Independent Book Project week 18

book playlist

For the book as a whole- My Kind Of Woman- I think this entire book is based on Alex’s strong love for ELiza. Since the beginning he was obsessed with everything. A line from the song is “You’re making me crazy, You’re really driving me mad.” It really suits Alexander’s personality since he was so obsessed with one girl so quickly. He even got a note that was allegedly from ELiza to meet him at a barn and he waited for two days for her to come and meet him. He was immediately transfixed at the thought of him spending the rest of his life with her even if only talked to her for less than an hour. This song has an easy going melody that just makes you feel like melting when you think about someone you really like which is exactly how I imagine Alexander when he thought about Eliza.

The main characters-Looking Out For You-Joy Again– I chose this song because it represents the Schuyler sisters’ relationship with each other. They love to be around each other, spill their secrets about their parents, and gossip. It was nice to read about such a close bond between siblings and how they really have each other’s back. I personally like this song because it’s upbeat and I listen to it to help me feel better after a hard day. How this song makes me feel is how they make each other feel: uplifted and excited about things that they have a hard time with.

the main antagonist- You belong with me-taylor swift– I’d say the main antagonist is Eliza’s parents. They disapprove Alex being with Eliza because of his lack of reputation and riches. Throughout the story, Eliza struggles with her feelings as she questions if she truly loves the colonel while everyone else says he’s head over heels for her. But once she finally realizes she likes him, her parents ask her to marry another man with riches that she’s only met once before when they were children. She was miserable since the guy she was told to be with someone so insensitive. I chose “You Belong With Me” because the moment Alex met this new stranger he was incredibly jealous since he knew that man was not the right guy for her.

The setting-Pachelbel: Canon and Gigue for Three Violins and Continuo in D Major- I chose classical music because It’s what I imagine what was played at the ball thrown in the beginning of the book in the Schuyler’s house. It’s where the reader was initially introduced to the three Schuyler sisters and their personalities.  The beginning was also when Eliza and Alexander first met and danced together. This moment is also the start of Alexander’s intense love for Eliza, although his charm and good looks had her interested as well. From this point on the reader was understanding Alexander’s point of view and how he longed for Eliza so much that he hasn’t stopped thinking about her for over two years after the ball.

The problem- True Love- Liv and Maddie, I picked this song because the context of it in the show Liv and Maddie, it was sung between two characters that had a crush on each other but couldn’t date because one of them was with dating their friend. So this scenario in the show was similar to the one in the book. Alexander and Eliza wanted to be together from the beginning but because of disapproval from Eliza’s parents, they couldn’t truly be together like they’ve always wanted. It took them a couple years for them to finally be around each other since Eliza moved in with her aunt. 

The theme- Die For You- Weekend, I chose this song because the entire book was placed in the fight for America’s independence. Even though the book was based off the love story between two characters, it was all in the midst of war and destruction. Both of the main characters were important people with duties of their own. Eliza is the daughter of a general while the Alex served as the president’s secretary. They both had their own important duties and had to really fight to focus on what was appropriate during their situation. They were both willing to risk their lives for their duties and knew that falling in love at a time as serious as the war is something that would truly be a distraction for them. 

 

 

week 17 article

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-020-0393-8

This article is an analysis on the mook Of mice and men and what Lennie is a supposed to represent. Some would say it’s just someone for george to care about or it’s just autism awareness, but I’d say Lennie is supposed to represent the hardships of life. In the book George had to go through a lot of bumps in his life when especially when trying to get a job. Lennie’s actions did not help George get closer to what he wanted but George couldn’t left Lennie in the dust. George kept pushing through even with Lennie by his side no matter how many mistakes he’s made. Which is why I think Lennie is supposed to represent the hardships in life and how they can bring you down or make it more difficult for you to get what you really want to achieve.

What do you think George or Lennie represents in the book? Why? Do you think George is better off without Lennie?

week 16

The independent novel I chose is a book that I’ve enjoyed reading the most out of the two novels I chose. My book is about the before and after of the relationship between Alexander hamilton and his wife Elizabeth Schuyler. I mostly like this book specifically because of my love for the musical, however, I do love a good romance book with lots of tension. The author of the book has incredible diction and amazing descriptions of scenery and feelings. The perspective switches back and forth from Eliza and Hamilton so the reader can get excited over their feelings for each other. I highly recommend this book to Hamilton the musical fans or just lovers of romance in general. It’s an exciting read with some witty banter exchanged between characters.

