Blog Reflection

Over the course of this year, I think I have become a much better writer due to blogging. Reflecting on books repetitively and with mostly the same guidelines helped me really develop my writing organization. I also got into the habit of the posts and was able to do them with more ease and use my synthesis page to develop it further. I also feel very accomplished because of the list of almost every book I read from school being in one place. 

I do think that writing online is different than writing in a notebook because I feel like it needs to be formal since it can and will be accessed more often. I also follow requirements in stricter ways and put more effort into it than I would a notebook. However, the downside to that is that I get distracted more easily- in a notebook, I would sit down and write the entire thing quickly to get it over with, in one sitting. However online, I take breaks to do other things and don’t focus as well. 

The fact that my writing is published online doesn't make a difference in my subject matter because of the security and precautions it has.Because the blog is for school, I project aspects of myself I would want my teachers and peers to see in a school setting, and if it wasn't for school, I would project different aspects of myself. However, I do take into account that it is online and can be viewed. I also think that people often view what they write online as very removed from what they would say face to face with someone. Social networking and other media often are interpreted as completely anonymous and open to any and all commentary, like whatever happens online is only online and never spoken of again, which is completely untrue. This can hurt people and just give more personal information than I think is necessary and creates entirely different relationships than there would be without social media. I think that these blogs are very different than the rest of social media because of the specific due dates and regulations, nothing gets out of hand and it all stays organized and easy to use. 

I think I may continue to add books to my list, but although the posts taught me a lot and improved my writing, they would feel kind of pointless to continue. However, if I was to continue this blog it would most likely be a more relaxed and un-objective view of the books I read. 

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides (philosophical view)

In The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, through the five young girls' suicides, the complexity of depression and the hardships of growing up are conveyed. The story is told through the lens of the neighborhood boys, in love with the Lisbon sisters. Eugenides not only covers the ethics of suicide, but also those of parenting, depression, freedom, and cultural influence. However, the main question I asked when reading the book was why the idea of suicide is so disturbing and tragic.

What makes the suicides of the Lisbon girls so incredibly tragic is their age, their innocence, and their purity- at least this seems to be implied by the author. Eugenides barely lets the reader empathize with the sisters before killing them off, underlining their lost potential through death. However, although the innocence through youth is apparent, I don't see how the girls have very much other lack of experience. This brings me to question what innocence is. Is virginity a form of innocence? If so, then Lux isn't innocent and the tragedy of her death is reduced. Can you still be innocent once you have receded into depression or insanity? If you can't, and all five girls were depressed, they weren't innocent either. After Cecelia, the youngest and first to kill herself, attempts suicide, in my opinion all of her sisters become less innocent, having experienced such immense grief. 

But the suicides are still tragic in my mind, even though I don't think the girls were pure. So is it suicide in itself that makes the deaths devastating? The thought of inflicting harm on your own body, against most instincts? Successful suicides could be carried out because living your life gives less satisfaction than ending it.  And if happiness for someone would mean not living, who am I to oppose suicide, or any other form of self harm which is also a form of pleasure? But the idea of suicide and self harm still seems perverse in my mind.

I knew a woman who killed herself, using the same method as two of the Lisbon girls, sleeping pills. Her husband, daughter, and son were the ones primarily affected. Suicide was an incredibly selfish act on her part, however relieving her actions were. As fictional and removed the story feels compared to this, death is jarring and irreversible and the action of inflicting permanent damage is clearly negative. But I feel like all of a sudden self harm has been popularized- particularly among teens. Even though The Virgin Suicides isn't immediately up to date, and it won't be getting any more recent as time passes, it will always be apparent; as well as an extraordinary story.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

In this story of five troubled girls' demise, the author, Jeffrey Eugenides portrays the suicides in a negative light while still being not completely partial. Cecelia is the first to kill herself, and from where I am in the book, she's also the most recent suicide. The reader is not allowed to get to know Cecelia very well, and Eugenides only slightly develops her character once she's dead. I at first thought that Cecelia could be the reason why her sisters kill themselves, because they are notably more depressed after her death, but the entire book is questioning why the girls would commit suicide- all of them, including Cecilia- and why anyone is driven to end their own life.

