The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

This was actually my second time reading this book. The first time being in 5th grade as a short and condensed version and this time the full version. The book was actually completely different from what I remember reading in 5th grade. When I read it in 5th grade, all I remember reading was the love story between Tom and Becky. This time around the adventures between Tom and Huck left bigger impressions on me. Maybe at the time I read it in 5th grade, i was in love with love stories.

What I really loved about this book was that it really showed a boys childhood very well. Even at a age like Tom, he still has ups and downs. He even has troubles. It kind of reminded me of when I was a child and how innocent I was. To Tom, a career as a clown was very appealing but as the story progressed, Tom saw how stupid that was. By the end of the story, people expected Tom to become someone great like a general or a lawyer. Mark Twain depicted Tom Sawyer in a way that was unforgettable.

To me, the scene that left the biggest impression on me was when Joe, Tom, and Huck ran away from home just because they wanted to. They wanted to live a life Robin hood ad feed themselves without any parents telling what to do. What was interesting was that after a few days, they got homesick. It reinforced that they were kids and most kids are like that at a certain age.

I’m sure that when I read this book when i’m in my twenties or thirties, i’ll again have different thoughts.

A Midsummer Nights Dream

I’ve actually been really bust these past few weeks so this book was actually read during my Language Arts Class. The book was very interesting in that it was like Romeo and Juliet but instead, no one died and it was a comedy. That was not very srpiring as both stories were derived from the ancient story of Pyramus and Thisbe.

A Midsummer Night’s dream got me very excited though. I didn;t expect a Shakespearian play to e intertaining as the onlyplay from Shakespeare I ind entertaining was Macbeth.

The plot was very confusing but the plot was what got you hooked to the play in the beginning. Something that I did not like was the way the conflicts in the play were resolved. The relationships between the main lovers were resolved by not true love but by magic. Even till the end, Demetrius was magically in love with Helena and not truly in love with her. Because of that, the play got me really infatuated ad left a big impressioin on me. Some things in life really do go resolved because of external forces.

The Scarlet Letter

Although I had read longer books in the past, for some reason, The Scarlet Letter for me took me a long time to read. And if it wasn’t for my dieing passion to be able to finish a book, I probably would have not even been past chapter 10 before giving up.

To me, it seemed that there wasn’t a very BIG plot but it was still very interesting. Since there was a lack of a plot, most of the story rested upon the thoughts of Hester Pryne on how she dealt with the letter A blazing on her bosom. I actually liked how the author was very, VERY descriptive about everything.

Even though Hester Pryne was considered the main character, I did not feel as bad for her as I gave more of my sympathy for Arthur Dimmesdale. Although Hester had the burden of carrying the letter A by her bosom, Dimmesdale’s was hidden within causing self destruction.

Pearl was not my favorite character but she was the most honest character being a child. My favorite scene in the novel was when Mr. Dimmesdale told everyone the truth and Pearl finally gave him a kiss, and  the 3 truly became a family.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

My mom always told me that The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was a must read. The fact was the the book WAS a must read. It was really interesting and kept me waiting for more. It was very easy to read and short. Although i already knew the connection between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the novel was still mysterious till the end. I usually don’t like mystery books because once you know the outcome, you never read that book again but with The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr, Hyde, i’ll probably read it over and over.

The novel itself starts with not Dr. Jekyll as the narrator but with Mr. Utterson.  Mr Utterson is a lawyer and a good friend to Dr. Jekyll. The story unfolds when Dr. Jekyll has already found his other side (Mr. Hyde). As time goes on, Mr. Utterson finds clues to Dr. Jekyll’s and Mr. Hyde’s connection.

Tangled (2010)

Everyone had told me that Tangled was a cute movie that i should watch to pass time. In my opinion, the movie was very well directed and written but it lacked something. It lacked the connection that the movie and the audience needed to have. Since the movie was about a princess, not everyone gets to discover that his/her hair is magical and that he/she is a prince or princess.  The movie itself had heart but not the bond it needed with the audience. My favorite Disney movie happens to be Up because of it’s connection. Although no one gets a house to fly with balloons, the movie related to the audience with its characters. When Ellie learns that she can’t have children, it was the saddest moment in the movie because there were actual people who couldn’t have children even if they wanted to have one.

One thing that i loved about this Disney princess movie was that the “princess” was not weak and could save the “prince” and herself. That happens to be why Mulan is my favorite princess, she saves her country AND her man.

I’m one of those people who thinks that every movie should have a point or a lesson learned at the end and for me, this movie had none. In avatar the lesson was to protect the environment, In Meet the Robinson’s- the lesson was to look only in the past and not in the future or the past, In Toy Story 3- the lesson was that a there always is a goodbye but it isn’t forever.

If the movie had made a connection with the audience and had a lesson learned in the end, then Tagled would have been the perfect movie.

Arabian Nights

The Arabian Nights taught me more of the Middle Eastern culture than what I could have learned in class. It gave me an insight of the history of the Middle Eastern on how the people lived in history.  The stories were totally unpredictable with all the curses and deaths.  Most of the stories were about the princes of the Middle East. You can tell that these stories have been told orally to the generations because some stories just don’t even make sense. The stories were very exciting and interesting to read although by the end of the book, the stories seemed to be repetitive as the main heroine mostly had a sad ending due to the reason being that the stories were meant to have a lesson.

Robin Hood

The first book of 2011. A very good start because Robin hood gives you hope that 2011 will be a good year and he will Shoot arrows to take away all your troubles.

Although the book itself was very well written and had a plot, the plot didn’t move anywhere for about 3/4 of the book. For the 3/4 of the book, there were mini stories where Robin Hood found a possible supporter of him and duels him to a battle where in the end, the guy that Robin decides to duel becomes his supporter and follower.

But other than that, the story was very fun and easy to read. The book was about the classic story of Robin Hood and his good deeds to the people.