The Time Machine Book Review- Weeks 1 and 2

1. I chose the book "The time Machine" because it was recommended by one of my teachers for its fascinating plot and mood throughout the story and for the development of characters and beings, technology, and humanity and civilization. The book was published way back in 1896 and I thought it would be interesting to see what they thought lay ahead in the future in the times back then.

2. It is a good book that got me hooked in the first few chapters. It is about a man who spends many years of his life building a time machine, and it works. Most of the book, it seems, is about the time traveler's thoughts and reactions to what happened when he travelled into the future. The book is very interesting and is exciting to see what the future is like through the perspective of the time traveler. The book changes from exciting to suspenseful to curious as the story builds up.

In my most recent reading, the time traveler found flammable substances that he used as weapons against the Morlocks (species). He lights a forest on fire and repels the Morlocks, but his companion was so scared of the Morlocks that she passed out. The time traveler has not seen her since and assumes she is dead, but he needs to focus on getting away from the Morlocks. This is where I left off so far.

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds- Tillie's Family VS. the Capulets

The Capulets and the Hunsdorfer families are very different. The Capulet family is the family from Romeo and Juliet. The Hunsdorfer family is from The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. I am assuming this is their last name because beatrice called herself Mrs. Hunsdorfer over the phone.

In both families, the mother seems very intent on getting what she wants for her daughter and making the biggest decisions without giving the child any say at all in the matter, sometimes leading to the child making irrational choices. Both daughters want something very badly that they cannot have. Although in TEOGROMITMM, Tillie eventually convinces Beatrice to let her go to the science fair. It does not describe how Tillie got her mother to make this decision. In Romeo and Juliet, Lady Capulet will not even talk about letting Juliet have what she wants, which is to marry Romeo. Juliet does not even feel comfortable asking her mother if she can marry Romeo. Juliet told Lady Capulet that she loved Romeo, but does not ask her if it was ok. 

The Capulet family was very rich and had a lot of power. They threw royal dances and parties. They could afford to have Juliet marry Paris, and he would say yes if they asked him. Juliet also has a very rich father. The Hunsdorfer family is very poor. They have very little money, are not very educated, and have little dignity. Tillie and Ruth have no father at all. The Capulet family is respected and Juliet's father has a lot of money. Juliet's parents are dignified and polite. The Hunsdorfer family is not respected. In fact, the whole family is teased and all of them are thought to be crazy. This could be one reason why they have little money. Beatrice, Tillie's mother, is not very dignified. She drinks too much and swears at other adults through the phone. This could be another reason why they are not respected and have little money.

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds-- Act I

So far, there is not a lot that I can relate to. The mother in this play is not very nice to her children and she forces them to do things they do not want to. Then she makes them lie about it so she will not get in trouble. The mother also seems not very smart. Her vocabulary is not very broad at all.

My family seems to be exactly the opposite. I feel as though I have the best parents and siblings I could ask for, and everyone in my family is educated well. My parents always care about how we feel and what is going on in our lives, unlike Beatrice, who seems to not be very involved in her daughters' lives. She does not seem to care a lot about their feelings. Overall, my life is just about the exact opposite of the lives of the characters in this play.

Romeo and Juliet- Friar Lawrence Character Review

Friar Lawrence is wise and witty. When Romeo announced his love for Juliet, the Friar just about laughed in his face. He is amused because he says Romeo loves with his eyes. He laughs because Romeo's heart ached over Rosaline, but he now claims he has 'forgotten' her. When Romeo began talking about Juliet, the Friar reminded him that when he loved Rosaline, he did not actually love her, he just liked to obsess over her. This was amusing, witty, and wise, as it was a good thing for Romeo to remember while he asked his blessing for marriage of Juliet. 

When Romeo asked Friar Lawrence if he could marry Juliet, a Capulet, the Friar thought it was a good idea. He said that he hoped it would break the feud between families and turn it into love. This brings on the thought that the Friar is a man of peace. He does not like the feud between the families, unlike the Capulets, who seem to enjoy threatening to kill members of the Montague family. The Friar did also warn Romeo that this is compulsive and he should take it a bit slower to think about the choices he wants to make. This was wise, as Romeo does not know much about Juliet yet. They have not gotten to know each other as well as they think they have.

The friar is a good man, willing to help. I am starting to think that he may not be as wise as I thought since he gave Juliet a mixture that will make her look dead for 42 hours, but he is helping them a lot. I think it is because he really wants the feud that is going on between families to be over and he wants peace between them. When he handed Juliet the liquid that would make her look dead, I started to question his past. Where had he gotten this strange liquid? Why did he have it? What did he do to end up in prison, anyway?

