A Good Story...

"Abstraction may make your head believe, but a good story, well told, will also make your kidneys believe, and your scalp and your tear ducts, your heart, and your stomach, the whole human being." -Tim O'Brien. I agree one million percent with what Tim O'Brien has to say in the above quote. A good story captures your attention, it pulls you in doesn't let you go until the story is finished. And when that story is over, you are yearning for more. In a good story, you cannot tell fact from fiction, you believe every bit of that story with every inch of your body. I believe that this is exactly what Tim O'Brien accomplished in his book, The Things They Carried. It took me up until I was about three quarters of the way done with this book to realize that it was fiction. I know that sounds somewhat pathetic, but it's true. I fully believed every part of this novel until Mrs. White reminded us all it was fiction. This story was so incredibly well-written and pure, that I believed every word of it.

"“Forrest Gump” is the story of a man who overcomes numerous obstacles throughout different stages of his life and always seems to see the brighter side of things in the process."(http://www.exampleessays.com/viewpaper/75857.html) The movie, "Forrest Gump" is also an excellent example of a fantastic story. Even though this movie is purely fiction, the historical events that take place within in are very much true. When watching this movie, I believed everything that Forrest had to say and hung on his every word. I couldn't get enough. I had never seen this movie before watching it in English class. It has become one of my new favourite movies, and I can;y wait until I get a chance to see it again.

"And thats all I have to say about that." - Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump

:)

Holden... a typical teen?

Holden Caufield, in my opinion, in much more complex than your average everyday teenager. Holden is depressed and very reserved. His deep depression come from the death of his brother, Allie. Holden was very close with his brother, he uses only kind words to describe him. "He was also the nicest, in lots of ways. He never got mad at anybody. People with red hair are supposed to get mad very easily, but Allie never did..." (Salinger, 38) Holden was not able to attend Allie's funeral, I do believe that this is part of the reason as to why Allie's death still causes Holden so much grief. The funeral is a crucial part of the grieving/ healing process, and Holden never got to experience it.

Holden, whether he is willing to accept it or not, is very lonely. He needs someone to love and someone who will return that love. He has Phoebe, his little sister, she is his rock, but I feel as if he needs more people to love. His parents don't seem to be all that close to him, nor do they show that great of an interest. Throughout the story, Holden meets a few people that he seems to be comfortable around, and that is good for him. I truly believe that Holden needs people to open up to, and once he finds them he should be okay!

Big Nurse vs. Mr. McMurphy!!

There are two main dominant characters in Ken Kessey's novel, "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest". These characters are Mr. McMurphy and the Big Nurse. Big Nurse is in charge of the ward, she oversees everything that is done there. She even controls the volume of the music that is played over the loudspeaker. Big Nurse's commands are obeyed and her wishes are turned into reality. She has her workers at her heels and she acts as if she owns the place. This all changes once Mr. McMurphy enters the ward, though.

Mr. McMurphy is described as, "broad across the jaw and shoulders and chest, a broad white devilish grin" (Kessey, 16) From the moment McMurphy enters the ward, there is a shift of power. He challenges Big Nurse, something no one has ever even dreamed of doing. He sings, whistles, laughs, dances around. None of these actions are ever seen in the ward. He makes a lot of great changes to the ward.

I am not exactly sure if either of these characters "win". I feel as if they both win in a different way. Big Nurse wins in the sense that McMurphy got a lobotomy and was a vegetable, and then Chief smothers him. But McMurphy has gotten the other patients to stand up for themselves, he even got Chief to talk!! Therefore, in my opinion, both Big Nurse and McMurphy win.

The Arthurian Legend

Medieval Romances, as we all know, consist of chivalry, spontaneous fighting, love, and magic. They are set in a remote time or place and emphasize rank and social distinctions. The hero always has a pure advantage over the villain, and the story has loose structure, lacking in unity. Medieval Romances posses every element out there that will capture an audience's attention. The Arthurian Legend has endured the test of time because it does, in fact, consist of every element needed to capture an audience's attention. The Arthurian Legend is very much like the modern-day soap opera, this could easily be another major reason why it is still popular. There have been many different versions of the legend written.

'Le Morte D'Arthur' written by Sir T. Malory is just one of the many versions. Malory's story is taking place in a later time in King Arthur's life. "When King Arthur returned from Rome he settled his court at Camelot, and there gathered about him his knights of The Round Table, who diverted themselves with jousting and tournaments." (Malory, 118) Meanwhile T. H. White's version of the story entitled 'The Once Future King' is based on an earlier time in King Arthur's life, focusing on Lancelot. "You remember that Arthur wanted to catch his knights young, to train them for The Round Table, and that he had noticed Lancelot at the feast, because he was winning most of the games."

Not only have many stories been written about the Arthurian Legend, many movies have been made also. Parodies, even. 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' is a parody consisting of a plot line based on the time of King Arthur. "It's just a flesh wound" (Monty Python) is probably one of the most popular quotes from this movie. The quote comes from a scene where a knight gets his arm cut off and that is his response, this illustrates the humor in the movie. Even though 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' is a parody, it is still effective in telling the story of the

Legend of King Arthur.

Reaction To Medieval Works

To be honest, at first I did not think that i would enjoy these King Arthur-ish writings. I was correct about my assumption after the first story that we read. I did not enjoy the first 'Sword and the Stone' piece, I felt as if it was too long and dragged out. But my opinion soon changed after reading the second version of the 'Sword and the Stone' piece. I enjoyed how it was easier to read and the author almost seemed to have a sense of humor. 'Sir Gawain and the Lady Ragnell' is by far my favourite at the moment. I loved the twist that the Lady Ragnell ended up being beautiful, I had a feeling that she would. I was amazed at how loyal Sir Gawain is to Arthur. I have also been enjoying 'Sir Gawain and the Green Night' so far. I am always wanting to read past what we are assigned. So all in all I am enjoying the medieval works and am looking forward to reading more. :)

Is Beowulf Selfish???

Beowulf is indeed, selfish. I mean he is very good at what he does but he takes too much credit for it. He is everything but modest. He has accomplished many next-to-impossible tasks but he is just too cocky about them for my taste. After Beowulf slays Grendel and his mother Beowulf's soldiers celebrate his as if he is a god. I believe that these acts are what has turned Beowulf so cocky. He has just become so accustomed to being celebrated every time that he accomplishes something, he doesn't even think twice about it anymore.

'I ended his reign, avenged his crimes so completely in the crashing darkness that not even the oldest of his evil kind will ever boast, lying in sin and deceit...' (Lines 2005-2009) Beowulf is very aware of the accomplishments he has made, as is illustrated in the quote above. He does have, in some way, a few bragging rights, but he shouldn't be bragging as much as he is. He needs to learn to be more modest.

The Fifth Child correct cover

I believe that the fourth cover is the correct choice to be used on the book The Fifth Child. On this cover a little boy is shown through a window with his his pressed up against the glass. This cover illustrates the loneliness that Ben went through in his childhood. His mother locked him in his room all of the time, in fear of Ben hurting someone. "Now he was locked into his room each night, and there were heavy bars on the door as well." (Lessing 64) Ben got little to no attention and I believe that is one of the reasons that he turned out to be so violent and antisocial. I believe that Ben acted out as a cry for attention, not because he had a wanting to kill. Every child deserves attention and love, Ben did not get that. Ben was not used to being talked to, that he why his speech was so heavy and clumsy. This cover shows how Ben felt inside and therefore, is the best choice.