tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917902134923383272024-03-27T16:53:43.704-07:00CaponomicsJosh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.comBlogger333125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-84431546597804043892017-08-25T06:36:00.001-07:002017-08-25T06:36:03.652-07:00Literary Gladiators- Season 6 DiscussionsIt has been quite sometime since I posted anything new to this blog and I always say that I am going to submit some new content. Between the operation of <em>Literary Gladiators </em>and how I am posting my new content on Goodreads, it has been awhile since I had the ability to check out this blog. I am really happy to see that it is picking up viewership, though, and I will definitely use it to provide written updates in the form of announcements for the new season and also my Top 10 favorite books that I read in any given year. I am strongly considering a return, but when that return is remains to be determined.<br />
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For now, I wanted to share a list of the 30 discussions we have taped and will be releasing for season six, which will last from September 15, 2017 to April 13, 2018. We are releasing new discussions every Friday during this span with the exception of December 29, which will be the week in which we are releasing our favorite books that we read in 2017. <br />
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The works we will be going over are: <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Sep. 15, 2017- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Watership
Down</i> by Richard Adams (NOVEL)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Sep. 22- “The Sad Story of Henry” by Rev. W. Awdry
(CHILDREN’S STORY)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Sep. 29- “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James
Thurber (SHORT STORY)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Oct. 6- “The Modern Moose” by Amy Leach (ESSAY)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Oct. 13- “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver (POEM)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Oct. 20- “Fisherman” by Pablo Neruda (POEM)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Oct. 27- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Handmaid’s Tale</i> by Margaret Atwood (NOVEL)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Nov. 3- “One Art” by Elizabeth Bishop (POEM)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Nov. 10- “The Capital of the World” by Ernest
Hemingway (SHORT STORY)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Nov. 17- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Persepolis</i>
by Marjane Satrapi (GRAPHIC NOVEL)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Nov. 24- “Tulips” by Sylvia Plath (POEM)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Dec. 1- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giovanni’s
Room</i> by James Baldwin (NOVEL)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Dec. 8- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batman:
The Killing Joke</i> by Alan Moore (COMIC)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Dec. 15- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Shining</i> by Stephen King (NOVEL)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Dec. 22- “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman (POEM)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Jan. 5, 2018- “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
(SHORT STORY)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Jan. 12- “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury (SHORT
STORY)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Jan. 19- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flowers
for Algernon </i>by Daniel Keyes (NOVEL)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Jan. 26- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Giver</i> by Lois Lowry (NOVEL)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Feb. 2- “On the Pulse of Morning” by Maya Angelou
(POEM)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Feb. 9- “He Would Not Stop For Me, and Who Can Wonder”
by A.E. Housman (POEM)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Feb. 16- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fences</i>
by August Wilson (PLAY)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Feb. 23- “Misery” told by Aleksandr Afanas’ev (FAIRY
TALE)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Mar. 2- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Bell
for Adano</i> by John Hersey (NOVEL)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Mar. 9- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">1984</i>
by George Orwell (NOVEL)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Mar. 16- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wuthering
Heights</i> by Emily Bronte (NOVEL)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Mar. 23- “Guinea Pig, or On the Power of Reason” by
Zbigniew Herbert (SHORT STORY)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Mar. 30- “Black Sun” by Osip Mandelstam (POEM)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Apr. 6- “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost (POEM)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Apr. 13- “The Boy Who Wanted More Cheese” told by William
Elliot Griffis (FAIRY TALE)</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">There will be no moderator behind the camera, for the discussion will be taking place completely in front of the camera. Instead of multiple questions, one of the panelists will share a discussion starter and the discussion will continue from that point. The panelists are welcome to ask each other questions if they wish and redirect the discussion as they feel it is fit. Episodes are also being released in the order in which they were taped.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Participants for season six included:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Josh Caporale (Season 1-Present)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Charlie Gulizia (Season 1-Present)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Dan Marseglia (Season 2-Present)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Larry Romano (Season 2, 4-Present)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Dr. David Bordelon (Season 2, 4-Present)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Ari S. Gans (Season 3-Present, also the editor in Seasons 1&2)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Kaila Rotsma (Season 4-Present)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Andrew Bartholomew (Season 5-Present)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Austin Greitz (Season 5-Present)</span></div>
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Lenny Apa (Season 5-Present)</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Trevor Rockett (Season 5-Present)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Brian Flickinger (NEW)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Tori Reynolds (NEW)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We have a great group of people that made for what I am arguing as being our greatest season yet. We will be premiering on September 15th and I hope you check us out and enjoy. Keep Reading!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">You can find our channel here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/literarygladiators">https://www.youtube.com/c/literarygladiators</a></span></div>
Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-1190656381116335422016-12-29T18:54:00.000-08:002016-12-29T18:54:10.428-08:00Ten Best Books I Read in 2016So, yes, 2016 has not been an active year for me when it came to blogging, but it is definitely something I am strongly planning to reconsider. My networking roots come from writing and blogging, which began as an offspring from my high school column and <em>Caponomics</em> has been active on Blogger since 2011. Unfortunately, this year, I have only written and released four posts. Much of my time and energy has been shifted toward <em>Literary Gladiators</em> on my YouTube (more specifically Booktube) channel, which has garnered 630 subscribers and is closing in on 30,000 views. Most importantly, though, I have met some outstanding people and made some great friends through <em>Literary Gladiators</em>. I would think that not releasing any new posts would see a decline in viewership on this blog, but to my surprise, I am still picking up at least 1,000 views per month and my discussions about literature and other topics still seem to be attracting readers. I may use this blog to critically discuss different things I read, like I did with my post of <em>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</em> on this blog. These posts would be subject to spoilers and serve as discussions, but with my four posts from this year picking up at least 100 views each, something of that nature may be worth it.<br />
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As for the books themselves, I completed 32 complete books and a few smaller selections. Out of the 32 complete books, I put together a list of my ten favorites. I am doing this on my Booktube channel as well, but it seems like writing down my thoughts has always been a great way to allow my thoughts to flow before I went forward with talking about them. This year, my top four books obtained five stars, while the others were in the four and a half to four star range based on my Goodreads reviews. Without further due, let's get right to the list.<br />
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<strong>#10- <em>Great French Short Stories</em> by Paul Negri- </strong>During the month of February, I spent the entire month reading works of French literature, for it was something I was looking to familiarize myself with and what better away to acquaint myself than with short works of theirs. While there were so many fine authors, the ones that stuck out to me the most included "The Attack on the Mill" by Emile Zola, "Micromegas" by Voltaire, and "Mateo Falcone" by Prosper Merimee. Not only does this collection give French literature a solid ground, but it also allows readers to learn more about Emile Zola, Voltaire, Guy de Maupassant, Gustave Flaubert, and others without reading their larger testaments. I became familiar with Zola's straightforward use of realism and naturalism by reading his story and admired his brutal honesty about the human species so much that I went forward and read <em>The Fortune of the Rougons</em> later in the year as a buddy read with Ely from Ely Jayne. I think that reading shorter collections is a great way to diversify in reading and this less expensive one is quite a gem.<br />
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<strong>#9- <em>I Am Legend</em> by Richard Matheson- </strong>Richard Matheson is brilliant! Along with Ray Bradbury, I feel that Matheson is the most important speculative fiction writer on the note that both of them write stories and novels, but yet they do not conform to any specific genre. One could assume that Bradbury's works have a science fiction leaning, while Matheson leans toward the horror genre. Nevertheless, <em>I Am Legend</em> is an accomplishment in how it shapes vampire fiction. In this novel, Robert Neville is a war veteran and also the only remaining human not affected by a bacilli that wiped out the population and/or turned them into zombie-like vampires, which leads to Matheson's being accredited as a pioneer of zombie fiction. Most people are familiar with the film adaptation where Will Smith stars as Neville, but there are key differences between the two. To sum it up briefly, Robert Neville in the original Matheson novel is a common man that is practicing survival skills because he needs to, while most of the characters around him play a minimal role, which includes the dog. While Neville in the movie has a background as a doctor, Neville in the book researches as a basic method of survival. I really like this original novel, for I feel that any person can stand in the shoes of Neville and imagine themselves in his situation. Richard Matheson IS legend.<br />
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<strong>#8- <em>To Kill a Mockingbird</em> by Harper Lee- </strong>Harper Lee passed away this February, a little less than a year after her only other novel, <em>Go Set a Watchman</em>, was released. I never read <em>To Kill a Mockingbird</em> back in high school, but read it this year in order to prepare for a discussion on <em>Literary Gladiators</em>. I am really glad that I read this, for this novel gave me a great idea of the American South and how very few details have actually changed from its formation to the present day. The story of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, her brother Jem, and their dad, Atticus, and his efforts to save a black man on trial named Tom Robinson who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell is one that is bound to spark a reaction no matter who you are. I can also say that the biggest piece of excrement I have come across in any work of literature happens to be Mayella's dad, Bob. Bob Ewell is lazy, racist, threatening, and abusive toward children. These are ALL qualities I despise, but in a way this form of hatred is what leads me to care for Scout and the stories of her brother and dad even more. I am definitely one that would argue in favor of keeping this novel on the curriculum, for it does the greatest job in getting under one's skin in talking about history and racism and how it is really not too different in many areas.<br />
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<strong>#7- <em>The Crucible</em> by Arthur Miller- </strong>I originally read <em>The Crucible</em> during my junior year of high school and the project we were assigned for this play was to create a comic about it. I had a fun time using Google images to find the closest things that came to certain details, like Abigail drinking the chicken's blood being a picture of a blond party girl drinking a red alcoholic beverage. While I studied the play, I felt like I wanted to return to read it a bit more closely and as a reader as oppose to a junior in high school that was only looking at it for a grade. While this novel certainly has its quirks, such as inaccurate information that is meant to be historical, I felt that the message can be deemed as relevant to the Salem Witch Trials in the 1690s as it is to when it was written during the Joseph McCarthy era and on top of that be as relevant today. John Proctor, the play's central character, seems like such a decent, live and let live kind of guy that has his flaws, but THAT is why readers can relate to him. Between the church and its religious authority, the court and its lawful authority, and the teenaged girls and their desire to "do God's duty," the antagonizing forces accusing people of witchcraft go after the common sense in society. The eternal idea that everyone feels it is within their ability to play God contradicts the true meaning of God and his will and THIS is what makes this play brilliant.<br />
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<strong>#6- <em>A Time to Kill</em> by John Grisham- </strong>John Grisham is rightfully a successful author for his ability to use his knowledge in law and politics to create top quality works, while engaging in deep research to flesh out the areas where he is not as knowledgeable. <em>A Time to Kill</em> was his very first novel, which follows a black man named Carl Lee Hailey who is on trial for shooting two men while they were on trial for raping his daughter, Tonya. His lawyer, Jake Brigance, is willing to serve as his lawyer against all of the odds. The case takes place in Mississippi, where there is still racial tension and a looming presence of the KKK. Like <em>To Kill a Mockingbird</em>, <em>A Time to Kill</em> explores how things have not gone away for good in 1989. Also like the Harper Lee novel, <em>A Time to Kill</em> makes one think heavily about race and I held a great amount of sympathy for Carl Lee Hailey. Despite the fact that there is no way around the fact Carl Lee killed the men, wouldn't the idea of one's children or loved ones being unjustifiably hurt impair anyone's judgment? After reading this, I learned so much about the court system from someone that clearly knows what they are talking about.<br />
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<strong>#5- <em>Night</em> by Elie Wiesel- </strong>Elie Wiesel's <em>Night</em> is an accomplishment in how it tells a direct story about the Holocaust from someone who survived it. Wiesel does not just tell his story, though, but also those that did not survive. I have read a few accounts about the Holocaust or of stories that took place in Nazi Germany or during World War II, but there was something about this memoir that really proved to be straightforward and simply told things as they are. Wiesel cleared up certain details I was not too aware of, such as the fact that fellow Jews and other "undesirables" in the eyes of Hitler ran the camps. While I was aware of the fact that those found least useful to the Nazis were killed first and those found to be a threat were killed on the spot, the details at hand were still quite powerful and saddening. Wiesel told his story the way he felt it was meant to be told in the way he felt it should be told. The nature of the book felt like being locked in a cold, concrete room, but that is exactly how it is meant to be. Wiesel would go on to carry the burden of those that did not survive and made it his lifelong mission to tell their story. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 and just passed away in July. Wiesel's <em>Night</em> will remain an important work that chronicles a moment in history that everyone needs to be aware.<br />
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<strong>#4- <em>Sleepwalkers</em> by Nicole Lanier Montez- </strong>I met Nicole Lanier Montez at the Collingswood Book Festival in 2014 while I was with the Garden State Speculative Fiction Writers, promoting our anthology, <em>Speculations from New Jersey</em>. This was a purchase that I made while I was there and I am certainly glad that I made such a selection. Montez's area of interest when it comes to her poetry is societal injustice, where she writes about race, violence, poverty, prostitution, dysfunctional upbringings, and so much more. A poem of hers that clearly stuck out to me was "Xtra Naked," which explores race and how one could really distinguish the difference between skin color. This poetry collection is one that should be sparking discussion the way that poetry in its resurgence is sparking. Just about every poem in here is bound to spark a reaction and I really thought a lot about societal injustice upon reading this. I feel that more people need to become familiar with Montez and how brilliant she truly is when it comes to her artistry with words and her ability to give them powerful meaning.<br />
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<strong>#3- <em>The Complete Persepolis</em> by Marjane Satrapi- </strong>I read the first <em>Persepolis</em> as a buddy read with Michelle from MichEllisLife on Booktube, while I read the second on a own these past few days. In this graphic novel formed from multiple comic strips, we follow Satrapi's life of how she grows up in Iran and attempts to make something of herself in a country where women are seen as inferior and as potential distractions to men if not covered properly. Right from the beginning, Satrapi demonstrates the attitude that as a human being, she has the opportunity to be what ever it is she wishes to be. The fact she set high expectations for herself and did not let gender get into the way is a great accomplishment within itself. The first book chronicles her childhood up until her moving to Austria, while the second book cover her failed stay in Austria, return to Iran, and right into her adulthood. Eventually, we get a foundation as to what direction she wants to take in accomplishing her goals and we just about get the idea as to what is bound to follow. Satrapi's story is so powerful that it has the ability to make you laugh just as it has the opportunity to make you choke up or feel anger. The illustration is very much witty the way that <em>Maus </em>and <em>The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian </em>were. The fact that I learned much more about the Middle East from an Iranian's perspective was also a great accomplishment. <em>Persepolis</em> is another graphic novel that succeeds at catching my interest and provides a sense of eager feelings when it comes to exploring more graphic texts.<br />
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<strong>#2- <em>A Strangeness in My Mind</em> by Orhan Pamuk- </strong>I read <em>A Strangeness in My Mind</em> as another buddy read with Michelle from MichEllisLife on Booktube and she suggested it as it was a nominee for the International Man Booker Prize and I am certainly glad she made such a selection! This work of Turkish literature follows the life and times of Mevlut, who moves with his father to work on the streets as a yogurt and boza seller. As time goes by, so does society, and selling things on the street presents its challenges. At the same time, he falls for a girl at a wedding, but is tricked into marrying her sister. This really sets up the stage for the events to come in Mevlut's life. At the beginning of the book, one can find a family tree, which reveals details as to when certain characters are born, who they marry, their children, and inevitably when they die in the event that they die. While these may be viewed as spoilers, the "what" and "when" are overshadowed in interest by the "why" and "how" and while Orhan Pamuk may be the kind of driver that takes back roads and paths you would have not figured out, I can guarantee that the routes Pamuk took made for an outstanding experience. Most of the events do take place in chronological order, though. What Pamuk really succeeds at is giving us a greater, more clearer understanding of Turkish culture while also making it accessible to a global audience. I found the point of view that was possessed on the topic of 9/11 to be quite thought-provoking, which is exactly what a good novel is supposed to do. Pamuk is a Nobel Prize winning author for a reason and I am definitely inclined to pick up more of what he has to offer.<br />
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<strong>#1- <em>Demian </em>by Hermann Hesse- </strong>Prior to reading <em>Demian</em> this year, I read <em>Siddhartha</em> in 2012 and <em>Narcissus & Goldmund</em> in 2014. Both of these novels were good, but I felt that <em>Demian </em>was outstanding, for it explored the idea of individual thought and the divinity of one's intuition and made for such an enlightening experience. In this novel, Emil Sinclair (who was originally written as the author of this text) is living an intense life as a teenager, with a somewhat compassionate family, a bit of an inferior relationship with his father, but overall something he feels dissatisfied with. At the same time, he is dealing with a psychological bully in Franz Kromer, who manipulates him into taking advantage of a misdeed of his. Then, Sinclair meets Max Demian, who has the ability to stand up to Kromer and takes a liking to Sinclair, serving like a mentor to him in the subject of individual thought and the Transcendental idea of seeking satisfaction with one's intuition. <em>Demian </em>is a short novel of just 145 pages, but I saw myself taking my time with this text and am so happy that I did so, for there is so much that I got out of it as I made my way through it. It is definitely a novel that is philosophy first, plot second kind of work, but I think that this was the great intent of what Hesse was attempting to get at. I feel that instead of <em>The Catcher in the Rye</em>, students should be assigned to read <em>Demian</em>, for both texts revolve about estranged teenagers, but unlike Holden Caulfield and his sense of cynicism, Sinclair is given the opportunity to move in the right direction and approaches the opportunities that come to him with a greater sense of optimism. I feel that readers will benefit from reading <em>Demian </em>and that this novel will provide them with a greater sense of confidence in themselves and at everything life has to offer.<br />
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2016 was such a great reading year for me in both the amount that I read and the quality of the text at hand. While the top four on this list received five stars out of five on my Goodreads and numbers five to ten received four and a half stars, it was still a solid reading year that I hope to top off in 2017. I will leave a link down below to my Goodreads page, where you can find complete reviews of everything on my top ten and also everything else that I read from this year.<br />
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I hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and safe new year! For now, keep reading!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5687551-josh-caporale">My Goodreads</a>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-57803634636281275772016-09-08T11:43:00.002-07:002016-09-08T11:43:37.064-07:00Literary Gladiators- Season 5 DiscussionsI have not been active on my blog for the last several months and am currently part of what I can now declare as being a hiatus. I did, however, notice that there is still a great deal of viewership on this channel, especially for the literature based posts. This is leading me to go in-depth to discuss specific arguments found in short stories, poems, novels, plays, and other forms of literature, which in turn sparks ideas for what I may want to discuss on <em>Literary Gladiators</em>.<br />
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Speaking of which, we taped the great bulk of our fifth season of <em>Literary Gladiators</em> and it will be premiering on Thursday, September 15th on our channel. This season, aside from myself, returning Gladiators include Charlie Gulizia, Ari S. Gans, Larry Romano, Kim Broomall, Kaila Rotsma, Kelsea Rowan, Morgen Condon, Dan Marseglia, Breanna Little, and Dr. David Bordelon. New members of the Gladiator family include Gina Andrews, Andrew Bartholomew, Austin Greitz, and Lenny Apa. Zach Lawless, Dan Marseglia, and of course, Laney Burke, return to moderate. We do, however, have two more sessions planned for November and December, which means there may be a few more individuals taking part. <br />
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Here are the 36 discussions we have filmed for Season 5 (in the order we plan to release them):<br />
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NOVEL: <em>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</em> by Douglas Adams<br />
CHILDREN'S: <em>Arlene Sardine</em> by Chris Raschka<br />
POEM: "The Vices of the Modern World" by Nicanor Parra<br />
SHORT STORY: "The Boy Who Drew Cats" by Lafcadio Hearn<br />
POEM: "I Am Waiting" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti<br />
POEM: "Xtra Naked" by Nicole Lanier Montez<br />
POEM: "Cut" by Sylvia Plath<br />
SHORT STORY: "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe<br />
MISCELLANEOUS: Halloween, Part 3<br />
NOVEL: <em>The Murder of Roger Ackroyd</em> by Agatha Christie<br />
POEM: "Dulce Decorum Est." by Wilfred Owen<br />
SHORT STORY: "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" by Ernest Hemingway<br />
MISCELLANEOUS: Works From Childhood, Part 2<br />
SHORT STORY: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" by F. Scott Fitzgerald<br />
MISCELLANEOUS: World War II Poetry<br />
MISCELLANEOUS: 100th Episode<br />
NOVEL: <em>The Road</em> by Cormac McCarthy<br />
ESSAY: "Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson<br />
POEM: "London" by William Blake<br />
NOVEL: <em>The Catcher in the Rye</em> by J.D. Salinger<br />
SHORT STORY: "Recitatif" by Toni Morrison<br />
SHORT STORY: "The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane<br />
MISCELLANEOUS: Comic Book Episode<br />
NOVEL: <em>Demian</em> by Hermann Hesse<br />
NOVEL: <em>Fahrenheit 451</em> by Ray Bradbury<br />
GRAPHIC NOVEL: <em>V for Vendetta</em> by Alan Moore<br />
POEM: "Mary Magdalene at Sunday Mass in Castlebar" by Paul Durcan<br />
SHORT STORY: "Micromegas" by Voltaire<br />
MISCELLANEOUS: The Poetry of Allen Ginsberg<br />
POEM: "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow<br />
NOVEL: <em>To Kill a Mockingbird</em> (which includes discussion about <em>Go Set a Watchman</em>) by Harper Lee<br />
MISCELLANEOUS: Dystopian Fiction<br />
NOVEL: <em>The Grapes of Wrath </em>by John Steinbeck<br />
FAIRY TALE: "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen<br />
FAIRY TALE: "Rapunzel" by The Brothers Grimm<br />
MISCELLANEOUS: Poetry About Cheese<br />
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In addition to the 36 discussions that have been mentioned and filmed, we have 11 more being planned, five of which will be created to form music week, six of which will be general discussions. <br />
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This includes:<br />
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<u>Music Week</u><br />
