Journal #14: Censorship

Censorship is a very delicate topic, in my opinion. On the one hand, it can be seen as the government trying to keep the people safe, but on the other hand, it can be viewed as the government deliberately keeping information from the public.  Part of me thinks that censorship can actually be a good thing.  Leaving details out of something so as to not worry someone is a perfectly common thing, and at its core is censorship.  So, I think censorship on a scale like that is mostly harmless.  However, when it comes to the big issues, I think less fondly of it.  I understand that the governments a lot of times are trying to keep people safe, but in the case of China's censorship, it seems as though the government is using censorship as a power over the people.  This, I think, is the reason that the word "censorship" has such a negative connotation, because it is being exploited to gain and maintain power.  In the case of smaller-scale censorship, I don't think it's a big deal if the uncensored version is offered, as well.  For example, it is possible to buy both "clean" and "explicit" versions of some songs, so it is up to the people to decide what is right for them.  If they buy the "explicit" version and then complain about it being vulgar, I lose all respect for them.  But, I digress.  I think the larger-scale censorship can get out of hand really quickly, but it is difficult to change a system that has been in place for as many years as China's has.  Censorship is a double edged sword--it can be both good and bad, it just depends on the observer's point of view.

Journal #13: How Would You Have Ended F451?

Honestly, I think the ending is good the way it is.  I think that "the War" was present enough throughout the whole book that it was appropriate enough to finish with the declaration, and later the dropping of the bombs.  Part of me thinks that what the reader was supposed to take away from the ending was that humanity would tear itself apart if books were abandoned, and only the few who persisted in exploring them would really survive.  And then, from the ashes would rise a society whose view on books could be reshaped.  That is another reason I like the ending the way it is; it makes the reader think.  In this kind of book, I think that is important in the ending.  And I think that if Farenheit 451 had ended any differently, it would have left me unsatisfied.  It called upon enough of the previous events in the book, and also left the reader thinking about Montag's future; the ending left a few unanswered questions, too.  Was anyone still alive? How could Montag and the nomads "help"? It's these kind of questions that make me think that the book's ending is good the way it is--I certainly couldn't write a better one.

Journal #12: Do You Like Guy Montag?

Yes, I think I do like him.  He's very different from any other main character in any other book I have read; his intense moral struggles are readily made apparent.  He just seems so.. real.  In a censored society, he started asking questions and was shot down, which only made him have more questions.  I also enjoy the fact that he's lashing out against the current society since he embraced books.  For example, on page 101, when he is telling Mrs. Bowles to "Go home, go home! Before I knock you down and kick you out the door!" He is disgusted by what has become of people, how they can't just lose theirselves in books, they can't think profound questions anymore.  What's nice also, though, is that he still feels fear, so he still seems real.  For example, starting on page 105 when Montag becomes very uncomfortable with his hands, and Beatty notices and lectures him about books, the way the book is written clearly shows the fear and doubt in Montag's mind.  If he wasn't such a dynamic character, he wouldn't be as likable, in my opinion.  In a society where the people are afraid to think, Guy Montag thought--I think that is really what makes him such an enjoyable narrator. 

Journal #11: Wildfire Responses

1.  We learn that Corey is a detective, and an assistant to an FBI agent named Kate.  He's also very sarcastic.  I assume his wife is Kate, who is generally more friendly than he is.
2.  I actually really like the dialogue, because it fits the story well.  It makes it seem more like an interrogation.  Two parts that stood out were "'Where the hell are we?' 'In Gods' country.' 'Good.  I have a few questions to ask him,'" and "'This has to do with the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.  Keep that too yourself,' ... 'The Winter Olympics were in 1980,' ... 'Damn, we're too late!'"
3.  One rule of dialogue seems to be keep dialogue attribution to a minimum, because that trend stays throughout the book.  Another is to start a new paragraph every time someone new is speaking, which is done in the passage.  The other rule that is apparent is that punctuation that pertains to what is being said belongs in the quotations.
4.  DeMille puts the reader in the scene by describing the characters' mannerisms as well as the hustle-and-bustle of the small airport.  The fact that the narrator is very sarcastic also makes it seem more realistic.

Journal #10: About Writing

Since the start of the year, I have defineitely seen improvement in my writing.  I think mainly the success is in the development of my own writing style, which I was lacking.  Now, actually, I think that is one of my strengths, writing in that style.  However, this is also a weakness: when I have to write in another style, it is not as strong as I would like it to be.  This leads into what I would like to explore more of; I think that it would be beneficial to me as a writer to focus more on other styles of writing, not just the one that I have developed.  All in all, though, I have definitely improved as a writer since the beginning of this class, and I am glad.

Journal #9: Us and Them Responses

1.  The main emotion in this reading seems to be confusion, particularly in the narrator.  Sedaris very effectively, I think, showed the main character's confusion with the Tomkeys.  The main way the narrator expresses their confusion is by attributing the Tomkeys' "weird" behavior to the fact that they didn't have a TV in the house.

2.  Two parts I found humorous were, "It occurred to me that they needed a guide, someone who could accompany them through the course of a n average day and point out all the things they were unable to understand," and, "Asking for candy on Halloween was called trick-or-treating, but asking for candy on November first was called begging, and it made people uncomfortable."  I thought that these were humorous mainly because of the style, but also because the narrator seemed so ignorant to the fact that people can live "non-normal" lives just fine.

3.  Sedaris built the characters through interactions with other characters, adding details where necessary.  For instance, I only learned that the narrator was a boy at the end of the story, but that wasn't important.  Sedaris gave the important details, like the fact that he was curious about the Tomkeys and that chocolate bothered him that really mattered in the story.

4.  The dialogue was used very well in this story.  It was used when characters were talking about other characters, mostly.  So, it added a layer of mystery to the Tomkeys, almost.  The most powerful line of dialogue, though, was when the mother told the narrator to, "... really look at [themself]," because it showed such a dramatic change in the family's attitude.

Journal #8: "Champion of the World" Responses

Meaning:
1.  It seems like the author's purpose in writing this story was to offer a different perspective on how Blacks felt during slavery.  The story offers what excited them.  I like the angle that the author took, making Joe Louis the protagonist.

2.  I think the author and the story audience share the same views.  The way the author made the outcome of the fight seem  so special, exciting, important makes me think that.  The big connection was that their pride was directly related; if Louis won the fight, it proved that Blacks were the strongest in the world.

Writing Strategy:
1.  The first sentence ("The last inch of space was filled, yet people continued to wedge themselves along the walls of the Store"), I think, serves not only as a hook but as a way of starting the reader off with the fact that what was about to happen was very important.

4.  The direct quotation makes the story into a narrative; it shows, rather than tells what the audience was feeling during the match.  For example, when they all yell "NO!" when the contender is trying to get back up, it really adds emotion to the story.