Divergant literary techniques

There were many literary techniques that Veronica Roth used in this book. The use of these techniques really hooked me to the book. Adding literary techniques to ones writing is like decorating a boring room. Without decorations the room is boring but when you add decorations the book becomes  intriguing and full of life. Roth used elevated diction and imagery and a surprise beginning and long and involved sentences and shot sentences and anaphora and repetition and much more. 

"THERE IS ONE mirror in my house."(Roth, 1)

Veronica Roth starts Divergent with this short sentence. This is a surprise beginning as readers wouldn't expect the book to start with such a random sentence. This technique that Roth uses really draws the readers attention and also makes the reader want to continue the book. This is a really effective way to grab the readers attention. Engaging the reader is one of the most important parts of writing a book. 

There were also many diction choices that Roth made that enhanced her writing.


Elevated diction:
Abnegation- denial of comfort 
Demeanor- Behavior, conduct
Erudite- knowledgeable
Nostalgic- a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life,



The use of elevated diction really improvises the book because not only does it make the author sound more knowledgeable, but the elevated diction also enhances the writing. That is a really important aspect of books. Also elevated diction in sentences really changes the dynamic of the sentence.

Imagery was also present in the book. The vivid details everlasting in the book enables the reader to visualize the scene and view the book through the authors eyes.

An example:

"He has my father’s dark hair and hooked nose and my mother’s green eyes and dimpled cheeks. "

This sentence allows the reader to visualize the dark hair and the hooked nose that the father had and the green eyes ad dimpled cheeks that the mother has.

I definitely enjoyed the first half of the the book. I strongly recommend this book for all audiences. Tell me what you think about the literary techniques used.

LeBron James: A Biography

This book was a phenomenal book. I really liked this book because it went into great depth about the life of LeBron James and the past. His childhood was miserable. He was raised by a single mother who was still in high school. There was no stability in his life. He constantly moved from home to home. He grew up near a neighborhood in which drugs, abuse, and violence was common. His mother couldn't retain a job for lore than couple of months. The only place he had to get away from his miserable life was sports. It was his outlet to jut get away and have fun. He was a very distinguished young athlete. He was a leader on the court. Initial he found it really hard to make friends but sports really helped him. He didn't do very well in school when he was young. Despite all the thing that held him back he became one of the best players the country has seen.

LeBron's life can be compared to many others in the world. For example his life can be compared to Ray Lewis' who ha grown up in the same conditions. The uthor uses elevateed diction throughout the book. A example of elevated diction is: 
"Leron James, the young star of the Cavaliers, was so popular and in such demand that the player and his team estblished a protocol designed to prevent him from becoming verbally besieged."

ELEVATED DICTION

Established- to found or to institute. To put into place.

Protocol- Customs and regulations that are involved when dealing with a formal diplomatic situation, ettiquete or precedence.

         Precedence- Practice followed or an example set

Besieged- To surround or crowd.

i.e. News reorters at a press conference

 The use of elevated diction really improvises the sentence above because not only does it make the author sound more knowledgable, but the elevated diction also enhances the writing. That is a really important aspect of books. Also elevated diction in sentences really changes the dynamic of the sentence.

i.e.  The design was complicated.

      We can change that to the design wa intricate.
Th use o that word makes the reader more curious.
 

Diction and Syntax in the white tiger

The diction that is present in this book really improves the book in terms of description and emphasis to focal points. Throughout the book many epitomes of anaphora, symbolism, figurative language and many more.

"His brother was called the Wild Boar. This fellow owned all the good agricultural land around Laxmangarh. If you wanted to work on those lands, you had to bow down to his feet, and touch the dust under his slippers, and agree to swallow his day wages. When he passed by women, his car would stop; the windows would roll down to reveal his grin; two of his teeth, on either side of his nose, were long and curved, like little tusks."

There is anaphora present in the passage above. "you had to bow down to his feet, and touch the dust under his slippers, and agree to swallow his day wages." The and adds emphasis and proves that if you want to use agriculture or work the field you have to do listen to all the thing that he tells you to do. Also there are many similes and metaphors and other figurative language in the passage above. These help me understand the text better because it lets us compare things. Comparisons help when you are trying to understand a text better. An example of figurative language in the passage above is "were long and curved, like little tusks." This shows us what he is describing looks like tusks.


"There was another fellow inside the Ambassador; a stout one with a bald, brown, dimpled head, a serene expression on his face, and a shotgun on his lap.He was the Buffalo."

