Steinbeck v. Shakespeare: not so easy

Last week, Tip borrowed a book about Shakespeare from the library, and when I read and responded to her comments, I decided that I would like to reread Macbeth. Macbeth was my first experience of Shakespeare, and it wasn't easy. I was twelve years old, and English was not my favourite subject, and Shakespeare definitely did not write in modern English! Perhaps that play helped me to see how exciting literature could be. In fact, it's such a bloody story, like a lot of classics, that I wonder if it would not be banned in some countries today. When I read Romeo and Juliet, I thought it must be even more shocking to the people who worry about protecting children from anything naughty. But I that's not what I wanted to write about.

After brainstorming for a couple of hours after class today, I finally decided that the book I would like to compare with Of Mice and Men's first two chapters was Macbeth. I was surprised how difficult it was just to decide on my topic.
Then, I started thinking about the similarities and differences. I think I've spent about two hours doing that so far. Not constantly, but as I was eating, that's what was running through my mind, and then I finished reading (rereading really) chapter two of Of Mice and Men, and as I was reading that, I was thinking of what was the same as and what was different to Shakespeare's story. Then I decided to read the beginning of Macbeth again, again, just to help me get more ideas about the similarities and the differences.

Now, I've got lots of ideas, but I still haven't decided what my main idea will be, so I can't write a thesis statement yet. But I've got a couple more hours yet. I think I'll take a break, then come back and think about it a bit more. I do have a vague idea about what I want to say about the two stories, but I haven't really decided whether the similarities or the differences are more important. Of course, there are a lot more contrasts that are easy to see, but are they more important than the similarities?

Perhaps I should just write a temporary topic sentence and see if I can support it? I can always change it later if decide that first idea can't really be supported.

Fu's van Gogh question: How important is it?

At the end of Fu's review of Pui's paragraph about the painting on page 165 of Quest, he asked, "****Is it vangoh painting?????" It's a good question, and a good example of the sort of thing that would be worth posting about on this class Blog, either to ask for information and the opinions of others, or to share your own ideas.
As I'm sure some of you have realised, it is a painting by van Gogh. In your paragraphs, a couple of people have also used the colour of the painting in supporting reasons for their opinion about it, and when I reviewed Top's paragraph, that was something I commented on (notes 8 & 9).
The painting is Ward in the Hospital in Arles. It's an oil by van Gogh, who painted it in April 1889.

Some questions that you might like to respond to with a comment are:

• Does knowing this make any difference to your answer to the question?
• Should it make any difference? Why? Why not?
• Does seeing a more accuretely coloured copy of the original make any difference to your opinion about the painting?
• Do you know anything else about the painting that might be relevant to the question you answered last week?
• Has anyone done a bit of research and found out anything relevant to our question about the painting?

My thanks to Fu and Top for suggesting this as a discussion topic.

Alexander the great

Alexander at the age of twenty the king of Macedonia with in twelve years, he spread and be came the ruler the biggest empire that the world had ever seen, covering nearly two million square kilometers from Greece in the west to India the east. It is the first time that the east could join the west.
His life was absolutely extraordinary. His achievement is the great thing that made him become a hero. He march his army, defeated the war. In many times, he is remembered as a bloodthirsty. Many people died as he and his army. But we cannot deny that he was a great conquering hero. He could make close friend as well as enemies among the people. When he was thirty three years old, he was poisoned and died. He had no chance to rule the empire that he had create so quickly. Although he has died for 2300 years ago, his name is still alive in the world.

GOLDFISH

GOLDFISH was composed by Raymond Chandler. It told about the Leander pearls were stolen nineteen years ago, and the thief was caught. However, the pearls were never found, and there is still a $25,000 reward for anyone who finds them. Then somebody comes to private detective Carmady with a story about a guy who knows where the pearls are hidden. This book was separated to 7 chapters and each chapter has a catch and interested to search answers. If people who want to read a detective story, I recommend this book for your read.

Blogging, Google Groups and Gmail: What do you think?

