Two birds with one stone!
Unit 5
Great War was a transitional era for many writers. Old ideals became obsolete as war raged on. Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell To Arms says "Words such as glory, honor, courage, or hallow were obscene" (825). The Great Depression captured the minds of many writers and captured the grimness and despair in their novels. Such as John Steinbeck, who wrote about the uncertainty of the times. Literature eventually changed towards economic use, such as mass media which made luxuries a "must have". Mass production efficiently produced Americans' necessities which homogenized American culture. Sinclair Lewis and other writers were alienated by this and criticized what they saw. Writers were also influenced by some new ideas of the time, such as those of Albert Einstein and Karl Marx.
New forms of poetry soon appeared on the bookshelves of many Americans. Such as those of Arlington Robinson who drew psychological portraits of characters. He was the forerunner of the modernist movement. Modernism itself focused on the individual. Imagism is the opposite of objectivism. It's just to present an image and uses strictly free verse. Objectivism allows the object to speak for itself. Ernest Hemmingway composed short stories with no beginnings or endings, leaving the reader hanging. The pioneer of short stories.
The Harlem Renaissance saw a unique audience of writers for their time: the African American population. They fused their own folk culture with that of American culture, giving unique forms of expression. It ended short because of the Great Depression.
Journalism as literature came to be from writers who learned their crafts by writing for magazines and newspapers. It helped develop their skill and give them a clear prose to use short sentences and short paragraphs. Magazines also helped writers such as Dorothy Parker.
Unit 6
Wars are subject to writings because of their very nature, in my opinion. The Holocaust during WWII was written about by it's lucky survivors who shared the horrors of the time. The Cold War saw the rise of science fiction because of the uncertainty of things continued the way they did. Tim O'Brien reflected literature of the time with conflicts. And according to John Updike "an old world is collpsing and a new world arising." Which marks the transition into a modern era.
Many writers struggled with the very idea of the American dream but later on it turned shallow and narrowed it's ideals. "beatniks" protested this shallowness of American society, being turned into a consumer society.
The best writings occurred American theater which prompted a revive across America and Europe. Death of a Salesman by Miller was so provocative that Hollywood wanted to depict the life of a salesman as careless. Post-modern style began questioning authority, conventional values, and the nature of reality.
The last 30 years saw a large overflow of writers of various backgrounds and not just by those who were purely of European descent. Writers now focus on different aspects of American life. Literature will continue to grow as writers continue to write.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Blog #16
Textbook Unit 4.
This unit has to do with the theme of change over time. Many Americans, unhappy with the sudden changes of the time, looked to regionalism. The westward expansion made many Americans have an appreciation for the diversity, being celebrated by many such as Mark Twain. Cultural influences such as The Gilded Age influenced both regional and naturalist writers. The later text talks about the rise of naturalism, which rose from the individuals helpless who were at the mercy of the business world.
On a different note, Mark Twain's, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin", is considered the first novel that was written in "American". Well, it had it's own unique style that also broke the rules of conventional writing, using grammatically incorrect sentences which would influence literature for years to come. Women eventually got a start in writing with the rise of the rights movements. The later texts talk about regional literature as a whole, and the importance of setting.
This unit has to do with the theme of change over time. Many Americans, unhappy with the sudden changes of the time, looked to regionalism. The westward expansion made many Americans have an appreciation for the diversity, being celebrated by many such as Mark Twain. Cultural influences such as The Gilded Age influenced both regional and naturalist writers. The later text talks about the rise of naturalism, which rose from the individuals helpless who were at the mercy of the business world.
On a different note, Mark Twain's, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin", is considered the first novel that was written in "American". Well, it had it's own unique style that also broke the rules of conventional writing, using grammatically incorrect sentences which would influence literature for years to come. Women eventually got a start in writing with the rise of the rights movements. The later texts talk about regional literature as a whole, and the importance of setting.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Blog #15
Romanticism and Realism.
This chapter deals with the two subjects shown above and asks us several important questions as well. The questions that piqued my interest the most were "Why do people break the rules" and "is it important to face reality." It is in my opinion that rules were created to protect us against ourselves, from going wild. By doing this however, we give up some of our freedom. Which makes me conclude that some rules were meant to be broken. For the second question, we must never hide from the reality of the situation. Anything that flies face in the reality is dangerous, but I may just be taking this literally.
The Civil War was a transitional not only for America but also for literature. I honestly believe we have the South to thank for this transition. Also the Romantics played a role with their images of the brave Romantic hero. So many got the real taste of war and had their views changed. By the end of the Civil War, romanticism had lost it's taste and realism was on the rise. Two poets also broke conventional poetry rules: Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. They wrote radically different styles that wasn't accepted until later on after their deaths. African Americans rose into levels of prominence on many levels. Then it talks about the basic form of poetry later on.
I just have to say that I love the examples they used for the Artistic Innovators section. Blue Man Group? Saving Private Ryan? Bravo!
This chapter deals with the two subjects shown above and asks us several important questions as well. The questions that piqued my interest the most were "Why do people break the rules" and "is it important to face reality." It is in my opinion that rules were created to protect us against ourselves, from going wild. By doing this however, we give up some of our freedom. Which makes me conclude that some rules were meant to be broken. For the second question, we must never hide from the reality of the situation. Anything that flies face in the reality is dangerous, but I may just be taking this literally.
The Civil War was a transitional not only for America but also for literature. I honestly believe we have the South to thank for this transition. Also the Romantics played a role with their images of the brave Romantic hero. So many got the real taste of war and had their views changed. By the end of the Civil War, romanticism had lost it's taste and realism was on the rise. Two poets also broke conventional poetry rules: Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. They wrote radically different styles that wasn't accepted until later on after their deaths. African Americans rose into levels of prominence on many levels. Then it talks about the basic form of poetry later on.
I just have to say that I love the examples they used for the Artistic Innovators section. Blue Man Group? Saving Private Ryan? Bravo!
Friday, July 27, 2012
Blog #14
Murrikan Literature.
Chapter 2
This chapter discusses American Romanticism which started because of the drastic changes going on at the time. The book asks us if everyone has a dark side, what is the price of progress, and where do people look for the truth. Romanticists spread around news and ideas from their poems and journalism. So if Romanticism never started in America, would we still have slaves today? The best part about questioning history is the amount of variables that it comes with. It's like writing a book since you can make up some parts. Many of these writers were influential in the forging of American literature, notably the Fireside poets and the "Dark" Romantics: Henry Longfellow and Edgar Allen Poe. Dark Romantics contrasted from their light and fluffy brethren, preferring the mysterious, insane, and grotesque that is Gothic literature.