The boys, the narrators themselves, ask this very question without the assumption of depression; "Even if Cecelia's suicide led to copycatting, that still didn't explain why Cecelia had killed herself in the first place," I think that Cecelia's suicide had something to do with her parents. I definitely don't agree with Mr. and Mrs. Lisbons' parenting approach of keeping the girls locked up all the time. Lux's rebellious behavior is proof that the extreme approach- extreme Catholicism, extreme "protection." Although the narrator does describe Mr. Lisbon as slightly more relaxed than Mrs. Lisbon, I don't think that it really counts unless he acts on his opinion, because if he really worries for the girls' mentality, he would make sure that they were alright. Also, as the girls take their suicides in turn, one by one, I would expect their parents to take Cecelia's successful second attempt, if not her failed first one as the possibility that their children might be unstable. However, I agree with the narrator's overall tone of the Lisbons' strictness not being the full reason the girls commit suicide.

"The Lisbon girls" are viewed as a group constantly- this seems to refer to the dead Lisbon sisters every time the girls are mentioned. The girls are also very frankly described. From, "giving of the odor of a fully matured women," to Cecelia's "rough elbows" and "two prongs of her hips," the girls would appear to be undesirable- yet they are obviously desirable to the boys, and are described very bluntly as stunningly gorgeous. This would add to the reality of the story, but is instead slightly off-putting to me, as is the entire story.

Overall, this documentary of the short life of five teenage girls and commentary on suicide conveys its meaning uncannily perfectly. The morbid story is very multifaceted and, even the witnesses of the five tragedies still can’t decide why the girls would take their own lives.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

In the book, "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore," Robin Sloan discusses the theme of whether or not technology's modern advancement in our culture is moving too fast. Overall, the answer appears to be no, today's technology is practical.

One way Sloan clarifies her opinion is by elucidating her main and secondary characters' opinions. Clay, the main character is a website designer by training, although he occupies the job of librarian at Mr. Penumbra's shop for the duration of the story. Clay and Mr. Penumbra work hard to incorporate technology into the chain of cult book shops, after Clay proves that technology is beneficial by organizing the bookstore on a digital model. While Clay bands together with a few other tech savvy friends, the theme of whether our culture is revolutionizing too fast becomes more and more apparent.

Then, the theme of technological evolution becomes even stronger when the characters are faced with the dictatorship of Cordova, who is obsessed as the rest of his society with continuing tradition and paper books in order to live forever. This contrasts with Kat's philosophy of using science and Google in order to live forever. Kat, Clay's girlfriend, is the opposite of Mr. Penumbra, and both are huge inspirations of Clay's. Kat is a modern, outgoing and frank, witty, young girl who aspires to gain power at her job, the Google corporation. This contrast of Penumbra and Kat increases the symbolism of the question; is there a way for the new and the old to operate together, or must one be eliminated?

The answer to this question proves to be that the two can successfully collaborate, assuming that Penumbra and Kat are accurate symbols of the old, tradition, and the new, technology. Clay works hard to find the perfect balance between the old and the new. He tries to save the wilting cult with technology. I am currently at this point in the book, and haven’t yet discovered whether either the books or Google end up prolonging human life. Personally, I think that if technology and tradition can work together well, it could lead to amazing discoveries. However, I also believe that if they don’t collaborate well, technology should be the first to be reduced- before books, at least.

"Make Them Fit, Please" Non fiction critical analysis

In this article by Laren Stover, a new motive for surgery is described- women pay to have their feet transformed so that they can fit into designer shoes. Surgeons state many different reasons why women come to their clinics, from large bunions and needing to wear a certain pair of shoes for a modeling job to asking for toe liposuction in order to obtain a certain aesthetic. Stover writes, “Perish all thought of Dr. Scholl’s or Birkenstocks in these waiting rooms. Dr. Oliver Zong, founder of NYC Footcare and self-proclaimed “originator of the foot face-lift and toe tuck,” routinely corrects such conditions as High Heel Foot…”  This is a perfect example of how the author structured the article, stating one doctor and then giving examples of their offered surgeries and a few patients’ motives. Stover also began with a broad statement and narrowed it down into more and more specific examples to prove the main message of her article, a common news article technique. By organizing the article so particularly, the author makes her information easily obtained by the reader.

