Book Thief blog #3

*Comment on Marcus Aurelius's Blog*

Book Thief #2

*comment on Hannibals blog *

I agree with you on the concept of death and its many truths foretold.  But this different way of telling a story I think intensifies the meaning of the novel.  With the facts given to you before it happens you get the opportunity to think about how it will all play out.  For example: telling us of the upcoming deaths, Rudy and Liesel’s family.  This is the author being sensitive and in a way sparing us from the full effect of the harshness the end brings.  As silly as it sounds it shows he cares for his readers he can in a sense dumb down the ending but still create these powerful messages of life, friendship and finding yourself in the harshest of places.  The author’s choice of foreshadowing throughout the story also adds to the sensitivity the narrator holds.  This shows that there is more to someone than you might notice.  In this case, death.  Death is ignited with a new persona. When we think of death we think of bad things but this book shows deaths perspective in a new light.  So, I agree with the shock of knowing of the deaths but if you look at it you will realize it actually brings much more to the story then just an incredibly sad ending with an abrupt halt.  With this, you have more time to cope with the truth and think about what is happening.  Creating more personal though and impact.

The Book Thief #1

All I have to say is: the Book Thief.  Ah!!! So, good.  But what is yet to come?  It's killing me. As I buckle down for a long night I wonder who will be the unfortunate victim of death….Through Marcus’s use of delicious imagery and ridiculous characters the tone is conveyed at once. Not only does it cause emotion and feeling it brings all our teachings of German history into play as we revisit and solidify Nazi Germany.  The figurative language in this story is never ending as death brings to life the story of the book thief and her life during the reigns of Hitler.  I noticed thus far that Markus’s use of imagery is mainly set on simple visuals.  The basis to Markus’ rich imagery is colors. These simple visuals create the solid base to the meaningful text within.  Red, black, white can be seen as the central symbolic colors of the novel. From death, fire and the Nazi colors.  And death associates the death of a person to colors of the sky. Here’s another example. when Liesel talks about Rudy’s hair, “he has hair the color of lemons” bringing more meaning behind the symbolic colors.  In Liesel’s case, describing Rudy to a delicious yet sour fruit which can sum up their relationship. The lemon’s color also creates a vivid picture of his bright hair color.  As I read some more I look closely for more themes as I already have spotted the meaningful colors used and the power of literature and reading in Liesels life and its progression.  AHH! And the haunting question: who will death carry next?  Hopefully it won't be too sad.  I would not like to be crying myself to sleep.

Modern Art Analysis

Fish Island by William Barhart 

1. The first thing I see is a mans face.  I then start to see evidence of an ocean with the fish swimming along and with the seaweed crawling up the side.  And lastly, I see the surface where the sky communicates an eerie feel as a sailboats sails away during a magnificent sunset.

2. The painting is put together through the precious colors illustrating the mood.  The colors are their to bring out the emphasis or importance of similar or repeated shapes.  For example the face made with random colors bringing out the life in every feature and also the powerful setting surrounding the face.

Lines: In the painting, jagged lines make up most of the painting through all the periodic lines filling up the space and creating more to the overall picture.  But curved lines also appear a lot as well in more of the significant shapes or features in the painting.

Color: The color blue is a big contributor to this painting through this color used on the face.  Some red and yellow is also used variously throughout the painting.  So, primary colors make up most of them.  And secondary colors "finished up." Essentially they are the add-ins to the piece.  The colors used clashed quite a bit.  The strange color choice brought out the importance and uniqueness in each of them.  The mans face really comes alive through this technique of clashing colors.

Shape: Barhart uses a lot of shapes but not the familiar ones we all know.  He used irregular shapes not so familiar to people.  His uses of diversity really brought out the passion in this painting displayed.

Space: This painting is not flat yet it isn't very dimentional.  The painting has depth but I think that is different than becoming 3-D.  It came alive, so I guess it was dimentional.  But only through the important shapes and colors.

