Green Grass, Running Water

In the novel Green Grass, Running Water, Thomas King uses many Biblical and cultural allusions. On page 235 he made an allusion toward the Star of Bethlehem. He depicts Babo and Dr. Hovaugh traveling towards a point of light in the horizon, a star in the morning sky symbolizing their final destination on there way to find the four old indians. Another allusion is the Lone Ranger. Lone Ranger is one of the old indians that has a goal of fixing the world and its change, but what makes it ironic is that the Lone Ranger was a pop culture icon in old western movies, a heroic cowboy that saves people from the bad indians.

Clifford Sifton was the Minister of the Interior of Canada from 1896-1905. He was responsible for bringing the change to the interior provinces of Canada. In the novel King has recreated Sifton as a government official that is working in Alberta to run a hydro-dam project that is being prevented by a local indian. This is an interesting allusion because in real life he start the change of the native culture and now he is being depicted as actually physical changing it by taking away homes to build the dam. One of the allusions on page 416 is about the birth of Jesus, Coyote is being scorned upon for making mistakes and one that he admits to is giving "that" lady a baby, which led to the Christian religion. On page 407 there is an allusion towards Columbus's ship. The old indians use a red car, a blue car, and a white car to break the dam to fix the change that has happened. The cars were depicted as sailing towards the dam. It is an allusion because red, white and blue are the colours symbolized by colonialism which brought about the change in the western world and now they are using those coloured cars to correct the change.

In the novel Eli Stands Alone is fighting over his house with Clifford Sifton because Sifton wants to tear it down to run a dam, but Eli does not want this to happen. He has been offered a great deal to move out but he wont budge.

" Eli could no longer remember what he had in mind when he moved into the cabin, could remember only the emotion he felt when Sifton told him that they were going to tear the cabin down." p. 263.

This shows that Eli is tried of all the stuff that has happened to his people over time and now he want to make a stand. He does not really even remember what he wants with the house, he is just done with being pushed around.

In the novel Lionel Red Dog is struggling to get his life in order because so far he is over 40 and going nowhere fast.

"Life, lionel mused as he felt his chest slide on top of his stomach, had become embarrassing. His job was embarrassing. His gold blazer was embarrassing. His car was embarrassing. Norma was right. Alberta wasn't about to marry an embarrassment." p.239

This shows how self aware Lionel is and how he has not done anything to improve his life lately, you can tell that he wants to change but it is as if he is lazy.

Coyote is quite the trickster. He is kind of depicted as a god but a bad one, a god that is not aware of how the stuff he does affects the world around him.

"'The last time you fooled around like this ,' said Robinson Crusoe,' the world got very wet.'

'And we had to start all over again,' said Hawkeye.

'I didn't do anything,' says Coyote. 'I jut sang a little.'

'Oh, boy," said the Lone Ranger." p. 416

This passage shows how Coyote is the trickster he is said to be. It shows how he started the flood from Noah's Arch and that all he thought he did was sang a little.

Three Day Road Blog

In the novel Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden the scene were Xavier and Elijah are told to go out into no man's land to frisk the famous german sniper that Xavier just had killed is a very key scene. It is were the tension between the two best friends starts to build on the front. Elijah who loves attention and acts as if killing the enemy is a game and that he is invincible becomes very jealous of how he did not kill the famous sniper, but Xavier did. This jealousy also shows how all the killing is slowly corrupting Elijah making him a monster.

McCaan tells Elijah that he most take Corporal Thompson out into no man's land with us tonight to frisk the dead man.

This bit of news angers Elijah, but he doesn't let it show. "Yes, Sergeant," he says. "Yes, Sergeant."

I can see that he'd rather go out alone. He'd rather leave Thompson in the trench, and me too, for that matter. Elijah like to go out of the trench at night and do his own patrols. Just him and the mud. He'd get court-martialled if Breech knew. But he must take me out with him tonight. The kill was mine after all, wasn't it? My first as a sniper. Elijah can't believe he didn't get the shot. He told me himself that he was more surprised than anyone.

(p.136)

This scene connects to the rest of the book by showing the start of how Elijah acts as if he is hunting on the front and how the only thing that he wants to do out there is kill fritz to raise his score and how he is willing to sneak off, risking his life just to get a couple of kills. This problem Elijah has slowly consumes him. He gets to a point were nothing will be able to help him. He begins to scalp his enemies and keep the hair and skin as a trophy of his kill. He even ends up killing a child for no reason. As this happens Xavier notices and tries to help but it only ever make Elijah upset creating even more tension between the two of them. This leeds to where Xavier has to do the unthinkable to stop his best friends rampage.

A Moveable Feast

In the memoir by Ernest Hemingway A Moveable Feast Gertrude Stein is presented as some what of a "smarty pants". In the book she seems to think that no matter what she says is always right, making her some what obnoxious. For instance Hemingway tries to talk to her about one of Aldous Huxley's book that he read, but all she is "Why do you read this trash? It is inflated trash, Hemingway. By a dead man." Nothing seemed like it was going to change her mind. She even tell him, " 'Don't argue with me, Hemingway,' Miss Stein said. 'It does no good at all."

