Summary
This is weirdest story I have ever read. Random things happen, some too fast, and some with no explanation. Henri finally gets a date with Paquita (the girl with the golden eyes) after writing a letter to her in which Christianio (Paquita's guard) asked to meet Henri and set up a date. He picks Henri up in a carriage at a certain time and drives him there. During that first date, Henri learns that Paquita's duenna is actually her mother. She speaks only her native tongue, Spanish, so Henri is unable to communicate with her. Since Paquita does not speak French like Henri, they talk English together. Nothing really happens in the first date, only that they share the love they have for each other and kissed goodbye. Earlier in the date however, Paquita cried because she thought Henri was going to kill her...
On the second date, Henri was blindfolded until he reached her home. They were left alone in a soundproof room. During that date, however, I learned of Paquita's bipolarity. She kept crying asking Henri to use her for her love and then kill her. Then the next minute, she is begging him not to because she loves life. He dressed him in a red dress and asks him the weirdest questions.
Third date is where everything went out of control. Paquita talks about how she is like a prisoner, a slave, and wants Henri to take her away to China. She was always kept away from society by her mother and only recently started going out because she told her mother if she couldn't go out and explore men, then she would kill herself. Her mother agreed and that's how she met Henri. Then after they talked of their everlasting love and started getting close, out of nowhere, Paquita cries out "Mariquita" and Henri pushes her away with anger and says "now I know everything I tried not to believe" (Balzac 107). This is where I got confused. Is that the name of another lover?
He stays away from her for another week. Then as he visits her home, he finds her in a pool of blood, and a girl who has a knife in her hand who had previously repeatedly stabbed her to death. The girl talked of love as Paquita was dying. The girl was Marquise de San-Real, Henri's half sister.
Beyond this point, I am completely lost. All I know is that Paquita's mother had a big part to do with her daughter's death (I believe she paid Marquise gold to kill her). Also, I believe there is a connection between "Mariquita" and Marquise. Perhaps Paquita knew that this was going to happen. Perhaps they were in love before... This book is like an incomplete story to me.
Quote
"This person was a mulatto who would surely have inspired Talma to play Othello, had he chanced to meet him. Never did an African face more open express the magnitude of revenge, the swiftness of suspicious, the immediate translation of thought into action, the strength of the Moor and his childish impetuosity" (Balzac 62).
Reaction
This is an allusion to the play Othello. The author is comparing Christinio (Spanish guard of Paquita) to Othello because of his facial expressions. It's interesting because I have already read Othello, so imaging Christinio expression in my head was pretty easy. It made the imagery and the way I view Christinio's character more powerful.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
The Girl With the Golden Eyes (1-54)
Summary
This novella, The Girl With the Golden Eyes by Honore de Balzac (translated by Carol Cosman), started of like a movie. The author talked only of Paris and it's people. Here is some points taken from this section of the novella.
- Parisian interested in everything and in the end nothing.
- Only two ages in Paris: youth and decay.
- Talked of the proletarians (working class). Mentions all the hard work, suffering, sweating, low wages they receive all to be wasted away at clubs in the city and prostitutes, drinking, and violence. Happens every Monday, then back to work on Tuesdays.
- Describe the King as hardworking yet lazy. A man of action, not feeling. A living encyclopedia. Never at rest like Paris itself.
- To the wealthy, nothing is real.
- The lawyers, doctors, business man, etc (upper-class) have little heart. Go about life smoothly like it's nothing. Ignorant of everything outside their profession.
- Only the prostitutes and unmoral girls go out frequently. Ladies who preserve their beauty rarely come out and when they do, it is very rare and eye catching.
- In Paris, every passion is resolved into two terms: gold and pleasure.
After the the descriptive setting of Paris, the main character, Henri de Marsay, is introduced. He was home-schooled and by the age of 16, he knew more than a 40 year old. At age 22, he feel finally free and goes out more often. Henri is very handsome and makes many girls stop at there track to glance at him. He has a friend named Paul de Manerville who he is practically using. One day he meets a girl who is different from all girls who falls in love with Henri at first sight; the girl with the golden eyes. He talks about her to Paul and finds out that everyone knows about her and she is wanted by many. The weird thing is that the girl with the golden eyes (as she is referred to in the book) actually shows interest to Henri and indirectly invited him to follow her home. He did not however, but paid Paul and a taxi driver to follow her and get the address. He learns more about her through a postman named Laurent. She's very mysterious and lives in a mansion that is very secured. She has a duenna (a personal chaperon/escorter) who is always by her side and whom Henri and Laurent plans to lock up so he can get to be with her.
Quote
"If this quick glance at the population of Paris has helped you to understand the rarity of a Raphaelesque face and the passionate admiration it must inspire at first sight, the main purpose of our story has been achieved" (Balzac 26).
Reaction
The author spent the first chapter, first 26 pages, talking only about the setting of Paris and it's people. As I was reading it I thought this would be a great article to read for history class. It talks about the proletarians and the bourgeois, the rich and the poor, etc. It also talks about the guillotine and the French coat of arm. I was thinking when will this story start having characters and quotes but now I understood the purpose of the long description. It is to make the reader's mind focused on this set of population before introducing the plot. I thought it was a great way to start because now I have a much better understanding of Paris.
This novella, The Girl With the Golden Eyes by Honore de Balzac (translated by Carol Cosman), started of like a movie. The author talked only of Paris and it's people. Here is some points taken from this section of the novella.
- Parisian interested in everything and in the end nothing.
- Only two ages in Paris: youth and decay.
- Talked of the proletarians (working class). Mentions all the hard work, suffering, sweating, low wages they receive all to be wasted away at clubs in the city and prostitutes, drinking, and violence. Happens every Monday, then back to work on Tuesdays.
- Describe the King as hardworking yet lazy. A man of action, not feeling. A living encyclopedia. Never at rest like Paris itself.
- To the wealthy, nothing is real.
- The lawyers, doctors, business man, etc (upper-class) have little heart. Go about life smoothly like it's nothing. Ignorant of everything outside their profession.
- Only the prostitutes and unmoral girls go out frequently. Ladies who preserve their beauty rarely come out and when they do, it is very rare and eye catching.
- In Paris, every passion is resolved into two terms: gold and pleasure.