All this mixing eventually would turn into a unique identity that didn't imitate that of their European counterparts. Kudos to you America.
Chapter 2
This chapter discusses American Romanticism which started because of the drastic changes going on at the time. The book asks us if everyone has a dark side, what is the price of progress, and where do people look for the truth. Romanticists spread around news and ideas from their poems and journalism. So if Romanticism never started in America, would we still have slaves today? The best part about questioning history is the amount of variables that it comes with. It's like writing a book since you can make up some parts. Many of these writers were influential in the forging of American literature, notably the Fireside poets and the "Dark" Romantics: Henry Longfellow and Edgar Allen Poe. Dark Romantics contrasted from their light and fluffy brethren, preferring the mysterious, insane, and grotesque that is Gothic literature.
All this mixing eventually would turn into a unique identity that didn't imitate that of their European counterparts. Kudos to you America.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Blog #13
Textbook Chapters 1. Aka APUSH part II.
Chapter 1
I felt like I was reading chapter 7 from our APUSH textbook instead of the literature textbook. Especially after finishing up with APUSH, I saw more history than actual writing history to digest from. Everyone knows the Native Americans are an interesting lot but they have such a rich oral history if you look into it. Reading the paragraphs of our history (again) made me want to go research it on Google or something. The later passages talked about the historical documents that founded our nation (Constitution, Declaration of Independence) and their importance. The later pages talked somewhat about women's rights and slave's rights (also talked about in our history textbooks).
Chapter 1
I felt like I was reading chapter 7 from our APUSH textbook instead of the literature textbook. Especially after finishing up with APUSH, I saw more history than actual writing history to digest from. Everyone knows the Native Americans are an interesting lot but they have such a rich oral history if you look into it. Reading the paragraphs of our history (again) made me want to go research it on Google or something. The later passages talked about the historical documents that founded our nation (Constitution, Declaration of Independence) and their importance. The later pages talked somewhat about women's rights and slave's rights (also talked about in our history textbooks).
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Blog #12
Just noticed that my blog posts are all over the place. Last post for On Writing.
The most important of the book that everyone can agree must be the plot. However Stephen King, surprisingly, disagrees at this. Instead he distrusts plot for primarily two reasons: first, people's lives are plotless and second, because plotting and creating things aren't compatible. Instead the stories makes themselves he says and the writer is responsible for making it grow. Stephen King brings up some interesting points regarding the importance of plot and questions if it's really important at all. If plot is the life imbued in a book then it certainly deserves, indeed, to be plotless. Instead, King, relies more on intuition by playing with the situation of the story. By making a strong situation it's possible to make an entire plot pointless and instead just make it up as you go along.
Besides a good story, description is vital for anyone to get into the story. If we had a novel that had bland descriptions and bland characters, odds are we would be stuck reading the first sentence over and over. on the contrary, have a book with vivid descriptions, the reader would get sucked into the book. There is a fine line between having too little description and too much description, so many must find the balance. Ex: Tommy is a shut-in who wears vintage clothes and has a bad complexion. Now it wouldn't take long to figure out due to our imaginations. Tommy would appear a pale, messy, pimply mess. If the writer gives us the description it'll cancel ours out and replaced entirely by them. Though the details are minimal it's enough for most of us to figure out what he looks like.
Similes, metaphors, and other forms of figurative languages are one of the tools of reading and writing. Through the comparing of unlike objects, like a bed and a rock, new perspectives can appear before us. When they don't work, the results are often hilariously bad.
Ex- We sat there patiently for the officer to arrive like we were waiting for our really late order for dinner.
If Stephen King read that he would've clicked the big red X and turned his computer, if he owns one.
He brings up something called "the Zen simile" which must be overused and cliched similes and metaphors from a good lack of reading and writing. Popular examples can be, he ran like a madman or the chili was as hot as the sun. These lack serious description (it makes you sound like a fifth grader) and make you seem lack creativity. Good description can be acquired by the use of fresh images and simple vocabulary he mentions. That means that if I wrote about a field of flowers on a bright sunny day and threw in additional details and a twist, just maybe it could be used for a novel. Related to descriptions is the use of dialogue. Dialogue is just like real people talking so it must resonate with the realism of people speaking. That means the usage of incorrectly written sentences and words that don't even exist in the dictionary.
Stephen King then offers advice on the other forms of literature, going through theme, irony, symbolism and much more. I honestly believe this book does better than the sophomore English textbook (which to be frank, I've only opened about three times.)
The most important part of the book must be the last 80 pages. Stephen King goes through the process of writing a novel and gives advice on how to make it good, but not flawless. When we first begin writing we must write in our own little world until we are done writing our first draft. Unlike anything I've heard before, when we are done we must put the draft away and spend some time away from it. When it seems like something we bought from a foreign country then we can resume work on it with a fresh mindset. The second draft must be shorter than the first one and can usually be done in one sitting. The pace which your novel is set at can be fast or slow but not too fast or too slow. Too much of anything is bad.
A novel is usually aimed at one ideal reader in mind and this is the person you must write towards. So you should have the Ideal Reader proofread your stuff and give feedback on what could be improved. When the reader says you have a problem, you seriously should fix it. Listen to your audience, the customer usually knows whats best. The role of backstory or background is usually kept...well... in the background. It being facts or history the writer incorporates into a novel. Popular notion is Tom Clancy because that book is loaded with facts.
Lastly he talks about the usefulness of writing classes or seminars which can help on varying degrees. However, they take away the fun of writing by making the "I want" feeling to the "I need" type of feeling. So writing classes can hinder more than help someone. Truly the last thing he talks about is his unfortunate car accident that almost took his life.
On Writing was an excellent read, well, on writing. Stephen King recounts some of his life events with his all the while being our mentor and guides us towards the path of good writing. On the bright side, my writing is going to get better. All in all, it's filled with useful information and I like it.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Blog #11
The 11th blog post about writing. On Writing.
