Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Week 8? The Medium is the Massage an Inventory of Effects


For this week we had to read a short story called The Medium is the Massage an Inventory of Effects by Marshall McLuhan. When you go through the story it is more about images coming together to tell a story. When I read through this is "book". I have to go over it so i could try and understand it. I felt that is was a "book" with a lot of images and text that "goes" with the images.


I did not understand any of what was going on in this "book". The images that Marshall McLuhan put through out the "book with text, for me does not make much since to me. Even with the text it still  did did not make any since and did not help me to understand. I am not sure what to go off on with this reading.


Monday, February 18, 2013

Lolita



"I now think it was a great mistake to move east again and have her go to that private school in Beardsley, instead of somehow scrambling across the Mexican border while the scrambling was good so as to lie low for a couple of years in subtropical bliss until I could safely marry my little Creole; for I must confess that depending on the conditin of my glands and ganglia, I could switch in the course of the same day from one pole of insanity to the other—from the thought that around 1950 I would have to get rid somehow of a difficult adolescent whose magic nymphage had evaporated—to the thought that with patience and luckI might have her produce eventually a nymphet with my blood in her exquisite veins, a Lolita the Second, who would be eight or nine around 1960, when I would still be dans la force de l'âge; indeed, the telescopy of my mind, or un-mind, was strong enough to distinguish in the remoteness of time a vieillard encore vert—or was it green rot?—bizarre, tender, salivating Dr. Humbert, practicing on supremely lovely Lolita the Third the art of being a granddad."


In this last two weeks we have been reading Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. When I was first told that we had to read Lolita I had no idea what it was about and had no idea that it existed. Then my teacher told us about how this book was going to be “disturbing” and is not like a normal book. That it is mean to make your skin crawl.  I did not give it much thought and I started to read the book.

Right off the bat I was shocked.

“WHA! What?… What is THIS?” Was what was going through my mind as I red more and more of the book? This is one crazy book. I older man wanted to have sex with little girls and the very descriptive of all the little girls that he like and wanted to have. I think I was on chapter fourteen when I had to stop reading this disturbing book. I did not want to finish the book, but I had to for class.  

In the last class that we had I was up to chapter 31. My teacher broke us up in to groups and asked us questions about the text that we have read so far. One of the questions was the book “real”. Do you think that the main story line is a true story?

My group was on the fence about it. Some of the story line made since and could be believable. But then there are some parts and how he words them that make you feel like he is not telling you the truth. For an example he brings up the reader and reminds you that this is a journal and only his thoughts. Also you can get the feeling of parts on the story that you know that he is hiding things and they do not make since if you break them down. For me I believe that this book is not real because I do not want it to be real because it was so discussing and how the main character talked about the little girls.

I feel that the book got more and more “odd” and harder to read. The part of the book that really shocked me was when Dolly and the main character are in the hotel with the flower convention and a church retreat. It was when he gave Dolly sleeping pills and drugged her so he can have his way with the little girl. It seemed so easy for him to give her the pill and that he was tricking doctors to give him strong sleeping pills. Also the other odd, crazy, and mind blowing part of the book is how he talks about or says about Dolly, “Lolita.” I find it really hard to read the parts on how Dolly “wanted” him and “made love” with each other. It was disturbing in how he describes all of it.

My over all thought about Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was that it is a disturbing book. If you want to read a book that will make your skin crawl.

 I will never read this book again. *o*


Pulp Fiction Week~




For the Pulp Fiction week I read Dashiell Hammett’s The Glass Key. The Glass Key is about Ned Beaumont who is a gambler. He is not a detective, but a political fixer for construction magnate Paul Madvig. The setting is in a depression era that you feel as you read the book. Ned Beaumont is very unlucky through out the book.

In the story Ned Beaumont finds the body of Senator Henry's son. Madvig wants Ned Beaumont to interfere in the D.A.'s investigation of the body. Ned Beaumont wants to “sink” the “corrupt senator but Madvig gets in the way by backing the senator.

Ned Beaumont goes to New Year to collect a gambling debt, but gets beaten up and then more drama unfolds.