After the the descriptive setting of Paris, the main character, Henri de Marsay, is introduced. He was home-schooled and by the age of 16, he knew more than a 40 year old. At age 22, he feel finally free and goes out more often. Henri is very handsome and makes many girls stop at there track to glance at him. He has a friend named Paul de Manerville who he is practically using. One day he meets a girl who is different from all girls who falls in love with Henri at first sight; the girl with the golden eyes. He talks about her to Paul and finds out that everyone knows about her and she is wanted by many. The weird thing is that the girl with the golden eyes (as she is referred to in the book) actually shows interest to Henri and indirectly invited him to follow her home. He did not however, but paid Paul and a taxi driver to follow her and get the address. He learns more about her through a postman named Laurent. She's very mysterious and lives in a mansion that is very secured. She has a duenna (a personal chaperon/escorter) who is always by her side and whom Henri and Laurent plans to lock up so he can get to be with her.
Quote
"If this quick glance at the population of Paris has helped you to understand the rarity of a Raphaelesque face and the passionate admiration it must inspire at first sight, the main purpose of our story has been achieved" (Balzac 26).
Reaction
The author spent the first chapter, first 26 pages, talking only about the setting of Paris and it's people. As I was reading it I thought this would be a great article to read for history class. It talks about the proletarians and the bourgeois, the rich and the poor, etc. It also talks about the guillotine and the French coat of arm. I was thinking when will this story start having characters and quotes but now I understood the purpose of the long description. It is to make the reader's mind focused on this set of population before introducing the plot. I thought it was a great way to start because now I have a much better understanding of Paris.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
2012: Science of Superstition (175-216)
Summary
The author wrapped up her evidence and explanations in this last section in the book with a chapter dedicated to her conclusion. Bruce stated that the 2012 meme is not really about the Mayan's Long Count Calendar that ended on Dec 21, 2012 but on what we believe personally of the theory. She said that it is all about us. Bruce also talked about Jean Gebser's book named Ever-Present Origin which analyzes the history of human culture and "of the different predominating modes of consciousness of each era" (Bruce 211). According to his book, there are five stuctures of human consciousness: The Archaic structure, The Magical structure, The Mythical structure, The Mental structure, and finally, The Integral structure. He believes that we are currently doing a transition from the Mental structure into the Integral structure. The main difference between the two is that the Mental structure is three-dimensional and "rational thinking has become primary and it is highly skeptical of all the other structures of consciousness" (Bruce 213) whereas the Integral structure is four- dimensional and is described as an "aperspectival world of transparency, where we see through things and perceive their true nature" (Bruce 214). According to both Bruce and Gebser, the 2012 meme presses all button of consciousness at every level.
Quote
"... I do not rule out at all the possibility that all of us are going to be looking at the mystery and meaning of life in a very different way, very soon and that date, 21st of December 2012, sticks in my mind as one that is really worthy of consideration" (Bruce 216).
Reaction
This is the very last quote of the book and I think it was well picked out. I believe that most of the world has already thought about the realism of the 2012 theory, even if they don't believe in it. At some point in this book, I actually had some credibility for the whole 2012 end of the world thing, yet, as I ended the book, that original feeling and thought of it remains. I don't believe anyone can tell when the world will end. Only God knows.
The author wrapped up her evidence and explanations in this last section in the book with a chapter dedicated to her conclusion. Bruce stated that the 2012 meme is not really about the Mayan's Long Count Calendar that ended on Dec 21, 2012 but on what we believe personally of the theory. She said that it is all about us. Bruce also talked about Jean Gebser's book named Ever-Present Origin which analyzes the history of human culture and "of the different predominating modes of consciousness of each era" (Bruce 211). According to his book, there are five stuctures of human consciousness: The Archaic structure, The Magical structure, The Mythical structure, The Mental structure, and finally, The Integral structure. He believes that we are currently doing a transition from the Mental structure into the Integral structure. The main difference between the two is that the Mental structure is three-dimensional and "rational thinking has become primary and it is highly skeptical of all the other structures of consciousness" (Bruce 213) whereas the Integral structure is four- dimensional and is described as an "aperspectival world of transparency, where we see through things and perceive their true nature" (Bruce 214). According to both Bruce and Gebser, the 2012 meme presses all button of consciousness at every level.
Quote
"... I do not rule out at all the possibility that all of us are going to be looking at the mystery and meaning of life in a very different way, very soon and that date, 21st of December 2012, sticks in my mind as one that is really worthy of consideration" (Bruce 216).
Reaction
This is the very last quote of the book and I think it was well picked out. I believe that most of the world has already thought about the realism of the 2012 theory, even if they don't believe in it. At some point in this book, I actually had some credibility for the whole 2012 end of the world thing, yet, as I ended the book, that original feeling and thought of it remains. I don't believe anyone can tell when the world will end. Only God knows.
2012: Science or Superstition (130-174)
Summary
This section focus a lot on the history of how 2012 came to be. Not about how Mayan calendar ended on Dec 21, 2012 but about how it became a universal accepted date for "the end of the world". There was a software called Timewave Zero that was introduced by Terence McKenna that shows the 4yr interval (from Oct 2008) leading up to Dec 21, 2012. The book showed a screenshot of the software which had bars that represent period of tumultuous. The very last bar occurred at the "last event", the expected 2012 doomsday. However, the end of the world in relation to the Mayan calendar, according to the book, was first introduced to the broad public by Jose Arguelles during a New Age event in 1987 called the "Harmonic Convergence".
Quote
"Scientists have come up with the radical suggestion that the universe's end may come not with a bang but a standstill--that time could be literally running out and could, one day, stop altogether... Everything will be frozen, like a snapshot of one instant, forever" (Bruce 155).
Reaction
Basically, they are saying that the world would just freeze and come to a sudden stop, which in my opinion, is ridiculous. Scientist come up with a lot of theories, a lot of predictions and other stuff that sometimes make me never want to believe anything they say. Ever since I was little, I had this thing against scientists and doctors. Not only because they were too smart for me, but because most of what they tell us are predictions and not facts, which I figured, made them more wrong then right. To this day, I still have a thing against them. Yeah, sure that they could be right and have all the information and evidence to back up their argument but that still does not satisfy me. They make themselves seem like they know everything, but, in my opinion, some things are better if they are left unanswered or in this case, unpredicted.
This section focus a lot on the history of how 2012 came to be. Not about how Mayan calendar ended on Dec 21, 2012 but about how it became a universal accepted date for "the end of the world". There was a software called Timewave Zero that was introduced by Terence McKenna that shows the 4yr interval (from Oct 2008) leading up to Dec 21, 2012. The book showed a screenshot of the software which had bars that represent period of tumultuous. The very last bar occurred at the "last event", the expected 2012 doomsday. However, the end of the world in relation to the Mayan calendar, according to the book, was first introduced to the broad public by Jose Arguelles during a New Age event in 1987 called the "Harmonic Convergence".
