Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Reflection on Fahrenheit 451 Part III

The third section of the novel is the most suspenseful and exciting part of the whole story itself. A minute Montag burns down his own house. Then, he burns down Captain Beatty! All of Montag's emotions and feelings toward the society must have built up and caused his outrageous action. Reading the part where he blasts the flames onto Beatty, I cheered happily for Montag.
However, consequences soon arrive...

Montag was chased down by cops, other firemen, and another Mechanical Hound. Everyone in the city was looking for him, and how is he going to manage that!? Luckily, Montag escapes to Faber's house, and he acquires some tips and old clothes from him. He ran toward a railroad track and got the Mechanical Hound sniffing the wrong way. Thankfully, Montag meets a man named Granger. Granger gives Montag a liquid to drink that will alter Montag's chemical index of his perspiration. The police, on the other side, finds a scapegoat and kills that guy and announced him as "Montag."

Next, Montag is introduced to three other men. Granger explains that each one of them have a story memorized in their minds. He describes how he will pass the story down to the next generations if needed, or he will offer the newly reformed society the knowledge of the books.
Montag is the "back-up copy" of the Book of Ecclesiastes. All of a sudden, bombs start dropping down, and the earth starts to shake. After the aftershock, the men have breakfast and set off to the city to help the survivors rebuild their new society/new homes.

Ray Bradbury did a very good job in ending this book. He is a great author who had made the climax of the story very appealing. I believe Montag had did the right thing from the very start, though he had had some regrets in the middle of his journey. Clarisse and Faber had made a huge impact to their society because they were the ones who had influenced and helped Montag in reforming the society. They are the "heroes" of the book.

Reflection on Fahrenheit 451 Part II

The second part of the book was mainly the buildup of the relationship between Montag and Faber. While Montag was trying to figure out what the books were saying, he suddenly remembers an old man he had met a long time ago, and he remembers he had written the man's phone number and address in a file in his wallet. The man's name was Faber, and he was someone whom Montag thinks may help him reform the society and government.

Montag goes on and finds Faber; Montag explains to Faber how he wants people to really listen to him. He tells Faber how he wants to really be happy. After talking for a period of time, Faber finally trusts Montag. They agree to team up together and change the society. Faber gives Montag a seashell radio to put in his ear. Faber can hear what Montag hears, and Montag can hear whatever Faber says.

I think Montag is really smart because he had thought of seeking Faber for help. However, I think Faber is just a nerdy coward. If Montag hadn't gone and find him, he would have spent his whole life quietly criticizing the society by himself. The most shocking thing was when Montag almost walked out of Faber's house without accomplishing anything, and Faber did nothing to stop him and remained a silent coward. It is good that Faber is helping, but perhaps he can be a little more risky because that is the only way to make changes.

I believe what Montag and Faber are doing with the seashell radio is an excellent way to start their reformation "journey." Lots of risks are included, but it will be all worth it in the end. I think they are doing a great job; however, in the second part of the novel, Beatty and the firemen troop is sent to Montag's house for a fire alarm. From the story, we see that Beatty is a complicated and intelligent man. He knows a lot about books and what is inside the books, but he refuses to allow books in the society. In the next section, we will see how Montag deals with the fire alarm that is pointed to his house.

Reflection on Fahrenheit 451 Part I

The point of the first part of the book was mainly to give us a background information of the period of the book in which it is set in. In this case, the book is set in the future, where high technologies take place. It describes to us about the daily life of Montag and his wife Mildred. Montag is a future fireman who burns books and houses, and Mildred sits around at home all day watching the TV parlor. Also, the first part is the most important part of the book.

I believe that it is the "spark" for the rest of the book. Montag goes through his normal, everyday schedule; however, Montag meets a girl named Clarisse, who psychologically changes him completely. Montag finally becomes aware of his life and the society. He realizes his desire for true happiness and a life where people can think in peace. This is how Montag's search for a better life had started, and the first step of his search was reading the books he had gathered illegally.

If our future was similar to the future described in the book, I would be very sad. I would not want to live in a place where people can't sit outside and just talk or think leisurely. In the beginning of the book, I believe Clarisses was the only "sane" girl. I am so glad that Montag was influenced by Clarisse and had changed his way of thinking, and I believe that Mildred is just a pitiful wife of Montag's, who doesn't even care about how Montag feels or thinks and only thinks about her own parlor "family." Their standard of a husband and wife relationship is very different compared to the standard in reality.

I think that the first part of the book did a really good job in giving us information about the characters' time and world. Ray Bradbury is such a talented writer, who had thought of the great idea to write about a world in which firemen are supposed to burn down books and also burn down the houses in which they were found in. This part of the book brings readers to a state of excitement and eagerness to read the rest of the book. It really gives readers a good start to the rest of the plot of the story.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Reflection on the Trip to Malaysia and Singapore

The trip to Malaysia and Singapore was just a terrific experience. Though the weather was extremely hot in both countries, we got to meet new people and visit famous places of Malaysia and Singapore. We got to spend lots of time with our friends, and the best thing was: no homework! Personally, I believe that the most confusing thing about Malaysia was: what language do they usually use? When we had gone to their stores, we could use Mandarin and English. It felt like they knew every single language in the world! I think they also understood Taiwanese too! It is so cool. Singapore was a bit different than Malaysia. The environment was more "clean," and the food was better and more "suited" for me. Malaysian food is very different from Taiwan's. However, I think the curry was very good. :)

My Favorite Author~




My all time favorite author is Roald Dahl. He is such a talented writer, and his books are filled with creativity and great imagination. After reading The BFG, I fell in love with his books. His books are a part of my childhood, and I believe that anyone who has not read his books is definitely missing out on a lot of great works! Roald Dahl's books are full of descriptions that can bring readers into the book itself. Some of his books are hilarious, and some are just out of the ordinary. Roald Dahl's books can broaden people's minds and give them unlimited imagination and brain creativity.