The author wants the reader to view designer foot surgery as absurd and pointless. She portrays this view to the reader by using a slightly sarcastic tone over the whole article. From beginning to end, the article hints at the ludicrousness of the idea. The opening paragraph even begins with a negative view on the surgery, “he thought it seemed a little vain for women to ask for surgery because their feet hurt wearing fashionable shoes,” writes Stover concerning a surgeon’s view on the designer surgery.

Stover also includes quotes to exhibit the vanities and insecurities of the plastic surgery clients. She writes, “The craziest request she’s received? “Once a patient came in asking for toe liposuction,” Dr. Levine said incredulously. And Dr. Zong said he had a patient ask to have a pinkie toe removed to fit into her shoes. Neither request was granted.” These quotes show how preposterous the surgery offered is.

Overall, even without a stance, it is my belief that the facts and very idea of this article could sway a reader’s opinion on surgery. I think that any type of plastic surgery is unethical and should not be supported, and that even negatively advertising “designer shoe surgery” should be minimized, because even that could bring out the vanity and insecurities of a viewer. I was stunned to discover the extent to which our culture damages a woman's body image- right down to her toes!
New York Times Article, "Make Them Fit, Please" by Laren Stover

Romeo and Juliet literary essay

In the play, Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, and edited by Barbara A. Mowett and Paul Werstine, Shakespeare portrays Romeo and Juliet as persevering characters; through their young love- despite a family feud, Romeo and Juliet are both perceived by readers as tenacious and strong. That is, until their tragic and melodramatic death at the end of the play. However, within context, Juliet is seen as the stronger of the two.

Juliet perseveres even when there appears to be no way to evade a problem, while Romeo always finds the least challenging way to handle a problem. One example of this is when Juliet stands up to her parents. Juliet tells her father, “Not proud you have, but thankful that you have./ Proud can I never be of what I hate,/ but thankful even for hate that is meant love.” (3.5.151).  This shows that despite Juliet’s constant protection- by her nurse and her parents- she is able to confront her father. On the other hand, Romeo grew up with much more freedom than Juliet, in an even less nurturing environment. Romeo is strong because he chooses banishment over suicide, when those are the only two options he lets himself view. However, Juliet also forces herself to make the same decision. When she is trying to evade her marriage, and sees the only option to be suicide, she chooses a sleeping potion over death. Juliet says, “Love give me strength, and strength shall help afford.” (4.1.127). This quote shows that although love is the reason that Juliet wants to die, it is also the reason that she wants to continue living.

Juliet is also stronger than Romeo because she isn’t as reckless as him. Romeo kills Juliet’s cousin in an impulsive revenge, and later regrets it. When he realizes what he has done he says, “O, I am fortune’s fool!” (3.1.142), showing that Romeo is not only reckless and regrets murdering Tybalt, but also that he is not strong enough to hold responsibility for the murder and blames it on fate. As much as this situation shows Romeo’s recklessness, Juliet’s thought out decision to still love Romeo after he killed her cousin shows focus and carefulness. She says, “My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain,/ and Tybalt’s dead, that would have slain my husband.” (3.2.115). Juliet not only makes a well thought out decision here, but also when planning her fake death with the friar, she again plans out a careful idea.

Although Juliet proves to be slightly stronger than Romeo, Romeo kills Tybalt for what he perceives to be justice. However, Romeo lives to regret his actions, relating again to the quote, “O, I am fortune’s fool!” (3.1.142). Romeo also shows strength and determination when he shows his commitment and loyalty to Juliet by visiting her even after he has been banished. However, Romeo himself admits the problem with his plan; “I must be gone and live, or stay and die.” (3.5.11). This shows that even Romeo’s commitment and love for Juliet are tinted by his recklessness.