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SONG: "My Anthem" by Christina Grimmie<br />
SONG: "Armor" by Colin Chandelier (aka. Ari S. Gans)<br />
SONG: "In the Year 2525" by Zager & Evans<br />
SONG: The Winner of a Planned Poll<br />
MISCELLANEOUS: Music Survey (with elements of "what's your favorite_____" and "this or that")<br />
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<u>General Discussions</u><br />
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MISCELLANEOUS: Christmas, Part 3<br />
PLAY: <em>King Lear</em> by William Shakespeare<br />
WORK: <em>Night</em> by Elie Wiesel<br />
PLAY: <em>The Crucible</em> by Arthur Miller<br />
SHORT STORY: "The Storm" by Kate Chopin<br />
POEM: "Home Burial" by Robert Frost<br />
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These 11 discussions will be distributed accordingly based off of when and how they are filmed. <br />
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Here are other places you can find the participants on Literary Gladiators:<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ6qvTMy4NPqaRnVdsuJLLg">Literary Gladiators Channel</a><br />
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YT Channels:<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/oopdoop44">Colin Chandelier/oopdoop44 (Ari's Channel)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/zachl1226">Zach Lawless</a><br />
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Goodreads:<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5687551-josh-caporale">Josh's Goodreads</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/15730926-kelsea-rowan">Kelsea's Goodreads</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/20690932-kaila">Kaila's Goodreads</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/48779075-larry-romano">Larry's Goodreads</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2085595-kim-b">Kim's Goodreads</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2938332-breanna">Breanna's Goodreads</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7834624-lenny">Lenny's Goodreads</a><br />
Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-13485773695738617562016-04-19T20:28:00.000-07:002016-04-20T02:50:33.445-07:00All That Matters is Matter in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas AdamsI conducted a smaller review of <em>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</em> on my Goodreads, which I will leave a link to down below. In this review, I mentioned how much I enjoyed the existential genius that went in to telling this story from the universal perspective, while expressing a bit of disdain for the pacing and sequence of events. Ultimately, though, the positive outweighed the negative and I rated it somewhere in the range of an 8/10 or a 9/10, which is 4-4.5 stars on Goodreads. This post is more of a critical analysis than it is a review: <strong><u>so it is subject to spoilers.</u></strong> If you are interested in reading this and you have either read the book or do not mind be spoiled, I encourage you to stay along. Otherwise, I would encourage you to read the book first. <em>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</em> is known greatly for its universal meaning and the exploration of the meaning of life as we follow the steps of an Earthling (from Britain) named Arthur Dent, saved just before his planet was destroyed in favor of a galactic freeway. <br />
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Taking this story into the context of the universal perspective, Earth is seen meaninglessly, which makes any of its inhabitants even more meaningless. So meaningless that as we draw ourselves back further and further, each being becomes a speck among a speck. Earth is described on the very first page of Adams' novel as being, "An utterly insignificant little blue green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea." Humanity is bound to be criticized for multiple reasons, but to say that their ideas remain "primitive" compared to the rest of the world definitely takes into account the meaning that inhabitants of Earth see within themselves and (in some cases) others and watching it become incredibly pointless when placed among the greater scheme of the universe.<br />
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As far as the universe is concerned, naturalism can be applied to the idea that there are only two types of things that exist: <u>living matter</u> and <u>dormant matter</u>. Living matter is what ever is alive, while dormant matter is what ever was once alive and is currently non-living. Depending on one's belief, dormant matter has the potential to become living matter. For instance, if an item, like a cardboard box, decays, it will eventually turn to dirt and develop purpose among the land once again. Douglas Adams was a confident atheist, denying any higher being. Whether or not he followed the idea that death was "going out of one car and into another" theory that John Lennon mentioned or that death was just "the lights shutting off" remains in question, but one that believes that death follows Lennon's ideas or just in reincarnation in general would believe in dormant matter having the potential to become living matter. The universe sees both as being the same.<br />
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This image of similarity among matter is seen by the two mice, Benjy and Frankie, when they are looking to continue their research on humanity (like mice did on Earth through human experiments for human interests). In order to continue, they need Arthur (since he is a human)'s brain. Of course, this is much to Arthur's dismay, especially since they plan to chop it up and do what ever they need to come up with the results that they need. They are, however, willing to provide Arthur with a mechanical brain, which works the same. Like most humans, the idea of having a mechanical brain is not the same as having a real brain, but when you look at this universally, both the living (Arthur's brain) and dormant (the mechanical brain) matter are viewed equally. <br />
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The greatest question at hand in the entire novel is one we ask ourselves: <u>What is the meaning of life?</u> In this novel, the answer is <u>42</u>. Why 42? Why not something more basic like to do good, to be successful, or to follow your religion faithfully? The answer lies in the question. The reason the answer is so absurd is because the question is just as absurd, given the facts that the ideas regarding matter do not just cover people, places, and things, but also ideas. Like the physical things in life, ideas and things that are found among processing systems on the computers also come from a matter known more commonly as "0s and 1s." These 0s and 1s develop what we see. As you are reading this post, the 0s and 1s are developing the words I am typing and the background to which it is appearing. The question about "42" being the meaning of life is really "Is there really a meaning of life among matter?" One can also ask as to whether or not the meaning of life is the same or if there really is a meaning to life. <br />
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Of course, the meaning of life as portrayed in <em>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</em> is only a reflection of what Douglas Adams believes or possibly what he wants his characters to convey, which I believe is one of the same. Whether you agree or disagree with his universal point of view, taking that perspective really does away with humanity and what any and all of them believe. As far as this novel is concerned, Earth is just another one of the universe's creations and in the bigger picture, humanity from Earth has not exceeded itself, but instead created so much confusion. The "end of the world" may prove to be detrimental to the world that is being affected, but from the universal perspective, those inhabiting that world will simply return to being the matter that makes up the universe. The question is whether or not the matter will amount to anything spectacular, whether living or dormant.<br />
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Like dystopian novels, <em>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</em> takes an aspect of absurdist literature and does its best to explain its meaning. For <em>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</em> and <em>Through the Looking Glass</em>, Lewis Carroll concentrates on what it really is to be normal and questions the practices of society when compared to the abnormal (abnormal to us) practices of Wonderland. In <em>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</em>, Douglas Adams concentrates on the meaning of life according to the perspective of the universe. While he directly says this meaning is "42," I feel that the meaning of life being conveyed is that "all that matters in the universe is matter." <br />
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You can find my Goodreads account here: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5687551-josh-caporale">https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5687551-josh-caporale</a>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-16708037221134771172016-03-09T08:53:00.003-08:002016-03-09T08:53:56.558-08:00Five Years On Blogger & A Recap of the Last Three MonthsI am back! I am back where I began in the art of written discussion, which is where I began years ago, throughout high school, and on this blog. I wrote my first post on March 9, 2011, and am still around after five years of posting. I need to ask for your forgiveness, for my posting on Caponomics has fallen behind since I have done so much more with Literary Gladiators on YouTube, reviews on Goodreads, and the need to get back into my fiction writing while also balancing my reading time, work for income, and tasks that involve housekeeping and yard work. I came back to pay a visit and from what I saw, my page view numbers and followers have just about remained along for the ride. I cannot be more thankful for having such a great group of followers. Before I made friends who love books, literature, reading, and writing on Booktube, I made friends with people on Blogger, and I must say that all of you are outstanding! I was fearful was what was going to happen, but I saw that I have <strong>24 followers</strong> and <strong>66,502 page views</strong>. People are still reading my commentary on different topics and I am getting 1,000 to 2,000 views per month. I need to return the favor by writing more posts and on a more consistent basis. I have put together an uploading schedule for Booktube and I feel that it would immensely help to put together an uploading schedule for Blogger. Booktubers who also blog, such as Katie from Books & Things and Shannon from Shannon Rose Reads, have put together consistent schedules that have helped in the long run. I cannot confirm details just yet, but I will definitely keep everyone in touch.<br />
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To celebrate five years, I am going to break from tradition and instead of sharing my ten most popular posts in details, I am just going to recap everything that has been going on, as it relates to what I have posted on Caponomics. This will include my top ten popular posts, but will summarize everything I feel you should know.<br />
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<strong>My Short Work Reviews Have Surged in the Top Ten- </strong>My poem review of Anne Sexton's "The Starry Night" is my most popular post with over 5,000 views. While other noteworthy posts have remained in the top ten, this one is consistently surging and picking up attention. It is quite a surreal feeling when you Google "the starry night by anne sexton summary" and this is the third thing you come across. Emily's Poetry Blog also put together something quite nice. I enjoy and recommend her blog as well. My reviews for "The Lottery Ticket" by Ventura Garcia Calderon and "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs also saw an immense surge, which is spectacular, for it brings attention to works of literature I feel that everyone should check out, especially "The Lottery Ticket," because it currently does not have the attention it deserves. My original surge on this blog came from my review of <em>Ebert Presents At The Movies</em>, where viewership has since become dormant and has dropped to eighth place. My distaste for orange juice pulp is still grabbing the attention of readers, while my post about the <em>Hey Arnold! Jungle Movie</em> has caught the attention of readers. This leads me to this...<br />
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<strong>The Jungle Movie is Being Released in 2017- </strong>Nickelodeon gave the green light to the much awaited <em>Hey Arnold!</em> conclusion following the end of the series, which ended with a two-part special called "The Journal." In this special, Arnold comes across his father's journal and it goes over how his parents left to help the Green-Eyed people, but their plane was never heard from since. This special will provide answers as to everything that happened, but was not disclosed. There will also be mention to Arnold's last name, which creator Craig Bartlett hinted to as "Shortman." This special will definitely lead me back to Nickelodeon for the first time since I have no idea when.<br />
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<strong>Response to NFL Predictions- </strong>My NFL predictions for 2015 were a bit of a mixed bag. I predicted the Super Bowl would be the Seahawks over the Colts and that certainly did not ring true. The Seahawks reached the divisional round before being defeated by the Panthers, while the Colts barely missed the playoffs in a crappy division battle. As for what really happened, I felt the Broncos would make the AFC Championship and lose to the Colts, while the Panthers would regress. Both the Broncos and Panthers have a good chance to continue with their success, while at the same time, dark horses could definitely emerge. As for what is to come, I am quite happy that Hue Jackson is getting an opportunity to coach again, while many of the other coaching selections leave me in question. I also feel that Peyton Manning retired at the right time, turning 40 this year, shaken up to the point where Brock Osweiler started a good chunk of the season, and being able to exit with a Super Bowl victory that was heavily associated with a strong defense. Peyton Manning will leave football as the player I would argue to be the greatest.<br />
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<strong>Literary Gladiators- </strong>Our show has seen a drastic amount of growth. We have been on Booktube for two years and since May, we have been able to release videos at a greater rate. In addition, we have been releasing individual videos that do not follow the structure of the standard episode involving a discussion panel. These videos allow us to go beyond the topics of discussion and talk more about our personal reading expeditions and take part in the Booktube activities. As of this morning, we have <strong>340 subscribers</strong> and <strong>over 12,000 views</strong>. This is ten times the amount of subscribers from last year at this time and six times the amount of views. Our fourth season is currently active, while we are planning a fifth season that will be taped this summer and released in September. We have 52 episodes planned at this time. In addition to many of the regulars, we have new interested individuals that will likely take part, while we are also planning to have interested Booktubers on our panel. Our next episode to be released will be a discussion of "The Starry Night" by Anne Sexton, which will hopefully garner the attention that my blog post has garnered. Our channel can be found here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ6qvTMy4NPqaRnVdsuJLLg">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ6qvTMy4NPqaRnVdsuJLLg</a><br />
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<strong>What Have I Been Reading- </strong>During the months of January and February, I read both a mixed bag (as I did in January) and more themed reading (as I did in February). I read <em>The Little Giant Encyclopedia</em> <em>of One-Liners</em> by Gene Perret and Terry Martin and <em>Andrew's Brain</em> by E.L. Doctorow in January, then went on to read <em>A Happy Death</em> by Albert Camus, <em>The Tale of Despereaux</em> by Kate DiCamillo, and <em>Great French Short Stories</em> edited by Paul Negri for French February, a reading challenge I set for myself during the particular month. I started <em>She Came to Stay</em> by Simone de Beauvoir and continued <em>Les Miserables</em> by Victor Hugo, but have yet to finish them. I also started and finished <em>Harley Quinn Vol. 1: Hot in the City</em>. I read this during late February and early March. I am currently engaged in a buddy read with Lauren from Lauren and the Books and we are reading <em>A Time to Kill</em> by John Grisham, which I am really enjoying. John Grisham puts everything into what he writes and I get a lot out of what he has to say. I will be doing a lot of reading for the fifth season of <em>Literary Gladiators</em>, which will definitely be something I look forward to. Here is a video where I go into greater detail about what I have been reading: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj9mnnwKve8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj9mnnwKve8</a><br />
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<strong>What is to Come?- </strong>Much of my online activity has been shifted to <em>Literary Gladiators</em>, which I am really hoping to grow into something great! We upload videos three days a week and we are looking at uploading between the fourth and fifth season, as well as the structure of how things will work when we begin filming and then uploading the fifth season. Regarding my blog, I plan to continue my traditions of making NFL predictions for 2016 and naming the ten best books I read in 2016. Outside of that, it sounds like reviews for books and shorter works have picked up attention most recently. I definitely plan to take more notes and do more research in order to put together the best posts I am possibly able to on this blog. From there, I am hoping to write more fiction and read as much as I am able. The question will come down to the balance that comes with my changing work schedule. I will definitely keep everyone posted.<br />
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I appreciate everyone's support and readership during the last five years and hope to continue entertaining you with witty, but most importantly informative posts that encourage you to pick up a particular work to read or just catch your attention for the time being. I am happy to be back and while I am not sure when I will be posting again and what I will be posting about, it is definitely my intent to provide with blog with the necessary reading material. As I close off my Booktube videos, Keep Reading!Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-32863301691914737762015-12-27T17:30:00.004-08:002015-12-27T17:30:53.005-08:00Ten Best Books I Read In 2015When it comes to my blogging based activities, 2015 has been a year of good and bad news. The bad news is that I have not been blogging as much as I should have, for I have been doing a lot with <em>Literary Gladiators</em>, which is really beginning to come together and is only seeing the beginning of something that can be really special. I will say, though, that the good news certainly outweighs the bad. The list of books that I read in their entirety has more than doubled from the last two years, we are closing in on 62,000 page views and at least 1,000 page views each month, and on a personal note, I graduated from college with a Bachelor's in English, Summa Cum Laude. As for <em>Caponomics</em>, I am going to do my best to make 2016 a better year with more book reviews, poem reviews, short story reviews, play reviews, literature based discussions, and maybe even some collaborations. I had a great time having Will Hoheisel from <em>Reviews You Can Use</em>, <em>Literary Gladiators'</em> very own Kelsea Rowan, and my friend Kathryn, who was formerly a part of <em>On the Read</em>. Once I begin to pick up a rhythm again, I will reach out and see if there is anything that is interested.<br />
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I always enjoy this time of year on <em>Caponomics</em>, where I get to name my ten favorite books that I read from this year. Need I mention that I will be naming TEN books instead of five, which I am able to do for two reasons. One, I read more books. Two, I am confident with the top ten that are in this selection. In fact, every book on this list received at least a 9/10, whether a review has been written or not. Determining what was going to make it into the top ten was an intense task, for I read so many outstanding books and they were so close in what I thought that deciding what was going to make the list and what was not was bound to involve crucial choices. Nevertheless, the task was accomplished and I can now present to you my top ten...<br />
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<strong>#10- <em>Heroes</em> by Robert Cormier- </strong>Robert Cormier has finally made it into my top ten on <em>Caponomics</em>. I have read <em>The Chocolate War</em>, <em>I Am The Cheese</em>, and <em>The Rag & The Bone Shop</em>, and while they were all really good reads, I read them all before I set up this blog. I read this particular novel, because I was looking for inspiration for my senior thesis. While I ended up using other novels instead, this novel definitely continues to linger through my mind in a world where one can discharge from war in the physical sense, but they can never discharge from war in the mental sense. Francis Cassavant has returned home from war after he lost much of his face, leading him to wear a scarf over the lower part so that no one can see what remains. Francis was inspired by his high school mentor, Larry LaSalle, to join the military after he was able to make a greater name for himself in doing so. However, a drastic interference into Francis' very own life and that of his friend Nicole's leads him to want to kill his mentor and hero. Cormier is the kind of author that tends to grasp his readers and take them on such an emotional thrill ride with what ever he puts together. I feel that more young adult readers familiar with the likes of Lois Lowry, S.E. Hinton, and Jerry Spinelli should check out the collection of novels that were written by Cormier, for he can captivate an audience by talking about teenagers that hold out on selling chocolate, teenagers be questioned in an institution, and also teenagers that take part in a great war, and leave a mark!<br />
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<strong>#9- <em>The Things They Carried</em> by Tim O'Brien-</strong> A major part of my senior thesis, about "telling the untellable in war," was driven by Tim O'Brien's noteworthy collection of stories about a fictional Tim O'Brien and his experiences in the Vietnam War. This has shaped itself into the defining novel about the Vietnam War and it does quite a nice job in earning the reputation as being such. <em>The Things They Carried</em> has little to do with the skirmishes, the schemes, and the political actions, but more so the motives, the emotions, and the common soldier that is fighting and the gritty mentality that one should be thinking when it comes to the instated glorifications of war. "How to Tell a True War Story" really breaks things down to a science, while "The Lives of the Dead" remains the story that lingers into my mind. "The Lives of the Dead" is told last, because it shapes the impression that one has about death, and how this is a building block to the story that one carries and then develops in something so drastic as war. In addition, this is the one story where any person, whether they served in war or not, has the opportunity to develop emotions about sudden loss. It is true that not every story in this collection to going to speak in the same way to one person than it will the other, but it is a great perspective that has demonstrated its relevance to what the emotions of war are like, but with an individual mentality that may or may not be repeated. Tim O'Brien certainly has shaped himself as a storyteller on the topic of what it is like to fight and tell the stories of one's own experience, in addition to those who never had that opportunity.<br />
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<strong>#8- <em>Keep the Aspidistra Flying</em> by George Orwell- </strong>Gordon Comstock is the young man that everyone in his age group want to be, but maybe one in a thousand have the fortitude to attempt, because even for someone like Gordon does a difficulty in rebelling against money take place. Gordon worked as a copywriter for an advertising copy before becoming a bookseller upon the realization that he did not want to take part in something he did not believe. At the same time, Gordon is living in a shabby apartment with tight restrictions and barely making ends meet. He has a great support group from his friend, Ravelston, his girlfriend, Rosemary, and a long distance sister, Julia, who is tied up in issues of her own. There is nothing special about Gordon, for he just wants to become a writer, yet is having difficulty getting his name out there AND the motivation to write. It is definitely assured that this is an anti-Capitalist novel, but it is just as much an anti-Socialist and anti-Communist novel, for Gordon finds that each of these factions are tied down in some way by the strong arm that is money. Gordon is looking for the way to accomplish this feat, but the question is this: is he willing to hurt all of the people he cares for in order to make a point? I have read <em>Animal Farm</em> and <em>1984</em> by Orwell and his political themes are his greatest obsession. This is the perfect example as to the mindset of society and how money has become such a driving force that it has become impossible to escape its presence, but only if you are a human being! <em>Keep the Aspidistra Flying </em>is an Orwell novel that needs to be explored far more often.<br />
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<strong>#7- <em>Macbeth</em> by William Shakespeare-</strong> Yes, I have one of Shakespeare's plays on my top ten list. I never saw myself doing this, for he has not been a writer I have read for pleasure. In this case, I read <em>Macbeth</em> for our discussion on <em>Literary Gladiators</em>. I must say, though, that this was a play that I liked from his collection. What I liked about <em>Macbeth</em> is that it was not over the top in the way that many of his plays can become. There is an obvious issue and Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, are clearly guilty due to their power hunger that has led to them slaying several individuals that they have found competition to their throne. I also found that there were moments of humor and self-deprecation that I really enjoyed, my favorite being a scene from the porter (knock, knock, knock). In addition to being honest and humorous, I felt that <em>Macbeth</em> was clever in how it thought outside of the box. In particular, there was a specific projection from the three witches, which came with it a loophole. I will say no more! I prefer watching Shakespeare's plays while I read them and this case was no different. The intent of a play is that it be performed. Looking at the strength of the work, though, the only other play of his I enjoyed just as much as this was <em>Julius Caesar</em>.<br />
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<strong>#6- <em>Voices From Chernobyl</em> by Svetlana Alexievich- </strong>Svetlana Alexievich is most familiar for being the Nobel Prize in Literature winner of 2015. This title was rightfully deserved, for not only did she convey such a powerful story, but she did so by allowing the real-life participants to tell it themselves. Alexievich is a Belarusian journalist that has reported on multiple accounts. This particular account involved those that were affected, whether directly, secondhand, or being within the realm of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that occurred in 1986. The fact that these stories were told by the victims only made it more tragic and heartbreaking, with the choking up and tears included. The stories that were told by the victims were not just about death, though. They ranged from living conditions to physics to the quality of the salami, which allowed me as a reader to learn more about Belarus through these voices. The fact that Alexievich was able to weave this together was just outstanding and as a result, she deserved the Nobel Prize.<br />
