Harry Potter 46-112

I got a lot of reading done today. This book just keeps pulling me in, its amazing. It turns out I was right and that the thump at the Door is Hagrid. Who would have guessed? Hagrid is described as a giant that easily bends the gun that Mr. Dursely points at him. This scary man then pulls out a birthday cake out of nowhere just for Harry. He introduces himself and calls himself the "Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts". Hagrid is disappointed that the Durselys have not told him about hogwarts or his past. Harry learns that he is a wizard and has been accepted into a school where he can train his powers. He also learns his parents were killed by Voldemort. Mr. Dursely says he will not allow Harry to go to Hogwarts, yet Hagrid takes Harry anyways.

In the next chapter we find that Harry goes to London to buy his school supplies. Harry is concerned about money but Hagrid assures Harry that his parents have left him enough. They go to Gringotts bank to get some money. The wizards in the area automatically recognize and respect Harry for who he is. Then Hagrid leads him to the secret wizard street where all the shopping will take place. He then goes to get his uniform fitted where he meets Malfoy, who continually talks down to Harry because his family is not as great as his. They then go to Olivanders where Harry gets his wand. After trying many of them he ends up picking one. The only other wand that is similar to his was picked by Voldemort.

This chapter talks about Harrys last few days with the Dursleys. He then realizes that his train leaves from platform 9 and 3 quarters. He is unable to find such a number and waits between platforms 9 and 10. He then sees a group of red haired children. Their mother tells him to run through the wall. He reluctantly does and finds himself on the right platform. On the train Harry meets the Weasleys. He also meets Ron who is the same age as him. He debriefs Harry about the wizard world and everything in it. They also meet Hermione Granger. She seems to talk a lot and also becomes friends with Ron and Harry.

Overall this part of the book is quite similar to the movie. There are more small details which add to the overall experience of the story. For example it is easier to understand all the history and relationships of wizards through text instead of a movie. It is easier to slow down and reread anything that you don't understand.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerrer's Stone 1-46

I have always watched all the Harry Potter movies and have always been interested in Harry Potter. However I have never had the time to actually read all the books. I have heard from many individuals that the movie did not follow the book too accurately. For this reason I have decided to read the series and see how accurate the movies truly are.

The story starts out with us meeting up with the Dursleys. They are a normal reguarl status-conscious family who want to live a normal live. However one day Mr. Dursley starts to notice strange events. He sees cats reading maps, people in cloaks walking around. and random excited people saying smuggles should be happy. Later that night professor Dumbledore form Hogwarts arrives. He speaks to the cat who we find out is professor McGonagall. They discuss Voldemort and his intentions of killing Harry Potter and his parents. He failed to kill Harry and his powers have weakened ever since. Harry is then left on the Dursleys' doorstep.

In this next chapter we flash forward 10 years. Harris is now almost 11 years old and is living a miserable life. He is in a cupboard under the stairs in the house. Dudley, the Dursley's son, torments Harry. It is quite apparent that the whole family dislikes Harry and treat him as extra baggage. He goes to the zoo one day and sees a boa constrictor. To Harry's surprise he is having a conversation with the snake. The snake suddenly leaves his cage and slithers away. Harry is blamed for the whole incident.

Harry is locked up in his room until the summer. He is finally free and decided to have some fun and play outside as much as he can. He is excited he will start school away form the Dursleys. One day he finds that a letter is addressed to him. However Mr. Dursely and Mrs. Dursley are astonished and refuse to tell him anything. The next day another letter comes but again Mr. Dursely refuses to let Harry see it. On the third day Mr. Dursely decides to take the family to the hotel after dozens of letters are coming into the house. Here hundreds of letters arrive at the hotel. Then Mr. Dursely takes the family to a single room shack for complete isolation. The chapter ends with a knock on the door.

So far the book seems to be decently accurate. However there are a few added details that the book has. Nothing too story breaking though. Overall the Harry Potter book seems interesting and it has rekindled my desire. I have a feeling that the knock on the door will be Hagrid, using the movie as a source.

Jane Eyre 171-219

This section begins with the fact that Jane is sad that Rochester has been gone for a week. We also learn that he may continue on to Europe without returning to Thornfield at all. This sis bad news because according to Mrs. Fairfax, Rochester could be gone for over a year. We learn later that Rochester will be arriving back in about 10 days with some guests. While she is waiting for Mr. Rochester to come back Jane hears two other servants discussing Grace Poole's high salary. There is something interesting and weird about that girl and her role at Thornfield. Rochester soon arrives and has many high end gusts. Jane is forced to join the group of people but she prefers not to. Balanche and her mother are some of the guests that arrived with Rochester. They treat Jane badly and with cruelty. Jane tries to leave the party but Rochester doesn't let her. However he then lets her go and tells her she must come every evening. The guests stay at Thornfield for several days. Jane realizes that Balanche and Rochester will be married soon. However she also realizes that they do not seem to love each other. It seems as if this marriage was happening for social status and wealth. Also one day Mr. Mason arrives at Thornfield. He is a strange man from the West Indies. When Rochester finds out that Mason has arrived he looks troubled.

