Blog March 10, 2016

Prompt: What message or lesson was conveyed?

The Boy in the Burning House by Tim Wynne-Jones

            The message that the author conveyed throughout the book is to understand and accept people before actually judging someone. The author displays two characters in particular that are treated differently, because of their reputation and looks. As the readers get to know them more, we can see that those characters are not how they really seem. This helps show how we should judge people by the actions they do, what people say about them, or how they look, especially if we don't know them personally. The could be going through a tough time that caused them into bad situations. They could also have a dark past, but act friendly and nice. Sometimes we can tell whether someone is friendly or not by their looks, but in this book that is not always the case. 

            The first character that is misjudged is Ruth Rose. Throughout the book Ruth Rose is actually very helpful to Jim Hawkins, by helping him solve the mystery on who killed his father. As you get farther in the book we can see that Ruth Rose has become Jim's closest friend even at a difficult time. If it weren't for her being in Jim's life, Jim would have not known who killed his father so soon. Ruth Rose has mental problems such as hearing voices in her head, but Father Fisher exaggerates on that. He says that she is crazy, and a bad kid who is difficult to handle. Enough of his rumors about his own step daughter makes people really believe it. When Father Fisher is talking about Ruth to Jim, Fisher says, "'Young Ruth Rose has had a hard time of it. The death of her father has resulted in some severe psychotic episodes.'" This then made Jim believe that she was crazy, and would not want to listen to her in the begining of the book, because he felt like she was lying. After this when Ruth started to talk to Jim he says, "It was obvious that she was crazy. Jim shook his head in disbelief and turned to go." This shows that even Jim couldn't believe her, because of the rumors he had heard about her. People can't trust her, because they know she is never up to good business, when that is not true. She has a sad past which is part of the reason why she has troubles.

            The second character who was overlooked by his true self was Father Fisher. Father Fisher is the priest to the church in Jim's community. He is seen as a friendly, kind, helpful person. People trust him since he is a priest, and he seems very nice. In the beginning of the book I wondered why Ruth Rose hated his so much. In the begining of the book he is seen as a helpful, trustworthy, smart, friendly man. In the end we see his true identity and the horrible things he has done. Many people just asummed he was a nice man from his smile, and the fact that he was priest. As a reader gets father in the book they can see how their first view point of Father Fisher has changed dramatically compared to how they see him at the end of the book. At the end of the book he is not the person anyone would have guessed him to be if they didn't know him personally. He actually turned out to be secretly an evil man who has caused harm and even deaths to people. He was also found to be part of the murder of Jim's father. This again shows how we really can't judge a person by how they look, because they aren't always as they seem.

Blog March 4, 2016

Prompt: Pretend you get to create the music soundtrack for what you’ve been reading. What five songs would you include? Write an explanation for each song: why would you include it, how does the song connect to events.

The Boy In the Burning House by Tim Wynne-Jones

Pages read: 173-finished  

            The first song I would pick would be "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day. When Billie Joe Armstrong (the lead singer of the band) was just 10 years old his father passed away. This song was written because of his lost. In the book The Boy In the Burning House by Tim Wynne-Jones the main character, Jim Hawkins' father also died. In the book Jim is about 12 or 13, and his father died two years before which made him about 10 or 11 when his father died. The song connects to this event, because they both lost their fathers around the same time. One quote in the song is, "As my memory rests, but never forgets what I lost." This means that he is coping with the fact that his father died, but he will never forget his father. In the book Jim is starting to accept that he will never see his father again, but he still misses him, and doesn't forget about him. In the end Jim and his mother have more closure by having a proper funeral.  

