[Perks of Being A Wallflower] Going Back to the Begining

For this final week's post, I aimed to type a book review to end this trimester with a complete summary of the book. But unfortunately, I haven't got to the ending of my book yet! So I thought I would just give an overview to why I chose this book in the first place.

My preferred genre of books generally coincides with mystery, and related topics. But after seeing the trailer for the movie version of Perks of Being a Wallflower, I instantly made it a priority to watch the movie. Of course, I only got around to it a few months later. But after seeing that movie, I can honestly say my perception of the things around me has changed. It really touched me in a way that other movies haven't. So the next step to my obsession was to read the book.

This was probably the best decision I have made considering I am not the person to be completely obsessed with books, but this changed that. I would stay up late finishing reading Charlie's entries, rereading, googling meanings, looking back at certain scenes from the movie that corresponded with the chapter, to better understand this 'coming-of-age' novel.

I already have a general idea of what will happen considering I have seen the movie, but the film versions of books are always modified. This sometimes is detrimental to the value of the original writing. In this case, that would be true because of the amount of details cut out of the movie. The book is MUCH more moving than the movie and I recommend this to anyone and everyone. PLEASE READ THIS BOOK. It will make some of us open our eyes for the best. This is highly recommended for anyone and everyone to read.

Here's the trailer if you want to watch!!!

[Perks of Being a Wallflower] Living through memories

So this week, as I sat down at my computer to begin blogging, I was really confused as to what to blog about. So I dug through my binder and found the "Possible Blog Topics" packet. One of the suggestions was to write about the most important line from the book. But I have already posted about that in my previous post. So that got me thinking of the most important idea of the book. So as I reminisced on what I read over the course of this week, I found a paragraph where Charlie is talking about the first time of his realization of life.

"It's like my very first memory, which I guess is the first time I was aware that I was alive."

I know, that’s probably really deep and you have no idea what he is talking about. It's alright. Neither did I, until I thought about it really hard.

It’s weird to think about. When we go back to think about our younger selves, we can't remember the things we did as babies. There is probably something that we remember from toddler years, but when did we gain the ability to store thoughts? When are we physically and mentally capable of our life?

Charlie says this line in the book nonchalantly but it really gets the readers thinking. That is something that is prominent throughout the novel. He speaks about the depths of live through simple diction and syntax. His naive personality really helps enforce these complex ideas.

If you are reading this right now, then tell me in the comments: What did you think Charlie meant by this line?

Blogging Assessment #1

In the novel, Perks of Being a Wallflower, the writer’s voice is present through the main character. The author, Stephen Chbosky, takes Charlie’s dialogue to incorporate his own thoughts, opinions, and outlooks on certain situations. For me on the other hand, I like to directly talk to my audience and express my opinions directly. For example in my previous post, [Perks of Being a Wallflower] Most Important Line, I had written, “When I read this line for the first time, I didn't really understand what it meant.” This basically was just saying exactly what I was thinking when I had read the most important line from the book. Personality wise, it shows that I am laid back and enjoy writing as myself opposed to writing like I would for an a formal essay.

In order to enhance my voice in the pieces, I used purposeful diction and syntax.  For diction, a popular technique that is seen throughout would be low and informal diction. This just makes the writing, in my opinion, more relatable. Personally, as a reader, I don’t take pleasure in having a writer or authors just write at me. It is more enjoyable when they are connecting through their words. An example of this diction would be: “When I began writing this post, I knew exactly which quote I was going to use but I did not understand the literal meaning behind it. When it comes to syntax, the technique I use frequently throughout my blog is sentence structure. I think using short sentences and fragments break the barrier between having my writing being reserved and interesting. Examples of this technique would be: “So I googled it.” And “And live in the moment.”

[Perks of Being a Wallflower] Most Important Line

In a book, there are many important components that make it special and make it stand out from the millions of other books in the world. When readers like you and I read a book, we often take away the most important one of those aspects to remember the book by. For the book, Perks of Being a Wallflower, there is a particularly memorable line that mostly everyone is familiar with. People who have seen the film version, read the book, or simply have even lived; know what line I am talking about. 

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." 

When I read this line for the first time, I didn't really understand what it meant. All I knew was that it made me feel good on the inside because it just seemed effortless the way Charlie had said it.