Quote
"Scientists have come up with the radical suggestion that the universe's end may come not with a bang but a standstill--that time could be literally running out and could, one day, stop altogether... Everything will be frozen, like a snapshot of one instant, forever" (Bruce 155).
Reaction
Basically, they are saying that the world would just freeze and come to a sudden stop, which in my opinion, is ridiculous. Scientist come up with a lot of theories, a lot of predictions and other stuff that sometimes make me never want to believe anything they say. Ever since I was little, I had this thing against scientists and doctors. Not only because they were too smart for me, but because most of what they tell us are predictions and not facts, which I figured, made them more wrong then right. To this day, I still have a thing against them. Yeah, sure that they could be right and have all the information and evidence to back up their argument but that still does not satisfy me. They make themselves seem like they know everything, but, in my opinion, some things are better if they are left unanswered or in this case, unpredicted.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
2012: Science or Superstition (85-130)
Summary
This section of this focused on a lot of things. A lot of things that by reading this over and over, I will still never get until I actually study it. There is so much mind-blowing research and information. It can inscrutable sometimes. One thing, however, that drawn me in and that I had a good understanding of was the Hinduism belief on the 2012 theory. It actually made me rethink that this 2012 "end of the world" thing might actually happen. According to them, humankind has been living in the Kali Yuga, the "Age of Vice" for about 5,0000 years (modern humankind). Some of the things they believed about this modern era is that: 1. people will murder for no reasons and won't see anything wrong with it 2. husband and wife will find contempt in each other 3. pre-teenage girls will get pregnant 4. social acceptance of sex as being the central requirement of life and, 5. people will be addicted to intoxicating drinks. There are much more but these are five random theories they believe that is actually true in our society. To come back to the 2012 assumption, the Hindus believed that: 1. there will be increasing desertification and extremes of heat and cold (hint: Global Warming!) 2. plant life will become extinct, animals will die off, and humans will be reduced cannibalism, and 3. at the end of Kali Yuga, an avatar of Vishnu called Kalki will appear to destroy whoever is lost then the new Golden Age of spirituality will began.
Bruce also talked about the Apocalypses, which some religion (such as Jews and Protestants) refer to as Armageddon or even "judgement day". They know that we are near the world's end but they are not specific on when it will end. Surprisingly, they have also predicted that on April 13, 2036, a near-earth asteroid named Apophis will make a huge terrestrial impact on Earth.
Quote
"People will take vows only to break them soon after ... People will without reason destroy trees and gardens ... There will be no respect for animals, and meat eating will start" (Bruce 85).
Reaction
This is part of what the traditional Hindus believed. I didn't find this at all shocking, but a little amusing. When it said "meat eating will start", it made me think about what did the Hindus eat back then. Was it unethical for someone to eat meat/animals in their days? While reading all the Hindus predicted about our generation, not only those listed above, I slowly smiled to myself at how all freaky that is. They have predicted everything so accurately so far. Now their belief are making me think that this "end of the world" could possibly be a fact. The 2012 belief is still not scary to me though, just a little bit entertaining.
This section of this focused on a lot of things. A lot of things that by reading this over and over, I will still never get until I actually study it. There is so much mind-blowing research and information. It can inscrutable sometimes. One thing, however, that drawn me in and that I had a good understanding of was the Hinduism belief on the 2012 theory. It actually made me rethink that this 2012 "end of the world" thing might actually happen. According to them, humankind has been living in the Kali Yuga, the "Age of Vice" for about 5,0000 years (modern humankind). Some of the things they believed about this modern era is that: 1. people will murder for no reasons and won't see anything wrong with it 2. husband and wife will find contempt in each other 3. pre-teenage girls will get pregnant 4. social acceptance of sex as being the central requirement of life and, 5. people will be addicted to intoxicating drinks. There are much more but these are five random theories they believe that is actually true in our society. To come back to the 2012 assumption, the Hindus believed that: 1. there will be increasing desertification and extremes of heat and cold (hint: Global Warming!) 2. plant life will become extinct, animals will die off, and humans will be reduced cannibalism, and 3. at the end of Kali Yuga, an avatar of Vishnu called Kalki will appear to destroy whoever is lost then the new Golden Age of spirituality will began.
Bruce also talked about the Apocalypses, which some religion (such as Jews and Protestants) refer to as Armageddon or even "judgement day". They know that we are near the world's end but they are not specific on when it will end. Surprisingly, they have also predicted that on April 13, 2036, a near-earth asteroid named Apophis will make a huge terrestrial impact on Earth.
Quote
"People will take vows only to break them soon after ... People will without reason destroy trees and gardens ... There will be no respect for animals, and meat eating will start" (Bruce 85).
Reaction
This is part of what the traditional Hindus believed. I didn't find this at all shocking, but a little amusing. When it said "meat eating will start", it made me think about what did the Hindus eat back then. Was it unethical for someone to eat meat/animals in their days? While reading all the Hindus predicted about our generation, not only those listed above, I slowly smiled to myself at how all freaky that is. They have predicted everything so accurately so far. Now their belief are making me think that this "end of the world" could possibly be a fact. The 2012 belief is still not scary to me though, just a little bit entertaining.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
2012: Science or Superstition (46-84)
Summary:
This part of the book mainly talk about the different World Ages. It also talked about the binary star theory, which I completely did not understand. It mentioned briefly about the Ice Age and the Earth's crystal displacement which occurred in "not-too-distant past". Marduk, a cylinder comet, crashed into a planet that used to be between Mars and Jupiter called Tiamat, and caused this planet to completely shatter creating what is today the asteroid belt. The terrestrial impact was so powerful that it altered Earth's rotational axis and cause massive crustal displacement. The face of the Earth was completely changed. This, according to the book, was one of the causes of the recent Ice Age.