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<strong>#5- <em>Wit & Wisdom From Poor Richard's Almanac</em> by Benjamin Franklin- </strong>Alongside Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin was responsible for developing America's culture. In addition to his creation of bifocals and discoveries regarding electricity, he also developed the fire department, postal service, and library in America. He also was the driving force behind <em>Poor Richard's Almanac</em>, which included different stories and weather reports. As a source of light-hearted entertainment, Franklin would include a proverb in the back, much like a word search or comic strip has proven to serve to the newspaper. Dover Thrift put together a reasonable collection of some of Franklin's most noteworthy proverbs, which are quite relevant when you think about it! They made me laugh and made me say to myself regarding Benjamin Franklin: "what a wise man!" Some of my favorites in this collection include:<br />
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1. "Content makes poor men rich, discontent makes rich men poor."<br />
2. "If passion drives, let reason hold the reins."<br />
3. "Many foxes grow grey, but few grow good."<br />
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The reason I included this skinny book of proverbs on my top ten list is because it was a book I read during the year, specifically for an episode of <em>Literary Gladiators</em> featuring Dr. Frank Esposito, that I feel that everybody should take the opportunity to read at some point in their lives. Franklin's proverbs are not only informative, but they are also quite humorous! I am sure that one will react with positive emotions, whether they come out smarter or just more entertained!<br />
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<strong>#4- <em>Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power</em> by Jon Meacham- </strong>Thomas Jefferson was such a brilliant man! He was our third president, an innovator, an inventor, a scientist, a pioneer to meteorology in America, a political figure, the founder of the University of Virginia, a renaissance man, and perhaps the most important figure with regard to shaping the United States in the way we think of it when we think of the country that broke away from England (remember, while George Washington confirmed American freedom, he did want to keep some British customs, as did John Adams, while Jefferson felt we needed to develop our own). The reason that this book is so outstanding, though, is because Jon Meacham tells us about Thomas Jefferson exactly how we should be told about the man. He was straightforward and told of both his strengths and his weaknesses. I knew about Jefferson's marriage that ended with his wife's premature death and his affair with Sally Hemings, but the details were so specific that they proved to be efficient bits of brain food. I learned much more about the political commotion between the Federalists and the Democractic-Republicans, the members of Jefferson's cabinet (including his Secretary of Treasury, the Swiss Albert Gallatin, and how James Madison was perhaps the greatest of Jefferson's protégés. I did a thirteen-page paper on Jefferson's importance as a renaissance man that shaped America and also concluded with how I agree with the common argument that he had Asperger's syndrome. Research has shown that Jefferson had this condition and the traits shared in this book, including his position on peer pressure, social habits, and speaking habits (his only speeches were his two inaugural addresses in 1801 and 1805). In addition, his interests in various areas from keeping track of the weather and of his spending (he was in debt at the time of his death, though) to his keen interest in learning as much as possible about areas that interested him only strengthen this argument. I felt that this book was very reliable in allowing me to learn much more about our third president. It made me feel a bit more like an expert! There is no need to worry, though, because while the second book tends to leave you confused, I have read additional accounts and got some similar bits of information. The collections that talk about all of the presidents may not be as in-depth, but they are reliable at-large!<br />
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<strong>#3- <em>This Side of Time</em> by Ko Un- </strong>Ko Un's poetry should be required reading for Eastern literature enthusiasts, those intrigued by Korean literature, and just about anyone else from any other background. Ko Un's poetry tends to remain at just one stanza, sometimes reaching the point of just one sentence. With such small space, though, Un's poetry is so remarkable! He can present an argument and you would absolutely be in line with what he is saying. The poems are sorted out into his different selections, but include just certain poems from each. You can tell that Un's Buddhism plays a heavy influence as to what he is writing, but either way, it tells the truth! The one that sticks out the most goes:<br />
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"The autumn leaves fall dancing.<br />
I'll dance my way out too<br />
when it's time to leave this world." (p. 26).<br />
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This connection to nature only contributes to such great beauty that is worth the money and the attention. I can guarantee that if any amount of time should be spent reading a poetry collection, this is definitely a good choice!<br />
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<strong>#2- <em>The Human Comedy </em>by William Saroyan- </strong>I first read Saroyan's works during a Reading class I took while I was in middle school. I was wondering where one story, "The Telegram," could be found. The story always hit home, for it told about a teenaged boy and how he delivered a telegram to a woman that held the message of her son's death in the war. This is how I was led to <em>The Human Comedy</em>, which told the story of the life that was occurring in a California town while World War II was taking place. It was a bit comedic in the antics that occurred, such as Ulysses getting caught in the animal trap, but the term "comedy" seems to refer to humanity in general. It is the expectation that humanity has to remain as close to their ordinary flow as possible, despite having a loved one putting their lives on the line in what has been said to be for their country. The even greater concern is whether or not they will have the opportunity to make it home alive. The idea of how this could be deemed a "comedy" has to be measured on the basis of life at-large or just the way things go at-large, for the way many people see things is with a very narrow perspective. <em>The Human Comedy</em> is brilliant in how it weaves these serious, tragic moments with those light-hearted moments of optimism and cheer. When all is said and done, there is so much that is bound in happen in a day in a life.<br />
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<strong>#1- <em>East of Eden</em> by John Steinbeck- </strong>I could not think of a more powerfully written novel in any possible area this year than I could with this magnum opus from Steinbeck's collection. <em>East of Eden</em> is meant to be a retelling about the Book of Genesis and I must say that after reading this novel, I am definitely convinced to pick up a bible and make my way through the Book of Genesis and how its foundation played a major impact on the Christian view and of the view that is casted by these characters among the world that they live. Not only are the characters very well developed, but Steinbeck also paints a picture of the setting so well and the plot is definitely effective in how it is used. Steinbeck is known for describing those specific details, like the turtle crossing the road in <em>The Grapes of Wrath</em>, but in this case he will take the opportunity in some chapters to discuss the period of time with which he is speaking, so that he can develop an idea in the reader's head regarding what kind of background they should be looking at the clearer picture. This clear picture is the Cain and Abel inspired sibling rivalries, first between Charles and Adam, then between Adam's two sons, Cal and Aron. In addition, the characters of Adam's servant, Lee, and Adam's temporary wife, Cathy, create a sense of unity and conflict, respectively. In my mind, the contrast between Lee and Cathy is the leveling factor that really creates a sense of compassion and a sense of bitter evil that is creating the struggles that take place. What <em>East of Eden </em>reminds us is that there is so much more to the way that one is assembled. One could be fed the idea that one person is definitely good and pure, while the other is evil and filthy. In reality, much of what dictates the status quo is what is deemed preferable by the almighty figure, whether it be God or in this novel a parent. <em>East of Eden </em>was the best novel I read in 2015, because it presents a timeless message that was carried over for thousands of years and recreates it in such an appropriate, but at the same time original manner. This is the novel that has made my desire to read more Steinbeck even greater.<br />
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I was hoping to complete <em>Les Miserables</em> by Victor Hugo by the end of the year. Unfortunately, that did not happen, but I do plan to finish it sometime during the early part of next year. My goal will be to complete it in the month of January. As for this year, it was certainly a successful year that introduced me or reintroduced me to some amazing writers. The fact that a 6/10 was my lowest verdict also says something about my reading expeditions. I hold high hope that 2016 will bring a great range of novels of top quality as well. In addition, I will be putting together a fifth season of <em>Literary Gladiators</em>, which will reflect my reading habits, but to good accord. I am really excited to work with Charlie, Kelsea, Larry, Kaila, Ari, Laney, and plenty of other new and familiar guests. I am also planning to invite Booktubers that live near or are interested in visiting my area, in addition to some other book and literature bloggers, literary enthusiasts, and writers. We shall see how this goes!<br />
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Regarding the top ten, I feel that every area of interest has been represented. Yes, I had many more literary reads as oppose to the horror, thriller, or speculative reads that are usually mixed in, but that does not mean that they have fallen out of my reading schedule. I read a nice batch of horror and speculative reads that just fell out of the top ten and I plan to read more in 2016. I am definitely going to make a great effort to increase my reading and definitely want to do more on my blog, on Booktube, and with my fiction writing. I feel that 2016 is going to have a lot to offer!<br />
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I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe new year; in addition to high hopes that your year is a prosperous one! I am going to do my best to make 2016 a prosperous one for myself, too!Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-39308601080417892552015-11-25T15:24:00.000-08:002015-11-25T15:34:38.108-08:00Book Review: "The Things We Keep" by Sally HepworthA friend of mine from Goodreads named Inge, who has two blogs, one about reading and the other about optimistic thinking, read this book and wrote a poignant review about how this novel reminded her about how her grandfather dealt with Alzheimer's and while he forgot just about everyone in his family, he continued to remember and love his wife until the day he died. This review really caught my attention and I liked and commented on it, which caught the attention of St. Martin's Press. They sent me a review copy for this novel that they plan to release in January 2016 and in exchange, I have read the book and will be presenting you with an honest review. If there is anyone that this story reminds me of most, it is my great-grandfather. He did not have late stages of Alzheimer's, but he went to live in an assisted living facility and later a nursing home before he passed away just last month. When I think of these facilities, I think of my great-grandfather's experience. He was in high spirits and in great hands during the two and a half years he spent in assisted living and few months in nursing care. It shows that this is a great elevation to when my great-great grandmother was in a nursing home, for the effort is placed heavily on making their residents feel as if their lives are still as precious, despite the fact that there is not so much life left to live. <br />
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The loved ones I recall being in assisted living or nursing care were older. In this novel, we follow two people that are younger and in need of medical assistance. The idea of premature Alzheimer's and dementia has been explored in the book <em>Still Alice</em>, a Lisa Genova novel that was adapted into a film, and is now being explored as a bit of a love story told by Sally Hepworth. In this case, Anna Forster enters Rosalind House in Short Hills, New Jersey at the age of thirty-eight. She does this voluntarily, after her Alzheimer's reaches a point that she becomes a danger to herself and her loved ones. Her brother, Jack, intentionally finds this home, because he heard that a younger man dealing with similar struggles resided here and she would have a peer to interact with. This peer turns out being a handsome man (to Anna's tastes) named Luke who is two years older and dealing with dementia that leaves him with a stutter. To Anna, Luke is "Young Guy," and they become closer and closer as time goes by, picking up the feeling that the other makes their life worth living.<br />
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Anna tells her story prior to when things are presently occurring. Her story begins fifteen months before and progresses month after month as her Alzheimer's becomes worse and things around her are changing. The story is told during the present day by a woman named Eve Bennett that takes on the job of chef... which includes an earmark that is maintenance and her daughter, Clementine. Anna, Eve, and Clementine switch off on chapters, though not uniformly and the former two tell most of the story. This novel is as much about Anna and the rest of the Rosalind House as it is about Eve's very own struggles. Eve's husband, Richard, was involved in a Ponzi scheme were he falsified documents in order to collect money. Knowing that he was going to get caught, Richard went into his study while his wife and daughter were away and committed suicide. Eve and Clementine were left with the burden that was Richard's "legacy" and were shunned by the school district and those around them in town. In order to make a living, Eve's only opportunity is to serve as the cook as the Rosalind House. Here, she comes across Anna and learns about the story between her and Luke and while by this time they are separated due to each family's wishes, she does what she can to encourage their unity and their love for one another.<br />
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Though she does not tell her story as often as Anna or Eve, I feel that Clementine's story was the most interesting to follow along. Hepworth does a nice job getting into the mind of a witty seven-year-old girl and her story is just as important as the others, because she is definitely feeling the struggles that are occurring in her very own life. She loved her dad and to see that those around her are bashing him is creating a great strain on her life. She does, however, express a sense of being the center of attention at a nursing home that features an interesting group of individuals. There is Clara and Laurie, who seem like an ideal couple living at the home, but there is much more to their relationship than meets the eye. Then, quite notably, there is Bert, who is still having difficulty detaching himself from his deceased wife, Myrna. He still leaves an empty seat for her and interacts with her as one may interact with an imaginary friend. Then, those that operate the facilities include Eric, who manages the place, and Angus, who is a gardener that forms a bit of a bond with Eve.<br />
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The structure of the characters in this novel prove to be a great strength on Hepworth's behalf. Just about every character has depth to them and provides a sense of importance to the novel. In some cases, though, this depth proves to overshadow the main concentration regarding the love that is shared between Anna and Luke. I feel that both Anna and Eve tells meaningful stories, but these stories are so strong that one would have trouble figuring out which one drives the novel. I feel that I could have gotten more of Anna's story while getting a relatively concrete idea as to what Anna's struggles consisted of. At the same time, Eve and Clementine's story catches my attention in a different way. It is interesting to read about direct relatives of those that committed a crime, and a high profile one at that, and then ask "is it right to blame the relatives of bad people who were not aware of what was going on, let alone did nothing wrong?" I felt a sense of sympathy for Anna, Eve, and Clementine, but I have that feeling that a different equation could have occurred.<br />
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My other gripe involves a checklist of sorts that deals with whether or not this has what it takes to be a movie. I would say that this novel has what it takes to become a movie and I would find it quite an intriguing film adaptation. This would definitely make for an attractive movie. On the other hand, I am not necessarily interested in books that follow the "does this have what it takes to be a movie" cutout and in turn, just about every box office movie follows a cookie cutout of its particular genre. I do, however, think that this is adaptable.<br />
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I feel that for the reader that is looking for a light novel that deals with a bleak subject, but in a way that it can be taken with humor, will probably enjoy reading <em>The Things We Keep</em>. It has the attraction to its particular audience that <em>The Fault in our Stars</em> has on theirs. I preferred <em>The Fault in our Stars</em> not in the way that it is closer to my age group, but its area of focus is much clearer and it does not have a side story that overwhelms or overshadows. Nevertheless, it seems like Sally Hepworth definitely has the ability to create characters that possess great dimension and have stories that will certainly grab your attention and your mind.<br />
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<strong>Verdict: 7/10</strong>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-59234347702759488882015-10-05T11:09:00.001-07:002015-10-05T11:09:26.954-07:00Nobel Prize in Literature 2015It has been confirmed that a Nobel Prize winner in the area of literature will be announced on Thursday, October 8th at 1 PM Swedish time. Most recent winners of this award have included French author Patrick Modiano (in 2014), Canadian short story writer Alice Munro (in 2013), Chinese novelist Mo Yan (in 2012), and the late Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer (in 2011). This year, the field of nominees is relatively large, which should not come as a shock to any. Of course, there are frontrunners, but the decision that is made by the committee remains a challenge to predict and project until the name has actually been announced. I know that in my case, Patrick Modiano was not a name I would have predicted to be the winner of the 2014 prize, but that may be due to the fact that his name is not too familiar to the American reader. I was able to pick up a book of his at Barnes & Noble during a trip following a filming session for <em>Literary Gladiators</em>.<em> </em>During the month of September, I read five novels that were written by nominees for this particular award and came out with mixed feelings. Of the five, there were two books I enjoyed, two that I felt were okay, and another that I am in the middle of completing. Nominees that I have read include <strong>Svetlana Alexievich</strong>, <strong>Ko Un</strong>, <strong>Philip Roth</strong>, <strong>Ngugi wa Thiong'o</strong>, and <strong>Joyce Carol Oates</strong>. I read <strong>Haruki Murakami</strong> earlier in the year.<br />
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Svetlana Alexievich and Haruki Murakami has been deemed the frontrunners according to many outlets that measure the odds that different nominees have in winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. In my mind, these statuses are rightfully so. Alexievich is a journalist from Ukraine known most for her <em>Voices from Chernobyl</em>, which capture statements and stories from individuals that were affected in some way, shape, or form by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that occurred in 1986. I felt this was an amazing testament that was very well arranged so that heartbreaking stories were able to be shared next to some really witty accounts that occurred during an event that is important for people to be aware about. Murakami, a Japanese writer, is quite noteworthy in the English speaking world, which is fitting for someone whose works are heavily influenced by western culture. His novel, <em>Norwegian Wood</em>, has plenty of references and inspiration to The Beatles and the actions that are taken in the story reflect the title song. His elements of magical realism are recognized most to his readers, but I enjoyed reading <em>Norwegian Wood</em>, which did not really possess his common themes. Based on what I know and what I collect, Murakami should be the author that I would declare as the person that I feel should win the prize this year.<br />
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While I feel that Murakami should be awarded the prize, the writer I feel should receive the prize in this particular year is Ko Un, a Korean poet who was a political protester that was imprisoned during his time of doing so. Un's poetry is short, brief, but powerful. Much of what he writes reflects his Buddhist beliefs, as he was at one point a Buddhist monk. Un has been nominated on multiple occasions for this particular prize, but others were granted to prize instead. I feel that with an active life of such insightful writing on his resume, Un should be the person that is greatly considered for this particular year. Whether he receives the honor or not, I feel that he is a poet that everyone should check out.<br />
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I did mention that I read Philip Roth, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, and Joyce Carol Oates during the month. I felt that <em>Goodbye, Columbus</em> and <em>A Grain of Wheat</em>, written by Roth and Thiong'o respectively, were okay novels. They were very well written, but could have been better in plot structure and sequence (for <em>Columbus</em>) and strength of character (for <em>Wheat</em>), so I am not ready to declare that these would be my selections for the Nobel Prize in Literature. As for Oates, I am reading <em>Wild Nights</em>, which is a really interesting take on the last days of Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Henry James, and Ernest Hemingway in narrative form. Once I finish reading this, I need to allow it to sink in and then make a call regarding what I thought.<br />
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I am always interested in reading award winning or nominated writers, even if I feel that it is the individual's personal satisfaction that should determine what they decide to read and not read. I am sure that everyone will have a different opinion and I would be interested to hear the selections that other people may have. As for me, it was interesting to get a taste of what the great academy sees as top quality writing among those writers that are living and, in many cases, still writing. I may be interested in either doing this again or reading the works of writers that have already when notable prizes. I am definitely going to keep my eye out for the winners of these acclaimed prizes in the upcoming days and I encourage you to check out <em>Voices from Chernobyl</em> by Svetlana Alexievich, <em>Norwegian Wood</em> by Haruki Murakami, and <em>This Side of Time</em> by Ko Un. Regardless of who wins the prize, it is just so remarkable what this acclaim and monetary prize does to deserving writers who may or may have not gotten the boost that comes with this honor.<br />
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Here is the odds site that I referred to in this post:<br />
<a href="http://www.nicerodds.co.uk/nobel-prize-in-literature">http://www.nicerodds.co.uk/nobel-prize-in-literature</a>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-24459918039312833962015-09-24T09:03:00.001-07:002015-09-24T09:03:09.570-07:00Book Review: "This Side Of Time" by Ko UnFor the month of September, I have created a "to be read" pile that included works from writers that were presumed nominees for the Nobel Prize in Literature. I decided on six books that I may check out and am currently on my fourth, which is usually the pace to which I read. What makes this a delight is that there is a really good choice that I will have the opportunity to come across a writer that is rightfully renowned and I can definitely say that this is the case for Ko Un. Un is a Korean poet that has spent his life fighting for what he believes in. In 1980, as a political protester, he was accused of treason and sentenced to twenty years in prison. He was released two years later. Ko Un has proven to have a soft-spoken disposition, but an execution that brands itself in the hearts and minds of anyone that happens to cross his path. His poetry, which is separated based off of their status in his three collections, are short, but their delivery is guaranteed to make an impact. <em>This Side of Time </em>is a poetry collection that can leave a long lasting impression even on a non-poetic enthusiast.<br />
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Ko Un's poetry is on average about four lines long, IF that. Some of his poetry is only one line long, but at the same time leaves a lasting impression. A great example, and one that stuck out the most to me, comes from his poem titled "Father." The poem goes like this:<br />
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"Food in his kids' mouth, that's Nirvana!" (found on page 86).<br />
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Isn't this the foundation that we live on? All you need to do is let his words sink in and you will feel so enlightened by the wise words he has to deliver. If his poetry goes past one page, it is a lot and proves to be a rarity in his writing. Ko Un's poetry is sorted into three of his collections: "Little Songs from <em>Poems Left Behind</em>," "A Few Small Songs from <em>Late Songs</em>," and "More Small Songs from <em>Full of Shame</em>." Out of these three collections, the last one is the ONLY collection where the poems have titles. The rest of them are untitled, which means the first line would take the place of the title. This practice is often attached to the poetry of Emily Dickinson and while I am not the greatest fan of this habit, I feel that great poetry is bound to make up for this. This can definitely be said about Dickinson and certainly the same can be said for Un. In one of his poems, he writes about the questioning of whether or not one can achieve an afterlife for being remorseful or if the remorse simply becomes the swapping of places with the subject of remorse (in this case, a man and his mule) (found on page 25). Un also writes about his take on the Nazis attempt to annihilate anything and everything about the Jews that leaves far beyond the physical actions that they took (page 31).<br />
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The poem that stuck out to me the most is one that was just three lines long on page 26. While it was short, the thought lingered in my mind with how one should live their life. It goes:<br />
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"The autumn leaves fall dancing.<br />
I'll dance my way out too<br />
when it's time to leave this world."<br />
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What a way to embrace the inevitable! I have to agree with his message that one should walk away from what ever they are leaving on a positive, meaningful note. The image of autumn leaves catches my attention as well, for I feel that the way they gracefully break away from the trees and float onto the ground is just a pleasant way to which they demonstrate their demise. The speaker feels a similar need to break away from the body and/or from the world with which he is living in a way that he feels fitting when that particular time comes. <br />
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Ko Un has had his name constantly mentioned for the Nobel Prize in Literature. With the 2015 selections on their way, I sure hope that he is awarded or at least considered for this year's prize. I also feel that Haruki Murakami is rightfully a frontrunner for this award, but Ko Un is someone who is less familiar to the American audience, yet certainly needs to be considered. The fact that anyone can grip a reader in as little as one sentence is beyond extraordinary. Quotes have served as an inspiration to audiences across the globe. Ko Un's sentences read as being more than just quotes. They are proverbs that should serve as inspiration to anyone that comes across them. I highly suggest that you check out this collection, even if it proves to be a bit pricey. Unfortunately, poetry collections tend to be thin and expensive, but in the case of <em>This Side of Time</em>, you will not regret paying around the $16. If you enjoy collecting posters of inspirational messages, you will love over eighty pages worth of inspirational messages from a master poet!<br />
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You can find his collection here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/This-Side-Time-Poems-Ko/dp/1935210327">http://www.amazon.com/This-Side-Time-Poems-Ko/dp/1935210327</a><br />
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<strong>Verdict: 10/10</strong>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-40744842589930642852015-09-12T14:20:00.000-07:002015-09-12T14:20:05.569-07:00Book Review: "Thomas Jefferson- The Art of Power" by Jon MeachamWhile I have been able to get back into the habit of reading far more than I did in 2013 and 2014 (my list of complete finishes has already exceeded the amount I read in both of these years), I feel that I need to review far more than I have been. Here I am to bring some momentum into <em>Caponomics</em>, which will begin with a review of my historical nonfiction read for this year. I have been a U.S. President buff since I was seven and Thomas Jefferson is the president I feel has fascinated me more than any of the others, which led me to pick this up and enjoy it all the same. <em>Thomas Jefferson- The Art of Power </em>is a book I first approached when doing a paper for a British Colonies & American Revolution class I took while I was at college, but it is rare that I review something I read for class, especially when I am reading it to analyze its content. In this case, I was just looking for the statements that supported my case that Jefferson was "the great American Renaissance man" and that his contributions shaped American culture. I also tend to make the argument that he had what is diagnosed today as Asperger's syndrome and that THIS may have played a great influence, but since this is only explored through statements that are made about his personality (not mentioning Asperger's whatsoever), I will save this for another occasion. Perhaps when I read <em>Diagnosing Jefferson</em> by Norm Ledgin, which is an argument about this idea. Let's get back to this book. It grabbed my attention right from the beginning and gave me an objective taste of who Jefferson was as a political figure, as a founding father, and as a person. I felt that I got a lot out of this and if I already knew the subject matter, this only complimented it.<br />
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Jon Meacham points out right away that Jefferson had his many interests. Jefferson was a bibliophile whose collection elevated into the thousands; Jefferson was an inventor who created such devices as the swivel chair and the dumbwaiter; Jefferson loved French culture, which inspired the British inspired direction that was brought about from Federalist leaders such as John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and to an extent, George Washington; Jefferson was also a man that would keep track of the weather every morning and evening, while also keeping track of the money he spent, just for the sake of keeping track of it (he died owing so much debt). Jefferson is also described as a man that always had a pursuit to learn new things, which led to him creating the University of Virginia. His intent was to create a university that would provide students with the material that they needed to become as intelligent as they could possibly be, yet not be influenced by their instructors opinions so that they could think critically on their own.<br />
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The fact that <em>Thomas Jefferson- The Art of Power</em> points out both Jefferson's successes and his failures is something I deem to be really enlightening, for it should be up to the reader to decide where Jefferson's legacy should stand according to what they believe. His immediate success came when writing the Declaration of Independence that would be the foundation Americans leaned on when breaking away from Great Britain. Just a few years later, he saw little success as the Governor of Virginia. He would be an Ambassador to France until becoming the first Secretary of State during the Washington administration. His friction with the cabinet would lead to what was deemed as "retirement," but this was something he was pulled out of so quickly. What we learn is that as a Democratic-Republican, Jefferson contrasted with the Federalists in the idea that state's rights should outdo a large central government. Historians point out that when Jefferson came into power in 1801, he exercised executive power on a great deal of occasions, most notably during the Louisiana Purchase from France. These bold executive decisions were, however, beneficial in the eyes of the American citizens and were popular enough to the point that Jefferson was elected to a second term. The Embargo Act of 1807, which prohibited imports and exports to America proved to be his most controversial decision. While it was meant to make a statement to Britain and France, it hurt Americans just as bad. At the same time, this book brings up the Lewis and Clark expedition, the change in culture that involved more laid back dinners instead of a more traditional, royal ceremony, and the more positive moments in Jefferson's administration. This is the first I learned about his Secretary of the Treasury in Albert Gallatin, who was Swiss-born, but moved to America, and became the longest serving person in this position. Gallatin served into the James Madison administration, Madison himself was Jefferson's Secretary of State and perhaps his greatest protégé.<br />
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<em>The Art of Power</em> also gives us an idea of what his family life was like. Growing up was not too troublesome for Jefferson, but he quickly became the "man of the house" after his father, Peter Jefferson, died when he was sixteen. His mother, Jane, died a few months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson's wife, Martha, is also not mentioned on too many occasions, much of which has to do with her early death in 1782 at the age of 33. What I got out of this book was that they were a couple that was meant for one another and had the perfect chemistry. On her death bed, she did not want Jefferson to remarry the way her father did, and with the exception of some affairs, Jefferson lived up to his promise. His most notable affair was with Sally Hemings, who was Martha Jefferson's half-sister. Since Martha's father had a child with one of his slave's, Sally was mixed race, but deemed a slave. Sally Hemings would also be the mother of Thomas Jefferson's children, making it one of the more controversial moments in U.S. History. An interesting story about Hemings and her temptation to stay in France, since she would be emancipated if she did so, led Jefferson to allow her children to be free by the age of twenty-one. This particular book really explores the blurry area that was Jefferson's relationship to his slaves.<br />
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I feel that any history buff, especially one that wants to know more about Thomas Jefferson, is going to get a lot out of this book. Every area of Jefferson's life is thoroughly covered and we get an idea of not just those in depth details about those moments that we know most about him, but also those little details that get an idea of what Jefferson was like as a person. In turn, we also get an idea of those other important figures in history during that period of time through their interaction with Jefferson, most notably John Adams and Alexander Hamilton, since his relationship with Adams was clearly wishy-washy, while with Hamilton there was no admiration whatsoever. Meacham does an excellent job conveying these emotions and giving us that very idea as to why Jefferson admired or despised the men he admired or despised. I have read up on Jefferson through multiple U.S. Presidential History collections, but this is the first book I read that was strictly about Thomas Jefferson. It was a convincing way to begin and I strongly suggest that you pick it up.<br />
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<strong>Verdict: 10/10</strong><br />
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Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-10273552323602405532015-09-09T12:18:00.000-07:002015-09-09T12:18:03.553-07:00Literary Gladiators Season 4This summer, we filmed the fourth season of <em>Literary Gladiators</em>, which will contain 38 episodes that are currently on file and six more episodes that we plan to film in December and include in the rotation. This may mean a possible 44 episodes will be released from <em>The Phantom Tollbooth</em>, that was released on September 3rd and go all the way until June 18th, which will be the season finale and a celebration of Kelsea Rowan's birthday. Speaking of Kelsea, she will be the assistant producer going into the fourth season of the show and we hope to have her on board for as long as she wishes to hold this position. Since bringing her along to assume a greater role with the show, we are including not just our traditional, discussion driven episodes, but also extras that include a bunch of participants in a more casual atmosphere or an individual participant conducting a discussion, review, book haul, wrap-up, TBR, book tag, or anything that pertains to the theme of the channel. So far, this is really boosting interest in the channel.<br />
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As I write this post, on the afternoon (eastern time) of September 9th, we have 153 subscribers, over 5,600 views, and over 260 likes with just four dislikes. We have not reached the heights that many other remarkable Booktubers have (and they are remarkable... not just with their videos, but also as people), but we have our eyes on reaching that goal! This fourth season is going to be filled with anything and everything you can imagine and I felt that it really came out very well. Most importantly, we have a great batch of people sitting in on the panel that seemed to have a great time partaking in our discussions. I hope to have them back for a fifth season, which I believe will be set to film in Summer 2016 if everything goes right... but let's get back to season four before we stray away too far.<br />
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Returning to the show this season include:<br />
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<strong>Josh Caporale (me)- from all three seasons and as a regular, also as producer and editor</strong><br />
<strong>Charlie Gulizia- from all three seasons and as a regular, also as music coordinator</strong><br />
<strong>Laney Burke- from seasons 2 & 3 as moderator (and will also be in an episode)</strong><br />
<strong>Lily Vittari- from all three seasons as a semi-regular (about half of the episodes)</strong><br />
<strong>Nicole Pirrella-Iacoves- from season one as a guest</strong><br />
<strong>Larry Romano- from season 2 as a recurring guest</strong><br />
<strong>Dan Marseglia- from season 2 & 3 as a guest and fill-in moderator</strong><br />
<strong>Jackie Wainwright- from season 2 as a guest</strong><br />
<strong>Bree Little- from season 2 as a guest</strong><br />
<strong>Kelsea Rowan- from season 3 as a recurring guest and as assistant producer</strong><br />
<strong>Ari S. Gans- from season 3 as a guest and composer of the outro number, "Scratched"</strong><br />
<strong>Ms. Cynthia Cooke- from season 3 as a guest</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>PLUS</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Dr. David Bordelon- from season 2 as a special guest</strong><br />
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New participants on the show include:<br />
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<strong>Zach Lawless- fill-in moderator</strong><br />
<strong>Kim Broomall- guest</strong><br />
<strong>Morgen Condon- recurring guest</strong><br />
<strong>Kaitlyn Cook- guest</strong><br />
<strong>Kaila Rotsma- recurring guest</strong><br />
<strong>John Weeast- recurring guest</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>PLUS</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Joanne the Librarian- special guest</strong><br />
<strong>Dr. Frank Wetta- special guest</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
To specify, a "special guest" is one that participates in one episode, a guest participates in 2-4, a recurring guest participates in 5-18 episodes, while regulars appear in almost every episode. In Lily's case, she was slated to appear as a regular, but due to personal circumstances, appears in 17 episodes that have been taped. Bree will be at this December taping as well.<br />
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<strong>This is our episode plan as we speak:</strong><br />
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<strong><em>The Phantom Tollbooth </em>by Norton Juster (released)</strong><br />
<strong>"Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost</strong><br />
<strong>"The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce</strong><br />
<strong>"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge</strong><br />
<strong><em>The Call of the Wild </em>by Jack London</strong><br />
<strong>"To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell</strong><br />
<strong>Banned Books Week</strong><br />
<strong>"Imagine" by John Lennon (Lyrical Analysis)</strong><br />
<strong>"A Late Encounter with the Enemy" by Flanney O'Connor</strong><br />
<strong>"Lady Lazarus" by Sylvia Plath</strong><br />
<strong>Halloween: Works That Spark a Fearful Reaction, Part 2</strong><br />
<strong><em>The Fault in our Stars</em> by John Green</strong><br />
<strong>How to Define Literature</strong><br />
<strong>"Long Live the Weeds" by Theodore Roethke</strong><br />
<strong>Thanksgiving: Works That Spark an Appetite</strong><br />
<strong><em>Macbeth </em>by William Shakespeare</strong><br />
<strong>"In the Waiting Room" by Elizabeth Bishop</strong><br />
<strong>Christmas: Works That Bring About Holiday Sentiment (to be filmed)</strong><br />
<strong>New Years: Works of Enlightenment</strong><br />
<strong>"Borges & I" by Jorge Luis Borges</strong><br />
<strong><em>And Tango Makes Three</em> by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell</strong><br />
<strong>"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot</strong><br />
<strong>"Thank You, Ma'am" by Langston Hughes</strong><br />
<strong>The Work of Maya Angelou</strong><br />
<strong><em>The Picture of Dorian Gray </em>by Oscar Wilde</strong><br />
<strong><em>East of Eden</em> by John Steinbeck</strong><br />
<strong>"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka</strong><br />
<strong>The Work of Dr. Seuss</strong><br />
<strong>"The Starry Night" by Anne Sexton (to be filmed)</strong><br />
<strong><em>Giovanni's Room</em> by James Baldwin (to be filmed)</strong><br />
<strong>Easter: Works of the Living Dead</strong><br />
<strong>"Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway</strong><br />
<strong>"The Emperor of Ice Cream" by Wallace Stevens</strong><br />
<strong>The Work of James Joyce</strong><br />
<strong>"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant</strong><br />
<strong><em>Waiting for Godot</em> by Samuel Beckett</strong><br />
<strong><em>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland </em>&<em> Through the Looking Glass </em>by Lewis Carroll</strong><br />
<strong>"Little Red Riding Hood" by The Grimm Brothers</strong><br />
<strong>"The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen</strong><br />
<strong><em>Norwegian Wood</em> by Haruki Murakami (to be filmed)</strong><br />
<strong>"Before the Cask of Wine" by Li Po (to be filmed)</strong><br />
<strong>"A Poor Christian Looks at the Ghetto" by Czeslaw Milosz (to be filmed)</strong><br />
<strong>Beats Literature</strong><br />
<strong>The Poetry of e.e. cummings</strong><br />
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This looks like an eventful lineup and I can assure you that these were a blast to film! Hopefully you enjoy watching them as much as we enjoyed filming them. Most episodes will be up on Fridays and extras will be up on Tuesdays, but there may be changes to the schedule, whether it be a week where we do not upload a new episode or we release an extra video on any particular week. All the best and keep reading!<br />
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Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-48271253239552851942015-09-08T16:50:00.002-07:002015-09-09T10:46:54.580-07:00My Prediction: 2015 NFL SeasonIt is that time of year again! Even if summer is winding down and Labor Day brings it to an unofficial end, another season of football is right on its way. In fact, this is the season that will lead to Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, California. Yes, the 50th Super Bowl is not being shown with its number in roman numerals. The most exciting part of what this season has to offer, though, is that the shake-ups are quite promising and it is going to make for something that everyone is going to want to watch. Coming into this summer, Tom Brady had his suspension lifted and will be coming right out of the gate to make the greatest splash possible, the Colts have a top notch batch of free agents on top of their already great team, Peyton Manning will be back at the age of 39, but whether or not for the last time is up in the air, the Chip Kelly renovation with the Eagles can either be a great hit or a great miss, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota will have a great deal of attention as rookies, and so much more is in store!<br />
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I will be predicting the finishing record of each team by division. This finishing record is an estimate and was briefly considered with the schedule at hand. For the playoffs, I will be predicting the final results to each game. Last year, I picked the Broncos to beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. If I picked the Patriots in the place of the Broncos, I would have had everything from the championship onward correct. I correctly placed the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, and had the Colts and Packers going out in the AFC and NFC Championship respectively. If you wanted to see my predictions from last year, you can find them here: <a href="http://caponomics.blogspot.com/2014/08/my-prediction-2014-nfl-season.html">http://caponomics.blogspot.com/2014/08/my-prediction-2014-nfl-season.html</a><br />
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Here we go with this season...<br />
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<strong><u>AFC East</u></strong><br />
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<strong>New England Patriots (11-5)- </strong>The Patriots will have a lot to prove and a great statement to make following the possible suspension that was slap onto Tom Brady due to Deflate-gate. Do I think this is going to give them an outrageous record? Not necessarily, but they are bound to win the division yet again. Much of the team's foundation remains intact, though they have just four wide receivers. That should not be a concern, though, for Brady seems to make something out of what ever he has. Rob Gronkowski is still the elite tight end in the league and Julian Edelman and crew seem to be a reliable batch. Bill Belichick is on his way to statistically becoming the greatest NFL head coach and can surpass Chuck Noll with most Super Bowl victories with another this season (they are currently tied). Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is also mentioned frequently for another head coaching position, but this is one I am not too sure about. What I know for sure is that the Patriots will have this division wrapped up, even if the Bills and Dolphins give them a run for their money.<br />
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<strong>Buffalo Bills (9-7)- </strong>Speaking of the Bills, the ship being rowed by Rex Ryan will reflect the ship that was rowed by the Jets. Rex Ryan inherited a team that was already great on defense and had a young offense that just needed the right pieces to kick into power drive. I do continue to question the selection of Rex Ryan due to their need to address the offense and evidence that he left a mess in the Meadowlands, but it will give them the relevance that they need and the ability to kick things into gear for at least a season or two. The quarterback question between Tyrod Taylor and E.J. Manuel will need to be addressed, but it seems like Greg Roman will be able to do something the way he did with Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers. The addition of LeSean McCoy is also helpful, for he simply did not fit the Chip Kelly experiment with the Eagles. My guess is that the Bills are going to be among six teams that compete for the six wildcard spots and the results look like they will be optimistic for the first time since 1999 (the Bills hold the longest playoff drought in the league).<br />
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<strong>Miami Dolphins (8-8)- </strong>One thing that we know about Joe Philbin is that he is consistent. He was 7-9 when he joined the team in 2012 and went 8-8 the last two seasons. This season will be three times a charm as I see him going 8-8 yet again, even when competing for one of those wildcard slots. They have a growing team that has Ryan Tannehill running the offense as QB and will have a defensive that is rejuvenated by defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. There is a lot of promise to this team, but unfortunately they look like they are bound to fall short. I especially believe that Joe Philbin may be let go at season's end, especially if he cannot keep the commotion under control that has occurred so many times under his watch. The Dolphins are in it to win it, but so are all of the other teams. Some are in it more than others and the Dolphins look like they will fall short.<br />
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<strong>New York Jets (4-12)- </strong>Geno Smith is out with an injury he picked up when now released player I.K. Enemkpali punched him in the jaw. This does, however, bring Ryan Fitzpatrick in as the starting quarterback. Fitzpatrick is reliable, but he is simply going to be the kind of guy that keeps them in games. This is an offensive situation that still needs to be addressed and I am not sure if offensive coordinator Chan Gailey is going to be that guy to address it. What will be key, though, is whether or not new head coach Todd Bowles will be able to steer the team in the right direction. He seems to have what it takes to keep them disciplined and has proven himself as a defensive coordinator, but the Jets are certainly going to take time in what looks like an intense rebuilding process.<br />
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<strong><u>AFC South</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
<strong>Indianapolis Colts (14-2)- </strong>The Colts have what it takes to be the best team in the league this year and I believe that they are going to walk away with the most wins among all 32 teams. Andrew Luck has obviously shown that he is a promising quarterback and already has a great amount of wide receivers, including T.Y. Hilton, but the addition of former 49ers running back Frank Gore and former Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson are only going to help him so much more in what looks like it will become a cast filled with Pro Bowl contenders at the very least. The offense to this team is going to be explosive, while the defense is going to be heavily improved. Pep Hamilton, the offensive coordinator, has been a future head coaching candidate that may very well get his chance following this season and rightfully so.<br />
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<strong>Houston Texans (9-7)- </strong>The Texans have gotten back on track when Bill O'Brien took over following the rebuilding of the embarrassment that was the Penn State incident. The Texans will certainly not be an embarrassment and rightfully contend for a wildcard slot. The fact that Brian Hoyer will be the starting quarterback will provide him with a chance to steer a team as he attempted to do with the Browns before that opportunity was taken away from him. Unlike the experience with the Browns, I feel that Hoyer will be able to prove himself in his pursuit to making this a better team. I do not believe that this is going to be the season where they make it, but they will be in the race up until the last week of the regular season and I could see them definitely contending for the playoffs in the 2016 season.<br />
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<strong>Jacksonville Jaguars (6-10)- </strong>The Jaguars are a team that possess a great deal of promise. They are a young team with players that are not necessarily familiar, but they are also very underrated. This will be reflected in their pursuit this season. Blake Bortles has really demonstrated that he deserves to be the starter for the Jags and Toby Gerhart is certainly an underrated running back that has had recognition during his days of backing up Adrian Peterson on the Vikings. The Jags are bound to go slightly upward, but I would say this means six wins. They will have some gritty division games, prove their worth in evenly matched games, and maybe even sneak a shocker or two. By no means should this affect Gus Bradley for at least another season, for I believe he needs at least two more seasons until they cast a verdict on whether or not he is right for the team.<br />
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<strong>Tennessee Titans (3-13)- </strong>Yes, the Titans made a great selection with Marcus Mariota, but just remember that Peyton Manning was 3-13 in his rookie season with the Colts. Also, there really is not much more to the make up of the team besides Mariota. There needs to be substance to a team and while they did pick up linebacker Brian Orakpo and wide receiver Dexter McCluster, they seem to be the kind of players that have their best days behind them. The fact that Dick LeBeau and Ray Horton are running the defense is a help, but it is not going to help them get out of the doghouse this season.<br />
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<strong><u>AFC North</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
<strong>Baltimore Ravens (11-5)- </strong>The Ravens are already a great team and they proved this when they won the Super Bowl in 2012. They have only gotten better with what is bound to be a rejuvenated offense and a defense that will remain one to be reckoned with. I feel that with Marc Trestman as offensive coordinator, they have someone who is in their element doing what they do best. Quarterback Joe Flacco is going to have a spectacular season with the help of what will be an important group of wide receivers, including a key resurgence of Steve Smith, Sr. and other wide receivers that are bound to gain rightful notability. On the defensive side, defensive coordinator Dean Pees is constantly overlooked, but he continues to keep the defense fresh and intact. The Ravens have been known for their relevant defense and with a fresh batch of talent, this team will continue to remain relevant and worthy of the division.<br />
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<strong>Cincinnati Bengals (8-8)- </strong>The Bengals have had success during the past few seasons. Marvin Lewis has the second longest tenure among head coaches, only behind Bill Belichick. The Bengals, however, have the longest postseason victory drought in the league, for the last time they won a game in the postseason was during the 1990 season. This is going to be a year where they need to prove that they can win in the playoffs, but the question is going to be whether or not they will be able to reach the playoffs. This is going to be a competitive year in the AFC and I believe more than half of the teams will reach .500 or higher. 8-8 and 9-7 records will be common and in some cases playoff worthy, but I do not see that being the case with the Bengals. I will say, though, that offensive coordinator Hue Jackson certainly deserves another chance to be a head coach and I felt that he would have been the ideal selection for the Bills job.<br />
<br />
<strong>Pittsburgh Steelers (7-9)- </strong>This is a hard one, because the Steelers always have it in them to contend for a spot in the playoffs. They had a great run last season, only to lose to the Ravens in the wildcard round last season. What seemed to come out of the Steelers this past season was that they was more offensively sound after being historically a powerhouse defense. This lagging of defense led to Dick LeBeau's departure of the team, despite being perhaps the most legendary defensive coordinator in the league. The Steelers performance this season will all come down to whether or not the offense is able to remain intact and whether or not the defense is going to improve from last season. This is going to be a season where they need to see upward results and their schedule is not going to be a kind one.<br />
