Inductive leap too far

 "A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One | Tattered Cover Book Store." A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One | Tattered Cover Book Store. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2012. 

Martin, George R. R. A Game of Thrones. New York: Bantam, 1996. Print.

In the book I am reading, a woman just survived an attack on her and her unconscious child and is seeking the truth of the reason of the attack

"There was only one place to find the truth of it, Catelyn realized.
'Someone must go to king`s landing.'
'I`ll go,' Robb Said.
'No,' she told him. 'Your place is here. There must always be a Stark in Winterfell.' She looked at Ser Rodrik with his great white whiskers, at Maester Luwin in his grey robes, and at young Greyjoy, lean and dark and impetuous. Who to send? Who would be believed? Then she knew. Catelyn struggled to push back the blankets, her bandaged fingers as stiff and unyielding as stone. She climbed out of bed. 'I must go myself.'" (115)

The inductive leap is when she decides that she must be the one to go. She makes this decision without considering all the other options. One reason it would be impractical for her to travel is that just a couple days before, she was attacked and has cuts in her fingers that go pretty much to the bone. She could also have sent one of her advisers equipped with a letter signed by her instead of going herself.
Although not in the character's best interest, it is in the best interest of the story because it sends one of the main characters who would otherwise be just living in the area that is familiar to her off on a journey that will most likely be vital to the plot.

Style

            "A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One | Tattered Cover Book Store." A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One | Tattered Cover Book Store. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2012. 

Martin, George R. R. A Game of Thrones. New York: Bantam, 1996. Print. 


The poetic device I found in my novel is a metaphor. A metaphor is a comparison that does not use "like" or "as".

"When Lady Catelyn had asked about Arya, the septa had sniffed. 'Arya has the hands of a blacksmith.'" (57)
This poetic device is important to the character because it helps the reader understand that Arya  is not necessarily the best suited for the "womanly arts". It also creates pathos by making the reader feel bad for Arya that she will probably disappoint her parents.

Social Issues

"Divergent (Divergent #1).Goodreads. Web. 05 May 2012." 

Roth, Veronica. Divergent. New York: Katherine Tegen, 2011. Print.

One social issue that has been presented in my book is the "Misuse of power"

"a few things come together at once. I don't know how I didn't figure this out before.

One: Colored serum contains transmitters.

Two: Transmitters connect the mind to a simulation program.

Three: Erudite developed the serum

Four: Eric and Max are working with the Erudite." (415)

This is the moment that the main character realizes what is going on. One of the factions (The Erudite) has developed a serum that controls the mind of those who it is given to, and they plan to use it to create an army and overthrow the government. This is a blatant misuse of power by the Erudite. It is significant to the story because it moves the plot forward. without this happening the book would go nowhere. It also serves as a warning to the reader to be wary of those with lots of power as the way they use it may not be in everyone's best interest.

Significance Of...

"Divergent (Divergent #1).Goodreads. Web. 05 May 2012." 

Roth, Veronica. Divergent. New York: Katherine Tegen, 2011. Print.

One event that is significant to the story is that of a previous war that divided the country into factions. "Decades ago our ancestors realized that it is not political ideology, religious belief, race, or nationalism that is to blame for a warring world. Rather, they determined that it was the fault of human personality-of mankind's inclination towards evil, in whatever form that is. They divided into factions that sought to eradicate those qualities they believed responsible for the world's disarray." (42) This is significant because it Explains necessary background information. Without this part of the story, the reader would be left wondering why the factions exist instead of thinking about what is actually going on in the story.

"'people who get this kind of results are...' She looks over her shoulder like she expects someone to appear behind her.'...are called... Divergent.'" (22) Another significant part of the story is that the main character is "divergent" although as a reader you are not told what it means and the character does not even know what it means. It does add mystery to the character and makes the unlikely things that happen to her more believable.

Define and Describe a Character

 

"Divergent (Divergent #1).Goodreads. Web. 05 May 2012." 

