The Canterbury Tales

             Sorry I haven't written anything in a while! I've been crazy busy! But here is another school assignment I had to write on the Canterbury Tales. Enjoy! As always feel free to make comments or suggestions!

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            The Canterbury Tales is a book written about 29 pilgrims on their way to a town called Canterbury. Each of the pilgrims tell his/her own tale in order to make their long trek more entertaining. Through this essay one will be informed of the Christian values seen in the Pardoner’s Tale and the Nun’s Priest’s Tale as well as the inconsistencies and/or relationships between the two tales and their corresponding narrators.

The first tale is that of the Pardoner. The moral of the Pardoner’s Tale is: “The love of money is the root of all evil”. The Pardoner tells a story of three, drunk, young men who meet an old man and ask him where “Death” is. The old man sends them down a lane where they find eight bushels of gold coins, which they decide to keep. They decide to wait for night to move the gold and draw straws to see which one will go into town to get food and wine. The youngest of the three draws the shortest straw. When he leaves, the two others decide to kill him and keep his money. The youngest, however, wanting the treasure to himself, buys poison, which he adds to two of the bottles of wine he purchases. When the youngest reveler approaches the tree, the two others stab him and then sit down to drink the wine before they dispose of his body. Thus, all three indeed find “Death”. And one can see “The love of money, or greed, is veritably the root of all evil”.

           In comparison to the Pardoner’s tale, one finds his life role, or job, is to preach to others and help them rid themselves of their sin. A deeper look into the Pardoner’s life, however, reveals he does not exactly do this. He is a confident man operating a game that still flourishes — manipulating people's religious gullibility. Like many others after him, he uses a real rhetorical gift to "stir the people to devotion" (line 346) so they will give their pennies to him. Here we see he practices the very thing he preaches against: greed. Also, in contrast to the valuable tale he tells, his appearance is described as a rather disgusting person having “hair as yellow as wax” (line 675) “thin they dropped, and stringy, one by one.” (line 679). You get the feeling he is a shady character even before you know he cheats people by the description of his eyes; “And shiny eyes he had as has a hare.” (line 684) One can see though the Pardoner’s tale may be one of virtue, and though his job is one of uprightness, his actions and his appearance prove he is only a man of greed.

            Like the first tale discussed, this second tale, The Nun’s Priest’s Tale, also shows its listeners a strong moral. Though, it is slightly hidden in the comical “beast fable”. A beast fable is a story which has animals acting like humans to help illustrate a moral. The value learned through the Priest’s fable is: flattery blindsides those who allow pride to consume them. The fable is about a grand cock who has a dream about a fox. The cock later sees a fox nearby, and starts to run away, but the fox tells him gently he is merely there to hear the cock’s beautiful voice. The cock flattered by the fox wishing to hear him, shuts his eyes and starts to sing. But as soon as he does the fox clamps his mouth down upon the cock’s neck. The hens raised such a riot that soon the entire farm was chasing after the fox. The cock suggests to the fox to turn around and shout insults at his pursuers. The fox, then opens his mouth, and the cock escapes to a treetop. The fox tries once again to lure the cock down by compliments and flattery, but the cock has learned his lesson.

Contrasting with the Pardoner and his tale, the Nun’s Priest and his tale are both very similar. Like the Pardoner, the Nun’s Priest’s job reflects his tale. It goes without saying the Nun’s Priest, is a Priest. As far as one can tell the Nun’s Priest is a very righteous man. There is not much revealed about him in the General Prologue, however in the Prologue to the Nun’s Priest’s tale the reader is given a brief description of him, “This gentle priest, this kindly man Sir John” (line 2820). The Host of the pilgrims, Harry Bailly, hints a little towards the Priest’s appearance, “a nag you have to ride. So what if you've a horse both foul and lean?” (lines 2812-2813) From this one gleans the impression the Nun’s Priest is not very wealthy. Once again contrasting to the Pardoner the Nun’s Priest’s actions and appearance lead one to conclude he practices what he preaches.

            Conclusively, both the Pardoner and the Nun’s Priest present tales with strong Christian values within them. Also both of the narrator’s life role, or job, relates back to their story. And while the Pardoner’s actions and appearance greatly contrast with his tale and job, the Nun’s Priest’s actions and appearance coincide with the clever fable he told.

Homework Assignment - Modern Beowulf

Okay so this is not very good, but I thought I'd embarrass myself anyway, and post it. Seeing as though I just posted about Beowulf. So please note that this has really pretty much nothing to do with the old Beowulf. And I still think you should read the real Beowulf. (Because unlike this one.....IT'S REALLY GOOD)

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This is a children’s story. Though older people may like it. It is a modern retelling of the old tale Beowulf. A story of danger, bravery, monsters, loyalty, and friendship. It was originally meant for older people, like teens or adults. But why keep younger children from reading classics? Why not write the old classic, in a more simple form? And in a way children can relate to. Well, today that is what I’m doing. I’m going to write a simpler form of Beowulf, the great classic story. Everything I’m about to tell you is all fictitious, for often that is what children are able to understand with perfect clarity.

