last blog

As a tear drips onto my keyboard, I reminisce on all the memories Blogger.com has provided. But I'm sure no one really cares so I'll just cut to whats going on this week. Basically I really need to work on my other blog. I have a while until I present but I want a bunch of different entries and categories, so I best get moving. Also I need to prepare my oral presentation and how I am going to involve the class. Bell just rang, times up. No more blogging for two eight. Its been real.

kids back

First of all I would just like to apologize to all the daily readers of Matt's Happy Trail for the delay in posts. This apology however is not extended to Drew Herzon. "Dueces" as they call him, is a legend in the blogging community, known for his 3rd grade grammar mistakes and unwitty sense of humor. So mentally weak and insecure, "deisel" is forced, by his own nature, to take these blatant personality flaws out on someone special. But I think he hit the nail on the head, two eight is a young man with so much raw talent and infinite potential, but where is the work ethic? So no, I do not apologize to you deisel fuel, in any way shape or form. Sir, I thank you. I thank you for being so mentally weak that it makes me realize how much better I can be. The blade of a sword always looks sharper next to a dull butter knife, right guys? You keep working Rocket, and someday you will over come your insecurities.


Uhm, I got this number I been meaning to show you, thought it would be cool for you to check out. Its the success hotline.. 973-743-4690.. just some number I stumbled across a few years ago. Might want to give that a ring for some inspirational motivation to improve. I know I've been a regular caller since sophmore year, and let's be honest its paying off.


Anyway, I need to go get started on my project. Spitball some ideas around. I want this to be dynamite.


(hey dueces, when the ball is dropped into your hand this Friday vs Valley in the biggest game of our lives, through all the chaos, emotion, and confusion, try to always remember one thing- two eights at third, and batting leadoff, and a Marini Piece team is never desperate... so trust what got us there, reach back, and Make It Home. I love you)




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this week

Today is Monday and I have not yet technically started my research paper. I have brainstormed some ideas and discussed many things with Mr. Saxon, but today I would like to finalize a thesis and begin writing. Once I get my thesis down my papers usually flow and I am able to get alot written. If I write my paper today and Tuesday, I will have a good bulk ready to review and edit with a classmate on Wednsday. After that session I should have my opening completed, and being that the final paper is not due until next Friday, on Thursday and Friday of this week I want to continue to read the two books that will help me with ideas for my paper. And hopefully on Friday someone brings in something to watch to help them in their research that distracts me.


I just want everyone to check out Drizzles Blog. The kid has some great ideas flowing, and is well ahead of the game. Must be putting alot of extra time into his work, right? We can all learn something from that young mans work ethic.

In order to complete my research paper on young gifted athletes and their struggle to remain focused and deal with outside distractions, I want to first finish a book or two that focuses on this idea. I think two books that would be good to start off with are The Jump by Ian O'Connor, and Hoop Dreams by Ben Jaravsky. The Jump chronicles the life of Sebastian Telfair, a Coney Island basketball prodigy who was recruited since the age of 13, and ended up making the jump straight from Lincoln High School to the NBA. To contrast his triumph, the story of William Gates and Arthur Agee's hardships in Chicago, and failure to succeed will help me understand both sides of the spectrum. So many athletes are given the talent and physical ability, but only few can make the best out of their opportunity because of the situation that surrounds them.

4th marking period

With basically the freedom to pick any topic to study for the final marking period, I unfortunately came to the realization that the only subject matter that could hold my attention is sports non fiction. My favorite books are those that chronicle gifted young athlete's through their teenage years. The subject that appeals to me most is young men growing up in the projects, and using basketball to fight their way out. This is the true struggle, and grabs my attention because, as shown by the books I will read, some make it and some don't. Gang violence, drugs, and school all play a part in so many young athlete's down falls. As I will read in "Hoop Dreams: The true story of hardship and triumph", judging who to trust once your name gains value also becomes crucial. It is a tough road, but as portrayed by Ian O'connor in "The Jump", entire cities root for their prodigy to make it out. When they do make it, it is a feel good story, but do not be fooled, many do not. For my research paper I will need to study the process of documenting these young athletes. It is a long and vigorous process I would assume. As a project I want to find my own athlete, and chronicle his.. or her... life through high school and teenage years.

