Bilbo and Gandalf's personality revealed

In The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolken Gandalf the Wizard has a very interesting personality. See the earlier blog post for the first part of the story's retell. Recently Bilbo was told to go and pickpocket some trolls who are eating in the forest. This operation doesn't go as expected and Bilbo and his fellow Dwarves get captured. Then an anonymous voice keeps the trolls bickering until the sun rises and they turn into stone. This anonymous voice was Gandalf whom had mysteriously vanished previously. This can say a lot about the personality of Gandalf

Gandalf saves them but only while the trolls were considering either roasting,boiling, or crushing Bilbo and his fellow Dwarves and turning them into paste. This shows that Gandalf is very unexpected and can come in at the last moment to save the day. Also this shows that he trusts Bilbo and has faith in him. Seeing how he let Bilbo do this task by himself without his assistance until the very end. Even then this was in an urgent time and only because he was desperately needed did he help Bilbo at all. This may also show some unadmirable traits in Gandalf. He only acts when he's needed and didn't accompany his friend Bilbo.

I do also think that this says something about Gandalf"s wits. Gandalf used a very original strategy to distract the trolls long enough to save his friends. Then again, trolls are not the brightest of creatures especially if they were defeated by that trick. Gandalf may face more difficult opponents in the future and then we can truly judge how smart he is. Bilbo looks weaker now compared to Gandalf because he did get himself captured by Trolls. As I said earlier, not the brightest of creatures.

I do think that Bilbo has a chance though, he seems to be brave. Trolls are not to be messed with, they are quite dangerous. Bilbo was also willing to go on this adventure that was offered by Gandalf. He seems a bit braver then his other Hobbits. In conclusion from this one incident I was able to learn a lot about the personality of both Gandalf and Bilbo.

Bilbo and me arn't too different

In The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolken, Bilbo is greeted by a wizard named Gandalf and is asked to accompany him on an adventure. Bilbo declines politely but Gandalf persists and comes back with 13 dwarves whom ask him to help them attempt to slay Smaug, the thieving dragon. Bilbo is part of a race known as Hobbits whom are quite shy creatures. This could be tied into my life quite possibly

In the book Tolken says that Hobbits "have become rare and shy of the big people". I myself am quite shy in terms of  meeting other people. I can understand how Bilbo and his fellow Hobbits feel about meeting new people. Also, Bilbo describes his own folk by saying "We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures". His own opinion on the idea of adventuring is proof that a typical Hobbit is not very adventurous and wants things to be safe. Tolken also reveals that Hobbits, specifically Bilbos family (the Bagginses), are very predictable in their ways. He says that "you can tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking"

I can relate to the personality of the typical Hobbit. I myself am very shy and i would've turned down Gandalf's offer any day of the week. I wouldn't want to go and slay a dragon for a massive heap of gold. I don't really take to many risks in my life, I live in the boundaries I make for myself. Bilbo doesn't really do that much either. he simply lives in his very neatly arranged Hobbit-hole,smokes his pipe and reads. Every day is the same for him pretty much and this is usually the same for me. I have a routine and i stick to it in a show of repetition. I often come home wondering if anything really interesting or exciting happened today. More times than not i find myself  saying an unfortunate "no".

These traits in Bilbo may change though, in fact they allready have. Bilbo has unwillingly accepted the offer of Gandalf and his Dwarves. He's becoming more adventurous and is hopefully breaking the boundaries set for himself.

The Lorax's secret message

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss is about the destruction of the Truffala trees by the Once-ler. The speaker for the trees,The Lorax, attempts to stop him but fails and the Once-ler destroys the environment. The Lorax is commonly seen as a commentary on climate change and the destruction of the environment. I think that their is more to it then that. I think that it's also about commercialism and the unfortunately small voice of the people compared to the voice of the cooperation. Also that,in the end, the destruction of the environment in the grand scheme of things will not pay off.

In the book the Once-ler ignores the Lorax and continues to make thneeds. For a while the Once-ler is making good money and has a good life. This is only until he cuts down the last tree. Then his buisness dries up and all of his family leaves him. Now he is alone in the baron wasteland that he created. This shows that it may be benificial in short but in the grand scheme of things you will simply cause grief to everybody including you. It also shows that the voice of the activist or opposition can't outdo the voice of the corperation. The Lorax heeded this warning to the Once-ler and his customers but they ignored him. They ignoored his warnings and turned the environment into a baron wasteland.

In conclusion the Lorax is much deeper then some people think it is. It's the picture book equivilant of pop art, a constant commentary on the ides of mass-production,commercialism, and  the mystery of the corperation. Many simply see it as just for children,which ridiculous. The Lorax was ground-breaking for its time and is still a very deep and interesting tale of the man who speaks for the trees

Catching FIre response SPOILER ALERT FOR HUNGER GAMES AND CATCHING FIRE!!!!

In Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins Katniss has somehow survived the hunger games along with her forced lover Peeta Mellark. Them and their family now live in victors village where each occupies their time. They then have to go victory tour around the nation, before they go president snow warns Katniss not to start anything or else her and her family will die. The tour causes riots and small rebellions in different districts. Katniss then has to fight for her life in yet another Hunger games,this time in the Quarter Quell along with other victors. She manages to kill a few people and teems up with Wireress and BeeTee 2 engineering experts,Johanna(good with axes), and Finnik whose good with tridents. At one point Beetee suggests that once the periodic lightning strike occurs they put a wire down to the lake and electrocute some of the tributes. Johanna comes with her and knocks her out almost killing her. They then proceed to blow a hole in the force field using this electricity. SPOILER: This was a rebellious plan made by the gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee who proceeds to take them to the seemingly long-lost district 13 and the now gone home of Katniss,District 12.

I think that the story resolved this way because it was made to show that things aren't the way they may seem. Plutarch was a member of the Capitol seemingly, the last person whom would start a revolt. Also who knew that Haymitch, their drunken teacher was also in on the plan.When Johanna knocked out Katniss I thought that she was the traitor in the group. This was plausible because all Hunger Games alliances must end somehow.

I liked the ending to Catching Fire,actually, quite a bit more then i liked the rest of the book. I personally found the previous part of the book to be dull I was excited to read the next book and see what district 13 is like. it should bee seen as a good example of a twist ending. It's unpredictable,interesting and makes you want to read the next book. Suzanne couldn't have possibly wrote a better ending if they put a gun to her face. 

What's setting back Kristina Snow SPOILER ALERT

        The book Glass by Ellen Hopkins the protagonist Kristina Snowis battling her addiction to crystal Meth which she calls "the monster". since the last book Crank she has grown as a character. SPOILER ALERT Kristina was sexually violated and had a small boy named Hunter. Kristina really knows that she should stop getting high and take care of her son but she can't help herself. There are some things that are without a doubt keeping her from getting to a resolution.
   
          One of those things as i said is her crippling addiction to crystal meth. Unfortunately she has a seeming soul mate,Trey, who is addicted. She's afraid that if she stops then she will lose her boyfriend whom she loves with all her heart. On the other hand Meth is making her a very irresponsible mom. She sleeps for most of the day because she's buzzed at night and can't sleep so she "crashes". During one crash hunter rolls off the chair he was sleeping on and gets trapped under it. Kristina doesn't move a muscle and as a result gets kicked out of her house by her mother and if forced to stay at her friends house which leads me to another problem of her's

          Her friends she made in the last book are keeping her on the pipe. her and Trey often get high together and that keeps them together. Her father also does drugs and has done Crank with her before. He could care less about raising her away from meth because, like her, he is very impulsive. Krisina's dark side nicknamed "Bree" also doesn't help her kick the monster. This is because she makes most of her friends who also like "the monster". Bree became friends with Brendan the man who is the father of Hunter. Bree got Kristina in jail once for being caught hitchhiking by a cop.

           In conclusion there are many things setting back Kristina snow. Crystal meth being her #1 problem keeping her from having a good life and raising Hunter. One of the problems is her being very impulsive and not being able to go get help. The environment and people that she is surrounded with doesn't help either. Kristina has made friends with many other meth-heads  including her seeming soul mate. Her chances of kicking addiction are slimming    

a clash between me and Karl

      In case you hevn' seen my last post, "Tales of the madmen Underground" by John Barnes is about Karl Shoemaker who is dealing with his hippie,alcoholic mother,a crazy teacher and attempting to get out of his therapy group. In the book i notice that Karl is going through some internal and external issues. Somme of which i don't think that he is personally handling them right. Then again,i don't live in what he calls a "house that is basically a litter box"

Karl has many problems but let's start with some external problems. He is constantly getting bullied by Harris and Tierden who are not very bright. He is also dealing with his all American loving ELA teacher coach Gratz. This isn't a good position to be in. Also he's dealing with his impulsive ,alcoholic,drug addict,hippie mother who owes him about $1000,mostly spent on drugs and liquor. He is actually handling it pretty well. If my mother where to be that frustrating i would scream and should at her until i am blue in the face. He just deals with is and moves on i admire that.

