Week 3 Post B

The section of reading that I just finished was quite dramatic. The craziness that goes on in Oxford University in this story, is beyond actual reality. This is why i'm not that big of a fan of fantasy stories. It's hard for me to appreciate the author's imagination and ideas, since none of this would really happen. The thing that gets to me the most is the daemons, the figures that follow all of the characters around that are meant to express the external expression of their master. It's a cool idea, but it reminds me a lot of "Pinnochio" and Jimmeny Cricket, which makes me think that the author, Phillip Pullman kind of stole that idea. I feel like I would enjoy this story more if it was a movie, instead of a book, or at least if it had pictures to help me visualize what's going on. Nevertheless, i'm going to contiue on this book and hope it gets more interesting, which it should when the "golden compss" comes into play.

In this section of reading, Lyra's best friend, Roger Parslow disappears and is believed to have been taken away from the "Gobblers." The Gobblers are a mysterious group that is believed to be taking chidren away from the University. This reminds me of Argentina, when the government was corrupt and took away thousands of people who were believed to be against the government. Maybe it's the same idea as this and the Gobblers are taking away students who are against the school board.

Week 3 Post A

Vocab:

lorgnette(78): a pair of eyeglasses mounted on a handle.

stolidly(81): acting unemotional; passive.

Figurative Language:

1. "He seemed to become focused at once, in the same way that you could focus the beam of an anbaric lantern"(83). This comparison is used to describe how focused Dr. Grumman was.
   
2. "Lyra had heard enough. She turned away, and moving as quietly as the moth Pantalaimon, she went into her bedroom and closed the door"(85). This similie simply shows how quitely Lyra snuck away from the chaos of the party and went to the bathroom, where she could get away from it all and have some peae.


3. "Mrs. Coulter seemed to be charged with some kind of anbaric force. She even smelled different: a hot smell, like heated metal, came off her body"(81). A similie is used here to compare Mrs. Coulter's heated tempor to a piece of heated metal, to show how angry she was.

Quote:

"I don't know your name but I shall find it out within five minutes, and then you will never work as a journalist again. Now get up quitely, without making a fuss, and leave. I might add that whoever brought you here will also suffer"(81). I found this quote to be significant, because at first I thought Mrs. Coulter was a nice, friendly mentor for Lyra, but she turned out to be the opposite.

Theme:

Don't judge a book by its cover.

Week 2 Post B

It is still weird for me to adapt to a "fantasy" book, since this is the first one is the first book of its genre that I have read for over four years! The most unique part of this book is the fact that all the human characters in this book have daemons, that are little creatures who represent their conscience. This reminds me of Jimmeny Cricket from Pinnochio and i'm guessing Philip Pullman who is the author of "The Golden Compass" got this idea from that.

Lyra's best friend, Roger Parslow is one of the few people she can trust. He is a true friend to her and is pretty much the only person at the college that she can count on. In the section that I just read, Lyla meets a lady named Mrs. Coulter. Lyra is immediately taken away by her young and beautiful look. She immediatley thinks that Mrs. Coulter can be an important, trusted adult figure in her life, unlike her shady uncle, but I think it's too early for her to think that, seeing how crazy and evil most of the adults are at Oxford University. I hope that Mrs. Coulter truly is a good person, so Lyra will have an adult in her life, who she can trust and seek help from.

I am still curious about the title and what exactly the golden compass is, which I hope will come up in the upcoming chapters.

Week 2 Post A

Vocab:

derision(41): ridicule, mockery.

fervent(52): having or showing great warmth; enthusiasm.

Figurative Language:

1. "Like some enormous fungus whose root system extended over acres, Jordan had begun, sometime in the Middle Ages, to spread below the surface"(43). This similie is used to exaggerate how much Jordan had expanded under earth (this isn't actually true since this book is fiction).


2. "At the bedside pointing their bony fingers before throwing back their cowls to show bleeding stumps where their heads should have been"(45). Imagery is used hear to describe Lyra's nightmare.


3. "Fully awake and on fire with puzzlement, Lyra nodded and slipped her bare feet into the shoes Mrs. Lonsdale put down for her"(64) This hyperbole is used to show how supprized and caught offguard Lyra was when Mrs. Lonsdale woke her up and told her she was to see the Master immediately.