As a look through Quest Reading and Writing 2 (Quest) shows, each chapter has "response writing" activities. For example, in chapter 6, "Abnormal Psychology", there is one on page 182. The final instruction tells us what sort of sort activities these are: "Write for ten minutes. Don't worry about grammar and don't use a dictionary."

The questions to answer in your comment:

• What is the purpose of these sorts of writing exercises in Quest?
• How does this purpose relate to Blogging?
• How might Google Groups fit in with that sort of writing activity?
  In case you don't know, Google Groups is a service that "allows you to manage ... your mailing list, [and] also provides a method for true communication and collaboration with group members" (from Google Groups Help Center).
• Please feel welcome to share any related ideas you might have.

Note that this is a "response writing" activity. It is not academic writing, so write, write, write, and don't worry too much about the grammar. Definitely do not stop writing to look in a dictionary or other book, although you might like to have a quick look around Google Groups and think for a few minutes before you start writing, writing, writing.

This is part I of this class discussion. Part II is coming tomorrow, so please check back and share your ideas on that as well. Of course, you are also welcome to comment on a classmate's comment here.

Thanks,

Peter.

Business in Women

I chose "business in Women" By David Evans but It is not novel.
The book introduce that about five business success stories of five women, Coco Chanel, Hanae Mori, Anita Roddick, Oprah Winfrey, and Madonna. It is real story about five business women's life, How did they do?, How did they success? , what happened during their whole life?, and so on. I read first cheapter which introduce about Coco Chanel's life who was a designer and she made Chanel no.5 that is very famouse so she became rich and famous in the world. why and how did she become rich? I think she has many new idea and she has diffrent point of view about fashion. Also she did not give up while her whole life. I think that is a very interesting book.

Yesterday, it's the first day of my attending in this class then I didn't borrow the book from the library yet. May I give the answer by using the book that you assigned us to read in class? I read the book, mice and men, that you assigned me to read in page 1-10. This book is the story of two men, very different character and something linkage with a mice. The first part describe in general view of the story and then tell us about the story. I think these book is very interesting, I didn't read the book like this before and didn't familiar with the language that the writer was used

A Time To Kill

A Time To Kill was compoesd by John Grisham. It told about racialism in the southern United States where the coloured people were oppressed. The story began with the rape event of Carl Lee's dauther by 2 white males. Indeed, the girl was black. Subsequently, Carl Lee committed a revenge by killing those raper. That' s why this story is called "A Time To Kill". Despite a fiction, the story was based on a true event where the the balcks and whites had conflict in the past and many things referred to in the book, such as the organization named Ku Kluk Klan, were real. I think this book is good for studying about incompatibility among people with different colours. It reflects unjustice in the society, even in the recent year, where the man with more power always takes avantage over the weaker. However, I am glad to see that a lawyer who handled the case for behalf of Carl Lee was white. This mean in the darkness, there always is the light, even though we hardly notice it Therefore, I do recommend people to read this book.

A Brief History of Western Philosophy

This week, I'm reading A Brief History of Western Philosophy by Anthony Kenny. I started reading this book because one of my students from last term asked for a suggestion for an introduction to philosophy. The best I could think of off hand was A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell, which is very good, but over a thousand pages in length. Kenny's book is only four hundred pages!
Obviously, Kenny's history is not as detailed as Russell's, but I don't think that's a problem. He gives a good account of the basic ideas and new contributions of the major thinkers in the Western philosophical tradition, and he also relates them to the political and social history that they occur in, which Russell tended not to do.
I think Kenny gives fairly clear explanations, so if you're looking for a short (but not too short) introduction to Western philosophy from the pre-Socratics through to Wittgenstein, I would recommend this book.

Survive!

I chose "Survive!" by Helen Brooke. It is a easy book for me to start with but now I have not finish it. I read it about 15 page. I think it is the best book because it provide you a great much knowledge when you are in the difficult situation,especially at the top of a mountain. It is not a narrative book. It gave your opportunity to take a decision when you drove your private airplane and the engine start to break out and how you can survive in this situation. For example, when the airplane began to get some struck you have to decide you will land on in snow on your right or through many trees on your left. So if you choose the right ,you go to number 5 and you will continue your journey, but if you take the left , maybe you will die so it gave you to go back at number one, start again.

