January Book Review-character Study

Brian's Song
By: William Blinn

1. physical description of the character: An Italian Immigrant. When trying out for the Chicago Bears football team, one coached committed Brian by saying," He was too small and slow to play professional football because he lacked in size and speed."
2. personality of character: Brain didn't care if you were popular or not, dressed nice or not. He looked at you for who you were, not by trying to be something your not. His friend and once enemy, Gale Sayers, helped lift him through the hard times in life. When Gale Sayers and Brian were asked to room together being the first t interracial roommate, already being enemies Brain only thought of rooming together as a good experience, never doubting the fact that he was white and Gale was black. He was a brash man with a courageous heart. He loved the game of football and fought for perfection. Even at the lowest point of his life, when he was diagnosed with cancer he still held a smile on his face and fought for him self to get through. He was eager to prove to the NFL that they were wrong in not drafting him back in 65'. So over the summer break he worked on his speed and built up his strength, Brian was a very determined man by not letting anything get into his way.
3. motivation of character: Brain was very eager to prove to the NFL that they were wrong in not drafting him back in 65'. He also was very motivated by not letting Gale Sayers be the full time running back for the Chicago Bears. He determined to come back the next training season and be physically and mentally ready to take on the full responsibility to be the full time running back.
4. conflicts the character faces, how that character deals with the conflicts and the outcomes of conflicts: Brian's Song is all about a big conflict, and not only one. First is running into his enemy Gale Sawyers at the training camp for the Chicago Bears. Though they became the best of friends thought out their football careers, regarding their race. Second and more life changing is when Brain was diagnosed with cancer. He did not let cancer hold him back from continuing his career as a professional football player. Brain went through a 4 and 1/2 hour surgery to remove a tumor in his chest, while in surgery the doctors found a lymph node that tested positive for cancer. Thinking he would be able to recover and continue playing football, the doctors found that the cancer had a rapidly increased thought out his body. He underwent a very intense month of chemotherapy to help fight off the cancer. Brian always keeping his head up, wasn't going to let cancer defeat him. Unfortunately doctors soon realized that in order to save Brain they needed to completely remove his left long. In doing this, it meant Brain would never be able to play football again. He then knew his cancer had ultimately defeated him.
5. changes the character undergoes during the course of the novel: Brain went through a life changing experience with his battle of cancer, though he personality never changed he always looked past the cancer and onto his next season of playing football, sadly there wasn't another season with the Chicago Bears for Brain. He also undergoes an up and down friendship with Gale Sayers being enemies at first, and ending up being the best of friends, each one looking out for the other at their worst.
6. personal connections (or a lack of) you made with the character: When reading Brian's Song i was touched by how two totally different men, fought for each other, helped each other and became to know each other. Their story is most defiantly uplifting. I felt of connection with Brian and how he was so strong though out his life and all the obstacles he went through. It was almost as if I wanted to physically be there with him and help him through the hardest times of his life. Brain will always be remembered as a hero.
7. your opinion of the character and his/her/its effectiveness in the novel: My opinion of Brian is that he is a very strong man. Not only did he prove to the NFL that he should have been drafted, but also to him self. He proved to be one of the best running backs for the Chicago Bears along with being the most courageous person when going through cancer. Through all of his pain he always had his friend by his side, Gale Sayers. To me both men are heroes for everything they have done.

Book Review- Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451- THE TEMPERATURE AT WHICH BOOKS BURN...

Ray Bradbury, born in 1920, sold newspapers after he graduated from high school along with creating his own magazines and writing short stories. When Bradbury was 20 years old he published his first money making story. Fahrenheit 451, one of his best-known novels, was published in 1953. It was originally published as a short story, and Bradbury later expanded it to its current length. Bradbury is recognized as a ground breaker in making science fiction a respected literary genre.

