The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Protagonist- Anonymous Sixteen year old girl
Antagonist- there is someone who is trying to get rid of everyone who knows that Dracula is still alive. This antagonist is violent and brings about unexplained homicides.
Themes:
Victimization- everyone who knows or helps this girl with her research on Dracula, is getting killed, becoming weak, or is in danger. The librarian that helps the girl ends up dead in the library, but no one knows the cause. As her father tells more of the story, he is growing very weak and she is worried. The sixteen year old girl finds out that someone else has a copy of Dracula and is in danger.
Coincidence- the girl is starting to see a pattern with her life and Professor Rossi' depicted in his letter. Whenever someone is getting closer to the truth about Dracula, they end up dead and nobody can figure out who the killer is or the next target.
Vocab:
peripatetic- walking or traveling about (81).
compunction- uneasiness or hesitation about an action (90).
pedantic- overly concerned (90).
innocuous- not interesting, significant, or stimulant pallid, insipid (91).
Summary
Chapters 10-20
As the anonymous teenager balances schoolwork, traveling, and research on Dracula, she is getting into something that is even more scary than life itself. She keeps reading the letters and is finding out more from Professor Rossi's letters. She starts to have this obsession and will not stop searching. In order to get a hold of classified information, she impersonates a Professor at the University. She tries to look for Bram Stokers novel Dracula, but it is checked out. She really needs the book so she does everything she can to find out the name of the patron who has the book. While doing this, she notices a dark scary man who hasn't taken his eyes off her. When he asks her if she needs help with anything, she tries to lie and say that she wasn't looking for Dracula, but something else. Soon she finds out that the book has been checked out to a graduate student named Helen Rossi. The teenager finds the last name to be quite familiar. She sets up a meeting with the student, still impersonating a professor, and tells Helen that she might be in danger by holding onto that book. Unfortunately, the women doesn't believe her and thinks she's crazy. After talking with Helen, she finds out that Helen is Professor Rossi's illegitimate daughter from Romania. She is a History grad student hoping to publish research about Dracula before her father, therefore getting revenge for him leaving her mother with a child out of wedlock.
Saturday October 29, 2011
This book is getting really good. She finally learns more about the crimes of Dracula. When studying the history of the Carpathians, you don't realize that if you look at someone wrong even once, you are dead. At the end of Professor Rossi's letters, she must rely on information from the library. I find it cool that the girl impersonates a professor and succeeds. This concludes that either she is a very good actor or the library faculty is really stupid. I feel really bad for this girl because every person who has helped her with her research is dead or going to be dead.
"I might for a second-- not knowing him-- have said he was dead" (130). I have a feeling that because her father is becoming weaker by the minute he probably has cancer and is not going to live very long. Everything that is happening in the letters is happening to her and that's freaky. The story keeps getting more interesting with the mystery of not knowing who is behind all these unexpected deaths. I really am curious about who is actually behind these murders. I have a hunch that its a scary guy who wears black, could be the same guy who was stalking her at the library. It could be the same guy who killed Rossi's friend according to his letters in 1931. However, that murder was mostly likely a vampire because of the teeth impressions in his neck. When the teenage girl meets Ms. Rossi, she figures out that she is Rossi's daughter and I know she can't be to blame for these murders because her only goal in life is to belittle her supposed father by publishing an article about Dracula's true existence. She didn't even realize her father disappeared from his office. Heck, she doesn't know anything about him, except his accomplishments and what he is currently working on. As I read more and more of this story, I hope I will find the answer of why someone would go to so much trouble to kill all these people. There is something that the sixteen year old is getting very close to that not only can endanger her life, but also the lives of others around her. I really hope that the girl and Ms. Rossi put their heads together and figure out what is going on. Is there a chance that Rossi maybe staged the kidnapping and he just fled to Romania to keep searching for Dracula's tomb or has he really disappeared? Who is the killer? Are my assumptions correct about the creepy guy in black? I'm really looking forward to reading more of this because I want to answer my questions.
