My literary critic was quite simple; she wrote one and a half pages on how she feels bad for the creature. She feels bad for the creature because all he wants is a female companion and Victor, who created the creature, will not even make him a companion because he doesn't want another creature in the world. This critic found this profoundly sad and views Victor as an antagonist throughout the novel. She goes on to talk about how Victor finally feels bad when he is dying but he should have either not made the creature in the first place or at least make him a friend.

Sir Gawain Vs. Harry Potter

Samantha Kaplan

Mr. Coon

English IV

30 September 2011

Sir Gawain Vs. Harry Potter

Sir Gawain and Harry Potter have a lot in common, although there are differences. Sir Gawain and Harry potter are both faced with temptation, bravery, and loyalty. The two characters conquered these tasks in different ways, although they both seemed to have the same disposition while in the process of conducting. Both Gawain and Potter are extremely loyal to a leader, and brave.  These stories also had their differences.

            Harry Potter and Sir Gawain are both went through the process for fighting for a leader. Harry potter fought both for and with Aldus Dumbledore. Sir Gawain fought loyalty for his leader King Arthur. This represents the human notion of being loyal to another despite one’s own fear. Potter had to fear death by means of Lord Voldemort’s seemingly indomitable wand. Gawain had to fear death from the Green Night who had proven to be immortal.

            Both Gawain and Potter were brave throughout the process of fighting for a leader. Harry Potter fearlessly conquers Lord Voldemort in the final book and creates a safe magical world for his fellow wizards—both muggle and pure wizards. He had to go through tremendous, strenuous, and mind-boggling tasks to finally reach this goal. Gawain had to travel through foreign lands and resist many temptations to finally be tricked by, and almost killed by the Green Night.

            Humbleness and modesty are the two words that could describe these two very brave characters. Gawain didn’t take complements and underestimated his abilities. Potter was very modest and always cared about his true friends. He also did not seem to feel empowered due to his social and well-known status.

            Both Characters had to resist extreme temptations. Gawain was tempted with the lady of the castle who tempted him on a nightly basis. He demonstrated his ability to resist his human instincts and deny her in all acts that would be un-right. Harry Potter had to always resist the temptation to go to the dark side with Lord Voldemort. He stayed on the right path and didn’t stray from his mission at any point in the stories. He not only didn’t stray from his mission he also carried it out with extreme integrity and bravery. With the resistance of temptation loyalty was demonstrated.

            However both stories had their differences.  These differences were not only in plot but also in characters and what they faced throughout the story. Gawain was faced with an antagonist who wasn’t “evil” while Potter was faced with an antagonist who was the epitome of “evil” .

            Overall the two stories share striking similarities, especially amongst the two characters; Sir Gawain and Harry Potter. The bravery, modesty, and integrity of the two characters make them a trademark character for years and years to come!

ANGLO SAXON CUISINE

I love food. Therefore I have decided to do a little research on the food of the Anglo Saxon's. The main thing that makes the food of this time different from today is the invention of mass transportation. In other words; the Anglo Saxons were not able to go into a grocery store or market and purchase things from foreign lands. What they ate were things that were readily available to them via farming. For example; wheat, oats, and barley were commonly used among the anglo saxons. Sugar was not available in a large supply--it was most commonly used for medicinal purposes. Honey was used to sweeten things. For example, they made an alcoholic drink that was sweetened with honey called "mead" which is similar to sweetened beer. Some fruits such as apples, cherries, and plums were available to eat. Root vegetables were extremely common in this time period such as parsnips, cabbage, and carrot-like vegetables. Herring and Salmon were commonly eaten fish during this time. People used animals for both their meat and for their other body parts (such as fur). Sheep and cows were commonly eaten. Bread was commonly baked in the home. Cooking was usually done over an open fire in a large pot.

Here is an example of a typical Anglo Saxon menue:

Bread & butter

Griddled Trout with Herbs

Quail & Bacon Stew with Walnuts

Berry, Honey & Hazelnut Crumble

Pear & Apple Juice, herbal tea.

Here is a traditional desert recipie (enjoy!): 

Berry, Honey & Hazelnut Crumble

Ingredients

2 1/2 lb mixed summer fruits

3 oz. toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped

3 oz wholemeal or wholewheat brown breadcrumbs.Instructions
Put the fruits in a saucepan, add about 1 inch of water and cook gently for about 10 to 15 minutes, until soft but not mushy. Sweeten to taste with honey. Drain excess juice and save the juice. Put the fruit in an oven-proof dish.
Mix chopped hazelnuts with breadcrumbs. Use mixture to cover the fruit. Bake at 350 F. for about 20-30 minutes. Serve with cream and the warmed fruit juices.
-(http://www.marga.org/food/int/anglosaxon/crumble.html)

1984

In the novel 1984  there were many deep messages that were very prevalent throughout the entirety of the story. The messages that were manifested in metaphorical form are some of the many great component of this story, and in fact, many great stories. The author is obviously trying too voice his opinion on either society or government through this book. The fact that the book includes an intellectually stimulating plot makes it a good story too me. The plot includes things that one would never think possible--therefor making one think "what would it be like to not have any freedom--of thought, speech, or anything." The author almost seems to make us realize that we take our freedoms for granted--or at least thats how I felt while reading this book. The book was seemingly relatable too my life. in the sense that I could try to imagine what a world such as the one made up in the book would be like. This is another reason that the book is a good example of great story telling. 1984 combines a mystical tone and a relatable plot to make a great story. The mystery of the story is an aspect of the great plot, one never knows what is going to happen to Winston. On that point I would also like to point out that the character list is very well done. The characters both foil each other and work together to form a great group of characters. Not too mention the romance in this book--that is always a good way to draw in people to one's story (especially the female readers out there). The fact that society rejected or was told to reject sex and love is very interesting and counterintuitive to me, because I do believe in love. Winston and Julia's short love affair added a great flare to the story that made it very interesting. The Ministry of love was also a very interesting concept that was very hard to comprehend. I think that any romance is a good way to improve a story, it interests me personally, and I know for a fact it also interests many other readers. The plot twists and turns throughout the story never letting you know where it will end up; this keeps the readers interested; therefor a good example of storytelling. 1984 had a very interesting ending-- it was very diffent from what one would assume would happen in the end of a book. One would usually assume that the "good trumps evil" but in this case it was the oppisite and the evil power won in the end of the book. This was very hard for me too take in because it was very different that what I expected to happen--which would be Winston winning against the "norms of his society" and changing things around.  Overall 1984 is one of the few books too make my list of books that were able to hold my attention. This list is small and only consists of well told stories-- such as 1984. The many interesting aspects of the book are the reasons for it too make my exclusive list.

Best Stories

To be honest reading does not come easily to me; I'm more of an audio/ visual person. But a few good books have caught my interest. One of my all time favorite books is The Catcher in the Rye.  This book was not directly relatable to my life but I could in some way relate too Holden. The book held my undivided attention, unlike many other books. Another classic that I enjoyed was the Odyssey. That book has been alluded too in many forms since I took the time to read and explore it freshman year. And of course I can not write a "great stories" blog entry without mentioning my all time favorite Twilight. This book was so good that it has been made into a series of popular movies with many television spinoffs.

Twilight

Twilight is an excellent example of storytelling because it combines love, mystical beings, and adventure. The vivid details allow readers to visualize the story, which is something that is very important to me--a visual person. As I read I feel as if I am in the forest with Edward and Bella; I can see the sun reflecting off his shiny skin, I can smell the pine trees. Not to mention the priceless sentimental value that this book instills. Overall this was a book to be remembered--a classic.

"Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain."