The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
I am so into this book right now! From the last post to this one I have read over 200 pages and I cannot put this mystery novel down! People warned me this would happen and it happened when I read Angels and Demons but I wasn't prepared to speed through this intense plot line so quickly, considering my busy schedule and committments. I don't even know if it will last me to my next post next week? Right now I am in the middle of the quest for the grail, and the police are hot on the adenturers' tails! Will they get caught? How did they escape the DCPJ without getting caught or being seen? And they left all of their stuff at the jet, will they be able to get it back, and will they come clean and the real murderer be found? I don't know, but I'm sure I will find out soon.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Outside Reading - Week 3, Post A
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
VOCAB
-Interpol (181)- an official international agency that coordinates the police activities of more than 100 member nations: organized in 1923 with headquarters in Paris.
-lustrous (190)- having luster; shining; luminous
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "Outside, the wind howled in the trees" (257). This is personification, giving the nonhuman wind the ability to howl.
2. "The manservant's words crackled through the intercom on the wall" (258). This is personification giving the nonhuman words the ability to crackle.
3. "...clicking..." (261). This is onomatopoeia. The word clicking sounds like the actual sound it makes.
QUOTE
"You do not find the Grail, the Grail finds you" (295). This is key because Sophie happened upon her grandfather's body and the key, Langdon got called into it, and Teabing was approached by Langdon and Sophie, none of them were in search of the grail and found each other, it worked the other way around.
THEME
Good things come to all who wait.
VOCAB
-Interpol (181)- an official international agency that coordinates the police activities of more than 100 member nations: organized in 1923 with headquarters in Paris.
-lustrous (190)- having luster; shining; luminous
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "Outside, the wind howled in the trees" (257). This is personification, giving the nonhuman wind the ability to howl.
2. "The manservant's words crackled through the intercom on the wall" (258). This is personification giving the nonhuman words the ability to crackle.
3. "...clicking..." (261). This is onomatopoeia. The word clicking sounds like the actual sound it makes.
QUOTE
"You do not find the Grail, the Grail finds you" (295). This is key because Sophie happened upon her grandfather's body and the key, Langdon got called into it, and Teabing was approached by Langdon and Sophie, none of them were in search of the grail and found each other, it worked the other way around.
THEME
Good things come to all who wait.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Outside Reading - Week 2, Post B
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
So far I am really into this book! With every page though i have more and more questions that don't ever seem to get answered. This is okay because they are replaced with newer questions, adding to they mystery and suspense of the novel. After the first 160 pages, nothing has been resolved, the situation just becomes broader and broader with more plot lines developed and problems that seem as if they will never be fixed. Currently my major questions are, where will Robert and Sophie go? Didn't they already tell the taxi driver that they left on the side of the road where they were going so won't they be caught if they go there? Did Sauniere leave more clues at the Louvre that they didn't find? Will they get more answers? What is the deal with this Silas guy and Bishop Aningarosa and why does the story keep cutting to the thoughts inside these men's heads? Will they kill Robert and Sophie? But will R and S ever find out the secret? Will the secret live on? I am sure that with every page I turn these will slowly drift out of my mind and I will only be reminded of them until the very end of the book, and so much will happen between now and then! I have felt like writing down all of these because when they occur in my thoughts they seem vital, but now I can just blog them all out!
So far I am really into this book! With every page though i have more and more questions that don't ever seem to get answered. This is okay because they are replaced with newer questions, adding to they mystery and suspense of the novel. After the first 160 pages, nothing has been resolved, the situation just becomes broader and broader with more plot lines developed and problems that seem as if they will never be fixed. Currently my major questions are, where will Robert and Sophie go? Didn't they already tell the taxi driver that they left on the side of the road where they were going so won't they be caught if they go there? Did Sauniere leave more clues at the Louvre that they didn't find? Will they get more answers? What is the deal with this Silas guy and Bishop Aningarosa and why does the story keep cutting to the thoughts inside these men's heads? Will they kill Robert and Sophie? But will R and S ever find out the secret? Will the secret live on? I am sure that with every page I turn these will slowly drift out of my mind and I will only be reminded of them until the very end of the book, and so much will happen between now and then! I have felt like writing down all of these because when they occur in my thoughts they seem vital, but now I can just blog them all out!