I had to read this book tice to understand what was going on in it. I found out that after I read it again the story was easier to read a fallow. 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

A Screen Play with some Gatsby



A screen play based off The Great Gatsby 
__________________________________________________________________


FADE IN:

EXT. WILSONS STORE – MID DAY

In the cold snow of north Maine, a old run down garage with an open sign swinging in the wind.

DISSOLVE TO:
INT. WILSONS STORE – OUT SIDE - MID DAY

MICHEALIS, Greek, coffee shop owner, mid 20’s young, strolls over.


MICHEALIS, enters shop, now on main floor of the garage, finds George Wilson sick.

WILSON, white, garage owner, mid 30’s, really sick, sitting in his office chair.

MICHEALIS
Wilson, you should go to sleep.

WILSON
No… no, I can’t. I will miss a lot of business

From upstairs at CRASH and THUD on the floorboards. Micheals looks up—

WILSON points up.
WILSON
 I’ve got my wife locked in up there.  She’s going to stay there till the day after to-morrow, and then we’re going to move away.

MICHEALIS
Why what happened? Why does she need to be locked up?
WILSON stands up.

WILSON
Michealis what did you do at 6 o’clock on Tuesday? Or 7 o’clock on Saturday or Friday?

A WORK MAN walked past the garage door, on his way to MICHEALIS' shop.


MICHEALIS
Sorry but I have to go, Wilson. I will come back later.

MICHEALIS leaves the garage.

DISSOLVE TO:
INT. MICHEALIS STORE – OUT SIDE – DUSK

MICHEALIS go out of his store, and looks over at the garage.


MRS. WILSON (O.S)
Beat me! Throw me down and beat me, you dirty little coward!

MRS. WILSON, white, wife of Wilson, late 20’s early 30’s.

MRS. WILSON, runs out of the garage, waving her hands.

Two cars come into view ( a yellow and black one)

WILSON, goes to the door.

DISSOLVE TO:
INT. WILSONS STORE – OUT SIDE

CARRAWAY (O.S)
The death car. as the newspapers called it, didn’t stop; it came out of the gathering darkness, wavered tragically for a moment, and then dis- appeared around the next bend.

People walking in and out of the frame, to see what happened.

POLICEMAN, talk to MICHAELIS.

MICHAELIS
I think it was a light green car…. But it was too dark to tell.

The other CAR was over to the left had it’s driver by MRS. WILSON’S BODY

MRS. WILSON lying on the ground, snow thick with blood around her.

FADE OUT:

Monday, January 14, 2013

Short Story Based off old Photos - "Mind"


            In class this week we are reading the story Miss Peregrine's Home for Unusual Children. Based off the book we had to write a short story about odd photos that my teacher picked out. This is my little story based off some of the photos.

 Mind 


It was cold I felt a like I was going to die right there, but then I could see a black blur that came close to me.  I tried to move my hands to push it away but I could only get them a couple inches off the cold wet ground.  Then a feeling a warm soft hand gliding over my face and a girl spoke.  
“Everything will be ok… ”
 That was the last thing I remember before it went black.

