Jennifer Hong
Jan. 15, 2012
My conclusion to both stories is similar to my comparison. Again, I enjoyed The Great Gatsby a lot more than Slaughterhouse-Five. Slaughterhouse-Five surprised me because I didn't expect there to be alien abduction and that kind of stuff in the book (pg. 52). At first I thought this was just some crazy stuff. I supposed the whole point of this book was to talk about a massacre, war, and all of that; to express the horrors and pains that had gone on back then. I think the time traveling and aliens was just a plus so that the story wasn't totally boring like a lot of other historical type novels. In a way, I like the ending, but in another, I don't like it. I like how it ended with the bird "asking him a question" (pg. 101). It signifies that none of this violence will end or something. I don't like it cuz the ending is just like the rest of the book. He's still time travelling and meeting aliens (pg. 99-100), and there was no climax. It feels like I read all of that for nothing because nothing new or good or bad happened; nothing ending or started.
As for The Great Gatsby, I liked it more. It was more of an ending. It sucked how Gatsby died (pg. 178) but I guess thats why i made me feel there was an ending. I think everything was put in place at the end unlike Slaughterhouse-Five. Seeing the obscene words on Gatsby's mansion, Nick realized things (pg. 200) which made me feel like there was ending more.
For both books there were many twists and turns; surprises and expected things. They were both interesting in differet ways, but still, The Great Gatsby took my attention more.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Comparison On Both Stories (Week 8, Post 1)
Jennifer Hong
Jan. 15, 2012
Slaughterhouse-Five and The Great Gatsby are both interesting stories. For both books, I got surprised and I totally didn't expect that they would turn out the way they did. I did know a bit about each book before I read them, but I didn't expect many things. For this quarter, I really think the book The Great Gatsby won me over. For many reasons actually. It was fun to read, not confusing, it had a style in writing, the plot was exciting, there were lots of parts to it such as love, affair (pg. 97), mystery, and the characters weren't that boring. Although the Great Gatsby isn't my favorite book since I'm not into these kinds of books that much, I give this book props because even though this isn't my thing, I could read on without getting bored. As for Slaughterhouse-Five, I was interested with it at first, but then got bored. But after a while, I guess it was more interesting. Although a short book, Slaughterhouse-Five was very confusing and it kind of made me feel like there was no point to it. It also had bad grammar (pg. 5), I don't know if it was just my edition/copy of the book, but nothing seemed like it was in the right place. The Great Gatsby had more of an eloquence to it and I felt like intelligence wrote it. In Slaughterhouse-Five, not saying that Kurt Vonnegut isn't smart, but the way he wrote didn't really feel enlightening to me and didn't keep me interested even though a bunch of weird things happened. It did leave me with a lot of questions though. Slaughterhouse-Five was more of a historical book then Gatsby was (pg. 30). It talked and explained about war and stuff.
Jan. 15, 2012
Slaughterhouse-Five and The Great Gatsby are both interesting stories. For both books, I got surprised and I totally didn't expect that they would turn out the way they did. I did know a bit about each book before I read them, but I didn't expect many things. For this quarter, I really think the book The Great Gatsby won me over. For many reasons actually. It was fun to read, not confusing, it had a style in writing, the plot was exciting, there were lots of parts to it such as love, affair (pg. 97), mystery, and the characters weren't that boring. Although the Great Gatsby isn't my favorite book since I'm not into these kinds of books that much, I give this book props because even though this isn't my thing, I could read on without getting bored. As for Slaughterhouse-Five, I was interested with it at first, but then got bored. But after a while, I guess it was more interesting. Although a short book, Slaughterhouse-Five was very confusing and it kind of made me feel like there was no point to it. It also had bad grammar (pg. 5), I don't know if it was just my edition/copy of the book, but nothing seemed like it was in the right place. The Great Gatsby had more of an eloquence to it and I felt like intelligence wrote it. In Slaughterhouse-Five, not saying that Kurt Vonnegut isn't smart, but the way he wrote didn't really feel enlightening to me and didn't keep me interested even though a bunch of weird things happened. It did leave me with a lot of questions though. Slaughterhouse-Five was more of a historical book then Gatsby was (pg. 30). It talked and explained about war and stuff.
Thoughts About Characters: Slaughterhouse-Five (Week 7, Post 2)
Jennifer Hong
Jan. 14, 2012
I think that Billy is a crazy guy. I still don't understand if he really is being abducted by aliens and time traveling or not. I feel like he might just be crazy and hallucinating, but maybe Kurt Vonnegut just has a large imagination. He starts time traveling from the beginning of the story (pg. 13) and his description of the aliens and what they believe in is very specific and vivid descriptions. In my opinion, this book was very twisted and different from anything I've ever read because its a mix of history, sci-fi, fact, real life, and a bunch of different things. I think Billy's friend is very heroic and stays by Billy's side like during the war (pg. 53). I also think that he is a good friend.
