A Star Called Henry

ISP Blog #7: The Godfather

2009-05-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

The final screenplay that I examined was The Godfather, by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. This film is an absolute classic, and is considered by the American Screenwriters Guild to be the second-best screenplay ever written, after Casablanca. The story is a crime drama that centers around the themes of revenge and family honour. One of the strongest aspects of The Godfather is its use of suspense throughout the screenplay. The Godfather is an extremely long script, and without the suspense generated by the compelling narrative and the tension between characters many readers would lose interest. Perhaps the biggest lesson I've learnt from reading this screenplay is how to change the setting without losing the momentum and suspense from the previous scenes. The Godfather has several distinct sections, and the plot in each is driven by the events and unresolved conflicts of the previous section. In this way, the reader does not lose interest when the narrative shifts drastically. The use of characters with opposing personalities and agendas does an excellent job of creating conflict. It is this creation of conflict and suspense that I hope to emulate in my screenplay.
The Godfather is a classic in every sense of the word. The only possible weakness in the screenplay is its length. The length of the screenplay sometimes makes it difficult to recall past events, yet the excellent writing and characters keep the plot moving forward so that the reader is not continually trying to remind themselves of what happened in the past. The reader is constantly rewarded for reading more of the script, as the intentions of many characters are hinted at before a climax is reached. I would highly recommend both the screenplay and the movie of The Godfather to any reader who enjoys, not just crime drama, but drama of any kind.

ISP Blog #6: Withnail and I

2009-05-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

Withnail and I, by Bruce Robinson, is the hilarious tale of two young men living a penniless existence in Camden Town, London. Marwood, a writer, is living with his friend Withnail. Withnail is a struggling actor who is having difficulty coping with his repeated failure to get a role. Couple that with his melodramatic disposition and his alcoholism and perhaps the best way to describe him would be the first full line in the screenplay, "I have some extremely distressing news. We've just run out of wine. What are we going to do about it?" Both men are fed up with their way of life in London and resolve to go on vacation to, "get away from it all." Withnail's uncle Monty, a fat, effeminate man, lends Withnail his cottage in Wales, and Withnail and Marwood set out in a battered jag, resolving to stay the week. Upon their arrival, however, they discover that they have no idea how to survive on their own, and hilarity ensues.
The thing that I enjoyed most about this screenplay was the characterization. Each of the characters has a distinctive personality that is showcased throughout the screenplay. The conflict and interactions that take place between these different personalities is what keeps the reader interested during Withnail and I. Another strong part of the screenplay is the snappy dialogue between different characters. This witty banter is absolutely hilarious. As a reader, I was so entertained by hurled insults that I couldn't put the screenplay down.
The humour in Withnail and I is a double-edged sword. The humour is primarily British, and is hilarious if you find that type of humour amusing. However, if you do not understand British humour, then the screenplay is filled with lost opportunities. Luckily for me, I am well versed in British humour, having grown up on such shows as Monty Python's Flying Circus and Ab Fab. Overall, Withnail and I is a wonderful misadventure that will keep you entertained for the entire course of the movie. The humour does make it appeal to a somewhat smaller audience, however I encourage you to give it a try anyways. You won't be disappointed.

ISP Blog #5: Little Miss Sunshine

2009-04-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Sunshine is a film about a dysfunctional and destitute family’s journey to a beauty pageant for their youngest daughter. Along the way, the various members of the family eventually come to terms with their differences and settle their various disputes. The screenplay was written by Michael Arndt, and resulted in an Academy Award winning movie. One of the biggest themes of the screenplay is the reparation of past differences between the many characters. Each of the characters in the Hoover family has their own problems, many of which are related to other family members. For example, when Frank asks Dwayne jokingly if he has a girlfriend, Dwayne responds by giving him a note that says, “I hate everyone.” These conflicts continue to escalate to a fever pitch until each of the family members comes to a realization about their beliefs and dreams. Richard understands that life is not as simple as winning and losing, while Dwayne, despite being pronounced colourblind, endeavors to continue pursuing his dream of flying. Arndt does a wonderful job of giving voice to the feelings of the Hoover family. He also has a great sense of sarcasm and uses this to great effect in order to create humour. It is, however, his mastery of character conflict and resolution that I hope to use in my own screenplay. This sort of conflict drives the narrative of screenplays forward and draws the audience into the world the writer has created.
Arndt leaves his characters’ backgrounds deliberately vague, which I believe might work against him. After reading about just how dysfunctional the Hoover family is, I think that there might be a general desire among readers to learn how they became this way. While we can glean small parts of their history from implied statements, many of the details of the Hoover family’s history are left out of the screenplay.
There is a certain vagueness about Little Miss Sunshine that leaves you wanting to know more about the characters, but ultimately the strong writing and changing relationships of the many characters succeed in grasping your attention. You want them to solve their differences and reconcile themselves with other members of the family. This creative, yet poignant plot makes Little Miss Sunshine an excellent screenplay to emulate.

ISP Blog #4: Capote

2009-04-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

In my last post I commented on how certain screenplays seem to just jump off the page and come alive in your mind. Capote, by Dan Futterman, is a perfect example of this enticing screenwriting. I was drawn into the narrative to such a degree that I actually began to visualize the scenes in my mind, creating a sort of imaginary movie to match the narrative of the screenplay. The experience was more comparable to reading a novel than reading a screenplay. Even the many minor characters in Capote were detailed, but the characters of Truman Capote and Perry Smith are both masterfully portrayed. Their shared hardships and their individual moral struggles are both portrayed in stark, unforgiving detail. The narrative drives the emotional plot forward at a relentless pace, to the point where it becomes difficult to read about such powerful emotions. The final scene, in which Perry is being led to the gallows, was so engaging that I literally couldn't tear my eyes away from the final dozen pages. The clever use of quick scene changes with short, but meaningful dialogue between Truman and Perry took care of that.
Capote is a shining example of what a screenplay should be; a mesmerizing, thoughtful, and effective story that captures the imagination of an audience. The only suggestion I have to make the screenplay better would be to introduce Truman in a bit more detail at the beginning of the screenplay. Futterman assumes that his audience already knows about Truman's life, which might leave some audience members in the dark. Other than that small correction, I wouldn't change a thing about Capote, for which Dan Futterman should receive credit for writing, what is in my opinion, one of the best screenplays ever.

ISP Blog #3: Annie Hall

2009-04-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

Woody Allen is a renowned screenwriter, famous for such movies as Manhattan and Sleeper. He also stars in many of the screenplays that he writes. Annie Hall is one such screenplay, and is arguably one of Allen's most popular films. The film follows the unusual relationship between comedian Alvy Singer and aspiring nightclub-singer Annie Hall. The screenplay is primarily an examination of Alvy and Annie's unique personalities and both the differences and similarities between them. Each step of their relationship is covered, from the moment they meet to their inevitable break up. This is done through the use of numerous flashbacks. While many critics accuse flashbacks of being a hallmark of weak screenwriting, they are used to great effect in Annie Hall. The flashbacks in the screenplay incorporate the present-day characters into the flashbacks themselves, where they observe and comment on the scene that they are observing along with the audience. This is an interesting and different way of using flashbacks in a screenplay, and it helps to attract the audience's attention. It also makes them feel more involved in the screenplay, since the characters are observing their own past actions with the audience members, and are sharing similar observations.
While I enjoyed the movie, I found that the screenplay of Annie Hall was much less engaging. The screenplay is so focused on character that it is difficult to connect to the characters without an actor portraying them onscreen. The dialogue is similarly dry without an engaging delivery from the actors. It was simply too difficult to care what happened to the characters after only reading the screenplay. Certain screenplays seem to jump off the page when you read them, but Annie Hall was not one of these, making the screenplay quite tedious to read through.

ISP Blog #2: Casablanca

2009-04-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

Casablanca has been critically acclaimed as one of the best love movies ever made. As such, some of the strongest points of the script are the interactions between the characters. The conflict between Ilsa, Rick, and Victor is enhanced by strong, yet simple dialogue. None of the characters try to be too eloquent in their dialogue, and strangely enough for a love story, this seems to work in their favour. The dialogue is crisp and blunt, which also helps to set the mood for the screenplay, since it is set in a dark period of human history. Rick's developement as a character is especially strong. At the beginning of the screenplay, he is a cynical, pessimistic person who, in his own words, "sticks his neck out for nobody." Helping Victor and Ilsa escape, however, reawakens the Another strong point in the screenplay is its use of dialogue directions. This helps the actors set the scene and read the dialogue the way the screenwriters imagined it to be read. Without many of these dialogue directions, the screenplay might have been interpreted differently by the actors, which in turn might have lead to some scenes being rendered less effective.
One criticism that I have of Casablanca was that I would have like to have seen more conflict between Strasser and Victor. Near the beginning of the screenplay Strasser and Victor have a heated conversation about Czechoslovakia, which has been occupied by Nazi Germany. I expected more conflict between these two characters, yet suprisingly, they interact very little after their first meeting. It just seems like a missed opportunity, since the two characters naturally oppose each other. Despite my criticism, I still feel that Casablanca has more good literary qualities than bad ones. It is a very good model for the character development and interaction that I hope to have in my screenplay.

ISP Blog #1: Juno

2009-04-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

The first screenplay I read for my ISP was Juno, by Diablo Cody. Even after reading the first few pages of the script, it was evident that humour is an integral part of Diablo Cody's screenplay. Cody's style of humour is somewhat brash and crude, yet it fits perfectly with one of the main themes of Juno, which is adolescence. Sarcasm is also used very well, an example being when Juno's friend, Leah, asks Juno where she is going to get her abortion, to which Juno responds, "Women Now, I guess. The commercial says they help women now." The strong characters that are presented in the script are also a strong point. The character development of each major character furthers the plot of the screenplay, and vice versa. I intend to emulate this strong correlation between character development and plot in my own screenplay. Cody is also very specific about stage and camera directions when needed, but still leaves enough room to allow the director and actors to exercise their own creative freedom.
One aspect of Juno that I didn't think worked was the periodic use of voiceovers throughout the screenplay. I felt that the voiceovers interrupted the flow of dialogue and didn't really add to the plot or Juno's character. While often funny, there really doesn't seem to be any need for disconnected thoughts to wander into the narrative.
Overal, I think that Juno is an excellent screenplay. It is lighthearted, but still touches on vital issues in our society today. It is also an extremely detailed piece. Having seen the finished movie, I was surprised about just how much of the specific directions came directly from the script. It also surprised me how precisely they were laid out initially. With the exception of the use of voiceovers, which I felt were uneccessary, I feel that Juno gives many crucial examples of how to lay out a screenplay effectively and accurately.