            The second song I would add to the music soundtrack for the book would be "Don't Ask Me" by OK Go. I think this song is perfect for the character Father Fisher in the book. Father Fisher is Ruth Rose's step father, the church's priest, and the man who killed Jim's father. In the middle of the book Ruth and Jim are almost positive that Father Fisher killed Jim's father. Father Fisher is very sneaky and knows that Jim and Ruth knows what he did. Every time he visits Jim's mother or spots Jim he is always fake, acts like he doesn't know what Jim is thinking, and acts friendly. In reality he is a lying killer. In the song it say things like don't act friendly when you're actually not. A lyric in the song is, "Quit acting so friendly...don't think I've forgotten...don't sit there and play just, so frank, so straight, so candid, so thoughtful, so gracious, so sound, so even-handed." This is something Jim would definitely say to Father Fisher, because he knows that he had something to do with his father's death. I also think Ruth Rose would also say this to him, because she doesn't like her step father to begin with. Ruth is a troubled girl who hears voices in her head, and Father Fisher tells people that she is crazy which gave her an even more bad reputation. It seems like he won't let people forget that she is messed up. The song relates to this book, because Father Fisher acts all friendly, and many people believe it, because he is a priest, but really he is the bad guy. 

           The third song I would pick is "The Kids Aren't Alright" by Fall Out Boy. In the book Ruth and Jim have gone through very hard times. Ruth has lost her father, and unborn little brother or sister in a car crash, and now has to deal with her evil step father. Jim lost his dad, and now his mother relies on him to do many things. A lyric in the song is, "Don't you know that the kids aren't all, kids aren't all right." This connects to the events, because Jim and Ruth are the kids who aren't all right. They have both gone through emotional times, and now both have to deal with Father Fisher, and the horrible things he has done. Also many people just know that Ruth Rose is a crazy person, and doesn't think much other than that of her. A lot of the people, don't know that she has lost her family, and why she is the way she is. Another lyric in the song that relates to the book is, "All those people in those old photographs I've seen are dead." This can relate to how Ruth, Ruth's mother, Jim, and Jim's mother all lost someone important. They have a lot of lost loved ones that they lost a long time ago which could be shown in old photographs. 

            The fourth song I would choose would be "House of Gold" by Twenty One Pilots. This song talks about how the singer's mother tells him that when she grows old and his father dies will he take care of her. This relates to the book, because since Jim's father has died his mother relied on him for things to be taken cared of. She feels bad that he has to be put in this situation, because he is still a kid, but he doesn't mind, because he feels bad for her as well. A lyric in the song is, "She asked me, 'Son, when I grow old will you buy me a house of gold? And when your father turns to stone, will you take care of me?'" Jim's mother feels bad, but she and Jim know that she can't do all of the work alone. Jim tries his best to keeps her happy, and not too stressed. I think Jim is doing a really good job in keeping everything stable, because right now they are still doing okay with everything going on, but if Jim weren't there Jim's mother would be in trouble. 

            The last song I would pick would be "Thriller" by Fall Out Boy. I think this song best connects to Ruth's life. The song is written by Pete Went, and the song shows his gratitude toward the people  who have stuck by his side through his tough times. The song also adds in the critics on the band and the people who put labels on the band. One song lyric in the song is, "Make us poster boys for your scene, but we are not making an acceptance speech." This means that people have made put the band in positions that they didn't intentionally put themselves into, so they won't admit that they are what people said they were. This relates to Ruth Rose, because Father Fisher has told people that she has problems, and that she is just plain crazy. People now know her as crazy, when really she is not going through a good time. She admitted that she does hear voices in her head, but she knows she is not all what Father Fisher says she is. Another lyric that relates to Ruth Rose that is in the song is, "So long live the car crash hearts." The "car crash hearts" are the people she lost that were in a car accident. Ruth lost her father, and unborn brother or sister. Her mother was crippled after the accident. The lyrics say "long live the car crash hearts" several times over and over again, and Ruth rose constantly remembers the ones she lost.

Blog March 1, 2016

Life is Beautiful film

Night by Elie Weisel 

Prompt: Based on the Holocaust literature and poetry we have read, what connections can be made between Life is Beautiful and our reading? What events, scenes, or situations are similar or different? What is similar or different about the mood or tone of the pieces? How is life shown as beautiful throughout the film. Pull out at least two examples from different parts of the film and explain your rationale.