My thoughts about Kurt Vonnegut himself is that he is a good author but I don't think he wrote this in a appealing way. When I was reading this story. I wasn't as interested as I thought I would be. I would like to read another one of Kurt's books to see what is actual style of writing is and to see if it is like what he wrote for Slaughterhouse-Five.
Jan. 14, 2012
I think that Billy is a crazy guy. I still don't understand if he really is being abducted by aliens and time traveling or not. I feel like he might just be crazy and hallucinating, but maybe Kurt Vonnegut just has a large imagination. He starts time traveling from the beginning of the story (pg. 13) and his description of the aliens and what they believe in is very specific and vivid descriptions. In my opinion, this book was very twisted and different from anything I've ever read because its a mix of history, sci-fi, fact, real life, and a bunch of different things. I think Billy's friend is very heroic and stays by Billy's side like during the war (pg. 53). I also think that he is a good friend.
My thoughts about Kurt Vonnegut himself is that he is a good author but I don't think he wrote this in a appealing way. When I was reading this story. I wasn't as interested as I thought I would be. I would like to read another one of Kurt's books to see what is actual style of writing is and to see if it is like what he wrote for Slaughterhouse-Five.
Thoughts About Characters: The Great Gatsby (Week 7, Post 1)
Jennifer Hong
Jan. 4, 2012
It think that Gatsby is a very determined sort of guy. He is still trying to win over Daisy's heart even after such a long time and even though she has a husband (Tom). I think his determination payed off because eventually Daisy liked him once again. He is also a sweet guy because he even called off all his parties to have more time with Daisy (pg. 121-122). He is a romantic guy, always doing lovey-dovey things to win over Daisy. Although he is all these good things, I also think he is a home-wrecker since he is getting between Daisy and Tom. Tom even starts to realize that Daisy's affair with Gatsby is certain, and they both still go for it. Daisy even asked to go out to the city with Gatsby (pg. 136-138). For my part, I don't really have respect for Daisy because she is cheating on her husband and clearly lying to him when her husband loves her very much. And I feel bad for Tom clearly. He tries to confront them and even invites them to go to New York together but Daisy refuses (pg. 151). This book, The Great Gatsby, in my opinion, is a lot more about Gatsby and Daisy then about the narrator himself (Nick). Although a lot of the other characters are also bland, I feel like Nick is kind of a boring but essential character tot he story considering it is from his own point of view. There is not much to Nick and he doesn't seem to get too much into problems unless its about the lady Jordan or some other pretty girls.
Jan. 4, 2012
It think that Gatsby is a very determined sort of guy. He is still trying to win over Daisy's heart even after such a long time and even though she has a husband (Tom). I think his determination payed off because eventually Daisy liked him once again. He is also a sweet guy because he even called off all his parties to have more time with Daisy (pg. 121-122). He is a romantic guy, always doing lovey-dovey things to win over Daisy. Although he is all these good things, I also think he is a home-wrecker since he is getting between Daisy and Tom. Tom even starts to realize that Daisy's affair with Gatsby is certain, and they both still go for it. Daisy even asked to go out to the city with Gatsby (pg. 136-138). For my part, I don't really have respect for Daisy because she is cheating on her husband and clearly lying to him when her husband loves her very much. And I feel bad for Tom clearly. He tries to confront them and even invites them to go to New York together but Daisy refuses (pg. 151). This book, The Great Gatsby, in my opinion, is a lot more about Gatsby and Daisy then about the narrator himself (Nick). Although a lot of the other characters are also bland, I feel like Nick is kind of a boring but essential character tot he story considering it is from his own point of view. There is not much to Nick and he doesn't seem to get too much into problems unless its about the lady Jordan or some other pretty girls.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Opinions and Thoughts: Slaughterhouse-Five (Week 6, Post 2)
Jennifer Hong
Dec. 6. 2011
In my opinion, this book, Slaughterhouse-Five, is a lot more boring and less easy to read than The Great Gatsby. I like the Great Gatsby more because it makes more sense, and has an actual story. Slaughterhouse-Five has a story but I don't see the point of the story. I admit that it gets better the more I read but it confuses me a lot. I mean, I'd have to admit, it is a very interesting thing to read, but I don't know what the book is trying to tell me. It is a mixture of history and sci-fi, past and present (pg. 20-21, 24), which doesn't make sense to me. All the stuff about the aliens and such (pg. 57) I also feel as thought this book is very illiterate, which I'm sure is on purpose, but I just don't like it. Billy is a very interesting character and I don't know if this is good or not. Sometimes I feel as though he is just crazy, but I guess I could understand because of all the events in his life. I know I'd go koo-koo if I were him. I'm already going crazy just reading about his koo-koo life. I have a lot of questions about this book and about Billy. I wonder what was going through Kurt's mind when he was writing this story. What is the point of writing this book? What is Kurt Vonnegut trying to tell me? Is there some symbolic meaning behind this book? What is going to happen to Billy? How will he die in the future since he's always time traveling?