What I found most interesting with this part of the book is the history of the previous four World Ages. On the first World Age, the trinity of gods created human beings to keep the darkness of the world company. However this first attempt was unsuccessful (they were incapable of speech) so were cursed to be eaten and sacrificed. On the second World Age, the god attempted to make men out of mud but this version of man could not speak nor move and were quickly dissolved in water. On the third World Age, the gods created wooden men that could speak but had no soul or blood and were not able to praise the. Again, they destroyed this life form with The Great Flood. Any surviving wooden people were turned into monkeys. Lastly, on the fourth World Age, men flesh were made out of white and yellow corn (there were only four men however). The gods were finally proud of their work. However, the great "Creator and the Maker" did not like this pleasure; they felt as if they knew it all. So they blew mist into the four men's eyes which clouded their visions. This is all the Mayan version doctrine. The Mediterranean interpretation is somewhat different than the Mayans. An ancient Greek poet named Hesoid, wrote an epic poem called Works and Days which explained their version of the four previous World Ages. In order, they were named: The Golden Age, The Silver Age, The Bronze Age, The Heroic Age, and The Iron Age. This involve a lot about the Greek gods and the underworld. I guess this is where this whole Greek Mythology come from.
Quote:
"We need to comprehend the regression of our own species, or humanity will commit ecocide" (Bruce 57).
Reaction:
I smirked at this quote because I did not believe ecocide was a word. I was thinking more of, "suicide" or "homocide" but I never really expected such word as ecocide. It sounds funny saying it too. "You have just committed ecocide, you should be ashamed." Haha. Anyways, I believe this quote is also powerful. It is basically saying that we, humans, will destroy the ecosystem if we do not take the time to understand where we come from. It's interesting how learning about our evolution can help save nature. We should all take the time to learn this because right now, nature is not in harmony and we need to fix that before worst natural disasters occur.
This part of the book mainly talk about the different World Ages. It also talked about the binary star theory, which I completely did not understand. It mentioned briefly about the Ice Age and the Earth's crystal displacement which occurred in "not-too-distant past". Marduk, a cylinder comet, crashed into a planet that used to be between Mars and Jupiter called Tiamat, and caused this planet to completely shatter creating what is today the asteroid belt. The terrestrial impact was so powerful that it altered Earth's rotational axis and cause massive crustal displacement. The face of the Earth was completely changed. This, according to the book, was one of the causes of the recent Ice Age.
What I found most interesting with this part of the book is the history of the previous four World Ages. On the first World Age, the trinity of gods created human beings to keep the darkness of the world company. However this first attempt was unsuccessful (they were incapable of speech) so were cursed to be eaten and sacrificed. On the second World Age, the god attempted to make men out of mud but this version of man could not speak nor move and were quickly dissolved in water. On the third World Age, the gods created wooden men that could speak but had no soul or blood and were not able to praise the. Again, they destroyed this life form with The Great Flood. Any surviving wooden people were turned into monkeys. Lastly, on the fourth World Age, men flesh were made out of white and yellow corn (there were only four men however). The gods were finally proud of their work. However, the great "Creator and the Maker" did not like this pleasure; they felt as if they knew it all. So they blew mist into the four men's eyes which clouded their visions. This is all the Mayan version doctrine. The Mediterranean interpretation is somewhat different than the Mayans. An ancient Greek poet named Hesoid, wrote an epic poem called Works and Days which explained their version of the four previous World Ages. In order, they were named: The Golden Age, The Silver Age, The Bronze Age, The Heroic Age, and The Iron Age. This involve a lot about the Greek gods and the underworld. I guess this is where this whole Greek Mythology come from.
Quote:
"We need to comprehend the regression of our own species, or humanity will commit ecocide" (Bruce 57).
Reaction:
I smirked at this quote because I did not believe ecocide was a word. I was thinking more of, "suicide" or "homocide" but I never really expected such word as ecocide. It sounds funny saying it too. "You have just committed ecocide, you should be ashamed." Haha. Anyways, I believe this quote is also powerful. It is basically saying that we, humans, will destroy the ecosystem if we do not take the time to understand where we come from. It's interesting how learning about our evolution can help save nature. We should all take the time to learn this because right now, nature is not in harmony and we need to fix that before worst natural disasters occur.
Monday, March 28, 2011
2012: Science or Superstition (1-45)
Summary:
When I picked this book, 2012: Science or Superstition by Alexandra Bruce, for my ROAR book, I was hoping that it will really interesting and easy-ish to read. Reality is, it is full of information and vocabulary that I am not familiar with. The author is really strong with her sentence phrasing which makes it hard to understand sometimes. I think it is mostly because her book is basically ALL based on research, research, and research. So far, there is a deep explanation of Mayan history and their Long Count calendar which ended at December 21, 2012 which is set to be the "end of the world" for modern people. Some researchers argued that Mayans were extraterrestrial beings, or aliens, that inhabited on Earth and predicted the future. Bruce mocks these researchers and explain that their reasoning make no sense. Based to this calendar, surprisingly, the world will NOT end in 2012, just that this "World Age" will and a beginning of a new World Age will begin. That means that all human life will be wiped out by natural disasters. According to the Popol Vuh, we are currently living in the Fifth World Age. The previous World Age ended 5, 125 years ago by floods. This World Age is expected to end on Dec 21, 2012 primarily by earthquakes. This is creepy because within the past year, the world experience numerous disastrous earthquake including the tragedic Haiti and Japan earthquake.
Quote:
"How would the governments of our planet prepare six billion people for the end of the world? They wouldn't... No government would really want to admit that they don't have the situation handled" (Bruce 5).
Reaction:
When I read this, I automatically thought of 2012 the movie... and of course I though of Obama. In the movie, the US president (also black) restrained from telling its citizens the truth that the world is "ending" and that everyone will die because of all the natural disasters that is very soon to come. It isn't until last minute that he informs the public and say to his people, "do not panic" and BAM! earthquakes and tsunami take away the lives of the citizens. He knew from the beginning that a big destruction was going to happen, but since he knew that he can't handle the situation, he kept it a secret from the public. It made me think of Obama and the other people who work for the government. I wonder if they would do the same thing that happened in the movie.. IF this ever really happens.
When I picked this book, 2012: Science or Superstition by Alexandra Bruce, for my ROAR book, I was hoping that it will really interesting and easy-ish to read. Reality is, it is full of information and vocabulary that I am not familiar with. The author is really strong with her sentence phrasing which makes it hard to understand sometimes. I think it is mostly because her book is basically ALL based on research, research, and research. So far, there is a deep explanation of Mayan history and their Long Count calendar which ended at December 21, 2012 which is set to be the "end of the world" for modern people. Some researchers argued that Mayans were extraterrestrial beings, or aliens, that inhabited on Earth and predicted the future. Bruce mocks these researchers and explain that their reasoning make no sense. Based to this calendar, surprisingly, the world will NOT end in 2012, just that this "World Age" will and a beginning of a new World Age will begin. That means that all human life will be wiped out by natural disasters. According to the Popol Vuh, we are currently living in the Fifth World Age. The previous World Age ended 5, 125 years ago by floods. This World Age is expected to end on Dec 21, 2012 primarily by earthquakes. This is creepy because within the past year, the world experience numerous disastrous earthquake including the tragedic Haiti and Japan earthquake.
