has with his parents’ is strained, especially the one with his mother. Antoine’s mom is discouraging, which feeds his desires to live on his own. He and his friend René skip school and attempt to escape their home several times throughout the film. Antoine continually runs into trouble as he lies to his teacher, sets part of his house on fire, steals a typewriter, and runs away with his buddy. Antoine’s parents try to improve his behavior by rewarding him and punishing him, but both efforts fail. Mr. and Mrs. Doinel eventually decide they don’t want to put up with it any more, and send their son away to an observation camp. Antoine can’t stand the camp, making a break for it during one of the daily activities. We never find out if he makes it as the last scene ends with him still running. Many themes can be taken away from the film as well. The one I find most significant is as follows: Maturity can not be forced, but is something that must come naturally. As displayed in my explanation of the plot, Antoine’s parents attempt to force him into maturity through bribery, discipline, and finally just sending him away. Other literary elements occur throughout the film, such as point of view and symbols. The many aspects that The 400 Blows shares with literature enhance the overall quality of the film.
There are many parallels between The 400 Blows and Black Boy. First of all, both stories are memoirs. Richard Wright and François Truffaut outline a part of their earlier years in their work. Another similarity that The 400 Blows shares with Black Boy centers around the main characters. In The 400 Blows, Antoine is an outcast in his family. He is rebellious, and because of this is sent away, disowned by his parents. Richard, from Black Boy, is rejected in his family as well. Richard’s grandma and aunt are very religious. When he decides not to pursue religion, Richard does not even exist in the eyes of his close relatives. Contrasting the two works, they are very different through the setting. While The 400 Blows occurs in Paris, France, Black Boy takes place in the deep south of the United States. Truffaut’s The 400 Blows and Wright’s Black Boy are alike in many ways, but also have aspects that differ.
400 Blows- the ending.
This week we finished The 400 Blows. I really liked the movie's plot, but thought the ending was lame. It ended on too much of a cliffhanger for me. After all the suspense and build-up, we never find out what happens to Antoine in the end. Does he get caught by the camp? Does he escape and start a life of his own? Does he go back to his parents? Does he reunite with Rene? I really wanted to know but will never get the chance to find out. I did actually learn about cinematic, literary, and dramatic elements. There are many examples of them in the film, as written in my paper. Watching movies in English class is so much fun, and I hope there will be more to come!
This week in Glass Castle
Jeannette's family life is crazy. They are very spontaneous and just do things without any thought or consideration. Here are some of the main events in the pages I read this week.
- Jeannette is moleseted by some random homeless guy who walks into her house. She is annoyed by the event, but doesn't make as big a deal out of it as I would feel necessary.
- Jeannette's mom takes her swimming in a public fountain telling her kids to ignore what others think.
- Jeannette's dad takes her to the zoo, and they go in the cheetah cage to petting it and making a huge scene.
- Jeannette's dad loses her job, and the kids go hungry often.
- Mom decides to go shoplifting in order to get maureen some nice clothes.
- Dad comes up with an idea to have some extra cash. He realizes that the computers at the bank take a couple minutes to process, so his idea is to open new accounts each week. Then he will at the end of the week have his wife go through the drive through and withdraw money at the same time he closes the account withdrawing all the money.
- Dad is a huge drunk and destroys the house during the period he is wasted.
- At Christmas, dad ruins the whole day as he is drunk and lights the Christmas tree on fire which doesn't only burn the tree, but all the presents too.
- Jeannette asks her dad for her birthday that he stops drinking. He struggles a lot with this, but forces himself to stop.
- They decided after thier dad is sober to go to the grand cayon, but thier car breaks down and they end up having to walk home.
- After all he put himself through, dad goes back to drinking.
- They decide to move to west virginia where Jeannette's dad's parents' live.
- It takes them a month to get there.
- Jeannette is dissapointed when her grandparents aren't very nice and hopes things will get better
My favorite quote from this part is as follows: "'Okay kids,' dad said, 'the civilians are revolting. We better skedaddle'" (pg. 109).