Put yourself in the position of a prisoner in a concentration camp. A dying Nazi soldier asks for your forgiveness. What would you do? In The Sunflower, Simon Wiesenthal raises that question for readers to wrestle with, and gives the responses of very distinguished men and women.

Before I even started reading this novel the first thought that came to mind was that in this test of the possibilities and limits of forgiveness, I would not have stayed silent like Wiesenthal. When given the opportunity of a Nazi soldier's confession, Wiesenthal chose to remain silent. Most would say they would do the same, which is completely understandable, and at first I thought the same about myself. But taking a deeper look, I have always forgiven people for everything. Not necessarily because I wanted to, but because its just how it works. Obviously I have never experienced a situation as drastic as Wiesenthal's, but I have always been a kid who feels compassion and sympathy for everyone (I felt bad for Alex in A Clockwork Orange).


It will be interesting to see how realistic Wiesenthal can make this situation for me, and how well he can pull me into his character. If he is able to do a good enough job, maybe my opinion on forgiveness will change due to the severity of the situation.

finally

After weeks of unbearably slow reading I finally finished A Clockwork Orange. My sluggish reading, mixed with Burgess unorthadox Nadsat language, led to, at times, a painful read. I enjoyed this novel, but not as much as I thought I would. The reason I chose it as my first read is because I heard so much about it. It was recommended to me by several people as "a book I would like". Its not that I didn't like it, but something about the whole nadsat language threw me off. I was able to understand the basic meaning of almost all the words, however I just feel it would have been better without it. While it gives good insite into the character's lives, I came to the conclusion that it was unnecessary.

In one of my earlier posts I stated that I sympathized with Alex. I could not explain it at the time, and can't really now either, but for some reason I feel bad for him. How could you show any compassion for a rapist murderer? I really do not know. Maybe it is his honesty and willingness to share the detail of his crimes, and his thoughts surrounding his actions. Chris Semansky's criticism of Burgess's novel is an excellent criticism and shares great insite into Burgess, and his protagonist Alex.


For my project on this novel, I plan on watching the movie again, and writing a comparitive essay. I have seen the movie once before, but at the time had not read the novel, and really was not paying much attention. All I remember is the movie is as brutal and terrifying as the book.


Don't forget to check out Drizzle's blog. Kid really works hard on that thing. Believe it or not.

Quote

While doing some follow up analysis of my reading on sparknotes, I re stumbled across a very interesting quote from the novel. It is a quote that I believe truly sums up Burgess's purpose in writing this novel.

"What does God want? Does God want goodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some way better than a man who has the good imposed upon him?"


Burgess’s gruesome novel really brings this idea to life, and puts things in perspective. Often times, as teenagers, we are constantly forced to do “good”. We are so influenced by higher authority that our lives are already pre routed in the direction of righteousness. But is this necessarily the best thing? In the grand scheme of things, wouldn’t God rather us be given the choice between right and wrong? Instead of having us forced in one direction, maybe it is better if we are forced to make a decision, to choose our own path. Obviously, if when given the choice, one chooses good over bad, and right over wrong, then he reaches ultimate success. But what if one chooses bad over good? Does having the choice of your own path out weigh the decision you make?

It is a question that will be constantly debated, and opinions will vary. Burgess brings this debate to life through his protagonist Alex. Alex is first living in a society where he and his friends are always left up to themselves to make their own decision. They rape, kill, and steal, and always make the wrong decision. This seems bad until you see what happens when Alex is no longer given the choice, and doing the right thing is forced upon him. Although I have not yet concluded the novel, things are going downhill very quickly for Alex. It seems he cannot win either way. The end of the book should shine some light onto this question, but even then, it is a debate that will never end.