<br />
<strong>Cleveland Browns (5-11)- </strong>I felt that Mike Pettine was the greatest selection for head coach the Browns made since returning to the league as an expansion team (and after seeing what the old Browns have become since moving to Baltimore and becoming the Ravens, these new Browns have been sickening). Unfortunately, these Browns were in contention for a playoff spot and quite possibly a division title last season, but the fact they gave up on Brian Hoyer and instead put their faith on Johnny Manziel, who underperformed, did them in. They are in a situation far more bleak this time around. Instead of Hoyer, the Browns have Josh McCown as their starting quarterback. While I like McCown, I believe that replacing Hoyer with McCown is like replacing a bookstore with a dollar store. Pettine is playing it safe and beginning with McCown, but it will definitely take Manziel some adjusting, and a lot of it, to make it to where he needs to go. Unfortunately, the Browns are starting over again after something interesting came about last season, including the transition that Kyle Shanahan made as offensive coordinators from the Browns to the Falcons.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>AFC West</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
<strong>Denver Broncos (10-6)- </strong>This is definitely going to be a tougher season for the Broncos, but I believe they still have it in them to be contenders. John Fox was a 7/10 coach (in my mind) while he was with the Panthers, but became a 9/10 coach with the Broncos after reaching the playoffs in all four of his seasons, but having Peyton Manning as the quarterback in three of these seasons proves to be an immense help. The other season had Tim Tebow as QB and featured a great defense and a miraculous run. Now they have a similar structure in the team itself, but Gary Kubiak is now the head coach. Kubiak did a decent job with the Texans, but will have the Peyton Manning factor going for him in Denver. While Rick Dennison has been the team's offensive coordinator before during Mike Shanahan's last three seasons with the team, having Wade Phillips as the defensive coordinator is going to prove to be the greatest factor. Phillips is among the best at what he does and to see what he does is going to be interesting and crucial. This may very well be the deciding factor this season. As for Peyton Manning, whether or not he says or goes at the age of 39 is going to come down to how well this season goes. I have a feeling, though, that this is going to be his last season and that once he retires, he will retire (please don't do what Brett Favre did!!!).<br />
<br />
<strong>Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)- </strong>The Chiefs are going to improve after last season's mediocre performance. It seems like they have much more talent and this talent will be put to use. One of the more notable pickups was that of wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who spent his entire career on the Eagles. His reunion with Andy Reid (who coached the Eagles until 2012) is going to be interesting to see take place with the Chiefs. The presence of quarterback Alex Smith, running back Jamaal Charles, and the others should definitely not be overlooked, though. While they lagged last season, things should click a bit better this time around. Not to mention that Bob Sutton is perhaps a defensive coordinator that should getting much more recognition for what he does and while he is 64 years old, he should be considered as a head coaching candidate for how well he drives this team's defense, which really kept them going during the past season. It is also worth mentioning that in three out of the last four Super Bowls, BOTH head coaches were 55 or older. What matters most, though, is that the Chiefs will definitely return to form.<br />
<br />
<strong>San Diego Chargers (8-8)- </strong>Since Mike McCoy took over as head coach of the Chargers, the team has gotten so much better and became far more relevant than in seasons prior under Norv Turner. Quarterback Philip Rivers is seeing a resurgence in his career, while Antonio Gates remains one of the noteworthy tight ends in the league. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich and defensive coordinator John Pagano (brother of Colts coach Chuck Pagano) deserve recognition as well and should both be hot candidates for head coaching positions in the future. As for what will come out of the season for this team, the Chargers will likely contend until the last two weeks of the season, but unfortunately fall under the others that steal their thunder, including the Broncos and Chiefs. They will, however, make things really interesting in their division and I am almost certain that 2016 will be their year.<br />
<br />
<strong>Oakland Raiders (4-12)- </strong>On one hand, I question the decision to make Jack Del Rio the head coach of the Raiders, but on the other, he did a convincing job filling in for John Fox on the Broncos when he had to go in for a heart procedure. Del Rio's performance with the Jaguars was mediocre at best (good compared to how they have performed since he left, but nothing compared to Tom Coughlin's performance when they first started), so I do not believe his performance with the Raiders is going to be spectacular. It will, however, all come down to whether or not QB Derek Carr molds into the player that the Raiders were looking for. It will be really interesting to see how he does this particular year. As for spectacular results, I do not see them for this season.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>NFC East</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
<strong>New York Giants (10-6)- </strong>The NFC East is going to be a three-team race in my mind (everybody except the Redskins) and I feel that with a schedule that is not incredibly difficult, these three teams will reach and/or exceed .500. Most analysts are selecting the Eagles or Cowboys as their division winner, but I feel that the Giants are going to shock everyone, because they need to. If the Giants do not reach the playoffs, I am almost certain that Tom Coughlin and the entire coaching staff will be let go (something that should have happened to offensive line coach Pat Flaherty two seasons back), because despite the two Super Bowl victories, the team has missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons. What I feel will happen, though, is that things will click. Bringing back Steve Spagnuolo to serve as the defensive coordinator was a good idea after seeing success during his brief tenure in 2007 and 2008. His connection to safety Jeromy Miles from the Ravens also helped bail them. If Landon Collins is healthy for the season, this will address the issue that gave them commotion. In addition, Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz will be a powerful tandem if they remain in sync, while I have a great deal of confidence in their running backs for the first time since 2008 with Rashad Jennings, Orleans Darkwa, and Shane Vereen. With familiarity to Ben McAdoo's system, Eli Manning and crew should see heavy improvement. I say they win the division by the skin of their teeth. People may say I am eccentric, but this is a team that won the Super Bowl with a 10-6 record to the 16-0 Patriots in 2007 and with a 9-7 record in 2011 after barely winning the division to make the playoffs.<br />
<br />
<strong>Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)- </strong>I can see the division coming down to the Eagles and Giants on the last game of the regular season. What the Eagles did, though, is scrap what they had and rebuilt the team in order to suit head coach and offensive mastermind Chip Kelly's system. One is sure to think: Why would you trade a reliable quarterback like Nick Foles for an injury prone quarterback in Sam Bradford? Why would you trade the third best quarterback in rushing yards for a not too familiar linebacker (this to not to say that they got the running back with the most rushing yards last season with DeMarco Murray)? Why would you let Jeremy Maclin, the most notable of the remaining wide receivers, head off to the Chiefs? It does not look like it's fazing Chip Kelly in the least. The experiment can definitely explore into something incredible if everything goes right. If Sam Bradford is healthy and does not have too much weight he needs to work with, the team is going to go somewhere. This is why they are going to contend.<br />
<br />
<strong>Dallas Cowboys (10-6)- </strong>Yes, three teams in the NFC East will reach ten wins. They are playing the lackluster NFC South and the improving AFC East, but I feel that these three teams in the NFC East will pick up wins in at half of their games in each division (if not a sweep in the NFC South). Darren McFadden is no DeMarco Murray, but I believe that if the offensive line remains strong, the team can definitely contend and pull out incredible victories like the one they had against the Seahawks IN SEATTLE! Tony Romo seems to be healthy, while Scott Linehan and Rod Marinelli are among the best coordinators for offense and defense, respectively, in the league. It was a really wise decision for Jason Garrett to give up his play-calling duties after consistently finishing 8-8. My feeling is that what will do the Cowboys in is that they will be the only team within the division that loses a game to the Redskins. They will continue to have a valiant effort leading to the end of the season, but by being the team to drop one to the Skins (where I see splits among the top three) will cost them.<br />
<br />
<strong>Washington Redskins (2-14)-</strong> I believe the Redskins will be the worst team in the league this season, winning just two games: one against the Cowboys and another against either the Buccaneers or Jets (one or the other, not both). What is going on in Landover, Maryland is a disorganized mess regarding the status of their QBs. RGIII lost his starting position to Kirk Cousins, which will definitely create a bit of friction that will in turn hurt the environment. Cousins is a good quarterback, but he needs his team to kick things into gear and with an aging atmosphere, that may be hard to come by. If there is going to be a time that Jay Gruden will need to step up and take action, it will be now, because he may very well be out of a head coaching job by the end of the season.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>NFC South</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
<strong>Atlanta Falcons (9-7)- </strong>The NFC South was clearly the worst division last season, just as the NFC West was in 2010, but I found this division to be so far worse for more reasons than one. This time around, though, I see a great deal of rejuvenation for a team that was one game away from winning the division with a 7-9 record. Dan Quinn, who was the Seahawks defensive coordinator, will be the head coach to this team with Kyle Shanahan as its offensive coordinator. This will mean a possible resurgence to Matt Ryan and weapons such as Julio Jones and Roddy White, who have remained fantasy football superstars, but will need to produce a playoff run out of their talent. I believe that this will be the season where they claim the division, even if it is only with a less than flashy record.<br />
<br />
<strong>New Orleans Saints (8-8)- </strong>The Saints seem to be playing to the same tune: remarkable at home and less than impressive on the road. The fact that they lost some talent (notably tight end Jimmy Graham to the Seahawks) does not help them any, but they still have quarterback Drew Brees, who should remain a good quarterback as long as he is with the league. I feel that the Saints will remain contenders in such a weak division right until the time they head in Atlanta to play the Falcons during the last week of the regular season. I am not sure how long Sean Payton has left in him, probably another season or two because of his impressive record, but my bigger question is: Will offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, Jr. be considered a head coaching candidate in the near future and will the same take place for defensive coordinator Rob Ryan? As much as I am not the greatest fan of the Ryans, I am eager to see if there is ever a day when Rex and Rob Ryan are both head coaches in the NFL.<br />
<br />
<strong>Carolina Panthers (7-9)- </strong>I am not sure if I can say that the Panthers are going to regress, but more so the fact that the Falcons and Saints are going to improve. Head coach Ron Rivera has been able to keep the Panthers relevant for two straight seasons with two straight playoff appearances, but it only seemed like the reason being for this is that they had the least number of flaws. Cam Newton is an okay quarterback, but I feel that their defense is what really keeps things interesting with the Panthers. I see the Panthers holding up their end of the bargain, but it is not going to result in anything that we are not familiar with.<br />
<br />
<strong>Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12)- </strong>The Buccaneers will improve... in the way that they are not going to be the team that picks first in the 2016 NFL Draft unless they trade for that selection. I am not sure if quarterback Jameis Winston was the right selection at #1, which is what the forward drive for the team will come completely down to. The team does have a lot of potential or proven talent, so it will be a matter of getting things to click. In addition, it will be interesting to see how head coach Lovie Smith does in rejuvenating this team the way management expected when they brought him in to do so. I say this is going to be a rebuilding season for the team and 2016 will be where the Buccaneers need to prove that they are heading in the right direction.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>NFC North</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
<strong>Green Bay Packers (11-5)- </strong>The loss of wide receiver Jordy Nelson is a bit of a stinger to their flawless offense, but I feel that with Aaron Rodgers, they can remain a flawless with names such as Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, and the return of James Jones. The Packers seem to be the kind of team that have an offense that is as productive as any in the league and a defense that does what it needs to in order to hold off its opposition. While the defense has been questioned time and time again, Clay Matthews and crew seem to remain useful, while defensive coordinator Dom Capers is exactly in his element. It is hard to believe that Mike McCarthy is just one of four head coaches that has been with the same team for ten consecutive seasons or more.<br />
<br />
<strong>Minnesota Vikings (10-6)- </strong>I believe the Vikings will be the dark horse team this season and rightfully so. Running back Adrian Peterson will be returning, which will really boost the team's running game, especially since Peterson truly has something to prove. At the same time, it will be interesting to see how quarterback Teddy Bridgewater evolves in his second season with the team, especially with wide receivers that include Mike Wallace, who came to the team through free agency. Mike Zimmer has done a remarkable job instilling discipline to this team and assuring that things will be going down exactly the way he feels they should, including a statement about Adrian Peterson either playing for them or for nobody when asked about letting him go. Also in their element is offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who has proven that he could do remarkable things with offenses and it will be something to see if he could do with the Vikings like he has done before with the Cowboys dynasty of the 1990s.<br />
<br />
<strong>Chicago Bears (8-8)- </strong>The Bears simply crumbled under the lack of overall leadership Marc Trestman brought forth to this team, but I feel that it will be a different story under John Fox. While a lot of Fox's immediate success with the Broncos had to do with the massive talent he had with the team, he has also proven that he can coach and do so effectively. I feel that the Bears will return to being a .500 team and possibly reach even further as seasons go by. The question will be whether or not this will be done with quarterback Jay Cutler or with someone else that suits the team a bit better. The coordinators are also excellent selections. After mediocre selections with Aaron Kromer and Mel Tucker as offensive and defensive coordinator respectively, Fox has brought Adam Gase along to be his offensive coordinator and Vic Fangio from the 49ers to be his defensive coordinator. I hold a great deal of confidence that the Bears will become the powerhouse that they once were, but it may take a season or two and possibly a decision regarding the quarterback.<br />
<br />
<strong>Detroit Lions (5-11)- </strong>I just have that feeling that the Lions are not going to have the season they had last time around and are bound to regress. There has been a lack of consistency with their ability to win games, even if Matthew Stafford has proven to be a great quarterback and Calvin Johnson has proven to be a top of the line wide receiver. In addition, Joe Lombardi (offensive coordinator) and Teryl Austin (defensive coordinator) has proven to be future head coaching nominees, which I feel is what this season is going to come down to. If for some reason the Lions make the playoffs (which I am not predicting), both of these men deserve consideration for the nomination, because it will reflect their ability to make something consistent out of the team (one that only made the playoffs twice in the 21st century).<br />
<br />
<strong><u>NFC West</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
<strong>Seattle Seahawks (12-4)- </strong>The Seahawks are and will remain a team to be reckoned with at home, in their division, in the NFC, and throughout the league. After winning the Super Bowl in the 2013 season, they came quite close during the 2014 campaign. Now, they have many of their stars intact (Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman, etc.) plus acquired some free agents, most notably Jimmy Graham from the Saints. It seems like this team is not missing a beat and will continue not missing a beat as long as things continue to flow the way they do. Russell Wilson is also the kind of player that has a sense of longevity in him as a runner, but can also convert into being a passer if need be, not falling into the class of Michael Vick, RGIII, Tim Tebow, or Johnny Manziel. The Seahawks generation have also produced head coaches in defensive coordinators in Gus Bradley (of the Jaguars) and Dan Quinn (of the Falcons). I expect the same to be said about offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and defensive coordinator Kris Richard (new to his position), but most notably offensive line/assistant head coach Tom Cable, who previously coached the Raiders and did a relatively decent job keeping them relevant (he bought them to 8-8 before not coming up with a contract to stay). Cable should definitely pick up a job for a team that looks hopeless (five wins or less on average) and see what he can do with turning them around. As far as the Seahawks are concerned, though, they have all of the pieces to go all the way!<br />
<br />
<strong>Arizona Cardinals (10-6)- </strong>Bruce Arians is perhaps the most important head coach in the league. Since arriving with the team, he went 10-6 in his first season, barely missing the playoffs and going 11-5 and reaching the playoffs last season with a third-string quarterback (in Ryan Lindley). Aside from being really well coached, the Cardinals also benefited immensely by a rejuvenation in their defense, led by now Jets head coach Todd Bowles. At this point in time, they did not lose too much and all they have left are gains. Carson Palmer is bound to start this season and if he can complete the season and do so to the best of his ability, the Cardinals are going to finish where they left off and exceed those expectations. It will be really exciting to see how far this team can really go!<br />
<br />
<strong>St. Louis Rams (8-8)- </strong>This team is bound to show improvement. I am not sure if they are playoff caliber, but I can say that they definitely have what it takes to reach and maybe exceed .500. The formula that Jeff Fisher put together with this team looks like that it is ready to click and whether they make it or not, the fact that this team shows upward progress should be the key focus for this team. Before Fisher, this team was going nowhere, but if they stick with his plan, I am sure they will at least contend as a wildcard come 2016. The addition of Nick Foles also proves to be a great help, for his immediate reliability should really allow the team to get things rolling quickly, which is key for the Rams. He also has an overlooked batch of receivers to throw to and a defense that will be beastly, operated by the eccentric Gregg Williams. If things click for the Rams, this is going to be the best Rams team in the last ten years!<br />
<br />
<strong>San Francisco 49ers (4-12)- </strong>I believe that the 49ers are going to regress. They lost Jim Harbaugh at the head coaching position, followed by running back Frank Gore to the Colts and linebacker Patrick Willis to retirement. They still have Colin Kaepernick at quarterback and Vernon Davis at tight end, but the leadership lags in comparison to what they had before. Jim Tomsula is perhaps the management's opportunity to have more say on the team's choices, because I would have taken Mike Shanahan, who coordinated the offense on this team during their 1994 Super Bowl run, to have one more chance to prove that he is the coach that he was when he coached the Broncos. I am not totally bought on Geep Chryst as offensive coordinator and while Eric Mangini did a good job when he worked with the Patriots defense, I remember him most for being an ineffective head coach. Perhaps something will come out of this team, but I can only see steps backward for this team in what will be a very intense division in which the three other teams will be making great efforts and have the momentum and pieces to do so.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Playoffs</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
<strong><u>AFC</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
<strong>1. Indianapolis Colts</strong><br />
<strong>2. Baltimore Ravens</strong><br />
<strong>3. New England Patriots</strong><br />
<strong>4. Denver Broncos</strong><br />
<strong>5. Kansas City Chiefs</strong><br />
<strong>6. Buffalo Bills</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong><u>NFC</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
<strong>1. Seattle Seahawks</strong><br />
<strong>2. Green Bay Packers</strong><br />
<strong>3. New York Giants</strong><br />
<strong>4. Atlanta Falcons</strong><br />
<strong>5. Arizona Cardinals</strong><br />
<strong>6. Minnesota Vikings</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Wildcard</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Bills beat Patriots, 26-24</strong><br />
<strong>Broncos beat Chiefs, 38-13</strong><br />
<strong>Giants beat Vikings, 22-16</strong><br />
<strong>Cardinals beat Falcons, 17-7</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Divisional</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Colts beat Bills, 31-9</strong><br />
<strong>Broncos beat Ravens, 24-21 OT</strong><br />
<strong>Seahawks beat Cardinals, 34-27</strong><br />
<strong>Packers beat Giants, 35-21</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>AFC Championship</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Colts beat Broncos, 55-42</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>NFC Championship</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Seahawks beat Packers, 31-28</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Super Bowl 50</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Seahawks beat Colts, 41-27</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
So here you have it! I am predicting that the Seahawks will be back and they will have their eye on the Super Bowl. This 50th Super Bowl is going to be noteworthy either way, but I feel that the Seahawks are a hot team that possesses a consistency that they will keep for the next decade. The Colts are a team that has gradually gotten better since head coach Chuck Pagano took the reigns and Andrew Luck became the quarterback. I see them being the most dominant team during the regular season and I feel that they have what it takes to participate in the Super Bowl. As for my other explanations with the playoffs, I do think that Rex Ryan is going to shock people and come back with a fierce entry, eating away at an opponent he only knows too well. The Bills will just have to hope that Rex Ryan came bring a winning trend to the team, unlike his performance with the Jets during his last four seasons there. Either way, this is going to be a football season filled with excitement and possess a giant splash for the fans and I am sure they will enjoy every bit of it. I am sure I will! All there is left is to do is get ready for the season, for it is on its way!Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-52674304573904423172015-08-13T05:42:00.000-07:002015-08-13T05:42:06.057-07:00Book Review: "2001- A Space Odyssey" by Arthur C. Clarke (Featuring Kathryn)<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Josh<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Science fiction is often described as having three
masters in the genre: Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and Arthur C. Clarke.
Clarke has often been named the greatest among them all and <em>2001: A Space
Odyssey</em> has been deemed his most notable work. Clarke wrote this novel with
noteworthy director Stanley Kubrick, who would go on to direct the film version
of this novel. The film was actually released first, but the novel came out
soon after, but only credited Clarke. While most individuals know about the
film more than they do the book, there is so much that can be taken after
reading Clarke's impression on the world around him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I will be reviewing the book, but since I have been
looking to engage in some more collaborations in the form of casual
discussions, I will be doing just that for this. Everyone I collaborated with
before was from my home state of New Jersey and I have met them in person
before collaborating. Today, I am collaborating with someone I met on Booktube.
Since launching Literary Gladiators last year, I have had the great pleasure to
interact with people from the Booktube community and I have nothing but nice
things to say about all of them. One of my favorite channels is one that I was
introduced to as On The Read, featuring two intelligent girls named Kathryn and
Shannon from Great Britain. They film reviews, book hauls, wrap-ups, and
anything else you could think of. This summer, due to conflicting schedules,
they had to split the channel and Shannon took over. Nevertheless, it continues
to be a great watch!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Today, though, I have one of my favorite people that I
met from the Booktube community to talk about <em>2001: A Space Odyssey</em>. Kathryn,
it is a pleasure and an honor to be able to discuss this novel with you today!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Kathryn<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Thanks Josh! Your introduction induced a twinge of
sadness at my not being an active Booktuber any more - who knows, maybe this
discussion will get me inspired again!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It's great to have the opportunity to discuss
literature with someone who wants to say more than 'I liked it', and I think
<em>2001</em> is a perfect novel for digging into the literary depths. It's an honor
for me to be featured on Caponomics too, and I hope your readers enjoy what we
come up with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Josh<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I, too, miss watching you on Booktube and feel a bit
of sadness. However, I am sure that you will be back in no time as either a
blogger or on a new channel! I hope my followers and others enjoy our
discussion and I am sure that I will saying more than "I liked it." I
can promise you that!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Would you like to provide us with a brief summary of
the novel?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Kathryn<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">For the readers who haven't come across <em>2001: A Space
Odyssey</em> yet, you will most likely already know this is a sci-fi novel. So, let
me get straight into a plot summary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We start on Earth, but not as we would recognize it
today. Post-dinosaur extinction, the beginnings of mankind are going about the
process of evolving into the modern homo sapiens. Through Moon-Watcher's eyes (a
'man-ape'), we see a mysterious rectangular object - a monolith - interrupt the
monotonous life on Earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Fast forward to the age of space exploration, and
another mysterious discovery is made - this time on the moon. I certainly don't
want to spoil the novel completely for new readers, so I won't reveal too much.