My Book Recommendation to You!



My favorite books are the Hunger Games Trilogy. They describe the life and difficulties Katniss had to face. Katniss lives with her mother and her sister. Her father was blown up in a mine, and she was left to take care of her family. In the place where she lives, there are twelve districts. Each year, the Capital holds an annual Hunger Games. Contestants are chosen from each district, and they are to fight in an arena until only one survivor is left. Unfortunately, Katniss's sister was chosen. Katniss runs up and takes her place, but will Katniss survive? Go grab a copy of the Hunger Games today at your local library and find out yourself!





The Hunger Games Trilogy are my favorite books because they include suspense with each turn of a page. The author writes with a detailed description and makes me feel like I am in the story myself. They are very exciting to read, and once you start...you won't stop. :)

Reflection on North and South





The book of North and South describes about the love life of a girl named Margaret Hale. In the book, two men fall in love with her: Henry Lennox and Mr. Thornton. They both propose to her, but in the end, Mr. Thornton wins Margaret's heart. During the story, some tragedies also happen. Margaret's mother and father die, and she is left with her aunt. Personally, I thought the book wasn't very exciting and fun to read because it just kept on describing Margaret's life. However, we got a really good view of the differences between the North and the South of England. The south of England is rich and rural-like. On the other hand, the north of England is industrial and full of smoke and other debris. In this book, Margaret got to experience both places; in the story, she favors the south more.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Reflection on King Lear


Out of the three great plays of Shakespeare: "Romeo and Juliet,""Macbeth,"and "King Lear," "King Lear" was the most complicated one. While reading "King Lear,' I had a hard time connecting and remembering all of the characters. I've figured out that the play is a tangle of two familes with two different stories-King Lear and Gloucester.



Personally, I think that King Lear is a pitiful and obtuse father. Why had he given land to his three daughters as if he was playing a game? It is like saying, "The one who describes to me how much they love me the best will receive the most land." It is just ridiculous.


Gloucester's son Edmund is a complete evil "genuis." Edmund had plotted against his brother Edgar and his father, which had led to a whole heap of trouble (Gloucester's eyes even get taken out!). I think it was outrageous that Gloucester had believed Edmund without thinking twice and had fallen into the trap. At the end, I think it was too nice of Edgar to forgive his father Gloucester.



I certainly believe that "King Lear" was very well-writtened, though its stories were all very pitiful. Shakespeare was definitely a genius. His plots were all very carefully thought and planned out. His plays are complicating, but marvelous with intricate details.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Reflection on Macbeth

The play of Macbeth is just about a cowardly king who desires power but fears to seize it from the others, such as Duncan. Although Macbeth is very scared to kill people, his wife Lady Macbeth always gives him the strength to do so. She is determined to have power. I believe that the three witches in the story helps build up the tension of the story. Because of the witches, Macbeth becomes frightened and is aware that other people may take his throne and that his own sons would not be the next heir to the throne. The play focuses on how Macbeth seeks to change that prediction from the witches but fails in the end.

Friday, April 1, 2011

"Romeo and Juliet" Reflection


The whole first part of the play was all very sudden. Every event passed swiftly, and Romeo and Juliet got married after only knowing each other for two days. The beginning of the play was extremely ironic. Although the play is called "Romeo and Juliet," Romeo had his eyes set on another woman named Rosaline. Romeo had definitely not been in love with Rosaline, though he believed he was. However, Romeo's love for Juliet was like "love at first sight." They are both willing to risk his/her own life for the other. This is, what I believe, true love. True love is when one is willing to sacrifice something that is important to him/herself for the goodness or benefit of the other.

The second part of "Romeo and Juliet" was a complete disaster. Because the message that Friar John was supposed to send to Romeo about Juliet's fake death was delayed, Romeo poisoned himself and died because he had thought Juliet had died. The play is a tragedy full of deaths. In the beginning, Mercutio and Tybalt had died while quarreling and fighting in the streets of Verona. Then, Romeo, Juliet, and Count Paris dies while in the tomb of the Capulets. On top of that, Romeo's mother had died from the sadness that Romeo had left the city. Six people die in this one play.


Many deaths had occured throughout the play of "Romeo and Juliet," all because of the Capulets and the Montagues hatred for each other. Although Prince Escalus was just a witness of the whole turmoil, he was deeply wretched when two members of his own family had died-Mercutio and Count Paris. All the devastation of the two families had brought peace between them, for both their loved ones had died due to their pitiful and ignominious hatreds for each other. The whole play is very ironic since peace had resulted from all the chaos and killings. Romeo and Juleit's love for each other had binded the Capulet and Montague familes together. Though the play is melancholic, a small piece of happiness was concluded. (Happy Ending?)


(Picture of Romeo and Juliet: Credits to Runescape, an online game :D)

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Welcome! XD


Hey Everyone!


I'm Elizabeth (An animal-lover)


and I've lived in California for more then ten years


This is my blog


Take time to read my posts!! :))


I LOVE my friends and I love to laugh <3 XDD


and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE CALIFORNIA!!