There are no bad dogs which can translate to there are no bad books. There are no bad writers but there are lots of bad books. So Stephen King believes that every writer, no matter how mediocre, is capable of writing a couple good stories. The writers at the bottom of the pyramid, however, can never become competent writers. But the competent writers who mastered the basics and filled that third level of the toolbox can become great writers. This unorthodox idea is commonly rejected by many people but why is it rejected? People with a God born gift for writing may be the only writers good enough to go into legend but perhaps others can disprove that idea.
Stephen King's words of wisdom: "...if you don't want to work your ass off, you have no business trying to write well..." (144). It's like saying if you don't want to work hard in an AP class, why bother even taking it in the first place? Some lazy people didn't do any work just to bomb the AP test. I'm getting sidetracked.
The person who's willing to write has to do two things apparently: read a lot and write a lot. Reading will supposedly let us slowly master the fundamentals of literature. While writing will just condition us for those long sessions sitting at a desk. This piece of advice will be invaluable to the people who are taking AP Language. The books we read have their own lessons in there but the bad ones usually teach more than the new ones, ironically. Hopefully the books I've been reading give me lessons on how to write literature like Shakespeare. Minus the old cryptic English. At first we may have to adopt a certain writer's style but it is only the first step in developing our own unique writing style. I honestly hope my writing will be humorous and not dirt boring.
The person who is in a business just for the money has no belonging there, unless it's a job no one is even willing to take. It's especially bad when a writer is in the business only for the money, we get poopy stories at our own expense. On the bright side, when a writer can see and hear the echoes of his or her life, then it's likely they will be invested into the story.
Stephen King encourages the writer to write what they want and make it come to life by imbuing it with your own experiences and work. Essentially the stories we write are the physical and spiritual manifestation of ourselves.
There are no bad dogs which can translate to there are no bad books. There are no bad writers but there are lots of bad books. So Stephen King believes that every writer, no matter how mediocre, is capable of writing a couple good stories. The writers at the bottom of the pyramid, however, can never become competent writers. But the competent writers who mastered the basics and filled that third level of the toolbox can become great writers. This unorthodox idea is commonly rejected by many people but why is it rejected? People with a God born gift for writing may be the only writers good enough to go into legend but perhaps others can disprove that idea.
Stephen King's words of wisdom: "...if you don't want to work your ass off, you have no business trying to write well..." (144). It's like saying if you don't want to work hard in an AP class, why bother even taking it in the first place? Some lazy people didn't do any work just to bomb the AP test. I'm getting sidetracked.
The person who's willing to write has to do two things apparently: read a lot and write a lot. Reading will supposedly let us slowly master the fundamentals of literature. While writing will just condition us for those long sessions sitting at a desk. This piece of advice will be invaluable to the people who are taking AP Language. The books we read have their own lessons in there but the bad ones usually teach more than the new ones, ironically. Hopefully the books I've been reading give me lessons on how to write literature like Shakespeare. Minus the old cryptic English. At first we may have to adopt a certain writer's style but it is only the first step in developing our own unique writing style. I honestly hope my writing will be humorous and not dirt boring.
The person who is in a business just for the money has no belonging there, unless it's a job no one is even willing to take. It's especially bad when a writer is in the business only for the money, we get poopy stories at our own expense. On the bright side, when a writer can see and hear the echoes of his or her life, then it's likely they will be invested into the story.
Stephen King encourages the writer to write what they want and make it come to life by imbuing it with your own experiences and work. Essentially the stories we write are the physical and spiritual manifestation of ourselves.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Blog #10
Reading On Writing about the topic of writing while writing. Write-ception!
Now what exactly is writing? According to Stephen King it is no short of telepathy. I really don't understand what he means but I'll just go with it. However one can approach writing with a kind of excitement, nervousness, or even despair, but one must never write on the paper lightly. You must put ALL thoughts down onto the sheet of paper and not hold back. And that is some helpful advice and can be instrumental in any writings we will be undertaking in AP Language next year (in-fact I'm a little intimidated by the thought of it).
Stephen King advises us that instead of being discouraged by the hard jobs instead that we pick out the correct tool instead from our "toolbox". The toolbox has three levels but it could be four or five, even six he says, but it can't be too large or it loses its value. The common tools, vocabulary, go on top. Apparently we should not make no effort to improve, that seems sort of backwards in thinking. There is a fine line on how well we use our vocabulary. Sometimes short words work better than long words, and vice versa. But you shouldn't attempt to replace these short words with better words, because some sentences will end up looking plain and silly. Let's look at these two sentences and compare them.
1) He showed no emotion
2) His face was apathetic.
I like the first sentence. It's straight to the point and doesn't beat around the bush. If the sentence is offensive or slightly disturbing, then by all means try to find alternative words. They're usually not as good as the first word you chose though. Those two sentences are complete sentences but do they have to be complete? According to King, they don't need to be. Somewhat unorthodox really to defy the classic rules of literature. Simple sentences can be used a safety net for your writing however. A simple noun or verb can be used in great effect. Sadly the adverb is not our friend here. By using adverbs, writers don't get to the point as quickly or as strong as they hoped. Let's use the examples from On Writing.
1) He closed the door firmly
2) He slammed the door.
Sentence #1 feels flimsy as a noodle and seems a bit excessive or redundant. We already know that he closed the door but do we need to know that he firmly closed the door? It's an extra word and is completely unnecessary. Sentence #2 is straight to the point and strikes forth like the fury of a god. Adverbs can become a mess when it comes to various dialogue in novels. When I read the sentence: "Give it back!" Thomas shouted loudly, it literally makes me cringe. If it was replaced with he said then the sentence would be a bit more bearable to me.
Moving on to the final topic of this post is the almighty paragraph. They are important since they map out your ideas and hold together the fabric of your story. Even the informal essays can show the power of the basic paragraph. The most infamous essay, quoting Stephen King, "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" (131). The topic sentence is then followed by supporting details that demand the writer to put down his/her thoughts. Like putting directions on a map, the story webs out depending on your choices.
On Writing is giving me useful information on writing and some background history on Stephen King himself. I can feel my grammar and vocabulary improving already!!
Now what exactly is writing? According to Stephen King it is no short of telepathy. I really don't understand what he means but I'll just go with it. However one can approach writing with a kind of excitement, nervousness, or even despair, but one must never write on the paper lightly. You must put ALL thoughts down onto the sheet of paper and not hold back. And that is some helpful advice and can be instrumental in any writings we will be undertaking in AP Language next year (in-fact I'm a little intimidated by the thought of it).