In a Sunburned Country #2

2009-03-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

The first stop on Bill Bryson's train voyage is the town of Broken Hill, where he and Trevor, the photographer accompanying him on this trip, are to meet their guides. These two guides, named Sonja and Garland, are to take them 250 kilometers north across the outback to the community of White Cliffs. The plan is to then turn around and return to Broken Hill, where Bill and Trevor would rejoin their train.
During the trip, Bryson combines his own experiences with historical information that he has researched. These short history lessons are useful and informative. Not only do they give the reader a better understanding of the area, they also inform the reader about topics that are not general knowledge for most people. For example, in this section Bryson details the numerous early expeditions that were undertaken by Europeans to cross the Australian Continent. Most of the expeditions were shockingly poorly equipped and often ended in tragedy. The most notable of these doomed expeditions was that of Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills. Their so-called Great Northern Exploration Expedition set off in on August 19, 1860. The Age newspaper in Melbourne commented on the final result of the expedition, "some are dead, some are on their way back, one has come to Melbourne, and another has made his way back to Adelaide...the whole expedition appears to have been one prolonged blunder throughout."
Finally, Bryson arrives in Perth and spends several days sightseeing in the surrounding area. Unfortunately, this particular trip is nearing its end, but Bryson assures the reader that he will be back for more.

In a Sunburned Country #1

2009-03-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

In a Sunburned Country is a novel written by American author Bill Bryson. The novel is about all things Australian, and details Bryson's travels throughout Australia. The first fifteen pages or so of the novel are spent familiarizing the reader with the country of Australia itself. Bryson admits that, "the fact is, we pay shamefully scant attention to our dear cousins Down Under." This observation is very true, since I can attest to the fact that, while I am aware of its existence, I know little else about Australia. Perhaps this is because, as Bryson suggests, "Australia doesn't misbehave. It is stable and peaceful and good. It doesn't have coups, recklessly overfish, arm disagreeable despots, grow coca in provocative quantities, or throw its weight around in a brash and unseemly manner."
Whatever the reason, Bryson sets out to tour the whole of Australia in order to give us a comprehensive look at a country that we have heretofore paid little attention to. He begins by giving a quick overview of the discovery of the continent by Captain Cook and the resulting colonization. The strange wildlife of Australia is also first mentioned here, namely the extravagantly varied array of animals that can kill you in many different ways.
Bryson also describes the torturous fourteen hour flight from North America to Australia, which is where his distinct style of writing becomes apparent. The witty and self-deprecating humour that Bryson is so well known for is tremendously entertaining. After finally arriving in Sydney, Bryson meets up with a reporter and photographer from the Sydney Morning Herald, who take him boogie boarding, where he is almost stung by a Portuguese man-of-war. Unperturbed, Bryson boards a train which will take him across the Australian outback to Perth, and from there make a round trip back to the Eastern coast.

David Bergen: And You Arrive on the Other Side With Nothing

2009-02-04T15:11:00.000-08:00

David Bergen's piece, And You Arrive on the Other Side With Nothing, is a story in which his faith plays a significant part. Bergen's faith manifests itself both in his memory and in his everyday life in Vietnam. Plenty of evidence can be found for both of these claims, since Bergen's own memories and his experiences in Vietnam provide him with a wealth of examples.

It is made clear in the story that Bergen was baptized at the age of seventeen. While Bergen claims, "I am a different man today, and no longer believe in a selfish salvation," he is still a spiritual man. While Bergen may not believe in an, "angry but forgiving God," he does believe in a mysterious power that somehow directs the course of worldly events, such as when he and two of his children are left standing on a sandbar after having been washed away from shore by some large waves.

During his stay in Vietnam, faith is Bergen's only way of staying sane are the acts of faith that he consistently experiences from other people. These small acts of kindness are most consistent with the social gospel idea that it is each man's responsibility to help his neighbours. Examples of these favours can been seen in such acts as Bergen's landlord's invitation to dinner, the fisherman helping them off the aforementioned sandbar, and the older Vietnamese man who is kind enough to stop and talk to Bergen for a while. As Bergen adjusts to life in Vietnam, he becomes increasingly paranoid that something will happen to his children. He seeks to control fate by becoming overly protective. It is not until the end of the novel, with the appearance of the old Vietnamese man, that Bergen learns that he must learn to trust and accept the hand that fate deals to him.

Josef Penninger

2009-01-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

Josef Penninger is considered one of the greatest scientists of our time. The advances that he has made in the field of immunology is beyond belief. In the July 2001 edition of Esquire, Mary Rogan wrote a profile of Penninger, which includes his early life, research, and the numerous scientific breakthroughs that he has achieved since then.
Rogan has evidently done her homework on Penninger's research. It is clear that she took the time to read through and understand his various scientific theses. She has then broken these complicated works down into more understandable terms for her readers. Despite this, most of Rogan's sources are people who know Penninger well. In my opinion, this makes Rogan's piece much more credible and dynamic. By using people who have been exposed to Penninger constantly thoughout their lives, Rogan manages to paint a more competent picture of Penninger's identity and his motivations. These firsthand accounts of Penninger are also much more interesting for the reader to listen to than to simply hear a boring account of Penninger's life from just another journalistic source.
Another way that Rogan increases the reader's enjoyment of her piece is through her use of style and diction. The biggest example of this in the piece is Rogan's comparison of Penninger's research to a bicycle. At several different points in the piece, Rogan returns to the metaphor of a bicycle on a hill to describe the pace of Penninger's research. Especially when the metaphorical bicycle is racing down a hill, it gives the reader a very visceral image of the increasingly furious pace of Penninger's research as he approaches a conclusion. Another good example of Rogan's style is how she periodically writes short paragraphs about Penninger's younger life. These memoirs serve the purpose of further connecting and familiarizing the reader with Penninger and his personality. These recurring examples of style and diction make Rogan's piece much more entertaining to read than a traditional biography of Penninger.

Sedaris vs. McLean

2008-12-14T19:27:00.000-08:00

David Sedaris and Stuart McLean are both writers who specialize in humour. There are both similarities and differences between Sedaris' SantaLand Diaries and McLean's Polly Anderson's Christmas Party. Both pieces use humour as a way to engage the reader. By doing this, both writers pull the reader into their stories. Humour is also used by both writers to help the reader relate to the characters. Humour also causes the reader to empathize with the main character, namely Dave Sedaris himself and Stuart McLean's principal character, Dave. This in turn creates a stronger bond between the reader and the character.

Sedaris and McLean also use misfortune and stupidity to create humour, but they each do this in different ways. Sedaris focuses mainly on the stupidity of other people, such as the two loud New Jersey families that come to visit Santa at Macy's. McLean, on the other hand, uses Dave's numerous small misfortunes, which morph into larger problems, to create humour. Sedaris has a wicked sense of sarcasm, and uses it to his full advantage to create a humorous tone for his piece. For example, when Sedaris is asked why he would like to work for UPS, "I answered that I wanted to work for UPS because I like the brown uniforms. What did they want me to say?" This tone in turn creates a mocking, more serious tone than that of McLean. McLean's lighter, more trivial style of humour tends to state an obvious fact, and then contradict that fact in a humorous way. When Dave receives a note from the Ministry of Transportation saying that, "Before we can change the category code on your Driver's Licence, we must receive notification from an opthamologist of the change in your vision.," the next line reads, "Dave's vision hadn't changed in twenty years."

Although Sedaris and McLean both use humour as a way to make the reader empathize with their characters, but the way they each go about creating it is vastly different. These two different styles of humour result in the creation of two unique styles of writing, with Mclean's being lighter and Sedaris' more serious. These styles of humour and subsequent writing styles show that there are both similarities and differences between Sedaris' and McLean's work.

Acts of Faith

2008-12-08T18:02:00.000-08:00

Mary Rogan's article, Acts of Faith, details the tragic story of Tyrell Dueck, a thirteen-year-old boy from Martensville, a small town just outside Saskatoon. Tyrell was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, one of the most deadly forms of cancer imaginable. Despite this, Dr. Mpofu, the oncologist in charge of Tyrell's case, believed that there was a good chance that Tyrell would survive if his leg was amputated. Shockingly, Tyrell spoke up, saying that he didn't want his leg to be amputated. This began a series of furious legal battles over the guardianship of Tyrell. It was believed that Tyrell's father, Tim, a man of strong religious beliefs, was influencing his son's decision. During this legal battle Tyrell was diagnosed with cancer in his lungs, reducing his chances of survival to fifteen percent at best. The Duecks were finally allowed to pursue alternative medicine at a clinic called American Biologics, located in Tijuana, Mexico. After a week at American Biologics, the clinic announced that Tyrell's lungs were cancer-free. Despite this, Dr. Mpofu stands by his original diagnosis. Only time will tell who is correct.

Numerous times in the article, Mary Rogan reflects on how she would handle the same situation that the Duecks are in. This personal reflection encourages the reader to question themselves as to what they would do. Early in the article, Mary Rogan reflects, "Here in Toronto, reading about Tyrell, I thought about my own eight-year-old son, about what I would do if he had cancer and how it would feel to have him taken away from me, either by cancer or by the government." Tyrell's case is perfect example of a conflict of interests. His death was preventable, yet it was necessary to tear his family apart in order to save him. No parent would want their child taken away from them, but at the same time, they want to protect him as much as they possibly can. I can only imagine how difficult that decision to halt chemotherapy treatments would be, both for Tyrell and his parents, and I fervently hope that I will never have to make that decision, either for myself or any children that I might have.

Instead of chemotherapy, Tyrell's family pursued alternative medicine as
treatment for Tyrell's cancer, which led them to American Biologics. Although affordable, American Biologics engages in many different forms of medical treatment, ranging from plausible to downright ludicrous. A quotation about one of the procedures terrified me. "Hyperthermia, a procedure proposed to the Duecks, involves heating a patient's blood to 108 degrees for sixty to ninety minutes." In addition to being almost sadistic in nature, hyperthermia costs about $10,000. However, according to Mary Rogan, this is relatively cheap in the world of cancer treatments, where treatments at some of the best cancer centres in the world can cost up to $100,000. This raises the question of equality. Why should a person be forced to turn to unsuccessful treatments simply because of a lack of money? It is my view that every person should be given an equal chance to survive cancer, regardless of their financial situation. Cancer treatment is very expensive, and it is unfortunate that so much talent and resources are wasted on the few patients that can pay for the best medical treatment, while the majority of people are denied the best treatments.