When I began writing this post, I knew exactly which quote I was going to use but I did not understand the literal meaning behind it. So I googled it. I found the dictionary definition of INFINITE was: limitless or endless in space, extent, or size; impossible to measure or calculate. So I guess Charlie is trying to convey the message that Patrick, Sam and he were embracing their freedom in a way and he felt as if nothing could stop them. He was feeling empowered by everything and everyone around him. He was simply living in the moment.

This makes me think of how many people I know and seen are so caught up with day to day life. I am guilty of this from time to time also. If everyone could read this book that is really changing how I see things, everyone could appreciate the simpler things. And live in the moment.

[Perks of Being a Wallflower] Vocabulary

So this week as I read my novel I choose to focus on the vocabulary of the text. Something I found that was very helpful as a reader was the simplicity of the text. I think it is something appreciable because the concepts that the book is encompassing are harder to grasp. The author, Stephen Chbosky, writes how a teenager would speak which makes it simple and relatable for the suggested audience.

I believe one of the main reasons that this book has become a phenomenon is the how the author shows the real endeavors of life through his remarkable choices of words. This also includes his use of syntax, diction, and rhetoric techniques. As I had mentioned before, I feel as if this book shows a component of the meaning of life (I know that’s deep) but keeps it understandable to everyone. Even if they are young and naïve, or mature and experienced, this novel becomes an eye-opening experience for everyone. 

Krista Ramsey

Today as I was looking through Krista Ramsey’s columns to write about, one caught my attention. The name of this column is “Mennonites Embrace the Arts”.


In a few words the piece is about how Mennonites are confined to indulge in materialism. Ramsey goes through explaining how the church has allowed them to be creative and still be a part of the church, allowing Mennonites artists to share and recognize other’s work at Mennonite Arts Weekends.From Ramsey’s writing, one of the lines that stood out to me was: “Whatever you think of when you hear the word ‘Mennonite,’ it is probably not the word ‘art’." This impacts the readers’ perspective because it sets up the column to show that something uncommon will be shared. This really grabs their attention considering it’s the first line of text. There is also diction represented in the line that supports the perspective of the reader. For an example of diction Ramsey uses the quotations around the works “Mennonite” and “art”. This emphasizes what she is trying to get across as the main topic of her column and makes it quite obvious.


Ramsey has a very distinctive writing style which makes her work stand out from other columnists. She makes everything understandable and gets to the point which makes it truthful and sincere while involving some sarcasm and humor as well. For instance in her column, For better vision, kids need time outdoors she says, “So far, science hasn’t entirely caught up with that [of the outdoors] magic.” In Super Bowl GBs score points for great style she says, “T-shirts and nylon jackets at your daughter’s college graduation, you probably wonder why you bothered. Keep bothering.” Last but definitely not least, in Mennonites Embrace the Arts, she says,” Their handmade quilts may have been art to collectors, but to Mennonites, they were bedding.” All these examples represent her wit and knowledge clearly for readers to understand without difficulty but still keeping it interesting.

If I were given the opportunity to ask Krista Ramsey questions I would ask:
How do you decide where to add in your own commentary and opinions?
Does your writing reflect how you would talk in person?
How do you pick topics to write about?



Want to read this article? Click Here!!!

[Perks of Being a Wallflower] Self Connection

Why is Charlie's story able to be related to on such a deep level? Personally, I didn't quite know how this was, but I knew why. Even though I haven't experienced these certain experiences in my life yet, I can connect to them on a different level. Some would say a more basic level, but I would say on a more important level. As a reader, that's what makes the most difference in grasping the intentions of the characters ideas and actions.

Specifically, there is one part of the novel where Charlie talks about the poem that he had read to Patrick. It is a heart-wrenching note of a kid’s suicide note. The thing that I felt was ironic is that it connected to Charlie in a way. This is because he could have chosen the same path that the kid from the note had chosen because of his best friend’s death. But instead he gets himself out of a certain darkness to enter high school by meeting friends that honestly care about him.  I have never experienced anything to that great of an extent but from a similar situation, I understand how difficult it must have been for Charlie to get himself to the place he is at now.

[Perks of Being a Wallflower] Characterization of Charlie

A symbol that represents the main character, Charlie, is the 'new old' typewriter he receives from Sam. This shows his personality so far in the book because the way Charlie talks about his friends and the people around him makes it seem like he has an old soul. The way he forgives them for their mistakes while having an innocence about him that makes him relatable to most people of different levels. The things he says to other characters non verbally feels very honest.