Karl also has problems on the inside. For example, he is struggling to figure out whether or not to keep a relationship going with  his old friend Paul. They might not stay together for what I'm about to explain. Karl wants to do what he calls "operation be f***ing normal". This is when he attempts to act normal one day at a time. This is where me and Karl clash in ideas. I am me and any friends i make by trying to be someone else wouldn't really be my friends. Karl thinks that by being normal he will have a better life. This is not true. He wouldn't  be happy with himself which is not a good way to live. I think he should necessarily just be him.

In conclusion Karl Shoemaker has many external and internal problems,and i don't think he's handling it that well. He should just be himself and anyone who says otherwise is just being annoying. To quote Kurt Cobain "I would rather be hated for who i am, than loved for I am not" I think that Karl should act like this and he would be less miserable. Then again I don't know if it's good for him to not try to be normal.


What is your opinion on how he's handling it? Post in comments section below

Metaphors in Tales of the Madman Underground

           In the book "Tales of the Madman Underground" by John Barnes I think that there are some deep metaphors in this book. The book tells that tale of Karl Shoemaker. A boerd high school student with a dead father, an impulsive hippie mother, bullys, and a crazy melodramatic ELA teacher named Mr Gratz. He is part of a group therapy group called the Madmen Underground. He is attempting to simply be normal in what he calls "operation be f*****g normal". He meets a genus girl named Marti who says that he should be himself. He has five jobs and lives in a house that is basically a huge litter box. I think that the people around him are metaphors for what was going on at the time
         
            Let's start with his crazy mom. She could represent the danger of alcohol. She owes Karl about $2000 in I.O.U money,mostly spent on liquor. She used to be a perfectly good mother and then her husband dies of an unnamed disease. She has what she calls a "coming out party" about 4 months after her husbands death. This is the "start of booze and cats". She also represents the bad side of the hippy movement in the 70s and how people should do things that are age appropriate. Beth is muck to old to be having parties with boozing,weed and sex.
         
            I also mentioned Mr. Gratz Karl's crazy melodramatic ELA teacher. He was also a Vietnam vet. He says things like "whoever doesn't read Huckleberry Finn is not a true American". He also tears up in the national anthem, is bipolar and over exaggerates everything about literature and poetry. I think he is like the opposite of Beth. the is very careful,calculated and is a Vietnam Vet. He is the supporters of the Vietnam war in the 70's. He is the blind patriots in this country who loves everything American and doesn't care about anything that isn't American. If he were to go to other countries he would be defined as an "ugly American" or an American who disrespects the culture of the country he's in. Although, he isn't a total jerk. He offers to talk with Karl in the morning instead of him going to group therapy. He also says to his students that in the book Huckleberry Finn that there is the word n****r in it. He doesn't encourage his students saying it outside the classroom. While he's crazy he's not a crazy racist.
     
              Overall the characters in the book Tales of the madman underground show different perspectives of America in 1973. His mom is the crazy strung-out-peace-love-and-music hippie part of the country. Meanwhile Mr. Gratz is the America-loving-char-the-Vietnamese part of the country.

Feel free to post your opinion below!!!!!!
   

deady, impuslive boerdom in Glass SPOILER ALERT FOR CRANK!!!!

In Glass by Ellen Hopkins Kristina Snow/Bree is struggling to put a stop to her drug use,get a job and overall straighten out. She also has a small baby with a sex offender named Hunter to deal with. Unfortunately she is starting to get more reckless then she was a while ago. Her relationship with "the monster" is about to get,unfortunately, worse and she will get more addicted. This is foreshadowed in the book. "I'd only just begun my walk with the monster. I still had meat on my bones,the teeth still looked good. I didn't stutter yet. My mouth could still keep up with my brain."

Kristina/Bree often talks about how her motive for doing these drugs is boredom. She says" maybe a short stroll with the monster might slim me down,rev me up and offer the impetus to slip into my future,better equipped to deal with the mindless tedium that is my life". It's disappointing to see that she is going to take her semi-decent life to a living hell. Also, she can't do that kind of thing anymore. She has to care for Hunter. If she doesn't stop herself she won't resolve this problem that she has put herself in.

I think that overall Kristina/Bree will eventually spin wildly out of control and wreck her life. She also knows that she shouldn't do this. That she should "run where the monster won't look for me,hunt me down or sniff me out". She's simply impulsive and can't stop herself. Addicts need to want to go to rehab. She doesn't have that willpower which is unfortunate to say the least.