ANNE of GREEN GABLES

The story is about an eleven year-old little girl, Anne and the Cuthberts family. Anne is an orphan child adopted by the Cuthberts. Actually the Cuthberts want to adopt a boy to help them in their farm, but a children 's house did a mistake sending a girl for them. Because of Anne 's merry, They have decided to adopt her.

I' Robot is a short story about relationship between human and robots.Real lifes sometimes has a strange way of catching up with scientific fiction.The author wrote this story in the 1940s,when most people just laughed at the idea of robots doing many jobs done by human being.But today,we have robots.In this story,Dr Susan Calvin,elder women but professional in robot psychologist was talk with author.A situation start in the second Mercury Expedition and two engineers was survive and almost die from robots ,new and old robot dependent in three rules that control robot should do or don't and is express robots more clever and stronger than human thinking.

The Lost World

The Lost World is written book for screen play. I like adventure and scientific book very much so this is the my favourite book undoutedly. These are the series of story about the dinosours. The first part is Jurasik park which is the story that happened in one island in Costa Rica. The Ingen company which is the bioscientific company has acheived to hatch dinosaurs and made them alive again. They have a plan to set this park to be the funny and interesting park that has many kinds of dinosaurs. Unfortunately before the opening day there is an accident that many people was killed by their dinosaurs. After that the park was closed but there are some dinosaurs left in the farest and most terrible island in Costa rica. That is the Lost World. I like this book very much. It is very interesting for me how to make the dinosaurs alive. When I have read this book I feel like to be in the story. It is very exciting.

Shakespeare His Life and Plays

This story is about William Shakespeare,the greatest writer in the English language, who wrote more plays of different kinds that anyone else in the world. Most of the stories about his personal life. In my opinion, after i have read this book,this book is such a remarkable book. It taught me a lot and i have learned many things from book. I myself really pleased of borrowing this book and i am not regret of borrowing this book at all.
To begin with, Shakespeare is the greatest of all dramatists, but have you ever known that he did not go to a university? that is one of the reason why i'm really interested in this book. Moreover, it has shown me about his lifestyle and his personal thinking. It is a good choice for someone who loves reading a famous plays or how to be succeed like them, especially Shakespeare.

the invisible man

I borrowed "The Invisible Man". The story is quite confused. The book talked about the strange man wrapped up from his head to foot so that no part of his body is visible that make the owner of the inn very surprised about his appearance and behavior including other people who live around. There are many characters that very confused me. I think a step that the writer told readers is alright and it is a bit boring for me because when I read it last night I am so sleepy. I am still happy with this book because the story is interesting and I want to know what is going to happen with the stranger. This book might be a good choice for readers who like a mysterious story.

The Jewel That Was Ours

I have been reading " The Jewel That Was Ours" This story was about a valuable buckle that has two parts-first one is kept in Ashmolean Museum and the other one belong to Laura Stratton.
During she would give this treasure to Ashmolean Museum, she died by hart attack or murder and the treasure disappeared. It is still mystery. I like this book because I have to seek the clues and investigate who are a murderer and a robber. I recommend this book to all of readers, if you are interested in investigating.

Saving Private Ryan

saving private ryan is written book for screen play.The story set world war2.it about to saving a soilder who were the last of his 4 brothers in member (the rest are already die).Honestly i love war movie.so i like this book too.there meaning to save some one.to protect something.it not like some war book that show only killing and politic.i didn't finish the book yet. but i give it now 8 out of 10 for good book.good introduct story and sound of the book(exciteting).a high quality movie so do the book as well.

The Seventh Scroll

I enjoy reading this book for many reasons. First, I think this story is exciting and it makes me want to continue to read it because I want to know what it will happen next and finally who the murder is, so I think if anybody who likes the thriller will like this book too. Second, this story happened in Egypt where is one of my favorite countires; moreover, I know the new information and interesting word from this book such as scroll of papyrus which it is the Ancient Egyptians often recorded important information, prayers and stories on papyrus. In fact, I like know about the historical place or history. Finally, I think this is the right book for me.