Many of the doctors at the Cancer Centre in Saskatoon were hurt by the Duecks' decision to
pursue medical treatment elsewhere. In Dr. Mpofu's words, "There's no consolation here. When you know that you did everything that could have been done, you always feel better. If we have given the child the best treatment that we have and it fails...well, at least we have that consolation. It softens the blow." After doing further research, I learned that Tyrell had in fact succumbed to cancer and passed away later that summer. Although I suspected that Tyrell had died, it was still a shock to first learn of his death. It is a true tragedy that more couldn't be done for him. Instead of acting quickly and decisively to give Tyrell a good chance of survival, doctors and health officials were forced to watch as the Dueck family wasted over $65,000, much of which was donated, on quack medical practices at American Biologics. Of course, all of this could have been prevented if we had produced an effective cure for cancer. Stories such as Tyrell Dueck's serve to remind us of the devastation that cancer can wreak on a family, and how we must devote more resources to finding a cure for this terrible
disease.

Alaskans Speak (In a Frightened Whisper): Palin is "Racist, Sexist, Vindictive, and Mean"

2008-11-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

Charley's James article, Alaskans Speak (In a Frightened Whisper): Palin is "Racist, Sexist, Vindictive, and Mean" disturbed me greatly the first time I read it. Even before I had read the article, the title attracted my attention. The fact that Charley James composed an article openly accusing Palin of being, "racist, sexist, vindictive, and mean" shocked me, and compelled me to read the rest of the article. Having said that, it wasn't as if I had had no idea about Palin's views before I read James' article. While following the recent American election, I observed Sarah Palin's behaviour and commentary closely. I wasn't overly impressed by her personality and even less so by her platforms. Numerous times during interviews I found myself shaking my head in disgust, wondering how it was possible for anyone, let alone John McCain, who nominated her as his vice-presidential nominee in the first place, to be stupid enough to vote for her.

My disgust, however, turned into outrage when I read some of Palin's past political experience (or lack thereof). It's beyond my comprehension of how a mayor of a town with a large oil surplus can leave it with more than $22 million in debt, and yet not have spent anything on the city's infrastructure. Even according to her own mother-in-law, Palin is probably one of the least qualified people in America to run for the office of vice-president. Not only that, but Palin is known by her colleages in Alaska for having a nasty temper. The last thing that America needs right now is a leader that evaluates ideas based on who proposes them, and not on their actual merit. It's also difficult to see how a politician who has a reputation for refusing to compromise managed to make it so far up the political ladder.

I've always suspected Sarah Palin of being a bit of a white supremacist, but I had never seen any hard evidence to suggest this until I read Charley James' article. In the face of testimony by several sources and the examination of Sarah Palin's past political career, I find myself even more elated and relieved that Americans had enough common sense to elect Barack Obama the next president of the United States. However, Sarah Palin has already voiced her intent to run for president in the next election. I hope for America's sake that she is never elected.

Obama & McCain's Speeches: Compare & Contrast

2008-11-10T04:54:00.000-08:00

On November 4th, 2008, the first African-American was elected to the office of President of the United States of America. Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech just after the concession speech of John McCain. Despite the fact that McCain's speech was a concession speech and Obama's was an acceptance speech, the two speeches were both similar and different in a number of ways.
McCain's and Obama's speeches have a similar theme, which is to attempt to unite the American people and to heal the divides caused by the election. McCain called on his supporters to, "move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again." Obama makes a similar point, in which he entreated Americans to, "resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long." There are a couple of subtle rhetorical devices that are used to evoke a response from the audience. For example, when McCain said, "I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. " He is implying to his audience that he is ready to follow Obama's lead and that they should do likewise. Similarly, Obama makes subtle references to his campaign having been founded by normal people. He told America, "our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington." In this way he suggests that the American government is not removed from the people themselves, and that he understands the problems of individual Americans. Also, both McCain and Obama end their speeches in almost the exact same way, saying, "God bless the United States of America." To summarize, both speeches praised the greatness of the American nation and the achievement of its people in electing the first African-American president.
The speeches, however, do have their differences. We must remember when analyzing these two speeches that McCain's is a concession, while Obama's is an acceptance, so naturally there were differences between the two speeches. The focus of McCain's speech is directed towards thanking the American people for their support and offering his own support to President Obama. "I urge all Americans, " he told his audience, "who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him [Obama], but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences." While McCain's speech was very gracious, however, Obama's acceptance speech, delivered to almost a million people in Chicago, was a masterpiece of rhetorical devices. Obama made numerous references to the struggle of African-Americans to achieve equality in the United States. This he did by promising to rebuild the nation, "the only way it's been done in America for 221 years...calloused hand by calloused hand." Obama also quotes Martin Luther King Jr., calling him, "a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes, we can." Arguably the best example of rhetorical devices in Obama's speech is his use of repetition. While nearing the end of his speech, Obama continually repeats his famous catchphrase, "Yes, we can," while speaking of the accomplishments of America. This repetition builds tension and excitement in the audience, and makes Obama's speech more effective as a result.
In conclusion, McCain's and Obama's separate speeches both have their similarities and differences. Both speeches praise the United States and promise to heal the divides formed by the election. However, McCain's speech is geared towards encouraging the public to support Obama as the new president. Obama's speech, on the other hand, praises the progress of America and her people. It also promises change for a nation that is in dire need of new leadership. It is in these ways that these speeches are both similar and different.

Narrative Drive

2008-10-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

Narrative drive, when used correctly, can encourage a reader to continue reading in order to discover what happens next in a story. Two stories which make excellent use of narrative drive are Home by Russel Smith, and A Perfect Day for Bananafish by J.D. Salinger. First, let's begin with Home. Smith has written this novel in the 2nd person narrative mode. The frequent use of personal pronouns such as "you" help the reader relate to the story. By never specifying the identity of the protagonist, Smith has created a situation where each individual reader can create a protagonist for the story in their own mind. This is an effective form of narrative drive because it makes a connection between the reader and the character(s) in the story, which encourages the reader to continue reading. Smith's use of descriptive and sensory detail also create narrative drive. By adding detail to his story, Smith creates a visceral world in which the reader can get lost. For example, instead of Smith writing that the protagonist simply entered a room, he goes on to describe the room as, "...brightly lit, low ceilinged, furnished with long trestle tables scarred with initials."
J.D. Salinger's short story, A Perfect Day for Bananafish also uses narrative drive to great effect. One of the ways in which Salinger does this is by foreshadowing the later events of the story. At the beginning of the story, Muriel's mother tells her that, "...there's a chance - a very great chance, he said - that Seymour may completely lose control of himself." The reader is told very early in the narrative of the story that it's likely that Seymour will lose control of himself due to his shell shock. This probability of an outburst of insanity keeps the reader interested throughout the story, wondering when and where Seymour will finally lose control. It is only right at the end of the story that Seymour finally shoots himself, which forces readers to read through the whole story until they are finally rewarded with Seymour's death. Another example of narrative drive is how Seymour interacts with Sybil. In order to lull Sybil into a false sense of security, Seymour appeals to her imagination by telling her stories. While completely false, these stories serve to entertain the reader, encouraging them to continue onwards. In this way, Salinger ensures that the reader continues to read his story right to the end.

Why Crime Fiction is Good for You

2008-10-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

In the essay Why Crime Fiction is Good for You, crime novelist Ian Rankin describes to us the elements of crime fiction and how they appeal to readers. The first thing that Rankin does is address the long-standing view that crime fiction is not a "true" form of fiction. Rankin argues that any type of fiction carries elements such as violence, mystery, deception, plot twists, and moral dilemmas, which are all found in crime fiction. Rankin simplifies this argument even further by stating that any novel must create suspense in order to make a reader curious, which encourages the reader to continue reading. The first relevant point that Rankin makes about crime fiction is that, "death never happens without a reason and the causes of death never go unpunished." However, this convention applies more to the traditional types of crime fiction, namely the whodunnit. As the genre of crime fiction has developed, authors have moved away from the tidy endings of this type of story, claiming that it is not reminiscent of the real world. This is especially true of the last chapter in the crime novel, in which the true culprit is discovered and all the pieces of the puzzle are put together. Rankin tells us that more modern crime fiction is more true of the real world, where crime cannot always be rationalized or brought to justice. This new form of crime fiction, Rankin says, provides, "a perfect tool for the dissection of society." Crime fiction is by nature satirical, and this can be seen in the traditionel whodunnit plot line of a peaceful village shocked and disrupted by a violent and unexpected crime. Finally, Rankin points out the last important aspect of crime fiction, which are the emotions evoked by the story. As Rankin says, "A well-executed narrative description can make us feel the pain of the sufferer." This is partly what makes crime fiction such a popular genre. Many people want to experience emotions such as anger, fear, and jealousy. However, the only way to experience a mix of these emotions without causing harm to others is by reading crime fiction.

One of Ian Rankin's own short stories, called A Deep Hole, is a good example of his important points about crime fiction. The main antagonist of the story is Daintry, a sort of low-level money-lender, who has a tendency to become violent when his loans are not paid back. Daintry is eventually knifed by a thug who is suspected to have been in the pay of Mr McAndrew, a former gangster who owed Daintry money. All of the deaths in A Deep Hole occur for a reason. People die as a direct result of not paying Daintry back, and Daintry himself dies as a result of beating up Mr McAndrew. In this way, death always occurs for a reason, and the cause of death is always punished. Daintry lives in a stereotypical housing project where violence and crime are a reality of everyday life. This leads into Ian Rankin's second point, that crime fiction can be used to show a cross-section of society. The world that Ian Rankin has created shows the violent and rough nature of a community plagued by corrupt individuals. This sort of world is a very real problem in reality, and steps must be taken to prevent these sorts of misfortunes from happening. The last important aspect of crime fiction is that it evokes emotions in the reader. This is certainly true in A Deep Hole. We can feel the tension when Daintry asks the protagonist to dispose of a body in a hole dug for a new highway. Readers are then led through the turmoil of emotions that the protagonist feels while he attempts to get rid of the body. These emotions oscillate between anger, fear, and panic. When mixed together, they provide an emotional roller-coaster which compels the reader to continue reading. When used together, all of these elements blend together to create a driving storyline and interesting characters, all of which pique the curiosity of the reader and encourage them to finish the story.

