When Colton met Martin

An unlikely comparison: Colton Burpo from Heaven is for Real and Martin Luther King Jr. I see a striking resemblence between these two...one a little boy who took a little trip to Heaven and a historical figure who played a huge role in the advancement of equal human rights. Both have a vision of something beautiful that they want everyone to understand, but at times find it extremely difficult to get that through to people wanting so badly for the vision that they have to be evident to EVERYONE.

After Colton is fully recovered from his illness and out of the hospital, he goes to the church with his family so his dad Todd can officiate a funeral. Colton asks his dad if he knows if the man that died knew Jesus multiple times, getting more and more serious each time. When he senses that in fact this man may not have known Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior, he throws a fit and is extremely upset. He is especially upset when he sees that no one else in his family is as upset about it as he is, and this boy didn't even know the man that died. Something that was made very evident to him when he was in Heaven for those few minutes was that the ONLY way to get there is to have a relationship with Jesus on earth.

This is the same with MLK Jr., he sees how beautiful the world could/would be if blacks and whites were not segregated, and they lived as one peacefully. Each speech he made displayed passion and reason and an extreme desire for his ideas to be put into action.

A Contrast is that Colton actually traveled to this place and had an out-of-body experience with the beauty that he wanted everyone else to experience. Martin Luther King Jr. had never actually seen the peace he wanted for man kind, but knew it to be possible. He had faith. Just as Colton did. :)

Truth in Memoir

Well, in my opinion and I don't know how else to put it, a book has to be not made up to be considered non-fiction. This is the definition of non-fiction...right? Also, I would say that the events the author is telling of need to be completely plausible or the reader will feel like they are being deceived when reading. We of course wouldn't want that now would we? To me, it makes complete sense to exaggerate the detail and descriptions becuase that's what draws us in! That is what makes us excited and intrigued! I know personally that I would not be too angry if  I found out the season of an author's depression was in fact summer instead of the bleak winter they described in their story so it could fit the mood. I do think it matters if the book is labeled fiction or non-fiction. People wanna know what they are reading. For some reason, it would seem much more horrific and traumatizing to a reader to find out that a book labeled as non-fiction was actually fiction, than to find out that a fiction book actually was true! I guess this is difficult because there seems to be such a fine line between the two with truth-stretching these days. But why? If a book is true, it should be non-fiction, and if the elements of "made-up-ness" overwhelm the truth in story, then it should be fiction. Doesn't seem too trying to me.

Literary Fiction vs. Genre Fiction

I honestly do not think there is too much of a problem with the books assigned to read in schools. It would be a horribly idea to swap Of Mice and Men for Twilight...and what kind of teacher would ever go for that?? When I think of reading books in school I think of Sophomore English reading To Kill a Mockingbird, and Junior English where we read Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, and Of Mice and Men. All of those ended up being some of the best books I have ever read...because I actually read them. The problem with Literary Fiction in schools  is that kids get so caught up in the work that goes along with it to forgetting about actually enjoying the books and therefore do not see the greatness in them. Although I found The Great Gatsby to be a great book and movie, I don't see how high schoolers are able to relate to it, besides to learn the history aspect.
In a way, I do agree with Melissa Thomas when she is talking about fantasy books and says, " it is an undistilled version of human imagination-momentary worlds and magic that may be at odds with the rational truth, yet continue to reflect our culture and times."
Although all of us would not willingly choose to pick up and Twilight book and dig in, there is an aspect of adventure and imagery and description that allows us to see things with our imagination vividly. That is something that SHOULD be taught in schools. These fantasy books give us something that To Kill a Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye cannot give us...which is the ability to use our imagination and escape to another world. All in all, I am pretty indifferent about this topic to be honest.

Adapting the Book

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
       Ken Kesey

There would be a few challenges in making this book. The first would be making sure that the Clinic is displayed exactly how the book describes it becuase a big chunk of the beginning is the narrator going into great detail about his surroundings. To help this, there would need to be good camera angles and panning so that the audience can get a full view. Also, it would be difficult to portray Nurse Ratched exactly how she is without her just being annoying because she is a pretty confusing character in my opinion.

Scenes to be kept:
1. The scene that no doubt needs to stay in the film adaptation is when the main characted McMurphy firsts arrives to the clinic and he is laughing and singing when no one has done either in that place in years. It completely transforms the mood.
2. Another scene is the one where McMurphy so desperately wants toothpaste to brush his teeth but it is too early. He stands there in his towel and dips his toothbrush into the bucket of soap an aid is cleaning with and goes on brushing his teeth.
3. This third scene actually happens a few times. It is where the residents are in a room where they are not allowed to play cards, games or anything. All they can do is sit there staring at the clock. I think this would be essential to have in the movie in order to portray the mood of the clinic and what their lives are like every day.

Scenes to discard:
1. When the narrator Chief Bromden is hallucinating at night, seeing machines and body parts being shipped and people being hung would be difficult to show in the movie without the audience getting extremely confused.
2. Another part where Bromden is hallucinating is when he sees fog everywhere would be a little bit much to include.
3. The last scene I feel could be taken out is where Harding, one of the residents has to get a shot in his behind because he refused to take medicine...it's pretty self explanatory why I think this could be taken out.