I Like this quote because it represents the rebellious and different life that the Walls family live.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
The 400 Blows
I really have enjoyed The 400 Blows so far. It is very funny in certain parts. I also enjoy listening to it in another language because I take French so I can understand a little but can cheat and look at the subtitles for the most part. I am curious to see if the title will gain significance in the end or the movie, or if it already has and I just didn't understand.
Now about the plot. Antoine to me seems like a good kid, but just a little mischevious. So far though, he has gotten in trouble quite a bit. He gets in trouble at school, and at home. He skips school and runs away from home. He lies, sets things afire, and just isn't very smooth about things. I feel bad for him though because he finds his mom cheating with some random guy, and she is meaner to him than any mom I have ever known. It seems at the last part we watched that she is trying to bribe him as she knows he witnessed her cheating. If I were Antoine I would tell my dad on her sorry behind. But, that's just me. Can't wait to watch more tomorrow!
Now about the plot. Antoine to me seems like a good kid, but just a little mischevious. So far though, he has gotten in trouble quite a bit. He gets in trouble at school, and at home. He skips school and runs away from home. He lies, sets things afire, and just isn't very smooth about things. I feel bad for him though because he finds his mom cheating with some random guy, and she is meaner to him than any mom I have ever known. It seems at the last part we watched that she is trying to bribe him as she knows he witnessed her cheating. If I were Antoine I would tell my dad on her sorry behind. But, that's just me. Can't wait to watch more tomorrow!
Proud of her Dad?
Jeannette Wall's life has been a hard one, and I feel her struggles are a lot because of her dad. He is constantly losing jobs, getting in fights, and drinking. For some reason though Jeannette has a respect for her dad. She stands up for him countless times.
"'Dad has to start carrying his own weight,' Lori said as she stared into the empty refridgerator.
'He does!' I said. 'He brings in money from odd jobs.'
'He spends more than he earns on booze,' Brian said" (pg.78).
If I were in Jeannette's situation, I would take the side of her siblings Brian and Lori. I would be dissappointed in my father and be ashamed more than proud of him. I honestly don't understand what she sees in him.
"'Don't go and try and pretend you're better than me. 'Cause I know your daddy ain't nothing but a drunk like mine.'... I started to runout of the house, but then I stoped and turned around.
'My daddy is nothing like your daddy!' I shouted. 'When my daddy passes out, he never pisses himself!'"(pg.83).
Again, Jeannette defends her father. I don't understand her reasoning, but they must have some sort of personal relationship. They must have a special relationship that can't be understood by the reader.
"'I swear, honey, there are times when I think you're the only one around who still has faith in me,' he said. 'I don't know what I'd do if you ever lost it.'
I told him that I would never lose faith in him. And I promised myself I never would"(pg.79).
I am curious to see if Jeannette's relationship with her dad will change with time.
"'Dad has to start carrying his own weight,' Lori said as she stared into the empty refridgerator.
'He does!' I said. 'He brings in money from odd jobs.'
'He spends more than he earns on booze,' Brian said" (pg.78).
If I were in Jeannette's situation, I would take the side of her siblings Brian and Lori. I would be dissappointed in my father and be ashamed more than proud of him. I honestly don't understand what she sees in him.
"'Don't go and try and pretend you're better than me. 'Cause I know your daddy ain't nothing but a drunk like mine.'... I started to runout of the house, but then I stoped and turned around.
'My daddy is nothing like your daddy!' I shouted. 'When my daddy passes out, he never pisses himself!'"(pg.83).
Again, Jeannette defends her father. I don't understand her reasoning, but they must have some sort of personal relationship. They must have a special relationship that can't be understood by the reader.
"'I swear, honey, there are times when I think you're the only one around who still has faith in me,' he said. 'I don't know what I'd do if you ever lost it.'
I told him that I would never lose faith in him. And I promised myself I never would"(pg.79).
I am curious to see if Jeannette's relationship with her dad will change with time.
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