Insight on Twilight

Insight on Twilight by KM

An interesting phenomenon has struck our generation and is holding our attention with controversy and drama. One would thinksomeone important was shot, a war broke out or even that a star decided not to wear underwear one day, but no! People are going insane over a series of books! I can’t seem to find one person who hasn’t heard of or even read the Twilight series and I’m pretty convinced I’m not going to any time soon. I’ve heard some say they can’t get enough of the characters and just love reading the modern vampire spin-off of Romeo and Juliet and then there’s some that just can’t seem to control their hatred for the books and find the movie to be retarded! Honestly, this is the most ridiculously fun thing I have ever heard people argue about! I couldn’t control myself from laughing when I witnessed two students spitting vulgar insults over something so trivial.

As for the series, I have no interest in reading them. I have no intention of sugar coating it, I read different books, it’s as simple as that. The problem with this whole controversy is that people are criticizing others for reading… books! If this romance novel aimed at pre-teen girls is getting the younger generations excited about reading then I stand behind that novel. I would go so far as to give it my not-yet-patented-award for “making something not-stupid popular”. I would have to say it deserves this award and I hope that it gets people expanding their reading tastes to incorparate many more very well-written novels! What I want to say to those looking at Twilight as a dumb trend is this: Would you rather have people swooning over some fictional, novel relationship or would you rather have people rotting away in front of televisions? People are reading, why is this bad ?

“Edward!? Oh my god! He’s so handsome and perfect! I love him!” Yeah, this is usually what any person will hear when the book is in question or it’s beloved Edward comes into conversation. You’ve heard it, I’ve heard it and there isn’t a young man who isn’t just a little annoyed by it. Guys are always explaining that he’s a fictional character and just isn’t real, but the explanation just dosen’t have the wanted effect. I’m going to take a shot in the dark here and target a majority of the anti-Twilight folks. Are young men jealous of Edward? Are living, breathing human beings jealous of a character that was created by a lonely old woman and written into a book!? I’m sure that someone or multiple people are reading this and getting all defensive and preparing some kind of argument but just stop and think about it.. He’s composed of paper and ink and it’s not like he’s going to come out of the pages and steal away anyone’s girlfriend.

[x]I’m going to end this article with an angry public anouncement![x]

Enjoy.

If YOUR girlfriend is fantasizing about a pansy vampire freak then maybe YOU’RE doing something wrong! Not Her! Take a break for a few years, grow up a little and then try dating again because obviously you just aren’t ready for it yet! Don’t you worry, the ladies have Edward to keep them company until you decide to pick up your game. Have a wonderful day! 

Twilight

If you haven’t heard about the Twilight craze yet, you soon will. The movie version of the book opens this weekend and promises to be a major event. We thought it an appropriate time to post a review of the book from our barkingdog writers.

 

       Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer,  was published in New York by Little, Brown and Company.  It is about a seventeen year old girl named Bella Swan who moved to a new town to live with her father.  While at her new school, she meets Edward Cullen and they fall in love.  Bella later discovers that Edward is a vampire who could put her in great danger.  The general theme is the dangerous relationship between Edward and Bella.

            The story begins with Bella moving to the town of Forks, Washington to live with her father Charlie.  “It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that my mother escaped with me when I was only a few months old,” she explains.  While at Forks High School she notices a prefect-looking family.  She becomes lab partners with one of them (Edward) and they eventually fall in love.  However, Bells later finds out that he is a dangerous vampire.  She does not let this come between them throughout the book.

            The author’s purpose of writing this book is that you need to fight for what you love.  No matter what it takes, you should strive for what makes you happy in life.  Mayer achieves this purpose since Edward and Bella fight the odds and end up together in the end.  Though their hard work and determination they got what they wanted most.  The reader is left believing that nothing can break unconditional love.  

            The major problem in the book is that being with a vampire is obviously very dangerous.  “It’s a bit easier to be around you when I’m not thirsty,” Edward explains to Bella (referring to blood).  Despite the risk, they cannot be apart because of their feelings.  They have to fight against what is right in-order to be together.

            This is the author’s first piece of work.  There are three books following this one, all containing the same characters and plot.  She calls it “The Twilight Saga”.  After the release of Twilight, booksellers chose her as one of the “most promising new authors of 2005” (Publishers Weekly).  Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English literature.  She lives with her husband and three young sons in Arizona.  