Based on Hemingway's descriptions from A Movable Feast the one place that i would want to visit would be the Musée du Luxembourg. One reason is that I visited the Luxembourg Gardens and never got to the the Musée. Also it would be nice to see the painting that were hung there because the painting might not be as popular as the ones at the Louvre and it would be neat to see some of the painting of different artists displayed there that you might have not heard of before. "the Musée du Luxembourge where the great paintings were that have now mostly been transferred to the Louvre and the Jeu de Paume."

The Boy in the Moon

Ian Brown got a good impression from when he went to L'Arche in Montreal and France. He felt comfortable in the environment and enjoyed his stays. "For a long time i didn't want to leave." p. 194. At first when he went to both places he felt very insecure because he felt like a stranger in a community that had a different layout then his. But at the same time that is what he really wanted for Walker when he was no longer able to take care of him; a place where people without disabilities were they odd ones out where Walker would be able to feel comfortable all the time. "I saw for the first time the outline of the unthinkable community I was looking for. In that community, I was the stranger." p. 187. In this community no matter what you were like everybody accepted and loved everybody for who they were. "I felt awkward holding hands with someone i didn't know, and absurd for feeling awkward."

I have learn that life with a profoundly disabled child is incredible tough. I feel very sorry that Ian, his wife and daughter have to go through life like this always having to look out for Walker. But I am also very grateful that Walker has a very loving and supporting family because i know that most people would not be able to handle and support a child like Walker. This memoir has taught me to accept and to not look at disabled children like that are not normal and to not judge them right way and that under all of the out appearances is a person just like you and me that I can learn from and get to know.

My Three Questions For Ian Brown:

How does it make you feel when you are with Walker in public and you know that people are passing judgements about Walker that are not positive?

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you see another disabled child in public or anywhere else and how does it make you feel?

When you are gone how well do you think Hayley will be able to cope with taking care of Walker with all the other stuff hat will be happening in her life?

The Castaways

The Castaways by Iain Lawerence is the last book in his Curse of the Jolly Stone Trilogy. In the book Tom Tin and his companions escape the steam boat and make it on a tall ship. Not knowing how to sail the ship, the boat sailed itself very far south where they find two castaways stuck on an iceberg. The two castaways then take control of the ship sailing it back north to a island in the west indies to where they try to sell Tom Tin and his friends as slaves. Luckily Tom is able to take back the ship and sail the slave owners family, his friends and himself back to England where he plans to bestowing the Jolly Stone curse on Mr. Goodfellow to get back at him for ruining his families life.

From the beginning of the book to the end you can tell how Tom has grown from a boy to a man. You can tell that he is maturing by the way he has had to take care of his best friend Midgely who was blinded in the first book by another character. By making decisions for their livelihood and from the problems he has had to face in his day to day adventures, he has become a man and he has over come most of his fears. Iain Lawerence has also done a lot of research to have described and wrote about all the different parts of a Victorian age tall ships and how the work.

"He looked in at me, and I looked out at him, and he didn't seem at all surprised to see me. 'Good day, Tom Tin,' said he." This passage on page 147 appealed to me because even though Mr. Goodfellow got Tom sent away on a convict ship to Australia and Tom was able to escape from his fate and end up back in London, he was not surprised almost as if Mr. Goodfellow new he would return. "He touched one knee to the wood and bowed his head. 'Your Majesty,' he muttered. 'It's not the King,' I snapped. 'It's only a funny man in a funny hat. Now get up, Midge.'" this passage on page 87 appealed to me because of the way Midgely acted when he thought that the King was on the ship even though they were on a random island in the West Indies and on a ship that was falling apart. " 'Tom, I don't want no pardon,' he said. 'I'm a proper nob now. If they send me to Australia I'll be a holy terror there. I think i was meant to be a nob, tom, like you was meant to be a sailor. Promise you'll stop my pardon if you can.' " this passage on page 183 appealed to me because of how Weedle wanted to stay on the convict ship because he was considered to be the boss of the convicts and he led them, even though he had a pardon to get out of hulk and to become a free person.

Trumpets Sound No More

Trumpets Sound No More is a Victorian detective story by Jon Redfern about a detective named Inspector Owen Endersby when is has been put in charge of finding the killer of Mr. Samuel Cake a theatre manager. Paired with Sergeant Caldwell they search all of london for the killer, questioning people, searching homes and other crime scene to find the answers that they need.

Redfern's description of the streets of London back in the Victorian Era I find accurate because back in those times the street were very dirty. People would throw the garbage on the street and because of all the precipitation the streets would be very muddy and dirty. And in many parts in Trumpets Sound No More the Inspector would talk about the street as he was traveling on them. For instance on page 35 he talks about the streets. "Thick mud and slush and smoky brown air had become the three elements of London's Streets. A stench of sewer and the sharp smell of rotted timber and sulphur brought to Endersby's mind images of war and hell."

