Summer Reading: Eleanor & Park Entry IV

I chose this book because it was a love story. I never found the point in reading young adult love stories, or any love stories for the matter because they tend to be unrealistic, ‘no one can be that happy and a ending cannot be that perfect’ is what I thought, but, I gave it a shot to see what a love story- one that doesn’t belong to you would look like. I am glad I chose this book. Rainbow Rowell, the author, remembers what being young in love is like. I thought the love story of Eleanor and Park falling in love is down to earth and realistic. Eleanor and Park are very much like real life people and the emotions are dead on target. The personal connection I can offer after reading would be my own relationship which ended shortly ago. I was shocked when so many of the feelings Eleanor and Park went through were similar to what me and my boyfriend went through. Some of the connections that I can fully relate to is fact there is desperation in your first love. You want it so badly to work out that you do rash things even when you’re smart enough to know it won’t work out. Additionally, it’s special, like Eleanor and Park I think being able to share first experiences with someone who means a lot to you sticks in your heart for life.

I would recommend this book to those who love a good romance or a John Green fan. I cannot say much regarding how good it is compared to other romance novels(because I don’t usually read them) but this love story (the love story only strictly speaking) will not fail to impress. The book is flawed in many ways being messy in its never ending 80s references and the racism factor that should have been prevalent in the novel. Racism towards minority ethnic characters was almost non-existent besides a cheap joke at the beginning where kids living in the same neighborhood assume Park is Chinese instead of Korean. Other than that the love story itself was realistic and depicts a young romance that feels nothing but real. You’ll be rooting for Eleanor and Park all the way to the end.

Summer Reading: Eleanor & Park Entry III

He’d stopped trying to bring her back.

She’d only came back when she felt like it, in dreams and lies and broken-down déjà vu.

Like, he’d been driving to work, and he’d see a girl with red hair standing on the corner- and he’d swear, for half a choking moment, that it was her.

Then he’d see that the girl’s hair was more blonde than red.

And that she was holding a cigarette… And wearing a Sex Pistols T-shirt.

Eleanor hated the Sex Pistols.

Eleanor…

Standing behind him until he turned his head. Lying next to him just before he woke up. Making everyone seem drabber and flatter and never good enough.

Eleanor ruining everything.

Eleanor, gone.

He’d stopped trying to bring her back.

What we immediately understand from the passage is that Eleanor plays a role in the life of man narrating the story. As a reader I feel a sense of urgency to ask 'why?'. Why would he stop trying to bring this Eleanor back? This makes me want to read more to find answers but this isn’t the main reason I chose this passage. The main reason I chose this part of the story to share is because it is dynamic enough that it tugs a little on the heart strings even when you don’t know who the characters are yet. It makes you curious to know who ‘he’ is. It makes you question: Who is Eleanor to this he? How did Eleanor ruin everything? How is she gone? You can feel sadness eluding in the words when the ‘he’ in the passage describes someone that is no longer with him. Human beings naturally remember sad moments than happy ones. Happiness is like a rush of dopamine and we always want more while sadness is like a shock to your system and is hard to forget. I found this to be the most painful and relatable part of the story. We all know what it’s like to lose something. It immediately becomes the most important thing to us and we suddenly have the urge to want it back.    

Summer Reading: Eleanor & Park Entry II

Eleanor wants her stepfather out of her life; she blames him for her life being horrible. In addition to this Eleanor faces the struggles of poverty. Her family does not have enough money to support everyone in it and she is found without necessities like hair shampoo, full meals, and warm clothing.  Park struggles with staying down low and out of the spotlight. He doesn’t wish to be part of the majority crowd but he doesn’t want to be made fun of by them either. Another one of Park’s struggles is that he faces ethnic confusion. He does not know whether to identify himself as Korean or half Korean, half American this because of his parents being from two races. He acts like an American boy however everyone judges him as Korean because of the way he looks.

The novel is structured by Eleanor and Park taking turns to tell the story in their first person views.  Their passages overlap when they explain the same moment in the story, like the first kiss they shared. Eleanor tells the readers how it feels. In the next passage, the book switches narrators and Park gives us his two cents on it. As cheesy as it sounds the theme I see emerging is love finds you when you’re not looking. Eleanor did not want to fall in love with Park she called him a “stupid Asian kid” for messing up her feelings and Park at first did not want to fall in love with the girl everyone makes fun of yet somehow they fell for each other. Another theme I see emerging is that being a teenager doesn’t make your love any less real. Eleanor and Park risk everything to try to continue loving each other.