What I can say, however, is that the narrative soon jumps to life onboard the
spaceship 'Discovery', captained and operated by David Bowman, Frank Poole, and
their omnipresent AI companion, Hal, a HAL 9000 computer. Their mission:
Saturn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When unusual, sinister happenings begin to occur
onboard 'Discovery', Bowman begins to question the role and motives of the AI
that is responsible for the lives of him and his crew, eventually leading him
to make discoveries about the universe that no scientist back on Earth could
ever have predicted. One of mankind's most pondered questions is brought to the
fore: are we alone in the universe?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Josh<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I really think that Clarke does an outstanding job
describing the universe around him, because we have difficulty realizing... or
more so just accepting... that all we really are is a grain of substance in a
universe that is so greater and, if you are listening to Clarke's argument,
more naturalistic. I took an Astronomy class during college and my instructor
brought up some interesting points, including humanity making up such a short
period of time in the "calendar year of time" and what living
organisms really are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It is just so fitting to begin with life before the Common
Era, but after the reign of the dinosaurs. In Primeval Night, the first part of
the novel, he comes to the conclusion that it is our "genius" that
leads to our extinction. This "road to extinction" featured on the
first page begins with the realization that man has the opportunity to advance
by taking its resources to use in their favor. This is shown clearest when
Moon-Watcher took pride in killing the leopard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The most fascinating thing about this novel, in my
mind, is not necessarily the universal discoveries, but that of human nature
and the flaws that make up what is often seen as the greatest creature. It is
just so spectacular that man does what he can to inflict his power onto the
computer. Little does man know that with all of the good traits that come with
a computer that can think for itself come those other traits that make it
hungry for power. At the same time, they do not possess the physical incentives
that humans desire most.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Kathryn<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I totally agree. It can be scary if you truly start to
think about the so-called insignificance of humanity and our lifespans in
particular. But I have always found it oddly comforting to know that this
universe we belong to is capable of so much more; it always has been, and will
be, for a length of time that we cannot comprehend. In my reading, I felt that
this sentiment is what Clarke was trying to express in <em>2001</em>. The ending of the
novel, and the transcendence of human reality, captures this in a way that
truly pushes the reader's imagination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I actually found Moon-Watcher's delight in the
discovery of a carnivorous diet somewhat repulsive! Maybe that is because I
personally am vegan, but on a deeper level, it was the discovery of killing
that haunted me. When Moon-Watcher realizes his physical power, and sees how he
can assert it over the other tribe of man-apes, the social commentary really
stands out. Clarke's ability to write on these themes without overtly passing
judgment is great; he highlights them enough for the reader to form their own
opinions, without authorial intention dominating their interpretation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Artificial Intelligence is certainly a hot topic at
the moment. With some scientists, such as Stephen Hawking, warning that AI has
the potential to overtake humanity, it's amazing to reflect upon the fact this
novel was first published in 1968. Hal certainly isn't posited as an 'enemy' to
begin with; in fact, the respect and friendliness exchanged between human and
computer borders on eerie unnaturalness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Josh<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">There are three more books that make up this series,
beginning with one that is set in 2010. Either way, though, I felt there was a
statement that was being made with how the novel ended.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I believe the leopard was seen as a resource, which is
unfortunate, but it demonstrated that humanity would begin advancing himself
into a more carnivorous diet and that it would begin to eliminate its many
resources... or the lives in general. Several species of leopards have since
been placed on the endangered species list, which is a very eerie prediction
made by Clarke through his choice of animal. I am not a vegan, but the idea of
hunting to obtain food was painted quite boldly. It is just incredible how this
can be traced as the beginning to a species and its pursuit for power and
dominance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Artificial Intelligence is clearly taking over. It
starts off as an object of desire, progresses into something so spectacular,
and is turning into and will become something that human's will be dependent
on. Without it, humanity will be unable to function. The only mode of
prevention is to find alternate activities and ways of life without the use of
electronics (contradictory given our discussion, but we still engage in
non-electronic activities). Back to this story, Hal is meant to serve humanity
by engaging in human tasks and thinking like a human. As a servant, computers
can overtake humans, because they do not fancy income. On the other hand, if
they think like a human and do not need the human resources to function, they
can come together with the needs to overtake them and have nothing to lose. It
is really creepy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">As for what I thought of this novel, the futuristic
world that Arthur C. Clarke puts together is brilliant. I really got a lot out
of his commentary on human nature, where he believed human extinction began,
and some of the results to a world dominated by Artificial Intelligence. My
criticism lies in the basic substance that makes up the novel. I do not feel
there is much character development and I only felt the humans were there to
serve the purpose as being a species in pursuit of something greater. We know
what they are leaving behind, but do not feel a lot of their emotion. I may
also sound like a tough customer when I say that I wish Hal got some more time
in the book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Kathryn<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I hadn't thought about the leopard in that respect -
another example of Clarke's creepy accuracy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Whilst I had <em>2001</em> on the go, I decided to watch the
film 'Ex Machina', released just this year, which also focuses on AI's place
amongst humans. I was intrigued because of the similar themes with <em>2001</em>, and
although they are obviously very different in terms of plot and characterization,
it was interesting to see an up-to-the-minute take on the issues Clarke
addressed. As you have pointed out, Josh, our growing dependency on technology
is already alarming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Bowman's courage in the face of pure, open space is
admirable, but I would agree that his emotional responses are somewhat limited.
He dismisses his own hopes that he is not too far from home as 'childish'; I
see this as an instinctual response. After all, the man-apes of the first
section of the novel return each night to their cave dwellings, and Clarke has
already demonstrated that, relatively speaking in the grand schemes of the
universe, the human species has not moved so far from those times. Bowman
becomes almost as (supposedly) passive as Hal!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Speaking of Hal, would you have liked to have felt his
presence a little more directly in the narrative? Or just to have seen him
engage more with the human characters?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Josh<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I believe that if anything, I would have liked to have
seen him engage more with the human characters. I believe we really get a good
idea of who he is and how he possesses human traits. One example is that he is
programmed to lose fifty percent of the games that he participates, so that his
thought-process is a bit more reasonable. Going into the novel, I thought we
were going to get a greater idea about how Artificial Intelligence was
beginning to dominate humanity. Hal leaves his mark, but I thought he could
have been more ferocious with what he wanted and all humanity would be able to
blame is themselves. It makes sense that Bowman and Hal held similar emotions
of denial, because they were meant to have the same development, but these
flaws would allow the rest of this expedition to head forward.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I agree with your idea about instinct. Every animal
has a strength and a weakness. For Homo sapiens, we really only pay attention
to our strengths. We most certainly have our weaknesses, one of which being our
instinctual response and the need to return home. Of course, we have the power
to move from point A to point B, but there is this sense of what is
"home" planted in our minds and we are willing to do what can be done
to ease the pain that comes from distance. Even if it means stretching the
truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I still felt that <em>2001: A Space Odyssey</em> was a good
book and one that I can recommend. I would rate it <strong>8/10</strong>, because it could have
been better developed with the dimension of the characters and the impact of
Artificial Intelligence, but it excels at presenting what the world may very
well become and how it was brought about by the humans themselves. It really
does address an area that we tend to think about, but will now really think
about after reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Kathryn<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Hal's reticence was a little unexpected. I thought his
'enthusiasm for the mission' was a little vague as his motivation to mutiny. I
too would have liked to see him engage with Bowman and Poole a little more.
From what I can remember of Kubrick's version, Hal is more present and
developed as a character, and certainly more sinister.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Bowman definitely lets go of his sense of 'home'
fairly quickly, which I did not find entirely convincing. Maybe this was
inspired by the hopelessness of the situation Clarke placed him in, but I
suppose the answer lies with Clarke's authorial intention, which, if my degree
in English has taught me anything, we cannot be sure of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I think I'll be generous and give this novel a <strong>9/10</strong>,
largely for the fact it really blew me away in terms of the extent to which it
made me think about those 'big questions' concerning humanity, the universe,
etc. However I'm not well-read in the sci-fi genre, so I can't make
comparisons; perhaps relative to other sci-fi novels I might not score this so
highly - who knows? All in all though, I did thoroughly enjoy this read, and on
a final literary note: Clarke's prose is eerily beautiful, and I found the
structure of the novel to be expertly precise and readable. I would definitely
recommend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Josh<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I suppose that it was Hal's presence in the movie that
made me expect him to play a larger role in this novel. It is quite something
how we bring authorial intent into the picture, for the authorial intent can be
changed at any point in time. Being a writer, I have not even considered
confirming certain details, for my intent was to leave it up to the reader to
decide. Perhaps Clarke is doing the same here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I think that I will agree with your final note
regarding the beauty and how strangely beautiful Clarke's prose happens to be.
This is exactly why he walks away as the legend that he is to science fiction.
If you can make it through the many details, you should definitely get
something out of this!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Kathryn, I want to thank you once again for taking
time to participate in this discussion. I truly enjoy discussing books and
literature with you and I really hope that your upcoming year at uni is a good
one. I would definitely love to have you back on Caponomics and I really hope
you make your way to blogging or back to vlogging as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Kathryn<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I'm definitely going to re-watch the film just to
compare. I may even pick up the next in Clarke's series, just to see where he
takes the ideas of 2001.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It really has been fun to talk literature with you
Josh, I'm glad you enjoyed it too. I would always be happy to take part in more
discussions! I suppose on this occasion we can thank our technology for
allowing us to connect and share our thoughts with not only each other, but
your readers too. All the best with your Booktube channel and blog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>Josh<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">That is true. We have technology to thank for this
spectacular discussion. Thank you so much for your kinds wishes as well!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><em>You can find Kathryn's videos made with Shannon on the channel now known as Shannon Rose Reads. I encourage you to check all of these out, for everything that comes from this channel is so good! : </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqg59LxJPZNjstUse-Orjgg">Shannon Rose Reads Channel</a></span></div>
Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-7677104777174228942015-08-12T08:53:00.000-07:002015-08-12T08:55:49.731-07:00Poem Discussion: Poetry From "Death of a Naturalist" by Seamus HeaneyI have begun to make my way through <em>Opened Ground</em>, which is a collection of Irish Nobel Prize winning poet Seamus Heaney's work from 1966 to 1996. Throughout the collection, there is selected poetry from each of his collections up until the time this bigger testament of his best works was released. <em>Opened Ground</em> was assigned for my Irish Literature class, but I felt that either way, I was bound to pick up this collection and begin reading his work. Heaney is just a magnificent poet that reflects on being an Irishman and living a life in rural Ireland. Unlike W.B. Yeats, who wrote years before him, Heaney's work is completely straightforward and not meant to be viewed as Symbolist. There is no complicated decoding that is meant to explore the background of Heaney's time and place nor is there a need for you, the reader, to believe that what is being said is supposed to represent something else. Any kind of word play in Heaney's poetry is intended to be figured out, for it is just Heaney using creative expressions.<br />
<br />
Here are five of his poems that stick out the most in his earliest collection, released in 1966.<br />
<br />
<strong>"Digging"- </strong>For some reason, there is a thing with me and the first poem that appears in a collection. It is most certainly not me being lazy and saying that the first thing I read is the very best part of a poetry collection, but it just turns out that way. Perhaps this is a strategy on behalf of poet in order to catch the attention as immediately as possible. "Digging" follows the speaker and how he is writing indoors and remembers his father and grandfather and the yard work in which they engaged. He mentioned how they used spades and how the speaker recalls picking potatoes with his father and carrying milk out to his grandfather. As for his instrument, the speaker uses his pen to "dig up memories." Heaney put a great concentration on making sure that the reader was able to feel the grime that the subjects felt in the poem, emphasizing the "cool hardness in our hands" (L 14), the bottled milk "corked sloppily with paper" (L 20), and "the squelch and slap of soggy peat" (L 25-26) to name a few. We can tell that this speaker does not hold as much experience with manual labor as he possesses "no spade to follow men like them" (L 28), but as time goes by, it almost seems like the escalation of time and circumstances means he is not in a dire need to engage in such labor.<br />
<br />
<strong>"Death of a Naturalist"- </strong>The title poem in this collection is quite amusing, as it pertains to a boy and his fondness of the frogs that exist in his world. As he does so magnificently, Heaney describes the swampy environment to which the frogs inhabit and how he interferes with it, so that he can collect evidence to which he is able to study. He is inspired by what he learns in school about these frogs and what Miss Walls teaches him about them. Ultimately, he returns to some not so happy frogs, "gathered there for vengeance" (L 32). The title of the poem leaves me thinking, because "naturalism" to me describes the indifference that nature has on society. The subject is interfering with the world around him and those that are being affected are angered by this. Perhaps the boy in the poem thinks in a manner that completely opposes the fundamentals of how a Naturalist would think in that he wants to know more than what already is in his grasp. Following the ideas of what Heaney intends, the concept of a boy making his way to a pond full of frogs and examining their habitat is just quite fascinating!<br />
<br />
<strong>"Churning Day"- </strong>I would probably say that if there was a particular poem that caught my attention more than the others in this collection, "Churning Day" would be that poem. When I was younger, I had a fascination with the act of using a churn to make butter and wondered what it was about this that had an impact on the process. I thought that there was something intriguing and as demanding as a designated chore done on a farm. Heaney reminds me otherwise of the gruel that comes with churning butter. He jumps right in by describing the debris left by the churning as "a thick crust, coarse-grained as limestone rough-cast" (L 1) and continues by making comparisons to the product as being processed by "cud and udder" as he refers to the cow (L 4) and how it leaves the house "acrid as a sulphur mine" (L 28). In addition to leaving its mark on the house, the churning of butter leaves everyone with aching arms, blistered hands, and "cheeks and clothes [that] were splattered with flabby milk" (L 15-17). It is incredible to believe that churning butter was just as demanding, if not more demanding, than transporting limestone or manure. Heaney makes a fine argument to this particular case and I surely enjoyed reading about it!<br />
<br />
<strong>"Follower"- </strong>"Follower" is a really heartwarming poem about the cycle of life. Much of the poem follows the subject's father and how he is such a farming expert. The subject, who is a younger boy, is really curious about what his father is doing and wants to be just like him. The father, though, is a genius in his work and it is just about impossible for the boy to figure out what he is doing and how things are done so well. All the boy was able to do was trip, fall, and yap, which almost certainly annoyed his father. As time goes by, though, things start to change. The boy grows up and becomes a man and tends to the farm. The father, who is much older at this point in time, is doing the same thing the boy did. Having tended to the farm for so many years, the father is following along as if he is a "backseat driver," showing that there is bound to be a cycle of irritation when it comes to doing what needs to be done; and while both seem to think they know what they are doing, the idea of the job getting done tends to be the most important obligation that remains at hand.<br />
<br />
<strong>"Mid-Term Break"-</strong> "Mid-Term Break" is a saddening poem about the occurrence of premature death in Ireland. The subject is a boy that is the oldest child, who has lost his younger brother, just four years of age (he has another brother that is just a baby). We do not know this until the end of the poem, though. What we do know, though, is that the boy (who is said to be in college, but needs to rely on a ride from neighbors) is coming home to a wake and is being consoled by older men and saddened parents. As the poem progresses, we learn more and more about him and about the death of his relative. Eventually, we learn that the death was due to a fall that lead to the boy hitting his head and then are assured by the description that he was in "a four-foot box, a foot for every year" (L 22). Premature death, especially death in childhood, is always sad to read about. The way that Heaney writes about it is in the Irish tradition, capturing a segment of an unfortunate, but common part of their lifestyle.<br />
<br />
Seamus Heaney really gives us a taste of what it means to be an Irish poet, with examples from multiple backgrounds. I am really curious to know what life is like in other countries and how their lifestyle and their environment reflects their writing. Heaney really does a great job giving me that taste and by being straightforward with what he has to say, there is no need to overthink everything he presents to me as the reader. These five poems explore what it was to grow up in his generation in Ireland and how the work was so grueling. I could feel the sod and the muck that he describes in all of its forms as he talks about their presence in those everyday tasks. Heaney's poetry is so great, because while it may make you think, the only certainty is that it is the content and the imagery that will definitely be taken away from his work. Sometimes the ability to enjoy poetry as if it is a sampling of cheese with a glass of wine is what we need. This is definitely a great place to start!<br />
<br />
I will leave a link to the collection that I referred to and encourage you to check out on your own time. This includes Heaney's other works of poetry up until 1996: <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Opened-Ground-Selected-Poems-1966-1996/dp/0374526788">Opened Ground: Selected Poems, 1966-1996 by Seamus Heaney</a>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-24890075836636886282015-08-05T17:56:00.002-07:002015-08-05T17:56:52.228-07:00Literary Gladiators: Season 3 & Other UpdatesFor those of you that are following me along on my blog, I ask for your forgiveness. I had the great intent of submitting more posts to my blog, including one that remains incomplete. I plan to complete that particular post and I am also planning a collaborate with a former BookTuber that I greatly admire. As to what I have been doing this last month (and perhaps beyond), I have been working on putting together and launching <em>Literary Gladiators</em>. I am working on the uploading of season three and the filming of season four, which is a task in itself, but I am sure that it is going to work out in the end. We are doing such a good job from where we began and we are certainly reaching for the stars. On July 22nd, we reached 100 subscribers, which is a great milestone after being on YouTube for 17 months and part of the BookTube community for about seven. We are celebrating with a giveaway, which will continue until August 25th (I will leave a link at the bottom of this post). As I write this post, we are up to 119 subscribers and have over 4,700 views, in addition to positive interaction with over 200 likes and just four dislikes, as well as multiple comments. We are still a modest channel, but we are definitely moving forward and doing so quickly.<br />
<br />
We are currently uploading the third season of episodes, which include 12 traditional episodes and a roundtable where we discuss the works that inspired us to become literary enthusiasts. In addition, we have taken the liberty to film some extras that take the reflection of many other BookTube channels. We are filming wrap-ups, book hauls, book tags, reviews, and other miscellaneous videos that involve us talking about literature. Some of these videos are individual, while others are group responses to different tags. For instance, we filmed the Would You Rather Book Tag as a group and it turned out being a riot! These more casual episodes that do not take on the traditional format are always a thrill and I look forward to filming more of these. At this point in time, we are generally uploading two videos each week: a traditional episode and an extra. The third season is slated to end on August 21st, so we may have just one or two extras until September 3rd, where we plan to upload our first fourth season episode. We have filmed twenty-six episodes and have fourteen that are still being planned, so we are planning an eventful season that will span into June 2016. We also have a special that should coincide with the Summer Olympics being held in Rio de Janeiro. <br />
<br />
As I mention in the 100 Subscribers Giveaway video, the most important part about being a member of the BookTube community is that you connect with your fellow members and get something out of the experience. We can have far more than 119 subscribers, but it would mean nothing if it meant we could not connect with them. BookTube is such a great community and they are some of the nicest, enthusiastic, and most encouraging bunch I have ever come across. It is just surreal that we could live in different cities, different states, different countries, and be brought together by a love for books and reading. THAT is the magic of BookTube! We definitely plan to connect much more with the community and some of my fellow participants have expressed interest in filming extras of their own. I will be sharing one such example, where Kelsea responded to me tagging her in the Minimalist Book Tag, where I was tagged by its creator, Shannon from Shannon Rose Reads. <br />
<br />
I will leave links below to all of our season three episodes and to some of our extras. I hope you enjoy these and I promise that I will have some new written content up before you know it!<br />
<br />
<strong>Season 3 Episodes Thus Far</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO2-vcvO56E">Episode 30- "A Narrative of the Captivity & Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson by Mary Rowlandson</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTtiu0WkbQU">Episode 31- "The Stranger" by Albert Camus</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4TDxiGUbhQ">Episode 32- "My Dog Tulip" by J.R. Ackerley</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T45KVqWEQ6A">Episode 33- "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F--BU3g1-Cs">Episode 34- "Rubyfruit Jungle" by Rita Mae Brown</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk88z4TzJxs">Episode 35- "Wit & Wisdom From Poor Richard's Almanac" by Benjamin Franklin</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2kpnASiBdM">Works That Inspired Us To Become Literary Enthusiasts</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRQidtYY2aU">Episode 36- Shakespeare's Sonnets</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvNLm0CiZZs">Episode 37- "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3uns8pK0m0">Episode 38- "Watchmen" by Alan Moore</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Some of our Extras</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvDICHsZPXI">Would You Rather Book Tag- Part 1 (Questions 1-6)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iInhIrq5erg">Would You Rather Book Tag- Part 2 (Questions 7-10)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saqHb4TklmY">Josh's Cheese Book Tag (Original)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0hBbtCeYZg">Josh's Barnes & Noble Book Haul July 2015 (ft. Minnie)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbMfqrshze0">Josh's Minimalist Book Tag</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O65W31amYxc">Kelsea's Minimalist Book Tag</a><br />
<br />
<strong>100 Subscriber Giveaway (Active Until August 25, 2015)</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEU7-JN82cg">100 SUBSCRIBER GIVEAWAY</a>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-20624651101536278452015-07-02T14:52:00.000-07:002015-07-02T14:52:03.448-07:00Book Review: "Stoner" by John WilliamsSince joining the BookTube community as being the producer and a participant on <em>Literary Gladiators</em>, I have done even more to participate in other outlets involving discussions about books. One of which involves my participation in Goodreads and one such group happens to be <em>Around the World in 80 Books</em>. Each month, this particular group nominates three books to read: one from an American state, one from a county in Britain, and another from any country around the world. This past month, the state of choice was Nebraska and the book we voted on was <em>Stoner</em> by John Williams. Reading up on this novel, it almost seemed like its existential views would suit my fancy. The books that are published by New York Review Books usually have that common structure that concentrate on the more literary elements of developing the character. What I got out of this novel was that the development of the characters was one of the greater efforts, for I felt that these characters were realistic for their time and setting. They may have not been the most likable bunch and there were plenty of characters that I felt a bitter hatred toward, but these feelings allowed for an experience that really proved to be quite the delight.<br />
<br />
William Stoner lives with his parents on a farm in Missouri (yeah, much of the novel is based in Missouri instead of Nebraska) and is an only child. While at this day and age it would almost be set that Stoner would go right to working on the farm following his graduation from high school, his parents decide that it would be best for him to go to college for agriculture. Despite his intention of doing so, Stoner realizes that he wants to pursue his degree in English Literature instead, and works his way toward becoming an instructor at the college instead of a farmer in the light his parents intended. While it is a challenge, they stand by this decision. Stoner eventually meets his future wife, Edith, at a gathering and is swept up by her beautiful appearance. Unfortunately, they never click emotionally and this leads to a dysfunctional marriage to say the very least. While Stoner remains a scholar throughout the text, Edith never understands where he is coming and deals with some mental issues of her own. They produce a daughter, Grace, to whom Stoner raises for the first six years of life before Edith suddenly realizes she wants to become involved and mold her into what she wants. This develops into a friction that causes Edith to encourage Grace to turn away from her father, for what should be valued in life is conformity to what the status quo deems as being ideal and acceptable. This leads to an inevitable affair at some point later into the text.<br />
<br />
Stoner is a man that dances to his own tune and makes decisions that are based on his intuition. They may be questioned, they may go against what is honorable, but at the same time, there are cases where Stoner makes decisions based off of what he feels as being fair. While he colleagues, Gordon Finch and Dave Masters, went to fight for America during World War I, Stoner stayed back and worked toward his degree. The refusal to participate in war had been historically frowned upon, especially up to the time of World War II, but Stoner had a different mindset that involved bearing a different batch of priorities. Into his career, he was given a seminar to teach about Medieval Studies and taught an arrogant, sly student by the name of Charles Walker; not to mention that Charles is also physically handicapped. Charles was known to interrupt during class and an act of academic dishonesty led to his failure of the class. The timing was wrong for Stoner when the English Department ended up being taken over by a man named Hollis Lomax, who had a similar handicap (the term "crippled" is used to described people with Charles and Lomax's particular condition). Stoner caused commotion to prevent Charles from moving forward in the program, to which Lomax felt was an attack on his disability. What Lomax felt was "discriminatory" led to Stoner getting an outlandish schedule and freshman composition classes on his agenda, for Stoner already had tenure. It took a certain revolt that would not occur until years later to which this action was reversed. To me, it was the greatest laugh I had with a book in quite some time!<br />
<br />
I see <em>Stoner</em> as being a nice, enjoyable read for the right audience. In this case, the right audience would be a crowd of scholars that are familiar with the ways colleges work. If you are or plan to be an English major, then this is a bonus. The target audience will truly enjoy this work and I feel that a connection will surely be made to Bill Stoner. My criticism would be in the predictability of the plot. There were occasions where what happened is exactly what I believed would happen and in ways that it has happened in the multiple works of this particular setup. However, unlike novels that have used these redundant occasions, this one was able to mold it so that it fit the structure of the story and did little or nothing to hurt it.<br />
<br />
What I feel is most important about this novel is the existential idea that Stoner was his own man. Stoner spent his life being stepped on, because he made decisions that went against what others wanted him to decide, for they felt their decisions were more "civil." I think that in some way, shape, or form, there are traits that Stoner possesses that all of us possess and wish to execute a bit better. The fact of the matter is, this particular lifestyle is achievable on the contingency that one is willing to place their reputation on the line and realize that acceptance is not going to come immediately, if ever. <em>Stoner</em> is for the reader that is seeking the enlightenment that they most desire and have the patience to do what it takes to obtain this enlightenment.<br />
<br />
<strong>Verdict: 8/10</strong>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-46918900794662212872015-06-24T20:26:00.000-07:002015-06-24T20:30:53.546-07:00Poem Discussion: "next to of course god america i" by e.e. cummings (Featuring Literary Enthusiast Kelsea Rowan)<strong>Josh<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
During the Modernist era, literature was drastically altered. From 1914 to
1945, Modernist literature turned into something that was so unique that one
would have a difficult time coming together with a pinpoint for its overall
theme. Writers like T.S. Eliot were inspired by the past, but wrote for the
present. At the same time, there were those, like e.e. cummings, that wrote in
a way that was so unique that it created something extraordinary for its time.
