Nothing is ever what it seems... On Mars!

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (2nd Response)

In the book of stories (Links^) The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, Bradbury uses absolutely wonderful plot twists, some obvious, others completely unexpected. In some stories, Bradbury talks about characters we honestly haven't seen in ages, brings them up, and puts them in strange situations. For instance: in one story, an old crew member (Hathaway) of Captain Wilder's is found still living on Mars, even after everyone has gone back to earth. The man and his family are living at the brink of a small town. When Wilder's crew notices that some of Hathaway's kids look a bit older than they actually are, one of them checks a nearby cemetery to find the graves of Hathaways entire family but him. Eventually Hathaway dies and tells the crew that those are really just Androids, robots that helped him keep his sanity on Mars, all alone.

When I started reading this passage, I just thought that this last remaining family would turn out to be Martians, fooling Wilder's crew and end up killing the leader of the fourth expedition. I didn't have any clue about the ending, this kept the book almost fresh. If they all ended up with the earthlings being killed by martians, It would practically be the plot of Scooby Doo. I'm not dissing Scooby Doo, but it would get dry. These plot twists have made this book stick out from other science fiction stories.

All these stories have been connected very well for just being a few pages a piece. His craft skills are uniform, but are diverse enough that all the stories don't blur together. Sorry if this one was a bit boring.

Thanks for Reading!(Its amazing you could follow that!(If you could)
  
-drat

Post Script(I need a new name for this section, anyone in the comments?)

If you were alone on a desert island, what would you do to keep yourself sane? And do you think that would actually keep you sane?

Join the soon to be stirring conversation,  Bye bye.

WE GOT ONE!!!

YAY 150 views! Thanks so much class members and other great people! Sorry, The actual post for this week is down below. THANK YOU!

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Wrath Of Mars

I am currently reading: The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury. (Now I'll post the wiki page for each book I put a response on just in case my descriptions aren't good enough) If you don't know what this book is about, it's a collection of Ray's Ideas on what would happen if people attempted to conquer mars for human civilizations. It starts in a fictitious 1999 in which several space missions to mars are explained over a period of time.

Every 'story' has an incredible literary sense, as well as an underlying  importance to the real world. Each story teaches and entertains the reader simultaneously. One of my personal favorite inputs on Bradbury, was his inclusion of the Martian's ability: telepathy, to read and change ideas in a person's mind. Several of the stories I've read so far have been involving telepathy.

My favorite was an early one, if you still don't understand after my telling of the story, the name of the passage is here: The Third Expedition. You can look it up by hitting the link above. Anyway, the story goes with the third expedition landing on, a very earth-like Mars. The astronauts are at first a bit worried that they somehow made an enormous turn and landed their rocket back on earth. They find that to be impossible so they leave the rocket to find that they have been transported to a 'heaven' of sorts.  It's really a heaven just for the deceased members of the crew's family. Each crew members house and dead relatives is just, there. They all eat a delicious meal in their own home with their dead parents and grandparents. At night we see the perspective of the Captain's house where he lies pleasantly in bed across from his brother. All of a sudden, the warnings of telepathy and its deceiving powers are realized by the Captain, so he tries to escape by getting up to get a drink of water. He however doesn't realize that his 'brother' knows he isn't thirsty (by reading his mind)and shoots him before he leaves the room. A similar fate happens to the other 20+ members of the crew, and are all in caskets by morning.

I'm not quit sure why but this is the smartest way I think anyone could write a story about people with this power. I would write of a civilization without lying, or cheating. It would really level the playing field. But no. Bradbury thought of a devious plot to abduct the earthlings by using their memories against them, to make the martians look like trustful people from their earthen life.

I'm not quite done with this book, but I think its great! If you don't read Science Fiction that often, pick it up. You may like it alot. I did.

Thanks For Reading! (It's amazing you could make it through that(if you could)

-drat

Post Script:

Do you think society would break down, or build up if humans could read each others minds, as well as changing what people see and do?

Write it in the comments! Join the soon to be stirring conversation.

Animalism Pro's and Con's

Reading Response Number Five (I think)

Animal Farm! (for this one I did some research)

Okay, I read animal farm last week. It was a very quick read and was very thought provoking. Now if you don't no what it is, Animal Farm by George Orwell (pseudonymous - BIG word)is a book written about communism and is really, making fun of it. So basically Communism is the Ideology that if everyone in a society has the same amount of power, and does exactly the same thing(same amount), and makes the same amount money, everyone is equal. (Essentially removing the 'Castes' from a society) This eventually leads to problems when forming a leader, because a leader would have more power then everyone else. Once a leader is 'chosen' it morphs into a form of dictatorship, ruining the hopes of a utopian society.

Animal Farm is basically a step by step copy of the Russian Revolution. Every character is based of a real person who affected the Revolution. For example: Old Major invents "Animalism" and preaches the word to the entire farm. (incites revolution) Old Major is based off Karl Marx, the creator of Communism, they both die before the revolution. The animals, being the people of Russia, are often mislead by: Changes in the principles of animalism, amount of food/gains, reasons for someone's disappearance, and Snowball's misdeeds. It shows how stupid a society is in it's whole, and that how little you believe in the truth of something, people forget. Your opinion is meaningless in an enormous society.

When you heard about government as a child what did you believe a perfect world would be? I personally thought of a world where there was no money, and everyone had to work a bit, but could live where ever they wanted and have whatever they wanted. Those are Communist ideas. That isn't uncommon. Even today five countries are still communist. ( China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam) To tell you the truth, I believe Communism would be great is it could work. If someone could somehow figure out a way everyone could be equal, without making leaders more equal then citizens, and it worked, it would be great.