Summer Reading: Eleanor & Park Entry I

The two major characters found in this story are nonetheless Eleanor and Park. It’s a first love erupting with struggles shared between the two teenagers. The setting is 1986 in Omaha, Nebraska. The author directly reveals the setting to us before the chapter even starts and throws in multiple references of media, popular language, and cultural differences that relate to the time frame such as true white Americans still being majority and other ethnic groups being the ‘small fish in the large pond’.  The conflict that is starting to show is Eleanor’s personal life in her family enables her to do much. Eleanor’s many siblings and her mother must deal with a short tempered abusive stepfather. This becomes an issue when Park falls into a mutual love for her. Park does not face harsh family problems like Eleanor however he has trouble understanding the things she deals with since he has not experienced them firsthand. The two of them know that it won’t work but they are desperate enough to try. To be honest this reminds me a little of Romeo and Juliet; they were forbidden to meet at the same time they were crazy for each other. Both young lovers: Eleanor and Park, Romeo and Juliet made rash decisions because of their love. A few predictions I have moving forward would be the ending.

I’m a realist, as much I don’t want to believe it not everyone gets picture perfect happy endings and especially not a book targeted towards John Green fans. I’m excited to hear the rest of the story. I think the story will end bittersweet like in ‘The Fault in our Stars’.  I find beautiful yet sad things stick to people the most whether it’s a movie, book, or music.

The Vietnamese Cinderella: A cannibalistic tale

A story about of a misfortune girl losing a glass slipper spans a long way. Almost every country in the world has their own variation.

Recently I have acquired a Vietnamese copy of Cinderella, the English copy available on Wikipedia  for those of you who want to check it out(I defiantly recommend it).

In the French version we have the step sisters cutting their heels and toes to slip on the slipper, but the Vietnamese version is even more gruesome.

It's called the story of Tam and Cam.

Tam being Cinderella and Cam playing the role of the evil step sister.

PART I

Tam, the first daughter, in this case our Cinderella is the step daughter of a new woman. Her step mother being jealous that Tam is much more beautiful than her own daughter Cam pushes her to do all the work in the house.

It's much like the western story of Cinderella so far, except the work and chores my be more unusual. Instead of doing chores in the home Tam is forced to labor outside.

One day Tam's stepmother proposes a competition. Whoever catches the most fish will win a new shawl. Both girls are intrigued by the offer and go out to the river. Tam steadily works while Cam lazes off. In the end Cam tricks Tam and steals all but one of her fish.

Tam takes the fish home and raises it. Her stepmother noticing her behavior waits till Cam leaves and kills the fish.

Tam is instructed by a goddess to bury the bones of the fish into 4 jars and later reeps the benefits; the King had announced a festival will be held.

Out of the 4 jars she obtained: a gown, shoes, a saddle, and a horse.

Tam left hastily, accidentally dropping a single slipper into a river which by the way flowed into the king's garden(coincidence much?).

The king announced at the party who ever fit the slipper would be his bride. Every lady tried on the slipper even Cam.

Suddenly a beautiful stranger appeared on a horse, with a "slipper of the same making".

Tam was taken to the palace and married at once.

The theme was, good will always triumph over evil. Cam was an honest hard worker while Tam and her mother were conniving and unfair.

PART II

Tam comes back home to visit her family only to have her step mother boss her around again. Tam is instructed to climb a tree to collect betel nuts. While Climbing the tree Tam's stepmother cuts the tree with an axe, killing Tam.

By tradition, Tam's sister is married to the King who has no care for her. Cam gets reincarnated as a nightingale and flies to the palace where she sings her songs.

The king intrigued by the bird's songs captures the bird and puts it in a golden cage convinced it's the spirit of his late wife.

Cam's jealously makes her skin the feathers of the bird and feed Tam to a cat.

Where the feathers were scatters grow a ceder tree where the King places a hammock. He often dreams of Tam while taking naps there.

Cam burns the tree and takes the ashes far away.

Where the ashes lay sprouts a permission tree that bears beautiful fruit. A poor old women saw the fruit one day begging it to fall to her and that she would not eat it, only admire it.

