All the Pretty Horses 3

We finished up All the Pretty Horses this week in class. I thought the ending was really good. John Grady goes back to Texas after meeting with Alejandra who denies his marriage request and realizes that there is nothing there for him. His best friend Rawlins tells him to go into a different field of work and to start new. The ranch isn't what it used to be and his father is gone now too. The last thing that showed how lonely was was when Luisa's mother died. She was a worker for the Cole family for as long as he could remember and the last thing he had in Texas. Now that she is gone, there is no reason for him to stay. I would have liked McCarthy to explain a little bit about where he goes and what he does for the rest of his life, now that he is abandoned but just figured out that he wrote another book as a sequel which I am thinking about reading now. Overall the book was good. I liked how he used very different stylistic elements like lack of quotations and punctuation. It made the story more challenging to read but also made it flow a little better. It was written as if someone were speaking it. I picture it as if the classic western story is told by an old cowboy who was there himself to witness a great journey.

Marley and Me 5

The reason John and Jenny decided to get a puppy in the first place was because they wanted to have children eventually and they thought a puppy would help. The time they have to spend training and feelind him would be just as much as a new baby. Jenny took this so seriously that by the time they were ready to have kids, the house was already baby-proofed from having Marley. Finally, one day, Jenny told John about a stomach ache and how she felt like she was going to throw up after taking a sip of wine. They went to the drug store, bought a test, and went home to see. Jenny couldnt look herself so when she saw John's expression as she walked out of the bathroom, she knew. She jumped into his arms, more than overjoyed that she was finally pregnant. The next couple months were going to be spent, overdramatically protecting Jenny from cleaners, heavy boxes, and anything that would hurt her most important possesion. Among the many worries they had for a new baby, the biggest one was Marley. His energetic spirit caused much consideration of how Marley would react to a new member in the family. Would he go crazy not getting the attention he has now? They could only hope and pray that he would treat the baby with more care than any of the shoes, rugs, and other furniture in the house. John and Jenny were ready for the baby, but was Marley?

All the Pretty Horses 2

John Grady Cole seems to be the hero or leader of the story. He and Rawlins set out for Mexico together and accomplish many feats but throughout the book, John Grady has been more of the role model. He broke 16 horses in 3 or 4 days with a little help from Rawlins and got a promotion from the ranch owner, Don Hector, because of it. When he and the hacendado were talking, John Grady is recognized as the leader for the first time. When asked for sure, though, John refuses the title and says he and Rawlins are partners and they travel and work together. He is loyal to his partner and will stand up for him in and circumstance. John Grady is the stereo-typical cowboy with his loyalty, skill, and also ability to sneak around with women while living under strict conditions. Alejandra, the hacendado's daughter, is the most perfect girl John has ever seen who is rich and pretty and above all, a little rebellious against her father's will. She and John Grady sneak around together although Alejandra knows it isn't right. When he is approached about the relationship from Alejandra's aunt, John Grady realizes the extent of their wrong-doing. The aunt says it could ruin the reputation of Alejandra, and it is not likely she will ever get it back because she is a woman. In the book, issues of loyalty, leadership, and sexism are starting to make things difficult for John Grady and everyone associated with him.

Marley and Me 4

John Grogan writes with a different style than most writers. I noticed it this week while reading Marley and Me when he was talking about Marley's adjustment to the new house, family and life overall. He tends to give Marley his own voice in some cases, thinking about what the dog would say if he could talk and give opinions. One time when John was writing about Marley's first night alone in the garage, he gave insight to Marley's thinking when John walked in the door. "As soon as he spotted me, his face brightened and his tail began to beat the side of the box. It was if he were saying, Come on, hop in; there's plenty of room" (Grogan 22). Johns style is also very fun filled with lots of happy, playful words and expressions. He uses many similies and metaphores to explain how Marley reacts to different things or to try to give an image of what is really going on because his dog does some pretty strange things. "His body would quiver, his head would bob from side to side, and his entire rear end would swing in a sort of spastic dance. We called it Marley Mambo" (Grogan 25). All of the devises John Grogan uses in his writing makes reading his book so much more enjoyable and really adds to the overall imagery.

All the Pretty Horses

We started reading All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy in class this past week. So far what has happened is that these two guys, John Grady Cole and Joe Rawlins, leave their home and head off for Mexico on their horses. They meet a boy named Blevins and take him with them on their journey even though they are afraid he will cause some trouble since he stole a horse and ran away from home. So far I really like the book. It is much easier to read than The Odyssey but is still a little challenging to read because of McCarthy's style of writing. He doesnt always use quotations and his sentences can be anywhere from three words to a full page long. The dialogue can be hard to read at times but I have gotten used to his writing now and understand the plot so it is fun to read. I like the story line too because when you read the title, it seems like it would be a girly book about horses and an easy life but really it is an adventure story about guys going to live in Mexico and facing troubles along the way. I can't wait to read more into what happens to John Grady, Rawlins, an Blevins along their journey through Mexico.

Marley and Me 3

For John, it was important that Marley had one rightful owner that would control the rules in the house. He believed that a dog could only answer to one owner or master and that he wanted to be that master for Marley. Because of that, John took comlete advantage of the fact that the first couple weeks Marley was home, Jenny wasn't going to be there. He spent his time trying to house train and discipline Marley with his own tactics of scolding and prasing at appropriate times and treating him with beach visits and dog treats. Things were looking good for the duo except for the fact that Marley, like John had readin books, was a lab and growing at a very quick pace. By the time Jenny got home from her trip, the little puppy she had picked out so long ago had now grown up and gained about thirty pounds. With his bigger size and stronger muscles, it was harder to train him too. Marley gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "tail wagging." Vases and other object would be shot off the table if Marley's tail was anywhere near. He gained the nickname Mr. Wiggles because he was always happy and jumping around which didnt help with the tail wagging either. After a while, John and Jenny decided they would need to completely baby proof their house because the obedience training with Marley wasn't having the effect they would have hoped for. That also made John a little disappointed because he had high hopes for "Grogan's Majestic Marley of Churchill" and wanted badly to be the master. Even with the disappointment, John made a commitment and promised himself he would not give up.

O Brother Where Art Thou

We have been watching o Brother Where Art Thou based on the epic, The Odyssey by Homer in class for the past week. It is about three guys who escaped from jail and went searching for this treasure. The encounter many obstacles along the way like a man named Dan who is significant to the cyclopse in the book. it follows the story line pretty well with a few alterations. In the book, the cyclospe is blinded because Odysseus and his men thrust a spear into his eye. In the movie the make it a little more creative and Dan catches the spear right before it makes contact and instead he is then crushed by a burning flame that was lit for the secret meeting he was attending. Although there were many differences like that in the movie, there were also many similarities. The names of many of the characters were similar such as Odysseus was Ulysses and they called the man his wife was going to marry a suitor. Also the personality of each character was similar. Ulysses was the leader of everyone with the brains and masculine traits and the other two men were just kind of partners like the crew members. Overall I think O Brother Where Art Thou did a good job of creating a fun remake of The Odyssey while still keeping the character and theme of the story.