Literary Circle Reflection

Hello all,

I recently read the first few chapters of the book Animal Farm and analyzed many symbolic pieces in two group discussions. The first discussion wasn't all that bad, because I had gone very deep and understood the book better as a result. However, I didn't stay on one question for long and often had to jump to the next one without really understanding the importance of the first question. That's a major red-flag, not to mention that we didn't have equal participation either. I didn't really have much to say most of the time because I was trying my best to find the deeper meaning within the text. I looked at these weak points and made sure I corrected them for the next discussion.
The second one went a lot smoother. Everyone in the group, myself included, managed to get their thoughts out without getting interrupted because we had an organized way of doing so. We went in a circle instead of speaking out of turn, and that led to equal input. I like how we stayed on one topic for a longer period of time, but I know there is still room for improvement. We can achieve this by making sure everyone has understood and said what they needed to say about the topic and then move on.
One thing that really stood out to me was the effort that my group and I put into these discussions. Everyone is committed to doing better, and that is the key to success.

Symbolism in Lord of The Flies- Piggy

There are many symbols throughout Lord of the Flies, and Piggy is without a doubt one of the biggest symbols in the book. He represents civilization (when he has the conch shell) and logical thinking. When these two key elements are no longer present chaos ensues.

Piggy alone represents all logical thinking on the island, however everytime he speaks aloud, nobody pays attention to what he says. In one scenario Piggy tries to say something about making a small fire, but nobody acknowledges what he says.  “‘I got the conch… I got a right to speak.’ They looked at him with eyes that lacked interest in what they saw…” (Golding 44). This also represents how the boys break away from thinking logically as the story goes on.

Near the end, Piggy has the conch shell and is confronted by Jack and his tribe. This time everyone surprisingly listens to what he has to say. “Which is better- law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?” (Golding 180). Soon after he speaks these words, the tribe is aggravated and launches a boulder at Piggy, killing him and destroying the conch shell in the process. At this point there is no civilization, order, or thinking involved. Everyone reverts to savagery and it is now every man for himself.

The author is basically saying that in times of trouble, all logical thinking and order will be lost at some point. It’s inevitable. If everyone had recognized Piggy’s efforts to contribute to the group and increase the chance of being rescued , this dire event could have been avoided.

In Review: The Scorch Trials

The Scorch Trials

Reviewed by Will Preston

The ordeal is not over yet…

The Scorch Trials, written by James Dashner, is the semi-exciting sequel to The Maze Runner. It is set in a burnt part of the Earth called The Scorch, and Thomas and the gladers from the previous book must cross this wasteland in hopes of finding a safe haven and a way out. They are putting their survival skills to the test once again thanks to an organization that claims they are helping society. They are known as W.I.C.K.E.D.

This book was scary, but interesting to read. The action and cliffhangers in this dystopian novel kept me begging for more, but the description of everything in the book was pretty vague. This made me put the book down a few times because it simply didn’t give me enough to create a proper visual of what’s going on, thus making it difficult to follow. For example, when Thomas and friends venture into a dark, unknown realm and a fellow glader is mysteriously killed, this is what happened next: “...a big glob of liquid was coalescing, seeping out of the metal as if melting into a large teardrop…..it detached from the ceiling and fell away. But instead of splatting on the steps at their feet, the sphere defied gravity and flew horizontally, directly into Winston’s face” (Dashner 86). At that point, it felt like I was reading someone’s dream journal.

The author’s writing style is somewhat simplistic. He doesn’t really describe things in excruciating detail nor does he use sophisticated vocabulary like in Lord of The Flies. It is mainly full of suspense and horror, even unpredictable events, and that’s what makes it such a great read. An example of this is when they meet a savage person covered in wounds (known as a “Crank” in the book) named Jorge. Not much is known about him and the Gladers have a hard time trusting him. Thomas’s friend insults Jorge and throws him to the ground when Jorge and Thomas were trying to work together to find a way out. Jorge makes a deal with Thomas, but there is an exception. “That ratty kid who junked me on the ground….He dies” (Dashner 158). This is at the end of the chapter, and it certainly leaves readers hanging.