Outside Reading - Week 2, Post A
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
VOCAB
-citadel (149)-a fortress that commands a city and is used in the control of the inhabitants and in defense during attack or siege.
-edifice (150)- a building, esp. one of large size or imposing appearance
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "...as Castel Gandolfo came into view, rising against a star-filled November sky" (149). This is persomification for Castel Gandolfo, as the view got larger, it was tagged as the human action of rising.
2. "Gandolfo resembled a great stone monster pondering a suicidal leap" (149). This is a metaphor comparing the awkwardness of the mansion to a suicidal monster.
3. "Perched at the very edge of the cliff, the castle leaned out over the cradle of Italian civilization..." (149). This is more personification saying that this castle is leaning over a cliff, but is is truly stable.
QUOTE
"'Robert, i have a lot of things to tell you.' She paused, locking eyes with him as the taxi raced westward" (154). This is what Sophie tells Robert and it signals the begining of their more personal relationship, with many vital secrets revealed.
THEME
I amseeing the theme of no matter how fast you think, someone will always be thinking one step ahead of you.
VOCAB
-citadel (149)-a fortress that commands a city and is used in the control of the inhabitants and in defense during attack or siege.
-edifice (150)- a building, esp. one of large size or imposing appearance
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "...as Castel Gandolfo came into view, rising against a star-filled November sky" (149). This is persomification for Castel Gandolfo, as the view got larger, it was tagged as the human action of rising.
2. "Gandolfo resembled a great stone monster pondering a suicidal leap" (149). This is a metaphor comparing the awkwardness of the mansion to a suicidal monster.
3. "Perched at the very edge of the cliff, the castle leaned out over the cradle of Italian civilization..." (149). This is more personification saying that this castle is leaning over a cliff, but is is truly stable.
QUOTE
"'Robert, i have a lot of things to tell you.' She paused, locking eyes with him as the taxi raced westward" (154). This is what Sophie tells Robert and it signals the begining of their more personal relationship, with many vital secrets revealed.
THEME
I amseeing the theme of no matter how fast you think, someone will always be thinking one step ahead of you.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Outside Reading - Week 1, Post B
The Davinci Code by Dan Brown
WOW! Already within the first 50 pages of this novel I am completely absorbed in it. It is very suspenseful and action filled and fast moving, making it a very satisfying read. I previously read Angels and Demons, also by Dan Brown, and it is in a similar setting to The Da Vinci Code. Both occur in major European cities exploring religious history and murders of prominent and powerful people. They also both have in common the villain, and their perspectives. The story of the villain is told from an outside perspective in both situations, thier identity is not really revealed and their motives are always unclear, until they have an encounter with Langdon or another main charcter and their mysteriousness is somewhat cleared up. I have heard so many great things about this novel and am very excited to get into it. I assume it will be as good of a read as Angels and Demons, so that gives me much to look forward too! Another similarity between the two novels is the main character, Robert Langdon, so know I have more background information on him and his characterizations.
WOW! Already within the first 50 pages of this novel I am completely absorbed in it. It is very suspenseful and action filled and fast moving, making it a very satisfying read. I previously read Angels and Demons, also by Dan Brown, and it is in a similar setting to The Da Vinci Code. Both occur in major European cities exploring religious history and murders of prominent and powerful people. They also both have in common the villain, and their perspectives. The story of the villain is told from an outside perspective in both situations, thier identity is not really revealed and their motives are always unclear, until they have an encounter with Langdon or another main charcter and their mysteriousness is somewhat cleared up. I have heard so many great things about this novel and am very excited to get into it. I assume it will be as good of a read as Angels and Demons, so that gives me much to look forward too! Another similarity between the two novels is the main character, Robert Langdon, so know I have more background information on him and his characterizations.
