My Earliest Memory

It was a beautiful autumn day. The skeleton trees lined the playground, and their leaves exploded into huge bursts of red and yellow all around me. I couldn't have been happier! I was six, with my bright red rubber boots, tye-dye fleece coat and corduroy pants, and I could have taken on the whole world! Or at least, thats how I felt. The cow bell was dinging off somewhere in the distance, signalling the start of recess, but my mind was somewhere different. You see, in my tiny world at preschool, we had a giant dirt mound. We also had a hose! And, combining these two things, we made enormous rivers, cities of sand lining their banks, with complicated bridges spanning the river for many "miles". Anything was possible! But then...he came along. That....THING...I can't even speak his name.

CRRRRRUNCH!!! The sand castle building came to a halt as bryan stood there, his foot triumphantly fixed into my city. Godzilla doesn't pay visits to sand castles! At least, that's what I told him. But he didn't care, he just wanted to destroy my beautiful city, my...my lifes work! For the day....Bu-bu-but THAT DOESN"T MATTER, because I loved my sand city with all my heart.

Oh my. Kids are so close-minded when they're little. The big picture doesn't exist in the average six year old's mind. Oh, how simple life was then. How easy. Eat, School, Play, Eat, Sleep, Repeat. Maybe one day you slay a dragon, the other day fly to the moon. You could do anything and everything. All you had to do was think. And now....now the days of sand castle building with bryan, and dragon slaying in the backyard, those days are over. Too bad for me...

-Keenan :)

Rebecca: Imagery

Daphne du Maurier, the author of the book I read, Rebecca, is a very talented author. She has written many other books, two of which have become movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock (Rebecca, The Birds). Her books have intricate plots, multi-layered meanings and advanced syntax, and Rebecca is not exception. Despite the litany of literary elements that one could choose, I think imagery is the most visible and outstanding in the book.



Rebecca has some of the most vivid imagery I have ever seen in a book. As an example, Mrs. Danvers (the housekeeper) is extremely loyal to the late Rebecca de Winter. When Mrs. de Winter the second arrives, she feels somewhat like a child who lost her mother. She thinks that the new lady in the house is trying to replace Rebecca, and as a result feels alot of animosity towards Mrs. de Winter the second. Imagery is interlaced throughout the story, and it drives the reader to continue, and makes the book what it really is today.

More to follow.

Outside Reading Project

The book I am reading for the "Outside Reading Project" is called Rebbecca. It's about a mansion haunted by an old, faithful housekeeper. She doesn't seem quite right when you first meet her, like something is slightly odd. But, because the main character (a woman) has fallen in love with the owner of the mansion, she doesn't care, or really notice this. Now, because I've seen the movie and I remember it very clearly, I could tell you more about the plot. However, I'm not doing this, because the assignment is to read the book and report on it as you read!

Thats all for now, more to follow

Keenan

Reading, Literature Thoughts ( Blog Post Assignment 1)

Literature has remained an enormous part of life on earth for a very, very long time. Since the dark ages, monks would spend months decorating one letter on one page with the most intricate designs, and authors spend years writing and re-writing hundred page books over and over and over again. It is a definitive quality of our society, which has helped to create relationships, save lives and, in some cases, destroy everything you know and love. JK Rowling made more money than the Queen of England writing seven books. The first was on a napkin from a restaurant in downtown London. The seven books have become some of the most popular literary works of our time, translated into many, many languages (including braille) and have spurred hundreds of millions of letters, blogs, fans and alternate works including the characters and/or basic story line. But then, on the other hand, James Frey, bestselling author of "A Million Little Pieces" wrote a massive fabrication of the truth, which, at first, won him millions and even a spot on the Oprah Show. But when investigators discovered its falsification, he came out and told everyone the truth. For that, he lost all his fans, his support and the cash flow. So, you can see just how powerful literature is, and what a large part it plays in our society.

As for me, I actually haven't read much in the past few months. I mostly play my guitar or do homework. But when I do read, I get extremely wrapped up in the little word unfolding from the pages, and it turns out to be fun! Actually, right now, I'm reading a book called "Eye of the Needle" by someone I can't remember, but it really is great! Its about a German spy sneaking around in England and France. I started reading it one night, and I looked up a few "minutes" later, and it was one in the monring. My point is, although I don't choose to read often, when I do...well, I couldn't really describe it as "fun", because that's more like running jumping, super engaging stuff. I guess it's enjoyable, but the point is, I like to read, although I don't do so very often.

I guess thats all for now, more to follow
Keenan