Aside from the descriptions, the author’s imagination is astounding. This is perhaps one of the many key aspects of the book that make it enjoyable. Everything from the cast of characters to the setting is entirely original and not copied off of other books such as The Hunger Games, even though these two are both based around the theme of trust and survival. However, it can also be the worst part about the novel. The reader isn’t quite familiar with a new object being brought up and gets lost as a result. We can see this when a member of W.I.C.K.E.D informs the gladers of their next test. The instructor mentions “...a disease called the flare” (Dashner 58), and that later they “...would find a Flat Trans” (Dashner 59). It doesn’t take long for the reader to be informed about these new things.

We can definitely relate the theme of the novel to today’s society. Many people have a hard time trusting each other, but they have to pull themselves together and cooperate in order to get things done. Dashner definitely encourages people to work together and trust one another in times of disaster, like how Thomas and the Gladers did in The Scorch Trials.

Dashner, James. The Scorch Trials. Delacorte Press. New York. 2010.

Appearances Can Be Deceiving...

Hello all,

I just read a chapter from the book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. At first I didn't see a point in reading it.... but after I read the chapter, my first impression seemed ironic!

The reason is- the chapter I read emphasized on how people typically stereotype and give the wrong impression of things unconciously. We all stereotype and give the wrong impression of someone or something at a first glance, and to prove it I took the race version of the IAT test. My result: Moderate preference for African-American compared to European-American. I was surprised to see this because I am usually impartial! I encourage you to take the test yourselves and see the results. You'll be surprised!

The thing that stood out to me the most in this chapter was that appearances can be deceiving. The guy may have had the appearance of a Presidential candidate, but did he actually think like one? Absolutely not! Everyone assumed he would be a good leader just by the way he looked, and not by his logic and reasoning.

By the same token, we need to consider the qualities that make up a true leader. We're not talking about attractiveness or strength, but we are talking about courage, logic, and the ability to look on the positive side in times of frustration. Sure we can undo unconcious biases, only if we are actually concious about the things we do and not make random assumptions about people or groups.

What Exactly is Good Writing?

This is something that has been debated for a long time, but it's no surprise that good writing is something that "gets" to the reader and uses a variety of literary devices as well as a neat choice of words. The most important concepts or qualifications that good writing must have are: great imagery, a variety of literary devices, and amazing vocabulary.

Without these three necessities the writing piece is nowhere near good. Why? Well if it isn't descriptive enough on the setting, the reader would be confused. In addition, the piece must have great vocabulary otherwise it will be repetitive and lackluster. Nobody wants that! Finally, it has to incorporate literary devices to interest the reader and make them never put the book down. Take this passage from the book Senna vs. Prost by Malcolm Folley for example.

"The race track, rising and falling between five-star hotels, boutiques, ludicrously priced apartments and a casino with a million untold stories of misery is laughably narrow, bumpy and hemmed by Armco barriers and the Mediterranean." (222)

In this passage, the author is describing the Monte Carlo F1 circuit. Not only does he describe the setting in great detail, but he gives you an idea on how intricate and challenging the track is. He also chooses his words creatively and doesn't forget to include a bunch of similes and metaphors to spice it up. The author blends in all three concepts flawlessly!

Some may say that good writing may not have to have all of these important qualifications to be good.
While that may be true, a written work of art is something that moves the reader. Think of it like this: the author of the book is the artist, and the book he wrote is the picture he painted. He left it up to the reader to interpret the picture.

Intro to my blog

Hello there! I'm Will Preston and thank you for visiting my blog The Will To Win. Since this is my first blog post, I'll tell you a little bit about myself.

I have many hobbies and interests such as hiking, photography, and studying cars and the many mind- boggling components that form them. My biggest interest is racing karts. No, these aren't your average amusement park bumper cars; these are high-tech racing machines that can reach speeds up to 120 miles per hour! I love this sport so much and I hope to make a career out of it in the future.

Aside from racing and all that jazz, I like to read and write stories in my spare time. One of my favorite books is Hatchet, written by Gary Paulsen. It's a story about a young boy who gets involved in a plane crash in the middle of the woods and has to survive and seek for help. I want to improve the stories I write, so my goals for this year are: to improve my vocabulary and fix my past/present tense issues.

My life outlook or approach in life is pretty straightforward. I live by a famous quote mentioned by Henry Ford, founder of the major automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Co.
"Whether you think you can or you can't, either way you are right." This basically says you can do anything if you give it your all and have the right mindset. That's why I like this quote.

Remember- Always have The Will to Win!