My first impression of Clockwork Fagin

First of all, the story 'clockwork fagin' is a short story in a book of short stories about the steampunk period called "Steampunk!"
        Before I began to read this book, I wasn't exactly sure what 'steampunk' was. I had heard it was a style of dress. But I wasn't really clear.
Now after reading the beginning of Clockwork Fagin I understand that its more of a time period in the future, or a time when all of the machines cause injury to the people, so they must use mechanical limbs or replacements for vital body parts.

I chose this book because I was just curious about the stories and how they would be different from every other fantasy story. Myself, being a writer, was fascinated in the new style of writing.

I think that some of the students in class would enjoy this book. It is adventurous and fascinating. With its pushing action, witty characters and fantastic story line.
I love the characterizations and tone in this story. They are very, dare I say, rusty. With its metal connections and its rundown setting.

I love this story so far.

The theme of Harrison Bergeron

The theme of Harrison Bergeron is very abstract and very simple all at once. It really depends on your view. 

But, I am going to stick with the theme being what the dangers of total or forced equality are.

If you force everyone to be equal, then what kind of a nation are we? If everyone is the same, then it is no different then someone standing in a house of mirrors. Everyone if the same in every way, no one is anyone but the one person they are. Everyone would be one person in the sense that there isn't even more than one person. Just copies of one. 

In Harrison Bergeron the beautiful must be masked, the strong must be weakened, and the smart must be desensitised. So, what would happen if someone was more ugly, weak, or stupid then everyone else?

In a world where there are no independent individuals, would everyone higher than them be dragged down to this one persons level? Can one person ever be exactly the same? 

If you are only as strong as your weakest link, where is the weakest link?

What is the basis of comparison for equality? I mean, what is normal? 

In the story, the higher officials weren't handicapped...They weren't masked, and they weren't desensitised. 

So, this also would bring in another theme, the theme of a dangerous government. If thous certain people who are extraordinarily excellent aren't made normal, then where is the equality?!

There is no equality, only restraint. Then the government is not only forcing thous of lesser power to be equal, it is forcing them to be slaves! To be denied their rights to be human! 

Because, Like the snowflakes, there are no two the same.

The Knife Of Never Letting Go- Blog 6

So as the action moves us forward at a heart-stopping speed, we find Todd and Manchee face to face with a girl. I believe that the way Todd reacts to this girl, never having seen one before, is a very realist and accurate comparison. An example would be when he first saw her:

"There it is, looking back at us, breathing heavy, crouched at the base of a tree, cowering from Manchee. its eyes practically dying from fright but still trying to offer up a pitiful threat with its arms. And I just stop. I hold my knife. "Spackle!" Manchee barks, tho he's too chicken to attach now that I've held back "Spackle! Spackle! Spackle!" "Shut up Manchee," I say. "Spackle!" "I said shut up!" I shout, which stops him. "Spackle?" Manchee says, unsure of things now. I swallow, trying to get rid of the pressure in my throat, the unbelievable sadness that come and comes as I look at it looking back at me. Knowledge is dangerous and men lie and the world keeps changing, whether I want it to or not. Cuz it ain't a Spackle. "It's a girl." I say. Its a girl." (Ness, 64)

I think the way he describes the surprise and the "pressure" is interesting. I would interpret it like, he feels the unbelievable loneliness and he is confused by how this girl makes him feel that it all comes crashing down on him.

The tone of this quote just allows me to feel the confusion and the heart stopping shock Todd felt in the moments of his discovery.

 I love how Patrick Ness creates his characterization of Todd just through the way he speaks and the way he thinks. Allowing the reader to literally hear is thoughts was a very great idea.

Plot Diagram.

The plot Diagram of Harrison Bergeron:

EXPOSITION: 1: George Bergeron Has flash backs of Harrison being taken away.
2: The news informs everyone that harrison has escaped from jail.

RISING ACTION: 3.Harrison appears in the theater and threatens everyone with a bomb.
4. Harrison breaks free of all his handicaps.
5. The police surround the building and try to disarm the bomb.
6. Harrison dances with a ballerina. The crowd is stunned.
7. The police disarm the bomb. the bomb was a distraction.
8. Harrison sets of the ral device and the tv's are turned on.

CLIMAX: 9: Harrison is killed.

FALLING ACTION: 10. The people are stunned.
11. George is stunned and so is hazel.

RESOLUTION: 12. They both forget.

Patrick Ness

Watching The London Book Fair's interview with Patrick Ness was actually an inspiration to me as a writer. I found Patrick Ness to be a very insightful and honest man. He had many very wise and interesting views on somethings. These were some of those things:

"Every book is about its writer." (Ness)

Mr. Ness said that a story is about its writer in the sense that we write from what we know. Who we are, how we feel and where we are. A very interesting quote that I agree with.

"I'm a real believer in, you absolutely listen to the story first and formost what its telling you it needs to be and the important things is not to be a snob. Its telling you it needs to be this, if thats the right thing then you've got to pay attention to it." (Ness)

This was a quote that I found greatly interesting. Mr. Ness talks about how a story writes itself. If you don't let the story develop the way it wants to then the story isn't how it should be. In a sense, he is saying that you can't leave things out because you don't think anyone will like it. You have to develop the story to how it should be or it won't be right.