            This is a very memorable book because it is unique and provides a very interesting story line.  It also provides the reader with a tale about true love.  Stephenie Meyer put the very unlikely couple together and made them work.  The reader is left fighting for the couple to be together.  Throughout the whole novel there is suspense on whether the couple will make it or not.  The author’s opinions in this book are very well-written.

            Issues that the book raises are whether a couple should go against everything in order to be together.  Should someone risk their life to be with someone that they love, even if it means hurting others?  Bella knew that vampires thirst for her blood, but she wanted to be with Edward anyways.  The book leaves out the situation of the danger Bella’s family and friends are in since she is with a vampire.  Even though she is risking her own life, should she risk others’ as well?  The issue should also be whether your happiness is just as important as your family and friends’ safety.

            This book affects the reader because they end up falling in love with the characters.  Even though they are fictional, one is left with the hope that they will be together forever.  Opinions stay the same because you should always fight for the ones you love.  Even if you are put in danger, nothing is more important than a successful, loving relationship.  This book can relate to teens especially because it is rate to find such a romance in high school.  This book represents a dream that many young people have.  Readers are also left with a hops that this fictional story can become somewhat read for them (excluding the vampire).  

            Overall, this is a very good book because of the overall story and message.  This book should be recommended to anyone looking for everlasting love.  You should always fight for what you believe in!

                                                                                                            — Rachelle

A Certain Slant of Light

 

               A Certain Slant of Light, by Laura Whitcomb is fascinating on a multitude of levels.  In terms of the storyline, it is an excellent work of fiction.

        A Certain Slant of Light tells the story of Helen, a long-dead woman who has, for years, escaped the suffocating waters of her own personal perdition by latching emotionally onto several human hosts, essentially haunting them to save herself.  As Light, as she is portrayed in the novel, she is invisible and intangible, and extremely lonely.  Everything changes when she meets James—who is also Light—and they begin to possess the bodies of young people to carry on a physical relationship.  However, even as she is falling in love, Helen cannot escape the watery hell that follow her wherever she goes.

         A Certain Slant of Light had the advantage of shock to keeps its readers interested.  When James and Helen—both deceased for years—become intimate through the bodies of their physical human hosts (as opposed to Helen’s emotional ones), the idea is shocking and, in some ways, disturbing.  By that time, though, the author has made you fall in love with the characters so that you feel obliged to continue reading.

         The theme of the novel is forgiveness.  Why is Helen in Hell?  What crime did she commit that is causing her to suffer so much in the afterlife?  What can she do to finally be at peace?

      The author suggests that there is life after death and also seems to hold contempt for extremely devout Christians.  (Helen possesses the body of a girl who comes from an almost fanatically religious family.)  Different people with different views will respond according to their beliefs.  The afterlife Laura Whitcomb suggests for most of the book is a dreary, lonely one.  Alice Sebold’s vision of life after death in The Lovely Bones—where one chooses his or her own personal Heaven—seems to be preferable to the solitary afterlife Helen “lives” as she runs from her demons.

         The story of Helen and James is a poignant one, but it lacks an explanation for the supernatural entities that are the main characters.  What is “Light”?  Are Helen and James really the only two spirits of that kind out there?  If so, why?  If not, where are the others?  How is it decided what kind of spirit a person will be when he or she dies?  While the love story is a success, the supernatural part of the story is lacking.

On a personal note, I do believe in the afterlife, although I don’t know enough about Whitcomb’s idea of it to agree or disagree.  I would rather join Susie Salmon in The Lovely Bones and be able to personalize my own afterlife.

      A Certain Slant of Light is a good novel for its primary story, although it does not give enough backstory.  It is effective in demonstrating its theme of forgiveness.  It is not, however, for the closed-minded.  If you do decide to real this book, try to be open to new, interesting, and potentially disturbing ideas.

                  —-Caitlyn

The Cider House Rules

               John Irving’s The Cider House Rules tells the story of Homer Wells, an orphan from the small town of St. Cloud’s in Maine. Homer was born in the orphanage there, and lived in that establishment until he was nearly twenty. Dr. Larch, the orphanage’s founder and physician, is quite proficient in obstetrics. He performs both deliveries and abortions, firmly believing that every woman should have the right to choose between the two. In the early 1900s, when the story takes place, this view is not shared by everyone and abortions are illegal in the United States. As Homer Wells matures, he learns all about Dr. Larch’s beliefs and begins to form views of his own. This fictional novel offers the reader a great deal to think about.