Week 15

I think the “Of Mice and Men” Novella is a decent “read because you’re bored” book. It’s interesting enough to with the plot and the characters can grow on a person. However, it is not the most eventful book and personally, I think it’s kind of pointless. There is no clear moral to this story, just an unsatisfying kind of depressing ending. I feel like it could’ve ended with something less abrupt with a proper conclusion but instead it left me thinking “What did I just read?” I do wish Lennie could have more of a dignified way to die rather than it happening because of another repeated mistake. Despite all of my criticisms, it is a decently written book with a plot that is easy to follow.

week 14

I think children should definitely obey their parents. They are ultimately the wiser people in a child’s life and at least has an ide of what’s better for them. However on the other hand there are some people that shouldn’t have children and abuse them mentally. That is tricky when it comes to who should be the adult a child’s life. It really depends on the situation and how much that adult is willing to do for their children to help them do what is best for them. Parenting is a hard job so it is difficult to know is exactly what is right for a kid so it’s important to understand how difficult a parents’ job is.

week 13 article

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200307/the-dangers-loneliness

Understanding the psychology of a human is always so fascinating especially when the information pertains to my personal life. Knowing how we need friendship or people in order to feel good makes so much sense. There is always a stigma or an expectation in all environments that anyone has wanted to fall under the lines of at least once. When looked at from an outside perspective, all societies have a bar that people want to reach and in some instances, others are treated differently had that person not reached that level. Howeveer, it is nice to know that it’s in our nature as humans to love sharing their life with someone else. Some may think these facts are sad but I think it’s a way to bring people together.

Do you think loneliness can be a positive thing in some times? Why or Why not?

Do you agree that society can be a part of the all the stress from the fear of being alone?

Week 12

My independent novel is called “Alex & Eliza A Love Story” it is book about how the relationship between the founding father of America (Alexander Hamilton) and his wife (Elizabeth Schuyler). So far I am loving this book so much. It’s mentioned the moments between the couple and there had been some sparks between the two of them although Eliza swears she has no feelings Alex right now. I love a good romance book especially the moments before a couple gets into an initial relationship!

Week 11

I think it’s way better to have an outlandish dream rather than no dream at all. It’s important to have an idea or goal to stride toward to and eventually accomplish. Personal goals are the most important things to have in your life especially if it’s something you really want to do because you like it. No matter how crazy a dream is to other people, as long as it isn’t hurting anyone, people should have the right to achieve that personal dream. Having something you want to work to achieve is better than having nothing to achieve.

Week 10

You can a control your own person well just fine, the thing that affects that is the people you are around. They can be around to help build you up if you were never sure how to control your own person. Or if you’re around people who don’t want the bet in you, they can control what you think about yourself too. It’s important to stand your ground when it comes to something you believe in so you can do what you like. So you can control all of your actions, it just depends on who or what you are exposed which can be a big part of your beliefs.

Independent Book Project (Journal Write)

Chapter One

Huck is an orphan boy that lives with a widow named Miss Watson and her sister Widow Douglas. Miss Watson is more strict than Miss Douglas. She forces Huck to pray and mind his manners. The sisters nag him all the time about having good manners tell him he’ll go to the “bad place” if he doesn’t keep up his good manners. I think it’s funny that they nag him and he gets so annoyed. It reminds me when I was smaller and my parents would always tell me to not walk barefoot around the house. It gets annoying and repetitive I just wanted to walk around in comfort.

Chapter Two

Huck seems like a nice kid until he goes and hangs out with his friends. I was not expecting him to act like such a menace. Huck and one of his friends decided it were  funny to play a joke on Huck’s family slaves named JIm and put a hat on him while he was sleeping. I at first was nervous they would get caught and JIm would day something, but apparently Jim thought it was witchery so he told the rest of the slaves he got “bewitched” I always hated the idea of “witchery” ever since reading The Crucible, it always ends out with chaos at the end. Afterwards Huck and his friends decided to make a friend group/gang which is super concerning the way they described it. They said they would steal jewels from people ad that if anyone member revealed any of the secrets, their family would get killed. These kids are so brutal, I wonder where they got it from.