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Somewhere in the world, let’s say in the city Geatville there is a boy. He is a strong boy. And when this boy was very young, he lived in a different town. The town Daneport. And this boy lived in someone else’s house, because he was very young. And the “someone else” lived in a large country house. A farm, I guess you could say. And this farm had all kinds of animals, and barns. It has cows, and horses, and pigs, and sheep, and of course dogs and cats. But the most prized animals there were the chickens. Yes, the chickens. See, these chickens were the prettiest chickens you ever did see! And the eggs they laid were so numerous, and perfect that everybody came there to buy eggs. Even if they had chickens themselves! The man who owned all this, his name was, Ezra Kemuel. Ezra was a good man, but he was getting old, and with age, comes weakness, and when you get weak, you aren’t able to keep up with all the work of a large farm like Ezra’s. But anyway let’s get back to our “young boy”. Let’s give him name. His name will be Ezekiel White. But most people just call him Zeke. Well, as we were saying, when Zeke was young he lived on this farm. He had just about as much fun there as a little boy could have on a farm! But when Zeke turned eleven he moved away, to go live with his Uncle Andrew and his Aunt Mercy. They did not live on a farm. No, they lived in a the huge city, Geatville. And though moving to a city was much different than living on a farm. Zeke wasn’t too upset. He liked the city just as much as Ezra’s farm. But Ezra was old now, and he had to sell almost everything. In fact Ezra sold everything except his beloved chickens. Those he kept. Well, a couple years went by until we get back the beginning of our story.

Somewhere in the world, let’s say in the city Geatville, there is a boy. He is a strong boy. And his name is Ezekiel White. But most people just call him Zeke. Zeke lives with his Uncle Andrew and his Aunt Mercy. And he lives a happy life with the two of them. And even here, in the busy city, people buy Ezra’s Eggs, in the local stores. We rejoin Zeke when he is now thirteen, at a crowded birthday party for friend where he has just heard some most unpleasant news.

“Wait! What did you just say?” Asked Zeke, in a very anxious tone of voice.

“I said that it’s really too bad.” Answered Jacob, he was the boy having the party.

“No, no. Before that.” Zeke clarified, “You said something about Ezra’s Eggs.”

“Oh, that? I said that Old Ezra is currently unable to sell any eggs.” Jacob did not seem too concerned about it, after all there were plenty of other egg sellers out there.

Zeke, although he was thirteen and should be able to control himself, was having a very hard time staying calm. “Why can’t he sell eggs? Won’t people buy them anymore?”

“Well, yes I suppose people would buy them...if he could get any eggs anymore.” It was irritating to Zeke at how uninterested Jacob sounded. “But he can’t collect any eggs from his chickens anymore, because there is a fox that’s scaring them all so bad that they won’t lay any eggs. It’s being said that the fox has actually killed about fifteen of Ezra’s chickens. Too bad ancient Ezra is so ancient. He’s helpless before that sly fox. They’ve even given the fox a name! Can you imagine! Giving a fox a name just for eating some chickens! They say his name is Nigel, which means Dark.” It was easy to tell that Jacob thought that the whole thing was boring. But to Zeke, it was crisis that must be stopped!

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As soon as Zeke was back home, he ran to his Aunt and Uncle. He told them the whole story, and by the time he was done he had thought of a possible solution.

“What if I go and help Ezra! I could trap Nigel the fox, I know I could! Ezra would be there to protect me! I would be alright really!” This was very important to Zeke. He wanted Ezra to be able to continue to sell his eggs. Otherwise he might have to sell the farm! And then Zeke couldn’t go visit anymore!

Uncle Andrew was willing to let him try, but Aunt Mercy wasn’t sure about the idea. “If Ezra can’t even take care of his own chickens, how is he supposed to protect you, Zeke?”

“I think that Zeke is old enough to take care of himself.” Uncle Andrew replied for Zeke. “Ezra will keep him from doing foolish things. And as long as Zeke is being smart, he should be fine, Mercy.”

Zeke was getting excited now. “Please, Aunt Mercy!”

Aunt Mercy looked Zeke up and down, “All right, I’ll let you go. I’ll call Ezra tomorrow morning to let him know you’re coming. But you need to promise me something, Ezekiel White. You need to promise that you’ll be smart. Smarter than the fox, so that you’ll stay safe. You got that?”

“Yes, Aunt Mercy! I promise! Oh, Thank you both!” Replied Zeke as soon as the words were out of his Aunt’s mouth.

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He was really going! Zeke was on his way to Ezra Kemuel’s farm right now! He was going on a bus, because both Uncle Andrew and Aunt Mercy had to work and weren’t able to take him. But it was fine with Zeke, he was going on an adventure. He was going to trap Nigel, and save Ezra’s chickens. At least that’s what he hoped was going to happen. No one could really be sure if Nigel would strike again, although he seemed pretty consistent.

