Post B:
If anyone is reading this, sorry that post A and post B aren't connected- I had to publish the first part or risk losing it.... long story. But the book: the book was amazing. I really liked this chapter considering that it began to get to the action (better later than never, right?) And it heightened my sense of anxiety for some sort of solution to manifest itself infront of Senhor Jose's eyes- the central problem being really: where is the girl? And more importantly, who is the girl?? There are times in the story where I think Senhor Jose is being ridiculously over the top, but there are some points where I believe that there is a chance for every dream to show itself. However, it looks like this dream will be found with a flashlight or a library card (which I wouldn't mind). However, I really wish that there was some sort of constant. I like reading books where there is something to count on and in this book, there is nothing to count on- even Senhor Jose seems to be admitting to losing it a little (which is alright too). I suppose that I can answer my own rhetoric here- when there's nothing to hold onto, there is something to grab for. I believe that Senhor Jose is quite posessionless and quite detatched from things a normal 50 year old would have. For example, a wife, a nice home, retirement, are all missing from this story. So... really, what's the harm in looking for the anwer to someone else's life? It's normal to have something to hold onto and this seems like just the thing for him- someone different than himself, someone outside his own head, something tangible. Who knows what will come of it? Maybe she's died a few years ago, or maybe she's as lonely as he is. All that the reader knows for certain right now is that almost anything seems possible at this point for Senhor Jose.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Vocabulary: Thank you dictionary.com
implements -(74-75) a tool or requirement
flagrante- (76) scandalous
Figurative Language
Quote: the lard having impregnated the fabric (76)
Analysis: Personification. The lard is being spoken of as if it were human. Therefore, as a person would it soaked the fabric so thoroughly that it could be said that the lard impregnated the fabric.
Quote: He looked indide the rooms to which the diffuse light from outside gave a ghostly air, where the student's desks looked like lines of tombs, where the teachers desk looked like a sombre sacrificial alter.... (77)
Analysis: metaphor. This compares desks and classrooms to a graveyard. It's also very mood setting.
Quote: At the moment, he did not yet know how right he was (78)
Analysis: Foreshadowing. This is an excellent example of the foreshadowing that great books have. It's subtle enough so that it's not overbearing to the reader, but quite present.
Significant Quote: each movement he made, opening a box, untying a bundle, raised a cloud of dust so much so that in order not to be asphyxiated, he had to tie his handkerchief over his nose and mouth, a preventive measure that the clerks were advised to follow each time they went into the archive of the dead at the central registry. (90-91)
Analysis: This quote not only shows more than it's fair share of figurative language (foreshadowing, similes, etc) But it provides the reader with vocabulary, imagery, and a mood.
Theme: The theme is undoubtedly surrounding this girl whoever she is. It's all about her now, and we just have to see if Senhor Jose meets her.
implements -(74-75) a tool or requirement
flagrante- (76) scandalous
Figurative Language
Quote: the lard having impregnated the fabric (76)
Analysis: Personification. The lard is being spoken of as if it were human. Therefore, as a person would it soaked the fabric so thoroughly that it could be said that the lard impregnated the fabric.
Quote: He looked indide the rooms to which the diffuse light from outside gave a ghostly air, where the student's desks looked like lines of tombs, where the teachers desk looked like a sombre sacrificial alter.... (77)
Analysis: metaphor. This compares desks and classrooms to a graveyard. It's also very mood setting.
Quote: At the moment, he did not yet know how right he was (78)
Analysis: Foreshadowing. This is an excellent example of the foreshadowing that great books have. It's subtle enough so that it's not overbearing to the reader, but quite present.
Significant Quote: each movement he made, opening a box, untying a bundle, raised a cloud of dust so much so that in order not to be asphyxiated, he had to tie his handkerchief over his nose and mouth, a preventive measure that the clerks were advised to follow each time they went into the archive of the dead at the central registry. (90-91)
Analysis: This quote not only shows more than it's fair share of figurative language (foreshadowing, similes, etc) But it provides the reader with vocabulary, imagery, and a mood.