On Writing Ch. 32 - 38

2008-09-30T11:32:00.001-07:00

It is often thought that substance abuse is directly linked to creative endeavours. Among these creative endeavours is writing. This statement is a common misconception among the general public. Substance abuse is damaging to both a person's physical and mental state, and does not help in the creative process. Steven King argues that substance abuse has no place in writing. In his memoir On Writing, King tells the reader, "Substance abusing writers are just substance abusers-common garden variety drunks and druggies, in other words." One of the writers who is primarily responsible for this misconception is Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway was an alcoholic that defended his drinking habits by saying that he needed the alcohol because he was such a sensitive person, yet he could also handle it because he was a man. This became known, according to Steven King, as the Hemingway Defense. King also dispels this claim, saying, "Hemingway and Fitzgerald didn't drink because they were creative, alienated, or morally weak. They drank because it's what alkies are wired up to do"
King should know this. He himself had a problem with substance abuse during his writing career. This problem even went as far as King consuming Scope mouthwash in order to get drunk. King defended his substance abuse problems with all manner of crazy claims, until he finally came to his senses, thanks to his wife. According to King, "It doesn't matter if you're James Jones, John Cheever, or a stewbum snoozing in Penn Station; for an addict, the right to the drink or drug of choice must be preserved at all costs." King doesn't also doesn't like the claim that writers are a special kind of drug addict. He says, "Substance-abusing writers are just substance abusers - common garden-variety drunks and druggies, in other words. Any claims that the drugs and alcohol are necessary to dull a finer sensibility are just the usual self-serving bullshit." King addiction made him believe that he needed drugs and alcohol in order to write. In his own words, "I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to work anymore if I quit drinking and drugging." However, King's wife finally managed to persuade him to kick his habit. King made the decision that given the choice between writing and his family that he would pick his family. This decision to quit is very difficult for drug addicts, but it proves that substance abuse is not necessary for creative writing.

Memoir Reading Blog #10

2008-09-28T16:12:00.001-07:00

In their last month in Nairobi, Scott and Krystyne spend most of their time wrapping up loose ends for their departure to Canada. Krystyne plans to spend a week in Paris with a friend, then meet Scott in Tangier. Scott plans to fly across the Sahara and the Atlas Mountains into Morocco, which will allow him to fulfill his planned circumnavigation of Africa. Despite the political instability of West Africa, Scott decides to take the risk and leaves Nairobi, after many heartfelt goodbyes, and heads for Entebbe International Airport in Uganda. As Scott touches down at Entebbe, his tailwheel blows out, leaving his plane stranded at the airport. Eventually, Scott manages to get Jim Heather Hayes to fly down another tail wheel, which is then attached to Scott's plane. Now three days behind schedule, Scott continues onwards, only to run into a violent thunderstorm above the Ruwenzori Mountains. Scott manages to punch through the center of the thunderstorm after being thrown around inside the cockpit like a ragdoll. Once he arrives at the city of Doula in Cameroon, Scott is presented with another problem. The airport has run out of fuel and a new shipment is not expected anytime soon. Already behind schedule, Scott finally manages to find fuel on Malabo Island, and is almost attacked by an angry mob until an airport representative diffuses the situation. Scott also flies over the Sahara Desert without any electrical systems when his plane suffers an electrical failure and starts to drain the power from his single battery, barely making it to Dakar by the skin of his teeth. Finally making it to Tangier, Scott is reunited with Krystyne and begins to prepare to fly the final leg of his voyage back across the Atlantic. Flying back via Greenland and the Canadian north, Scott finally lands in Toronto after flying over twenty three thousand miles.

Their shared experience has changed Scott and Krystyne's view of Africa. While reflecting on his two and a half year stay in Africa, Scott mentions that his longing to return to Africa has never really left him. However, he also expressed joy at finally landing on Canadian soil. Life returns largely to its regular routine for Scott, but he never forgets his experience. He writes beautifully about his experience in Africa when a woman asks him at a dinner party, "Tell me about Africa." Scott simply cannot find the words to describe to her the geographical beauty, the corruption, crime, and poverty of African society, and the steadfast dedication of many of the aid workers stationed there. Finally, he manages to blurt out the words, "My heart is Africa...It's over there in Africa." This simple statement sums up all of the changes that Africa made in Scott's life. Africa captured his imagination, his mind, and his heart in such a way that it made him inseparable from it. This bond between Scott and Africa is expressed several times throughout My Heart is Africa and is arguably the main theme of the novel. More than anything else, Scott wrote the book with the intention of expressing the changes that Africa made in him, and how they've made him a better person.

Memoir Reading Blog #9

2008-09-28T09:30:00.001-07:00

Scott and Krystyne finally catch up with Serge again in Windhoek, and the three of them make a short flight to Sossusvlei. Sossusvlei is the site of the largest sand dunes in the world. An Italian couple run a tiny ecological guest lodge there called Kala Kuena. After a few days in the desert, the three of them return to Windhoek and depart for Swankamund. From there, they continue North, passing up the East Coast of Africa. Time becomes important here, as it becomes increasingly difficult for Scott to find fuel to supply their plane. Serveral problems develop along the course of Scott's search for fuel, as he is detained at one airport and forced to buy fuel at roughly triple the average price. His flight path also deviates considerably from his planned route, as he is forced to hop from one airport to another in search of fuel which, when acquired, has to be filtered and hand-pumped into the plane, a laborious and exhausting task. In total, Scott and Krystyne's trip took almost a month and had allowed Scott to almost completely completely circumnavigate Africa in his little Cessna. As they land, they realize that this was their last flight together in Africa, since there was less than a month left in their stay. The realization is hard for them both to take in, and adds a sense of melancholy to the landing.

Scott's near circumnavigation of Africa has allowed him to observe almost all of the differences in African culture. Africa is an extremely diverse continent with many different cultures. These cultures vary from country to country and can sometimes be in complete opposition in countries that share borders. This diversity is one of the difining qualities of Africa and is what makes it worth saving. Human civilization began in Africa, yet most of the countries in the world ignores their heritage and see Africa as a continent to take advantage of for their own personal gain. This attitude has to be stopped in order to stop Africa from tearing itself apart through poverty and intolerance. I think that too many people see Africa simply as a neverending drain of resources from their developed countries. However, it isn't simply the economy of these underdeveloped countries that we're trying to save, it is their people and their way of life that are truly important to save.

Memoir Reading Blog #8

2008-09-28T07:11:00.001-07:00

After finally arriving in Johannesburg, South Africa, Scott and Krystyne find that it is very different from the Africa that they know. South Africa is crime-ridden and has a very strong materialist culture., which further isolates the different classes who live there. Scott and Krystyne are introduced to John Battersby, the editor of the Sunday Independent newspaper. John offers to put up Scott and Krystyne for a few days, and they readily accept. They also meet Katrina, the Norwegian daughter of John's wife's best friend. She and her friend Elizabeth are also staying with John on a visit to South Africa. Somehow, Scott is persuaded to take Katrina and Elizabeth along on their trip, much to John's relief, and the four set off for Durban. They continue onwards to Cape Town, where Scott and Krystyne separate from the Norwegian girls, and then fly up to Alexander Bay in Namibia. Alexander Bay has one of the highest concentrations of diamonds in the world, which have been the source of some of the worst human behaviour in the history of the world. Scott quotes John Reader, who explains the treatment of diamond company labourers,

"The Boers and later the British South Africans needed labour to operate the mines and black male Africans were not only deprived of their land and separated from their families but were indentured into slavery. They were forced into heavily guarded compounds that held as many as thirty thousand workers, paid as little as ten shillings a week, and supervised by a brutal police force operating under the Diamond Trade Act of 1882, passed in order to facilitate the mine operators' needs..."

Alexander Bay is literally a private state within a state, controlled by the De Beers diamond company. So protective are they of their land that they have armed guards and patrol boats guarding the coastline with orders to shoot tresspasers on sight. Passing this grim reminder of corporate exploitation, Scott and Krystyne contiue to the city of Windhoek, where they intend to spend a few days in the Kalahari desert.

The difference between the East African and South African cultures are astounding. In Eastern Africa the government, though corrupt, is still composed of black Africans, and all citizens in theory have a say in a democratic process. In South Africa, however, apartheid was enforced legally until the early 1990s, but the lingering resentment and hate left over will probably never dissapear. As a result, South Africa is a crime-ridden and materialist culture, as I've already stated earlier, with the class gap still just as large as it was under apartheid. A special focus must be made by aid organizations and other nations to help restore South Africa into a nation where equal rights and priveledges may be attained by anyone. But first, racial prejudice has to be dealt with in an understanding and reasonable way.

Memoir Reading Blog #7

2008-09-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

While in Africa, Scott and Krystyne went on a number of so-called "weekend safaris" in which they would pack their plane up and make short sightseeing and camping trips. On one of these escapades, they accidentally land in Tanzania, whose airspace is forbidden to aircraft without clearance, which Scott does not have. They are captured by a group of soldiers, and forced to endure the pitfalls of African bureaucracy. After several days, Scott finally convinces the officer in charge to let them leave, but only after making a show of inspecting the plane while Scott took photos. Scott and Krystyne also get the opportunity to fly down to South Africa in order to discuss arrangement for a future AMREF board meeting. As always, Scott decides to make an adventure out of it. His plan is to fly down the east coast of Tanzania and Mozambique to South Africa, then to pass through Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Malawi back to Kenya. The first stop on Scott and Krystyne's route is the Ilha de Mocambique. The Ilha de Mocambique was originally used as an island fortress by the Portuguese, but was long since abandoned, and is now only inhabited by native Africans. After spending the night there, Scott and Krystyne continue their journey to Bazaruto, which is the complete opposite of Ilha de Mocambique. Bazaruto is an expensive island resort that has a reputation for being a playground for the rich and priviledged. Scott and Krystyne stay on Bazaruto for a night, then continue on to South Africa the next day.

This section shows the gigantic gap between the rich and the poor in Africa. Most Africans are forced to survive on a day-to-day basis, living in abject poverty. On the other hand, there is a fraction of the population of Africa that live in luxurious surroundings, usually at the expense of the grossly underpaid masses. Scott presents an interesting perspective regarding the large class gap in Africa. While walking on the beach with Krystyne, Scott is treated with a view of both mainland Africa and the Bazaruto resort. This is how he describes the view, "Below, we could see the two sides of Africa: the cooking fires of the African village flickering and the electric lights of the Bazaruto Island Resort, side by side each with its human cargo of dreams, each untouched by the other's humanity." Until this financial and social gap is corrected, Africa will never be able to become a stable continent.

Memoir Reading Blog #6

2008-09-27T13:41:00.001-07:00

This section of My Heart is Africa continues the theme of aid work from the end of the previous section. Scott and his friend David Huntington meet up for a drink one day during Scott's second year in Kenya. The subject of aid comes up, and the two have an animated discussion about the different types of aid administered. These ranged from effective to downright incompetent. An example on the latter side of the spectrum was the Italian effort to build a fish-processing plant on the shores of Lake Turkana in 1982. The objective of this plant was to provided the Turkana tribe with food and to ship the remaining frozen fish to Nairobi for sale. Unfortunately, the fact that the Turkana are meat eater and do not eat fish, was overlooked by the aid organization. Also overlooked was the fact that Lake Turkana's shoreline is decreasing by an average of eight hundred feet per year. The result of the attempt was an abandoned fish-processing plant located roughly a mile from the lake's shoreline. A more competent example is that of the missionary convent at Wamba. The Consolata nuns who live there train African girls to become nurses. This provides the girls with an education and the chance to break the cycle of poverty that so many nations are stuck in. Also, while Krystyne is visiting her family in Canada, Scott goes on a thirteen-day camel safari over the Chalbi desert. While in the desert, he reflects on how Africa has changed his life and his life's goals.