The fruit falls to the women. The next day while running errands the old women's house was cleaned and a warm meal was made for her. The old women was curious and pretended to leave. The persimmon magically opened up revealing Cam who began to clean.

The old lady immediately tore up the peal, not allowing Tam to turn back.

One day the King gets lost hunting and finds the little hut, the old women brings him out a betel which was prepared the same way his late wife had done.

The old women then brings out her daughter. Right away they recognize each other and return to the palace.

Cam wondering how Tam had stayed so young ask for her beauty secret. Tam tells her to sit in a boiling pot of water to stay beautiful; attempting this Cam dies.

Tam cuts Cam into pieces and makes her into jarred food and then sends it to her step mother who begins to eat it not knowing it is Cam.

Upon discovering Cam's skull at the bottom of the jar, her mother dies from shock.

The End.

The theme of PART II was that poor actions don't go unpunished. Cam repeatedly tried to get rid of Tam's existence yet in the end Cam was the one who died.

Diamond engagement rings are a waste of money

Two days has past since that class ring meeting we had in the auditorium. Within the twenty minutes they had to persuade us to purchase, their selling point was: guys you can give it to a girl you like. 

A class ring is a sign of accomplishment in high school and is like a trophy(if you can actually afford one). When a guy gives it to his girl it means he's serious and cares about her. Then the girl gives the guy her ring. It's sort of like promise rings. Cute right? Maybe.

Problem is when or if a break up happens the ring MUST be given back(you probably didn't pay for it afterall). Imagine how awkward that would be. Anyways, the ring swap is old fashioned and if it does last and you are old enough it may be a hint of an upcoming engagement ring. 

This brings me to my point: Diamond engagement rings are a waste of money. 

We looked at the point of a class ring which was to symbolize your accomplishment. A diamond engagement rings purpose is to impress your girlfriend and is something you exchange so you can sign away your freedom.

just kidding.

But culturally its the norm to present one to propose. I think it's all well and good, but personally I believe it's totally unnecessary to spend half your life savings on a rock to bound you to a person who already loves you and would marry you regardless if you got her a 1 carat ring or a 20 carat one. Plus, who said it ever had to be a diamond? 

There are plenty of other beautiful sparking gems in this world that could replace a diamond. It's not only cheaper but you could buy even more of it to put in a ring setting. Sapphires, Emeralds, Rubies(some), Alexandrite, Jade, Aquamarine, Amethyst, etc.

Lastly down the road if a girl has requirements on what the minimum her ring has to weigh in carats or how much the rock has to cost in order for her to marry you then I encourage you to rethink the big decision.   

Columnist Assignment

KRISTA: Our kids tell the story of why preschool is a must

1.) Preschool preps kids for kindergarten and learning years to come. Money should be invested into preschool.

2.) http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/02/08/krista-our-kids-tell-the-story-of-why-preschool-is-a-must/5328181/

3.) "Now think about children who have every advantage stripped away – no books, no dependable adults, no conversation, no music, no art materials, no structure, no emotional warmth."

 

I find that this line is the best written in the column. It shows all the things children are lacking in early years of their life if they do not go to preschool. It implies that children do have opportunities yet if they don't go to preschool they are seized away from them. As for syntax involvement this line begins with a strong statement "children who have every advantage taken away". The other half are things that are missing from a child's experience not going to a preschool. The two halves are separated by a dash that gives the writing emphasis. The line also offers ideas of both tangible and non-tangible concepts. For example preschool offers such as conversation, music, emotional warmth, and structure these are non-tangible. Some examples of tangible objects include books, dependable adults, and art materials.

4.) Ramsy's writing style is an assortment of informal written wittiness. The majority of her sentences are ranging from short to medium– never does she has a sentence run on unless she is making a point. When her sentences do run they are always seperated by commas to show her list of implications. The vocabulary she uses isn't particularly too elevated however this may be beneficial for her audience who have all levels of knowledge. When her writing is personal tell us her views it is clear cut reflecting directly how she is feeling. 

5.) Three questions:

- How is your writing style impacted? Is it always based on your emotions?

- How long have you been writing? What got you interested?

- Do you believe witnessing what your writing about is the best kind of writer? The one that understands the story first hand?