clockwork

I have finished part I of A Clockwork Orange, and I must say I am pretty satisfied by this point. The book has shaped out to be exactly what I heard it to be, an action packed, violent thriler. There are few dull points in the novel, as Alex, either alone or with his gang, is out committing apalling crimes. There are a few things on my mind in the conclusion of part I. The first is that after reading 1984, I can not help but pointing out the differences in the novels, but at the same time they are somewhat similar. They are both dystopian societies, but for opposite reasons. In 1984, the government has too much control and is watching people's every move, which leads to a loss of individuality. In A Clockwork Orange, there is way too much freedom. While kids are allowed to go off and be themselves and be individual, the lack of supervision and discipline leaves opportunity for crime. Society in A Clockwork Orange is infested with people who take advantage of their freedom, and is inundated with violent crime. The second thing is Alex's constant obsession with classical music. At first it doesn't seem to make any sense or fit into the story, but later on I realized it adds to the character of the sick psychopath criminal that Alex is. And he is an unstable, and sick minded human. This being said, I am reluctant to admit that I somewhat feel bad for Alex when he gets arrested. For some reason when he is betrayed by his friends, and is helplessly taunted and beat by the officers, and then molested in jail, I feel sorry for him. One would think that he is getting a taste of his own medicine, and I agree, but there is just something that makes me sorry for him. Strange I know, and even more odd is the fact that I can't quite put my finger on what it is about Alex that would make a reader feel bad for him. Now that I am thinking about it though, I will be more concious of this when I am reading part II and hopefully answer my question.

haircut?

So yeah, I got my haircut yesterday. Makes me look like a 12 year old school boy. Whatever, had to get the hair out of my eyes; it was becoming a noticable problem during basketball. I only get my haircut like 3 or 4 times a year and I hate it everytime so this is nothing new. Also I shaved my goatee all the way contributing to my "about to hit puberty" look of a 12 year old. The good news is both will be back before we know it, so I will live. I'm not sure why I am posting about this, but I will get back to reading now.

Interesting Language

Although only two chapters into this novel, there is much to write about. Burgess wastes no time in throwing the reader right into the action. I have already read in vivid detail of several brutal beatings and gruesome rape. Burgess does a great job of hurling his reader directly into the lives of Alex and his three droogs. Perhaps the most interesting element of this novel thus far however, even more so than the instant violence, is the language. The book is well written but the english pros are frequently interrupted with Alex's gang's slang, Nadsat. Defined as an invented language influenced by Russian, German, English, and slang, it flows perfectly in the novel. While some of my classmates have criticized Burgess for creating his own words because it makes it impossible to read and understand, I think there is a need for Nadsat in A Clockwork Orange. The language flows nicely within the pros and Burgess provides us with enough context clues to determine what his made up words mean. Nadsat is an effective way of bringing the reader into the lives of Alex and his gang. To get a feel for the Nadsat language, what kind of words are used and their translation, you can visit this interpreter.

woops

Change of plans, actually. I recently came across the book A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, a book that I have heard so much about. Supposedly it is a brilliant novel, terrifying and marvelous at the same time. It is the story of a vicious teenage boy named Alex who is the leader of a criminal gang. Together they violently terrorize the community, beating men and raping women, with no regard for human life. I decided that I am more attracted to this mind grabbing violence than to the moral debate of The Sunflower at the moment. In conclusion, A Clockwork Orange will be my first novel, so place The Sunflower on the shelf for a while.

The Sunflower

"You are a prisoner in a concentration camp. A dying Nazi soldier asks for your forgiveness. What would you do?" This novel by Simon Wiesenthal does not seem like just another Holocaust book. To be honest, if it did, I probably would not have even considered reading it, for I have grown tired of hearing about ghettos and concentration camps. However this book takes a different approach. Being an imprisoned Jew placed next to a dying Nazi soldier who is haunted and embarrassed by his actions during the Holocaust, Wiesanthal is faced with one glaring question-whether or not to forgive the dying soldier. Years after the war he still wonders if his silence to the soldier was the right choice, and he receives feed back from distinguished theologians, political leaders, writers etc, who respond to his question.


I am curious to see whether this approach to a story of the Holocaust will be more interesting and grab my attention. We shall see. More to come after I begin reading.



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