Overall, Romeo and Juliet, as melodramatic characters do end up taking their own lives, despite their admirable strength. Shakespeare spins many themes and ideas into his play, and strength and power can be related to all of them in some way. The themes in Romeo and Juliet are all portrayed through the characters, and both Romeo and Juliet are well developed characters, who make their story one still told.

“Reaching My Autistic Son Through Disney,” by Ron Suskind

In the New York Times article, “Reaching My Autistic Son Through Disney,” by Ron Suskind, a father explains his moving experience with his son’s autism. Although I have read a few books about boys struggling with this disorder, the interesting perspective of a father trying to find a way to communicate with his “lost” son is an enlightening view point.

The central idea of the text is that however irreversible and detaching autism seems, there will always be a way to reach your child. The father describes first “losing” his son to autism and how for the first three years of his life, Owen showed no signs of autism, speaking regularly and with normal social habits for a toddler. When Owen was around three, he stopped speaking and his family was devastated that they could “no longer reach him.” 

     A few years later, Suskind and his family were watching a movie and Owen spoke- although not in his own words, he could articulate. This was one of the hopeful anecdotes Suskind used to convey his positive message that there will always be a way for a parent to reach their child.

     However positive the message is towards the reader, Suskind does use personal, emotion provoking anecdotes. As Suskind follows Owen through his life, marking memorable biographic moments with an anecdote, the reader falls into sync with Suskind’s empathy towards Owen- as well as a hunger for even more communication than what is happening then. When Owen speaks for the first time after a year, Suskind waits for a sentence. Even when Owen can carry out a conversation with the assistance of borrowed Disney movies’ lines, Suskind is waiting for an original thought or feeling to emerge. An extremely emotion provoking anecdote was when Owen is freely conversing with his father about how he is a “sidekick,” someone who “breathes life into the hero,” and is satisfied with always being second best.

     I think that both Owen and his father are very inspiring people because of their perseverance and hope. This perspective differs from other authors’ stories on autism because it is less focused on the child’s traits- their social disabilities and stereotypical IQ- but more focused on the family’s journey to the next checkpoint in the child’s slow but sure advancement. Suskind places a realistic view on his experience with autism, and how although it was toilsome, he broke through to his son.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

In the book, Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein, Heinlein tells the story of the unique relationship of Gillian Boardman and Valentine Michael Smith, with human ancestry but originating from Mars. Throughout the book, Heinlein covers very abstract and alien themes and ideas. However, although these concepts are seemingly unlike all earthly issues, they symbolize and uncover multifaceted social and political issues in our society.  One of these Martian concepts is “grokking.” Grokking is from Mike’s Martian language, but he teaches his “water brothers” all of its meanings.

One of the meanings of “to grok” is to drink. Mike often says the phrase, “may you always drink deep and never be thirsty,” this shows how although grokking can mean drinking, drinking has a deeper meaning. The action of drinking and sharing water is often used as a “growing closer.” In Martian culture, sharing water makes two people water brothers. Jill says that becoming water brothers “means you trust us and we trust you… we can tell you anything and you can tell us anything… and that we are partners, now and forever.” Since Jill and Mike basically share a mind by this point in the story, this shows how seriously Martians take the act of sharing water. Sharing water in modern culture would be like making a personal contract to show complete companionship. Also, Mike often claims that he doesn’t grok love. However, I disagree because Mike’s concept of water brethren is almost identical to love.

Another way that the characters in Stranger In A Strange Land use the word “grok,” is as a synonym for understand. Mike comes to the realization that he groks god and is now human. He has a few realization moments- grokking laughter, grokking love, and grokking growing closer. Mike sometimes goes into a hibernation mode- at the bottom of a pool or curled up in a ball- in order to grok something to its fullest. I think that it is intriguing how much effort Mike puts into understanding something, because it shows how much he cares for his water brothers.

Grokking relates to other themes in the book because Mike is always trying to grok growing closer- both on Earth and Mars- and this shows through inn his personality. Mike and Jill have an incredible relationship; they are incredibly dedicated to each other and have a telepathic connection due to their bond. Although this seems slightly alien, their telepathy is immensely human in character and it is only because they grok each other so well. In Stranger In A Strange Land, characters often throw around the word grok and develop I into their own personal meaning. This shows how comprehension can be interpreted so differently. 

Literary Essay revision of "The History of Love" by Nicole Krauss post

The History Of Love by Nicole Krauss tells the stories of Leo Gurskey and Alma Singer, whose fates coincide due to a book Leo wrote, “The History Of Love”.  Alma Singer is a fourteen year old girl searching to find a new love for her mother in order to raise her from the depression she has retreated to after Alma’s father died of cancer a few years ago. Alma decides to recruit one of her mother's clients, and while doing so decides to uncover the author of the book her mother’s client is having her translate.

This author happens to be Leo Gurskey, an Israeli immigrant living in New York with his childhood friend, Bruno. Leo constantly thinks about Alma Singer's namesake, and his own love who he left upon her request many years ago. Alma Singer is living proof of one of the themes in the book; that words, stories, and books keep people alive. However, a smaller theme contrived from this is that stories not only keep people alive, but in doing so bring them together to recover from losses. This is a less notable theme in the book and relates more to the idea of starting anew, with a fresh start, than dwelling in the past on loved ones already lost.

     When Leo's son dies at age sixty, Leo is shocked with Isaac's death after a lifetime of no direct contact with his son. When he attends the public funeral, he is forced into contact with many old memories of Isaac's mother. "Only at the very end did I see her again. I snuck into her room in the hospital and sat with her every day," writes Klauss. This not only shows how devoted Leo was to Alma, but also how Isaac's death forces him to remember his capability to love both Isaac and Alma. By forcing Leo to relive these memories, Isaac’s funeral also forces Leo to move on with his life. After the funeral, Leo becomes vividly aware of how Alma is dead and gone- but the author doesn’t portray this in a negative way, going back to the theme of not dwelling in the past or mourning for too long.

Leo often considers his own death, and Krauss describes him making an effort to be seen in public and noticed every day. "All I want is not to die on a day when I went unseen." This shows how dependent Leo is on his relationships with other people, and how although the author focuses on starting fresh and moving on, there still is incredible loss in death. Leo often also uses the phrase "And yet" as its own sentence, as a transition between thoughts and ideas. This symbolizes all of the thin lines drawn in the book- how there are always thin lines between mourning and living in the past, and the differences between starting over and pushing away old feelings that are still there.

     Alma Singer is also dealing with loss in her life, because her father died of cancer when Alma was 7 years old, leaving her, her younger brother Bird, and her lonesome mother to support themselves. Alma's mother receives a letter from a man asking her to translate “The History Of Love” from Spanish to English as a personal copy. Alma has the idea that since her mother and this man share the common devotion to this book, they would be perfect together. Alma even writes a letter to her mother's client pretending to be her mother, because her mother's reply was not romantic enough. This shows how Alma is still dwelling in the past of her father’s death seven years ago, because once she realizes he isn’t coming back, she tries to find someone to replace him. By the end of the book, Alma meets Leo, and she realizes that she doesn’t need another fatherly figure as long as she is loved.

     Alma’s little brother, Bird, is also dealing with their father’s death by trying to find a fatherly figure to replace him. Bird does this by seeking refuge in religion and God, and making himself feel loved by calling himself one of God’s “Chosen Ones” even though he only became religious in order to feel appreciated. When Alma begins to pay more attention to Bird once her problems are being resolved, Bird becomes less reserved.

     Overall, this book is beautifully written with many unique writing techniques and styles. I thought it was really interesting to compare Krauss’s technique with that of another one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Safran Foer, who is Krauss’s husband. They used the same parallel character’s stories and beautiful tone. Before I knew they had anything to do with each other, I noticed the extreme similarities between their writings. I also especially enjoyed the excerpts from Leo Gurskey’s “The History Of Love,” because they really highlight the themes of living in the moment.

