Growing Into Adulthood

We have completed the course and read about many different kids growing up. From Holden in The Catcher in the Rye to Marji in Persepolis. Each character has had a different situation growing up. Holden was alone and unmotivated, Jane grew up without parents and loving relatives, and Marji grew up during a revolution in Iran. The background they came from had a huge impact in how quickly they grew up. I think Marji grew up the fastest because of how much she learned from the revolution and war. She was joining in the rebellions and making her own decisions at a very early age. Marji formed her own opinions and views on the revolution. After reading about this theme in many different stories, I think that one of the key factors in when/how you grow into adulthood is the situation of your childhood.

Graphic Novels

Before reading Persepolis, I had never been introduced to graphic novels. I didn't realize how informative and fun to read they could be. I thought they were just bigger comic books. Now that I have a little experience, I might look to read another one. I think that a class like College Literature should give us some background information on different writing styles so we can find out what interests us. I would have never read a graphic novel if I hadn't taken this class. The artwork and layout of pannels was outstanding. It was clear who was talking and in what order. The artwork also contributed greatly to the story. Overall, I liked the graphic novel writing style a lot.

Persepolis Final Reflection

1. I enjoyed reading a graphic novel. This was the first time I've read this type of novel, and I might have to look for more of them. It was really interesting because the words told a little information about the story, but you could also interpret a lot from the pictures. It was also easier to read and understand. Overall, I liked the graphic novel style.

2. I enjoyed this reading experience. I liked it because I didn't know a lot about Iran before, and now I feel like I have a better understanding of it. It appealed to me because of the revolution and war events.

3. I would recommend keeping Persepolis as part of the curriculum beacause it is enjoyable to read and we can learn a lot from it. It's easier to understand, and it is good to expose students to different types of writing (graphic novels).

Ed's Message

Throughout the book, Ed Kennedy has been delivering messages to people. He is given aces of a card deck with hints to find out who he has to help. He has already changed many people's lives such as Milla, Sophie, Father O'Reilly, Bernie, the Tatupu's, and many others. He is currently on the ace of hearts, his final card. When this is all over I think Ed will get a lot out of it. Before it started, he considered himself a lousy cab driver with nothing good in his life. I believe that after helping people he can see he has made a difference and is useful. This will give him more self confidence and lead to bigger and better things in his life. Ed's message for himself is that he has potential to do anything he wants in life.

I am the Messenger Beginning

I thought that the start to the book I am the Messenger was much better than both Jane Eyre and The Catcher in the Rye. I am the Messenger is action packed from the first line. The opening scene is Ed, Marv, Audrey, and Ritchie in a bank while it is being robbed. Even though it is a serious situation, they argue amongst themselves and make wise cracks. The other two novels we read just started off with plain boring introductions. This was so much more interesting to read. It caught my attention right away and has kept it ever since. Judging by the beginning of the book, I will definitely enjoy it more than the others.

Jane Eyre Final Reflection

1) The book fit in well with the "growing to adulthood" theme. Jane starts as a young girl, goes to school, grows up, and geets married. I liked that it had a happy ending and everything worked out well for Jane.

2) What didn't work for me is how long the book was. I feel like it could have been written in much less words and pages. You can't change that because it was the authors writing obviously, but maybe giving us a few more nights for each section would have been more helpful.

3) This book should be taught in College Literature because it is very challenging and will prepare us well for the future. Although I didn't love this book, it probably helped me more than I know. I was able to get through it and understand it. In college I will have to read things I might not enjoy, so this helps me get ready for that.

4) I liked the ending. Jane and Rochester loved each other so I'm glad they got married. I thought it was kind of weird that they could get married because Bertha jumped off of the roof and committed suicide though. It was almost as if he felt like a free man all of a sudden and moved on to wanting to marry Jane right away.

The Yellow Wallpaper Reflection vs. Jane Eyre

I think the main similarity between The Yellow Wallpaper and Jane Eyre is the characters. In The Yellow Wallpaper, John is taking care of the narrarator who is sick. I think this represents Mr. Rochester and his wife, Bertha in Jane Eyre. Also, John and the narrarator are married, and so are Mr. Rochester and Bertha. As you can tell from the story, the narrarator seems crazy. She sits in a room and stares at the wall paper, trying to find a pattern. Bertha is also considered "mad" in Jane Eyre. Overall, Mr. Rochester and John, and the narrarator and Bertha are similar. That is my opinon on how The Yellow Wallpaper is related to Jane Eyre.