 All the four leaders rich people of the village were called by animal names. They were brothers. The Buffalo was the most greedy man who who was one of the major land lords. If you used the road or were a rickshaw puller you also had to pay him. He took control of the town.

The Wild Boar is the the owner of all the good agricultural land in the village. If you wanted to work in the field, you had to bow down to him and listen to all his commands.

The Stork was the man who was in charge of the river. He was a fat man with a thick mustache. He got a cut or payment for every fish that fisherman caught, He taxed anyone who crossed that river. He got money for everything that went on near the river.

The Raven was the owner of the worst land. It was all rocky and not fit for agricultural use. he took a cut or took some money for all the goatherds that went to his land to graze. If the owner didn't have money, then he dipped his beak into their backsides.

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/war-for-independence/resources/teaching-revolution

This source talks about unfair taxes from the American revolution and how the colonist fought them. The same thing happens in the book. Soon it was so hard to get by that most people left that place to fight the land lords and ruin their business. (Text to History/society connection)

Coach stands by kid charged in DeSales Market crime

This article is about an AAU basketball coach who stood by his student who was accused of robbery. The coach was there for the student and supported him.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/03/29/krista-ramsey-desales-market-robbery/7071067/

"He's the guy who puts money on your phone card so you can call him from juvenile detention. And the guy who always takes your calls.

He's the guy who for the last two years has opened his home to you when you hit a rough patch with your family."

I liked these lines because it contains a lot of diction and syntax. Anaphora is present in these lines. The sentences start with, "He is the guy".  The anaphora really makes the coach look better. Repeating, "He is the guy" makes the reader believe that he is a rally good person and it makes us believe all the things that are said in the example. Also, the sentences are medium in length. Most words are casual and low in these lines. An example is when the text says, "when you hit a rough patch with your family." The casual diction helps us understand better what the author was conveying. It is a better way to say when you don't get along with your family. The combination of all these elements emphasize the fact that the coach was always there for for the student. Instead of directly saying that the coach was a good man and was there for the students author shows this through his diction choices and examples that were provided.

I think that that the writing style of "Coach stands by kid charged in DeSales Market crime" is unique and can be related. That style is reflected in most of her writing. Ramsey starts out each article or column with something that the reader could relate to or  start with the story in the readers perspective. He gives the reader something to think about. An example in Coach stands by kid charged in DeSales Market crime is, "I couldn't tell how much information you were absorbing Thursday morning as you were led into Courtroom 108 at Hamilton County Juvenile Court. It probably took most of your concentration just to walk in those leg shackles. Still, you probably saw that your mother was there, and your aunt. Your attorney. Co-defendant. A magistrate..." The beginning two paragraphs draw the attention of the reader because she puts the story in the readers perspective. This really improves the quality of the article. Another example is in, "For better Vision, Kids need more time outdoors". The text says, "You see it all the time. Your teenager at the dinner table..." This quote shows that the author wants the reader to always be involved so that they don't lose focus on the essence of the article. Ramsey wants the reader to relate to it. Finally an example form the last article, "Super Bowl QBs score points for great style" is  "Whatever magnificent things".  Whatever magnificent things Peyton Manning and Russel Wilson do on the field Sunday at the Super Bowl, some of us appreciate what the two quarterbacks have done off the field all year.  That is, helping to bring back the art of dressing well." We once again can relate to this. We can see a pattern as we examine the articles. The pattern or relation is that the reader could relate to it.

Questions that I have for the author:
1) How do you choose the stories you write about?
2) How and when did you develop the style of writing you use?
3)What inspires you to write?

The White Tiger

I think that the best part of this movie is the fact that I can relate to the book. A lot of the descriptions of the Indian villages and the things that were said in the book I can relate to. He is also really descriptive in his book.


"Electricity poles—defunct. Water tap—broken. Children—too lean and short for their age, and with over sized heads from which vivid eyes shine, like the guilty conscience of the government of India."

This is just one example in which the author, Aravind Adiga, was really descriptive. His elaborate description adds to the clarity of the book. It helps the reader visualize what the author is trying to convey. These picture above is an example of how electricity poles look like in some of the less developed villages. Everyone is trying to steal electricity, the pole is filled with wire and is about to fall down. The whole scene is just chaotic. That is the the same thing that Aravind Adiga explained.

As said before I can really relate to the book because I lived in India before. I think that the most important part of reading a book is to connect to it and put yourself in the characters shoes. Along with the advantage comes a disadvantage. Since most people who read the book aren't Indian it would be harder for them to visualize the descriptions, as someone who lived there.