Stephen King advises us that instead of being discouraged by the hard jobs instead that we pick out the correct tool instead from our "toolbox". The toolbox has three levels but it could be four or five, even six he says, but it can't be too large or it loses its value. The common tools, vocabulary, go on top. Apparently we should not make no effort to improve, that seems sort of backwards in thinking. There is a fine line on how well we use our vocabulary. Sometimes short words work better than long words, and vice versa. But you shouldn't attempt to replace these short words with better words, because some sentences will end up looking plain and silly. Let's look at these two sentences and compare them.
1) He showed no emotion
2) His face was apathetic.
I like the first sentence. It's straight to the point and doesn't beat around the bush. If the sentence is offensive or slightly disturbing, then by all means try to find alternative words. They're usually not as good as the first word you chose though. Those two sentences are complete sentences but do they have to be complete? According to King, they don't need to be. Somewhat unorthodox really to defy the classic rules of literature. Simple sentences can be used a safety net for your writing however. A simple noun or verb can be used in great effect. Sadly the adverb is not our friend here. By using adverbs, writers don't get to the point as quickly or as strong as they hoped. Let's use the examples from On Writing.
1) He closed the door firmly
2) He slammed the door.
Sentence #1 feels flimsy as a noodle and seems a bit excessive or redundant. We already know that he closed the door but do we need to know that he firmly closed the door? It's an extra word and is completely unnecessary. Sentence #2 is straight to the point and strikes forth like the fury of a god. Adverbs can become a mess when it comes to various dialogue in novels. When I read the sentence: "Give it back!" Thomas shouted loudly, it literally makes me cringe. If it was replaced with he said then the sentence would be a bit more bearable to me.
Moving on to the final topic of this post is the almighty paragraph. They are important since they map out your ideas and hold together the fabric of your story. Even the informal essays can show the power of the basic paragraph. The most infamous essay, quoting Stephen King, "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" (131). The topic sentence is then followed by supporting details that demand the writer to put down his/her thoughts. Like putting directions on a map, the story webs out depending on your choices.
On Writing is giving me useful information on writing and some background history on Stephen King himself. I can feel my grammar and vocabulary improving already!!
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Blog #9
Plagiarism....is.....BAD!
And to think that Stephen King even committed such an act. Blasphemy! Well unfortunately for myself the great author actually did such a thing, sharing his experiences in the book On Writing. This is something that can be forgiven though. He wasn't aware (at the time at least) that he was violating every plagiarism rule in the history of literature. Every teenager tries to make money one way or another, so I kind of agree on his approach to gaining money.
I do not like this Miss Hisler because she called The Pit and the Pendulum a piece of junk and demanded to know why he was wasting his God-given abilities. Anyways, Stephen continues to explain significant parts of his writing "career" such as his time as an editor for the high school newspaper and his time spent writing Carrie.
Carrie is obviously the turning point of his life and probably the true starting point of his career as a writer. All the while giving us subtle advice to our writing. For instance, the combining of two unlike ideas into one big idea! However, Stephen King mentions that he never liked Carrie, because it reminded him of Sondra and Dodie, two women he met that eventually met their demise.
Unbeknownst to me, he was actually quite the druggie. Apparently dependent on it for the "buzz" it gave him during writing. Now that is just wrong but his wife helped him end his various addictions, thankfully.
To end this post, Stephen King gives a little bit of advice that life isn't the support system for art. It's the other way around.
And to think that Stephen King even committed such an act. Blasphemy! Well unfortunately for myself the great author actually did such a thing, sharing his experiences in the book On Writing. This is something that can be forgiven though. He wasn't aware (at the time at least) that he was violating every plagiarism rule in the history of literature. Every teenager tries to make money one way or another, so I kind of agree on his approach to gaining money.
I do not like this Miss Hisler because she called The Pit and the Pendulum a piece of junk and demanded to know why he was wasting his God-given abilities. Anyways, Stephen continues to explain significant parts of his writing "career" such as his time as an editor for the high school newspaper and his time spent writing Carrie.
Carrie is obviously the turning point of his life and probably the true starting point of his career as a writer. All the while giving us subtle advice to our writing. For instance, the combining of two unlike ideas into one big idea! However, Stephen King mentions that he never liked Carrie, because it reminded him of Sondra and Dodie, two women he met that eventually met their demise.
Unbeknownst to me, he was actually quite the druggie. Apparently dependent on it for the "buzz" it gave him during writing. Now that is just wrong but his wife helped him end his various addictions, thankfully.
To end this post, Stephen King gives a little bit of advice that life isn't the support system for art. It's the other way around.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Blog #8
And further we go into the mind of the writer...
So according to Stephen King, On Writing is not really a biography, but yet at the same time it is a biography. I believe that it is more of the development of him as a writer rather than an actual biography. I'm more inclined towards the second option since he shares some rather interesting stories about himself so far.
Everyone can get a bit of a surprise the more you learn about their past and that not everything is what you thought it to be. I was surprised that Stephen King had the childhood of a modern nomad, constantly moving from place to place on the east coast of America. Even more interesting was the story of his infamous babysitter, Eula-Beulah. I think what Stephen King meant by "dangerous humor" (20) I really think he meant excessively crude humor. However, this person somehow helped him for literary criticism, he doesn't explain how but she must had some kind of pro-founding effect on him. Stephen King also uses places from his life and incorporates them into his book, which is quite simple and ingenious. The junkyard in his old backyard makes an appearance in several of his novels.
Really surprising is that Mr. King had skipped his entire first grade year due to illnesses. Being held back an entire year is pretty bad. And looking at this and looking at him is an indication that he didn't let that stop him. I must also acknowledge his mother as the sole reason why Stephen King started writing, she did a fine job encouraging him like a loving mother. May she rest in peace.
So far, On Writing is a much more interesting read than The Catcher in the Rye. I'm looking forward to more of this book in the upcoming days.
So according to Stephen King, On Writing is not really a biography, but yet at the same time it is a biography. I believe that it is more of the development of him as a writer rather than an actual biography. I'm more inclined towards the second option since he shares some rather interesting stories about himself so far.