Book 1 Project

Idea #1: ACTION FIGURES

                To sell The Hunger Games to a die-hard fan audience, Katniss and Peeta action figures will be created. With their bodies being so beat up and them nearly being killed because they are literally “fighting to the death” there needs to be something to portray these heroic figures! To start out, there will just be Peeta and Katniss, simply because they are the main characters, the stars of the whole shebang, the tributes from District 12! If these two characters prove to be popular and sell well, more characters may be created such as Gale or Rue. “Instead my hands go to my hairdo, the one area of my body my prep team had been told to leave alone. My fingers stroke the silky braids my mother so carefully arranged” (Collins 63). Katniss and Peeta will both be portrayed as their plain, District 12 selves because that is who they truly are. Katniss will have her braid straight down the middle of her back. Peeta will be big and strong as described in the book. “All those years of having enough to eat and hauling bread trays around have made him broad-shouldered and strong” (Collins 41).

Idea #2: THE HUNGER (VIDEO) GAMES

                With kids so obsessed with being online and chatting on xbox, what better way to advertise a book than make a video game out of it? “The game has taken a twist. The fire was just to get us moving, now the audience will get to see some real fun” (Collins 175). This is exactly what the video game would allow people to do! They could control what obstacles are thrown at each of the Hunger Games tributes and control how they respond or react to these obstacles. This game will target the younger audience, the kids who want to be right in the action. “Probably this whole segment of the woods has been armed with precision launchers that are concealed in trees or rocks. Somewhere, in a cool and spotless room, a Gamemaker sits at a set of controls, fingers on the triggers that could end my life in a second” (Collins 175).

Idea #3:  THE SIMULATION

                This next idea will be somewhat like a Simulation Arena where fans can go and tour the horrible sight in which the Hunger Games with Katniss and Peeta and all the others took place. “The arenas are historic sites preserved after the Games. Popular destinations for Capitol residents to visit, to vacation. Go for a month, rewatch the Games, tour the catacombs, visit the sites where the deaths took place. You can even take part in the reenactments” (Collins 144-145). There are hopes to make something almost exactly like this, except in real life, obviously. There will be one specifically from the first book of the series. This will target the wealthier audience, who are die-hard fans and willing to travel to really get a better idea of the book. The money to build the simulated area will come from profits made from the book and upcoming movie with Suzanne Collins’ permission. The site could take years to perfect, but we must do whatever it takes! “We’re on a flat, open stretch of ground. A plain of hard-packed dirt. Behind the tributes across from me, I can see nothing, indication either a steep downward slope or even a cliff. To my right lights a lake. To my left and back, sparse piney woods” (Collins 148). The sight will be modeled off of how it is described in the book above. It will be so real you will think you are actually in the book/movie! The arena will look something like these:

What is a Book?

A book is a million different things, possessing a million different attributes. A book is an escape. An opportunity for one’s mind to travel far, far away from emotion that it dwells inside--good, bad, ugly, angst-filled. A book is a time-travel machine, taking you back to a place in a far, far away. To a land of words that have been arranged into a story. Whether it is a true story not, does not matter. It is a magical thing. A book is a present. Practical for any occasion, really. Some presents are wrapped very precise and neat, white, shiny paper with crisp folds and a golden bow tied around it. Some gifts are wrapped so that you can see easily what is enclosed, an outlining of the package clearly defined. Others, are simply in a box, you are never to know what’s inside until you open it up. This is a book. You can never know for sure if you like it until you open it up and see for yourself. You could absolutely hate what you find once you get into it, but on the other hand it could end up being something you never would have expected, something beautiful. No matter what though, you can’t tell until you unwrap the paper and dig in. I agree each book is the same no matter what form, and reading is important no matter it be enclosed in a real book, eReader, or iPad. I do agree though, that these e-books take away from the book’s personality. When they all look the same, where is the fun anymore? But, what are we do to when in 10 years our world has switched from CD’s to strictly iPods and other handheld devices, and from a simple flip phone to the iPhone 4S? There is not much that can be done to convince people that the eye of the beholder lies in the tangible pages of an actual book with a generation filled with people favoring technology over well, everything else traditional. All I know is what I believe books to be. It is something mysterious, something to be explored, so that is all that really matters.

Why I Read

I believe that every person's answer to the question, "Why do you read?" is just about as unique as that person themself. For me, it is a chance to escape somewhere else, to another world where I don't have to think about anything that is going on right in front of me or around me. If I am struggling or hurting, it allows me to experience the pain of a character in the book rather than my own for a little while. I am able to experience their life and empathize with what they are going through. I read to keep my imagination flowing. While watching good movies can be great and entertaining, but everything is already laid out for you. There is nothing like reading a book where you are given the opportunity to f i l l i n all of the m i s s i n g  d e t a i l s. The possibilities are endless, and one persons interpretation of a book can be completely different from anothers. I read to become more knowledgeable. There is only so much you can learn by sitting in class, listening to lectures and doing worksheets. That's great and all, but why not read books based off of real life to learn if they are available to you? I read BECAUSE I CAN, because I have the opportunity to do so. There are so many people in this world that would kill to have access to the education and libraries that we have here in America, in Mason. I am so lucky and blessed to have had the ability to go to school for almost 13 years now, learning to read when I was just five years old. When I think about the amount of people that were simply not born in a place where this was not ever available to them, it bre/aks my heart. Even sitting here writing this, and thinking about all of these things makes me wish that I read more often than I do. My most common excuse is, "There isn't enough time!" We know how to read, we have so many books at our fingertips just waiting for us to open them and dive in, so why wouldn't we do it? It is a beautiful thing, and I feel I need to take advantage of it.