I also think that this book is really unique. Most people don't write about how to become a Entrepreneur in such a sarcastic or joking way. The one thing that I don't like about this book is that it is so elongated. He was telling the premier how to become an entrepreneur. Instead of getting to the point he started from his childhood, and how India looks right now. He describes his village, but he doesn't get to the point. I feel like he stretched the first part of the book too much. Elaboration is only good to an extent, but after that the book becomes too stretched out. The most important thing that is pre

Satire in the White Tiger

The first 20 pages or so are filled with Satire. The author uses horatarian satire in the book. This is because he ridicules Indian villages and many aspects of life in Indian villages. He implements satire in his book with the use of stereotypes and hyperboles.

Some examples of satire in White Tiger:

"Out of respect for the love of liberty shown by the Chinese people, and also in the belief that the 
future of the world lies with the yellow man and the brown man now that our erstwhile master, 
the white-skinned man, has wasted himself through buggery, cell phone usage, and drug abuse, I 
offer to tell you, free of charge, the truth about Bangalore. "

This sentence insults White or Western people by saying they wasted their life through "buggery,cell phone usage and drug abuse" He then supports himself saying the future lies with the yellow and the brown man.


"Don't waste your money on those American books. They're so yesterday. I am tomorrow."

He is attacking the American books about how to become an entrepreneur saying that they are yesterday and that he is tomorrow.

 "you know how we Indians just take to technology like ducks to water." 

That was a stereotype because he grouped or generalized a statement to Indians. He didn't specify to himself. He said that all Indians are addicted to technology and that we need it.

 

http://www.virtualsalt.com/satire.htm

According to the site above the definition of satire is either a ridicule or criticism. As shown in the the examples the book is filled with criticism. The satire add a lot to the text. Not only does satire make the text more interesting, it also adds a hint of humor an sarcasm. Overall satire adds another dimension to the text. It adds emphasis to many points the authors wants to emphasize. It also gives more detail to the text.

Summary: The book is about an Indian Entrepreneur who is telling the Chinese Premier how to become an entrepreneur. He tell the premier his story of how he got there. So far in this book the the Indian entrepreneur started writing the letter on how he learned that the premier was coming to India. Later on the entrepreneur goes on and gives some background on his life and the country he is from, India. He uses a lot of Satire during this potion of this book. He explained how he was born in the Village of Laxmangarh. Then he goes on explaining how life was in Laxmangarh. He gives examples of how the four animals or the landlords ruled the village.

I would recommend this book to everyone because it is one of the select few book I read that i believe would interest all types of audiences. There is a lot of description and a lot of literary elements to examine in this book. I also recommend reading this book in class because student scan study the literary elements in this book and also not  get bored. Teachers can provide examples of all the topics such as satire and other elements in this book.

Final Blogging reflection

                          

This trimester I have read 6 books. I exceeded my goal of 5 books. I only blogged about the books that I enjoyed.  I read, heroes of Olympus book 4 The house of Hades, Catching Fire, Terrell Owens, Mocking Jay, And then there was None and the Da Vinci Code. Good reads really helped me get ideas for books. I decided to read And then there were none, House of Hades and the Da Vinci Code due to the recommendations from Good Reads. I really think that good reads is a great way to share your favorite books and that is really good for students who need ideas for books. It was hard to navigate through the site though. Throughout the blogging experience, I thought the hardest part of blogging was updating good reads. I wasn’t able to update my goal and the amount of books I have read. One strength that I had was that I had good analysis of the book allowing me to write more and better. The quality of my blogging has increased tremendously. This is because with the feedback Mrs. Bowman gave me, I was able to improve the elements that were not there. She told me that I have add more textual evidence which I did closer to the end. She also told me to connect with real life which I also did. An example is in the beginning (earlier post) I didn’t use any quotes or relate the text to the modern day. But when we look at the later one we can see that I used 4 quotations to prove my claims and also have a connection to the real world. An example of a quote I used is “His strange appearance made him an outcast among the other young runaways, and he was forced to live alone in the basement of a dilapidated factory, eating stolen fruit and raw fish from the dock.” An example of when I made a connection to the real world is when I talked about criminals in real life and how many of them don’t have a very good background.  Then I linked that back to the book. Blogging has really helped me evaluate a piece of literature better. I now know more efficient and better ways to assess the character. This can be shown using the 2 blog posts I selected. The earlier one, I didn’t asses the character that well but in the later post I assessed the character well. That has also helped me understand characters actions better in the book and make the book altogether less abstruse. My analysis of texts grew a lot more. This can once again be shown in my 2 blog posts. In the earlier one I am just stating the facts of what the character had to do. But in the later one, I actually provided textual evidence and drew conclusions based on the evidence. This helps me understand the text a lot more. Overall the blogging has improved not only my reading skills but also writing skills. I will carry the skill that I have gained in the future and even out of high school. The skills I have learned are skills that I will need in life. Since I blog now, I know what to look for while reading. This helped me get the right information for writing. 