Everyone can get a bit of a surprise the more you learn about their past and that not everything is what you thought it to be. I was surprised that Stephen King had the childhood of a modern nomad, constantly moving from place to place on the east coast of America. Even more interesting was the story of his infamous babysitter, Eula-Beulah. I think what Stephen King meant by "dangerous humor" (20) I really think he meant excessively crude humor. However, this person somehow helped him for literary criticism, he doesn't explain how but she must had some kind of pro-founding effect on him. Stephen King also uses places from his life and incorporates them into his book, which is quite simple and ingenious. The junkyard in his old backyard makes an appearance in several of his novels.
Really surprising is that Mr. King had skipped his entire first grade year due to illnesses. Being held back an entire year is pretty bad. And looking at this and looking at him is an indication that he didn't let that stop him. I must also acknowledge his mother as the sole reason why Stephen King started writing, she did a fine job encouraging him like a loving mother. May she rest in peace.
So far, On Writing is a much more interesting read than The Catcher in the Rye. I'm looking forward to more of this book in the upcoming days.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Blog #7
A lesson On Writing by Stephen King. Dandy!
I would like to say that I yelled in my mind, "YES OH MY GOD" when I saw who the author was. Stephen King is on top of my list for favorite authors. A favorite series for me would be the Dark Tower series of novels. Ironically I only read the first one because I keep forgetting to buy the rest (i can always look back here now for a reminder).
On Writing is something of a part biography and part tutorial guide inspired by Mary Karr's memoir, The Liars' Club. King describes this book as "not so a biography" but instead as the development of him becoming a writer, and it's a rather interesting story to read. Part tutorial because Mr. King gives us advice on how to become a good writer and some essential tips in starting a writer career, if you wanted to become a writer in the first place.
I'll be going over the book in the next couple of days, giving my thoughts and insights on the book as I go along.
And gee it's late to post a blog post.
I would like to say that I yelled in my mind, "YES OH MY GOD" when I saw who the author was. Stephen King is on top of my list for favorite authors. A favorite series for me would be the Dark Tower series of novels. Ironically I only read the first one because I keep forgetting to buy the rest (i can always look back here now for a reminder).
On Writing is something of a part biography and part tutorial guide inspired by Mary Karr's memoir, The Liars' Club. King describes this book as "not so a biography" but instead as the development of him becoming a writer, and it's a rather interesting story to read. Part tutorial because Mr. King gives us advice on how to become a good writer and some essential tips in starting a writer career, if you wanted to become a writer in the first place.
I'll be going over the book in the next couple of days, giving my thoughts and insights on the book as I go along.
And gee it's late to post a blog post.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Blog #6
Dun dun duuuuun..
Final chapters of The Catcher in the Rye!! Let's get this show on the road!
Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Mr. Antolini seems like a swell guy but maybe a bit too swell. He is a heavy drinker for a teacher, and let's Holden, who's underage, have a smoke too. This chapter reminds me of two friends engaging in small talk, occasionally joking around. Mr. Antolini jokes that he'll show him the door if he failed English when he really only failed Oral Expression (DIGRESSION!). Mr. Antolini also helps Holden a lot like his first teacher, offering him advice and what not. A little disturbing is when Holden wakes up in the middle of the night just placing his hand on his forehead. Creepy dude.
Chapter 25
He slept in the subway is what Holden did after he left Mr. Antolini's. In the subway is when he makes this crazy scheme, he decides to ditch school altogether and go out West to test his luck. That is such a bad idea on so many levels. Let's bring in one of John Steinbeck's books, Of Mice and Men, for a quick comparison. Mice was a tragedy and so is Holden's plan to go West. Even more so when Phoebe wants to tag along on his crazy plan. However, he changed his mind. Good call Holden
Chapter 26
Nothing much to say here but he does offer a little advice. That we shouldn't really tell anyone anything, or else we'll start missing everyone.
All in all, The Catcher in the Rye, was a pleasant reading experience. And I'm looking forward to the next book on the list, On Writing by Stephen King.
Chapter 26
Nothing much to say here but he does offer a little advice. That we shouldn't really tell anyone anything, or else we'll start missing everyone.
All in all, The Catcher in the Rye, was a pleasant reading experience. And I'm looking forward to the next book on the list, On Writing by Stephen King.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Blog #5
A quarter of the way there!!
Now i just have reached the last chapters of J.D Salinger's book, The Catcher in the Rye! The book was a fun and interesting to read from other books I had read so far. The style is was written was very different from other books assigned to us in school. I'm glad that I actually got the chance to read this because I probably wouldn't read it under normal circumstances.
And I would like to delve further into the book by discussing the few remaining chapters (19-22).
Chapter 19
Good old Holden Caulfield decides to hang out in the Wicker Bar with someone named Luce. Luce seems like a stalker in his spare time, since he knows who is and who isn't a "flit". What kind of a guy is old Luce? We do know that he is rather intelligent but also seems to have this high social life. Holden also doesn't like intelligent people because they can't hold intelligent conversations. Perhaps because intelligent people know more and aren't interested in talking about it much? But most likely depends on the personality.
Chapter 20
This chapter reminds me of that time when my friend decided to fake that he was a mute/deaf and decided to trick people with it. Holden is drunk and pretends that he has a bullet wound in his stomach. He is drunk out in the cold and decides to sit on a radiator. But aren't radiators bad to be near? Kind of like standing near a sewer grate, sure it's warm but it can be fatal for your health. Also fatal to your health is the fact that he can get some disease in that type of weather. Like pneumonia, what Holden said he could get. He also doesn't seem to like his family, in a flashback of Allie's funeral. He doesn't like a lot of things does he.
Chapter 21
Holden is pulling a Splinter Cell by going home before Wednesday just to see Phoebe, his little sister. Now what is he up too going to Phoebe? Going to give her the broken shards of the record disc he bought her (which he does give by the way)? But before he even wakes her up, Holden goes through one of her notebooks. Apparently she changes her middle name quite often, since she doesn't like hers already. Which is Josephine, by the way. So she wakes up and all and finds out pretty quick that Holden got kicked out of school. Oh my she is really smart and quick-witted for such a young child.
