Thesis....

This Friday I have a final essay due on The Odyssey by Homer. I choose to write about whether or not Odysseus, the protagonist, is a hero. I began by wanting to prove that he was not, in fact a hero, but when I laid out the evidence, I disproved myself, which was rather interesting to say the least. Now I have prepared a thesis that shares my exact thoughts about Odysseus: that he is a hero, but with flaws. Please comment to tell me what you think! (I've become rather worried that my thesis statements have no structure after hearing so much about Mrs. Froelich's "three part thesis" requirements....) Here it is:

Though Odysseus may often be compared to the Gods themselves, he still has many flaws; however his acts of bravery and courage overcome these imperfections, demonstrating that he is a true hero.

Beginning The Life of Pi

I have decided upon The Life of Pi for my outside reading book this quarter and am currently three chapters into it. Already, it has grabed hold of my interest-- this book is definitel different from my previous two english novels. Though these chapters are short, and consequently I have not learned very much about the protagonist. The main character's name is Pi Patel, he was named after a glorious swimming pool located in Paris, La Piscine Molitor. He has a brother, Ravi, a mother and father, as well as an uncle figure who he calls Mamaji. Mamaji used to be a competitive swimmer and when Pi turns seven, he teaches him to swim. Right now in the story, I believe Pi is living in Canada and moved there from India. But that is all. Some of the phrases I read almost seem random in this book, but later I believe they will come to make sense. With that, there was a cool quote that caught my attention while reading: "The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't biological necessity-- it's envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can. But life leaps over oblivion lightly, losing only a thing or two of no importance, and gloom is but the passing shadow of a cloud" (6. Martel). I think this is a fascinating way to regard life and death; comparing Death to an obsessive lover who can never obtain Life, and Life as one who will never return the mutual feelings of Death. Death, however, will never cease his endless tries and will obtain some victims, but Life will live and go on.

Outside Reading Three

I'm undecided about what book to read for my outside reading project this quarter. It's a tie between three different books: Rebel Angels by Libba Bray, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, and The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Rebel Angels is an exciting novel, the sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty, which I read earlier this year. I am already half way through it however and am wondering if I would not finish it too quickly. On the other hand, The Life of Pi has recieved rave reviews, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a classic. Since we are required to read a work that is different from our previous two selections, I'm leaning toward The Life of Pi because it is a new kind of story, written in an interesting style. Regardless of my choice, I will finish Rebel Angels and then I hope to read the newly released, last installment of the series, (which my friend is reading at the moment), The Far Sweet Thing.

I'm Baaaack

It's been about a month now from the time I last blogged, and since then, my class has begun to read the epic tale of The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles. The only other knowledge I have of this tale is from sixth grade, when we listened to a version of it on tape. I remember liking that very much, and now I also enjoy reading this more difficult text. Currently, I am on chapter fourteen, when the hero and protagonist, Odysseus, has finally made the return to his home in Ithica, which he has been trying to do for many years. I find it interesting to read about all the struggles and hardships Odysseus went through, hated by some Gods and cursed with misfortune. The fact that Odysseus endured all that the Gods forced upon him and more (such as horrible storms and deathly, luring creatures), even when his shipmates did not, shows what a remarkable man he is. Though the Greek Gods are described as great among mortals, I infer from the text that their one main difference from man is their immortality. I feel Odysseus would blend in among them, for he is described like a God in the text. During his long, seemingly endless journey, while stranded upon the island of Calypso, the nymph offered him the rank of a God, but he could not take it. While there is an allure to being immortal and powerful, being mortal is a gift in itself-- and perhaps this is how Odysseus feels. Today is class, we were asked which character we most felt like at the moment and why. I chose Telemachus, Odysseus's son, because I feel undecided at the moment. There are things I really want to do, but don't exactly have to courage to leave my comfort zone to do so. Similarly, in the beginning of the book, Telemachus struggles in deciding what to do about his torn family. What to believe about his father and how to deal the suitors invading his home for Peneloppe (his mother and Odysseus's wife). Luckily, Athena soon comes to Telemachus's aid, setting him in the right direction where he goes on to act very much like his father. I too, hope that I will soon have the courage and strength like Odysseus to do what I want!

*Note From The Author*

Looking back at my last few blogs, I saw they were beginning to diverge in their overall relation to my enriched language arts experience... so for this new quarter in school, I am challenging myself not to sidetrack so much and instead be more direct and to the point.