The Da Vinci Code: the Investigation

I am really intrigued by the investigation part of the book and i love how the author is changing the characters point of view each chapter. The suspense has been incredible so far. I was really surprised with the major twist half way throughout the investigation when the Sophie Neveu told Langden that he was the primary suspect. I think that the huge twist made me really hooked on to this book.

Until the time Sophie came in, Langden was trying to make sense of the message, but he couldn't understand the numbers int he beginning. Fache and Langden were having a serious discussion on how the deciepher the code. 

Just then Sophie walked in and told Langden that he had gotten a message from the American embassy. She told him to call the embassy but in actuality she gave him a message saying that he was in great danger. She told him in the automated message to go to the bathroom an wait for her. Sophie told Langden that he was the primary suspect in the case. She then told him to look in his coat and he found a GPS chip. This showed that they were tracking all of his moves. She also told him that Bezu Fache was recording their conversation. He was so shocked. Lastly before she left she showed him a picture of what Fache took a picture of and erased at the crime scene. All this really changes the readers view towards the book, it just became 10 times more interesting   

Analyzing the Character Silas

In the book Silas is the person who murdered the curator. He was assishown in the ook gned this task by the teacher. The teacher and Manuel Aringarossa devised this plan that has not bee revealed yet in the book. I think that Silas did this mission because he owes Manuel Aringarossa. Also he is really has nothing to loose.

Silas owes Manuel for saving his life when he was about to die. This can be shown in the book on page 62,

"Finally, his body too weak to take another step, he lay down by the side of the road and slipped into unconsciousness. The light came slowly, and the ghost wondered how long he had been dead. A day? Three days? It didn't matter. His bed was soft like a cloud, and the air around him smelled sweet with candles...'Someone left you on my doorstep. You were ill. I fed you. You've been here many days.' "

This shows that Aringarossa  saved  Silas' life when he was almost dead. Since Aringarossa saved Silas he owes Arinigarossa.                                                                                                                                                        
He has nothing to loose. He lost his mother when he was young and he killed his father for killing his mother.

"His drunken father, a burly dockworker, enraged by the arrival of an
albino son, beat his mother regularly, blaming her for the boy's embarrassing condition. When the
boy tried to defend her, he too was badly beaten.
One night, there was a horrific fight, and his mother never got up. The boy stood over his lifeless
mother and felt an unbearable up-welling of guilt for permitting it to happen.
This is my fault!"

This shows that his father killed his mother when he was only 7. He also thinks that his mother death is his fault. In respnce he killed h9is father as shown in the quote below,

"As if some kind of demon were controlling his body, the boy walked to the kitchen and grasped a
butcher knife. Hypnotically, he moved to the bedroom where his father lay on the bed in a drunken
stupor. Without a word, the boy stabbed him in the back. His father cried out in pain and tried to
roll over, but his son stabbed him again, over and over until the apartment fell quiet."

His appearance was also unusual. His father was ashamed of his appearance because he was albino. Also he was made fun of because of his appearance. As shown in the quote mentioned above his father was embarrassed and even went to the extent of beating his mother due to his appearance. Another example of him being made fun of / discriminated against due to his appearance is when he was on the run.

"His strange appearance made him an outcast among the other young runaways, and he was forced to live alone in the basement of a dilapidated factory, eating stolen fruit and raw fish from the dock."


This shows that he was discriminated against due to his appearance. This shows that he has nothing to lose. He has no family and no friends.

Typically people who don't have parents and are made fun of aren't very good at making decisions. We can look at real life, many orphans who don't have anyone looking after them don't turn out too well. They typically live a life filled with crime. This relation could also be the case in the book. Since Silas has lived a life full of crimes, such as stealing food and killing his father,  he could have done this bad action. I think that the relation could be applied to the book.

The Davinci Code

Characters:

Bezu Fache- He is the head of the French Judicial police. He is nick named "the bull." He is strong, broad shouldered and confident. This can be showed in the book, " Captain Bezu Fache carried himself like an angry ox, with his wide shoulders thrown back and his chin tucked hard into his chest. His dark hair was flicked back with oil, accentuating an arrow-like widows peak that divided his jutting brow and preceded him like the prow of a battleship."