link to unrevised post

Critical Analysis of "Inside a Mental Hospital Called Jail" by Nicholas Kristof

In the article written by Nicholas Kristof, "Inside a Mental Hospital Called Jail, "the author uses many techniques to persuade readers of his claim. Kristof states that the only way for mentally disturbed people to get help is "....a jail. The only way to get treatment is to be arrested." This statement is part of Kristof's claim, that mentally ill people should not be placed in jail because it is unjust, is a bad use of taxes, and is a disturbance for the inmates. Kristof wants to inform his readers of the maltreatment given to the mentally ill by the United States. Kristof, like most New York Times authors, has a structure in his writing of becoming more and more specific as the text progresses. For example, Kristof starts off by stating his claim, then goes into some facts about the jailing of the mentally ill. Kristof supports those facts with emotional stories and quotes from some inmates, and then smoothly transitions into how taxes effect jails. Kristof ties the piece together with a direct author-to-reader-question,"Do we really want to go back two centuries? Doesn’t that seem not only inhumane but also deluded — on our part?" This adds on to the effect discussing taxes has on making the issue feel personal to the aimed audience, as well as sums up his main idea in a vague way that could be interpreted differently. 

One way the author tugs on his readers' emotions is by using strong quotes and anecdotes. Kristof tells four people's stories, along with a quote from each of them. Kristof tells the stories bluntly and openly, letting the quotes add on feeling to support their backgrounds. What I feel is the strongest example of this technique is Kristof's discussing Russel, a 46 year old suffering from severe depression who self medicates with alcohol. 

"Most of his adult life has been spent behind bars for one offense after another, and he said he became aware of his mental health problems when he was being clubbed by a thug with a baseball bat and realized that he was enjoying it.

‘I just want to be normal,’ he said as we spoke in a large dormitory room for inmates with psychiatric problems. ‘I want to have a job. I’ve never had a job. I want to be able to say hi to a co-worker.’ He stopped, and there were tears in his eyes." This quote shows the subtlety but impact of Kristof’s style, from word choice to organization.

            Although I know that the New York Times is aimed at an adult, tax-paying audience who would relate more to some of Kristof’s evidence, his writing and use of quotes really made me see his perspective clearly.  I thought that Kristof picked an extremely interesting issue and addressed it well, adding the right amount of creativity to a nonfiction piece.

"Since They Lost Sammy" By N.R Kleinfield

The New York Times article, "Since They Lost Sammy," by N.R Kleinfield is mainly about what Amy   

Cohen and Gary Eckstein have been doing to improve traffic safety in New York City. This article is roughly organized into four sections.

First, Kleinfield begins the article with a description of Amy Cohen recording car speeds and other statistics, and how she and Gary Eckstein are doing as much as they possibly can in order to dissolve traffic casualties. In the first section, the author also gives a brief background on how Sammy's family is doing.

In the second section, Kleinfield develops on how Sammy's death has made an impact on so many people. Kleinfield writes, "Mourners wondered what they could do. Sammy’s parents told them to write their representatives and urge traffic-safety measures." This relates back to Kleinfield’s main point of Sammy’s parents trying to make a difference in traffic conditions.

In the next section, Kleinfield focuses on Sammy’s death and how, on a personal level, it effected Amy and Gary’s campaign. “The ritual gave Ms. Cohen the idea to print a compact booklet of pictures depicting Sammy’s short life — on a swing, swimming, picking pumpkins — with an inscription exhorting action to make streets safer. This became their calling card.” This also relates back to Kleinfield’s main idea.

The final section is solely about Amy Cohen and Gary Eckstein trying to improve traffic conditions so that no one else gets hurt.

 Although Kleinfield is seemingly non-opinionated throughout the article, his use of examples and word choice, as well as his perspective on Sammy’s death turn the article into something like a red flag, saying that something has to be done about the traffic conditions in New York. The author also often pulls away from his main idea in order to write a brief anecdote about Sammy’s family and how they are dealing with their loss. This adds a personal feel to the story for the reader.

The structure in this article of the four sections helps organize the reader and helps keep the author’s main idea relevant. As Kleinfield progresses in his article, he also becomes more and more specific to his main idea.