Recommendation: This is actually a really good book so far, but if you don't like slow starters and you can't bear to read a book that is more than 400 pages, then this book is not for you.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Things Fall Apart Critique
I would like to say that I like this story so much better than Beowulf. It was easier to comprehend and I enjoyed it. I learned more about the roles of men and women in society where the man is always in charge and women are treated as second-class citizens. In some parts of the U.S. that is still in affect, but it is more likely in small poverty stricken countries. I found it ironic that I was studying Gender Inequality in Social Problems while we were reading this. This book concentrates on Okonkwo and how he tries so hard to be better than his own father because he was basically a nobody. The fear of resembling his father haunts him. When Chapter five was talking about masculinity and how the man must control his women and children, you start to think about how that still happens in today's society. The man is afraid of being weak. When he finds out that Ikemefuna must die, he finishes the job in fear that he would become weak and the other villagers would kill him.
Learning about the culture was actually interesting because hey I know what an obi is and an ozo is. When you understand the culture, you figure out why the people are the way they are. For example why they have so many wrestling matches? Physical Strength is greatly admired by the Ibo people . This shows that one must have physical strength and power to take the big step in winning matches and gaining wealth. The book explains how there are things in your life that you can't change or control no matter how much you try. Okonkwo is living large with a big family and titles, but when a few bad event affect his life everything changes. When he leaves for seven years, he comes back a stranger, feeling out of place in his home village. He is furious about the villages lack of rebellion against the Christians.
What Okonkwo doesn't know is that this conversion to Christianity and change is inevitable. It has to happen because its pure destiny. Not everything can be fixed or changed, sometimes you just have to learn to live with it. Sadly, Okonkwo takes his life not thinking about how his family will cope after his death. I would like to say that the Literature circles really gave us the chance to express what was happening in the story in our own words, and talk about other information that could be relevant to the discussion. For example that Wrestling could be a theme and a symbol. Overall this was a great book! I would recommend it to anyone.
I would like to say that I like this story so much better than Beowulf. It was easier to comprehend and I enjoyed it. I learned more about the roles of men and women in society where the man is always in charge and women are treated as second-class citizens. In some parts of the U.S. that is still in affect, but it is more likely in small poverty stricken countries. I found it ironic that I was studying Gender Inequality in Social Problems while we were reading this. This book concentrates on Okonkwo and how he tries so hard to be better than his own father because he was basically a nobody. The fear of resembling his father haunts him. When Chapter five was talking about masculinity and how the man must control his women and children, you start to think about how that still happens in today's society. The man is afraid of being weak. When he finds out that Ikemefuna must die, he finishes the job in fear that he would become weak and the other villagers would kill him.
Learning about the culture was actually interesting because hey I know what an obi is and an ozo is. When you understand the culture, you figure out why the people are the way they are. For example why they have so many wrestling matches? Physical Strength is greatly admired by the Ibo people . This shows that one must have physical strength and power to take the big step in winning matches and gaining wealth. The book explains how there are things in your life that you can't change or control no matter how much you try. Okonkwo is living large with a big family and titles, but when a few bad event affect his life everything changes. When he leaves for seven years, he comes back a stranger, feeling out of place in his home village. He is furious about the villages lack of rebellion against the Christians.
What Okonkwo doesn't know is that this conversion to Christianity and change is inevitable. It has to happen because its pure destiny. Not everything can be fixed or changed, sometimes you just have to learn to live with it. Sadly, Okonkwo takes his life not thinking about how his family will cope after his death. I would like to say that the Literature circles really gave us the chance to express what was happening in the story in our own words, and talk about other information that could be relevant to the discussion. For example that Wrestling could be a theme and a symbol. Overall this was a great book! I would recommend it to anyone.