       One of the main issues explored in The Cider House Rules is the morality of abortions. Dr. Larch, being the head of an orphanage, has very strong feelings on this subject. He has seen many women suffer through unplanned pregnancies, and has delivered countless unwanted children during his career. Every day, he witnesses the effects of being unwanted on the orphans’ states of mind. It is no wonder that he is so in favour of abortions. Another character calls the anti-abortion laws “a way of legalizing violence against women”. The emphasis that these characters’ opinions are given suggests that the author shares their views. Irving presents their arguments in a most convincing and effective manner, and it is enough to make even the most opinionated reader pause and consider the points being brought up. Irving is careful to also represent the argument opposing abortions through Homer Wells. Homer is not comfortable with performing these operations himself, believing them to be immoral, but he does think that every woman should have the right to an abortion. It is this milder, slightly hesitant view that readers who do not have such strong feelings on the issue are able to identify with.

       The book also examines self-sacrifice. Many, if not all of the characters have given up something for someone or something else. Whether it be Dr. Larch devoting his life to the orphanage, or someone going to fight in the war for their country, or a love being given up for a friend’s benefit, John Irving creates situations for his characters which evoke a deep sense of sympathy from the reader. It is heartbreaking to watch the characters suffer for each other, and raises the question of whether or not the results are worth their pain. In many cases, it seems that everyone in the story would be better off if they weren’t so intent on giving things up for each other.

       The Cider House Rules is a truly compelling book. It explores issues of morality and prompts the reader to think about these questions in greater depth. The story is told in a mild manner, and the plot twists along naturally. It is not overly flowery or descriptive, but delivers its message in a simple and clear way.

        —-Dora

Blindness

                       Blindness, written by Jose Saramago, is a book of disease. This fictionalized book was written in the modern day. In Blindness a city is hit by an epidemic of ‘white blindness’. This blindness is extremely contagious, and will infect anyone it’s near. Blindness gets right into the action with this ‘white blindness’ starting off by infecting a ordinary man is his car waiting for the green light. This man is referred to as ‘The first blind man’ throughout the rest of the story. Each character is given their own names to be referred to as, rather than the names they were given at birth. For instance; ‘the man with the black eyepatch’, ‘the girl with the dark glasses’, ‘the doctor’s wife’, ‘the doctor’, ‘the wife of the first blind man’, and ‘the boy with the squint’. These are the main characters within the book. All of the events follow the action of them.

                This book is unique. It has been written differently than almost any other book. The best way to describe this is, Jose Saramago has chosen to write in a third person omniscient but it is as if he is telling the story directly to the reader. “Then, carried away by an irresistible impulse, without thinking, she called out to these blind people and to all the blind of this world, she will rise again, note that she did not say she will live again, the matter was not quite that important, although the dictionary is there to confirm, reassure or suggest that we are dealing with complete and absolute synonyms” (302, Blindness). As seen in the quote, there are no quotation marks when people speak. This is for the effect of continuous thought. The writing gives the impression that the narrator is telling the reader she is saying this instead of the girl actually saying it. I believe this was important to the book because it gives the effect that this could have actually have happened. Instead of Jose Saramogo writing a book, he’s telling a story.

                             Blindness shows the reader many things; how will people react to an epidemic, what it’s like to be blind, what it’s like to revert to animalistic way of life. This book is very realistic on the idea of what the world would come to if everyone was blind. The book is also an allegory. The book has the reader ask, ‘Aren’t we all blind?’ This of course is a metaphorical blindness. With television and government propaganda, many people among the world already have, metaphorically, been blinded already. The blindness is also white. Instead of the blind seeing no colours, they see all colours. Even when they close their eyes the penetrating ‘white sea’ sits still, unmoving and merciless. Only when the characters fall to sleep do they finally see the comforting darkness of space within their eyelids. 

                            In the book, the ‘white blindness’ epidemic starts off by only infecting a few characters. First the man at the lights, ‘the first blindman’ infects the robber, ‘the car robber’. ‘The first blind man’ is lead home by ‘the car robber’ and ‘the first blind man’ infects his wife, ‘the wife of the first blind man’. Before she is infected she takes him to ‘the doctors’, while sitting in the waiting room ‘the boy with the squint and ‘the girl with the dark glasses’ sit as well. They are all infected. ‘The doctor’ goes home, and realizes this blindness is extremely contagious. He makes his wife stay away from him. The health board decides it is best to collect all the blind and put them in quarantine, also known as an old mental asylum. ‘The wife of the doctor’ got into quarantine because she faked her blindness, throughout the entire book she slowly expects herself to go blind but she never does. Somehow, this is never explained, she is immune to the blindness. 