Quote:
"How would the governments of our planet prepare six billion people for the end of the world? They wouldn't... No government would really want to admit that they don't have the situation handled" (Bruce 5).
Reaction:
When I read this, I automatically thought of 2012 the movie... and of course I though of Obama. In the movie, the US president (also black) restrained from telling its citizens the truth that the world is "ending" and that everyone will die because of all the natural disasters that is very soon to come. It isn't until last minute that he informs the public and say to his people, "do not panic" and BAM! earthquakes and tsunami take away the lives of the citizens. He knew from the beginning that a big destruction was going to happen, but since he knew that he can't handle the situation, he kept it a secret from the public. It made me think of Obama and the other people who work for the government. I wonder if they would do the same thing that happened in the movie.. IF this ever really happens.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Slumdog Millionaire (My Reactions to Other Reviews)
According to New York Times Review, the film is "a modern fairy tale about a pauper angling to become a prince". Similarly, according to Roger Ebert from Chicago's Sun-Times, the film is "a breathless, exciting story, heartbreaking and exhilarating at the same time, about a Mumbai orphan who rises from rags to riches on the strength of his lively intelligence." I agree with both of these statements because Jamal was a poor orphan who ended up a Millionaire by his pursuit to reunite with his "destiny" as he calls it.
There is something that attracks me to Ebert's review of the film. He talks alot about the film's universal appeal and how it "present the real India to millions of moviegoers for the first time." Before seeing the movie, I never thought India was as poluted and choatic as it is in the film. I always thought of India as a beautiful country with fascinating traditions and celebrations like in the movie, Bride and Prejudice. However, in Slumdog Millionaire, you see overcrowded towns without houses but thousands of huts, dirty children playing in dirty water, women beating clothes in rocks and water to clean it and so on.
I remember, however, towards the end of the film, Salim and Jamal were sitting at the top of a building looking at the city of which they have grown as a child. They commented on how much the place has changed due to the Industrial revolution that happened in India. Everything looks neat and organized unlike the place they had grown to know.
One interesting thing that I probably would have never guessed about the actor who played Jamal in the film is that, based on the background info from the NYT review, he is British. To me, he looked pure Indian and he spoke well like one. It's also interesting that the actors who played young Jamal and teenage Jamal were Indian actors and the adult Jamal is a British actor. Ummm...
Sources:
Dargis, Manohla. "Orphan’s Lifeline Out of Hell Could Be a Game Show in Mumbai." Movie Review - Slumdog Millionaire 2008. New York Times. 12 Nov. 2008. Web. 25 Feb. 2011.
Ebert, Roger. "Slumdog Millionaire." Slumdog Millionaire: rogerebert.com. Chicago Sun-Times. 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 25 Feb. 2011.
There is something that attracks me to Ebert's review of the film. He talks alot about the film's universal appeal and how it "present the real India to millions of moviegoers for the first time." Before seeing the movie, I never thought India was as poluted and choatic as it is in the film. I always thought of India as a beautiful country with fascinating traditions and celebrations like in the movie, Bride and Prejudice. However, in Slumdog Millionaire, you see overcrowded towns without houses but thousands of huts, dirty children playing in dirty water, women beating clothes in rocks and water to clean it and so on.
I remember, however, towards the end of the film, Salim and Jamal were sitting at the top of a building looking at the city of which they have grown as a child. They commented on how much the place has changed due to the Industrial revolution that happened in India. Everything looks neat and organized unlike the place they had grown to know.
One interesting thing that I probably would have never guessed about the actor who played Jamal in the film is that, based on the background info from the NYT review, he is British. To me, he looked pure Indian and he spoke well like one. It's also interesting that the actors who played young Jamal and teenage Jamal were Indian actors and the adult Jamal is a British actor. Ummm...
Sources:
Dargis, Manohla. "Orphan’s Lifeline Out of Hell Could Be a Game Show in Mumbai." Movie Review - Slumdog Millionaire 2008. New York Times. 12 Nov. 2008. Web. 25 Feb. 2011.
Ebert, Roger. "Slumdog Millionaire." Slumdog Millionaire: rogerebert.com. Chicago Sun-Times. 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 25 Feb. 2011.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Slumdog Millionaire (My Review)
From the beginning of this film, I knew that it was another Twilight movie. I don't mean it in the sense that it is a vampire movie, I mean it as in 'the movie is not as good as the book.' All the good details and events from the book was taken away and replaced with a whole new scenario. Characters were added and even more were removed. The name of the main character, for goodness, was even changed. The setting seems completely different from what I visualized from reading the book. Even the ending of the story was changed because of all of its replacements in the plot. Needless to say, I like the book much better. However, unlike Twilight, I actually somewhat liked the remake of the novel into a film.
The major difference between Q & A and Slumdog Millionaire is the motivation of Ram (or Jamal as he is called in the movie) for participating in the quiz show. In the novel, he participates in the quiz show to get revenge at the host for abusing the most important women in his life, but in the film, he participates in the quiz show to find his lover, his destiny. To me, the film was more of a love story. In contrast, the novel, to me, was more of a thriller. Don't get me wrong though, the film is really good in some sense (especially the ending), but if you have just finished the novel and were looking for the film to reflect exactly what happened in the novel (like I did), then you're in for a surprise.
Anyways, I have to give the film some credit for its camera shots. In the beginning of the movie where Jamal and Salim (brothers, unlike in the book) were running away from the police, the director did a tracking shot and many camera whips to show the excitement, chaos, and fear the characters were experiencing. Throughout the movie, there were many close-ups to show the character's reactions and/or feelings. I liked that. There were also many establishing shots thoughout the movie to show India's various sceneries. The one camera shot I like the most was towards the end. The director did a bird eye's view when Jamal was looking at Latika's (his lover's) beautiful face at the train station. Her hair was softly flying, and the lightening in the background was bright making her stand out more. Adding on to the effect, the scene was going in slow motion. I just thought that was wonderful.
Nonetheless, I would recommend reading the novel and watching the film. They are both wonderful stories, regardless of their differences.