Tragic Hero
My definition of tragic hero is someone who tries to be strong and tries to help everyone, but he doesn't succeed because of the tragic events happening in their life. In the story, Okonkwo was seen as a strong wealthy man that pretty much had it good until the bad things kept happening like the poor harvest, his exile, and his return to his village where he finds out that everything has changed. You can say that sometimes events in your life are inevitable and you can't control them. Okonkwo tries hard to make sure everything is constant, and get everyone to rebel and take back their previous religion and customs, but in truth very rarely does anything stay the same. Change is a part of life and some people can deal with it and some can't. Okonkwo, as we all know, couldn't deal with the change and just didn't feel like anything was worth living for or enjoying.
Monday, October 17, 2011
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Fiction
Copyright 2006
Protagonist- sixteen-year old girl who continually wants to learn more about the legend of Dracula.
Antagonist- there really isn't a bad guy in this story.
Themes:
Mystery- when the father tells the story of how the letter came to be, more and more strange things happen that can't be explained.
Motifs:
Anticipation- the daughters impulse to research more about the medieval times in Central Europe and why her father has trouble revealing the story to her. I can probably argue that this could be a theme also because in the majority of the story she wants to know more about Dracula and her father's story.
Brief Plot summary
Chapters 1-8:
The story is about a sixteen-year old girl who travels a lot with her diplomat dad. She becomes interested in a letter with the My Dear and Unfortunate Successor printed on it. She begs her father to tell her the story and origin of this letter. As she travels from Amsterdam to Italy to Spain, she learns bits of pieces of the story. The part of the story that interests her is that Dracula may be alive.
Sunday October 16, 2011
I have to say that this book is going at a slow pace, but I'm actually kind of enjoying it. This book is becoming very interesting to me because of all the places this girl gets to visit and all the history that surrounds her. If I had that chance to travel to so many countries every other weekend or month, I would be so psyched. This book also interests me because of the vampire legend. This fits so well considering my love for vampire literature and movies. It was strange finding out that Vlad was a real person, but he wasnt' a vampire.
My main theme is Mystery. Many interesting things happen as this story goes on. I have an example of perfect foreshadowing.
"I picked up my shabby suitcase, opened it and pulled out an envelope labeled in Rossi's handwriting. It said SAVE FOR NEXT ONE" (Kostova 51).
The girl's father looks at the documents that Professor Rossi, his adviser gives to him. This tells use that something bad is going to happen and that his successor must continue his work for him when he's gone.
"I had the feeling that he had been promising me this outcome, this equality, all along just waiting for the perfect time when I was ready" (Kostova 52).
He had the feeling that Professor Rossi has been prepping him for this information all along, and that this information wouldn't be passed down to him until later when he was able to handle such important documents.
The motif of this section is Anticipation.The young daughter of this diplomat has this unusual urge to research everything about Dracula and the Carpathians. Of course, her father is giving her bits and pieces and I can tell he is having trouble giving out this information to her and that he's trying to keep as much as he can from her. As she reads the letters she's starting to notice some patterns in his writing such as the print and the behavior toward writing the letters.
Final overview:
I have a feeling that this story is going to get more mysterious by the minute. I want to find out if Dracula really is alive and why was he supposedly killed. I hope my questions are asked as the story continues.
Personal reflection:
This story is going pretty well. I kind of envy this girl. She has a great education, studies in England, and she gets to travel the world. I have a pretty good attitude about this book so far. It will take me a lot of reading, but hey what's wrong with a little bit of a challenge.
Character reflection
The characters are not named in the story so it's sometimes confusing. This girl is starting to to act more and more like her father when he was younger as the story goes on and her curiosity increased rapidly about this subject of Dracula.
Recommendation
So far this book is going great. As he read more I'm sure I'll have a better understanding.
Time period
This book is set in the early 1970's , all I know is that it doesn't talk about the era at all. It talks about how the daughter is sheltered away from all the excitement and rebellion happening in this time era.
Fiction
Copyright 2006
Protagonist- sixteen-year old girl who continually wants to learn more about the legend of Dracula.