When Zeke finally arrived at the farm, he was a little disappointed. The farm that was so large, and fresh, and beautiful, in his memories. Was now, little more than a couple of run down barns, and old rickety house, all with the paint coming off. The only thing that looked brand new was the chicken coop. That at least looked as shiny as a bright, new dime. Zeke looked in the chicken yard, sure enough there were signs of a struggle. Nigel must have been there the night before.

Ezra’s house was up on a little hill, and all the barns were down below it. Zeke remembered that when he lived here only a few years ago, he would pretend that the house was a huge castle and that the barns made up the castle’s village. Now, however, it reminded him more of an crusty, western, ghost town. With the chicken coop being the well of the town. Both the well of that imaginary ghost town, and the chicken coop of this actual farm are needed to keep the people living there alive.

A figure walked out of the front door, as Zeke stood standing in the gravel road that led up to the house. Zeke recognised the man instantly as Ezra Kemuel. Oh, how Zeke missed that old farmer! He ran up the hill to meet Ezra, who was on his way down the hill. The two met on the hill and gave each other a hand shake, but Zeke couldn’t help giving Ezra a hug as well.

“I’m here to catch that fox, Mr. Kemuel! I’m going to trap him tonight when he comes for your chickens.” Stated Zeke.

The light that was so evident on Ezra’s face just moments ago, vanished at the mention of Nigel the fox. He spoke slowly, “How are you planning on doing that? Hmm?”

Zeke relayed his plan to Ezra with confidence, “Well, if you have a place to put the chickens tonight, other than in their coop, then I think I can catch Nigel tonight. If we move the chickens to another barn or something I could trick Nigel. I could stay up and watch the chicken coop, then when Nigel comes tonight I could quickly patch the hole he gets into, and then he would be trapped inside. Then I would put him into a cage, and then tomorrow morning we can bring him about ten miles away, and he won’t bother you anymore!”

Ezra smiled, “I will let you try, because it doesn’t sound too dangerous, but I’m not sure it will work.”

“Do you have a cage that I can use, Mr. Kemuel?” Asked Zeke , ignoring the fact that it might not work.

“Yes, follow me, I’ll show you.” Ezra was amused by Zeke’s anticipation to help.

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After Zeke looked over the cage and found it “satisfactory” he asked Ezra to show him where he could put the remaining 25 chickens to keep them safe. The answer was in the house. All the other barns were so full of holes you could look right through them. So in the house the chickens went, thankfully they were able to put all of the chickens in one room and shut the door. When that was finished Zeke went out to look around the chicken coop and yard, to see if he could find any holes that Nigel might use. He found four holes in the dirt that led into the chicken yard and the one that went into the actual coop. He filled in the four holes going into the chicken yard, but left the one going into the chicken coop, so that Nigel could still get in. The he set the cage with some bate right inside the coop in front of the hole, that way when Nigel went in, he wouldn’t be able to get away inside. Next Zeke shut all of the doors, just in case Nigel did happen to get of the cage. He was all set! He would hide in some nearby bushes to watch and wait for Nigel, and when he came he would run out of his hiding spot, and block the fox’s escape with wood. Now all he had to do was wait.

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Zeke waited, and waited, and waited. Finally the shadows of evening descended upon him like dark colored sheets. And yet, still he had to wait for Nigel to transpire from wherever it was that he sheltered himself all day. Not used to being up that late, Zeke started to fall asleep, it was boring just sitting there, not doing anything. But then without warning, he caught a glimpse of a something running swiftly towards the chicken coop. The night was filled with darkness, and it was almost impossible to see Nigel gliding among the grass. Zeke’s eyes were sharp, however, and so he was able to watch Nigel’s every move. Then Nigel did it. He went into the hole in the chicken coop! Out rushed Zeke to patch up the hole. He got there just in time, the fox was smart, and was able to tell immediately that something was wrong, so it had turned around and was about to jump back out of the hole when Zeke got there with his wood. He slammed it into place, and nailed it shut. Then he went around to the inside of the coop, where the fox had gone back into the cage, and was now starting to panic. Quickly Zeke moved the cage away from the wall enough to shut the door. He decided to leave Nigel in the cage, and leave the cage in the chicken coop, for the rest of the night. When he woke up tomorrow he would deal with the disposal of Nigel.