The major difference between Q & A and Slumdog Millionaire is the motivation of Ram (or Jamal as he is called in the movie) for participating in the quiz show. In the novel, he participates in the quiz show to get revenge at the host for abusing the most important women in his life, but in the film, he participates in the quiz show to find his lover, his destiny. To me, the film was more of a love story. In contrast, the novel, to me, was more of a thriller. Don't get me wrong though, the film is really good in some sense (especially the ending), but if you have just finished the novel and were looking for the film to reflect exactly what happened in the novel (like I did), then you're in for a surprise.
Anyways, I have to give the film some credit for its camera shots. In the beginning of the movie where Jamal and Salim (brothers, unlike in the book) were running away from the police, the director did a tracking shot and many camera whips to show the excitement, chaos, and fear the characters were experiencing. Throughout the movie, there were many close-ups to show the character's reactions and/or feelings. I liked that. There were also many establishing shots thoughout the movie to show India's various sceneries. The one camera shot I like the most was towards the end. The director did a bird eye's view when Jamal was looking at Latika's (his lover's) beautiful face at the train station. Her hair was softly flying, and the lightening in the background was bright making her stand out more. Adding on to the effect, the scene was going in slow motion. I just thought that was wonderful.
Nonetheless, I would recommend reading the novel and watching the film. They are both wonderful stories, regardless of their differences.
Q & A (211-318)
Summary
This novel had the most beautiful and inspiring ending ever... Well, to me it did.
Most of the remaining stories of Ram's journey took place in Agra. But first, he made a stop at Juhu, where he worked for an actress known to be the Tragedy Queen who became a mother to Ram. Her real name was Neelima Kumari and through her, Ram learned a whole new world about actresses when they are not in front of the movie camera. He learned that they are obsessed about always looking beautiful because they have gotten so used to seeing themselves in makeup that it makes them uncomfortable to see themselves with their natural looks. Particularly with Neelima, he learned that she is also obsessed with feeling and looking young and that is why her room is full of antiaging cremes, soap, and whatnot. She told him that she wanted to die looking young like Marilyn Monroe and not surprisingly, she did. After Neelima's mother died, she had been seeing a cryptic man that Ram found out abuses her. At first, she was cool with it and told Ram that she enjoys the pain. But once she decides to leave the man, she was brutally hurt all over her body by him. Soon after, with the help of Ram, she puts on her most expensive sari, jewerly and dolls up her face. Then she throws out her anti-aging things and sits in front of her TV and watches her most successful movie with her trophy for best actress in her hands. It was there that she killed herself. It was there that Ram lost his first motherly figure of his life.
Right after, we are taken to Agra, the place that changed Ram's life forever. There, he met and lived in an outhouse with a little boy with speech defect named Shankar, worked illegally as a tour guide for the Taj Mahal, and lost his virginity to a prostitute who he soon fell in love with. He discovered many secrets hidden within the people he encountered. For example, he learned that Shankar's mom was Swapna Devi, the owner of the place of which they lived and was abandoned to live as a poor orphan in the outhouse with the other tenants because Shankar accidentaly found out about her affair with his uncle when he was just 6 years old. Swapna Devi never forgive him and disowned him as her son. Even when Shankar died of Rabbi, she did not care one bit..
The prostitute that Ram fell in love with is named Nita. She was forced into this proffesion by her mother because of her beauty so she could provide for the family. Her very own brother was her pimp and organized who got to hook up with her in the brhotel. When Ram asked for her freedom so he could marry her, he demanded 400,000 ruppees that Ram did not have. Nita was later brutally abused by a cryptic guy just like Neelima had been for resisting to have sex with him because she was in love with Ram.
The big suprise isn't until the end when we, the readers, find out that Ram hadn't participated in the show for a billion ruppees but instead for revenge. The founder of the show, Prem Kumar, is the cryptic guy that had abused Neelima and Nita and Ram was set out to kill him with the gun he hid inside his jacket during the show. However, in exchange for his life, Prem gives Ram the answer to the last question for the billion ruppee prize.
At the end, we learn that the lawyer that rescued Ram from prison and was defending that he had not cheated on the quiz was Gudiya, the "sister" that Ram had saved from being abused by her father. Also, after being found innocent of cheating, Ram uses his quiz show prize to buy Nita's freedom from her pimp brother and marries her. He also set up a shelter for orphan kids and hires Salim, his long lost bestfriend, to be the lead actor of his movie (but Salim doesn't know that it is him). Interestingly, Prem Kumar commits suicide two months before, and four months after Ram's arrest.
Quote
"Shankar finally dies at twelve forty-seven a.m. Just before dying, he has another lucid moment. He holds my hand and utters a single word, "Raju." Then he clutches his blue notebook and cries, "Mummy, Mummy," and then he closes his eyes forever" (Swarup 285).
Analysis
I almost teared up at this quote. It is really sad and sweet. Ram (or Raju) has become like a guardian angel to Shankar and he has watched him die before his eyes. What's even sadning is that Shankar died without with his mother's forgiveness or care. She knew he was dying but she did not care and thought it was best if he did die. All his wanted though, was her forgiveness... For her returned love. He did not get any of that and died knowing his mother did not care less about him. His last words where "Mummy, Mummy" which adds on to the bitterness of the situation.
This novel had the most beautiful and inspiring ending ever... Well, to me it did.
Most of the remaining stories of Ram's journey took place in Agra. But first, he made a stop at Juhu, where he worked for an actress known to be the Tragedy Queen who became a mother to Ram. Her real name was Neelima Kumari and through her, Ram learned a whole new world about actresses when they are not in front of the movie camera. He learned that they are obsessed about always looking beautiful because they have gotten so used to seeing themselves in makeup that it makes them uncomfortable to see themselves with their natural looks. Particularly with Neelima, he learned that she is also obsessed with feeling and looking young and that is why her room is full of antiaging cremes, soap, and whatnot. She told him that she wanted to die looking young like Marilyn Monroe and not surprisingly, she did. After Neelima's mother died, she had been seeing a cryptic man that Ram found out abuses her. At first, she was cool with it and told Ram that she enjoys the pain. But once she decides to leave the man, she was brutally hurt all over her body by him. Soon after, with the help of Ram, she puts on her most expensive sari, jewerly and dolls up her face. Then she throws out her anti-aging things and sits in front of her TV and watches her most successful movie with her trophy for best actress in her hands. It was there that she killed herself. It was there that Ram lost his first motherly figure of his life.