Theme: The theme is undoubtedly surrounding this girl whoever she is. It's all about her now, and we just have to see if Senhor Jose meets her.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
34-78
I'm very stressed out because of this blog. I have to do other things, and I really don't feel like I have enough time. But anyway, Jose Seramago has really outdone himself. I'm pretty much very into philosophy, so this chapter was nice to read. Also, Senhor Jose meets a few people, a few women and gets very excited about presenting himself to them because he's pretending to be on official business. The reason for his outings is because of a card he found in the registry- it is the name of an ordinary woman who he becomes very interested in (not interested in pursuing her, just very interested in finding out who she is). Senhor Jose collects the cards of very famous people, and decides to put the newfound card in there too. Back to the main plot- he goes to the apartment where she was born and of course finds no one there who knows her. So, thinking he's insane, Senhor Jose goes to the oldest resident in the building and asks her about the woman. Turns out she knows a little, and starts talking. So we see Senhor Jose having a very intellectual conversation with a woman he's barely met.
Vocabulary: (thanks Dictionary.com)
discretionary (37) : For any use or purpose one chooses
Ariadne's Thread (37): The solving of a problem with multiple apparent means of proceeding
Viscosity (41) : Resistance to flow
Figurative Language:
"Noiselessly, on tiptoe, he went rapidly up to the landing above and stayed there pressed aginst the wall, his heart pounding as if he were living through some dangerous adventure, while the your man's firm steps grew louder as they approached." (39)
This is a simile: The part of his heartbeat being compared to a dangerous adventure.
"Everyone knows that while no flies are caught with vinegar, some you can't even catch with honey." (43)
This is an example of a saying. A pretty sarcastic twist on a saying that is to say.
"The coffee was finished, the words were finished." (50)
Illiteration is seen here with 'finished' being the repeated word.
Quote: Nothing is irrelevant in such that one person's life is everyone's life. (47)
I really like this quote, because of the relevance to the story. Senhor Jose is trying to humble himself by saying that he is nothing like the Registrar, who knows all the names of all the people who have ever lived, and therefore, of all the names of the people who will ever be born. The lady he is trying to convince of this tells him that he knows her, not just her name, and that makes him better than the Registrar.
Theme: Life and the cycle of living and death and the relevance of death to life is a major theme in the book thus far.
Vocabulary: (thanks Dictionary.com)
discretionary (37) : For any use or purpose one chooses
Ariadne's Thread (37): The solving of a problem with multiple apparent means of proceeding
Viscosity (41) : Resistance to flow
Figurative Language:
"Noiselessly, on tiptoe, he went rapidly up to the landing above and stayed there pressed aginst the wall, his heart pounding as if he were living through some dangerous adventure, while the your man's firm steps grew louder as they approached." (39)
This is a simile: The part of his heartbeat being compared to a dangerous adventure.
"Everyone knows that while no flies are caught with vinegar, some you can't even catch with honey." (43)
This is an example of a saying. A pretty sarcastic twist on a saying that is to say.
"The coffee was finished, the words were finished." (50)
Illiteration is seen here with 'finished' being the repeated word.
Quote: Nothing is irrelevant in such that one person's life is everyone's life. (47)
I really like this quote, because of the relevance to the story. Senhor Jose is trying to humble himself by saying that he is nothing like the Registrar, who knows all the names of all the people who have ever lived, and therefore, of all the names of the people who will ever be born. The lady he is trying to convince of this tells him that he knows her, not just her name, and that makes him better than the Registrar.
