Reading: The Aquatic Uncle

I read The Aquatic Uncle for this week. The relationship in the story is related to me. The old generation family members and the people you love. A lot of time people struggled with the conflict between these two sides. Just like the main character in the story. Their relationship looks fine until they meet the family member. This part looks so real for me. And the thing what the main character did for the girlfriend is also relatable. I also love the ending. It is not a traditional happy ending like the fairy tale, the princess lives with the prince happily forever. Most of the time, people’s relationship break because a lot of reasons. The family, living style and the thought will bring conflicts to the relationship. The problem and the ending make this relationship and the story related to me and make this story believable.

Reading: Anubis Gates

I read The Anubis Gates for this week. I like the story although I feel this is a fantasy story. I usually not really interesting in time traveling story, but this one is really interesting. I think the difference between this novel and what I’ve read before is how the characters fit in that time period. The character won’t live easier even though they come from the future and have all these knowledge. I like the details about the character’s emotion. It makes this character believable. Some of the time-traveling novels just make everything so easy because the main character comes from the future and know everything about that time period. But the character in this book is “live” in that tome period. He still needs to put some effort to survive in that time period. It doesn’t make things super easy even though his historical knowledge. This makes the time traveling in the story more believable than other novels I’ve read.

Reading: Fahrenheit 451

I didn’ read before this class, but I read Fahrenheit 451 after I saw the movie in the class. In the story, the main character’s job is going to burn the books because are not allowed to own the book. Maybe the main theme in the story in this story is about the TV and the reading. They prohibit the book because thinking makes people unhappy. The thing really makes me read this story is the main character’s job- a firefighter. In this story, the firefighters are not saving fire but burning the books. This reminds me curtain generation of China and Taiwan.

In the earlier generation of Taiwan, people don’t have the freedom to talk or publish whatever they want. The government will watch over the people and control their thinking. All the publication is under control by the government. In this case, people only know what the government wants them to know. They are not allowed to get information from other countries because the government is afraid people start thinking. The government thinks the people will start to resist or judge the government after they start to think. They confiscate most of the book and stop people get information. They even control the textbook and brainwashing the student. A lot of students realized the history they learned in the school is fake after they studied abroad. The government tries to hide the mistake they made by erasing or polishing curtain event to make the history looks perfect. Bad things will happen if you start to think or have knowledge. This is what makes me interesting to read this story. Not a good thing, but make me related to my country.

Week Nine: Space Opera

After I read The Martian, the story structure reminds me of the hero’s journey or the urban fantasy. I feel the same way when I watch the star war movie in the class. In both of the movie an the story, their main character will jump into a trip because of some reason. The trip will full of danger and a lot of problems which they need to solve it and try their best to survive. The audience can see characters change and grow during the trip.

I’m not a big fan of space story but I like story type like hero’s journey. This type of story usually makes me feel positive when I read. It’s really interesting when you discover the new world with the character and see character use what they learn to solve the problem. It’s also interesting to see how the author develops the character during the trip.

Week 7: The Novel of Spiritual Education

I like this story after I read The night circus. It looks like Harry Potter mash-up with Romeo and Juliet.

I really like the details in the story, like the changing of the characters’ emotions and age of the event. These details make this story believable. I also the special circus design. Not the usual red and yellow color but black and white.

The two main character grows in a really different background. Alexander and Prospero have really different teaching style.  Prospero trains his daughter Celia very strict. Alexander just gives his student a lot of freedom. He gives him a lot of resources and let him study by himself. I like the author use this way to build different types of characters. I think the background add more conflict between the character and more interesting when they meet each other.

I also finish the Harry Potter for this week. I feel both of the stories have their own way to present the magical education. In the Night Circus, It has two different teaching style and makes these two characters fall in love with each other to raise the conflict. In Harry Potter,  It also includes the different teaching style. But the conflict is not because of the characters education nut of their lineage. The author uses the wizard and muggle to raise the conflict. And I also feel more related to Harry Potter’ character. Because the author builds the whole magic school even the magic in the story, the characters in Harry Potter are easier to understand and related to real life.

In Class: Bloodchild

1. What is your reaction to the text you just read.?

I’m not usually read this type of story which is about the alien. I was a little confused by the story when I first time read this story. In my previous experience, they are always about occupying and rule the earth when the stories are about the alien. I think it is interesting that the writer made the complicated relationship between alien and human. In this story, the alien has a close relationship with those humans. The interesting part of reading this story is it makes me confused when I keep reading it. It looks normal at the beginning but everything goes strangely.  

2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the work with which you added to connect.

The connection in the story I think is the mother. She is the only one who knows the dangers and tries to protect people she loves. This is the most normal and related character in this story for me. She is a normal character compared to the other characters.

3. What changes would you make to adopt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?

In my personal opinion, I usually prefer the movie than the novel. I’m interested in the looking of those aliens. How do they look like? How they live in the environment? I really interesting in the visual element in the story. And I believe can have an interesting way to tell the story and show a different version of this story to the audiences. In the movie, audiences can see all of this character and the environment.

Writing: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

This book reminds me of the movie we played in class “Coraline“. They both have a young character. A determined kid.  And their life changed after they find a fantasy world. In Coraline, the little girl finds a copy of her parent and her house by passing through a small door. In the “The Ocean at the End of the Lane”, The boy’s story starts with the birthday party. Compared to some fantasy story, I feel a little heavy and scary in this story and Coraline.

I feel some elements reminds me the urban fantasy and the Heroic Journey. They both have an adventure in a magical world. They will meet amazing characters, strange creatures and face the evil villain. Some of the characters they meet may not really evil but people may feel cruel or cold because of their motivation. They may be not human but act more like an animal. The things they do is normal to an animal but is cruel or a human, like eating people.

I also find the similar concept statement in these two stories. Be careful what you wish for. In Coraline, the little girl is not really happy with her parent. And her life changed because she finds the new parents. And the Ocean at the End of the Lane is about the character Ursula. The different is, In Coraline, the witch is evil and tried to use Coraline’s wish to trap her. But Ursula is not really evil but just doesn’t know how to help people properly.