Right after, we are taken to Agra, the place that changed Ram's life forever. There, he met and lived in an outhouse with a little boy with speech defect named Shankar, worked illegally as a tour guide for the Taj Mahal, and lost his virginity to a prostitute who he soon fell in love with. He discovered many secrets hidden within the people he encountered. For example, he learned that Shankar's mom was Swapna Devi, the owner of the place of which they lived and was abandoned to live as a poor orphan in the outhouse with the other tenants because Shankar accidentaly found out about her affair with his uncle when he was just 6 years old. Swapna Devi never forgive him and disowned him as her son. Even when Shankar died of Rabbi, she did not care one bit..
The prostitute that Ram fell in love with is named Nita. She was forced into this proffesion by her mother because of her beauty so she could provide for the family. Her very own brother was her pimp and organized who got to hook up with her in the brhotel. When Ram asked for her freedom so he could marry her, he demanded 400,000 ruppees that Ram did not have. Nita was later brutally abused by a cryptic guy just like Neelima had been for resisting to have sex with him because she was in love with Ram.
The big suprise isn't until the end when we, the readers, find out that Ram hadn't participated in the show for a billion ruppees but instead for revenge. The founder of the show, Prem Kumar, is the cryptic guy that had abused Neelima and Nita and Ram was set out to kill him with the gun he hid inside his jacket during the show. However, in exchange for his life, Prem gives Ram the answer to the last question for the billion ruppee prize.
At the end, we learn that the lawyer that rescued Ram from prison and was defending that he had not cheated on the quiz was Gudiya, the "sister" that Ram had saved from being abused by her father. Also, after being found innocent of cheating, Ram uses his quiz show prize to buy Nita's freedom from her pimp brother and marries her. He also set up a shelter for orphan kids and hires Salim, his long lost bestfriend, to be the lead actor of his movie (but Salim doesn't know that it is him). Interestingly, Prem Kumar commits suicide two months before, and four months after Ram's arrest.
Quote
"Shankar finally dies at twelve forty-seven a.m. Just before dying, he has another lucid moment. He holds my hand and utters a single word, "Raju." Then he clutches his blue notebook and cries, "Mummy, Mummy," and then he closes his eyes forever" (Swarup 285).
Analysis
I almost teared up at this quote. It is really sad and sweet. Ram (or Raju) has become like a guardian angel to Shankar and he has watched him die before his eyes. What's even sadning is that Shankar died without with his mother's forgiveness or care. She knew he was dying but she did not care and thought it was best if he did die. All his wanted though, was her forgiveness... For her returned love. He did not get any of that and died knowing his mother did not care less about him. His last words where "Mummy, Mummy" which adds on to the bitterness of the situation.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Q & A (103-210)
Summary
From page one to page 210, Ram has won a million rupees already. During the first one-third section of the book, Ram won 10 thousand rupees. Now by the end of the second-third of the book, he won a million already from the quiz show. However, the stories behind his reasons for answering the questions correctly, are not so good.
Through his stories, Ram traveled from place to place - or, more specially, ran away from one place to other by events that took place in his life. He worked at a home of an Australian family who had a father who was the "Man Who Knows" everything. Ram soon found out he was secretly an illegal spy and secretly reported Colonel Taylor himself. Since Colonel Taylor was to be deported with his family, Ram was able to receive all this earnings of 52 thousand rupees on his dismissal. With that money, he bought expensive watch, clothes and a coach train ticket back to Mumbai, with the remainder of 50 thousand rupees ensconced safely inside his underwear. Unfortunately, while he sleeps on the train, he is awoken by a dacoit (Indian criminal) who strips the passengers of the train of their valuables and money, including Ram's. Before the dacoit makes his departure, he ordered a young girl that Ram fell in love with to reveal her breast or she will be killed. Eventually, somehow, Ram gets hold of the criminal's gun and shoots him (he doesn't even know how). When he realized what happened, he ran away from the train, and kept on switching on and off of random trains, not knowing their destinations. He ends up in Agra where he stays for a while until he heads back to Mumbai to attend the quiz show. On his arrival in Mumbai, he encounters Salim after five long years and learns of his story of living and working in a home of a secret serial murderer, and his victory of escaping the home and turning the murderer in to the police (even if the murderer had previously saved his life). Salim also spoke of his acting school and how he was promised by a producer to be a movie star hero. Meanwhile, Ram still does not have the nerves to tell Salim of his plan of attending the quiz show.
Within these pages, Ram also witness the suicidal hanging of an ex-soldier who lied about being a hero in the war and he learned of the story of Julie, the Haitian voodoo women who took advantage of a guy Ram met at the bar he worked at.
Quote
"First there are advertisements. This war is sponsored by Mother India toothpaste and Jolly Tea" (Swarup 167).
Reaction
When I first read this, I stopped and laughed. Then I reread it over more than three times and laughed every time. Ram in sitting in front of the TV watching the news of the war of India vs. Pakistan, and all of the sudden there are advertisement of random companies supporting sponsoring the news. But Ram says that the war is sponsored by them, making it seem like these companies are the ones responsible for the war between the two countries. I thought that was funny.
From page one to page 210, Ram has won a million rupees already. During the first one-third section of the book, Ram won 10 thousand rupees. Now by the end of the second-third of the book, he won a million already from the quiz show. However, the stories behind his reasons for answering the questions correctly, are not so good.
Through his stories, Ram traveled from place to place - or, more specially, ran away from one place to other by events that took place in his life. He worked at a home of an Australian family who had a father who was the "Man Who Knows" everything. Ram soon found out he was secretly an illegal spy and secretly reported Colonel Taylor himself. Since Colonel Taylor was to be deported with his family, Ram was able to receive all this earnings of 52 thousand rupees on his dismissal. With that money, he bought expensive watch, clothes and a coach train ticket back to Mumbai, with the remainder of 50 thousand rupees ensconced safely inside his underwear. Unfortunately, while he sleeps on the train, he is awoken by a dacoit (Indian criminal) who strips the passengers of the train of their valuables and money, including Ram's. Before the dacoit makes his departure, he ordered a young girl that Ram fell in love with to reveal her breast or she will be killed. Eventually, somehow, Ram gets hold of the criminal's gun and shoots him (he doesn't even know how). When he realized what happened, he ran away from the train, and kept on switching on and off of random trains, not knowing their destinations. He ends up in Agra where he stays for a while until he heads back to Mumbai to attend the quiz show. On his arrival in Mumbai, he encounters Salim after five long years and learns of his story of living and working in a home of a secret serial murderer, and his victory of escaping the home and turning the murderer in to the police (even if the murderer had previously saved his life). Salim also spoke of his acting school and how he was promised by a producer to be a movie star hero. Meanwhile, Ram still does not have the nerves to tell Salim of his plan of attending the quiz show.