Theme: Life and the cycle of living and death and the relevance of death to life is a major theme in the book thus far.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
All The Names 1-34
I picked this book up not because it was a nobel prize winner, but because it was summer and I was interested in broadening my horizons. Dad said that each of us (meaning my brother and I) could either pick out a book or get a scone or something from the starbucks counter in Barnes and Noble. My brother and I looked at eachother and snorted at the notion of buying some obscure pumpernickle, caffene infested drink over leafing through the piles of books that could be ours potentially (my dad knew this of course, and gave us 20 bucks anyhow. The obsure pumpernickle thing was ok.). So I was looking over the piles and piles of renowned books, and to say the truth, none of them really caught my eye, as per usual with the so called 'riveting, absolutely spectacular' novels. I looked towards the young adult section, and I looked towards the fantasy section, but something prevented me from scaling my usual haunts. I decided to be brave and read a potentially 'adultlike' book. The back of the book 'All The Names' by Jose (add little mark over the e) Saramago looked interesting, and turns out that it had won a nobel prize too. So that's where I am right now. On the spur of a moment choice that still holds my interest from the days where I still had time to be curious. Let's hope it's good.
Some Vocabulary: (thanks dictionary.com)
Central Registry: "Approved Facilities for the Storage of Federal Records" (Saramago 3)
Registrar: General, responsible for the registration of births, deaths, marriages, divorces, etc.
Quote: "Imagine now, if you can, the state of nerves, the excitement with which Senhor Jose opened the forbidden door for the first time, the siver that made him pause before going in, as if he had placed his foot on the threshold of a room in which was buried a god whose power, contrary to tradition, came not from his resurrection, but from his having refused to be resurrected. Only dead gods are gods forever." (Saramago 13)
Analysis: This reminds me of the epic similes that we've all come to know and love from The Odyssey. Firstly, it's long and truthfully, quite epic. Secondly, it's descriptive of the 'state of nerves' that Senhor Jose feels at the moment and it makes the reader want to hold thier breath in order to follow silently behind him and not disturb the moment for him.
Quote: "...prudence is only of any use when it is trying to conserve something in which we are no longer interested." (Saramago 23)
Analysis: This sentence personifies 'prudence'. It's quite clear to the reader that Senhor Jose thinks of prudence as a pesky little bugger that tries to confuse us on a regular basis.
Quote: "The card belongs to a woman of thirty-six, born in that very city, and there are two entries, one for marriage, the other for divorce. There must be hundreds, if not thousands of such cards in the index system, so it's hard to understand why Senhor Jose should be looking at it so strangely, in a way which, at first sight, seems intent, but which is also vague and troubled, perhaps this is the look of someone who, without making any sonscious choice, is gradually losing is grip on something and has yet to find another handhold." (25)
Analysis: This card is a symbol for the rest of the book's journey, and it foreshadows Senhor Jose's travels and his obsession with the mystery that this card provides him.
Book Quote: "Chance doesn't choose, it proposes."
Analysis: This is a quote that caught my eye and made me crack a smile. Because after all, we all are supposedly waiting for chance to throw us a favorable ball. But what we do with that ball is our own choice. We can screw things up, like throwing the ball through the window of our neighbor's condo and getting arrested for it 5 minutes later after a fingerprint analysis by the senile old man who lives there. Or if that's not favorable, we can play catch with the neighbor boy, and eventally be accredited with helping the boy make it to the pro level for baseball.
Theme: The emerging theme looks like a long journey to not only figure out who this woman is, but who Senhor Jose is himself. It is fascinating, and yet it's just life as seen from the outside.
Some Vocabulary: (thanks dictionary.com)
Central Registry: "Approved Facilities for the Storage of Federal Records" (Saramago 3)
Registrar: General, responsible for the registration of births, deaths, marriages, divorces, etc.
Quote: "Imagine now, if you can, the state of nerves, the excitement with which Senhor Jose opened the forbidden door for the first time, the siver that made him pause before going in, as if he had placed his foot on the threshold of a room in which was buried a god whose power, contrary to tradition, came not from his resurrection, but from his having refused to be resurrected. Only dead gods are gods forever." (Saramago 13)
Analysis: This reminds me of the epic similes that we've all come to know and love from The Odyssey. Firstly, it's long and truthfully, quite epic. Secondly, it's descriptive of the 'state of nerves' that Senhor Jose feels at the moment and it makes the reader want to hold thier breath in order to follow silently behind him and not disturb the moment for him.
