Blog 6

Readicide is not a problem in schools. Books that are read in school are different than the books that people read for pleasure. The entire reason for reading certain books in school is to understand how classic writers wrote and to study certain literary techniques. Popular books will always change. For example last year a popular book was The Hunger Games but in the past few months a more popular book is Divergent. For example Romeo and Juliet isn’t a very popular pleasure read. Schools feel that books like that are important in the curriculum because they a classic must reads’ that most people will not read at home. A text like Romeo and Juliet can be confusing at certain points and that is why teachers help you understand and find good techniques to figure out these texts. I think that adding some genre fiction is fine for the curriculum but removing literary fiction and replacing it with the genre fiction is not good. I would not like switching classics like those with newer popular books. I think that popular genre fiction books are better for at home reading but books that are classic are harder to read on your own time. If you are forced to read a book you end up having the experience of reading a classic that you are expected to read in your life time. A 21^st century reading list should have classics like, Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, The Kite Runner, Romeo and Juliet, The Hunger Games, Divergent. Literary Fiction may not have the same technology or thoughts as we do in our current society. But having to read books like this help us realize what was happening in the times that these were written. These books connect us to the past.

Dear John

I finished Dear John about a week ago and I LOVED it. Throughout the book the main character changes. At the begining he is in love with Savannah and he would never let her go he would do whatever it took to keep her around. When they break up he decides that the only thing he wants to do is be in the army. Later in the book when he gets out of the army he decides to go and see her. When he does she is already married to the one person he knew all along she would marry. When he discovered this it really struck me and dissapointed me. It was a twist ending, I expected that they would get back together somehow. But they didnt instead the both lived on loving each other but not being together. Later I watched the movie and I think it was the worst adaptation I have ever seen. It didnt capture what was most important in the book and I didnt feel like they were really in love.

Dear John

In this book a 23 year old boy, named John meets a 21 year girl, named Savannah. They meet while John is on a military leave and Savannah is on a trip with her college peers to help build a house. John will only be there for 2 weeks so his time with Savannah is short. But in this short time they end up falling in love. When John leaves he promises her that one day they will get married, Savannah promises to write him, and they both promise each other that they will never forget about each other. When Savannah writes she always begins with "Dear, John".

Each character in this book is very unique. And I think that they each have a something that symbolizes them. One thing that symbolizes John is a military coat, John chose to be in the military instead of college and it is now a big part of his life. He loves what he does and  it turned his life around. John wasnt a good student and he joined the wrong crowd so when he joined the military it made him a better man. Savannah is symbolized by flowers, she is beautiful and delicate. But she is stubborn, like a flower that always grows back even if you pick it. She cares for John but doesnt mind telling him whats on her mind. She is very sweet but it doesnt mean that she isnt stubbornh.

Free/ Reflection

Right now I am reading Dear John and I really like it. It has the romantic scenes that make you smile and sometimes shed a tear. I really like John and I think that he is brave and respectful. He loves Savannah and would do anything to protect her. When he leaves to go back to Germany it made me nervous because I think that their relationship is going to go downhill. I think that when John comes back she will have found someone new or ended falling for Tim. I really hope that they will get married and live happily ever after.

Adapting Your Book

A challenge that a film maker would come across for Dear John would be explaining his thoughts because the entire book is in John's perspective. I also think that it would be hard to not make the movie like cheesy and a big cliché because the book has a lot of cheesy lines and the plot isnt very orginal.

One scene that would need to be kept in the movie is when John and Savannah first meet. When they first meet a character named Randy accidently knocks Savannahs purse into the water. When Randy refuses to jump in Savannah prepares herself to jump in after it, John then rushes over and jumps in for her to retrieve her purse. When John talks about why he did this for a stranger he says that it was for the “genuineness of her smile and the warmth of her laugh”. Another scene that is a must keep is when Savannah gives John the book about his Father. Savannah admits that she thinks his father has Asperger’s disease (mental illness). When she tells him this he becomes very angry and leaves the pier very aggravated with Savannah. When he rushes down the beach to get home Randy tries to stop him and when John tries to convince him to get out of the way Tim attempts to break them apart. John’s reflexes begin to kick in and he ends up elbowing one man, breaking Tim’s nose and Randy’s wrist. One other scene that must be in the movie is when John leaves. John has to leave Savannah and travel to Germany and return from his military leave. John and Savannah has one last day together and they agree to send letters back and forth. John promises Savannah that when he returns form the military he will marry her. Savannah gives him a note to read on the plane and when he opens it, she tells him to never forget her and whenever there is a full moon out he must look at it and remember the week that they spent together.

To show what is most important you would have to cut a few things from the film. One thing that should be cut is when he sees his old buddies at the bar. It does show how John did turn his life around and didn’t end up like that but I don’t think that it is a critical thing to leave in the plot. I also think that they should shorten the day that John doesn’t spend with Savannah when he goes surfing by himself and goes to the bar, etc. I think that it should sum up the day just to show that he misses her.

Room

If I could have a conversation with any character in my book, I would talk to Jack. I would tell him that he needs to try and understand that Outside is real and that he needs to trust his Ma. Right now Jack doesnt really understand what Outside is and he doesnt know what he should believe. His Ma is trying to explain why Room is bad. She tells him how she was abducted and how Old Nick is a bad person that only gives them food. Unfortunately Jack doesnt understand and still wants to continue living in Room.

I would try to explain to him what a kidnapper is and how bad Old Nick was. I would also tell him how much better outside is. I would also try to explain how Outside is almost like a really big Room.