Lighting: Yes, there is a lightsource in this painting.  Coming from the top right hand corner of the painting is the sun  fading down over the mans face, specifically his nose and lips.

Composition: The jagged lines throughout the painting and the clashing colors were the soul to this beautiful piece.  It really brought it to the next level of emotion and beauty.  The mood of this painting can be said as easily as the word sad.  The mood comes to me through the mans face.  The struggle he seems to express through his eyes contribute to the overall feel of sadness.  The dark sky above also contributes.  It is as if he is drowning in another world or he is looking out for that other world.  His confused thoughts show a cry for help to someone or something.  The dramatic colors are the source as to why this modern painting  expresses sadness.

Renaissance Art

Paolo Veronese's Feast in the House of Levi

Galleria della Academia

1573

Bewitched Brutus

Which character from the play Julius Caesar was the most interesting to you and why? On your blog, create a posting that identifies your character and completes the following:

1. Create a clear title that identifies your character.
2. Describe your character by writing a brief character analysis. What was the character's motives (goals or dreams)? How did the character change throughout the play? What was the level of your character's morality. Include key quotes from the play that support your points.
3. Explain why this character was interesting to you.
   
4. Connect your character to a modern day (popular or political) personality that best exemplifies your character. Link to outside sources for support.
   

The most interesting character in Julius Caesar to me would be Brutus.  Brutus is a very gullible and easily persuaded character.  He is very noble and try's to appease everyone. He is also a very powerful public figure.  But he just has these constant battles within himself.  In the play, Brutus' motives are his self serving ambitions. "Hear my for my cause [...] not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved ome more" (13-14, 21-22)  He does it upon what he believes, even if he gets persuaded.  In the beginning of the play he was pretty set on his ideas but later on he was willing to be persuaded into believing that Caesar must die to save Rome.  So I believe even though he is very easily persuaded he still has that sense of right/wrong or his beliefs even if they may change frequently.  So his level of mortality is much higher then some of the other characters in the story. 

 

Brutus is interesting to me because he reminds me of myself.  I am very gullible and I can get persuaded easily but I'll also stand up for what I believe in.  Even if I am wrong, or I know will fail.

 

Brutus could be connected to a Martin Luther King.  He stood up for what he believed in.  He died but he did it for his country.  

The Allegory

What are the "shadows" Plato would tell us we cannot trust as truth? Give several examples of these "shadows" we encounter.

The shadows Plato describes are all but simple illusions.  According to Plato, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to seeing reality.  There are so many shadows in our world today, so many things pulling us away from the truth.  Many shadows in society today come from the media. The television, newspapers, magazines, radio, internet, advertisements and propaganda all promote many false truths that "shadow" us everyday.  Another great example is religion.  With all the various religion groups who knows truly what is right.  There religion is just as important or right as mine, the same goes for race. Again, just more illusions that lead us to those twisted truths.

Link to an online source that portrays a "shadow." What makes it a shadow? What is the truth?

http://www.geico.com/ 

"15 min could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance." They try to make you think that they actually want to help you.  But in reality they are just sucking your money away. The only reason they do it is for there benefit.  This shadows you from the truth of spending a lot of money.  I mean do you really believe 15 actual minutes will save you a whole 15 percent on car insurance? No.  They are just trying to catch your attention.  They want you to go to them.  So they thrust upon these false notions like that.  Every advertisement like that have those catchy false statements.  The only possible truth of them is that they may want to do what's best for you, but that is only to put money into their own wallets. 

How do "shadows" impact society? What danger do we face in trusting the "shadows?"

Shadows not only fill us with false notions but increases our gullibility.  Shadows change and form society, especially in the young lives. With all these shadows throughout our life we get confused with them and actual reality.  We trust the shadows which end up hurting us with the real truth.  How do we decipher between them?  In our society, shadows are truly taking over.  We face many dangers trusting these shadows.  We are in that cave, that world of illusions.