Guy Montag is a fireman who lives in a society in which books are illegal. His job is not to extinguish fires, but to light them. He burns books, and all the firemen wear the number "451" on their uniforms because that is the temperature at which books burn. He later meets a young women named Clarisse, she makes him think about the world beyound the wall of television and seashell radios (watching TV and listening to the seashell radio is all his wife does); she makes him wonder about life.

Montag listens to her and takes an interest in reading books that he is suppose to burn. But once his chief relizes what he is doing, he forces Montag to burn his own house. Montag kills his fire chief in response to save his life and escapes the city.

"The sun burnt every day. It burnt Time. The world rushed in a circle and turned on its axis and time was busy burning the years and the people anyway, without any help from him. So if he burnt things with the firemen and the sun burnt Time, that meant that everything burnt!" pg. 141
-Here is a quote from Montag when he was floating down the river once he had left the city. He realizes why he must never burn books again in his life. He knows one of them had to stop burning. The Sun certainly wouldn't so he knew it had to be him.

Fahrenheit 451 is a great book, there was dialogue so it ws easy to comprehend. You can tell right away that it is a different time period people are unaware of literature. Literature is not apprecaited in the American Soceity but Montag is trying to find men who remember the great novels to help the world return to the appreciation of literarture.

Is Montag able to bring back the world where it once was so many years ago?
Guess you will have to read it to find out!

Book Reviews
1) http://www.challengingdestiny.com/reviews/f451_movie.htm
2)http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/Fahrenheit-451.id-106,pageNum-7.html

Cites
1) http://www.bookrags.com/notes/451/
2) http://www.bookrags.com/Fahrenheit_451

How are McCarthyism,the Red Scare, Arthur Miller, and The Crucible interrelated?

This website gives readers a good descriptions of how the Red Scare, Athur Miller, and The Crucible interrlate. It gives an insight of each one and provides much infromation to full fill all your questions you have. From this sight i found new information, like Athur Miller had 10 unseccessful years of trying to be a playwriter. Here you will find well descriptive information. Enjoy!

http://drhill.tripod.com/ssi3240/pdf/lecture8.htm

http://www.indiana.edu/~thtr/productions/2006/lntdc/crucible/essay.html

Document other times in American history when "Whitch Hunts" were conducted and discuss the outcome of the Salem Witch hunts and other whitch hunts

Witch Trail of Gays and Lesbians in the 90's
This website gives a good insight of what life was like back in the 90's. This website gives and actually incidents were the gays and lesbians tried to revolt in Washington D.C. they were struggling for there Civil Rights. I wonder then if homosexuals will ever enter the mainstream of society. At the end of this website there is a response sections were people committed for or against the Gays and the Lesbians and there, if they have a role in society.
http://www.leaderu.com/critical/gay90.html

Here is another website that talks about a witch hunt that is about segregation in the United States. He goes on to explain how so many people are judged because ot their ethnicity and race. I really enjoyed reading about this website its a great example of how judging we can be. Enjoy!
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580651/Segregation_in_the_United_States.html

What was Millers Point in writing the crucible?

Arthur Millers play- The Crucible is told from a third point of view. He brings to show the good and the evil that each character is presented by, along with bringing out the mass hysteria in the Sal am witchcraft trails. He proves a point by showing that very religious people do make mistakes, unfortunately the mistakes turns into a complete chaos.
http://www.honors.umd.edu/HONR269J/archive/MillerCrucible.html

http://summarycentral.tripod.com/thecrucible2.htm

Family

Well, I come from a rather larger family, i have 4 brothers and 1 sister, i happen to be the seound oldest. Our lives are extremally busy but i love every minute of it....most the time. I have one brother who is a senior Elliot, I am a junoir Elizbeth, Ethan is a freshmen, Evin is a 5th grader, Eve is in 1st grage, and Easton is in library school. Easton, having older brothers has already expanded his vocabulary to "naughty" words. Not knowing what they exactly mean he will just shut them out at football games, in stores or even in church. May i remind you all Easton is only 4 years old!! I think the Naughty chair at his daycare has his name on it.