Setting: Purple Heart

For today's blog post I will be talking about a book called Purple Heart by Patricia Mcormick. I have read many books by this author and this book seems to be very good just like all her other books. So far it takes place in a hospital, in a military base-ish place where the hospital is located in. The main character Matt seems to be recovering from a blast of an RPG that he was shot by. Not many things happen while he's recuperaing, but the whole place that Matt stays in seems to have a strong essence around it that makes the setting so significant to the story.

One place in the setting that i think is significant is the green zone. It is a part of Iraq where Matt was deployed in the army. It's significant because it's a safe haven for war victims to just relax. This is very significant because the Iraqi's never get a chance to rest from terrorists, because of the constant war that is going on between them. The fact that they can go to a place without fear running their lives, is a benefit no matter what you may think. I could imagine myself where I know that there is someone always watching over me. I mean even on tests I get worried so I can't really imagine how worried they'll be when someone is threatening their life everyday. It's significant for Matt because it's kind of a place of rebirth for him. HE has to re-learn everything again, such as walking and talking. It's just a safe haven for all. It's alsoa good place for Matt to get out of the war zone.

Another significant place in the story would definitely have to be the hospital itself, the more specific place that I mean is the bed where Matt sleeps and basically where the ICU he's in. I think it's important because Matt gets to learn about himself again. Not many people get to learn about themselves because not all have been in concussions. He learns about himself, because of the time it takes for him to say what he wants, so he gets to think about what he's about to do before he actually does it. It's a place of re-invention that makes it so important to the content of the story. It's a rebirth and it actually helps him forget about the actual terrors of Iraq. Hopefully when he re-invents himself it will last after he leaves the hospital.

In conclusion, Matt gets to learn about himself in the setting of the ICU, and people have a safe place from the terror of the war in the green zone. These two make a great setting, that really represents something in the story not just a place that comes and goes. 

Exit Here: Archetypal Journey

I want to right about the book Exit Here again because of the huge archetypal journey that the main character Travis faces. I've basically finished the book, but that book is the most that I have on my mind to write about. Travis' journey  is full of bumps yet good things do happen to him in the end.

Many positive events and people have impacted him a lot. The things is when good things do happen to Travis there is always a bad thing that happens overall, and gets rid of the good things. A person that impacted his life in a positive way was Laura (at first). When Travis went back home from college, there was a reason that he went back. The reason was because he felt that he was missing something. He didn't quite explain what that missing something was, but you eventually find out. He was missing Laura (his ex-girlfriend). It seemed that when he met Laura again his life seemed to be more back together and he felt that his life was at a good stage at the time. Positive events that effected his life was the fact that he went back in the first place. I think that all the pressure that his dad gives him is to much for him to handle, which caused the stress he had in the first place to rise. Also he realized that it was something that wasn't for him, if he kept on going to the college he was in there would have been no positives that would of happened. This retreat was a good idea to ease the pain that he had all along.

Of course as I said there's always the negative events that have to come along as well. Laura may be the positive person that affected Travis' life, but it was also the negative part. Travis found that when he and Laura were still together she slept with his friend Cliff. It was a brutal surprise since Laura definitely meant a lot to him at the time. All the negative things that happened to him were finding out who he could trust or not. So when Travis found out that Laura cheated on him it made him lose two friends that he thought he could really trust. All the bad events were a continuation of the bad impacts that people had on him.

I think Travis accomplished/ realized that you can never tell who's really your friend until they back you up when you need it or when they do something behind your back.  I also think that Travis learned to stand for his own self. He stands up for what he thinks is the right thing to do in his life, like when his dad forced him to join this college he said he didn't want to because of the fact that he just came from college and he missed his life back at home. He stood up to his dad to what he thought was the right thing to do. Travis learns more about himself wish is really an accomplishment in itself, you get to learn what's good for you and the type of person you are.