As far as how he is visualized through my eyes, I see him as a short kid with messy short brown hair. He is always trying to do the best. He forgives and forgets people for their actions on their bad days. For example, when Patrick is having problems with Brad, Charlie promises to keep the fact that they are together quiet. He really understands how to love his friends and family. Even though at times his family isn’t always the most comforting people to be around, he understands what they are going through and how they feel.

 

[Fahrenheit 451] Characterization of Clarisse McClellan

I characterized Clarisse McClellan from Fahrenheit 451. Her role in the story is to put things into perspective for the main character, Guy Montag.  She has a very free spirited personality yet grounded in a way that the other characters are not.  When I tried to visualize what this 17-year old girl looked like, I imagined a thin pale-skinned girl with long wavy hair, huge eyes, a slender face, a short white dainty dress that always flowed when she walked. An important quote coming from her is: “Are you happy?” She asks Montag this question and it begins to make him question many things in his life. When Montag asks Beatty about Clarisse after not seeing her for an extended period of time, he says, “She didn't want to know how a thing was done, but why.” This quotation sums up Clarisse’s thoughts on the world to the reader from a basic stand point.

What makes Clarisse unique from many of the people in her society is that she is very observant and sees things from a different view than them. Rather than just knowing the facts that the citizens are provided in order not to question anything, she seems to have background knowledge on the society in which she lives.  She actually takes time to think about things other citizens don’t appear to do. Her overall attitude towards firemen is that they don’t frighten her. In general, she is not afraid of firemen. She gives off the impression that she isn’t fond of what they do because she looks like she has read books in her lifetime. She knows that firemen were not always used to create fire but Montag, the fireman, does not even consider that to be truth. He thinks he is right when saying that that was never true and that houses were always fireproof and there would be no need for that sort of occupation. 

Link(s): http://beyyondinfinity.tumblr.com/post/61042662814/boho-feeling 

Book Recommendation

The Vanishing Game was a book that really interested me. I really enjoy mystery murder mystery novels, suspense and related genre books. The reason I picked up this book it because of its suspenseful cover. It made me think it was a science fiction story due to the reasoning that the people could not just vanish. But as the plot thickened, I became more apparent that it was actually a story about misperception.

If you enjoy reading this book I recommend that you pick up, Murder on Orient Express by Agatha Christie. This book is honestly one of the best books I have ever read! The plot of this story just thickens with every paragraph. For a general gist of this book link this link: http://www.shmoop.com/murder-on-orient-express/summary.html. It’s basically a story of a detective trying to figure out who killed a man on the train. It was a very surprising twist at the end. It wasn’t an ending you could just predict like other mystery stories, the author made sure to state every single suspicion anyone could have had and created a great ending. 

Changing Character

     Throughout this novel we have seen Jocelyn to be the one with a lot of answers and insight on where and how to find Jack. I feel as if over the course of the plot, she doubts herself more.  The interactions between her and Noah seem to have remained the same overall. She was a very prominent character in composing the theme. As I mentioned in the previous blog post, she contributed in changing the theme from a more mysterious to a broader theme. Something along the lines of; “everything is not what it seems”. That’s because she was in a mental state in which she tried to cope with her brother’s death at the age of 14, and create another personality in which she acted like Jack never died. The reader’s would have thought she was actually looking for Jack but it was all in their heads.

Changing Theme

The theme of this novel has been constantly changing throughout. At the beginning it seem to be a very mysterious theme because Jack, who was dead, had written a letter to Jocelyn. This theme was carried out for a majority of the plot as Noah and Jocelyn searched for Jack. As the story went on, the theme of mystery remained but seemed not as important as the overall theme that everything is not what it seems. This could also be seen as mystery but in this book I think it means to not get caught up in the details, just see the overall picture. This is because during the book I thought Jocelyn would be the one to know all the information and be on top of things. But little did I know that she herself was coping with a major issue that could have stopped her from going through all the searching.

