Reading Log

The Wedding

289/1070

Wilson and Jane have been married for thirty years, share three children, and enjoy a comfortable life. They appear to be the ideal couple, but  their marriage is in trouble. Wilson is portrayed as a stereotypical successful, driven and ambitious attorney. Then Wilson forgets their twenty-ninth wedding anniversary. He devises a year-long plan to rebuild his marriage and make his wife fall in love with him again. As their 30th wedding anniversary approaches, their oldest daughter, Anna, announces that she plans to wed her long-time boyfriend on her parent’s anniversary. Anna’s entire family focuses on planning the wedding celebration as Wilson simultaneously works to ensure the successful plan he had been fine-tuning over the past year. As Wilson works on his marriage he is jealous of, Jane’s father, Noah, whose love for his deceased wife shows the type of relationship most people yearn for but rarely achieve. As they desperately try to rekindle the love they once had, the memories of Noah and Allie serve as a constant reminder of the relationship they are working to emulate.

Reading Log

The Notebook


159/781


This week I started a new book by Nicholas Sparks, "The Notebook." This is a true love story through and through. Noah has loved Allie since he was a teenager. "The Notebook" is a story of heartbreaks that tear them apart and may keep them together. I feel that Sparks has the amazing ability to write about the beautiful descriptions of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl, then loses her again. It's how every person wants to be loved one day. This novel has a special love and relationship that not many people find these days. Sparks does a wonderful job of showing us that love can endure all. 

Reading Log

179/622

I finally finished The Help and it was just as I expected and more. My mind was rolling like a movie playing with all the characters. After a long car ride home the novel made the trip go by fast. I knew what was going to happen but I think I pretended like I didn't know and started coming up with random conclusions that seemed hypothetical, so I was surprised when I finished it.

Reading Log

The Help
101/443

While all of these secretive interviews are going on, Hilly, her friend, is trying to set up dates for Skeeter. Everyone is making a big deal that Skeeter is not interested in husband hunting, right now its her career. Eventually she gives in and goes on a double date with the handsome Stuart Whitworth who is very successful. That night however, he proved that he was just another obnoxious, drunk, cocky guy who is selfish. He disrespects Skeeter about her aspiration of writing and being the journalism field. As time passes by, the interviews with Aibeleen become personal. The stories of years ago and the families she was associated have their good and bad moments. Because of the death of her son, she loves taking care of babies and knowing that they love her, for at least when they are too young to know the social class of the blacks to start judging and taking their mamas footsteps. Eventually, Minnie, Aibeleen's friend, agrees to be interviewed. It was always like a routine, however, she would be impatient but talkative until she got angry or frustrated from the stories she told that she would storm out of the house, and that was the end of each interview with Minnie. The stories she told Skeeter must be so intense that not even Minnie can stand repeating.

Note #2 & Note #3

Titanic - YouTube

This collage of memories in the scenes from Titanic, Oscar winning motion picture, enhances the epic romantic disaster film.  The sad tears that are being hidden by the elderly Rose expose a sense of a time that was long ago, where young love was in the air, a free and effortless life. With the scenes of Jack, her lover, freezing in the water after the sinking of the majestically gargantuan Titanic, holding on to Rose develops a strong bond and love that will never die. The memories of the happy times, singing and dancing in the lower class section of the boat highlight intense jubilation Rose and Jack share, providing a sense of playful romance, passionate sensuality like two lovers that were meant to be. The now elderly Rose reflects back to that time when the tragic scene occurs, seeing Jack die and letting him go in the deep waters of the ocean.

Bruno Mars Grenade - YouTube


The intense music video by Bruno Mars singing Grenade reveals a time where sings his heart out about the realization of a relationship that did not work out. The piano being dragged symbolizes his love and not letting go; a pinch in the arm might help release him from his dream. Remembering of the time he thought knew was true and real, becomes a lie and is deceived. The struggle he goes through walking on the highway suggests that Mars will do anything he can to go back how things were, but in reality she is with another man. His description of the woman "gave you all I had and you tossed in the trash" seems like she treated him horribly, but knowing what he was getting himself into he did not care. The shattering of the picture frame insists the end of the irrational relationship and the feeling of betrayal and quiet revenge.

Reading Log

The Help
117/342

The novel continues and has an interesting setup. There is no set and consistent speaker throughout the entire book. The three main characters so far are telling the story but in their own individual chapter. This gives a strong perspective and gets to know the characters more deeply emotionally and physically. Miss Skeeter seems to be the only educated woman in the Jackson, Mississippi. Her hard-work at Ol' Miss is not paying off right now because she has to start from the very bottom as a journalist. After some advice from a lady in New York city she finds a job writing Miss Myrna columns, basically a questioner about household cleaning advice. There is one problem though, she has no idea how to clean anything so she is in a dilemma and struggles with her mother aren't helping. By this time all Skeeter's friends are married and having kids while Skeeter is not interested in hunting for husband, she's hunting for a job. She is described as not a pretty girl, frizzy hair and awkward. Continuing on with the columns, she finds help from Aibileen interviewing her and asking questions so she could reply back to the public. After meeting they open up to each other and Skeeter is troubled how The Help are treated and wants to let people know. She wants to write a book, interviews that show the struggles of serving for rich white families, the ups and downs. 

Exercise #3

TeenReads.com

 1. Dead To You
 2. Chomp
 3. The Disenchantments

Elements
 1. Specific and analyzed evidence
 2. Summarizes content
 3.  Discuss strengths and weaknesses