Dec. 6. 2011
In my opinion, this book, Slaughterhouse-Five, is a lot more boring and less easy to read than The Great Gatsby. I like the Great Gatsby more because it makes more sense, and has an actual story. Slaughterhouse-Five has a story but I don't see the point of the story. I admit that it gets better the more I read but it confuses me a lot. I mean, I'd have to admit, it is a very interesting thing to read, but I don't know what the book is trying to tell me. It is a mixture of history and sci-fi, past and present (pg. 20-21, 24), which doesn't make sense to me. All the stuff about the aliens and such (pg. 57) I also feel as thought this book is very illiterate, which I'm sure is on purpose, but I just don't like it. Billy is a very interesting character and I don't know if this is good or not. Sometimes I feel as though he is just crazy, but I guess I could understand because of all the events in his life. I know I'd go koo-koo if I were him. I'm already going crazy just reading about his koo-koo life. I have a lot of questions about this book and about Billy. I wonder what was going through Kurt's mind when he was writing this story. What is the point of writing this book? What is Kurt Vonnegut trying to tell me? Is there some symbolic meaning behind this book? What is going to happen to Billy? How will he die in the future since he's always time traveling?
Monday, December 5, 2011
Opinions and Thoughts: The Great Gatsby (Week 6, Post 1)
Jennifer Hong
Dec. 5, 2011
What I'd like to start off with is that I think Gatsby is a very sweet guy for loving Daisy so much and wanting to be with her again like they were before (pg. 118-119). But I do agree with Nick that Gatsby cannot bring back the past. It is what it is (pg. 119). I don't think Gatsby should think that his money will provide Daisy with everything because money doesn't buy happiness. Also, it's horrible to come in between someone's marriage, considering that Tom seems to love Daisy very much, too. I think Gatsby is a little too into his money. I feel like he is too absorbed in it and thinks the money can get him everything. Gatsby clearly depends on his money way too much more than needed. But again, it is good that he loves Daisy very much and is determined to win her back like before. What chapter 6 also showed about Gatsby was his past. It showed how Gatsby came to be himself now and how he is so successful (pg. 105-108). I think my prediction about Gatsby maybe being a bad person is totally wrong. I feel like Nick and Gatsby's friend relationship has gone a long ways so far and they are pretty close to each other which is good. Another thing I'd like to point out are the annoying reporters. Reporters are super snoopy and want to know everything even though they already know Gatsby's history (pg. 104-105). If I were Gatsby, I'd be a bit pissed off. I really actually respect Gatsby for being so rich and motivated to be rich, although he is, again, too absorbed in money. I look up to him for being so successful and not a bad person. I find that a lot of successful people go blind because of money, power, and fame, but clearly Gatsby does not drink, as he's committed to never being an alcoholic (pg. 107-108), doesn't kill, and doesn't do drugs. He's just like a normal human being. I think this is overall a good book, but it is a bit boring. Nothing is actually happening that is big and there's no thrill of action sort of thing. It's just a book about the lives of people. But still, I enjoy this book.
Dec. 5, 2011
What I'd like to start off with is that I think Gatsby is a very sweet guy for loving Daisy so much and wanting to be with her again like they were before (pg. 118-119). But I do agree with Nick that Gatsby cannot bring back the past. It is what it is (pg. 119). I don't think Gatsby should think that his money will provide Daisy with everything because money doesn't buy happiness. Also, it's horrible to come in between someone's marriage, considering that Tom seems to love Daisy very much, too. I think Gatsby is a little too into his money. I feel like he is too absorbed in it and thinks the money can get him everything. Gatsby clearly depends on his money way too much more than needed. But again, it is good that he loves Daisy very much and is determined to win her back like before. What chapter 6 also showed about Gatsby was his past. It showed how Gatsby came to be himself now and how he is so successful (pg. 105-108). I think my prediction about Gatsby maybe being a bad person is totally wrong. I feel like Nick and Gatsby's friend relationship has gone a long ways so far and they are pretty close to each other which is good. Another thing I'd like to point out are the annoying reporters. Reporters are super snoopy and want to know everything even though they already know Gatsby's history (pg. 104-105). If I were Gatsby, I'd be a bit pissed off. I really actually respect Gatsby for being so rich and motivated to be rich, although he is, again, too absorbed in money. I look up to him for being so successful and not a bad person. I find that a lot of successful people go blind because of money, power, and fame, but clearly Gatsby does not drink, as he's committed to never being an alcoholic (pg. 107-108), doesn't kill, and doesn't do drugs. He's just like a normal human being. I think this is overall a good book, but it is a bit boring. Nothing is actually happening that is big and there's no thrill of action sort of thing. It's just a book about the lives of people. But still, I enjoy this book.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Themes and Predictions: Slaughterhouse-Five (Week 5, Post 2)
Jennifer Hong
Dec. 1, 2011
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