Zeke turned to go out of the coop, but there standing in his path was another fox! This one was bigger then Nigel, and it was a girl. It must be Nigel’s mother, thought Zeke. She must have been watching him through the bushes, and when she saw me come in after him, she followed me in! She was a beautiful creature. Her grey fur looked silver in the pale moonlight, and her eyes were an icy blue. She glared at Zeke in defiance. And promptly a name for this wonderful fox snapped into mind; Sapphire. If he could trap Sapphire in the chicken coop, while he searched for another cage, then he could probably catch her right now! But he would have to move fast. He would have to be smarter than the fox. First off, he had to get her to come towards him, instead of standing right in the doorway. He found a long, narrow piece of wood leaning against a wall. He slowly took hold of it. Sapphire was still staring at him with those cold eyes. With the wood in his hands, Zeke inched himself over to one side of Sapphire. For one second her eyes went to her son, Nigel, still trapped in his cage. In that second Zeke leaped across to the door, gently nudging Sapphire away with the wood, so he wouldn’t land on her. Sapphire realized her mistake too late, and found herself unable to escape. Quickly, Zeke closed the door, and ran to look for another cage he could use. It was almost dawn, and the rising light was dancing on fragile drops of dew. There! Zeke spotted a cage in the barn he used to play Tarzan in, over the hay. He snatched the cage, and hoped that Sapphire hadn’t been smart enough to dig her way back out. Or worse, free Nigel. Zeke had to be careful opening the door, because he didn’t want Sapphire to make a dash for freedom when he opened it. He slowly opened the door, and hopped inside. Amazingly, Sapphire was still there! She was pawing at the cage Nigel was in. She stopped when Zeke entered. Zeke had made sure to pick up some more bait on his way back to the chicken coop. He now set down the cage in front of him, and put the bait inside. Then he gradually moved it closer to Sapphire softly calling to her.

Sapphire was smart, however, and did not fall for this trick. She could see what had happened to her son, and did not want to fall upon the same fate. Instead she tried to dart around the cage and out the now open door. But Zeke was fast and he kicked the door shut with his foot, before Sapphire was able to exit. I have to be smarter then the fox, remembered Zeke. He thought for a moment. He placed the empty cage next to Nigel’s, then moved to go around Sapphire. He imagined himself as one of those big, tough, boxing guys he saw on TV once. Circling his opponent. When he had Sapphire positioned in front of the cage, he darted forward, causing Sapphire to jump backwards, right into the cage. Before she could react, Zeke had latched the cage shut. He had caught two foxes in one night.

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The next morning, Ezra and Zeke took the two hunters fifteen miles away from Ezra’s house. There they dumped Sapphire and Nigel in a forest, where they could live. Then they headed back to Ezra’s farm.

“Thank you, Ezekiel, I don’t know if I could’ve done that. I’m not what I used to be you know.” Sighed Ezra sadly.

“Yes, Mr. Kemuel, I know. But it was actually pretty fun!” Replied Zeke trying to keep the mood light.

Ezra laughed, “I bet it was! When we get back to the house I’ve got something I want to give you.”

“I don’t need anything for helping! I did it because I wanted to help you!” Zeke said quickly.

“Now, don’t give me that! I’m going to give you something if you want it or not! So sit tight.” That made Zeke be quiet for the rest of the trip.

Of course he wanted something. Doesn’t every boy want something in return for work? But he didn’t want to take advantage of an old man who didn’t have enough money to keep his farm together!

When they arrived back at the farm, Zeke followed Ezra into the house. They walked up two staircases to get into the attic. There was so much stuff up there, you could hardly move! Ezra went straight to one of the boxes, and opened it. Out of it he pulled a coonskin hat, a toy rifle, and some leather chaps.

“I want you to have these. They were mine when I was your age, and I played with them constantly.” Said Ezra with a hint of longing in his voice. A longing to be young and strong again.

Although Zeke was thirteen, he loved the items that were being passed to him. He responded to Ezra with genuine gratitude, “Thanks, Mr. Kemuel! I’ll keep them real nice, I promise!”

It was evident that this pleased Ezra, “You’re welcome. Now we should probably get you back on that bus and on your way back home. You don’t want your parents worrying.”

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And so, Ezekiel White became known throughout the countryside as the boy who saved Ezra’s chickens. Several years went by. Nine in fact. That would make Ezekiel twenty-two years old. And unfortunately, Ezra has passed away. But in his will he left what was left of his farm and his chickens to our boy, Zeke. Well, Zeke sold the farm, but kept the chickens. And with the money that he made on the farm, he bought a farm of his own outside of Geatville. It was nice farm, and had a great chicken coop on it already. And with that Zeke started selling eggs. Everyone around was talking about his eggs! People from miles away would come to buy Zeke’s Eggs. Zeke continued selling eggs for many more years. Twelve to be exact. That makes Ezekiel thirty-four. Uncle Andrew and Aunt Mercy were very old now, and being old, means you can get sick a lot easier. Which happened to Aunt Mercy. Aunt Mercy received some very disheartening news. She had cancer. And it was spreading quickly. She was beyond surgery at this point, and the treatment for her cancer would be extremely expensive. Uncle Andrew and Aunt Mercy did not have enough money to pay for her to be properly cared for. Zeke wasn’t about to sit back and let his Aunt die, because she didn’t have money to pay for medicine. The problem was, that he didn’t have enough money either. They were able to get by for a little while, by combining their money together. But that didn’t last very long. And Aunt Mercy wasn’t getting any better. Zeke thought and thought, about how to raise enough money to help his Aunt. Finally, he came up with an option. He didn’t like it, but it was his only choice. He told his idea to his Aunt and Uncle. They told him not to go through with it. It wasn’t worth it! The plan was worth it to Zeke though. So he did it. Zeke sold his farm. He sold all his beautiful chickens. He had enough money though, and that’s why he did it. He sold the chickens that he helped feed and water when he was young. He sold the chickens that he had saved from Nigel and Sapphire. He sold the chickens that Ezra had been so proud of. That had provided him with money enough to keep his farm in decent shape. Compare that to the life of the Aunt who had loved, and raised him. And you have a clear choice.