Again, there is a lot of reflection in this section of the novel. Scott's life goals have been irreversibly reshaped by his experiences in Africa. It is important that we all recognize that there is more to life than the endless pursuit of money and success. While reflecting one night in the desert, Scott tells us, "I realized on that safari, more than any other time during our stay, just how important our time in Africa had been for both Krystyne and me. How stuck we had become in Toronto, how empty the relentless pursuit of a career had become for us." Scott then continues to talk about life in general, saying, "Life has so much to offer. All one ever needs is the imagination and energy to chase down one's dreams.Something I swore I would never lose sight of, no matter the cost." By going out and chasing you're dreams you will end up a much happier person than you could ever hope to be than if you were stuck in a career in the pursuit of money.

Memoir Reading Blog #5

2008-09-27T11:11:00.001-07:00

Now confined to Wolfgang's lodge by a barrack of soldiers using the lodge as their base of operations, Scott and Krystyne meet Serge Petillon, a French photographer on a three-month photographic assignment in Kenya for a travel organization. The three quickly become friends, and soon convince the soldiers to allow them to leave the lodge in Serge's battered white Suzuki. Eventually, Serge drops Scott and Krystyne off at Maralal, a small village several hundred miles North of Nairobi, where Serge departs. Scott and Krystyne are then picked up by the Flying Doctors Service and flown back to Nairobi. Scott immediately sets about trying to recover his plane, despite the discouragement of the other pilots. After seemingly exhausting every single possibility of getting his plane off South Island, a young Aircraft Master Engineer named Denis Neylan contacts Scott and volunteers to camp out on the island with two other engineers and repair Scott's plane until it is flyable again. After four days, Denis finally finishes repairing the plane and Scott flies down with Colin Davies to inspect it. Colin goes over the newly repaired plane and brutally assesses that it is not ready to fly. The plane is taken apart and repaired again and is finally deemed safe for flight. Amazingly, Scott manages to take off and land the plane back in Nairobi, thus saving his plane from becoming scrap metal. This section of the novel also elaborates on Scott and Krystyne's experiences in Nairobi. During their two-year stay in Nairobi, Scott and Krystyne explored nearly every part of Nairobi, even the parts that are normally avoided by tourists. As a result, they made many lifelong friends from all parts of Kenyan society.

In this section it is clear that the Flying Doctors Service staff have influenced Scott's life in a drastic way. As Scott himself admits,

"The staff was passionate about their mission, with a vocation that went beyond making money for themselves or shareholders. Their attitude had an effect on me over the course of our two years in Kenya and, as a result, I underwent a transformation, a re-ordering of my personal goals. I formed insights on the subject of aid for underdeveloped countries, how it should be administered, and by whom."

The subject of aid is a tricky one in underdeveloped countries. Many aid organizations pour millions of dollars into their operations, but their solutions are only short-term and wasteful. Many aid organizations also provide lavish living quarters for their employees, alienating the aid workers and giving them a false sense of superiority. I disagree with these practices and think that these are all valid points. Aid work should not be about glamorous lifestyle or short-term solutions. The purpose of aid work is to provide long-term, sustainable, and acheivable goals in order to stabilize and develop underdeveloped countries. I think that people like the employees of the Flying Doctors Service have the right idea. They unselfishly risk their lives to provide aid to people who would likely never get any other form of help. Their example is one that should be followed by other aid organizations with significantly larger budgets. If these larger organizations administered aid in the same fashion that the Flying Doctors Service did, then Africa would be a very different place.

Memoir Reading Blog #4

2008-09-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

During their first Christmas in Africa (1996), Scott and Krystyne make the decision to fly up to Lake Turkana for a vacation. Considered politically hostile by the Kenyan government due to the actions of the Turkana tribe, Lake Turkana is nevertheless a fascinating from a geographical and sociological point of view. Scott and Krystyne fly into the safari lodge operated by an eccentric German named Wolfgang Dechter, and are soon out exploring the region. At one point a young Samburu warrior named Kipsoi attempts to sell Scott his spear. Scott offers Kipsoi a ride in his plane in exchange for the spear, which Kipsoi eagerly agrees to. Soon enough Scott, Krystyne, and Kipsoi all pile into the plane and head off to South Island. A barren volcanic island located on one end of Lake Turkana. Foolishly, Scott decides to land on the island on a stretch of black lava beach. Scott then describes the ensuing crash, "The plane's wheels sank into the sand. Too late, I realized, I was in trouble. I pulled hard on the stick, trying to hold the plane's tail from rising, but as the front tires dug deeper into the sand, the nose pitched forward, planting itself firmly into the beach." Now stranded in the middle of Lake Turkana, Scott manages to contact Wolfgang, and is eventually rescued by a major in the Kenyan army. The major, unfortunately, is killed shortly after by a rebel attack, during which his helicopter is shot down. Martial law is imposed in the surrounding area, thus prohibiting Scott and Krystyne from leaving Wolfgang's resort. During this time, Scott makes an unsuccessful attempt to rescue his plane, crashing it again in the process.

I admire Scott's determination to rescue his plane in this chapter. He was lucky enough to survive two crashes, and yet he still wants to rescue his plane from South Island. As he lifts off in the major's chopper, Scott think to himself, "As we lurched out over the whitecaps of the lake I cast one final look at my plane, lying broken and sad on the beach. At that moment I made a solemn promise to myself to return and rescue her no matter the cost." Almost every flier in Africa has crashed a plane at least once landing on dangerous landing strips, but for Scott, the struggle to get over losing a plane is much more personal, since he flew all the way across the Atlantic in his plane. The plane represents his own personal endeavor to make a difference in Africa, and he simply cannot bring himself to leave it to fall apart on South Island. Therefore, despite the discouragment of his peers, Scott begins to look for a way to rescue his plane.

Memoir Reading Blog #3

2008-09-24T16:15:00.001-07:00

After installing Krystyne and himself in Nairobi, Scott begins his task of transforming the Flying Doctors Service into an efficient aid-providing service. Scott's first impression of the Flying Doctor's hanger is very poor. The hangar is an absolute mess, with loose paperwork, spare parts, and office equipment scattered all over the place. As Scott puts it, "It was all an invitation to waste, inefficiency, and loss of money." Scott also meets many of the pilots, engineers, and nurses with whom he'll be working for the next two years. Jim Heather Hayes, Colin Davies, Benoit Wangermez, Trevor Jones, Ahmed Ali, Bettina Vadera, and David Mutava are just some of the employees of the Flying Doctors Service who have given up their livelihood in order to help other people. Scott also has the opportunity to fly with the last active founding member of the Flying Doctors Service, Anne Spoerry. Anne joined the Flying Doctors Service in 1959 and has been flying to remote areas of Kenya to dispense medical aid and advice ever since. Scott flies with her on a routine visit to a remote area in the north of Kenya near Lake Turkana. He is amazed by her efficiency and the attachment she has formed with the most remote tribes in Kenya, who affectionately call her "Mama Daktari".

The dedication of the employees of the Flying Doctors Service stuck both Scott Griffin and myself. Scott commented on the employees,

"What struck me most about working at the hangar was the dedication of the Flying Doctors Service employees. They earned pitifully low wages and could expect no personal gain from their extraordinary efforts, their desire to help others. Somehow, it reawakened my faith in mankind; here was a higher order of morality, one understood and practiced by the African nurses, the mechanics, and the ambulance drivers."

It genuinely puzzles me as to how these people's minds work. What gives a person that overwhelming urge to help others, no matter how great the sacrifice in his or her own life. All of these employees genuinely want to make a difference in the lives of other people, and I commend them for that. Hearing about the situation of some of these tribes was also a shock to me. Most receive absolutely no medical attention other than the Flying Doctors Service, which is grossly underfunded for such a monumental task. In addition to routine checkups, the Flying Doctors Service is also called on to for emergency evacuations. Car crashes, malaria, AIDS, dengue, and falciparum were just some of the situations that the pilots and nurses had to respond to in an average day's work. Their efforts yield an amazingly high success rate for such a disorganized enterprise. It amazes me that they're able to continue to work with such dedication, even when their entire organization is literally imploding around them.

Memoir Reading Blog #2

2008-09-23T11:37:00.001-07:00

This section of My Heart is Africa covers the arrival of Scott Griffin and his wife Krystyne in Kenya and their subsequent first few days in Nairobi. After flying to Djbouti from Egypt, Scott finally begins the last leg of his voyage to Kenya. Finally arriving in Nairobi, Scott is immediately befriended by his taxi driver, Michael, whom he keeps on as a chauffeur until he purchases his own car. It is Michael that first suggests that Scott stay at the Nairobi Club, a somewhat shabby hotel founded and built by tradesmen in 1921 as a protest to exclusive up-country white hotels that provided similar services. Michael also offers to show Scott the city, which he does the next day. Scott is shocked when Michael takes him to Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi, to visit his brother. Michael's brother, Isaiah, lives in a tiny, sparsly funushed hut with five other men. Unbelievably, more than 55 per cent of Kenyans who occuby Nairobi live in slums like this. This section of the novel also details some of the problems facing the Flying Doctors Service, such as a lack of funding from AMREF and the Flying Doctor's Society, the latter of which raised and controlled the funds meant for the Service. The Society, however, was completely out of touch with the operating requirements of the Flying Doctors Service, leaving the FDS nearly bankrupt.

Scott Griffin does an excellent job of reconstructing the lives of the average Kenyans. Many of them live in slums where, as Scott puts it, "The press of humanity was suffocating to the outsider." However, Scott comments on an interesting phenomenon about African slums. Many of the Kenyans who manage to raise themselves from the mud of slums such as Kibera end up longing to return there. As strange as this sounds, the close quarters of Kiberia give comfort to its residents. Another quotation that caught my interest was when Scott described Kibera by calling it impressive. He says,

"There was something impressive about Kibera. In spite of the dirt, poverty, and unsanitary conditions, there was a social order that I found extraordinary. The intensity and vibrancy of close quarters, shared hardships, and the mix of generations gave Kibera a sense of community. This enormous congregation of people, mired in pollution, without police or government, had a commonality of purpose which focused on day-to-day survival. It was unlike anything else I witnessed in Nairobi during my two-year stay there."

The way that Scott puts it, I think that it is impressive that people manage to survive, and even thrive, in such conditions. The bonds that are formed in such a way are stronger than the allure of material wealth could ever be. This experience changed the way that Scott viewed Africa, and the people that inhabit it. It certainly would have for me.