Chapter 22-23
Looking at the next page I see a long rant from Holden. The rant is about how he hates all the people in Pency and how the faculty sucked too. Then they try to guess something that Holden actually LIKES since he hates everything so much. Holden couldn't concentrate so well so he began talking about this James Castle guy. That's the thing about him, he can't sit still on one subject for too long. He'll tell you one story then he'll jump to this other one about this one acorn that fell from the sky. Well anyways, they fail to mention anything that he actually likes when his parents walk in the house. Holden somehow makes it to the front door and escapes. Ninja man.
Though why did he go home. Seriously.
Now i just have reached the last chapters of J.D Salinger's book, The Catcher in the Rye! The book was a fun and interesting to read from other books I had read so far. The style is was written was very different from other books assigned to us in school. I'm glad that I actually got the chance to read this because I probably wouldn't read it under normal circumstances.
And I would like to delve further into the book by discussing the few remaining chapters (19-22).
Chapter 19
Good old Holden Caulfield decides to hang out in the Wicker Bar with someone named Luce. Luce seems like a stalker in his spare time, since he knows who is and who isn't a "flit". What kind of a guy is old Luce? We do know that he is rather intelligent but also seems to have this high social life. Holden also doesn't like intelligent people because they can't hold intelligent conversations. Perhaps because intelligent people know more and aren't interested in talking about it much? But most likely depends on the personality.
Chapter 20
This chapter reminds me of that time when my friend decided to fake that he was a mute/deaf and decided to trick people with it. Holden is drunk and pretends that he has a bullet wound in his stomach. He is drunk out in the cold and decides to sit on a radiator. But aren't radiators bad to be near? Kind of like standing near a sewer grate, sure it's warm but it can be fatal for your health. Also fatal to your health is the fact that he can get some disease in that type of weather. Like pneumonia, what Holden said he could get. He also doesn't seem to like his family, in a flashback of Allie's funeral. He doesn't like a lot of things does he.
Chapter 21
Holden is pulling a Splinter Cell by going home before Wednesday just to see Phoebe, his little sister. Now what is he up too going to Phoebe? Going to give her the broken shards of the record disc he bought her (which he does give by the way)? But before he even wakes her up, Holden goes through one of her notebooks. Apparently she changes her middle name quite often, since she doesn't like hers already. Which is Josephine, by the way. So she wakes up and all and finds out pretty quick that Holden got kicked out of school. Oh my she is really smart and quick-witted for such a young child.
Chapter 22-23
Looking at the next page I see a long rant from Holden. The rant is about how he hates all the people in Pency and how the faculty sucked too. Then they try to guess something that Holden actually LIKES since he hates everything so much. Holden couldn't concentrate so well so he began talking about this James Castle guy. That's the thing about him, he can't sit still on one subject for too long. He'll tell you one story then he'll jump to this other one about this one acorn that fell from the sky. Well anyways, they fail to mention anything that he actually likes when his parents walk in the house. Holden somehow makes it to the front door and escapes. Ninja man.
Though why did he go home. Seriously.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Blog #4
Now with 100% moar confusion!!
These next few chapters offer some insight into the life of our rebellious teenage hero, Holden, from the book The Catcher in the Rye. It also gives me some insight about his character too.
Chapter 13
So after running into a friend of his brothers, he decides to walk a beautiful 41 blocks all the way back to the hotel. Now what would he walk that many city blocks in the freezing cold? He didn't want to take a cab since he "didn't feel like getting in and out of another taxicab" (88). Holden, despite being so tough, at the same time is not so tough. Makes sense? He describes himself as being "yellow" or just being a wimp. That seems the case when he's offered a prostitute by this shady looking elevator guy. Well the girl does come by but since, you know he's a yellow belly, they didn't do it.
Chapter 14
And our hero gets jumped by the creepy elevator man and the weird blonde prostitute. Holden then proceeds to get beaten up and does nothing but call him a moron. I felt bad for him in this chapter because he was being 100% honest!!
Chapter 15
A dandy little date between Holden and a girl named Sally on a Sunday. Holden then has a conversation between himself and some nuns about Romeo & Juliet. A conversation with Catholic nuns is something that I wouldn't expect, since Holden himself is atheist. He even gave the nuns some money which they refused. Maybe Holden isn't such a rebel after all.
Chapter 16
Holden now is buying tickets for his date to a show named "I Know My Love." He then goes on to rant about how he hates actors and they're acting and how they don't act like people. I'll ask the question once again,why does he always like to hate on people who have some talent that he doesn't have?
Chapter 17
Later on, Holden says something rather...rhetorical. Holden suggests that you can tell a true lie. I felt like I got Inception'd when I saw that passage. So Holden in my eyes, makes absolutely no sense in his logic. For instance, he says that they should just run away and steal someones car just to live off $180 in a cabin!! To top it off, Sally says something that is very truthful about Holden. Holden does indeed jump from one subject to the next. I mean just look at the sequence of events in the book.
Chapter 18
After the argument with Sally, Holden is somewhat in the dumps. So he begins talking about girls and how they think. Saying it makes absolutely no sense. And for once, I agree, but it kinda works both ways. Holden also imparts on us another piece of of his divine logic. That all kindhearted people are actually evil on the inside. He seems rather close minded in his observations.
I don't know how to end this post so here is a Kirby with awkward eyes >(*-*)>
These next few chapters offer some insight into the life of our rebellious teenage hero, Holden, from the book The Catcher in the Rye. It also gives me some insight about his character too.
Chapter 13
So after running into a friend of his brothers, he decides to walk a beautiful 41 blocks all the way back to the hotel. Now what would he walk that many city blocks in the freezing cold? He didn't want to take a cab since he "didn't feel like getting in and out of another taxicab" (88). Holden, despite being so tough, at the same time is not so tough. Makes sense? He describes himself as being "yellow" or just being a wimp. That seems the case when he's offered a prostitute by this shady looking elevator guy. Well the girl does come by but since, you know he's a yellow belly, they didn't do it.
Chapter 14
And our hero gets jumped by the creepy elevator man and the weird blonde prostitute. Holden then proceeds to get beaten up and does nothing but call him a moron. I felt bad for him in this chapter because he was being 100% honest!!
Chapter 15
A dandy little date between Holden and a girl named Sally on a Sunday. Holden then has a conversation between himself and some nuns about Romeo & Juliet. A conversation with Catholic nuns is something that I wouldn't expect, since Holden himself is atheist. He even gave the nuns some money which they refused. Maybe Holden isn't such a rebel after all.