Chapter Three

In this chapter I learned that Huck gets beat for not cleaning his room by the widow that lives with him. However, the widow’s sister has not problem with him it seems like it. It’s funny how Huck doesn’t really understand how some things work. The widow named Ms. Watson, would tell Huck that he can pray for whatever he wants, but he gets upset wondering why the fishernets he prayed for never arrived. Out of the blue, The book introduced the fact that Huck had a father and during this time, Huck is told that his father, has been found drowned in the river. Because the body was floating on his back, Huck does not believe that it is his dad and worries that he will show up again with his violent ways. I think It’s sad that Huck worries that his dad would come because of his abuse.

Chapter Four

Three or four months have passed and Huck finds a suspicious footprint in the snow outside of the widow’s house. Because of a cross carved in the heel, the print looks exactly like his father’s, and begins to worry that Pap has returned. Because Jim is rumored to have the ability to do magic, Huck asks him if he can predict what Pap will do and where he will stay. When Huck asks Jim about Pap’s plans, Jim places a hairball on the ground and listens for Huck’s fortune. I was nervous to see what Jim said and how a hairball determined the fate of others. Jim mentioned that there are two angels hovering over Pap — one white and one black — and he does not know which way Pap will decide to live his life. I think it’s obvious what path Pap is going to take knowing he abuses his only son.I got worried though, when Jim said the same thing to Huck. I hope he chooses the right path but it doesn’t help that he’s only a kid.

Chapter Five & Chapter Six

Huck comes home from school one day and finds Pa in his room. Pa would beat Huck up for attending school since it made it seem like he were more of a man than he was. I was so angry when I found out how Pa responds to finally seeing his son in years. Resorting to violence immediately just because he thinks his own son is “more manly” than he is. It’s so sad knowing that Huck expected all of this to happen just to make him miserable.  One day Pa wanted to gain custody of Huck and fought in court to get him back. Pa won the got custody of Huck and he kidnapped him to his own cabin because he didn’t like the widow. It’s so frustrating to read about Pa’s unfair choices, he’s only just been introduced and I’m already not fond of him.

Chapter Seven

I feel so bad for Huck, he’s been living with Pa for about a month and everyday Pa has beat him because he drinks so much. One night Pa thought Huck was a burglar so Pa chased him around the cabin with a knife. Thankfully Huck came up with a plan to escape the cabin which I think is genius for such a young child. He cut a secret hole to escape the cabin and found a canoe that he plans to use for his escape. Then he faked his own murder by killing a wild hog, wrapping it up in a cloth and throwing it down in a river. I’m rooting for Huck I want him to escape his terrible dad.

Chapter Eight

Huck goes on down the river to find a spot to go to since he knew they’d would find out that “body” was just a hog and not him. He encounters a ferrie and sneaks onto it to steal some bread and silver for  himself. It’s impressive to read about how stealthy he his as such a small kid. It’ve on the edge of my seat ever since Pa came back into Huck’s life. Huck encounters Jim again! Jim isn’t mad at him though, he thought Huck was a ghost so Huck’s plan definitely worked and the news definitely went around. Jim went berserk at the sight of Huck he was screaming ad yelling for Huck not to haunt him so Huck had to prove himself that he isn’t ghost. Huck found out that Jim ran away too and that the police are looking for him. It’s nice to see a nice duo with similar backstories and I’m curious to see how their personalities work together especially since Jim is a slave for Huck’s family.

Chapter Nine & Chapter Ten

There was a big storm coming so Huck and Jim set up camp at a cavern located high off the ground so they can avoid the rising river. Once the river subsided they found an old abandoned house and inside they found a dead man. Jim told Huck not to look at the man because he claims it’ bad luck. I don’t believe in luck at all and I am not entirely sure why looking at dead bodies give bad luck but I won’t question it anymore. They ended up finding a straw hat, a petticoat, and 8 dollars in the dead man’s pocket. Huck insisted that there was no bad luck because of all the supplies they got but Jim insisted to not have Huck look. Afterwards, Huck decided it was funny to play a prank on Jim by putting a dead snake next to Jim’s foot to scare him. It turned out that snake was alive and bit Jim right in the foot, and the poison  had him sick for a week. That was when huck began to believe Jim about the bad luck, which makes perfect sense. This whole thing has me uneasy mostly for the fact that they are all by themselves and could get caught in an instant.