Antagonist- there really isn't a bad guy in this story.
Themes:
Mystery- when the father tells the story of how the letter came to be, more and more strange things happen that can't be explained.
Motifs:
Anticipation- the daughters impulse to research more about the medieval times in Central Europe and why her father has trouble revealing the story to her. I can probably argue that this could be a theme also because in the majority of the story she wants to know more about Dracula and her father's story.
Brief Plot summary
Chapters 1-8:
The story is about a sixteen-year old girl who travels a lot with her diplomat dad. She becomes interested in a letter with the My Dear and Unfortunate Successor printed on it. She begs her father to tell her the story and origin of this letter. As she travels from Amsterdam to Italy to Spain, she learns bits of pieces of the story. The part of the story that interests her is that Dracula may be alive.
Sunday October 16, 2011
I have to say that this book is going at a slow pace, but I'm actually kind of enjoying it. This book is becoming very interesting to me because of all the places this girl gets to visit and all the history that surrounds her. If I had that chance to travel to so many countries every other weekend or month, I would be so psyched. This book also interests me because of the vampire legend. This fits so well considering my love for vampire literature and movies. It was strange finding out that Vlad was a real person, but he wasnt' a vampire.
My main theme is Mystery. Many interesting things happen as this story goes on. I have an example of perfect foreshadowing.
"I picked up my shabby suitcase, opened it and pulled out an envelope labeled in Rossi's handwriting. It said SAVE FOR NEXT ONE" (Kostova 51).
The girl's father looks at the documents that Professor Rossi, his adviser gives to him. This tells use that something bad is going to happen and that his successor must continue his work for him when he's gone.
"I had the feeling that he had been promising me this outcome, this equality, all along just waiting for the perfect time when I was ready" (Kostova 52).
He had the feeling that Professor Rossi has been prepping him for this information all along, and that this information wouldn't be passed down to him until later when he was able to handle such important documents.
The motif of this section is Anticipation.The young daughter of this diplomat has this unusual urge to research everything about Dracula and the Carpathians. Of course, her father is giving her bits and pieces and I can tell he is having trouble giving out this information to her and that he's trying to keep as much as he can from her. As she reads the letters she's starting to notice some patterns in his writing such as the print and the behavior toward writing the letters.
Final overview:
I have a feeling that this story is going to get more mysterious by the minute. I want to find out if Dracula really is alive and why was he supposedly killed. I hope my questions are asked as the story continues.
Personal reflection:
This story is going pretty well. I kind of envy this girl. She has a great education, studies in England, and she gets to travel the world. I have a pretty good attitude about this book so far. It will take me a lot of reading, but hey what's wrong with a little bit of a challenge.
Character reflection
The characters are not named in the story so it's sometimes confusing. This girl is starting to to act more and more like her father when he was younger as the story goes on and her curiosity increased rapidly about this subject of Dracula.
Recommendation
So far this book is going great. As he read more I'm sure I'll have a better understanding.
Time period
This book is set in the early 1970's , all I know is that it doesn't talk about the era at all. It talks about how the daughter is sheltered away from all the excitement and rebellion happening in this time era.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Fearfulness and Fearlessness
Why do we have fears? We have fears mainly because of experience and psychological issues. When we have fears we want to do anything in our power to get rid of them. For example when you are scared because you think there is a monster in your room, you ask your mom or dad to check leaving you with peace and mind that you are going to sleep. How do we relate to the human kind in the story? Everybody has fears and those you say they don't are hypocrites. You even have the fear of not knowing what's going to happen. Why are we afraid of other countries? Well lets think about September 11th. We didn't know that there was going to be a terrorist attack headed for New York. We are scared of other countries because they may have certain ammunition and military that can threaten the National Security of the United States. When I think of Ikemefuna being taken away from his family and land that he has known for so long, I believe that I could probably adapt.
However, if they tried to kill me I would run like heck.
