Balto, Toga party, Dimension, and Horsemen were all pretty depressing. But besides the depression, something they all had in common was the fact that you were always on the main character's side. Maybe this has to do with the fact that you pretty much only know that character's thoughts (i.e. in the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, when Tally, the main character is a good person, a bubble head, and even evil, your always on her side). Another thing they had in common was the fact that they all started in medias res, or in the middle. You figure out each characters past througout the story, but you don't start off knowing it.
I think that Stephen King, being the editor of these stories, did this on purpose. He is an author who loves to leave you hanging (especially in the novel "Cell," what the heck happen's to the main dude's son?!?!?!?!?). So King probably gave us these depressing, in medias res, leave you hanging at the end, sort of stories because they are the next best things to horror.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Everything is Illuminated...part 1
I think that Jonathon's obsession with collecting momentos related to events and people has to do with him wanting to remember those special people and events...or in other words he doesn't want to forget anything in his life, or his family's life, and he wants something (everything) to remember them by.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
The Alternate Ending to Edwin's life
Edwin de Valu walked to work that morning, as he does every morning, just thinking to himself like every other day-"I love this fuckin' city." He walked into his new office, possibly the smallest in the building, but it's better to say "I work in an office" than in it to say in a cubicle. He continued working on the slush-pile manuscripts (which was an extremely high pile seeing as Panderic Inc. was still low on staff) and was halfway through the rejection letter, when the door swung sloooowwly open..."You still owe me for my tie!" It was Nigel. "I though you quit? What the hell are you doing here?" "Oh, don't worry, I'm outta here as soon as I get my money." "Wait, so as soon as I pay you, you'll get the hell out and never come back?" Edwin took his wallet out and happily turned over the money. This day just can't get any better, he thought. But, just as Nigel walked out, Edwin noticed someone standing by the door.
"May! What are you doing here? I thought you worked at Key West Books now?" "I quit my job. I couldn't go on one more day without you. And i wouldn't have been able to live with myself without knowing how you felt too." He just stared at her dumbfoundedly. "I knew it, I shouldn't have come." She turned around and started to leave. "WAIT!" He turned her around and kissed those red crayola lips of hers for what didn't feel long enough but probably lasted an eternity. "May, I thought I lost you!" He (amazingly for a wimpy guy) carried her out of Panderic Inc., never looked back, and together they moved to Japan to start fresh.
"May! What are you doing here? I thought you worked at Key West Books now?" "I quit my job. I couldn't go on one more day without you. And i wouldn't have been able to live with myself without knowing how you felt too." He just stared at her dumbfoundedly. "I knew it, I shouldn't have come." She turned around and started to leave. "WAIT!" He turned her around and kissed those red crayola lips of hers for what didn't feel long enough but probably lasted an eternity. "May, I thought I lost you!" He (amazingly for a wimpy guy) carried her out of Panderic Inc., never looked back, and together they moved to Japan to start fresh.
Self-help books
Although I've never read a self-help book, I know that people read them to better themselves. but what do I think of them? They could be cheesy traps for people who need help in that area to get sucked into without really getting help. Or, they may actually help people change and stay the way they want to be. In my opinion, they can be both.
I once listened to a radio show where some important person (important because he wrote the book) wrote a book on "How to Change your Kids in 5 Days." No, not like their personalities, but their bad bratty attitudes and their spoiled ways, and certain ways parents should act to prevent that. It seemed like it actually works. So I imagine other books must help and work as well. However, there most likely are books out there that tell you that you should change, but they don't say how. i.e.-weight loss books, they probably make you feel self-conscious and tell you to excercise and eat right, but they don't tell you the steps you should take to proceed.
So, to sum it up, I think that Self-help books can go either way. Half the books out there are possibly like that change your kid book and definitely help you out, but the other half are completely pointless and just make you feel inferior.
I once listened to a radio show where some important person (important because he wrote the book) wrote a book on "How to Change your Kids in 5 Days." No, not like their personalities, but their bad bratty attitudes and their spoiled ways, and certain ways parents should act to prevent that. It seemed like it actually works. So I imagine other books must help and work as well. However, there most likely are books out there that tell you that you should change, but they don't say how. i.e.-weight loss books, they probably make you feel self-conscious and tell you to excercise and eat right, but they don't tell you the steps you should take to proceed.
So, to sum it up, I think that Self-help books can go either way. Half the books out there are possibly like that change your kid book and definitely help you out, but the other half are completely pointless and just make you feel inferior.
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