Too Bad About Mrs. Ferri

2008-09-23T10:55:00.001-07:00

When he was only eight, August Kleinzahler's neighbour was shot as a result of a mob hit. This would seem like a terrifying experience to most of us, but Kleinzahler seems to have taken it quite well. There seems to have been a great many interesting characters in Kleinzahler's childhood neighbourhood. Indeed, he is able to remember much about these various people, but only from an eight-year-old's perspective, which is somewhat different than that of an adult. Kleinzahler succeeds in retelling stories about his neighbours by telling the story as an adult, but at the same time inserting the emotions and feelings that he had in those stories as an eight-year-old. For example, he comments on his school antics, saying, "Other popular terms of abuse were "faggot" and "douche." The use of the latter is somewhat mysterious; it was directed exclusively at other males and no one had any idea what a douche bag was." Kleinzahler is retelling us the story as an adult, but at the same time he acknowledges the fact that at the age of eight he had no idea what calling someone a douche bag meant. This melding of maturity and first-hand experience make it much easier for us to associate with Kleinzahler as an young child.

Memoir Reading Blog #1

2008-09-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

The novel that I've selected for my Memoir Reading Blog is called My Heart is Africa. The novel retells the experience of Scott Griffin, a successful businessman and pilot. Griffin signed on with the Flying Doctors Service in 1996 for a two-year term. The Flying Doctors Service is a branch of AMREF that provides routine and emergency medical aid to remote African communities. The beginning of the memoir recounts Griffin's flight from Canada to Nairobi in his single-engine Cessna 180, named Charlie Foxtrot Whisky Mike Juliet. Departing from St. John's, Newfoundland, Griffin flies to the Azores, refuels there, then passes through Portugal, Algeria, Malta, and Cyprus on his way to Luxor, Egypt. From Luxor, Griffin is poised to enter Africa. After several in flight malfunctions and roughly 50 hours of flight time, Africa is within his reach.

From the beginning of the memoir I enjoyed Griffin's descriptive detail. Since this part of the novel takes place mostly in his plane, the descriptions that he can give of scenery are unbelievable. Griffin's bird's eye view of scenery as he made his way to Africa must have been phenomenal to have compelled him to write with such detail.

"Even more impressive is the night sky over the desert at Luxor. It fires the imagination. The sun sinks below the western hills of Luxor in a conflagration of red and orange, burning the desert. Suddenly, a fall of midnight blue ushers in the first magnitude stars - the early arrivals. A curtain of darkness spreads over the desert, hosting a crowd of lesser stars., the smaller stitches of heaven."

Examples of descriptive detail such as this are frequent in My Heart is Africa. They are a great addition to the novel, as they give you a sense of perspective and an image of the beauty of the natural world.

The Dog, the Family: A Household Tale

2008-09-17T04:39:00.001-07:00

August Kleinzahler has had a very unique childhood. How many people can claim that they were brought up by the family dog? Kleinzahler's entire family also have very unique and interesting personalities. This uniqueness can be seen in the form of his father's obsession with bodhisattvas, or the slave-like behaviour of his mother to his grandfather. Kleinzahler's clever use of diction in Cutty, One Rock set a light and slightly humorous tone to the novel. The antics of Kleinzahler's dog, Granny, are especially important in establishing a joking undertone to the memoir. Such trivial antics, while they appear lighthearted, have obviously made enough of an impression on Kleinzahler to have stayed with him throughout his life. Kleinzahler also does a fantastic job of describing his family. His descriptions include vivid images of his family. A perfect example of this is his sister's so-called "pixie hairdo". Kleinzahler seems to have led an interesting and eventful life, and I look forward to finishing his memoir.

The Glass Castle

2008-09-17T04:18:00.001-07:00

The Glass Castle is a memoir of the life of Jeannette Walls. The use of diction in this novel is impressive. Jeannette Walls has a very detailed way of describing things that appeals to me. Not even the smallest detail escapes her observation. An example of this precision can be seen in the first chapter, in which she describes her mother's behaviour while picking through garbage. "Mom's gestures were all familiar - the way she tilted her head and thrust out her lower lip when studying items of potential value...the way her eyes widened with childish glee when she found something she liked." The tone of Walsh's writing is also interesting. While Walsh's family was raised in abject poverty, she still grew up with supportive and loving parents. She also had a very stable household life, which is somewhat unusual for families as poor as her. When she grows up she is a bit embarrassed by her parents' financial state, but she was never bothered by their poverty while she was a kid. An example of this could be her parents refusal to let her believe in Santa Claus. They tell her that other kids are fooled by their parents into believing in Santa, and that she must, "try not to look down on those other children. It's not their fault that they've been brainwashed into believing silly myths." These creative explanations add a suprisingly brighter tone to the memoir. You would expect that Walsh wouldn't want to relive the memories of her childhood poverty, but she seems to recall those early years with fondness. This creative use of tone and diction results in a very interesting and inventive memoir.

The Ash Garden

2008-05-14T12:42:00.001-07:00

"But it's true. I felt it in his hand. His hand moves for me. He understands things when I touch him."

This quotation takes place in a Japanese aid hospital several months after the bombing of Hiroshima. Emiko's brother Mitsuo has not regained consciousness since the bombing. The doctors believe that there is no hope for him, but Emiko insists that he can communicate with her by lightly squeezing her hand while she tells him stories. This simple action of Mitsuo squeezing her hand gives Emiko hope that she and Mitsuo will triumph over the obstacles that have been placed in their path. Hope is an important theme in all the despair and pain during those months following the bombing, which is why this quotation appeals to me.

"At night he reminded himself why all this had happened. He'd close his eyes and remember that there had been no alternative. Us or them. The sad fact of the world. A tragic inevitability."

This quotation appeals to me because of the conflicting nature of Anton Böll. Anton was involved in the Manhattan Project. Throughout his work on the atomic bomb, Anton was convinced that the use of the bomb was necessary in order to save lives. After the bomb was dropped, Anton and several of his coworkers traveled to Hiroshima in order to study the effects of the bomb. There he goes through a moral crisis as he sees the pain and suffering that his life's work has caused. Anton never wished to harm anyone, but he knew that the use of the bomb would save many more lives that it destroyed. Nevertheless, Anton struggles with these emotions, humanizing him to the reader, who until now only saw his cold, scientific side.

"He returned the embrace, and as he did so, arms only half raised, half there, it looked as though he was going to be sick. I knew how hard the reverend had worked the last ten years of his life, trying to repair the damage that had been done. Working with people like me. He had lived through the war. He had seen things. But he was not ready for this."

This quotation is one of Emiko's recollections of her stay in America for reconstructive surgery. The children and their caretakers are invited onto an American TV show called This Life in Focus. This quotation reveals the double-sided nature of the American media and government. The show was aired as a public sign of regret to the survivors from the American people. Unofficially, however, the show was also used to promote American patriotism and atomic supremacy. This duality and seemingly opposing viewpoints appeal to me because they provoke new thoughts on the subject of atomic weapons.

After reading The Ash Garden, I would like to ask these questions to Dennis Bock...

1. Do you agree or disagree with the use of atomic weapons?

2. Do you believe that America took advantage of the suffering of the survivors of Hiroshima to promote their own nuclear agenda?

3. Do you think that Anton was justified to follow Emiko's life after the bombing?

We are the Weather Makers

2008-05-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

The chapter that I've chosen to precis is the twelfth chapter of We are the Weather Makers, titled, "A Warning from the Golden Toad". In this chapter, Tim Flannery describes in detail the sudden drop off in the amphibious population of the Earth. After the planet passed through its most recent climatic magic gate in 1976, scientists have noticed that an alarming number of frog species that live in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve in Costa Rica have disappeared. Among these species is the Golden Frog, which holds the unfortunate distinction of being the first species to become extinct as a direct result of climate change. The Golden Frog is best known for its bright gold colour and its aggressive mating habits. For most of the year, the frogs are very difficult to find, but for a few weeks each year, they gather together in large numbers. Marty Crump, an amphibian expert, visited the park in 1987 to further study the Golden Toad. In the following two years, however, there was only one Golden Toad sighted in total. To the best of our knowledge, this frog was the last of his species. This extinction is due to the drying up of the ponds that held the toad's tadpoles. Without these pools, which have evaporated due to climate change, the tadpoles could not survive, and quickly died out.

Here are 3 questions associated with this chapter:

1. Do you think that we are directly responsible for the extinction of the Golden Toad due to our reckless use of fossil fuels?

2. How do you think climate change will impact not only amphibians, but all animals in the near future?

3. Is our wasteful lifestyle worth the extinction of many different species?

Gratitude

2008-04-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

Hello Mr. Kertes,

I have just finished reading your new novel, Gratitude, and I must admit I am extremely impressed. Gratitude has made a deep impression on me about the many deportations of Hungarian Jews. It also amazed me that many of the characters and stories in the novel are based on the actual experiences of your grandparents' family and friends. Some of these events include the near-death experience that Marta has in the gas chamber at Auschwitz, and the daring rescue that Paul attempts in order to save his family from deportation. You've also painted an image of the injustice and madness of the time. An example would be Lili's village, Tolgy, which is cleared out entirely by the Germans without warning. Lili is orphaned in that short stretch of time, and must now learn how to survive by herself. After meeting the Beck family, however, Lili becomes their principal breadwinner. Also, the many injustices that Zoli captures in his pictures also provide additional atmosphere to that dark period in history. Eventually, Zoli is deported himself, which leads to his wife-to-be, Rozsi, to commit suicide. The decision to kill certain characters also contributes to the plot. Unfortunately, Gratitude does not have a fairy-tale ending, which I think is important. Over half a million Jews were deported from Hungary during the Second World War. Very few families escaped entirely intact. It was a reality of the time that family members would simply vanish without a trace, such as Zoli and Raoul Wallenberg. Families such as the Becks had to learn to cope with these disappearances. All in all, I think that Gratitude is an extremely thought-provoking and well written book. It is important that people hear of this time in human history, and I think that you have done an excellent job of portraying it.