Somewhere in the world, let’s say in the city Geatville, there is a man. He is a strong man. And his name is Ezekiel White. But most people just call him Zeke. He lives with is Uncle Andrew and his Aunt Mercy. He lives a happy life with the two of them. And even here, in the big city people talk about Zeke and his generosity towards his Aunt. He kept her alive by selling all his precious chickens. He is good man, that Zeke. He is wise and unselfish. He is loving and kind. He is brave and obedient. He is what every one of us should strive to be.

Beowulf

    Hello Everyone! Sorry I haven't posted anything in a very long time! I've been crazy busy with...well...LIFE! So anyway, here is a book review on Beowulf, a long poem that I had to read for school. :)

    First off I'll give you a brief (at least I'm going to TRY to keep it brief) synopsis of the story. Beowulf is the main character, he is the nephew of the Geat King, Hygelac. And he is extremely strong. In fact, it says several times in the poem that his strength is equal to the strength of 30 average men! Anyhooo...When Beowulf hears about a terror in the country of the Danes, he feels as though he must help King Hrothgar rid himself of the "beast sent by the devil". So he sets out with a crew of men to go and save King Hrothgar. When he arrives he is welcomed by the King, for when Beowulf was but a child he lived with the Danes for some time. The King readily agrees to allow Beowulf to attempt to kill "Grendel". (That is the name of the beast) Every night Grendel comes to the King's throne room, and eats anyone inside. (Some details do get pretty gruesome....but if you handled The Hunger Games...then you could handle this) Beowulf and his crew prepare for the inevitable battle in the throne room. And sure enough that night Grendel sought out the throne room yet again. When he arrived there, he ate one of Beowulf's crew members before anyone had time to react. But then Beowulf was upon him, and with Beowulf's strength he clutched Grendel arm. There was a mighty struggle, in which Beowulf's crew tried to help, by swinging their mighty swords at Grendel, but Grendel's skin was too tough for swords to cut through. After what seemed like ages Grendel finally broke free and ran away...but not without Beowulf rendering him a fatal wound. When Grendel broke free....he literally broke free. So strong was Beowulf's grip that when Grendel broke free, he left his arm Beowulf's hands! Grendel ran back to his cave under the sea, and there he died from his wound. Beowulf was praised and adorned with gifts. But that night the Throne hall was yet again haunted by a beast....no, not Grendal...Grendal's mother. When she attacked that night she only took one prisoner, but it just so happened that her one prisoner was King Hrothgar's best friend. Once again Beowulf offered his services, once again the King agreed. So, Beowulf and his crew set out to find Grendal's mother. When they arrived at the sea wherein the beast's cave was hidden, they discovered that it was inhabited by all sorts of evil, snake-like creatures. In spite of this, Beowulf plunged down into the murky depths. When he reached the bottom, Grendal's Mother grabs a hold of Beowulf and pulls him through the water to her sinister dwellings. There, Beowulf breaks loose from her hold, and the real fight begins. Once again there is a long, difficult battle between the two of them. After a while, Beowulf spots a giant sword...like this thing was huge! It is said that only Beowulf, with his incredible strength, would have been able to hold such a mighty sword as that. Beowulf took the sword in his hands and with one, smooth, indomitable motion, he sliced off the monster's head. A little ways off, Beowulf spotted Grendal's body. Beowulf chopped off his head as well, and up he swam through the now clear waters. He was received with uproarious praise upon his return! He was presented more gifts as well. And then after resting for a day, he returned to the land of his King with is faithful crew. As time went by things changed, King Hygelac of the Geats died, and Beowulf was asked to replace him. But because Hygelac had left a son, Beowulf refused to take the throne when legally it should go to Hygelac's son. So  Hygelac's son became king, but when he died Beowulf agreed to be king. Beowulf reigned as king for 50 years! And it was a very peaceful reign until a  servant running from his master, stumbled across a cave hidden in a cliff. In which he found a sleeping dragon protecting a hoard of treasure. And being in need to pay his master a large sum of money, the foolish man stole a golden cup from the dragon's stash. The dragon awoke that night to find that someone had stolen his cup, and was enraged that anyone would dare do such a thing to him! And so, he (the dragon) decided that only thing to do was search for this man, and while he was searching he would burn every town he came across to show how furious a dragon could be. And the dragon did this for many days, weeks even. Then one night the dragon destroyed King Beowulf's palace. Now Beowulf had to involved. So the next day he went with some men to go kill the dragon that had been turning all the villages into ashes. He wanted to fight the dragon alone, not because he thought he was "all that jazz", but because he didn't want anyone else to be harmed in the battle. During th battle Beowulf is fatally wounded and one of his men comes to his rescue. Together the two of them finish off the dragon. Although the dragon is dead, however, Beowulf had also fought his last battle. There, in the grass of a scorched field, in the arms of an adoring comrade, Beowulf conquer of Grendal, Defeater of Grendal's Mother, Friend to King Hrothgar, Nephew to King Hygelac, King of the Geats, Defender of all, and slayer of the Dragon, drew his last breath. The story then continues on to say that before Beowulf died he had told his comrade, Wiglaf, that he would be the next king of the Geats. And that Wiglaf, ordered the construction of a huge monument built in memory of Beowulf.