            In the film Life is Beautiful and the book Night there were many similar connections. One that I noticed the most was how the father and son stuck together for the majority of the pieces. In the film it was Guido and Joshua, and in the book it was Elie and Shlomo Weisel who stuck together. Both families had a loving relationship, but also went through a tough time. In the book Elie's father was the only reason Elie was still living. He didn't want to lose him or even be separated from him. The novel states, "I held onto my father's hand - the old, familiar fear: not to lose him." This show show Weisel truly cared for his father and wanted to be with him the whole time. In the film Guido makes the concentration camp seem like a big game to his son Joshua. Guido tells Joshua that they are there to win a tank, and they need to get a certain amount of points to win. Guido tells Joshua this so that Joshua will survive. He was willing to lie to German guards and other people in the camps along with Joshua, because he loved him so much, and didn't want him to die. In the end the fate of the fathers were very similar. Both fathers died in the camps. In the film Guido is shot after he is caught sneaking around. In the book Weisel's father dies from starvation, sickness, and weakness. 

            Scenes and situations that were similar between Night and Life is Beautiful is that both characters were in concentration camps, and both experienced deaths of people. In the book Night, Weisel was put into different concentration camps along with his father. The book states, "We have arrived - at Birkenau, reception center for Auschwitz." This shows that Weisel and his family were put in a concentration camp. In the film it shows how Guido, Joshua, and Dora were all put in  the same concentration camp, and we saw how the soldiers acted and what living conditions they were in. This shows that both of these character's situations were similar, because they both went through having poor quality beds, and constantly being hungry. In both the film and book they saw and had loved ones and friends killed by the Nazis. They also both were separated from the women. In the book it states, "I saw them disappear into the distance... And I did not know that in that place, at that moment, I was parting from my mother and Tzipora forever." It also states, "In my father's place lay another invalid. They must have taken him away before dawn and carried him to the crematory." This shows that Weisel was separated from his mother, sister, and father, and never saw them again, because they have all been killed. Weisel has lost the people he loved the most. In the film Guido and Joshua are separated from Dora who was the mother and wife. This shows that both titles were similar, because they went through the the same time period and witnessed similar situations. Near the end of both pieces, both Weisel, and Joshua lose the person they were most close to during their time in the concentration camps. This person was their father. Joshua and Weisel survived the Holocaust, because of their fathers. 

 

            The mood between the film and book are similar, but are displayed in a different way. Throughout the entire book, Night, the mood is very melancholy. The book focuses on all of the terrible things that went on during the time in the concentration camps. The book states, "Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never." This shows that he will never forget the horrible things that happened to him in the time he was in the camps. Weisel doesn't look back at those times in the camps as a happy time at all. Instead he sees a wrecked time in his life. In the film most of the film takes place during this tragic time, but the mood is not shown like how it is in the book. Throughout the entire film there are humorous parts. When the German guards come into their sleeping area and asked if anyone spoke German to translate the rules, Guido goes up and tells the people in the room all the wrong information that the German speaker is saying. He says these false rules to make Joshua believe the whole situation was a big game. The things he said were very funny, and the people who were listening were confused. Watching this scene made it funny, but in reality the German people were probably saying rules that if anyone disobeyed they would get killed. 

            Life is shown as beautiful thoughout the film in many ways. In the begining of the film Guido and Dora kept on bumping into each other unexpectedly. Guido fell in love with her the first time they met. After some time of being in love with each other the film introduced their son, Joshua. They all seemed so happy together. We can tell that they all had a wonderful, happy life. In the concentration camps that feeling changed a little, but there were moments when the family was still smiling. In one part of the film Dora is working with many other women while Guido is serving people. Guido then plays a song that him and Dora both heard at a party loud enough so that she could hear it. When she heard it she smiled and knew that Guido was there thinking about her. There was another time when Guido was able to talk on a speaker and tell Dora that he loved her. Even through this tough time Guido was still able to make his family smile. Towards the end of the movie Guido managed to save Joshua's life. He kept up his trick to make Joshua hidden so he wouldn't get killed like the rest of the children. A couple of times Joshua could have gotten killed, but Guido got away with it. One time a German server hears Joshua say "Thank you" to him in Italian, and the man went to go get someone. If it wasnt for Guido's next action Joshua would have been taken away and probably killed. Guido pretended to be teaching the kids how to say "Thank you" right before the people came back, so that it wasn't suspicious. This act saved Joshua's life. In the end of the film Joshua reunites with his mother and they are both happy. Dora knew what happened to kids and she was so happy that he was still alive. Life was truly beautiful at this time, because Dora and Joshua had survived the rough time.