I will be discuss his untitled poem that we know as "next to of course god
america i." In the event that a poem is untitled, it is usually routine to
name the poem after its first line. Readers of Emily Dickinson are quite
familiar with this. <o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
However, I will not be discussing this alone. I am conducting my third
collaboration with a favorite literary friend of mine. She is an intelligent
librarian who is going to college for library science and for studies in LGBTQ
literature. At the same time, she is an enthusiast for the work of e.e.
cummings. If you watch <em>Literary Gladiators</em>, she will be on board
during the upcoming season. I am speaking of Kelsea Rowan. Thank you for
joining me!<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<br />
<strong>Kelsea<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Thank you for having me Josh! And for those kind words!<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Josh <u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
It is my pleasure.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
Kelsea allegedly convinced me to do my senior thesis on e.e. cummings in one
of my dreams. It turns out that I could have come up with a thesis for <em>The
Enormous Room</em>, since the theme of the seminar was Literature & War. So
I think about Kelsea when I think about cummings.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
Anyway, let's talk about "next to of course god america i."<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<strong>Kelsea<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
The association between myself and cummings is always flattering of course.
"next to of course god america i" is a short but opinionated poem.
This poem addresses the topic of patriotism in America, which can become a
controversial topic at times and cummings makes it a point to fully exemplify
the controversial bits of this patriotism in his poem. On the surface, the poem
can be seen as a fun comment on patriotism, but a closer look will have one
taken back by the true subject: the blind patriotism that the speaker is here
to discuss sarcastically.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
I wanted to begin with the style of the poem, how cummings uses the
placement of the words to fully captures the hurried talk of someone who is
blindly patriotic. cummings always has an apt command of words and can use them
to their full potential in order to get his point across, so this poem is no exception.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Josh<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
I cannot agree with you more. This is of course a sarcastic rant about
American patriotism. At the same time, it is almost reminiscent of Samuel
Beckett with the way that it is executed. When I first heard it, I thought the
poet WAS the overall speaker. When I read it, the poet is talking about the
speaker and how he concludes that he "drank rapidly a glass of water"
in that way that the simple action speaks wonders (line 14).<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
I am also aware about how the most important part about understanding
cummings is not just the words he uses, but how and where he places them.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<strong>Kelsea<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
I didn't think of it initially but I can certainly see the Samuel Beckett
element, it has the same dialogue to it that "Waiting for Godot" has!
Nice catch there. While I can see the poem as one speaker or a speaker talking
about another person, there are also many voices present. I believe that each
segment (not necessarily lines) sounds almost like a different person who's
contributing to this blind patriotism.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<u1:p> </u1:p><o:p></o:p><br />
<strong>Josh<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
I would say it is quite reasonable. Not only in how they are from a
different area of the country, but also a different generation. There is the
pilgrim coming to America, the guy singing praises as if he is Sam the Eagle,
the southerner, and the soldier. The speaker is mocking the fact that these
people are engaging in these actions and yet they really do not contribute to
anything.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
I saw a bit of "Krapp's Last Tape "as well, where attention is
paid to Krapp's actions... not just what he says, but also how he says it and then
how he eats the banana now and then. There is definitely an element of
absurdity.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<u1:p> </u1:p><o:p></o:p><br />
<strong>Kelsea<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
I'm glad that you were able to almost come up with "names" for
them, clever. I can see those voices there. Perhaps the speaker is a man (or
woman!) mocking these "voices" and imitating them, which would
explain the ending. The speaker got so heated and enthused in his imitations of
them that at the end he must gulp down some water to catch his breath! This
again goes back to the structure though, how there are no periods and each
fragment runs into the next, leaving only the line breaks to signify, perhaps,
the speaker catching his breath. This also contributes to making the people he
is imitating seem stupid because they can only speak in short, incomplete sentences
that at times don't even make sense. Especially the voice that can only say
"by gorry by jingo by gee by gosh by gum" (line 8). Although this
voice is stupid but is still important enough to include because his mindless
babbling is all a part of that blind patriotism. Even though this voice cannot
do anything, it is still patriotic and that is ultimately damaging to
patriotism itself.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
I'm not familiar with "Krapp's Last Tape," but I agree on the
absurdity, yet again.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<u1:p> </u1:p><o:p></o:p><br />
<strong>Josh<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
cummings is known for his short, lower-cased sentences without the
punctuation. This only capitalizes what he is known best for in this particular
poem. The "by gosh by gum" part mentioned in the eighth line is
supposed to be a bit of mockery, but perhaps it is a part of the speaker's language.
The person who speaks this particular bit is definitely male, because he is
referred to as "he" in the last line. If you are talking about the
many voices that are contributors to his rant, they can be representatives of
different genders. I still feel that this is all one person babbling about the
same thing, but with an inability stay on one topic for too long.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Kelsea<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
I can see the one speaker who has an inability to stay on topic but I can
also see a man imitating multiple voices, not necessarily being those voices
himself. I think this is what makes this poem so great, the different ways to
take it and all the voices that can be present.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Josh<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
I would find it more believable that this is one man imitating multiple
voices, for it only builds onto the great sarcasm that is being conveyed about
his feelings about America. I agree that this poem is remarkable in the way
that it points out the ironies of what many see as being strengths about
America. I would say that this is quite a way to exercise the first amendment!<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Kelsea<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Yeah that point of view really amplifies the sarcasm. Yes, what a better way
to use the first amendment to its fullest than to criticize not only Americans
but what makes America, America: the blind patriotism of its citizens. This is
an important poem in that it addresses a very important issue, patriotism is no
problem but it should certainly be informed and even a patriotism that can
admit its own faults. The patriotism in this poem certainly cannot admit its
own faults. This lack of fault is fully realized in the poem by the lines
"who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter / they did not stop to
think they died instead" (lines 11-12).<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Josh<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
That last part of the poem really brings about the irony about those dying
for their cause and how "the voice of liberty be mute" by those that
are making the loudest statement about patriotism (line 13). At the same time,
the ones that speak for patriotism are the outspoken patriots. That's it,
nothing extraordinary, no crucial experience, just the idea of being outspoken.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
An intense political debate can definitely come out of this poem. Two people
can realize that there is a problem, but there is a good chance that one is
going to have a different solution than the other.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
As for the first amendment, as much as cummings criticizes the angle that it
is being used to promote blind patriotism, the first amendment allowed cummings
to write this poem without too much of a struggle from authorities.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<strong>Kelsea<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
I'm trying to understand what you're saying about the last bit. It sounds as
if you agree that patriotism is all about being outspoken but not about what is
being said? Which is the current state of things as cummings writes his poem.
It's a battle of who can be the loudest, not who has the most important or
intelligent thing to say. <o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
I'm not sure an intense political debate can come out of this poem, except
the line that lightly criticizes fighting in war. Other than that, I believe
any party can agree that bind patriotism is not conducive to anything. The only
debate I can see arising is with someone who believes that anything these
voices are saying has merit. I believe that what really drives the point of the
poem home is the reference to the national anthem and how it highlights that
being patriotic involves so much more than just knowing the words to some song
that is supposed to exemplify American patriotism. <o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
I can agree that the criticism of the first amendment is easily flipped back
onto cummings and this transcends the poem. This is still present today, in a
world where everyone is criticizing everyone for using their right to the first
amendment with the notion that their use of it is better but now it is just
more widespread.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Josh<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
The last bit of the rant flips on the idea that the people that truly know
the most about patriotism are the ones that do not have the opportunity to
speak about it, for they are the ones dying in war. This leaves everything else
to figure out whether or not one of them can be louder than the other. The
debate would come in when both sides are trying to figure out what truly
defines patriotism. Knowing the words to the national anthem or to another
patriotic song only garners so much intelligence per se, but that's the same
thing as knowing your country because you know the capital of your home state
or that George Washington was the first president of the United States (for the
record, one should know this). This does not automatically mean that you are
the cookie cutout American patriot.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
The way the first amendment is being looked at today can get outrageous
sometimes. Politics has become about whether or not you support the blue team
or the red team in a game where all of the participants are breaking the rules.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
How it relates to cummings is that there are so many ideas that
"define" patriotism, when there is so much more to its meaning and
execution.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<u1:p> </u1:p><o:p></o:p><br />
<strong>Kelsea<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Oh wow, I thought I had gotten that last bit but making the connection
between the silence and those who are dying in war did not come to mind and I
really enjoy that connection. But I do further understand what you were getting
at now. At least with this poem we can begin to understand what cummings defines
as patriotism and it is NOT knowing the words to the anthem or the first
president of the states but something much more than that. I'm not sure if I
can pull it from this particular poem, although I'm sure I could if I spent
some time on it.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
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Ah yes, politics has become another great American sport!<o:p></o:p><br />
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<strong>Josh<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Indeed. Politics has become nothing more than a great sport and there are so
many lives at stake.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
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I definitely plan to read this poem time and time again. I probably read it
about ten times before we had our discussion and I will probably read it a few
more times so that I could come up with a conclusion. What I am seeing right
now is that it is a poem about how a lot of people like to "talk a good
game" and build themselves us as being patriots, when patriotism is so
much more. It is also a satire about how this is the foundation America is
built on.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<strong>Kelsea<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
It is certainly an easy poem to get through, understanding it is another
ball game though. There's many layers here. I can see how the poem satirizes
the foundation America is built on with the reference to the "land of the
pilgrims'" (line 2) and the "centuries come and go" (line 4)
line which adds to this blind patriotism transcending time.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<strong>Josh<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Not only are these references overdone, but in a way they are not too
accurate. The pilgrims did come over to America, but that is not where it all
began.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
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What would you say about this poem overall? I do agree that it caught my
attention quickly with its nature and its style and I would suggest checking
out cummings' poetry and definitely include this in the equation.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
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<strong>Kelsea<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
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I believe that he isn't alluding to when the continent of America began but
when the idea of America itself began. The idea of it, the America "with a
capital A" where all the overzealous patriotism began not necessarily just
a few steps on soil or the forming of a continent. <o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
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I would say that I was pleasantly surprised by this poem and liked that with
each read, as well as each step in our discussion, I was able to find something
new about it. This is what I love about all of cummings' poetry though, they're
often short and seem nonsensical but there are always a great number of layers
to get through. I can never stop recommending cummings' poetry to others, even
if you only get stuck on the oddities it is still enjoyable. It is not always
about getting through to the "true meaning" because with cummings one
can just enjoy the art of it.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<strong>Josh<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
The America named for Amerigo Vespucci began in the late 15th century upon
what cummings argues is the beginning of this overzealous patriotism. The
continent itself began as part of the greater land that was broken like every
other continent and then inhabited by various indigenous groups for thousands
of years. Of course, the latter information is just what has been historically
concluded.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
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As for this poem, I cannot agree more that not only does the message become
stronger, but I do get much more out of these works through other individuals
that are willing to talk about them. I may very well pick up an e.e. cummings
collection if I can find it at a reasonable price. I would not mind a $15-$20
collection, as long as I am getting a great bulk of his poetry and not a skinny
collection of selected works. Nevertheless, it is about time I place cummings
with the others, for his work is so fascinating!<o:p></o:p><br />
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<u1:p> </u1:p><o:p></o:p><br />
<strong>Kelsea<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
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Personally, my mom was lovely enough to get my cummings' collected works as
a Christmas present a few years ago. It's hefty but I do enjoy it very much.