-*†*-

When I woke up I felt warm and some how I ended up in a bed. I tried picking my self up with my shoulders and elbows, but I felt a sharp pain in my head and the right side of my chest that went down to my legs.
Laying back down I looked around. I was lying in a small room that had white wallpaper that was chipping off the wall. The room was filled with beds and doctor’s supplies and rows of shelves. There was one window and I could see a warm yellow light coming through.
“It must be the morning…” I said softly
Then the door opened and a woman with short blond curly hair and a long white coat came in with a clipboard in her hand. Her gaze fell from the clipboard as she put it on the desk. As she turned away from the desk she looked at me.
“How are you feeling, love?” she asked, walking over to me with a smile.
“My head is killing me,” I moan trying to pick my self up again and feeling the sharp pain once more in my side.
“I bet, you looked pretty bad when you came in.” She walked to one of her many cabinets. She looked like a kid playing with her favorite toys. Each bottle she touched looked like it brought her happiness and warmness to her.
“Aw, here we go,” she pored out two pills and hands them to me with a cup of water. “This should get the job done.”
I shoved them in my mouth and took a big drink of the water.
There was a picture sitting by my bed it was a group of girls in a uniform with guns in each one of their hands. They look happy with themselves and I can see why it looks like they won and an event.
Then out of nowhere the door opened again. This time it was young a girl in her mid-teens with long straight hair and blue eyes. She was wearing some sort of uniform it was a tan coat with big gray pads on the elbows and dark gray skirt. She was in the photo with the girls and the guns. Standing in the the very back and looking to the left. 
She looked really happy as she walked over to join us. “ How are you feeling,” she asked.
“Better”
“ That’s wonderful, when I found you, you looked liked you were dead. I saw you fall from the train and you hit your self pretty hard.”
I sat there puzzled. What did she mean I fell from a train?  I do not remember a train or that I fell.
She came and sat on my bed. “ What’s your name? Mine’s Kate and this is…” pointing to the doctor, “… Mrs. Benson.”
My mind went blank, “I don’t remember …” Tears started to fall down my cheeks.
“Oh the poor dear she lost her memory.” Mrs. Benson said sadly as she handed me a napkin to dry my tears.
            Kate stood up quick, “ I will be right back, stay here.” She said as she run out of the room. I looked up at Mrs. Benson as I dried off my face. Mrs. Benson smiled, “ Miss Kate was the one the brought you here and she has came every day to check on you.”
            “How long have I been out?”
            “A week.”
            After that I just sat there with my mind trying to think and see if I could remember anything. “Was there anything with me that will tell me who I am?” I asked.
“Oh maybe.” She left the room but quickly came back. “Kate found this with you.” Mrs. Benson handed me a metal bracelet.
My fingers rubbed over it. It felt like this was really important to me, but I cannot put my fingure on it.  Then I flipped it over and it had the name Grace engraved.
“Grace…” I repeated
 Mrs. Benson softly put my hand on my shoulder, “Things will get better sugar, and we will get you set up until you remember. “
            In no time the door opened again and Kate entered and ran to me. “I just talked to my father and he said you can say with us. Also my father is the head master of the local school so you can go to school with me too.”
            “Ok, but wouldn’t I be a burden?”
            “No! It will be fun to have a friend at home and someone to talk to. Please come and stay with me. Where else are you going to go?
            “Ok”
            “Yay!” Kate started to jump up and down.
            “That is wonderful!” Mrs. Benson grinned. “But Kate, she needs to heal more first before we move her and she needs her rest so off you go.”
            “Wait..” I added, “ You can call me Grace. I think that is my name.”
Kate looked at me with a smile, “ Ok, Grace I will see you tomorrow.” She waved as she left the room.
Mrs. Benson walked over to my bedside, “You need to get your rest we will talk more later.”
            “Thank you,” I said, as I laid back and fell back to sleep.

-*†*-

            Two weeks later I felt so much better. I can final walk and leave to stay with Kate and her father. I said my goodbye to Mrs. Benson and told her that I will come a visit.
            I waited out side with Mrs. Benson, for Kate and her Father. It did not take long for a nice red car to pull up next to us with Kate hanging out the window. “Hi Grace and Mrs. B!” she yelled.
Kate’s father got out of the car. He was a tall man in a nice black suit, but he was not wearing his topcoat. His hair was short and blond, with a cigarette in his mouth. “You must be Grace, my little girl talks about you a lot. My name is Mr. Milton” He smiles as he took out his cigarette from his mouth. I shook his hand.
            Kate came over and flung her arms around me and gave me a big hug.  “Are you ready Grace?
            “Yep”
            Kate and I got into the back seat. We waved to Mrs. Benson as we drove down the main road.
After a long drive we then turned on to a dirt road. Trees were going by so fast, but soon the car started to slow down. There was a lake in front of us and at the edge was a huge house made out of bricks. It looked like an old gothic house from the outside and had five levels. It was a beautiful home.
            Kate looked at me “So what do you think of home?”
            “This is were you live?” We pulled up next to the massive house and Mr. Milton parked the car.

….. WILL BE CONTIUNED…………