In conclusion this journey taught me not to trust everybody for who you think they are, I think that's the most important one from the book. And yes all the other things Travis learned I learned. This book is very similar to our world so it is very relatable. Travis' journey is a thoughtful one

Themes: The Adoration of Jenna Fox

This is the book I'm currently reading for the past 5 days. It's been kind of slow paced because in the book it's about a girl who just recovered from a coma that erased her ability to do things in life. The book contains many themes that really relate to the characters position in the story. One important theme in the book is rebirth and death. It is pretty important in the story, the main character whole conflict in the story was because of this.

I say that rebirth is an important theme in the story because of many proving factors. One reason that I say rebirth is a theme is because the main character Jenna kind of goes through this phase when she awakes from being in a comma. This is rebirth because just as being born Jenna has to re-experience life again from the beginning. She has to learn how to walk, talk etc. basically everything you would expect someone to learn. She has to figure out how to live in the world again, without the memories of her life before her comma. Jenna doesn't start to remember the life she lived before right away, it gradually comes, but still she has to re-invent her self. Rebirth is also evident with another supporting character in the story. The supporting character is "Clayton Bender" he is also kind of reborn because the "Clayton Bender" Jenna knows has taking the original Clayton Bender's name, and his whole identity. Basically he has everything to be the actual Clayton Bender. It's rebirth because Clayton Bender gets to continue on with his life as well as the art work he created. Yet it's a different person who's actually him.  Clayton Bender is literally a "new person".

Death is also a theme in this book because without death in this book there would have been no rebirth in the first place. The death of Clayton Bender allowed the birth of "himself" again. The very, very, very close death of Jenna Fox re-birthed her. I now believe that death is not the end just like in real life. People do believe that death isn't the end of life. There is something else after that and from reading this book it seems to me that it might be re-living again. Jut like reincarnation. Maybe the author is trying to make us think in a more spiritual way.

In conclusion, the two themes death and rebirth are really apart of the characters life. It's really important it seems. I mean Jenna's whole life is completely changed after this.

review of Alex S. post: Paper Towns

http://alexstutt5.blogspot.com/2011/12/paper-towns-archetypes.html

Reading Alex's blog post made me remember the different roles played in Paper Towns. I have also read the book Paper Towns not very long ago and I feel that the post on the book contains many similar feelings towards the book. Yet many controversial feelings along the way of the book.

I feel different feelings about many roles that Alex thought was correct for the characters. I agree that Quentin is a hero, but I don't think it's because of the fact that. Yet even though he does display the characteristics of a hero it's kind of uncertain about that. He does display courage, bravery and all the other things that make the characteristics of a hero, yet it's complicated because of the fact that he's not really controlling himself to do it. He's being brave and following Margo's plan because he's in love with her. He's blinded by the love that he has for Margo. He's being mind-controlled which doesn't really prove for someone to be courageous on their own. I also kind of disagree with Quentin's two friends being mentors because of the fact that they don't show much wisdom. They don't because they follow Quentin into his doings, they don't tell him what's right and what's wrong, remember Ben helped Quentin get revenge on a bully by telling him his address. Everything else is aggreable, I also agree that Margo is undecided.

The post makes me think about my book a bit Exit Here because of the fact that the characters are both blinded by the love for another girl. This both causes them to do things that wouldn't have been done if it weren't for the fact that they're blinded by love. Like in Exit Here Travis barges into the girl he likes house, even though he knows she has a boyfriend without realizing that he could hurt the boyfriend''s feelings. Same with Paper Towns, Quentin is entranced by love that he follows Margo to even break into public facilities.

I believe that there were stronger posts than this one because of the fact that it is a archetype post.It really only shows what character roles you think who and who is and why. That doesn't really prove much inner thinking than another post on themes or hard things in the story. other posts were a bit stronger. In one of them she has a lot more facts and supporting details. she also organizes and connects her whole story together.

I would like to add more issues and themes into my posts. When Alex did that it added a lot more meaning then and archetype post is supposed to be. Adding the issue makes me get more into the story and actually see what positions they're in to actually make them the role that they're seen as in archetypes. I would also  like to argument for both sides of a topic,, that way the reader is more hooked in to the story and can sympathize with you and agree/ or disagree and not sympathize.