Robert Langdon- Graduate from Harvard. He is an expert in symbology. "His eyes focused now on a crumpled flyer on his bedside table. 

                                     THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PARIS 

                                                PROUDLY PRESENTS

                                     AN EVENING WITH ROBERT LANGDON 

                                      PROFESSOR OF RELIGIOUS SYMBOLOGY

                                              HARVARD UNIVERSITY"

Jacques Saunière - The curator. He was murdered in the beginning of the book by Silas 

“The gun roared, and the curator felt a searing heat as the bullet lodged in his stomach. He fell forward... struggling against the pain. Slowly, Sauniere rolled over and stared back through the bars at his attacker.”

Silas - A monk of Opus Dei, and the murderer of Jacques Saunière. 

“Tonight, at last, Silas felt he had begun to repay his debt. Hurrying to the dresser, he found the cell phone hidden in his bottom drawer and placed a call.”

                                                                                                 

Romeo and Juliet

What I am enjoying
I am really enjoying the different character played in Romeo and Juliet. Some of them are really comical and others are serious. So far I think this book is  a comedy. This is because in the first scene the peasants were fighting and they were feeling really insulted when the Capulet their thumb. Also I think it is funny because of Mercutio. Half of his lines made no sense and came out of the blue. I liked how Benvolio was being the peace keeper between the Montagues and the Capulets. He is the honest character int he book. I really like his message to Romeo through out what i have read so far because he is practically telling romeo to move on. I think it is sad how the nurse knows more about Juliet than her mother.I like the imagery and the figurative language included in the play.

What I don't like
I don't like how  the play is stretched so much. To carry out one message there is a whole paragraph. An example is the part when Mercutio was talking about dreams. I also don't like how the lines are so hard to comprehend for me. A lot of the messages are indirect.

The Davinci Code

I choose this book because it really sounds interesting after reading the title, "The Davinci Code". This makes me think of a mysterious book because when I think of a code I think of a mystery and secrets. Leonardo Davinci was my favorite Renaissance time thinker so book intrigued me.  I also wanted to read this book because I have heard a lot of people say that it is really good.

Prediction: I think that this book will be about one of the notebooks or paintings that Leonardo Davinci created. I also think that people will try to decode what he wrote. I think this book will be a mystery.

After reading the first chapter I know that this book is a mystery. Also I was curious as to why the man killed the only person left knowing about the secret. The secret had to be extremely big because there were many people dying because of this. Langdon seemed to be a good friend of the 4 family members keeping the secret. What could be so important? Who was the curator? I think that the setting of the book adds on to the quality of the book. The book starts of in the Louvre Museum in Paris France at 10:46 P.M.

The Louvre Museum (Historical Background)
The Louvre is a very famous museum know for their art pieces. It is heavily guarded and contains one of the worlds most priceless artifacts and paintings such as the Mona Lisa. The museum was originally built to to be a fortress. Then it was changed to a residential palace for the king, King Francis l, who was a collector. There have been many extensions made to the palace.


Trailer:

The trailer made me even more curious to read the book. I wonder where the treasure is and who is the man who was wearing the cape. 

A letter to Terrel

Dear Terrel Owens,

  I feel bad for everything that you went through. I understand why you abhor the media. I agree that the media can render what ever you to say to create a huge deal out of nothing. A recent example is when RGlll's dad ran into the locker room to see he was okay after the game because he was hit hard and he looked hurt. According to many locker room associates and other players they were absolutely fine with it and understand his fathers actions. However the media made a big deal over this and even announced this to the public. We can relate this to many situations you were in. An example is when you were renegotiating your contract. It was a simple discussion but the media made a huge deal about it saying that you were selfish. You were just trying to establish the fact that you want to pay what you are worth. Another example is when in your book you wrote about the interview with the college student. You said that you were slightly disappointed when you the Eagles organization didn't advertise his 100th touchdown. This is a big achievement considering that only 5 other people achieved this. You expressed your opinion saying, "It showed a lack of class by the organization." This resulted in a huge media story saying that you were expecting to much and that you were selfish. Also they criticized your determination to play in the super bowl saying things such as you are selfish and that you are just bringing the team down when you had an amazing performance.I know that the media has been harsh on you but your book helped us understand your side of the story and helped us realize that you are a good person.

~Vardhan Avasarala