In many ways Trumpets Sound No More can relate to Dinkens' Great Expectations. For instance Superintendent Borne can relate to Mr. Jaggers because of their power in the stories. Jaggers in Great Expectations has power over Pip and his money like Borne has power over how Inspector Endersby and the other sergeants do their jobs. Also Reggie Crabb can relate to young Pip because the both express a young innocence and the willingness to do the tasks and what they are asked of and they are both very kind and the both love someone. Another pair would also be Harriet, Mr. Endersby's wife and Biddy because they both care for someone. Biddy in Great Expectations care for Joe when his wife passes away by loving him, cooking for him and by keeping him in order. While in Trumpets Sound No More Harriet is the inspectors loving wife, his companion in life that cares for him in every way she can.

Three themes that are constantly in motion in Trumpets Sound No More are love, crime and guilt. These three themes are also in Great Expectations. Crime in Trumpets Sound No More is in every part of the book because it is about the murder of a man, but the are also the burning of buildings, and the ransacking of homes. While in Great Expectations Pip's Benefactor was a criminal. Love is in both because of the love Endersby and his wife Harriet show for each other and how in Great Expectations Pip has always love Estella. Guilt is also in both because of how the criminals in Trumpets Sound No More feel bad for the terrible things they have done and while in Great Expectations Miss Havisham begs for Pip's forgiveness because of all the terrible thing she has put him through his whole life.

One thing surprised me about Redfern depiction of the theatre world in London was how they would not think about all the dangerous things that could happen on there stage. Like how Betty on Christmas Eve caught fire in the performance and how Cake tested a contraption on a random girl that needed some money that was on the streets. There was a lack of safety.

Pubs and taverns in Trumpets Sound No More symbol a meeting place, a place where at one point in everyday where the detectives and sergeants would meet to share information. But also in taverns criminals also met to collaborate. In the first chapter John the pawn and Pineapple Polly there other friends met to plan the ransacking of Mr. Cakes house. when ever a tavern is brought up in book you new that the Inspector had new information about the Murderer and that he had new plans. For instance on page 270 Endersby says," Nevertheless, we shall meet at Vinegar Yard for our Strategy." Also police in the book are a symbol of prevention the are the ones that lock away those who have committed a crime to prevent further criminal acts. This symbol contributes the the crime theme in the novel because they are always looking to solve the murder of Mr. Cake which is what the book is all about.

The Convicts

The Convicts is a novel written by Iain Lawrence about the adventures of a boy named Tom Tin. The book starts talking about the problems his family faces from his sister dying to a man named Mr. Goodfellow trying to ruin his family. From the beginning of the book his life starts going down the drain, his father is taken away to debtor's prison and Tom is forced to leave home to find money to get his father out of jail and to get his family back into a good home. For Tom it is a wrong place wrong time situation. He first stumble into a grave digger and then after that he is mistaken for a member of a gang in downtown London and then is charged by police for crimes he did not commit. He is then sent to a ship prison (hulk) call the Lachesis and from there he is meant to be transported to Van Diemen's Land. After being sent to the hulk he finds out the horrors of the hulk from first hand experiences and he then spends the rest of his time trying to escape from the horrors of the hulk and to find his family again.

In the book two main themes were the coming of age and trust. They fit perfectly into the book because when he is forced out into the streets to find money to save his father and family he meets people that were shift and that make bad decisions. This forces him to make right decisions and to make friends with people that he can trust and that would not lead him into trouble.

The book is written through Tom's eyes which give the affect that you are seeing what he is sees so it is like you are there at the same time. The book also takes place in the early 1800s, therefore Iain Lawrence made the characters speak in a old english style of speaking which gave an affect that made it feel like you were back in time with them.

The problems in the book relate to teenagers because at this point in our lives we have to start making decisions for are selves that will affect are life in the future forcing us to think about what we are doing so that we make the right decisions that will lead us in the right path.

If i was Iain Lawrence i do not think i would change the book in anyway because it would take way from what the book is right now. It would not be the same because every part contributes greatly to the plot. I think it is great how it is.

I would recommend this book to everyone from the age of 13 to 16 and also to anyone that like to read about how life was back in the 1800s and to people who enjoy reading about sailing adventures. It is not a hard read and it is also a fast paced book that always has something exciting around the corner.

Many rhetorical devices were use in the book but i found that pathetic fallacies were use throughout the book. The whole book is set up in a very dark and gloomy atmosphere that fits the situation and the characters that Tom reacts and spends his time with in the book and the also foreshadow that even worse events are going to happen later in the book. Another rhetorical device that were used were metaphors. All throughout out the book he talks about his fathers ways of describing situations in this sailors talk. For instance he describes a problem and how it will all turn out better in the end by talking about how stormy weather has to end sometime and that winds change directions constantly and that not every time things go your way and that no matter what happens you have to continuing pressing on.

Overall the book was amazing and i cannot wait to read The Cannibals the next book in the series.