"Writing can't be taught, it can be practiced." (Ness)

This is a wonderful quote. Mr. Ness really feels that you can only teach how you write, only give tips. Writing is a personalized and individual skill that is developed uniquely by the writer. One's style of writing is a unique and precious thing.

"Good books don't get written if their not written for the story themselves."

I love this quote. It really gives you a sense of how a story is developed. Mr. Ness goes on to say that if you don't write a story for the story itself than its not a story, its a product. I agree. If you write a story to fit inside a certain box than its not written for the story.

I enjoyed learning about this author and look to his with great respect as a mentor and role-model for my dream to become a writer.

The Tone of A Story. (Harrison Bergeron)

The tone of a story or a book is the mood or emotion that the writer enforces in a story. It can be created by the words (diction), the setting or the sentence structure. The way a story's tone is, both effects the readers feelings and the story's effect. Some examples of how the tone can effect the reader would be:

" The moon was glimmering and the trees were swaying in the cool breeze. The sound it made was peaceful, like the calming rush of the oceans waves. I walked through the park, the tall lamps illuminating the path with a soft and warm glow. "  -Rhiannon

This first example is almost quiet and calm.
Now lets change some words and descriptions...

" The moon was high in the sky a glowed with a pale and ghostly light. The wind was cold and it blew the leaves in the trees wildly, creating a sound much like the raging waves in a storm controlled sea. I walked down this empty and eerie path. The tall lamps standing high above me like glaring black skeletons, the light they projected cast long dark shadows that reached out to grab at their passing victims. "
-Rhiannon

So this is the same place and the same situation but with a different tone. The difference a tone can have in a story can completely change the course of the story. And it sets the readers mood.

Examples of tone in Harrison Bergeron:

"It was tragic, all right, but George and Hazel couldn't think about it very hard. Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn't think about anything except in short bursts. And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains." (Vonnegut, pg 1) 

This describes the tone in a indirect way. Using descriptive and interesting language, Vonnegut created a isolated, twisted, cruel and complicated tone. 

"And she had to apologize at once for her voice, which was a very unfair voice for a woman to use. Her voice was a warm, luminous, timeless melody. "Excuse me-" she said, and she began again, making her voice absolutely uncompetitive." (Vonnegut, pg 4) 

This gives us an idea of how the tone of the story is also, revealing how life is for the people of the year 2081. How people must mask who they are inorder for the rest of the world to feel 'comfortable' with themselves. 

The tone is very pressured. It gives us a sad and depressed tone.

The Knife Of Never Letting Go- Blog 5

The action in this book continues to rise. As todd and Manchee run on their way to this strange destination that Ben has sent them off to, I began to feel a connection to Todd. He thinks often like I do. He thinks that maybe the world is out to get him (in the sense that he is alone. The world is, in fact out to get him...) or that there is no hope anymore. I think that we as people often feel out of place or unwanted. And we often give up on ourselves. It is just part of our nature.

Todd and Manchee follow the map and are doing fine when Aaron (the Psycho preist) finds them and tries to kill, yes, kill Todd. Aaron gets eaten by an aligator (so we thought) and was taken out of the picture. Just when you think it couldn't get anymore fast paced, the silence, or "Hole in the noise," Appears again. Todd, not going to let it escape this time runs after it to kill it.

Now, Todd thinks that it is a spackle. A spackle is a kind of life form, aliens from the planet that Prentiss Town moved to. They started the war that ended up with a germ being released that killed all the women and most the men. They were supposed to be extinct.

So anyway, Todd is running to it, his heart pounding as this thing runs away from it.
Now by this point I have a million theory's going through my mind and my heart is pounding just as Todds was. But, When he gets to the hole...Its a girl. Thats right a girl. And he can't hear a sound out of her but her terrified breathing.

What a twist that was.

The Knife Of Never Letting Go-blog 4

Wow. This book has completely changed course and blown my mind. The action is compelling in such a way that you just can't turn a page fast enough!
I love how creative Ness is, his style of writing is certainly new to me but is a very fresh and realistic change. He uses certain spelling or vocabulary to show that we are basically reading either directly from Todd's thoughts or out of some kind of journal.

Ex "You'll get an explanashun," Ben says, taking me by the arm and pulling me along. "You'll get more than you ever wanted." And there's so much sadness to him when he says it that I don't say nothing more, just follow along running back to the house, Manchee barking his head off behind us" (Ness, 41)

It both proves how little he actually had to learn to read, write and speak. Well that would make sense, that is, because books are banned from Prentiss Town. This book is a fun and compelling read. I can't wait to further explore the world of Todd Hewitt.

Conflicts So far in The Knife Of Never Letting Go.

So far from what information I have collected; the main conflicts in The Knife Of Never Letting Go are:

1. Person Vs. Society; When everyone can read your mind their is really no place to think. Todd is always constantly under watch. Soon into the book the whole town is chasing after him.

And the second I believe is Person vs. Nature, On Todds way to find the 'new frontier' he has to dodge wild crocodiles, run through swampy and slippery forests and follow weaving paths and trails along side a river! Todd, Manchee and their new acquired friend Viola race across the unfamiliar terrains and escape the clutches of the mayor, his goons and a crazy pastor named Aaron.
But as they get closer to their destination they learn more about each other, and about themselves.