Quote:

"Mrs. Coulter smiled, and her daemon bared his white teeth in a grin of implike pleasure. As she passed her on the way to the armchair, Mrs. Coulter touched Lyra's hair briefly, and Lyra felt a current of warmth flow into her, and blushed"(63). This quote is significant, because this hints at Lyra finally finding an adult figure who she can trust, unlike her evil uncle.

Theme:

One needs someone they can trust, in order to be happy in life.

Week 1 Post B

Dear Philip Pullman,

Your book has been pretty interesting so far. However, it has been quite confusing. It is weird how Lyra Jordan, the main character has a daemon, which is the external expression of Lyra's soul. Her daemon is in the form of a moth in the beginning and its name is Pantalaimon. It travels with her everywhere and helps her make conscience decisions. The moth questions every decision she makes which gets on Lyra's nerves sometimes. It is also interesting how Pan, which is what Lyra calls him can change forms into pretty much anything. This indicates that the story is in the fantase genre. I haven't read a fantasy book since elementary school, so I thought it would be interesting to finally read another one. I haven't read very far yet so I have only met a few characters so far. Lyra's uncle, Lord Asriel, seems to be a cruel family member to Lyla and reminds me of Count Olaf from the "Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket. He is very sinister and I couldn't believe they way he acted, when Lyra informed him that the head master of Jordan College was trying to poison him. When he was about to drink the wine, she ran out and grabbed the class from him and it fell to the ground. He then squeezed her wrists until he told her that she only acted the way she did, because he was about to drink poison. Then without thanking her, he tells her to go back in the closet and if she is to come out, she will wish she was dead. This is outrageous behavior and I hope in the chapters to follow Lyra will be able to avoid this abuse from her evil uncle. I'm looking forward to continue reading your novel!

Hamish

Week 1 Post A-The Golden Compass

Vocab:

mahogany(3): the wood of a tropical American tree, much used for making furniture.

emulsion(21): any colloidal suspension of a liquid in another liquid.

Figurative Language:

1. "The three great tables that ran the lenght of the hall were laid already, the silver and the glass catching what little light there was{...}"(3). This is a personification that says the silver and the class were "catching" the light which means they must have shone brightly.


2. "All his movements were large and perfectly balanced, like those of a wild animal, and when he appeared in a room like this, he seemed a wild animal held in a cage too small for it"(12). This similie compares Lord Asriel to a wild animal. Its used to show his personality, which seems to be quite savage.
   
3. "The moonlight bathed everything in the same pallid gleam"(19). This is another personification that just is saying that everything looked the same color, due to the moonlight.

Quote:

"The devil! He knew about the wine, I'm sure of it"(18). This shows that something fishy is going on in Jordan College at Oxford University. The head master tried to poison Lord Asriel, who is Lyra's uncle.

Theme:

A theme for this section of reading could be your past will come back to haunt you.

Soundtrack for Penelope

In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Penelope is the wife of Odysseus. She is also the queen of Ithica and is left with just her son, Telemachus, after Odysseus is imprisoned by Calypso on her island, Ogygia. Calypso is in love with Odysseus, but Odysseus is eager to return home to his wife, Penelope and his son, Telemachus. Penelope is then left on her island to wait and hope for the return of Odysseus. She is pressured by many of the "suitors" to remarry, but she is trying as hard as she can to deny them, and wait for the return of her husband, who most believe is dead. This shows how loyal and loving she is of Odysseus. She comes up with a plan and says that she will pick a husband only when she finishes weaving a "shroud" for her father-in-law, Laertes, but every day she continues to undo the knitting that she has completed from the previous day. "So by day she'd weave at her great and growing web--by night, by the light of the torches set beside her, she would unravel all she'd done"(2.116-118).

The song "Better Together" by Jack Johnson displays Penelope's feeling for her husband, Odysseus, quite well. In the chours of the song it says, "And sometimes life can be deceiving, I'll tell you one thing, its always better when we're together." The line "sometimes life can be deceiving" relates to Penelope, since the suitors constantly try to deceive her into thinking that Odysseus is dead, when he really isn't. The line "its always better when we're together" relates to Penelope in the sense that she feels comfort and "better" when she is with her husband, Odysseus, and is willing to wait as long as it takes for his return.