Ending

The ending of this novel, The Vanishing Game was confusing. The hidden clues the author threw in did not really seem of any significance until I reached the ending. When Jocelyn was having flashbacks of their childhood, Kate Myers was hinting at the fact that Jack had died way before. Jocelyn was in some sort of denial state of mind. Or confused as to what had happened. I thought she was in just in shock. Then after a lot of close reading and rereading of the confusing passages did I come to an understanding that Jocelyn had a mental situation in which she “kept her brother alive”.  She takes on Jack’s personality as a part of her own. It is a sort of twisted ending. I was predicting that someone was hiding Jack but I came to know Jocelyn was pretending a part of herself was Jack to help herself cope with his death.

Here is a video to check out explaining a little bit more about the book:

Real Life Issues

The Vanishing Game has its share of dramatic sections or chapters and the more believable or realistic side of it as well. But above all the conflicts and problems that the characters have faced, to me, the most perpetual issue that stays with the characters is the foster family. When I see that the kids in the book, including kids in real life, we can tell that they have been scared by their foster family. The Seale House was a nightmare for the children because of the way they were treated. It can really affect their entire adult lives. Being mistreated every day in a place they had no other choice but to call ‘Home”.  As these kids get older, they all cope in different ways. Some may put up walls, and some may feel depressed. They can choose for the bad experiences in their lives make them stronger or tear them down.

Connection

The bond that the brother and sister share in this novel is very strong. Basically Jocelyn’s only lead to finding her brother was the letter she found on her bed. Usually just a letter cannot help determine if someone is faking death or where they have gone missing (unless the letter stated that). From just the outside postage stamp, she was able to figure out what Jack was trying to say. As if there is some sort of telepathy or mutual understanding between the two characters. Not even vocal communication is needed between the two to figure out where Jack has gone, if he is still alive, or in hiding.

Noah?

One of the characters, Noah was been absent from the story-line as of now. After he was talking t Jocelyn one night, he never really came back. Was it intentional by the author to do that? Or will not affect the story at all? Jack had disappeared much like this. Could there be a connection to both vanishings? We will just have to read to find out the rest of novel to find out how everything will play in together at the end!

New Chracter

In chapter 5 we are introduced to another character. Their identity is not given but whoever it is knows Jocelyn where or not she knows them. I had a feeling it was Jack until she saw who it was. A lot of the clues pointed to it being Jack because the text said he liked being the Cellar, he would hide there, etc. But in the end it was never Jack and it was someone else trying to get her attention. This character really thickens the plot and could develop the theme in certain ways. The peculiar thing to me is how did her know Jocelyn and she not known him? Was it one of the kids she had “forgotten” about?

Questioning... The Seale House

There is one major question I have recently thought about regarding the “Seale House”. So far the book has mainly surrounded the details and past of the children’s childhood through flashbacks in the foster home. But the curiosity is about something not even the deep meaning about the house. My burning question would be is the “Seale House” alive? It seems crazy to make such an accusation but there are a few hints throughout the text that point to this statement being true or enforcing the idea. For example on page 34 it says, “The flames would immediately go out, as if the house was extinguishing the fire”.  And on page 49 it says, “What if the Seale House let me in, but didn't want me to leave?” Both of these examples really create suspense and make the reader wonder if the Seale House was alive in some way. As a reader it excites me to think that this so-far realistic fiction novel could become fantasy, or maybe even science fiction.

Chapter 5 Theme

In chapter 5 of “The Vanishing Game”, the theme is mystery and panic. Throughout this section of the text, the author uses literary devices to get across the idea of such theme. For example on page 51 it says “A white knife of lightning sliced the sky and thunder boomed overhead”. This sentence uses a metaphor comparing a white knife and lightning. These words together make the reader sense mystery in the setting. On page 51 it also says, “Windy dust stung my eyes and my vision blurred, but I focused on the vibration of the guy’s tromping boots”. This sentence reinforces the idea of the panic Jocelyn was feeling as her pursuer was chasing her over the abandoned Seale House. As a general gist of this chapter, we know someone is chasing Jocelyn for unexplained reason.

Main Conflict

 

The main obvious conflict of the book, The Vanishing Game is that Jack has supposedly died. When Jocelyn, his sister hears this news, she is a wreck. She cannot even wrap her head around the fact that she would never see her twin brother ever again. But soon after she hears the news, she receives a letter and it’s from Jack! The letter was sent from Watertown. But how could he send a letter if he’s dead? He wasn't And she was sure of it. Now she has a lead and needs to follow it. But how will she go back to Watertown; where they had stayed in a horrible foster home for a portion of their childhood? We’ll have to read to find out!