    Okay, so I'm REALLY bad at telling a brief story......sorry about that...but because that was a really in depth "synopsis" of the story, I'll just quickly tell you what I think the Conflict, etc. are, and not really go further into it. And then at then end of that I'll give you some of my personal thoughts, on it, tell you some things that I learned from it, and what-not. :) So bear with me! :)

    Alright! For the conflict of this book, I'm going to add a new conflict to my original list of five conflicts. The new conflict will be:

•  Man vs. Animal - The main character against animals, or beasts.

Technically this could fall under "Man vs. Nature", but I think I'll just make a new one so that it is more clear for everyone in the future. Going back to the point....The question that I think would represent this conflict well is: "Will Beowulf survive the battle between himself and the dragon?" I believe that this is the main conflict in the story, but other people may have different opinions.

   Moving on to the Exposition. Because Beowulf is written in verse, it is slightly harder to read, and understand. But the Exposition is still in the same place as any other story; the beginning. Right off the bat you learn that Beowulf is the main character, and that he is very strong and courageous. 'Nuff said.

   Next part is the Rising Action. I think that I'm going to say that the battles with Grendel and his mother were both part of the rising action, although one could argue that each battle was in itself a new story, and therefore would each have there own Conflict, Exposition, Rising Action, etc. However, because I chose the conflict question of "Will Beowulf survive the battle between himself and the dragon?" I am going to put both of the early battles in the Rising action. You could also put the fact that he was made the king here in rising action as well.

   CLIMAX! :) The brawl with the dragon is most certainly the climax. And although you're not sure how it will turn out, you know that this will be Beowulf's last fight. If he lives, he's too old to fight anymore. If he dies, well....then....he's dead.

   Denouement.....in this part of the story, Beowulf dies, Wiglaf becomes king, and they build a monument in remembrance of Beowulf. That's pretty much it. After Beowulf dies, there's not much else to tell. I mean, he was pretty much a super hero way back when....what happens when the super hero dies....people mourn for a while....and the bad guys stop being bad. Right? Right.

   And then there's the Conclusion. Well the conclusion is basically that because Beowulf was such a humble, kind, man, he was easily thought of as a hero. He cared not about himself, but about other people. The last words in the book are:

"They [the Geat people] said that of all the kings upon the earth

he [Beowulf] was the man most gracious and fair-minded,

kindest to his people and keenest to win fame."

   I think I did pretty well at keep that part of it nice and concise.....if I do say so myself. :-P Now I'll move on to what I thought about the book.

   I personally thought that it was a great adventure story! I loved the action scenes, and history of it all! The only thing that could have made it a little better was that is needed some romance! Haha, I know, I like a good romance story. And although Beowulf had all of the beautiful scene descriptions, and all of the adventure and thrill, it could have used some romance, and some humor. Not much mind you! Just a little of both. To lighten the mood just a little. But, that's just my opinion. :)

   What I learned from this story was that sure being strong and courageous helps when you want to be a hero, but that's not all that is takes....it takes a good heart too, that uses his strength to help others in need.

   So there you have it! My second official book review! :-D I hope you enjoy reading about Beowulf! And I would definitely recommend reading it even if you don't like adventure, because reading a long poem like that is a great learning experience....there are a TON of words that I never knew before, that I know now. :)

   As always feel free to comment!

~Ellen

"Holes" by Louis Sachar

Last week I decided to read the book "Holes" by Louis Sachar, to see if it would be a goo duo for AJ and I. I remember watching the movie a long time ago and liking it, so I thought that the book would be good too. I started reading it to myself and got about to chapter 10 when I decided that since it was going pretty well, I would read it out loud to AJ so that he could help decide whether or not to do it as a duo.....WE COULDN'T STOP READING! We finished the entire 239 page book in one day! So I'm going to write my first book review on it.

Something I left out of my previous post, How the reviews will be written was that before I get into the conflict, etc. I'm going to give a brief synopsis of the story, including telling you a little about some of the important characters.