She says that it wasn't too pricey. I'm glad you have become a fan of cummings'
though, he is truly a great poet and will always hold a special place in my
heart.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Josh<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Kelsea, I want to thank you for taking the time to discuss this poem with
me. You have brought a lot to my attention and I am positive that you brought a
lot to the readers attention about such a magnificent poet and his work that
has most definitely stood the test of time.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
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<u1:p> </u1:p><o:p></o:p><br />
<strong>Kelsea<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Thanks for having me Josh, it has been a pleasure as always and I'm glad
that one of our literary discussions will finally be put to good use! Thank you
for providing a new look at the poem for me, it has truly given me more to
appreciate about it.<o:p></o:p><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<strong>Josh<u1:p></u1:p></strong><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
It is my pleasure. I am sure that this experience can be shared by those
that read it. I strongly encourage all of you to check this out and see what
you get out of it.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<em><b>Kelsea will make her debut to Literary Gladiators on the episode
being released on Friday, July 17th.</b></em><o:p></o:p><br />
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Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-50265943670780458752015-06-18T11:55:00.003-07:002015-06-18T11:55:46.132-07:00Poem Discussion: "Self-Portrait, Nude With Steering Wheel" by Paul DurcanWhen it comes to short stories and poems, especially with poems, I have realized that in order to discuss them as thoroughly and as efficiently as I am possibly able, I am not able to guarantee that I will spoil important information. In many cases, I may have to mention the twist or the ending, for it would take away from what I am trying to say if I did not. It is much easier with a book or novel, for I am able to discuss the structure of the work and not have to disclose any crucial information. When I film episodes of <em>Literary Gladiators</em>, all of our episodes are discussions, so I cannot guarantee what myself and others are going to say. With that being said, I have made the decision to alter the way that I present what I am writing.<br />
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<strong>1. All of my posts about poems and short stories will be in the form of discussions, for this will provide me with the opportunity to disclose information if need be. In addition, anything that says "discussion" will be subject to spoilers.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>2. If I consider something a "review," you have my word that unless alerted, there was be no spoilers.</strong><br />
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<strong>3. To sum up: Discussion = subject to spoiler. Review = spoiler free.</strong><br />
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Now to my discussion. During my last semester in college, I had the opportunity to take an Irish Literature class. I thoroughly enjoyed the material and had the opportunity to learn more about Irish authors, playwrights, and poets. Perhaps the one that I was least familiar with, yet the one I grew to love the most after taking this class was Paul Durcan. Durcan is a contemporary Irish poet who writes about a wide range of topics, many of which are in free verse (which to me is what I would write if I wrote poetry). The poem that stuck out the most, after reading it in class, at the Open Mic Night held that spring, and in my Senior Seminar class, was his self-deprecating "Self-Portrait, Nude with Steering Wheel." The work is about a hopeless man-child, yet it is immensely hysterical to the point that readers are going to look at it and either feel shocked, amazed, or both.<br />
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The speaker begins by mentioning that he is 45 years old. No name, no background information, we just know that he's 45 and we assume that he is a he, because Durcan is a he, and that he is speaking to a female subject. We have absolutely no idea the gender of either person. He begins by negatively counting off everything he is not good at and admitting that he is given more credit than he truly deserves. For instance, he begins by saying that, he does not "know how to drive a car- and you tell me I am cultured" (L 2-3). More notably, he admits to being a "backseat driver" and yet he is "not an egotist" (L 8-9). Perhaps the person he is speaking to is sugar coating their thoughts or remains very accepting of a hopeless person like the speaker. At the same time, the speaker may be overthinking their situation. <br />
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Perhaps the fifth part stands as the most shocking section when he mentions that "45 years getting in and out of cars/And I do not know where the dipstick is/And you tell me I am a superb lover" (L 13-15). If there is any section that reads innuendo, this is the one. I, for one, see the entry and exiting of cars as the entry and exiting from relationships and of the multiple one night stands that this individual has participated in throughout his life. Also, there are not many more ways to get more phallic than with the term "dipstick." After looking at this line, perhaps it would only be logical to look at each section of the poem and point out which of these analogies is actually a sexual reference. The inability to distinguish different parts of the car may be attached to the inability to distinguish the situation at hand before actually making a move. In addition, the description of being a passenger with his hands "folded primly in my lap" causes the speaker's character to regress drastically (L 11). By the end of the poem, the speaker is in the most hopeless situation, without a car, just leaving a taxi, nude, and holding a steering wheel. The portrait is merely ridiculous and does nothing to the speaker's character except develop a question as to whether or not this speaker is sober.<br />
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This poem can be as much about operating a car as it is about operating oneself in their sex life. There is no gender provided, but it is very likely that using the car analogy and then placing a cloud over the situation and taking this all away from the speaker tells us that this is a man that is telling us about his situation. This poem is not filthy in its language, but it likely filled with hidden innuendos that are awaiting the opportunity to be uncovered. It comes off as immensely hysterical and is meant to be viewed in a hopeless manner, just as the subject's situation happens to be at the moment. You can find this and so many other spectacular poems, such as "Margaret, Are You Grieving?" and "Mary Magdalene at Sunday Mass in Castlebar," in this collection known as <em>Daddy, Daddy</em>. Paul Durcan captures the idea of the many thoughts and ideas that can be equipped to being an Irishman. In this case, one could argue that the speaker had too much whiskey, but there is no evidence that this is possibly the case. Durcan's writing has also been about religion, church, the world view, and a list that keeps going on and on. <br />
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I would highly suggest picking up a copy of <em>Daddy, Daddy</em> if you have not had the ability to do so. It is a bit of a challenge to find, but I will leave you with a link to the collection that can be found on Amazon. The copy I own is published by the Black Staff Press and this particular poem, "Self-Portrait, Nude with Steering Wheel," can be found on pages 17 and 18. These poems are relatively light in the way that they are not complex, so making your way through the collection should not be too much of a task. By all means, though, check out this highlighted poem.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Daddy-Paul-Durcan/dp/092063379X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434653433&sr=1-1&keywords=paul+durcan+daddy%2C+daddy">Daddy, Daddy by Paul Durcan</a>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-88113022227182542622015-06-15T14:43:00.002-07:002015-06-17T09:00:03.634-07:00Book Review: "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton JusterIn 2013, I read both <em>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</em> and <em>Through the Looking Glass</em>, which were written by Lewis Carroll and told of the unexpected journeys Alice made to Wonderland and the many abnormal, but perfectly normal sights she saw and experiences she endured. Almost one hundred years later, Norton Juster wrote what it almost closer to these adventures that to any other work of literature with <em>The Phantom Tollbooth</em>. Surprisingly, Juster possesses the ability to break away from the master absurdism created by Carroll and instead allowing central character Milo to participate in a new world with more organized conflicts, but at the same time defining the organization of these conflicts remains immensely debatable. <em>The Phantom Tollbooth</em> questions the thought process of humanity and prioritizes its need to address what the common individual ignores and places it at the forefront, creating a world that works against what most people see as logic in favor of what they see as being logical.<br />
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The novel begins with Milo becoming bored with life and seeing purposelessness in the world around him. On one afternoon, a tollbooth appears in his bedroom. Upon entry, he goes in, pays the fee, and is in a car that is driving through a completely different universe. He is teamed up by a dog that functions as a clock by the name of Tock when visiting the Doldrums. Here, people possess no purpose in life and spend their days napping and loafing around, since thinking and actually making a purpose out of life are prohibited. Tock serves as their watchdog and guides Milo to his next destination and beyond. Milo pays a visit to Dictionopolis, a country that is dominated by words, and meets five tall gentlemen that all say the same thing in a different way, the Spelling Bee, that spells at least one thing that he says, the Humbug, who is the Spelling Bee's rival, King Azaz, among so many others. Dictionopolis is at conflict with Digitopolis, which is the country dominated by numbers and ruled by the Mathemagician. A major conflict has occurred that has left the two countries to the point that they have become bitter enemies. This is aggravated and ultimately sealed with the imprisonment of Rhyme and Reason, two princesses, in the Castle in the Air. Milo is sent on a mission, with Tock and the Humbug, to rescue these princesses in order to restore hope for their world. Milo makes his way through Digitopolis, where he meets the Mathemagician, Alec Bings, Chroma the Great (the conductor of the color symphony), Dr. Dischord, among others. As Milo makes his way through these lands on his mission, he learns plenty in what develops its moral to what Juster expects to come out of this work.<br />
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I really enjoyed the story of Milo's adventures and the different cast of characters that came about throughout the novel. I thought those that Milo came across in the places he went were a hysterical, absurdist batch of characters. In essence, they possess a face value, but one should not jump to conclusions when making an attempt to figure out the rest of their making. For instance, Officer Shrift holds an interest in putting people in prison and locking them away for millions of years. What conclusion would you make about Officer Shrift? The answer could be found as you read through the text. There is also the predicament of eating when you are full and eating until you are hungry and the process of eating your words. <em>The Phantom Tollbooth</em> goes to great measures in being the best absurdist work that it could possibly be, much of which is in the style of Lewis Carroll.<br />
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My criticism can be directed toward the strength of his sidekicks and the pacing of the novel. I thought Tock was a likeable character and the Humbug was meant to serve as the comic relief, but there was only so much depth to their characters. We get a decent idea of their purpose, but it is almost as if they are only there so that Milo is not going on this journey alone. I felt that in a way, this novel could have been written so that Milo spent more time alone on this journey and the finished product would be just as good. Alice moved from place to place alone on her expedition and she still had quite the adventure. Perhaps Juster did not want to copy off this idea and seek too many similarities. As for the pacing, it is almost as if the moments of action and intensity just zipped by in order to provide greater background to the individuals Milo met on his journey. I feel that both could have been done in order to build to the novel. Fortunately, the fact that it is a children's novel, suited for the 8-12 age range and not much younger, allows the text to take a more bumpy flow. To those in the right age range, they will be satisfied with the content and not worry about the details of the piece. As for the age, which I just briefly mentioned, those that are younger than eight will likely become confused with the material and the way that it is worded. I guess using a familiar, but difficult word like "vegetable" is reasonable when the Spelling Bee asked Milo to think of a difficult word for him to spell. My newsletter editor back in high school likes to stump people with the word "supersede" when he puts together games for his Critical Thinking class. Doing this is a clever strategy in drawing the community younger than eight into the rest of the story. The question is whether or not it will hold their interest.<br />
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<em>The Phantom Tollbooth</em> is an adventure very absurd, but at the same time backed up by a magnificent argument. Milo comes across different types of creatures and individuals that make no sense to the common individual, but possess an ability to convey that the same can be said about the common individual. Its message, while not outdoing Lewis Carroll in its use of absurdism, makes a case in why its readers are going to have a heyday in their minds as this shakes and stretches it like a piece of Silly Putty. To those that are eager to read something new or like the material at hand should really check this out. The audience that comes into this novel will truly get something out of it!<br />
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<strong>Verdict: 8/10</strong>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-36801325391280043172015-06-11T12:38:00.001-07:002015-06-11T12:38:26.177-07:00Book Review: "East of Eden" by John SteinbeckI have heard many great things about John Steinbeck and his works. I now know exactly why he has stood the test of time after reading <em>East of Eden</em>. This was not the first novel of his I began, since I did begin reading <em>The Grapes of Wrath</em> three years ago, but was unable to go too far due to the tedious structure that made up the novel's start. I do plan to get back to it, though. As for <em>East of Eden</em>, which was one of Steinbeck's later novels (published in 1952), it was truly what Steinbeck deemed as the story he had to tell. It took me time to get through this novel, but on the basis that I wanted to enjoy the novel as the great, juicy steak of literature that it truly is. In order to appreciate this novel, an understanding of what you are reading is essential and taking the time to indulge in what is being presented is key. This is how I approached the novel and an appreciation was definitely what I got out of it.<br />
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The novel mentions that it follows two families: the Trasks and the Hamiltons. In all honesty, the heart of the novel lies in the story of the Trasks. While the Hamiltons (especially Sam) play an important role in the direction that this novel heads, they remain the supporting cast next to the two generations of sibling rivalry that intentionally resemble that of Cain and Abel. Even the letters of the names match up to the sons and their demeanors. We have Cain as the angry brother who cracked and killed his brother Abel, while Abel was the darling and the one that garnered the most positive attention. The Trasks consist of Charles and Adam, Charles being the more aggressive brother. While Adam develops his own faults, such as a sense of neglect and the decision to fall for a manipulative woman turned prostitute (born Cathy, but was Kate by the time of her escape), he is seen as the brother to which we garner sympathy while garnering sympathy from those around him. This psychological strategy is developed from the aggressive practices Charles engaged when they were younger. Eventually, the relationship between Charles and Adam becomes wishy-washy in the way that Charles inherits the farm, but Adam comes back and forth to stay. Eventually, Adam moves out to California with Cathy, to whom Charles disapproves.<br />
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Adam and Cathy have two twin boys. Before they realize who their parents are, Cathy leaves, and it is not until later that they pick up names, with the help of Lee, who is Adam's Chinese servant. They are eventually named Caleb and Aaron, known as Cal and Aron for short. Just like the older generation, Cal is the misfit, while Aron is the favored one. This becomes clearer as they become older, especially when they decide to take two different paths to where they want to go. Cal wants to earn the money back for his father, while Aron wants to go to college. According to the story of Cain and Abel, which is brought up, Cain offers God his harvest while Abel offers him his slayed sheep. God approves of Abel's offering over Cain's, creates a jealousy similar to the disapproval of the money Cal made to help his father. The sequence of events, though, are different from how they occur in the bible and are meant to describe the Book of Genesis as if it were to happen to America.<br />
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Lee was the character I felt held some of the greatest importance in this particular novel. His role as a servant from another country is usually viewed in a way to which none of his details would be necessary and that his role in anyone's lives would be superfluous. In actuality, he was the one that kept everything together to those he was serving and was the chief caretaker to Cal and Aron. He raised them the way HE knew, so the two boys actually took up Lee's influence and even went to the extent of dressing in the attire Lee selected. Lee was also a wise source when the boys, particularly Cal, needed someone to turn to. Even Abra, who met Cal and Aron during a visit and eventually formed a relationship with Aron, saw something special and fatherly in Lee. We get the idea that the closer one is to the situation involving the Trask family, the more they are aware of how brilliant, yet calm Lee happens to be. Those who are less acquainted see Lee just by his nationality, which includes Sheriff Horace Quinn and how he refers to Lee as "Ching Chong." I would say that among anyone, Lee is the character that gives this novel the drive that it needs.<br />
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What makes this novel spectacular is how character driven it truly is. Steinbeck makes sure that each of the character's, regardless of their role, were developed so that we had an idea about why they were featured in the first place. He does the same with setting, spending chapters talking about the scenery and the historical situation, such as the action that is occurring during World War I. Fortunately, those chapters are brief and only go into as much detail as necessary. Everything is leveled out perfectly, which contributes to the great argument as to why Steinbeck is a great American author of the 20th century. I, for one, would argue that Steinbeck is a great 20th century author from America.<br />
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I am now thinking about reading the Book of Genesis after the multiple references that were made. I am immensely curious to figure out the exact similarities that were drawn in both texts and am really thinking about what having knowledge of the Book of Genesis would do when reading this text. I have a general idea of the stories from this first work of the bible, but to have a clear and fluent understanding would really give me an idea of anything and everything that is presented to me in this novel. This did nothing to alter my opinion of this novel, though, because the elements that came about were enough to satisfy me and highly suggest that people check out this novel.<br />
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If you want to begin reading the works of John Steinbeck, this would be an ideal place to start. It is 602 pages long in the Penguin Classics edition that I read, but if you have the patience of one that enjoys reading literary fiction, there should be no issue in grasping the material. <em>The Grapes of Wrath</em> may be something you would need to graduate to. I do plan on reading some of his other shorter novels, such as <em>Of Mice & Men</em>, but I am looking at a collection of his shorter novels to which I will read instead of an individual copy. As for the new Steinbeck reader, start with <em>East of Eden</em> and you will be an enthusiast for life!<br />
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<strong>Verdict: 10/10</strong>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-69485487733888564312015-06-04T14:42:00.005-07:002015-06-04T14:42:57.829-07:00Literary Gladiators: Episode 29- Works From Our ChildhoodWe wrap up the second season of Literary Gladiators with twenty-three spectacular episodes. Perhaps the most spectacular was our grand finale, where the four of us discuss works from our childhood. When I mean the four of us, I refer to Larry, Breanna, Charlie, and myself. I did my best to make sure that the finale was the last thing we filmed, so that there was as much authenticity as we could possibly give it. In reality, the very last thing we filmed for the second season was the Christmas episode, which was meant to create a kind of authenticity in itself.<br />
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The fact that we are able to discuss the importance of reading and pair it with a discussion about books from our very own childhood made this one of our greatest discussions to date. This discussion ran for thirty-one minutes in what was our longest episode, beating out our discussion of <em>Hamlet</em> by five minutes. While it is around the eight-minute mark that we begin talking about those special books, I can honestly say that watching the entire episode is truly worth your time! I feel that, personally, this was the one episode that brought out the most of what I had to say.<br />
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The second season may be over, but the third season is fast approaching. Throughout the summer, we will be uploading thirteen episodes on what we will try to make a Friday affair. If everything works out, our hope is to have new episodes up every Friday, while posting extras once or twice a week. There will be a batch of these extras that we plan to upload throughout the summer in order to fulfill you with those literary desires that you came to our channel for in the first place.<br />
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I will leave you with the 29th episode and the finale for season two. Hope you enjoy and keep reading!<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXppWXX5ltY">Episode 29- Works From Our Childhood</a>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-3990809520679364482015-05-22T08:05:00.000-07:002015-05-22T08:05:03.709-07:00Literary Gladiators: Episodes 27 & 28- "In Celebration of My Uterus" by Anne Sexton + "Twenty-One Love Poems" by Adrienne RichI will be sharing our two newest episodes together, for I feel that they have similar intentions. Both of these are poems that embrace what it is to be a woman and champion their important role in society. The fact that they were placed together in this order is somewhat of a coincidence, even though we planned on making "Twenty-One Love Poems" Jim's finale for reasons that are explained on this particular episode and how it flowed with the taping of future episodes. As for what they conveyed, I saw them as being immensely successful.<br />
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"In Celebration of My Uterus" is a poem written by Anne Sexton, who would be my favorite female poet of the confessional era. I would say Elizabeth Bishop is my other favorite of her contemporaries, but I do not see Bishop as being a confessional poet, but a poet that cannot be classified into any specific category. Yes, the name of Sexton's poem is a bit noticeable for reasons that are self-explanatory, but the meaning to this poem means much more. We discuss and debate what we see out of this poem and what kind of role it plays in a very crucial time during the feminist movement. My favorite Sexton poem is still "The Starry Night," which is still overwhelmingly the post that is read the most on this blog, but I really felt she made her point in the celebration of womanhood in the style of Walt Whitman.<br />
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"Twenty-One Love Poems" is the third and final episode that makes up the series that Jim and I filmed together. Adrienne Rich is Jim's favorite poet, which explains why its over twenty-five minute showing clocks in as our second longest episode only behind our discussion of <em>Hamlet</em>, as we speak. This will be, however, the episode where Jim makes an important announcement that will be key in understanding the third season, which will premiere in the summer.<br />
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The finale should be up during the upcoming week and will be Works From Our Childhood. From there, we plan to share some extras and the season premiere for the new season will be released on Friday, June 5th.<br />
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For now, I hope you enjoy these two episodes!<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a66-5QVhOxY">Episode 27- In Celebration of My Uterus by Anne Sexton</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FoICv2Yl-o">Episode 28- Twenty-One Love Poems by Adrienne Rich</a>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-39421413981091297272015-05-20T10:50:00.003-07:002015-05-20T10:50:48.230-07:00Book Review: "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'BrienTHIS is the novel I spent a great majority of my time with during my final semester of college. Since my senior seminar centered around "literature & war," I pondered over a batch of war-related works to incorporate into my paper. I read <em>Redeployment</em> by Phil Klay, <em>The Human Comedy</em> by William Saroyan, <em>Heroes</em> by Robert Cormier, <em>Poets of World War II</em> by Harvey Shapiro, and then I read <em>The Things They Carried</em> by Tim O'Brien. The fact that O'Brien was straightforward in the importance of storytelling through literature made me select this as the central work of my paper, with Klay as a supporting topic of interest. I am not going to write a review about my senior thesis, but I am going to write a book review about <em>The Things They Carried</em> and how it is a book about the Vietnam War just as much as it is about what it is truly like to be in war and how this novel concentrates on depicting the fighter as the fighter on most occasions and not just those dramatic episodes that seem to make for a juicy work of art.<br />
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<em>The Things They Carried</em> is not a flowing novel in the way that there is a beginning, middle, and end. It can be classified as a collection of short stories, but it is making an attempt to get at so much more. It is very much like Stephen King's <em>Hearts in Atlantis</em> where all of these stories are connected to one another, even if they occur at different times and concentrate on different characters. The major difference is that Tim O'Brien the character is the narrator in most of these stories or they are told from his point of view. The feature story, also called "The Things They Carried," talks about the items that these men carried while in war. These can be separated into three categories: the physical items they needed, the physical items that brought them positive vibes (notably Lt. Cross and the pebble sent to him by Martha), and the burdens of being in war. This idea plays the canvas to what is to come throughout the novel.<br />
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<strong>POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT</strong><br />
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Tim O'Brien tells us everything we need to know, even if it is not in the right order. Instead, he presents it to us in the order that he finds fit, which is how a war story should go. He talks about entering war in "On the Rainy River" and about the level of contemplation in a handful of chapters, including one where he returns to Vietnam. Some of his most notable chapters about the experience at large include two of his stories: "How to Tell a True War Story," which takes the generalizations that citizens unfamiliar with war have been fed and tear it apart and scatter its remains until something completely different was brought into view; and "The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," which harps on the drug that war can become. Using Mark Fossie (a fighter)'s girlfriend, Mary Anne, as the subject, she comes in with this invincible fear, only to be consumed by war.<br />
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I am unsure as to what I can define as a spoiler and what I cannot, because O'Brien clarifies that a war story never ends and there really is no end to the collection. All of the stories and intertwined together and the basis of the entire collection is that O'Brien the narrator is recalling his life as a Vietnam veteran. If there is one story that stuck out the most in my mind and is the one that lingers the longest and the clearest, it is the last story in the collection, "The Lives of the Dead." Much of this story takes place at the earliest point among his stories, telling the story of being ten years old and befriending a girl named Linda who is dying from a brain tumor. O'Brien made a great choice in ending it in this particular manner, because the idea of coming across the death of a peer or of a child during youth is something that anyone can relate to, inside or out of participating in the war. Whether or not it was O'Brien's intent to make <em>The Things They Carried</em> something to remember in exchange for telling the truth about the Vietnam War remains a question unanswered. I feel that he does both and this particular story helps that case immensely.<br />
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<strong>ALERT OVER</strong><br />
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The Vietnam War was a war like no other. It was the beginning of an era where war efforts were seen with great distaste and this particular war saw the great exposure of bitterness toward politicians and even toward those that fought. With a draft intact, there was even a sense of being stuck in a situation where you possessed absolutely no control. Tim O'Brien addresses these predicaments with brutal honesty above everything else and it makes for an era-defining work of literature. It is not a military novel that you would find written by Tom Clancy, nor it is a memoir telling the story from beginning to end about a soldier that survived war. It is not meant to be. It is meant to be an opportunity to somebody to know how it feels to have been a soldier in the Vietnam War and what kind of weight one would carry during this intense period of time. O'Brien makes his case by the content that he presents and not its chronology. That is how he wanted it and it works for what he is trying to say.<br />
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I thought it was a very good novel. I felt it really said what it needed to say and I left it aware of the misunderstanding that those of else who do not know what it is to be in war flows throughout the minds of several Americans. I would definitely check it out, especially when looking to define this particular period of time. Keep in mind that this is a collection of stories, not a novel, short story, or memoir, but a collection of stories with the tone of a memoir. In addition, even though the characters may be based off of real people, it is the great intent of Tim O'Brien to see this as a work of fiction.<br />
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<strong>Verdict: 9/10</strong>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-11176160847257014972015-05-12T12:56:00.001-07:002015-05-12T12:56:13.559-07:00Literary Gladiators: Episode 26- "A Rose For Emily" By William Faulkner + The 50 Subscriber GiveawayWe are up and running with the remainder of season two. In this 26th episode, Larry, Jackie, Charlie, and I discuss one of the most notable works of American Gothic literature from the 20th century in "A Rose For Emily." This is Jackie's all-time favorite short story, to which the three of us also enjoyed discussing. What came about was a very interesting, thought provoking discussion to which we picked up more on the particular work from what we read in addition to what everyone that made up the discussion thought about the material. It is always a delight to work with Charlie and I had the great opportunity to work with him much more during the third season and plan to work with him more as we film the fourth season. Larry and Jackie have been great as participants for the show and I am really looking forward to have them back in the future. Both of them are scheduled to participate in the fourth season that we will film throughout the summer.<br />
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We have reached fifty subscribers on YouTube on May 3rd and, as I am writing this, have fifty-three subscribers. I have decided to launch a giveaway for those that are currently subscribed and to those that subscribe between now and the end of the giveaway entry, which will be on Friday, May 29th at 5 PM eastern time. All you have to do is subscribe and earn one point (equal to one entry). You can also earn an additional two points (for two entries) by commenting on that particular video, telling us what you like about the show and if you have any suggestions in moving forward. On the 29th, we will have a drawing and there will be one winner. The winner will receive one or more books that add up to $15 on Amazon.<br />
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You need to be 18 or older to enter on your own and at least 13 to enter with a parent's permission. If you win, we will also need you to send us your mailing address, so that we can mail you the book (or books). Hope you check out our giveaway and we wish you all of the best!<br />
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Here are both videos. Hope you enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBkVAIM3RbI">Episode 26- "A Rose For Emily" by William Faulkner</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilOR6f69lN0">50 SUBSCRIBER GIVEAWAY</a><br />
Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491790213492338327.post-15090362512525924622015-04-26T13:19:00.003-07:002015-04-26T13:19:28.287-07:00Literary Gladiators: Episode 25- "The Awakening" by Kate ChopinOur 25th episode has finally been uploaded to YouTube! In this particular episode, Jim, Brianna, Charlie, and I discuss and debate one of the most remarkable and controversial works in literature with Kate Chopin's <em>The Awakening</em>. This work proved to be so controversial for its time that it hurt Chopin's career and shunned her from the literary realm. Unfortunately, she did not live much longer nor did she live to see the impact that her literature made on the feminist movement as well as American literature in general.<br />
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This is the fourth and final episode of this season that features Brianna in the rotating seat. From those who have responded so far, she has been our most popular guest, which is logical when one puts her multiple contributions that have really kept our discussions flowing. One could even see a moment where she asserts a bold belief about this short novel that you can find out as you watch this episode. We hope to have her back when we tape more episodes during the summer.<br />
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We are up to 49 subscribers on our channel, which means we are one away from our very first giveaway, which I will tell you more about when we find our 50th subscriber. All I can promise is that this giveaway will be a good one!<br />
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We have four episodes left for season two and our third season will be ready to go shortly thereafter. For now, here is the newest episode to be uploaded.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffy4FBXbwos">Episode 25- The Awakening by Kate Chopin</a>Josh Caporalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.com0