Dali

Just been to a Dali exhibition. Noticed this painting which kind of reminds of the Handmaid's Tale and it's exactly how I hoped the story would end.

Salvador Dali- Departure for the Great Journey
from "Divine Comedy", 1960

Holes- Analysis

It is my great pleasure and honour to announce that I’ve finished the book!

As I’ve no intention of boring you to death, I’ll skip the bit about the book being a children’s novel J and proceed with my analysis.

The University of Texas at Austin, College of Fine Arts-Theatre production

The plot is well thought out and nicely structured. The drastic switch of the stories (Stanley’s-his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather’s &Kate Barlow’s), is quite a common technique to grab the readers’ attention, which seems to work well in this case. Also there seems to be a lot of repetition going on throughout the whole story but I’m not sure if that’s considered to be a flaw or a strength in the author’s writing style. Take the verbal and factual repetition of the word “Girl Scouts” for example, for me at least, the over-usage of this word killed the carefully injected irony at the end of the story. (Mr. Sir is constantly reminding the boys that they aren’t at a Girl Scout Camp and in the end Camp Green Lake becomes a Girl Scout Camp.)

The fact that the separately told stories of Stanley, his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and Kate Barlow turn out to be all closely connected with each other, leads to a satisfactory ending. However, apart from being satisfactory, these connections also prove to be rather predictable and I daresay primitive, as they don’t come as much of a surprise to the reader. (The curse wears off when Stanley carries Zero up the mountain.) Thus, for the curious and enquiring mind, it’ll simply fail to suffice.

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And with these last words, I bid my farewell to you all. 

:)

Holes- Character Prediction/Development

Whilst reading, we can witness how Stanley gains personal strength, along with some physical strength during his time at the detention centre-as I’ve mentioned earlier. So I’m rather convinced that he will eventually build up self confidence and succeed in standing up for his own rights, which may deteriorate his relationship with X-Ray and his followers but strengthen his bond between Zero, who sticks with Stanley through his physical and emotional journey.

 I’m not sure how he’ll come to discover the real story of Kate Barlow but a certain happy ending is inevitable (especially in children’s novels), therefore in order to reach that ending, he ought to find a way to prove that the Warden (and her followers) is nothing but a liar and a fraud. Furthermore, I really wish to discover a better and perhaps more reasonable explanation for the draught that has been going on for hundreds of years. However it may turn out that the curse is the only explanation (after all, it’s a children’s novel). Who knows, maybe after Stanley finds out where Kate Barlow’s treasure is hidden, it’ll suddenly start raining. Oh how very much like a fairy tale...

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Holes- Character Analysis

Stanley Yelnats

Overweight. No friends. Constantly bullied. Unlucky though he may seem, Stanley always carries the hope that his luck will eventually turn around.

Seeing that the Camp Green Lake is his only chance for making some friends, he was at pains to get along with everyone, not realising that he has to compromise himself along the way. At first glance everyone seems rather friendly... as long as you don’t threaten their authority. So Stanley keeps quiet and does as the leader of the gang, X-Ray pleases (a green one our Stanley is, eh). However under the furious sun, the reader and Stanley himself come to a conclusion that “his muscles and hands aren’t the only parts of his body that had toughened over the past several weeks that he spent at the punishment centre. His heart had hardened as well.” Thus he begins to loosen his grip on his naive side that always seems to tail his optimistic characteristics and learns that his true loyalties ought to lie with the friend(s), he can more easily rely on. Still, he hasn’t gained enough confidence to make a decision, which will firstly serve his interests.

Not to worry Stanley, my boy! We expect great things from you, no pressure of course ;)

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Holes- First Impressions continued

The funny thing I noticed whilst reading, is that the poor boy doesn’t even show the slightest hint of frustration towards the unjust treatment he receives and well, neither do his parents. Instead, he goes on to blame it all on the curse of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-grandfather. However, despite the curse, after stealing a pair of sneakers he turns into a “cool, tough” guy and finally makes some friends.(Before that incident he was constantly bullied, as he's overweight)

The style of the writer is quite straightforward which enables an easy reading experience and the flashbacks add an interesting twist to the otherwise ordinary storyline. However I dare say this (children’s) novel is not really my cup of tea. To be honest with you, I find the author’s portrayal of the children in the juvenile detention centre far from “tough” or “cool”. On the contrary, I find it rather amusing to imagine a gang of 13 or 14-year olds, walking around together and occasionally spitting on the ground in order to toughen up their image.