Within these pages, Ram also witness the suicidal hanging of an ex-soldier who lied about being a hero in the war and he learned of the story of Julie, the Haitian voodoo women who took advantage of a guy Ram met at the bar he worked at.
Quote
"First there are advertisements. This war is sponsored by Mother India toothpaste and Jolly Tea" (Swarup 167).
Reaction
When I first read this, I stopped and laughed. Then I reread it over more than three times and laughed every time. Ram in sitting in front of the TV watching the news of the war of India vs. Pakistan, and all of the sudden there are advertisement of random companies supporting sponsoring the news. But Ram says that the war is sponsored by them, making it seem like these companies are the ones responsible for the war between the two countries. I thought that was funny.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Q & A (1-102)
Summary
The beginning of this book-to-film novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup is very interesting and inviting. It starts off with the arrest of Ram Mohammad Thomas, the protagonists and the speaker. He is arrested for winning a quiz show in India with a billion rupees prize (which is about 22 million US dollars). Because the company that features the show does not really have a billion rupees to give away, they accuse Ram of cheating on the quiz show. Since Ram is only a waiter and has never been to school, the company convinced themselves that it'll be easy to prove he cheated. But it is not because Ram did not cheat. He tried to explain himself but the officers and the founder of the show would not cooperate with him. He was physically abused by the police officer until a lawyer, Ms. Smita, came to rescue him and defend him without any permission. Now he is at her house telling her the story behind every question he got right from the quiz show. Every chapter of the book focuses on the story behind every single question from the quiz show that able him to answer the question correctly.
From the stories so far, I learned that Ram was abandoned in a dumpster near a church after he was born. He was taken to an orphanage where he was to be adopted. He was finally adopted by a Thomas family but three days later was abandoned again when the Thomas' marriage was ruined. They blamed Ram for the breakup and give him away to Father Timothy, a priest. During his long childhood with Father Timothy, Ram received the name of Ram Mohammad Thomas, which contained a mixture of a Hindu, Muslim, and Christian religion names since no one knew his real religion. He witnessed the burdens and secrets of many priest, including Father Timothy's. When all the secrets was out, Father Timothy and another priest was murdered in the church and that was the end of Ram's life with his favorite "dad". He was placed in a juvenile home where he met his best friend, Salim who lost all his family in a fire. Together they were adopted by Sethji (Ram was purchased for free) who they thought was the best man on Earth until they learned his dirty secret that he handicaps the people he adopts and makes them sing on train stations to make money for him. They quickly ran away together to avoid loosing a body part or eyesight. Also, I learned about Salim & Ram's encounters with a famous movie start that Ram really loved but turned out to be gay and almost molested him. He hated him and tore up all this posters after his discovery. Ram on the other hand, became a "brother" for a next door neighbor that was abused by her father. But once he had enough and stroke the father with a metal stick, Ram ran far away to avoid being hanged.
A lot has happened so far but all these events helped Ram answer the first four questions of the quiz show correctly. He has 8 more questions and stories to tell before he reaches his billion rupees mark and prove that he had not cheated.
Quote
"The sun seems weaker, the birds less chirpy, the air more polluted, the sky a shade darker" (Swarup 73).
Reaction
I like this quote. It has a lot of imagery and symbolism. This is the first sentence to the fourth section/chapter of the book. When I read this, I could tell that something was not right or that something bad was going to happen in this chapter. That was the symbolism and foreshadowing. As it turned out, Ram was in a bad situation at the juvenile home and even when he was finally adopted with Salim, his adopted "owner" that he thought was a great man really was not a great man. He ended up running away with Salim to a better scenery to avoid the danger.
The beginning of this book-to-film novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup is very interesting and inviting. It starts off with the arrest of Ram Mohammad Thomas, the protagonists and the speaker. He is arrested for winning a quiz show in India with a billion rupees prize (which is about 22 million US dollars). Because the company that features the show does not really have a billion rupees to give away, they accuse Ram of cheating on the quiz show. Since Ram is only a waiter and has never been to school, the company convinced themselves that it'll be easy to prove he cheated. But it is not because Ram did not cheat. He tried to explain himself but the officers and the founder of the show would not cooperate with him. He was physically abused by the police officer until a lawyer, Ms. Smita, came to rescue him and defend him without any permission. Now he is at her house telling her the story behind every question he got right from the quiz show. Every chapter of the book focuses on the story behind every single question from the quiz show that able him to answer the question correctly.
From the stories so far, I learned that Ram was abandoned in a dumpster near a church after he was born. He was taken to an orphanage where he was to be adopted. He was finally adopted by a Thomas family but three days later was abandoned again when the Thomas' marriage was ruined. They blamed Ram for the breakup and give him away to Father Timothy, a priest. During his long childhood with Father Timothy, Ram received the name of Ram Mohammad Thomas, which contained a mixture of a Hindu, Muslim, and Christian religion names since no one knew his real religion. He witnessed the burdens and secrets of many priest, including Father Timothy's. When all the secrets was out, Father Timothy and another priest was murdered in the church and that was the end of Ram's life with his favorite "dad". He was placed in a juvenile home where he met his best friend, Salim who lost all his family in a fire. Together they were adopted by Sethji (Ram was purchased for free) who they thought was the best man on Earth until they learned his dirty secret that he handicaps the people he adopts and makes them sing on train stations to make money for him. They quickly ran away together to avoid loosing a body part or eyesight. Also, I learned about Salim & Ram's encounters with a famous movie start that Ram really loved but turned out to be gay and almost molested him. He hated him and tore up all this posters after his discovery. Ram on the other hand, became a "brother" for a next door neighbor that was abused by her father. But once he had enough and stroke the father with a metal stick, Ram ran far away to avoid being hanged.
A lot has happened so far but all these events helped Ram answer the first four questions of the quiz show correctly. He has 8 more questions and stories to tell before he reaches his billion rupees mark and prove that he had not cheated.
Quote
"The sun seems weaker, the birds less chirpy, the air more polluted, the sky a shade darker" (Swarup 73).
Reaction
I like this quote. It has a lot of imagery and symbolism. This is the first sentence to the fourth section/chapter of the book. When I read this, I could tell that something was not right or that something bad was going to happen in this chapter. That was the symbolism and foreshadowing. As it turned out, Ram was in a bad situation at the juvenile home and even when he was finally adopted with Salim, his adopted "owner" that he thought was a great man really was not a great man. He ended up running away with Salim to a better scenery to avoid the danger.
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