I would like to visit another country because I like to learn about other people's cultures. I know it will be hard to learn new customs, but hey hard work pays off and you might learn to like it there. Of course I would miss my family, but hey technology is awesome and I can call my parents on the cellphone, email, and even visit them every now and then. In my opinion, visiting another country is a great opportunity that shouldn't be passed up.
Why do we have fears? We have fears mainly because of experience and psychological issues. When we have fears we want to do anything in our power to get rid of them. For example when you are scared because you think there is a monster in your room, you ask your mom or dad to check leaving you with peace and mind that you are going to sleep. How do we relate to the human kind in the story? Everybody has fears and those you say they don't are hypocrites. You even have the fear of not knowing what's going to happen. Why are we afraid of other countries? Well lets think about September 11th. We didn't know that there was going to be a terrorist attack headed for New York. We are scared of other countries because they may have certain ammunition and military that can threaten the National Security of the United States. When I think of Ikemefuna being taken away from his family and land that he has known for so long, I believe that I could probably adapt.
However, if they tried to kill me I would run like heck.
I would like to visit another country because I like to learn about other people's cultures. I know it will be hard to learn new customs, but hey hard work pays off and you might learn to like it there. Of course I would miss my family, but hey technology is awesome and I can call my parents on the cellphone, email, and even visit them every now and then. In my opinion, visiting another country is a great opportunity that shouldn't be passed up.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Themes
Okonkwo is the way he is because of his past.
Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish in water (simile). He fights Amalinze the Cat and wins. This shows his total courage. He is tall and huge with a wide nose that gives him a severe look. He breathed heavily when he slept and his wives and children could hear him breath. When he walks on springs, he walks as if he's going to pounce on somebody. He has a slight stammer and whenever he gets angry and can't get his words out he uses his fist. The aftermath of his past caused him to have these behaviors.
Fear of Failure and Weakness.
Okonkwo saw his father as a complete failure and still does to this day. Unoka was lazy, owed everyone money, and a drunk. He has a great life with three wives and a successful farm. He is even famous for showing courage in the two inter-tribal wars. Okonkwo continually feels that he is becoming weak and on the verge of failure. He doesn't want to end up like his father, but his fear of failure and weakness still haunts him.
Prevention of War
The wife of Ogbuef Udo was killed. The Oracles forbid the village to have a war without trying a peace settlement. Everyone in this village is bloodthirsty and wants to vengeance. The punishment for murder is to either have a war or go into the woods and bring back a young man and a virgin. The virgin is given to the man who lost his wife, while the boy, (whose father murdered the wife), is taken in to Okonkwo's home. This theme shows the tradition of the Ibo people and how they deal with legal matters.
Okonkwo is the way he is because of his past.
Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish in water (simile). He fights Amalinze the Cat and wins. This shows his total courage. He is tall and huge with a wide nose that gives him a severe look. He breathed heavily when he slept and his wives and children could hear him breath. When he walks on springs, he walks as if he's going to pounce on somebody. He has a slight stammer and whenever he gets angry and can't get his words out he uses his fist. The aftermath of his past caused him to have these behaviors.
Fear of Failure and Weakness.
Okonkwo saw his father as a complete failure and still does to this day. Unoka was lazy, owed everyone money, and a drunk. He has a great life with three wives and a successful farm. He is even famous for showing courage in the two inter-tribal wars. Okonkwo continually feels that he is becoming weak and on the verge of failure. He doesn't want to end up like his father, but his fear of failure and weakness still haunts him.
Prevention of War
The wife of Ogbuef Udo was killed. The Oracles forbid the village to have a war without trying a peace settlement. Everyone in this village is bloodthirsty and wants to vengeance. The punishment for murder is to either have a war or go into the woods and bring back a young man and a virgin. The virgin is given to the man who lost his wife, while the boy, (whose father murdered the wife), is taken in to Okonkwo's home. This theme shows the tradition of the Ibo people and how they deal with legal matters.
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