Friar Lawrence began as another father figure for both Romeo and Juliet to turn to. He gave his thoughts on things they were thinking and how their lives were going at the time. In the end, he was a helpful man with a letter that never got sent by the person he trusted it with. After both Romeo and Juliet killed themselves, the Friar sat and cried. He wanted his plan to work and he thought that Romeo and Juliet would end up living happily together. Then his letter was never given to Romeo and he tried once again to help as fast as he could. The friar was hoping he would find Romeo before it was too late and fill him in on the plan but he did not get there quite fast enough. He was full of sorrow for the lost lives of Romeo and Juliet.

Romeo and Juliet- Act 1

Romeo is a caring and compassionate person. He grieves over the loss of love. The woman he loved was only mentioned once. I assume that Romeo is grieving over Rosaline and his love for her. He does not want to be over her and Benvolio is sad with him. Benvolio is an empathetic person. While Romeo is weeping over his loss, Benvolio wants to weep with him because he does not like to see Romeo so sad. I do not know a lot about Juliet yet, as she has not been in the play as much as Romeo. She seems to be a caring and curious person, as she talked politely with Romeo and was curious about who he was. I think they loved each other at first dance.
The Capulets seem like grudging people. As soon as they figured out that Romeo was at the dance, they were very upset and wanted to get him. The feud between the families seems very strong. This was inferred from the way the servant spoke to Romeo. He said Romeo should come to the party and would be warmly welcomed, as long as he was not a Montague. The servant did not know Romeo, so this was like inviting random strangers to the home as long as they were not one specific family. This does not seem right.

Shakespeare wrote this play using many analogies. Many of the characters talked using analogies. Romeo used many describing the woman he loved and her beauty. The nurse used them when answering questions. Some of the lines rhymed, but there was no specific rhyme scheme. Small pieces of the conversations rhymed, but this would happen randomly. Small pieces of the act rhymed, but not all of it.

This play is about a love that will never be real. The Capulets and the Montagues are feuding. They have something against each other. I think it is something that happened in the past; I have not found out what. The Capulets threw a party. It was a masquerade ball, and many people were invited. Of course, the Montagues were not since they do not like each other. Romeo snuck in to see the woman he loved, there he met Juliet. They danced together and Juliet began to love him. After he had to leave, she asked who he was and was told he was a Montague and a family enemy. Juliet was slightly distraught, as she had just found out that the man she loved was an enemy.

A Perfect Day For Bananafish

The characters in A Perfect Day For Banana fish did not have as much in common to those in The Catcher In The Rye than I thought they would.

Holden's mother and Muriel's mother did have a lot in common. They were worriers, and always needed to know if their children were all right. In A Perfect Day For Banana fish, Muriel's mother would not stop asking if she was OK no matter how many times Muriel assured her that she was fine. Holden's mother had good reason to worry more since the incident involving one of her children.

Both stories ended in unexpected ways. In CITR, Holden was depressed and unsure of himself during the whole book. He decided he was never going home. By the end of the story, he saw his sister and decided that he would go home. He was happy, watching his sister.
In A Perfect Day For Banana fish, Seymour seemed like a happy man. Maybe a little self conscious, but happy. He played with the little girl on the beach, and acted as if he already knew her. He held her gently in the water, and made sure she did not fall in. In the end, he took a bullet to his head. I did not see that coming at all. I had liked the story until the end. It was a very surprising ending.

Catcher In The Rye- Discussion

My impressions and predictions have been different than in the book regarding some of the chapters. Some of the things that Holden did surprised me. I thought he made a lot of bad decisions, such as drinking, getting kicked out of school, and staying alone in a hotel without talking to anyone about it first. Personally, I think Holden is too young to go into bars and stay in hotels. I noticed that he made a lot of bad decisions, but some of them surprised me. I did not think he would do some of the things he did, such as asking grown women to go out for a drink with him.

Holden's definition of phony is hypocritical. He is annoyed with the crying woman sitting next to him in the movie because she is crying as if she is sympathizing with the characters, when really Holden say she is not kind at all. She yells at her child throughout the movie because the poor kid is bored and has to use the bathroom. Sometimes, someone will tell me that they just read a book and it was terrible. Then they tell me to read it. This fits Holden's definition of phony because the person has just said it is terrible, then they say go read it. It is hypocritical.

Holden sees to be insecure and depressed. He swears frequently; using bad language can be a sign of self insecurity. He is an underage drinker and he smokes. These actions suggest he is depressed. Holden also says he is depressed a lot. He thinks about his sister and girls and mopes around. I also think that Holden does not believe in himself. I do not think he has a lot of hope. He has been kicked out of school, so he gets a room in a hotel in the city and goes to bars every night. He has been kicked out of other schools before that one; I think he has lost faith in himself to do the right thing and make it through school.

The situation in chapter thirteen symbolizes sympathy. When Holden hung up Sunny's dress, he felt a pang of sadness. He felt bad for her because she told him that she worked all night long every night and slept all day or watched movies. He felt bad because she did not have much of a life. Holden empathized over her situation. He noticed that her manners were not the best, and knew that she did not know any better.