Sincerely,
Oliver Jones

Oryx and Crake

2008-02-17T14:21:00.001-08:00

Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood, is a novel that revolves around a man called Snowman. Snowman is the sole human survivor of an apocalyptic event that has wiped out mankind. The world has now become a wasteland through which all manner of genetically modified creatures roam. With the exception of Snowman, the only humanoid beings left are a group of genetically modified humans that Snowman calls "Crakers". As Snowman recounts his experiences, we begin to understand the history behind his dystopian society.
Margaret Atwood has done several things well in the novel. The first is her use of flashbacks. Most of the story is told through a series of flashbacks that Snowman has. These flashbacks cover Snowman's entire life, from his earliest years right up to the present. While Snowman's real name is revealed as Jimmy, the flashbacks are written is such a way that while Snowman and Jimmy are one and the same, we percieve them as two different people. Another element of the writing that worked well in the novel is Atwood's portrayal of society. Society in the early 21st century is controlled by powerful healthcare corporations which are in constant competition with each other. A privileged few work for these corporations and live in "compounds" which isolate them from the rest of society. This creates a sort of ignorance for so called, "compound kids" like Jimmy, who don't truly understand how the rest of society functions. For example, there are rumors that float around the compounds about "packs" of underpriveledged kids in the cities getting together to play loud music, drink, and copulate. While this sounds unbelievable
to Jimmy, it is not unlike the teenage culture of today, adding an element of authenticity to Oryx and Crake.
While I thought that several elements of Oryx and Crake worked well in the novel, my main source of disappointment in the novel stems from the inconclusive narrative. While Atwood describes the the downfall of humanity and Jimmy's part in it quite well, there are many loose ends that are never tied up. For example, we are never given much information regarding the time between Jimmy's friend Crake's childhood and his maturation as the leader of one of the largest health compounds in the world. Crake is also haunted by some event in his childhood, but we are never told what. While this mystery is effective to a certain degree, there are simply too many unfinished side-stories left at the conclusion of the novel. This disappointed me because the rest of the novel was so well-written that I wanted to know more background information about the various characters. However, this information was never given, leaving me with many unanswered questions.
One of the best examples of descriptive writing in the novel is throughout p. 354-368, where Crake explains to Jimmy how he plans to break the cycle of human conflict and save the human race from inevitable destruction. Crake is so smart that he has not only discovered the source of many of the problems plaguing humanity, but he has also found a way to solve them. Jimmy believes that Crake plans to do this through the use of a prophylactic pill called the Blysspluss pill, and the integration of his genetically modified humans into normal society, where they will fix the remaining problems. In reality, however, Crake creates a hostile bioform and distributes it through the Blysspluss pills, thereby wiping out humanity in a matter of weeks and leaving his genetically modified humans to repopulate the planet. This passage appealed to me because many of the problems that Crake discovers are real issues which could probably be solved by Crake's super pill and genetically modified humans. This realism made the story much more interesting, since it touched on issues which are very relevent to today's world.
The second example of descriptive writing that appealed to me was Snowman's return to the RejoovenEsense compound several weeks after the disaster (p. 274-275). Atwood does a fantastic job of giving a sense of emptiness and loneliness to the whole scene, which sets the atmosphere perfectly. This desolate atmosphere gave a great sense of loss to the whole setting, which made the reading much more enjoyable.

Ysabel Character Quotations

2008-01-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

"Ned, I really wanted to show you this place. It is seriously cool. And it may tie in to the stuff we've been finding."
This quotation contributes to Kate development as a character in Ysabel. As this quotation reveals, Kate is extremely interested and passionate about the historical sites that surround Aix-en-Provence. She often does research on them and has accumulated quite a wealth of knowledge that deals with many of these sites. It is largely due to her knowledge of local myth and geography that Ned is able to discover the location of Ysabel before Cadell and Phelan. This quotation also helps to show Ysabel's influence over Kate before Melanie unwittingly replaces her as the body that will hold Ysabel's soul.

"It matters when we love."
This quotation is part of a conversation between Ned and Cadell. Ned is furious that Ysabel has taken control of Melanie's body and demands to know how he is tied into this ancient story. Cadell responds by asking about Ned's relationship with Melanie. When Ned asks how his friendship with Melanie matters, Cadell responds with the earlier quotation. This quotation shows Cadell's respect for love and his longing for Ysabel. He loves her, and yet he cannot find her, which makes him suffer. This love of Ysabel is his main driving force throughout the novel.

"I believe I see. An ending, love? Past due, must we say?"
Phelan is also looking for Ysabel. He, as well as Cadell, is in love with her. The thing that differentiates Phelan from Cadell, however, is the fact that he has become tired of the cycle that he must endure. For more than two thousand years Phelan and Cadell have fought for Ysabel's love. The outcome is different every time, but all three are repeatedly reincarnated to resume their love triangle. While he still loves Ysabel beyond what words can express, Phelan has grown tired of his repeated reincarnation and wishes that the cycle could be ended. Near the end of the novel, Ned's intervention in the cycle finally gives Phelan the chance to rest that he has longed for. He is grateful to Ned for this action, though he still regrets losing Ysabel.

"Yesterday you entered a space I've been in for some time. When it happened I became aware of it, of you, from where I was. The family thing, I guess."
Ned's Aunt Kim is similar to Ned in many ways. This quotation reveals that she has the same gift that he does, though this gift is never explained in detail. Kim has had past experiences involving her gifts that are never elaborated on during the events of Ysabel. We do know, however, that this gift has been present in Ned's family for several generations. We later learn that this is because he is a descendant from one of Ysabel's relationship with either Cadell or Phelan. This ties Ned and his aunt to the events of this cycle, whether they like it or not.

" A friend of the woman you took. And nephew of the other one. The on who matters."
This quotation shows how Ned develops as the events of Ysabel unfold. At the beginning of the novel, Ned has no idea about the story that he has stumbled into. However, as he discovers more about his own family's history and the history of this ancient love triangle, he begins to understand how he fits into the grand scheme of things. This understanding only increases his drive to save Melanie from becoming Ysabel completely.

Ysabel Fan Letter

2008-01-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. Kay,

I have just finished reading your latest novel, Ysabel, and I must say I'm very impressed. The novel is very well thought out and is very compelling. The use of real archaeological sites and locations gives the novel a sense of authenticity while still keeping an element of fantasy. I found all of the characters very engrossing. The most engaging of these characters are Phelan, Cadell, and Ysabel. The sense of mystery that surrounds them really draws the reader into the story. Having said this, I wish that you had delved a little deeper into the story of these three characters. We are hardly given any information about them other than Phelan and Cadell are constantly resurrected to fight for Ysabel, whom they both love. Also, many times throughout the novel Ned's aunt refers to the history of Ned's family. We are told that certain member's of Ned's mother's family have been gifted with the "second sight", but we are never told what the second sight consists of or how it pertains to Ned's role in the events of Ysabel. Ned's aunt also has this unusual gift, and both she and her husband hint at some kind of secret knowledge. Ned's aunt threatens Cadell with the name "Cenwin", and Ned's uncle exchanges threats with a long-dead druid in a long-forgotten language. This isn't to say that the mystery does not build suspense, but more background information would definitely help to give the book a more linear storyline, which would engage more readers.
Another thing that I loved about Ysabel was the witty dialogue between all the characters. All the sarcastic comments really made the book enjoyable to read and relieved the tension created by some of the more dramatic scenes. The so-called "ringtone war" between Ned and Melanie was very entertaining to follow. Other elements of humour, such as Ned's constant needling of Kate about her roommate, Marie-Chantal, and the sarcastic comments that Ned's aunt and uncle trade constantly are also very engaging.
I was already a fan of your fantasy novels, such as the Fionavar Tapestry series, but I found that the themes expressed in Ysabel enthralled me and compelled me to read further. I hope that many books like it will follow.

Sincerely,

Oliver Jones

In the Place of Last Things

2007-12-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

"We better get back maybe.
All right. I'll see you when I get home.
What are you talking about?
We'll set everything right and be happy. We'll all be converted. The skies will all be promising.
What the hell? You're worse now than when you left.
I've come all the way back and then some, Skidder. I feel fine."

This excerpt reveals something of Russ' character. In the beginning of Micheal Helm's novel, In the Place of Last Things, Russ is angry and frustrated at the death of his father. This frustration makes him lash out at many of his only friends, changing their attitude towards him. Russ is especially hostile towards Skidder, whom he treats with indifference and distain. After Russ' journey, however, his attitude towards other people changes. He begins to understand that his friends want to support him, but he is pushing them away by isolating himself. He also begins to help others that attempted to support him. He does this by redistributing the $50 000 American dollars that he takes in Jack Marks' place under the guise that it was in Mike's will. In this way he is reddeeming himself in his own eyes for his failure to carry out his father's final wishes.

"The Virgin that Marks had stolen from the bus driver had been tacked to the wall above the bed. The story had not been told in the spirit of relinquishment or redress. Marks didn't even seem to care if Russ believed him. Of course he didn't care. He placed no value on anyone else's faith, not of any kind."

This excerpt reveals something about Jack Marks' character. Jack is a deceitful and manipulative person who doesn't care about anyone except himself. He is not ashamed of creating an image to draw young women towards him. This can be seen in the attraction that Lea feels for him. Jack met Lea by pretending to be cured because of his Christian faith. It is revealed later in the novel that Jack habitually seduces unsuspecting Christian girls. This behaviour shows his uncaring attitude towards others. He uses other people only to his own advantage and then discards them when they are no longer useful. Lea is a perfect example of this. Once Jack had gotten all he needed from Lea, he left suddenly and without explanation, with no intention of returning.

"I got to start over here. You're right. I got lucky. It's hard to get over being so lucky."

This excerpt reveals something about Tara Harding's character. Tara is Russ' former lover and colleague during his brief teaching career in Toronto. Tara is a caring individual who is more interested in helping others than her own advancement. After she attempts unsuccessfully to help John Overstreet's estranged wife Beth, Tara severs her ties with Russ and begins a new life in Vancouver. Here she meets Beth's father, William, and endeavors to create a family history that she can mail to Beth after William's death. Tara feels guilty in her success at establishing a new life for herself, even after she convinced Russ to pass John Overstreet, who was failing Russ' course. She feels that other people deserve a chance to start their lives over and that she does not deserve this chance. This guilt leads her to help others less fortunate than her.

"She smiled in her unshakeable faith. It was the first moment in which Russ realized she was, in truth, a little dangerous."

This excerpt reveals something about Lea Bollins' character. Lea is the teenage daughter of Grant Bollins, one of the late Mike Littlebury's friends. Lea is a devoted Christian and strongly believes in her faith. She falls in love with Jack Marks and believes that she is pregnant with his baby. She asks Russ to travel to El Paso, Texas to find Jack and deliver the news of her pregnancy to him. When Russ tries to explain to her the reality that Jack has skipped town and is not coming back, she merely laughs and says that she "knows" Jack will return. She believes that it is God's will that Jack and She be together, and that Russ is the messenger of God's will. This unshakeable faith is the basis for Russ' entire journey, as she and Skidder steal Russ' truck and leave to find Jack. Russ spends a sizeable part of the novel chasing them. After he has caught up with Lea, Russ agrees to speak to Jack. Lea's single-minded religious drive has a large influence on Russ and leads him to question his own faith.

"I'm seeing the tumour. I close my eyes and I see it. It's the size of a grapefruit but I imagine it shrinking. Grapefruit, orange, golf ball, a little pebble, then a speck of dust washed away in the blood. I see it shrinking every day and every night."