The book "Holes" is about a 15 year old, overweight boy, Stanley Yelnats, who has a past of bad luck, and accordingly is wrongly convicted of stealing a pair of shoes, and is sent to a detention center, Camp Green Lake. Sounds like a great place!....but in reality there is no lake at Camp Green Lake, although there used to be. It is now in the middle of a desert in Texas. When Stanley arrives he is introduced to a variety of characters, including the mean head counselor, Mr. Sir, the counselor in charge of group D (the group Stanley was put into), Mr. Pendanski, and the boys of group D. Which include, Armpit (the leader of the group), X-Ray (the biggest kid in the group), Magnet (the pick pocket), Zig-Zag (the guy with the crazy neck), and Zero (the boy everyone thinks is dumb, because he hardly ever talks). {Great names...yes?} :-P Stanley is also introduced to the job he will have to complete every day until he is released...for 18 months. His job was to dig a hole, 5ft. deep, and 5ft in diameter in all directions. He learns the ways of the camp, he gets to know Zero, and realizes that Zero is actually quite smart! Things are going as good as can be expected until Stanley meets the Warden, the woman in charge of Camp Green Lake. Upon meeting her, Stanley realizes that they are not just digging for a punishment....the Warden is looking for something. But no one knows what. Then one particularly hot day, tempers rise, and Zero ends up running away....to where? The open desert....there is nowhere to go for miles, and he didn't bring water. A few days later he still isn't back, so Stanley goes after him. Stanley finds Zero extremely weak from lack of food and water, and together they climb a mountain, and find refuge there. They manage to survive on wild onions and a muddy stream. When they regain some strength the two of them journey back to Camp Green Lake, and by the cover of the night, start digging in a hole in which Stanley had previously found something in. And now curious to see if it had anything to do with what the Warden was looking for, went to dig there. They do find something! An old suitcase. But before they are able to see what is inside it, they are caught by the Warden. By this time it is almost daylight, and suddenly a lawyer comes out of one of the buildings and claims that Stanley is innocent. And is free to leave the Camp. The Warden claims that Stanley stole her suitcase, but Zero sees that on the suitcase is the name: Stanley Yelnats. As it turns out the Warden was looking for the treasure of the outlaw Kissin' Kate Barlow, who just so happened to have stolen from Stanley's great grandfather, whose name was also Stanley Yelnats. So Stanley (the younger) was freed from Camp Green Lake, and was able to get the lawyer to help Zero too. And Stanley Yelnats' bad luck stopped.

Haha! Sorry, that's as "brief" as a synopsis as I can give you! (I left out all the flash-backs even!!!)

Now, on with the other stuff. ;P

There are many different conflicts within the story, but the most prominent one is Man vs. Man. Which can be translated to Stanley vs. Warden in this case. The question that I'm going to use is: Will Stanley get away from/survive the Warden?

On to the exposition! The exposition usually happens at the beginning of the book. Most of the time in the first couple of chapters. In "Holes", however, the exposition drags on for quite a while, and you never quite know everything until the end. But you get the general idea by chapter 8. Although chapter 3 does explain a lot. For instance, in chapter 3 we find out that Stanley is the main character. He learn that he is poor, his past is full of bad luck within his family. We are told the story behind all the bad luck. And then of course we discover that Stanley Yelnats was accused of stealing the shoes of a famous baseball player, and as a result was sent to Camp Green Lake.

Continuing on to the rising action... There is a lot that goes on in this book all the time. It goes back into the past as much as it stays in the present. So you pretty much have two stories going at once that both connect in the end. But I'm going to focus on the present story, and just touch a little on the past story when needed. Anyway! The rising action really starts when Stanley finds a metal tube in one of the holes he is digging. Of course, he promised to give anything he finds to Armpit, so that's what he did. Armpit then turns it into the Warden, which causes an uproar because she thinks that there will be more to find in the hole that Armpit was digging in. Obviously there wasn't. And Stanley knew that. The next thing that big thing that happens is that, Magnet steals some sunflower seeds, and shares them with group D. But they get caught while Stanley has the bag, so he takes the blame for everyone. Causing Zero to dig part of Stanley's hole for the day. Stanley gets to know Zero a little more and starts teaching him how to read, after he finds out that Zero was homeless before he was sent to Camp Green Lake, and was therefore never taught to read or write. More trouble occurs when the Warden finds out that Stanley is teaching Zero to read and write and in return Zero is digging part of Stanley's hole everyday. Tempers rise, and Zero runs away.

Which leads right to the climax. After a few days Zero still hadn't come back, so Stanley tried to steal the one truck at Camp Green Lake, to go look for Zero. But then Stanley, who doesn't have is drivers license yet, crashes the truck and instead has to go on foot to find Zero. When he finally finds Zero, Zero is fully fatigued and exhausted. In the distance they can see a mountain in the shape of "God's Thumb"...they walk towards it hoping it can bring them shelter, and water. When they reach the top, they do find water, though it is muddy. When they had regained their strength, they started back towards Camp Green Lake, to dig in the hole that Stanley had actually found the tube in. At this point we know that something in regards to the conflict has been changed. We don't know how the book will end, but we know that it is the end is going to occur soon.

That means it is time for the Denouement! In this book, it's more of an "ah-ha!" part then an "awww" part. :D Stanley and Zero do find a suitcase in the hole where Stanley found the tube, the Warden catches them, but a lawyer intercedes, and says that Stanley is Innocent and that he may leave Camp Green Lake, the suitcase belongs to Stanley's great grandfather, Stanley is able to make the lawyer help Zero get out of Camp Green Lake too, and they remain friends.