Roth, Veronica. Divergent. New York: Katherine Tegen, 2011. Print.

Three words describing my character:


Courageous- Bold, Dauntless / Cowardly, Meek
Determined- Driven, Persistent / Wavering, Hesitating
Calm- Composed, Cool Headed / Frantic, wild

Courageous: "I don't think. I just bend my knees and jump." (Roth, Divergent 58) This quote shows Tris (the main character) jumping from the top of a building into the dauntless headquarters. The entrance of which is nothing more than a black hole in the ground. She shows courage by being the first of the new recruits to jump without knowing what waits for her at the bottom.

Determined: "But instead of crying, like the Erudite girl, I feel colder. Harder. I will be a member. I will." (Roth, Divergent 72) The recruits had just found out that if they do not place top ten in the test they will be kicked out and have to live homeless. but instead of breaking down, Tris shows that she is driven by vowing to herself that she will make the top ten.

Calm: "What else do I know about dogs? I shouldn't look them in the eye. That's a sign of aggression." (Roth, Divergent 15) When a vicious dog attacks Tris, she does not freak out and run scared. She remains composed and thinks the situation through.

Identify and Sort

Dashner, James. The Maze Runner. New York: Random House Inc.
        print.

Elements of fiction my book contains (and are important to me):
-Characters
-Plot
-Suspense
-Setting
-Plausible

       To me, one of the most important elements to a story of fiction is the characters. In order for me to enjoy a book, the characters have to be very well described, so much so that you feel like you could know them in real life. The characters also cannot be perfect, it is no fun reading about a person who is perfect and can easily make it through anything thrown at them. The reason that the characters in a book are so important to me is that when they are designed properly, they add a whole new dimension of realism.

"What courage he'd gathered had turned to dread, and he wondered when the Grievers would finally give chase" (Dashner, The Maze Runner 330)

This quote shows that the main character is not perfect and fearless. I find a book much more interesting when all the characters have some flawes.

Qualities of a Good Book

Dashner, James. The Maze Runner. New York: Random House Inc.
        print.
    

       Three qualities that I expect froom a good book are characters you get to know, a well described setting, and lots of action that grabs your attention.
       The book I am reading is called "The Maze Runner" so far I have really enjoyed this book. The author describes the main character so well that he seems like he could be a real person. James Dashner is also quite good at describing locations in a way that you can picture in your imagination. This book also contains action and suspense. So far, this has been a very good book.

New Year, New Class

This post marks the beginning of the posts that are for grade ten English class.


However, it is also a sad day because today is the day that the fish were removed from this blog. They will be missed.

Mentor

The Mentor For Kayla is her best friend Mfumbe. They have been together since high school and can really understand each other. He hid in the mountain with her and they went to the protest together. He makes her feel safe and can always cheer her up. Mfumbe is her mentor because without him, she would have never had the strength to begin her journey to defeat the bar code.
I predict that by the end of the book Kayla and Mfumbe will become more than just friends.

Call to Adventure

Because Kayla refuses to get the bar code tattoo, she is forced into hiding in the mountains. Hiding becomes her ordinary world but when she hears about a huge protest of the bar code tattoo outside the white house, she must make a decision. she and her friend decide that it is time for them to come out of hiding and make a difference. I think that she made this choice because she knows that the bar codes won't go away on their own and that the world needs people to make it right.

I predict that Kayla will help lead the rebellion and end up defeating Global 1 (The company that created the bar codes).

Their Ordinary World

Kayla, the protagonist in my story's ordinary world' involves running from the law and hiding in the mountains that act as her safe haven. She refused to get the bar code tattoo and is now living in exile with her friend from high school. When they need food, they have no choice but to steal it. Although this is not her ideal world and she doesn't feel very comfortable in it. It is her ordinary world.

