Short Stories

I have found that when we are annotating for a certain element there tends to not be as much of that aspect. For example, in Dry September, there isn't that much information about plot, but there is plenty on characters. Also, in Harrison Bergeron, there is not that much on anything causing it to be a confusing story.

I have learned that there are many elements to a short story and that they can be far more complex than they seem. A very old Man with Enormous Wings fits within this, it has a Scandinavian Angel, an acrobat with bat wings, and a woman who was turned into a half spider. These stories can also be very simple. A&P is a boy watching girls walk around a convenience store in just swimsuits.

Short Story Plot Map

Exposition:

• Frank is a normal boy who lived in an ordinary town until The Event

Rising Action:

• Frank's 'gang' is planning to overthrow a government trying to control the anarchy

Climax:

• In the assault on the government, Frank's best friend, Grayson, is killed attempting to save others

Falling Action:

• Frank approaches the old leader who ordered the ambush on Grayson

Resolution:

• Frank gets even with the leader by messing with his mind

9/23-9/30

Children of Dune by Frank Hebert

87 pages

2 1/2 hours

Before Bed

I always think about everything before bed. It's almost as if my mind doesn't want for me to rest. I wonder about all of the things that go go wrong during the night. We could be robbed; the camp could burn down; or we could all be killed by a marauding group. I ponder on how this how ordeal started; was there something I could have done differently to make this not happen.

Then I wonder about what life would be if this didn't happen. I would be at home doing nothing. I would still do very little and go outside even less. Without this I would never have known what I could do. Before, I thought that all my actions were insignificant. After, I realized how much of an impact a single decision could have on the world.

Reading Response

This week I continued to read Children of Dune. it is about the children of a deceased emperor. it confuses me because in the first book, the author built up the protagonist and in the next two books he shows how bad a great leader can be. He shows that people will go to great lengths to please a charismatic ruler. It says how a leader like that can also leave huge gaps to fill when they are absent.

It also shows how a good thing can become a bad thing in the spice addiction. It can give the user the ability to sense the truth; extend the life; and even allow some people to see into the future. However, this comes at a price, the addicted has to use more each time and it opens the opportunity for the children to become possessed by their ancestors.


9/16-9/23
Dune Messiah by Frank Hebert
53 pages
2 hours

We're Making an eBook

I am truly pleased by the way my narrative turned out. It brought across what I wanted it to. I think that if I were to add anything it may just be a picture of the original cover. I don't really know how I would change the formatting. I didn't name anybody, so that shouldn't be a problem. Also, for my own narrative I can't think of any other type of media to put in.

Reading Response

I recently finished Dune Messiah and started Children of Dune. Dune Messiah ends showing how the religion created gets out of hand. It also shows the bad side of popular leaders. It goes into conspiracy and has some dramatic irony' the main character knows, but none of the other people have any idea.
So far in Children of Dune, the emperor's children have met with their grandmother, who has gone into her old ways. The children are called abominations because they were conscious before birth. This is caused by the addiction of spice before birth.

Dune Messiah by Frank Hebert
9/10-9/12----64 pages----2 hours

Children of Dune by Frank Hebert
9/13-9/16----63 pages----2 hours

Dialogue

"Why is the sky blue?" Raul asked.
Lorenzo replied, "The blue hue of the sky is caused by the refraction of water molecules in the atmosphere."
"Why are dogs bad dancers?"
"Because they have two left feet."
"How does an octopus go to war?"
"Well-armed, Raul."
Raul then asked, "How can you drop an egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?"
An annoyed Lorenzo answered, "Because concrete floors are hard to crack."
"Whats another word for Thesaurus?"
"A dictionary with synonyms and antonyms."
"Why doesn't onomatopoeia sound like it's spelled?"
"Because that would be to simple."
"You know that was for a word search, right?"
"What!?"

Reading Response

Currently, I am reading Dune Messiah.  It is about a person in the distant future who can see into the future. this person became the intergalactic emperor in the last book and twelve years have passed. There is a plot against the emperor that includes his own wife. The people in this plot are protected from the emperor's prescience by another oracle that is included. this oracle is accepted into an embassy where he gives the emperor a clone of his mentor.

Recently in the book, Paul, the emperor, goes to visit an old dying friend. This friend gives Paul a dwarf who knows many of the people who are included in the conspiracy. While he is leaving with the dwarf, a stone cutter explodes. A stone cutter is a powerful nuclear device that either destroys a planet or blinds all of those who stand to close. Paul generously buys mechanical eyes for all of the others that were blinded, but because of his prescience, Paul can see everything clearly.

Dune Messiah by Frank Hebert

9/3      2 hours      48 pages

9/4      2 hours      50 pages

9/5      2 hours      46 pages

9/8      2 hours      47 pages

This is Water

This is Water was the title of a speech given to a graduating  class from Kenyon College. It starts out as a fun speech with the first part being about talking goldfish. These goldfish represent people in that they overlook the most obvious. One goldfish says, 'What the hell is water?' The speech then goes on about boring everyday things, like the annoyance that happens when little things occur over and over.

After lightening the mood he goes into much deeper things, like how to make the best out of anything and how to coop with others that seem to be in the way. He gives the example of a large SUV driving really slowly and annoying many people. Then he says how that person may have had a bad car accident and the only way for them to get back on the road is for that person to buy a large car.

Reading Response

This past week I finished Dune and began Dune Messiah. they are both good books by a great science fiction author. In Dune a Duke and his family are forced by an intergalactic emperor to travel to a planet called Arrakis, where a special spice is found. The duke is murdered soon after arriving, while his son and wife escape into the desert. In the desert they befriend the Fremen, a people adapted to living in the desert. With the help of the Fremen, the new Duke conquers the emperor's troops and obtains what is his.

In Dune Messiah, the Duke's wife joins conspirators in a plot to overthrow the new Emperor. Among the conspirators are a mutated Guild steersman; a wise Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother, and a face-dancer from Tleiax. The face-dancer has traveled Arrakis meeting with others.



Dune               Frank Hebert
8/27     30 minutes         46
8/28     30 minutes         45
8/29     30 minutes         44
8/30     30 minutes         47

Dune Messiah               Frank Hebert
9/2       1 hour         73 pages