Am I Blue? response

         I found a reoccurring theme in "Am I Blue" by Bruce Coville. The story is about a boy, Vincent, whose life is changed when he meets Melvin, his gay fairy godfather. He shows him that he should be himself and that homophobia is wrong by turning all gay people in the country blue for a day so gay people can stop hiding. As he puts it " so straights would have to stop imagining they didn't know any gay people". A reoccurring theme in the story is the fact that you can't judge a book by it's cover and that things are not always so simple. This is shown through different characters in the book. For example, Vincent is watching the news and he sees a notoriously homophobic republican congressman. He is a very deep shade of blue. That is true to a certain extent in the real world. For example: Senator Larry Craig was caught with another man in an airport bathroom. He had been known for voting to refuse state's rights to recognize gay marriage.
          This can also be done in reverse. In the book there's a librarian named ms Thorndyke that everyone was convinced of being gay. As it turns out, on "BlueDay" she had no trace of blue on her. I found this to also be applicable in real life. There is a British comedian who in his act, dresses like a transvestite on stage. His name is Eddie Izzard, and he's not gay. Also, in the beginning of the story, Vince gets beaten up by a bully named Butch Carrigan who beats Vince because he thinks that Vince is gay. When BlueDay occurs, he's a very deep blue. This shows that usually people who preach homophobia are usually gay themselves. They just can't except themselves for who they are.
        I also like the idea that Melvin comes up with about homophobic words in the story. He says " my freinds called each other f****t and queer like how black folks call each other n****r--- to take the words that people use to hurt us and make them a positive thing". I like that idea of doing that, it gives the homophobes less power over people like Melv and kind of kicks sand in there faces. It makes the insults backfire which is a very clever idea. I also like that Bruce put in the reactions of the entire country.
           he said " reactions ranged from panic to hysterical denial to dancing in the streets" . This is a way of showing how indecisive the US is about gay rights. While like in NYC and San Francisco they might not care or be happy that something like BlueDay hastened. I think that in places like Texas or New Mexico. They would be very angry or sad that this kind of thing would happen. That's a pretty big  statement about what kind of opinions we as a  country have on gay rights.

Why Shiloh?

              I think that in The Drummer Boy of Shiloh, Ray Bradbury purposly used the battle of Shiloh. He could've as easily picked any other battle like Bull run or Gettysburg. Yet, Bradbury choose one specific battle. I think that this is because Shiloh was seen as one of the  most stressful or bloody battles in the war's history. This is used to portray an extra sense of stress of the situation Jobe and the general knowing that they have a very large battle ahead of them. That also helps show the smallness of the Drummer Boy
               Think about it, ther's this huge historically bloody battle about to go down and Jobe is only a drummer boy. He can't really do much but beat his drum and try and look like he's not scared even though he is. It also helps with the whole romantic dreams idea. All these ignorant soldiers think that they will survive this massive battle because they're to young to die in battle.

prediction for "madman underground"

         I think that what's going to happen in "Tales Of The Madman Underground" is that Karl will try and act normal but it's going to be hard. He has a dead father, an alcoholic mother and spends his mondays in therapy surrounded by other crazies. One of which attempted to drown her 7 year old brother when she was 9. I think something bad is going to happen which is going to screw up as he puts it "operation be f**king normal. He's going to do some sort of crazy thing like have a mental breakdown in class which will make him except that he should be who he is. He doesn't have to be normal and if he's mentally ill, that's not his fault. I hope that he doesn't go into the army like he thinks he should because i don't want to see him die. I would wonder what would happen to him if he wee drafted to go fight in Vietnam and how his wannabe hippie mother ' would handle him dropping napalm on forests.
          I pity him and I wonder how he's going to deal with his Vietnam-vet-gun-toting-god-bless-america patriot teacher Mr. Gratz who gets way to much credit. I think he might lash out at Gratz because as he said "us madmen don't do well with going from abusive home, to abusive school". Gratz lashes out at kids, but tears up while saying the pledge of allegiance. Also he says that anyone who hasn't read huckleberry Finn is not a real American.

Response To "The Savage City"

      I overall found The Savage City to be an interesting book about an interesting time in NYC history. The book takes place in New York City from 1963 to 1973. This was low point in New york city history. The city was facing a heroin epidemic,rising crime, a brutal and corrupt police, and an incredible clash between black and white people. The book looks at the story of 3 people. George Whitmore is a go-nowhere black man who is framed for a brutal double homicide rape by the police force whom proceed to beat a confession out of him. Bill Evans, a crooked policeman whom is being buried up to his teeth in bribes from drug dealers and brothel owners, he is also a racist. Finally, Dhoruba Bin Wadah, a major figure in the early days of the Black Panther Party.
        The book does a good job of showing a picture of a dirty,gritty, crime ridden city. Also of showing the grave injustice towards the african americans in New York and there retaliation. The only real protagonist in the story is George Whitmore. Bill Evans is crooked and Dhoruba is a terrorist so it's interesting that we follow their stories as well as George's which is not done in many books. The line between good and bad is blurred. Overall a very interesting book on a bizarre time in New York.