Outside Reading - Week 1, Post A
The Davinci Code by Dan Brown
VOCAB
-pentacle (36)- A five-pointed star, often held to have magical or mystical significance, formed by five straight lines connecting the vertices of a pentagon and enclosing another pentagon in the completed figure. Also called pentagram.
-draconian (46)- of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Draco or his code of laws.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "I'm trapped in a Salvador Dali painting" (19). The italics show that Langdon is thinking to himself.
2. "Fauche carried himself like an angry ox" (21). This is a similie comparing Fauche to an ox.
3. "A scar on the face of Paris" (21). This is personification saying that the nonhuman pyramid is like a scar (made of human flesh) on the nonhuman face of the city of Paris.
QUOTE
"Mr. Langdon," the message began in a fearful whisper. "Do not react to this message. Just listen calmly. You are in danger right now. Follow my directions very closely" (53). This quote is significant because it shows how prevalent and strong the element of suspense is in this novel.
THEME
The current theme is sacrifice because many are sacrificing their lives and time for this plot.
VOCAB
-pentacle (36)- A five-pointed star, often held to have magical or mystical significance, formed by five straight lines connecting the vertices of a pentagon and enclosing another pentagon in the completed figure. Also called pentagram.
-draconian (46)- of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Draco or his code of laws.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "I'm trapped in a Salvador Dali painting" (19). The italics show that Langdon is thinking to himself.
2. "Fauche carried himself like an angry ox" (21). This is a similie comparing Fauche to an ox.
3. "A scar on the face of Paris" (21). This is personification saying that the nonhuman pyramid is like a scar (made of human flesh) on the nonhuman face of the city of Paris.
QUOTE
"Mr. Langdon," the message began in a fearful whisper. "Do not react to this message. Just listen calmly. You are in danger right now. Follow my directions very closely" (53). This quote is significant because it shows how prevalent and strong the element of suspense is in this novel.
THEME
The current theme is sacrifice because many are sacrificing their lives and time for this plot.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Penelope, See You Again - Miley Cyrus
Penelope, Odysseus’ faithful wife, inspires me because she chooses to wait for her husband to return from his journey to Troy. He has been gone for years, and there are no signs that he is still living, but Penelope keeps her hopes up. Although she has many suitors living at her palace, she doesn’t take advantage of those ample opportunities to stray from Odysseus. There was a part in The Odyssey where Penelope talks about her weaving, and when she is finished with her project, she will remarry. Her secret is that each night she unravels her weaving so that she won’t have to find a new husband. I picked See You Again by Miley Cyrus partly because I really enjoy listening to Miley’s music; she has some really fun songs! And partly because I was thinking about Penelope and how she misses Odysseus, and this song immediately came to mind. Penelope will do anything to avoid the idea of remarriage because “she can’t wait to see Odysseus again.”
“I got my sight set on you
And I’m ready to aim
I have a heart that will
Never be tame
I knew you were somethin' special
When you spoke my name
Now I can’t wait to see you again
I’ve got a way of knowin'
When somethin' is right
I feel like I must have known you
In another life
Cause I felt this deep connection
When you looked in my eyes
Now I can’t wait to see you again…
…The next time we hang out
I will redeem myself
My heart can’t rest till then
Oh whoa ohh
I, I can’t wait to see you again”
“I got my sight set on you
And I’m ready to aim
I have a heart that will
Never be tame
I knew you were somethin' special
When you spoke my name
Now I can’t wait to see you again
I’ve got a way of knowin'
When somethin' is right
I feel like I must have known you
In another life
Cause I felt this deep connection
When you looked in my eyes
Now I can’t wait to see you again…
…The next time we hang out
I will redeem myself
My heart can’t rest till then
Oh whoa ohh
I, I can’t wait to see you again”
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