"A bag of chips fell from Mfumbe's pocket. They both stooped to grab it.who knew when they'd have a chance to get food again?" (Suzanne Weyn The Barcode Rebellion Pg.6)

Hero Picture

The hero in my book at the moment, is Gerald. From the moment the kids crash landed on the island, Gerald asserted himself as a leader. He is smart which is a good quality for a hero to have even if it might sometimes upset the other characters. he is also in love with one of the girls which isn't so much a trait but most stories seem to have heroes that are in love. He is also willing and adventurous and volunteers to be the one that goes exploring.

"'Today,' Gerald said to himself, 'I keep on top from the start. That's the least my family will expect from me. Someone must be top man and everyone needs to know who he is.'" (Ivan Southall, A City Out Of Sight Pg. 42)

from: http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/leadership/
This picture shows how a leader has to make decisions based on what would will help the group instead of what will help themselves.

Character Archetypes

Kestral

The main character in my story, Kestral, is most like the hero Character type. Kestral lives in a city where how well you do on exams determines your quality of life. The problem is, she hates school, hates exams, and is going to do something about it. when she stands up for herself, she is forced to run away from the city. her brother joins her on her quest to help the cities occupants live a free life.
            Like the hero character type, she is family oriented, self sacrificing (gives up an O.K. life in the city) and willing to go on an adventure. she is also had to become an outlaw in her home in order to attempt to improve the city.

I hate school! I won't reach higher! I won't strive harder! I won't make tomorrow better than today! Pongo to exams! (William Nicholson, The Wind Singer. Back cover)
This quote shows her rebellious spirit. she speaks her mind when others don't have the courage to!

Main Character

"The spotlights swept back to the centre ring and the circus resumed, but Eli could not sit still, and nor could he watch. for him, the show had been ruined by the boy's fall." (Carrie Mac, The Droughtlanders Pg. 7)

This quote comes just after one of the acrobats fell to his death from a tight rope. This quote shows that Eli is compassionate and loving. Even though he was raised in one of the "keys" (where high class people live) where outsiders are considered no better than rats, and a death just adds to the fun and excitement of the show, he refuses to pretend that he enjoys the blood.

Because he has this trait, I believe that he will become the leader of the rebels and overpower the keylanders who live in luxury.

I chose this song because it shows that everyone needs to get along and that people need to put aside their differences and treat each other as equals.

Relating Books

Relating

"'Who are these people?'
'Rebels.' Lissete sighed. 'They live here. There are bunks along the wall.'
'Rebels?' What did this mean?" (Carrie Mac, The Droughtlanders pg. 25)

This event in the book reminds me of the book "Mocking Jay" by Suzanne Collins when the main character discovers that there is a very large rebel force! In both books there are people who believe that there are rebels, but almost nobody knows or suspects that these rebels are organized and prepared to strike back. In "Mocking Jay" the main character becomes the leader of the rebels, and I predict that this will also happen in "The Droughtlanders". That is how these two books relate to each other.

Book Review

I have just finished the book Ender's Game By: Orson Scott Card. Ender Wiggin is a 6 year old boy genius who is accepted into a military battle school where the students face off in zero gravity battles (with fake laser guns) to prepare them for a real battle against hostile insect like aliens. Ender excels at commanding these battles and graduates the school in record time. He moves on to a commanding school younger than any other student. At command school he commands fleets of star ships in a simulator and wins every battle. on his final test, the odds are stacked against him and he performs a very risky maneuver and ..... you will have to read to find out the ending!

Review:

This is a very well written book and a must read for adventure and science fiction reader. Orson Scott Card put allot of detail into the characters to make them seem like real people. Ender's Game is full of action and suspense and will keep you reading and guessing to the last page! I look forward to reading the sequel to thins book, Ender's Shadow.

My quote (sub heading)

I chose this quote because a well written book can take you away from where you are and bring you into a world of wonder. Reading books can be like living different lives!

I took this quote from: http://www.quotegarden.com/books.html