Maze Runner

               I have just started to read the Maze Runner by James Dashner. I have only gotten a couple pages in so far, so I know nothing about it yet other than the main character being Thomas. He woke up in an elevator with no memory of his past other than his name. Once the doors open, he finds himself pulled into a glade with a bunch of other teenage boys. The only thing they know as well are their names. I'm excited for once to see the movie after reading the book. Then I would be able to compare my interpretation of the characters to the movies interpretation.

Jellyfish in Space!...?

               I read an article about why NASA has launched some 60,000 jellyfish into orbit around Earth. The purpose of this is to test the effects of microgravity as they devolop, specifically, their sense of direction.
               Jellyfish have tiny hairs on the tops of their 'heads' that aid in their sense of which way is up, like the ones in our ears meant for balance. The study found that these tiny hairs developed normally in all jellyfish. However, twenty percent of the jellyfish could not tell which way was up when placed in water back on Earth.
               What this study does for us, is that it gives us an idea of how, or if children could be born and raised in space. Of course this is overlooking all the effects of radiation, bone and muscle loss, etc. The fact that 20% of the jellyfish couldn't find which way was up makes us wonder what else could be effected by growing up in a zero gravity world.

http://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2013/10/i-dont-think-youre-ready-jelly/72206/

Blog Reflections

My best blog post was the Fahrenheit 451 Clarrise Sketch. Specific phrases I used were quotes from the book. I also give explinations to my reasoning and oppinion. This demonstrates my personality as a writer as being thorough and backing up my claims . It also shows that I am very oppiniative, but I back them up with logical reasoning.

The diction I use is very formal. For example, " The most important quote said by Clarisse is not "Are you happy?"(Bradbury 10), but rather "If it rubs off, it means I'm in love, has it?" (Bradbury 22). This is because this is what gets Montag not just questioning her, and whether he is in love with his wife, but he also begins questioning the world around him." My sentence structure is very long and stretched out. Polysyndeton is one form of (advanced) diction that I tend to use a lot. I also tend to repeat words in consecutive sentences or conjunctions. For example, "I believe had it not been for her involvement in the story, as well as the involvement of the operators, which made him question society, he would not be headed down the path he is now. The biggest influence in the book so far however has been Montags own thoughts when he is thinking about or questioning Clarisse or Mildred."

Divergent Summary

               Divergent, taking place in a future Chicago society, is about a girl named Beatrice (Tris), and her fight against society. She is trying to make society more fair via revolution towards the end. In her society, you are placed into one of five factions or you choose for your self. This is based on a test that tells you your personality. Tris, and Four, want to be capable of expressing all five factions. They want to be kind, intelligent, honest, selfless, and fearless.

               After choosing Dauntless, or the fearless, she meets four, who is divergent as well. She ends up fighting her way through the rankings of Dauntless. After a plan is revealed to rid the society of the Amity faction, they are the only ones able to stop it.

Setting of Divergent

                 Divergent is set in a future "utopian" Chicago society after a war has destriyed most of the outside world. In this society people are divided into 5 factions. The factions are Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peacful), Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), and Erudite (the intellegent). There is also the factionless, who have failed to complete the initiation to whatever faction they chose. You have the choice to choose your faction against the faction you recieved from your test, but you can never go back.

                Tris, the main character of the novel, is what is called divergent, or in other words the test did not work on her. In this future society it is not acceptible to display or act on the personalities of a faction not of your choosing. The brave cannot be selfless, the honest cannot be intelligent, etc. This is the very reason divergents are considered to be "dangerous", as by displaying multiple factions' personalities makes them a threat to society or to the good of the people.

Setting of Divergent

               Divergent is set in a future "utopian" Chicago society after a war has destriyed most of the outside world. In this society people are divided into 5 factions. The factions are Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peacful), Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), and Erudite (the intellegent). There is also the factionless, who have failed to complete the initiation to whatever faction they chose. You have the choice to choose your faction against the faction you recieved from your test, but you can never go back.

               Tris, the main character of the novel, is what is called divergent, or in other words the test did not work on her. In this future society it is not acceptible to display or act on the personalities of a faction not of your choosing. The brave cannot be selfless, the honest cannot be intelligent, etc. This is the very reason divergents are considered to be "dangerous", as by displaying multiple factions' personalities makes them a threat to society or to the good of the people.

Divergent

               I read and saw Divergent last week in theaters. I was sort of surprised in the beginning when she chose dauntless over abnegation, and how her brother chose a seperate path as well. The best moral I can take from the book and the movie is that fear your best friend, and your worst enemy. Even when they new what they were experiencing wasn't real, it still controlled them. It is obvious a utopian society is impossible, because you can't make everyone happy. and in trying to create a utopian society, you destroy the bad which makes us want a perfect world in the forst place. Without the bad, you no longer have reason to strive for the good, and even less to appreciate it.