Chapter 16
Holden now is buying tickets for his date to a show named "I Know My Love." He then goes on to rant about how he hates actors and they're acting and how they don't act like people. I'll ask the question once again,why does he always like to hate on people who have some talent that he doesn't have?
Chapter 17
Later on, Holden says something rather...rhetorical. Holden suggests that you can tell a true lie. I felt like I got Inception'd when I saw that passage. So Holden in my eyes, makes absolutely no sense in his logic. For instance, he says that they should just run away and steal someones car just to live off $180 in a cabin!! To top it off, Sally says something that is very truthful about Holden. Holden does indeed jump from one subject to the next. I mean just look at the sequence of events in the book.
Chapter 18
After the argument with Sally, Holden is somewhat in the dumps. So he begins talking about girls and how they think. Saying it makes absolutely no sense. And for once, I agree, but it kinda works both ways. Holden also imparts on us another piece of of his divine logic. That all kindhearted people are actually evil on the inside. He seems rather close minded in his observations.
I don't know how to end this post so here is a Kirby with awkward eyes >(*-*)>
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Blog #3
With a side of teenage angst.
I have returned with my daily dose of J.D. Salinger's book, The Catcher in the Rye. As I continue reading this book, the "story" gets more bizarre as you continue. It begins to make almost no sense to me and I stopped trying to look for any conventional plot.
These chapters (8-12) focus on the events of Holden's departure from Pencey.
Chapter 8
Holden gets on this train right? After a while this older women sits down next to him. Turns out she's the mom of this dude he totally hates, named Ernest Morrow. So Holden just starts lying to her so maybe he can impress her on her son or something. Perhaps he lied to her for his own entertainment? Now, why would you lie to the mother of some dude that you hate? Let alone say you have a brain tumor. I suppose Holden just had the hots for old Mrs. Morrow.
Chapter 9
First thing I noticed about this was the Edmont Hotel. I would HATE to stay one night in that place. The place was just filled with all sorts of strange people, for the time. A man who crossdressed and then this couple was doing god knows what to each other. Disturbing stuff man. And yet he was INTERESTED by all of this happening! But I think after seeing that gross couple, he decided to hook up with this chick named Jane because he was having a case of the turn-ons. In my opinion, the city at night was holed up all under one roof.
Chapter 10
He decides to go the Lavender Room, some sort of bar, for no apparent reason. Then he tries to hit on these three ladies, mostly the blonde one in the middle of the group, since she was the most decent looking (that's what he says, seriously.) He gets more pissed off the more he tries to hit on her since she acts like a queen. Well then, why would even bother with someone like her in the first place? In the end they all just left anyway, so I don't know what was going through his head.
Chapter 11
I dub this the shortest chapter of all time, being only a measly five pages. Holden goes back to thinking about Jane after those doorknobs left him with the bill. He goes on to tell us more about her messed up past, Is she relevant in anyway at all, why are we discussing her? Holden must have some hidden crush on her if he's remembering an important event he had with her.
Chapter 12
So after his flashback, he gets into a cab that smells like old cookies and strikes a conversation with the driver named Horowitz. He just happens to be a very impatient and sensitive guy. He gets pissed at everything Holden says to him, like seriously, he gets pissed off about the fish in the lake. Holden then gets dropped off at old Ernie's. Here he gets pissed off at everything little thing, the people, Ernie, everyone and everything. Holden seems to get pissed off at anyone better than him, thus providing me more evidence that he has an ego the size of the Minecraft world.
Such a short blog post... well then, I'll return soon with another observation on the book, The Catcher in the Rye.
I have returned with my daily dose of J.D. Salinger's book, The Catcher in the Rye. As I continue reading this book, the "story" gets more bizarre as you continue. It begins to make almost no sense to me and I stopped trying to look for any conventional plot.
These chapters (8-12) focus on the events of Holden's departure from Pencey.
Chapter 8
Holden gets on this train right? After a while this older women sits down next to him. Turns out she's the mom of this dude he totally hates, named Ernest Morrow. So Holden just starts lying to her so maybe he can impress her on her son or something. Perhaps he lied to her for his own entertainment? Now, why would you lie to the mother of some dude that you hate? Let alone say you have a brain tumor. I suppose Holden just had the hots for old Mrs. Morrow.
Chapter 9
First thing I noticed about this was the Edmont Hotel. I would HATE to stay one night in that place. The place was just filled with all sorts of strange people, for the time. A man who crossdressed and then this couple was doing god knows what to each other. Disturbing stuff man. And yet he was INTERESTED by all of this happening! But I think after seeing that gross couple, he decided to hook up with this chick named Jane because he was having a case of the turn-ons. In my opinion, the city at night was holed up all under one roof.
Chapter 10
He decides to go the Lavender Room, some sort of bar, for no apparent reason. Then he tries to hit on these three ladies, mostly the blonde one in the middle of the group, since she was the most decent looking (that's what he says, seriously.) He gets more pissed off the more he tries to hit on her since she acts like a queen. Well then, why would even bother with someone like her in the first place? In the end they all just left anyway, so I don't know what was going through his head.
Chapter 11
I dub this the shortest chapter of all time, being only a measly five pages. Holden goes back to thinking about Jane after those doorknobs left him with the bill. He goes on to tell us more about her messed up past, Is she relevant in anyway at all, why are we discussing her? Holden must have some hidden crush on her if he's remembering an important event he had with her.
Chapter 12
So after his flashback, he gets into a cab that smells like old cookies and strikes a conversation with the driver named Horowitz. He just happens to be a very impatient and sensitive guy. He gets pissed at everything Holden says to him, like seriously, he gets pissed off about the fish in the lake. Holden then gets dropped off at old Ernie's. Here he gets pissed off at everything little thing, the people, Ernie, everyone and everything. Holden seems to get pissed off at anyone better than him, thus providing me more evidence that he has an ego the size of the Minecraft world.
Such a short blog post... well then, I'll return soon with another observation on the book, The Catcher in the Rye.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Blog #2
Catcher in the Rye (Chapters 1-7)
Reading throughout the book, the Catcher in the Rye I find myself asking many questions about the position of the main character and the plot of this book in general. Usually we are introduced to the main character, then later the cast of other important characters and minor characters, afterwards we learn more about the plot. So far I am just questioning the motives and personality of the characters. Regardless I am enjoying myself at the moment with this book while I'm sitting in the yellow sun on a park bench blasting Skrillex through my tiny earbuds.