Thanks For Reading! (It's amazing you could understand that(if you could)

-drat

Post Script:

Question to any of you that respond,

Do you believe that your American lifestyle is Utopian? Why or why not?

  

Blue Bonanza!

Reading Response: "Am I Blue" by Bruce Coville

"Am I Blue" is a story about Vince, a child being bullied by Butch Carrigan, A student at his high school. Shortly after being pushed into a pile of mud on the sidewalk,Vince meets his Fairy Godfather Melvin. Melvin picks him off the street and brings him over to a nearby coffee shop. Melvin proves his magic abilities (turns his coffee to cocoa) and they start talking. Melvin is the first ever fairy godfather, on his first case. (Vince) Melvin really takes Vince's problems seriously because he himself was killed by 'gay bashing'.

Eventually he explains to Vince the third: "gay fantasy", that for one day all the gay people in the world would turn blue. This would show that gay people are everywhere, and prove that straight people do know gay people. Melvin gives Vince this vision (nicknamed Gaydar) while their sitting around in the coffee shop. About one third the coffee shop turns blue. Melvin and Vince discuss that Vince is only partially blue, because he is undecided. That night, Vince uses his second wish to have blue day. In the end it turns out that Butch Carrigan was blue, making his remarks at Vince just insecurity.

In the story, I am certain that Butch Carrigan's cruelty to Vince is based off his own insecurity, that he's gay himself. I pulled this from his only 'line' in the entire piece: "I'll 'teach you' to look at me!" He says: "I'll teach you to look at me!" You would teach someone something if it was done wrong. In fact, the guys in the alley that killed Melvin also say "I'll teach you!" I think this is the author trying to explain how some straight people assume that being gay is wrong. Now of course not all straight people think that way, but obviously (Butch) some people who are gay themselves think that being gay is wrong.

Another theme that caught my eye is the authors relationship between racism and 'gay bashing'. One of the best quotes proving this was:

"My friends and I called each other 'faggot' and 'queer' for the same reason so many black folks call each other 'nigger'--- to take the words away from the people that want to hurt us." - Melvin

I never really thought about using words this way, but it makes sense. The more you use a word, the faster it becomes the norm, so using words on each other, can break down what a word really means. I remember in fourth grade at a bullying assembly, the guy explained that words do hurt, so naturally my friend and I turn at each other and shout:
"Words! Words! Words! Words!"

But now it shows that words do hurt. You either ignore and move on, or get rid of the word itself. In all this fantastic(and occasionally banned) story tells us a lot about ourselves and who we think we are. Whether you're just not sure, or don't like who you are, you actually have to live with it. No matter how much you hurt other people it still doesn't change yourself.

Thanks For Reading! (It's Amazing you could get through that!(If you could)

-drat

DBoS Post #4

DBoS Reading Response Post #3

(Why doesn't Tab key work here?) In the story Drummer Boy of Shiloh by Ray Bradbury, Joby is about to experience what may well be the most important day of his life. While most of us won't have to run into battle when their fourteen, Joby does. That doesn't make his life any harder than any of ours. His battle experience may be equal to the SATs for a high schooler or The MCATS in college. Everyone will have to do something life-shaping. Everyone will get to prepare for them.

        (substituted for eight spaces) Exams, Interviews, games (sports) etc. Without studying and practicing you can and will fall through the crack. This could mean no job, no scholarship, no future.
Joby's losing could cause in death. That doesn't mean your problem is smaller than Joby's. (though it could be) You're in different situations. You should never compare yourself to the character in a story that can die, you can't die. But what happens to you can be a close equivalent (I feel like I said this twice...) However if you have a general, a teacher, a friend, a parent. Just someone to set you straight and keep you in the big picture, encourage you. Without encouragement you might be as good as dead on that test.

        So in the end Joby does forge himself a fine shield of his own despair and his current understanding of the situation. And hopefully you shall also build yourself a shield riveted with hope and dreams. Maybe that shield will save your life.

                    Thanks For Reading!(Its amazing you could follow that!(if you could)
                                                   
                                                      -drat

Reading Post (?) #2

Reading Response #2 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

    So far in my book, nothing controversial has happened since forty pages ago. This book is known by everyone. Dr Jekyll and the mysterious chemical that turns him into his alter-persona Mr Hyde. I'm what I guess is close to the end of the book, and they still haven't figured out that Jekyll is Hyde. It seems so obvious. I have gotten to the point that the main character has a drawer full of dusts and serums to give to a messenger, to give to Jekyll. I put Cannery Row on hold for this book, because alter-ego's and alter-persona's where always hard to think about. That in: terrible, horrible people there is the "make-up" to a good-natured, thoughtful person. It never really made sense to me. However, maybe Rambo worked at a soup kitchen on the side, or I could become a sensible person. (cue rimshot)

   Okay, now for the tough part, how this relates to my life...
It doesn't. (for now)

    I probably would be able to come with an semi-correct way that these characters play into my life but most don't exactly. No. No, actually Jekyll would have a situation closest to one I'm going to at some-point have. Let me explain. Jekyll's life is in shambles as two people fight for his spot in life. That won't happen to me (for now) other than when I'm stuck between two things and have to pick one. I'm not talking about which sandwich to buy, but the bigger decisions I will have to make in high school and college. The stuff that will morph my life. None of the other characters have anything remotely close. For Example: I probably will never have a friend that leaves every once in awhile, until someone attempts to murder him and, alright I'm nitpicking. But the example I have above is pretty good. (kinda obvious though) maybe this'll be easier to write after I finish the book. In which case I'll update it.

                      Thanks For Reading! (It's amazing you could follow that (if you could)

                                                            -Chase/or drat, I kinda like that now