In this section of the book it is quite apparent that Jane has actual feelings for Rochester. She longs for him to comeback to Thornfield. She would be quite disappointed if she found out that Rochester would be gone for a year. However she must have been more disappointed when she found out that Rochester was bringing guests home. One of these guests was Balanche who treated Jane poorly. To make it worse she finds out that Balanche and Rochester are going to be married soon, not because they love each other but for wealth and social status.

Jane Eyre 149-171

In this section of the book, Rochester explains to Jane about his and Adele's pasts. He had a long affair with Adele's mother. She was a French singer and dancer named Celine Varens. He found out Celine had a relationship with another man. Rochester then ended the relationship. He also always denied that Adele was his daughter. However after Celine decided to abandon her daughter, Rochester brought Adele to England so that she could be taken care of. Jane is lying in her room and thinking about all this new information she has learned. She then suddenly hears a laugh and scratching sounds. She sees smoke from Mr. Rochester's room and finds that the curtains are ablaze. She puts out the fire but Mr. Rochester only goes to the third floor. He returns and says that he has figured it all out. He asks Jane if she has ever heard the laughter before, and she replies yes. He is thankful for Jane saving his life but asks her not to mention this to anyone else in the house. Jane wakes up the next morning and is surprised when no one knows about what had happened last night. The servants were told that Rochester had fallen asleep with a candle which ignited the curtains. We also realize that Jane is beginning to have feelings for Rochester. She finds out that he will be away for a few days she is sad. He left to go to a party with Blanche Ingram, a beautiful lady. Jane hates herself for being disappointed at the news and continues to think she will not stand a chance against Blanche.

In this section of the story many strange events had happened. We find out even more about Rochester's past and everything else that has happened. He seems to be quite a troubled man. Also the incident with his curtains on fire are quite interesting. The issue has not been resolved yet as to who or what actually started it. It was really crazy when we found out that Mr. Rochester wanted to keep this all a secret. We also learned that Jane has feelings for Mr. Rochester, which was bound to happen. The new woman, Balanche, should cause an interesting rivalry between herself and Jane.

SpellBound Assignment

Spellbound is quite a unique and interesting movie that follows a select group of students on their daunting journey to become the Spelling Bee Champion. One of the individuals was Neil Kadakia. Niel is a 14 year old 8th grader that is competing in the Spelling Bee. His main source of motivation doesn't seem to be his own intentions but rather those of his fathers. He seems to be pressured by his father to do well and perform well. He also had the added pressure of feeding 5000 people in India if he won. There seemed to be a lot riding on him winning. It seemed to me as if Neil's father was using Niel's spelling talent to project his own name and emotions into winning the Bee. On the other hand we have Nurpur Lala. Nurpur is quite an interesting contestant. She comes from a small town and has relatively few friends that respect her, as do most of the contestants. The one thing that I think sets Nurpur apart from Niel is that she genuinely enjoys spelling. Spelling seems to be more of a hobby or competitive sport for Nurpur, where success is important but the journey to success is just as important. I think for this reason she has a better base motivation for doing well in the competition since it seems as if Neil is being forced to participate and to well.

Jane Eyre 114-148

In this section of the book we find that Jane finds it pleasant and comfortable at Thornfield. She finds that the girl she has to teach is quite intelligent but somewhat spoiled. Most of her time here is uneventful. However one night she sees a horse coming into Thornfield. This first reminds Jane of one of the stories that Bessy used to tell. The horse trips and its rider falls to the ground. Jane goes to help the man to his feet. She then goes inside to find out that the man she had helped was Mr. Rochester, the owner to Thornfield. The fall had sprained his ankle. The next day Mr. Rochester has tea with Jane and Adele. He is pretty sharp and serious when he talks to both of them. It is quite apparent that he really enjoys Jane's drawings. We also learn a little bit about Mr. Rochester's history. He was considered a family outcast. When his father died, Mr. Rochester's older brother inherited Thornnfield. His older brother eventually died 9 years ago. Since then Mr. Rochester has been the owner of Thornfield. During Mr. Rochester's first few days at Thornfield, Jane does not see much of him. One night while Mr. Rochester is drunk he calls Jane and Adele to his office. He gives Adele a present and starts talking to Jane. He asks Jane if she thinks he is handsome. She says no and then Mr. Rochester becomes angry and says their relationship is not just a formal work relationship. Adele mentions her mother and Jane is quite interested at this, but Rochester says that he will explain it to her on a different occasion.

So far Jane seems to be settling in Thornfield quite well. Compared to her previous live at Lowood or at her aunt's house, Jane is living a life of luxury. She has access to so many different things. She also makes a good first impression with Mr. Rochester. Perhaps they will have a stronger relationship.

3.1 Diction Exercise: Poetry

a) gristle, explosives, inexorable, leap, crave, barrels, triggering, flesh

b) Elevation: candid, apathetic
Sound: Remorseless, Contentious

c) The remorseless and contentious eloquence of Brian Tuner's "Here Bullet" portrays a grim and candid image of this man's languid attitude towards his greatest assailant.