This excerpt reveals something about Mike Littlebury's character. Mike dies from a terminal illness in the beginning of the novel. His character develops through some of the many flashbacks that Russ has throughout the novel. Mike has a strong faith in God that he wishes Russ shared. He does not have the education that Russ does, and his faith often brings him into conflict with Russ' logical and scientific outlook on the world. Mike believes that he can heal himself through his faith, while Russ' refuses to believe this is possible. Before his conversion, Mike was a violent individual, but his faith changed him into a totally different person.

Islandbridge

2007-11-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

Islandbridge is one of seven Matt Minogue crime fiction books written by John Brady. The book begins with an Irish Guard officer named Declan Kelly witnessing a double murder outside a Dublin nightclub in the 1980's. He is then abducted by crime kingpin Jimmy Rynn and his hotheaded son. Rynn offers Declan his life, but is very cryptic about what he wants in return. Several months later, Declan receives a large sum of money from Rynn, who asks for nothing in return. Another month or two after that, Rynn's son is shot and killed. Declan goes to the funeral, and later receives a call from Rynn, who's angry that he showed up at the funeral. Rynn then asks Declan to find the phone number and address of a woman named Lorraine Smith. Declan then meets Rynn and refuses to do his dirty work for him. Rynn then threatens Declan's new wife and unborn child, and storms out of the bar. Declan hurries out to warn his wife, but he is killed by a car driven by one of Rynn's hired guns. The story then fast-forwards to 2005, where we find Garda detective Matt Minogue and his partner Tommy Malone investigating the suspicious death of a guard officer named Emmett Codon from a suspected drug overdose. Malone manages to revive the cold case when he finds an former drug addict nicknamed Frank Lawless who has new information on the case. Lawless tells Minogue and Malone that Codon was in fact giving inside information about the Irish Guards to criminals in exchange for money. Several days later, Lawless is found murdered in his apartment. Malone becomes determined to find Codon's killer, and begins to seek out a girl that he believes was affiliated with Codon. This leads them to a foreign man known only as George. George escapes from Minogue and Malone and later attempts to gun down Malone on a busy Dublin street. During these events the story is switching between Minogue and Declan Kelly's widow, Eimear, who has now changed her name to Maura and has married Minogue's boss, James Kilmartin. She is also working as an informant to Rynn, who still dominates the criminal underworld in Ireland. Near the end of the novel, Minogue is called over to Kilmartin's house, where Kilmartin reveals that his wife told him that she had been working for Rynn for several years. Kilmartin also shows Minogue photos of George, who was killed by Rynn. The novel ends with Rynn and Maura's arrest, and Minogue taking a well-deserved vacation.

John Brady does a good job of capturing the emotions of the several main characters in Islandbridge. The first part of the book, which covers the story from Declan Kelly's perspective, is especially well written. John Brady really succeeds in creating a sense of fear and suspence when Declan is abducted by Rynn. However, after Declan's death, the writing begins to go downhill. The plot is not exactly linear, with time periods switching from the 1990s to the present day, often suddenly and without warning. Character motives are also difficult to follow. For example, it is clear that Maura is working for Rynn, but her motives for working for him are never revealed. In reality, it would seem more plausible that she should hate him for the death of her first husband. There are also large gaps in time between the chapters.This also contributes to the confusion of the reader regarding the storyline. Finally, the rapid conclusion makes the ending quite weak. All of the novel's events can be summed up in the final thirty pages.

One quotation that appealed to me in this novel was when Minogue and Malone were questioning a waitress at a bar about a man they were looking for. The waitress was not of much help and sent them away, even though she had hinted that she knew more than she was letting on. Minogue reflected on this afterwards. "I meant how a citizen can say that to a Guard, she might help. If it suits her." This quotation piqued my interest and got me thinking about how the respect for police has decreased greatly over the years. Another was a line that Rynn told Maura after he had dropped off one of her payments for information. "Whatever else you can say about me, I keep my word, don't I." This quotation also got me thinking about the twisted sense of honour that Rynn has. He fancies himself a businessman, but in reality he's only a common criminal.

Miles: The Autobiography

2007-10-08T18:38:00.001-07:00

The book that I’ve read for my second blog report was called Miles: The Autobiography. The book is an autobiography written by the famous trumpet player Miles Davis. In this book, Miles talks about his life, his music, and all of the famous jazz musicians that he has played with over the years. In this book, Miles talks about his heroin addiction, and the many other problems that he has confronted during his musical career. This autobiography begins with Miles earliest memory, which is a small blue flame jumping off a gas stove. Miles then begins to describe his relationship with his parents and how he first became interested in playing the trumpet. Miles then talks about his first professional gig, and how he met Charlie “Bird” Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Miles’ relationship with Charlie Parker is especially complex. Miles respects his playing, but as Bird’s heroin addiction worsens, he begins to move away from Bird’s band, and begins to start his own solo career. Miles then starts up his own working band, which many famous jazz players have passed through over the years. Miles also describes many of the famous jazz clubs in the world, such as Milton’s Playhouse, the Blackhawk, and Birdland. Miles then begins to describe his heroin addiction in earnest, from when he first became addicted while in Billy Eckstine’s band, up to when he finally kicked his habit “cold turkey” more than four years later. After he kicked his habit, Miles returned to New York and experienced one of the greatest periods of musical creativity in his life. Eventually, Miles becomes sick of the racism shown to him by white critics, and he decides to stop playing trumpet altogether. During this five year silence, Miles becomes extremely depressed. He also experiences problems with his addiction to cocaine and alcohol. Eventually he breaks out of his depression, and begins to play his trumpet again. By this time, jazz is a dying style of music, so Miles re-invents his image and begins to play a more modern style of jazz/funk. The book ends with Miles career still rolling along, although he is over sixty by the time the book ends.

One of the most interesting facets of this book is that since it is an autobiography, it is written in Miles’ own hand. If you read the afterword of the book, you will find that initially many critics canned the book because of Miles’ use of language. However, this style of writing is what gives the book its character. The language adds a sense of intimacy to the book. While you are reading it really seems that Miles is speaking to you personally about his life, and not just to a general audience. His honesty regarding his addiction to heroin is also refreshing. Many men would not speak as honestly about their addiction as Miles does. He recounts many of the disgraceful things that he had to do to support his habit and his many attempt to rid himself of his addiction. He eventually managed to defeat his addiction by locking himself in the two-storey guest house of his father’s farm and staying there for eight days straight while he was suffering withdrawal symptoms.

The way that Miles describes his withdrawal symptoms are very lifelike. He compares his withdrawal symptoms to many things in this particular quote, “It was a feeling like arthritis, or a real bad case of the flu, only worse. The feeling is indescribable. All of your joints get sore and stiff, but you can’t touch them because if you do you’ll scream. So nobody can give you a massage. It’s the kind of hurt that I later experienced after an operation, when I had a hip replacement. It’s a raw kind of feeling that you can’t stop. You feel like you could die and if somebody could guarantee that you would die in two seconds, then you would take it.” This quote appealed to me because I admire Miles’ determination to rid himself of his heroin addiction. I think that it takes an amazingly strong person to simply stop using such an addictive drug altogether. Because of this quote, you can also imagine how difficult it must have been for him to stop. Another quote that appealed to me was when Miles described how he once knocked out his best friend Max Roach because Max tried to attack him while he was addicted to heroin. Miles said that, “That wasn’t the real Max Roach screaming in that club at me, just like it wasn’t the real Miles Davis who had been a junkie all them years. Drugs was talking for Max and so when I hit him like I did, I didn’t feel like I was hitting the real Max that I knew. But that shit hurt me real bad, real bad, and I went home and cried like a baby in Frances’s arms that night, all night.” This experience is an excellent example of how people act differently when under the influence of drugs. I think that it’s important that people realize how easily drugs can ruin the relationship between the user and his or her friends and family. Max never held it against Miles, and he later managed to beat his addiction by following Miles’ example.

A Star Called Henry

2007-09-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

One of the books I read over the summer was A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle. The book follows the fictional life of Henry Smart. Henry in born in Dublin, Ireland, into a poor family. His father, Henry Smart Senior, is a one-legged whorehouse bouncer who also works as a contracted hitman. Henry abandons his family along with his younger brother Victor when he's only five years old. They quickly learn to survive in the slums of Ireland, that is until Victor dies of consumption and leaves Henry alone. The book then jumps forward several years to the Easter Monday Revolution in Dublin in 1916. Henry is now a soldier of the Irish Republic and barely manages to survive the British attacks, but not before falling in love with his former schoolteacher, Miss O'Shea. Henry then goes into hiding as a dockworker in Dublin until Michael Collins revives the Irish Independence movement when he returns from jail. Henry officially becomes a member of Sinn Fein, and begins recruiting men to drive the British out. He is eventually wounded in a firefight, and wakes up to find himself being tended by Miss O'Shea's mother. He later marries Miss O'Shea, and they carry out a series of daring raids against the British forces stationed in Ireland. Henry is eventually captured and imprisoned in Killmaimham Jail in Dublin. He eventually escapes, only to find out that Miss O'Shea has been captured also, but not before she has given birth to Henry's daughter. Henry is deeply changed by these events and decides to start a new life for his family in Liverpool. This is where the story ends, although Henry is still only twenty at the time.

Since A Star Called Henry follows Henry's life, there is a significant amount of character development. Henry begins his life caring about no one but himself. This is evident even at an early age by his unwillingness to share his mother with any of his younger siblings. Even as Henry matures, he cares about few people other than himself. These exceptions include his younger brother Victor and Miss O'Shea. Henry's main focus in the novel is to drive the British out of Ireland. His focus shifts drastically in the final part of the book however, when he realizes that he has been used by the leaders of the revolution. Henry then shifts his focus to trying to build a new life for his family in Liverpool. Through this change of thought, Roddy Doyle does a masterful job of conveying Henry's emotions. Anger and frustration motivate many of Henry's actions, and because of Roddy Doyle's fantastic imaging the reader really feels these emotions while reading the book.

There were several quotations in A Star Called Henry that appealed to me. The first was "Before I went to my bed that night I'd been sworn into the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the secret society at the centre of the centre of all things. I was a Fenian. I was special, one of the few. And before the end of the week, by late Saturday afternoon, I'd murdered my first rozzer." This quotation appealed to me because it gave me a small taste of what was to come in the book. This quotation reveals indirectly what will occur in the second half of the book. It hints at danger and secrecy, but it never actually reveals any of the other events until they occur. Another one of my favourite quotations is, "Three years on a stolen bike. Through wind, rain, and bullets. Henry Smart struck strange, hard blows for Ireland and disappeared." This quotation appealed to me because it added a sense of mystique to Henry Smart's actions. The line about the stolen bike especially grabbed my attention when I read the book the first time. Henry affectionally calls his stolen bike "the Arseless" which added to the irregularity of the quotation. The strangeness of this quotation was what struck me the most.