Ramses Meets Batman

Ramses has been brought back to life and has to relearn the society and it's ways. He's been thrust into a complicated and unfamiliar world. He knows nothing except who he loves and that he's willing to go to any measures to protect her, even if it means breaking a few laws along the way. Much like the famous Batman.

Batman is your typical hero. Undercover and hidden from sight in the plainest of ways. He must struggle to help his friend eventhough she loves another. He devotes himself to 'his city' working tirelessly to rid the city of his enemies.

He ignores the world and its laws to save Gotham City over and over again until the citizens begin to revere him as a villian. This is like when Ramses begs Julie to allow him to kill Henry because Henry killed her father and tried to kill her. The two characters blatent disregard for rules is striking and yet justified because they're willing to commit these crimes in the name of justice, in the name of the law. It's an internal struggle between good and evil over something simple as a girl or a city. Something that drives them and resembles a 'life source' of sorts. At a point in both the book and movie, the two characters are subjugated as the villian and the very essense of their love pulses against them and they must struggle to react without creating a disaster in and upon themselves.

It may be argued that each character chooses a bad way to 'save' what they love, considering Batman actually fails and Julie pretty much leaves Ramses and believes him to be insane, but they made these choices out of love and out of love they rise from the ashes to push forewards and pursue their dreams and that's what makes a true protagonist in my eyes.

nonfiction is truth so don't call it nonfiction if it's a lie

Nonfiction is a true completely acurate story. That's it. No exceptions, unless your some form of book god. Highly unlikely if you ask me. It's the legitimate definition of nonfiction and there's no way around it. If you begin to fabricate details and jepordize the authenticity of a memoir of piece of work you're creating then it becomes fiction or some other sub-genre. This all may seem harsh but if I'm reading a nonfiction book, I expect it to be such and any less of the truth would make it seem false.

Frey and Mortenson both created wonderful books but in no way are they concidered nonfiction in my eyes. They contain false information which makes it regular fiction. This is no way affects the impact the book should have; it simply clarifys the category the book falls under and protects those who write and publish and such.

I don't really think David Shields' comment about blurring nonfiction and fiction holds any promise. We read nonfiction to gain knowledge and if you then read a book containing fabrication then you're not reading fiction, the truth is simply being altered to serve another purpose and I don't think that's justified in the long run. You're lying to many many people and decieving to make money. Besides blurring truth and fiction seems like it would land us in a load of trouble like highschool gossip does. Books should be above that, the're better than the lies they are becoming.

Literary Fiction versus Genre Fiction

First off, I disagree completely with the whole genre/worthy technique. I see where it is relevent when discribing the plot but certain genres can be placed mainly based off of opinion; the teacher may think In Cold Blood is an extremely artistic account of the murder of a family where as the student may think it' simply a horrific tale of insanity. While the book may be written in an exquisite manor the lesson may not be as effective if the reader doesn't connect with the book on some level. Where as if you take a 'popular' book that many people actually enjoy reading that uses literary techniques and creates a masterpiece out of simple words. So, no I do not think a genre makes a book 'unworthy' to be used in a school's curriculum.

Popular works I think can accomplish greatness. It will definitely take a delicate touch to achieve this but yes popular can be great and to consider a book less artistic based solely on the audience it reaches is very biased. In some cases this can be true *cough cough Twilight cough cough* but other books that I've read such as Living Dead Girl or Impulse are incredible and definitely could be taught despite their popularity.

Another issue entirely would be who decides a books level of writing. In my opinion people with degrees and who know what they're talking about should decide but I think the public should have some say in it as well. Writing to me is categorized in many different ways and forms and shouldn't have decisions made by a specific minute group, it should be decided by a vast range of people and change as the times change. Writing can always be improved like most things it can never be perfect and if we treat it like it can be we will never allow it to reach its full potential.

Filmifying the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

There would be several challanges for the book to transfer to the screen since you're in space the majority of the time. The background overall wouldn't be too difficult, but getting it to look legitimate like they were moving instead of looking like a simple green screen could've proven to be a pain. Especially since the planets they visit are so unique. It'd be exedingly hard to capture the beauty without overdoing it and making it appear cheesy. Also certain special effects such as the act of getting onto the spaceships might be tricky to gain with special effects. The background parts for the the guide explaing the importance of things such as towls and how Zaphod Beeblebrox became president.

There are many essential scenes but these are the I find the most important were.
1. when Ford "kidnaps" Arthur and explains 'oops I'm an alien.' (not actually said but you get the jist) This scene explains pretty much the entire story of how they must flee the planet to avoid being blown to bits. This sceen could be done in many ways but the movie would mostly fail with the absense of this sceen.
2. The sceen where mice undermine and rule everything. The overall point of the movie would fall and if not properly explained, would make very little sense. It's a interesting scene which helps explain the plot and journey through space.
3. When they are thrown off the ship after being forced to listen to vogon poetry. This particular moment shows the pure evil of the vogons and also allows the book to begin in the sense that Ford and Arthur are saved and begin to travel the universe with Zaphod and Trillian.  Arthur is incredibly shocked to see Trillian since he met her at a bar and then she left him for some random man and disapeared. This introduces a bit of a love interest/triangle.