Quote: "...prudence is only of any use when it is trying to conserve something in which we are no longer interested." (Saramago 23)
Analysis: This sentence personifies 'prudence'. It's quite clear to the reader that Senhor Jose thinks of prudence as a pesky little bugger that tries to confuse us on a regular basis.
Quote: "The card belongs to a woman of thirty-six, born in that very city, and there are two entries, one for marriage, the other for divorce. There must be hundreds, if not thousands of such cards in the index system, so it's hard to understand why Senhor Jose should be looking at it so strangely, in a way which, at first sight, seems intent, but which is also vague and troubled, perhaps this is the look of someone who, without making any sonscious choice, is gradually losing is grip on something and has yet to find another handhold." (25)
Analysis: This card is a symbol for the rest of the book's journey, and it foreshadows Senhor Jose's travels and his obsession with the mystery that this card provides him.
Book Quote: "Chance doesn't choose, it proposes."
Analysis: This is a quote that caught my eye and made me crack a smile. Because after all, we all are supposedly waiting for chance to throw us a favorable ball. But what we do with that ball is our own choice. We can screw things up, like throwing the ball through the window of our neighbor's condo and getting arrested for it 5 minutes later after a fingerprint analysis by the senile old man who lives there. Or if that's not favorable, we can play catch with the neighbor boy, and eventally be accredited with helping the boy make it to the pro level for baseball.
Theme: The emerging theme looks like a long journey to not only figure out who this woman is, but who Senhor Jose is himself. It is fascinating, and yet it's just life as seen from the outside.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
What's A Boy To Do- Mat Kearney (Telemachus)
I chose a theme song for Telemachus, who inspires me to not only search for the impossible, but to stand up for myself and others.
For example, the suitors who have taken over Telemachus' house for the last 20 years have ruined the property, stolen what's not theirs and have had no respect for their hosts. Telemachus calls to the Gods to aid him as he tells the suitors to vacate his home. This tells the reader of Telemachus' bravery and ability to ask for help when he needs it.
I picked this song because Telemachus seems to want more than anything to see his father again after his 20 year absense. Mat Kearney does not only a good job of providing the lyrics that exemplify Telemachus' character, but he also sets a nice, sad tone to go along with them.
'Daddy's been looking down his nose at all of them
And I've been looking round for someone to tell me who I am
He kept saying I was to young to finish a fight
I'd die each time they came I never got to draw my knife'
These lines reminded me of Telemachus' struggles with the suitors and his inability to act when it was necessary in the past because of his father's absense.
Also,
'An angel is crying I'm dying just a little inside as they ran away...
Funny which words stick around 20 years down when you're driving alone'
The angel reference in the song could be thought of as a parallel to Telemachus' 'angel', Athena. Also, the '20 years' note and Kearney's reflection on his memories is just like Telemachus' self proclaimed woes the first time he meets Athena.
For example, the suitors who have taken over Telemachus' house for the last 20 years have ruined the property, stolen what's not theirs and have had no respect for their hosts. Telemachus calls to the Gods to aid him as he tells the suitors to vacate his home. This tells the reader of Telemachus' bravery and ability to ask for help when he needs it.
I picked this song because Telemachus seems to want more than anything to see his father again after his 20 year absense. Mat Kearney does not only a good job of providing the lyrics that exemplify Telemachus' character, but he also sets a nice, sad tone to go along with them.
'Daddy's been looking down his nose at all of them
And I've been looking round for someone to tell me who I am
He kept saying I was to young to finish a fight
I'd die each time they came I never got to draw my knife'
These lines reminded me of Telemachus' struggles with the suitors and his inability to act when it was necessary in the past because of his father's absense.
Also,
'An angel is crying I'm dying just a little inside as they ran away...
Funny which words stick around 20 years down when you're driving alone'
The angel reference in the song could be thought of as a parallel to Telemachus' 'angel', Athena. Also, the '20 years' note and Kearney's reflection on his memories is just like Telemachus' self proclaimed woes the first time he meets Athena.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)