There you go, found the movie adaptation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4otuGN0nts

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Holes- First Impressions

New Book!

‘Hem ‘hem. Well it is lovely to be back, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking up at me! (Of course it’s only in my head, but why on earth should that mean that it’s not real?) Now then, enough of these Harry Potter references, let’s move on to another series of blog entries, this time about a children’s book called “Holes” written in 1998 by American author Louis Sachar.

Firstly I want to make it clear that this is not a book of my own choice but a school assignment. Now,  having that said I shall conclude the introduction bit so as to rise to the challenge by limiting myself to an upper limit of 250 words per entry.

The plot revolves around a middle school boy called Stanley who is sent to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Correction Facility for a crime he did not commit. Contrary to popular belief, Camp Green Lake is neither a lake (it has been dried out hundreds of years ago), nor a proper camp. Well, if you count waking up at 4:30 to dig up holes all day for no reason except perhaps for “turning into good boys”, "proper camping". Surely there is another reason for digging up holes and I believe it’s quite obvious that the camp’s officials are looking for something buried deep under the crusty surface of the “Lake”. 

To be continued...

sorry, I simply can't write short entries so I'll just divide this one into two parts :) I won't be breaking any rules now, will I ?

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The Handmaid's Tale - Analysis

What A Devoted Student !

See? Even on New Year's Eve !

They say how you spend your New Year's Eve, determines the quality of your new year or what you'll be doing throughout the whole year and for that reason I dare say mine will require a lot of hard work which hopefully will not be in vain. Just so you know, with this last entry I shall conclude my blog, so if you are still there please bear with me.

As I've mentioned earlier (in my very brief first entry), the style of Margaret Atwood's writing flows like a long stream of consciousness, though the tone of the narrator -Offred- is full of sharp sarcasm and irony.During the entire book, we observe our heroine's strugle to hold on to the reality, whilst her flashbacks are ready to seize her by her skirts and drag her along the depths of her mind, to take over completely. The repetition of such events can be comprehended even from looking at the table of contents on the very first page of the novel. The chapters entitled "Night" represent the empty moments when Offred is left in solitude , though accompanied only by her storming thoughts. Despite all her inner struggles she finds comfort and safety in the new system she is trapped in, since "people can grow accustomed to anything as long as there are a few compensations." In her case her relationship with Nick enables her to tolerate the restrictions imposed on her. The new regime seems to have taken all the strengt in women away , leaving them helpless and powerless, whereas the constant repressions have silenced the remaining dissidents. The only restriction women can oppose is the one imposed on their thoughts , as they are safe in their minds , thus they find it far easier to shut themselves from the reality on any occasions of emergency, which requires an immediate action. However when it comes to the hatred they harbour for men, who are responsible for everything they have been through, a scapegoat serves as an outlet for their rage during Salvaging, a system devised by the government of Gilead in order to prevent any kind of upheavals.

Finally I simply can't hold myself back from commenting on the Historical Notes, as I have spotted a flaw which had previously resulted in the establishment of the regime of Gilead.The professor and the whole group of people he lectures are far from being moved by Offred and her trauma. They are very remote to the world Offred lived in, which I think shows that their patriarchal leanings remain the same as the previous generations. If men fail to overcome their selfishness or "the need to restore the meanings to their lives" as they call it (and if women can't step out of the safety of their thoughts) we are doomed for eternity. Thus such fate is not far off but imaginable...

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Oh and happy new year! :) 

*I have also found out that there had been a theatre adaption of the book and here is the link for further information:
http://www.thecincinnatiherald.com/news/2011-02-05/Events/World_Premiere_of_Modern_Classic_The_Handmaids_Tal.html