Tree scenes that could be cut are:
1. The majority of the flashback pretaining Zaphod's Precidency and the ship theft. While the theft of the ship is important it doesn't need such a large amount of time and is a little insignificant.
2. Some of the definitions given by the Guide are a little extravigent and wouldn't translate so well to film. It'd be purely voice over and get a little boring. Plus some of the descriptions would get rather boring and only waste time in the movie.
3. Trillian would be a character that could be cut from the movie. She's a very static character and doesn't add very much to the book. She could easily be replaced with a ship function or a robot. Besides all the purpose that she surves is navigational assistance and helping to work the ship.

The Gathering Sales Promotion Project

“My fingers dropped to the mark on my hip. It looked like a faded paw print, and I wanted to get it tattooed so it would show up better.”-pg. 3

My first incredibly original idea for marketing The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong is using Maya’s paw print birthmark as a temporary tattoo or a sticker. The paw print is one of the main reasons Maya begins to get into all sorts of “trouble” and would translate very well to a large audience. It’s a rather unisexual symbol and applies to many different groups of people. For example: animal lovers, boys, girls, teenagers, children, people who have animals in their heritage, or people who enjoy its simple design. It would create a lot of buzz about the book because stickers can be posted anywhere and everywhere. They allow a change in scenery and create a natural focal point for the eye. Tattoos are interesting and when placed in a noticeable area can create some great conversations. Also, they’re small, portable and can be used on the go, perfect for today’s typical teenager or young adult and they make a statement, which has always been popular with people through the ages. All in all I think a sticker paw print would be an ideal way to market The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong. (ignore the A and you've got my general idea.)

“Darkness enveloped me. I inhaled the scent of pine needles. My leg throbbed. My heart raced so fast, I panted for breath.”-pg. 60

A second idea I feel could be very successful would be a video game. This quote describes a setting ideal for a video game. It implies a sense of urgency and high adrenaline similar to what those who play video games experience when they’re, “in the zone.” Video games have become quite popular among boys and since this book is more feminine it could be a good way to create ground swell amongst the male population. But video games are popular with girls as well and the creation of a The Gathering video game could prove very helpful to the overall gaming community since it would be a chance to get girls involved with video games. So as you can tell it would apply to a vast population and prove to be very influential. Also, books aren’t always people’s first choice of recreation and if the video game is successful people who are less likely to go read a book may pick up The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong and decide, “hey, maybe I’ll like this, let’s give it a try.” (numerous types of gaming devices that could be used to play our video game.)

“It was the rawhide band with the cat’s-eye stone, Rafe’s bracelet, the one his mother gave him.”-pg. 323

My final idea for promoting the book would to be to create some promotional items such as jewelry or clothing. There were items in particular, such as Rafe’s bracelet, that were very important to the characters and if you were to translate those ideas to tangible objects then one could easily spread those throughout the culture and gain money as well as a good reputation for the book. This would ultimately sell more copies of the book and its popularity would grow immensely. Also because the characters are not exclusively made up of one gender these items will pertain both to boys and girls, instead of just one of the two. Some of the items sold could be Rafe’s bracelet, shirts, paw print bracelets, key chains, and many other things that related to the book that could apply to tangible items. Since these things are wearable they could easily promote the book and even other objects being sold to the general public. Hopefully, these projects will succeed and assist The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong in its rise in popularity and sales. (an example of what Rafe's bracelet could look like.)

A book is a Journey

You are transported when you read. No matter what form the book takes. Be it electronic or paper with its destinct 'I'm old' smell. A book is a journey or a passport and it takes us place beyond the limits of our imagination and the 'type' of book it is shouldn't determine what we gain from the book. With this being said I still prefer the book in which you can actually turn pages and that doesn't require charging. I find it distracting when your book begins to flash and tells you 'please plug me into a wall.' The book is a noble thing that shouldn't be tampered with since perfection has already been found. But the modern world is an ever changing place and demands must be met. So the book was flatened, fit with wires, and placed in a metal box to be more convienient to the average Joe. That just seems an abomination to books if you ask me. Books aren't meant to be electronic when paper and ink work perfectly well and hold far more sentimental value than the common piece of metal. I also enjoy regular books becuase since they are not technology they will not spontainiously break or spaz. *cough cough blogspot cough cough* See? Foiled by good old technology and it's tricks once again. But you never know it may be a good thing.

I agree with Joe Meno when he says, "we, as readers, still have the chance to engage in active imagining, translating word into image, connecting these images to memories, dreams and larger ideas." I interpret this as saying books are timeless and should be adored and we shouldn't let the box it comes in change our expeirience because a book is a gift and as a gift it should be shared with the world.

Why

I read for entertainment. Books are my version of tv because they can be exactly how you want it. The characters will look the way you want and it allows you to stretch the limits of your imagination.

I read to learn new things. Every time you pick up a book you gain knowledge. Be it about nature, mythology, life in general, or psychology. you learn knew things when you read.

I read to fill time or waste it. Sometimes there just isn't anything to do and I want a distraction so I turn to books. They take you to different places, times, lands, and points of view. Books make time pass and your not completely wasting that time while you read. Well, maybe a little bit...

I read because I'm told to. Every once in a while you get that one teacher who decides it's a good idea to read some rediculous book that attempts to prove points that defy logic. In Cold Blood cough cough cough...

I read because.....well I don't know. I just do. It makes me happy and I adore reading. More than many people actually. Hmm maybe I should fix that. Off topic sorry. I read to discover foriegn lands,and to forget the world and the mistakes that fill it.

I read to live in my own special world where words soar off of pages and plant seeds of wonder and curiousity in our minds and they sprout while plots twist and characters clash.

That is why I read.