Blog Review: "The Sneetches, By Dr. Suess" by Julia Frankel

     Julia Frankel's post, "The Sneetches, by Dr. Suess" not only observes and analyzed The Sneetches, but also examines Dr. Suess's life and reasons for writing the book. Julia took risks with her ideas, but still supported them with enough reasoning. The post is well written and formal, and seemingly more researched than her other posts. Julia seems to really put creative and artistic thought into her writing, such as when she wrote her post about Malala Yousafzai and included a poem as her opening paragraph. I think that Julia is a very stylized writer and this shows through in her posts, especially in her post on Dr. Suess.

     In Julia's post, she mentions that Dr. Seuss was a german immigrant. She theorizes that the yellow stars on the star bellied sneetches symbolize the armbands Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust, that the book was not about vague discrimination but about anti-Semitism. I find this to be an extremely interesting and creative theory, and Julia elaborates on it enough and supports it with evidence in order to show how reasonable the theory actually is. I love how Julia thinks analytically about this children's book and then takes it a step further by relating the story's symbolism to the author's own life. The more I think about Julia's ideas on the post, the more I relate them to the book and see the connections. 
     Not only does Julia acknowledge the social issue, but she also relates to it. She writes that, "Being a jew myself, it is particularly difficult to look back at that time period and learn about the basis of which people were judged and treated." She shows simple text-to-self connections which push her post to a higher level. 
     Julia's theory on the yellow stars symbolizing the armbands shows in depth thinking, but also helped me think about the picture book with a fresh mind, both implanting my own new theories on the book, and causing me to wonder what deep messages Dr. Seuss has imbedded in his other books. The entire idea of an authors own experience influencing a picture book is incredibly interesting. It caused me to relate back to Dr. Seuss's book, The Lorax, and how Dr. Seuss experience may effect this book. The Lorax was published August 12, 1971. During this time, global warming ideas were just forming, and pollution is a recurring theme in his book.
     All in all, Julia is a strong writer and this shows through in her posts. This post especially showed creative theories with a large amount of insight and observation. Her ideas have influenced my own view of The Sneetches.

http://onwords1.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-grass-is-always-greener-on-other.html

The History Of Love By Nicole Krauss

     The History Of Love by Nicole Krauss tells the stories of Alma Singer and Leo Gurskey. Alma Singer, a fourteen year old searching to find a new love for her mother after her father died of cancer a few years ago and decides to recruit one of her mother's clients. Leo Gurskey is an israeli immigrant living in New York with his childhood friend, Bruno. Leo constantly thinks about Alma Singer's namesake, and his own love who he left upon request many years ago. The book seems to center around the idea of bringing people together over past love and through mourning, as both Alma Singer and Leo have suffered tremendous losses.
     When Leo's son dies at age sixty, Leo is shocked with Isaac's death after a lifetime of virtually no contact with his son. When he attends the public funeral, he is forced into contact with many old memories of Isaac's mother. "Only at the very end did I see her again. I snuck into her room in the hospital ad sat with her every day." This not only shows how devoted Leo was to Alma, but also how Isaac's death forces him to remember his capability to love both Isaac and Alma. Leo often considers his own death, and Krauss describes him making an effort to be seen in public and noticed every day. "All I want is not to die on a day when I went unseen." Leo often also uses the phrase "And yet" as its own sentence, as a transition between thoughts and ideas. This symbolizes the irony in Leo's life, from him telling Alma that he will never love anyone else even if she dies, to him writing a book called "the History Of Love" which changes the life of Alma Singer. 
     Alma Singer's father died when she was 7 years old, leaving her, her younger brother Bird, and her lonesome mother to support themselves. Alma's mother receives a letter from a man asking her to translate The History Of Love from Hebrew to English as a personal copy. Alma has the idea that since her mother and this man share the common interest of this book, they would be perfect together. Alma even writes a letter to her mother's client pretending to be her mother, because her mother's reply was not romantic enough. I think that it is interesting how the author contrasts a lethargic old man with an energetic young girl, because it highlights their similarities.
     All in all, I really love this book so far, especially the excerpts from Leo's own. I really like how it is written, and the style reminds me a little bit of Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close.I love the way the author strings all of the stories together so that they build off of each other, and I will definitely reread it once I finish so that I understand it better.