By this time we have come to the conclusion of the book. Stanley's dad, who has always tried to be an inventor, finally invents something called Sploosh that makes feet smell good. Zero and Stanley both get about $1,000,000 from the contents of the suitcase found at Camp Green Lake. Zero uses his money to find his mom, it rained at Camp Green Lake and it became a Girl Scout Camp, and last but not least, Stanley's bad luck stops.

I would say that the plot of this book was: Even though bad things can happen, something good can always come out of it. There were a couple different themes throughout, the main theme was things that happen in the past can effect what happens at the present. But another theme was the theme of friendship. The friendship that Stanley and Zero had, was very strong, and even though it was hard, they continued to work together to get the reward of being free.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was funny, and serious at the same time. It was complex in the fact that it had basically two stories going on at the same time. It was mysterious, you never knew what was going to happen next. And even at the very end, it had a sort of epilogue, but at the end it said, "You fill in the holes." Which was perfect! I'm not sure if AJ and I would be able to condense it enough to make it our duo, but we'll see!

Hope you all enjoy this post! As always, if you think differently then I do, don't hesitate to comment! The first book review is finished. :)

~Ellen~

How the reviews will be written

Before writing my first actual book review, I thought I should explain the outline I will use when writing reviews in the future. To start with I will tell you why I decided to read the book. Next I will give you an outline of the book formatted in the following way:

1. What is the main Conflict - What does/do the character(s) have to overcome. There are five main Conflicts that I will look for in books:

• Man vs. Man - The main character against another character.
• Man vs. Nature - The main character against...well...nature. Weather, terrain, etc.
• Man vs. Society - The main character against the Gov., general ideas within communities, etc.
• Man vs. Himself - The main character having discussions with himself and trying to decide how to resolve them.
• Man vs. God - The main character against God.

Now obviously many books will have several of the conflicts within them, that's what makes them good books! But I will be choosing the one that I believe stands out the most, when writing my reviews. Of course you might not have the same opinions, in which case feel free to state what you believe the conflict of the book was! I will usually represent the conflict with a question.
I.E. Will Woody defeat the Evil Dr. Porkchop!? (question for Man vs. Man...or Toy vs. Toy in this case...) :)

2. What is the Exposition of the book - The part of the book that tells you the setting, introduces the characters and their situations in life, etc.

3. What is the Rising Action of the book - What are the things, events, attitudes, that build up until we finally get to the fourth part....

4. What is the Climax - The part of the book where all of the rising action (or at least the strongest rising action events) are suddenly changed. The part of the book, that when you are done reading you can point back to and say, "Right there. That's where everything changed." You might not know exactly what will happen in the end, but you know that the main conflict will be resolved in some way. The Climax will change depending on which of the conflicts you choose to follow.

5. What is the Denouement - The part of the book, that starts to slow everything down. Little things here and there start to be resolved. It's the "awww" or "ah ha" part of the book. I.E. Where you find out that not the main characters but the characters in the book who have had eyes for each other all along finally get married and move to the country. :)

6. What is the Conclusion - what happens at the end of the book to solidify the results of the climax. What happens(ed) to the characters in the end, what their punishment, or reward was.

7. What is the Plot/Theme - the main story behind all the fluff and dramatization of it all.

and finally...

8. What I think about it all. :D Which will probably happen somewhat within the other stuff too. :-P

Alright! Well, I think that pretty much covers it all! First book review to come....

~Ellen~

What's this Blog for?

Alright well, I'm pretty new to this whole blog thing. :) But from what I've heard/seen, the first post usually explains two things:

1. What the title means
2. What is mainly going to be posted on the blog

Just for fun we'll start with 2. What is mainly going to be posted on this blog.

Well, from the time I was three years old I loved reading books. Every book I could get my hands on I would read. I could never stop in the middle of a chapter, and most the time whenever I started reading a book, I couldn't just be done anywhere. I had to finish it. (Actually, come to think of it....I still am that way...) Anyway, I've always thought that it would be cool, to have a book diary, or just a record of all the books that I've read, something about them, and if I had liked them or not. But I never really put the effort into that...until now. This Blog is going to be my Book Diary. I'm going to post what books I'm reading, and I'm going to tell you all my thoughts on them. But it won't just be me posting things. My whole family will have the ability to post what they're reading and what their thoughts are on those books.

Which sort of leads back to point 1. What the title means.

The title of this blog: "A Neu Look on Books" was thought up by us Neumanns, with the idea that the word "Neu" in the title would both refer to something new, and also our last name. Neu-mann. So when reading the title you can think one of two things....or both. :)

1.  A look on books that you may not have thought of yourself.
or
2. This is the Neumann's perspective on books.

My hope is that you will join in and comment on books that you have also read, and give your own opinions on them!

With that all said, I have officially written my first blog post. :D I hope you all enjoy this blog!

~Ellen~