Moving on...
Chapter 1
I don't have much to say about this chapter. Why was he failing his subjects so hard? I can only think of laziness and no drive to try in school. This chapter also skips from one moment to the next and doesn't stay linear as I thought it would. The first few paragraphs already gave me an idea about his character. He has some massive ego going on, as he hates EVERYONE in the school. And he doesn't seem to care about much, kinda like me.
Chapter 2
This chapter gave me a couple ideas about our main character here. Why was he visiting his professor in the first place? I don't completely understand why but I think that he was just there to give his sentiments. And why did he ask Spencer to fail him in the semester? I am questioning the logic that was going through his head at the time, since anyone else would have studied for something like that. He also seems to have this massive ego, noted in his conversation with his professor. And I couldn't understand what he was trying to get at in this chapter.
Chapter 3
We are now introduced to a new character named "Ackely" who is, according to our hero, a nasty guy. He seems to hate everyone and I don't really understand why. Our main character seems to annoyed by everything little thing Ackely does and I don't blame him. For example, Ackely cutting his nails over the floor instead of on the table. Ackely reminds me of that one person in school that no one really talks too and has a rather grimy appearance but can actually be a nice person if you get to know them long enough. Stradlater, his roommate, seems to be a bit of a pushover.
Chapter 4
Stradlater is described as a "secret slob" by our hero. So this guy has dirty habits. So what? Everyone has their own little dirty habit. My opinion is that Stradlater is a slacker (Back to the Future reference!) since Stradlater tells him to write his composition. Why doesn't he just write it himself? A very descriptive composition is not that hard unless he was very lazy to do it in the first place. Our hero, Holden Caulfield, then discovers that Stradlater's date is a girl he once knew, and he got excited. I sense a lover's conflict in the making here..
Chapter 5
Holden does get that composition done and wrote it after his brother's baseball glove. That was really sweet of him to write about but seems to go into an emotional breakdown after his death. I think that's responsible for his rebellious behavior. Now why did he choose to write the composition about his brother? I may never know. But he may have done just for the sake of it. My favorite chapter so far.
Chapter 6
This chapter reminds me of that one person who forgets EXACTLY what he says, but says that he said something else instead. This reminds me of a fight between me and my best friend, over something rather stupid now that I think about it. Anyways, Stradlater gets mad because the composition is about a baseball glove when he said that it could be about anything. I don't get why he's mad because he said that it could be about anything!! Understanding, they got into a fight and Holden gets beaten up pretty bad. If only Stradlater knew what the composition was really about, that fight would probably never have happened.
Chapter 7
Holden and Ackley seem to have a bit of a bonding moment here. Well, sort of since Holden interrupted Ackley's beauty sleep. However, Holden seems to show some sort of affection towards Ackley. I don't know if he's being serious or just joking around.
And then he decides to wake up everyone before leaving his school.
Lordy that's a good second blog post. Well see you guys soon!!
And Happy 4th of July.
Reading throughout the book, the Catcher in the Rye I find myself asking many questions about the position of the main character and the plot of this book in general. Usually we are introduced to the main character, then later the cast of other important characters and minor characters, afterwards we learn more about the plot. So far I am just questioning the motives and personality of the characters. Regardless I am enjoying myself at the moment with this book while I'm sitting in the yellow sun on a park bench blasting Skrillex through my tiny earbuds.
Moving on...
Chapter 1
I don't have much to say about this chapter. Why was he failing his subjects so hard? I can only think of laziness and no drive to try in school. This chapter also skips from one moment to the next and doesn't stay linear as I thought it would. The first few paragraphs already gave me an idea about his character. He has some massive ego going on, as he hates EVERYONE in the school. And he doesn't seem to care about much, kinda like me.
Chapter 2
This chapter gave me a couple ideas about our main character here. Why was he visiting his professor in the first place? I don't completely understand why but I think that he was just there to give his sentiments. And why did he ask Spencer to fail him in the semester? I am questioning the logic that was going through his head at the time, since anyone else would have studied for something like that. He also seems to have this massive ego, noted in his conversation with his professor. And I couldn't understand what he was trying to get at in this chapter.
Chapter 3
We are now introduced to a new character named "Ackely" who is, according to our hero, a nasty guy. He seems to hate everyone and I don't really understand why. Our main character seems to annoyed by everything little thing Ackely does and I don't blame him. For example, Ackely cutting his nails over the floor instead of on the table. Ackely reminds me of that one person in school that no one really talks too and has a rather grimy appearance but can actually be a nice person if you get to know them long enough. Stradlater, his roommate, seems to be a bit of a pushover.
Chapter 4
Stradlater is described as a "secret slob" by our hero. So this guy has dirty habits. So what? Everyone has their own little dirty habit. My opinion is that Stradlater is a slacker (Back to the Future reference!) since Stradlater tells him to write his composition. Why doesn't he just write it himself? A very descriptive composition is not that hard unless he was very lazy to do it in the first place. Our hero, Holden Caulfield, then discovers that Stradlater's date is a girl he once knew, and he got excited. I sense a lover's conflict in the making here..
Chapter 5
Holden does get that composition done and wrote it after his brother's baseball glove. That was really sweet of him to write about but seems to go into an emotional breakdown after his death. I think that's responsible for his rebellious behavior. Now why did he choose to write the composition about his brother? I may never know. But he may have done just for the sake of it. My favorite chapter so far.
Chapter 6
This chapter reminds me of that one person who forgets EXACTLY what he says, but says that he said something else instead. This reminds me of a fight between me and my best friend, over something rather stupid now that I think about it. Anyways, Stradlater gets mad because the composition is about a baseball glove when he said that it could be about anything. I don't get why he's mad because he said that it could be about anything!! Understanding, they got into a fight and Holden gets beaten up pretty bad. If only Stradlater knew what the composition was really about, that fight would probably never have happened.
Chapter 7
Holden and Ackley seem to have a bit of a bonding moment here. Well, sort of since Holden interrupted Ackley's beauty sleep. However, Holden seems to show some sort of affection towards Ackley. I don't know if he's being serious or just joking around.
And then he decides to wake up everyone before leaving his school.
Lordy that's a good second blog post. Well see you guys soon!!
And Happy 4th of July.
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