                        Jose Saramago was born into a family of peasants in Azinhaga, Portugal, a small village in the province of Ribatejo. His parents were Jose de Sousa and Maria de Piedade. “Saramago,” is translated into, a wild herbaceous plant known in English as the wild radish, was his father’s family’s nickname, and was accidentally incorporated into his name upon registration of his birth. In 1924, Saramago’s family moved to Lisbon, where his father started working as a policeman. A few months after the family moved to the capital, his brother Francisco, older by two years, died. Although Saramago was a good pupil, his parents were unable to afford to keep him in grammar school, and instead moved him to a technical school at age twelve. After graduating, he worked as a car mechanic for two years. Later he worked as a translator, then as a journalist. He was assistant editor of the newspaper Diário de Notícias, a position he had to leave after the political events in 1975. After a period of working as a translator he was able to support himself as a writer. Saramago married Ilda Reis in 1944. Their only child, Violante, was born in 1947. Since 1988, Saramago has been married to the Spanish journalist Pilar del Río, who is the official translator of his books into Spanish.(Wikkipedia.com).

                    Personally I enjoyed this book. The idea of blindness was exhilarating. There was a lot of action, which kept things interesting, and Jose Saramago’s description which allowed a great picture to be made. I would say that s person who is a more advanced reader would enjoy this book. As well as those who critically analyze things they read. The only really confusing thing in this book was trying to figure out who was talking, as there are no quotation marks for those people. This was an amazing and original book to read and I cannot wait to read the next book, Seeing.  

                                                                      —-Tom 

       

The Lovely Bones

 

         The idea of life beyond death has mystified people since the beginning on time. Thousands of years ago, back to the age of the Egyptians and further, the thought of an afterlife has been present. The novel The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold is a fictional work based around the murder of fourteen year old Susie Salmon. After her death, Susie finds herself in her own personal Heaven, one in which her one true desire, to live again, cannot come true. Instead, she watches how her death folds out on Earth, the different links that are made in relationships between her sister and the people she encounters, the distance that grows between her parents, and the devoted search for truth from a friend.

       The main theme in this novel is that one event can change the face of life for every person connected to them. Many different ties can be made between people when tragedy has struck and often times these bonds are incredibly strong, like the bones in a human body, holding it together, making it keep shape. A quotation on page 320 explains this idea in a strong, understanding way:

          These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections – sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent – that happened after I was gone. And I began to see tings in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events that my death wrought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous body had been my life.

       Alice Sebold, thorough her words and her ability to convey emotion, has created a memorable novel about love, life, and loss. Although more abstract than the normal circumstances people in a suburban small town endures, the basic truth behind it is immense. One simple action on anyones part can shape the entire face of the future.

       I personally loved this novel. I first encountered it in grade nine, the person beside me was reading it, but it didn’t really hold any interest for me. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago when I saw it at my mothers house and just decided to start reading that I acknowledged it. I stayed up until about six am that day, devouring the text and absorbing the hidden knowledge within its pages. The storyline itself was interesting – the idea of watching life on earth beyond living on it was something that peaked my interest. It would definitely be something to consider when I got bored. Also, how raw and real the murder was, how characteristically human the reactions to this death were, and the way Susie’s family went about fixing their broken hearts was… Beyond words. Just thinking about the novel as I type this gives me chills and goose bumps. Moreover, this novel was unlike any other I have read. The basic theme was common enough, but the way it was presented was completely original and gave a different perspective on the theme. 

            This book has received many rave reviews. At the same time, it has caused much distress in public schools. This is because of the nature of the novel, such as the rape and murder found within the first chapter. However sickening, it is a part of life. Not that it is right for young children to read bout it, but to know that it does happen out there is a relief. If these people were to go sheltered their entire life than they would be missing something that may influence them.

           All in all, The Lovely Bones is a chilling novel, full of suspense on behalf of several main characters. There are ties within the text which allow the reader to understand and not underestimate the strength that bonds have in holding people together. The idea of a supernatural setting to allow this explanation to flow is intriguing to those who are interested in the, not occult per se, but harder to believe aspects in life. If I were to give this piece of literature a ranking out of five, it would gain and four point seven stars out of five.

            —-Shivan