Green Grass Running Water

Throughout the novel Green Grass Running Water by Thomas King, there are many allusions to both pop-culture and the Bible. When the four Indians blame coyote for causing the dam to break, they make two references to biblical events. The first allusion is to the flood. “‘The last time you fooled around like this,’ said Robinson Crusoe, “The world got very wet’” (pg. 416). In this section, it is also suggested that Coyote caused the birth of Jesus. The four Indians blame Coyote for these events, which apparently happened during previous attempts to fix the world.

Another allusion is to the ships of Christopher Columbus. The three cars that hit the dam were a Nissan, a Pinto, and a Karmann-Ghia. This is a reference to Columbus’ three ships, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa-Maria. These three cars hitting the dam is symbolic of the difficulties brought to North America by the Europeans.

Often, allusions are used for comedic effect. An example of this can be seen when Nasty Bumppo claims that Old Woman killed him, and that she needs a better killer name. His suggestions are Daniel Boone, Harry Truman, and Arthur Watkins. Another example of an allusion to history for comedic effect can be seen when Coyote asks who kills Nasty Bumppo. He makes an allusion to the assassination of President Kennedy by suggesting that there could be more than one gunman. Although this is referencing a tragic event, it is used in a comedic context.

Eli Stands Alone was a successful professor, but returns home to protect his childhood home that his mother built. The following passage shows his attitude to this change in his life.
“Eli sat down and waited for the coffee to brew and looked about the house at what he had become. Ph.D. in literature. Professor emeritus from the University of Toronto. A book on William Shakespeare. Another on Francis Bacon. Teacher of the Year. Twice.
Indian.
In the end, he had become what he had always been. An Indian”(pg. 262)
This quote shows that while he is proud of his achievements, his identity as an Indian is more important to him.

Lionel Red Dog has made many mistakes in his past, and is disappointed and ashamed with how his life has turned out.
“Life, Lionel mused as he felt his chest slide on top of his stomach, had become embarrassing. His job was embarrassing. His gold blazer was embarrassing. His car was embarrassing. Norma was right. Alberta wasn’t about to marry an embarrassment.” (pg 239)
This passage shows how Lionel is unhappy with his life. Later, he tries to improve his life by fixing the mistakes made in his past.

One passage that contributes to Coyote’s character happens when the earthquake that destroys the dam happens. “‘Earthquake, earthquake!’ yells Coyote ‘Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee’” (pg. 411). This passage helps to show Coyote as a playful trickster who does not care about the consequences of his actions.

Three Day Road

One scene in the novel Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden that I thought was very important was the death of Sean Patrick. This scene is a critical point in the novel, as it helps to show the horrors of war, and to show the growing differences between Elijah and Xavier.

"An aeroplane drones overhead and I look up from my work to see if it is one of ours, or Fritz come to strafe us. I bend back down to fill sandbags when I hear Gilberto shouting for help. When I look over, I see ten yards from me Sean Patrick on the ground writhing like a snake and grabbing his neck, blood spurting out in impossible amounts, his eyes wide with terror of what is coming. I run to him. We all run to him, McCaan and Elijah, Graves and Fat who've become closer and closer over the last months like a skinny father and his heavy son. We stand over Sean Patrick dumbly, none of us really knowing what to do, in shock at the sight of bright red blood pumping from between his fingers clenched so hard that he appears to be chocking himself, McCaan kneeling and fumbling.
"Shot through the neck," Graves mumbles as if to no one.
Immediately i think of the snipers rumored to be around here, of one especially, the one they say stalks our lines and has impossible numbers. Elijah claims that the man doesn't really exist.
McCaan pulls gauze from a pack near him and tries to move Sean Patrick's hands. "Help me," he shouts, and the tone of his voice sets us all into action. Elijah and I pry Sean Patrick's hands away and hold them above his head while Graves and a stunned looking Grey Eyes clamp onto his long skinny legs. McCaan applies the gauze to his neck, but we all know it is futile. I stare into Sean Patrick's eyes near to my own. He stares back at me in pure fear. I smile to try and reassure him that soon he will be on the long road and won't be scared or in pain, or cold or wet anymore. I can see the fear die a little at the time that the bright light drains from his eyes. They turn glassy as those of Grey Eyes. McCaan quits working. I let go of Sean Patrick's arms and watch the muscles relax into the slow release of the dead." (pg 111-112)

Although Xavier and Elijah had witnessed the horrors of war before, this was the first time it had happened so close to them. This shows Xavier how real the dangers were on the front, and while Elijah would only consider his death much later, this event brought the realities of war much closer. The reason for Sean Patrick’s death was also very trivial. His death was caused by a small, simple mistake by Grey Eyes. This also shows how death could happen at any moment without warning, and without reason.

Another way that this scene is important is how it shows the growing disconnect between Xavier and Elijah. Both of the two friends were shocked by Sean Patrick’s death, but their reactions to it were very different. Xavier was saddened by Sean’s death, while Elijah becomes obsessed with the idea of revenge, and wanting to kill an enemy sniper in the hopes of sending a message to his killer. This is an example of Elijah’s growing obsession with violence.

This scene is a good example of many of the themes in the novel, and is one of the most important events in the novel.

A Moveable Feast

Scott Fitzgerald was a character from A Movable Feast who I found very interesting. Throughout Ernest Hemmingway’s story about him, his personality seems to change back and forth. When Hemmingway first meets him at the Dingo, Scott seems arrogant and pushy. The next time they meet, Scott acts very differently, and Hemmingway takes more of a liking to him. “... his charm and his seeming good sense made the other day at the Dingo seem like an unpleasant dream.” Throughout their time together, Scott’s personality changes on many occasions, such as when he believes he is sick in the hotel in Lyon, and criticizes Hemmingway as being cold, or a bad friend. All of this helps to paint an interesting picture of Scott Fitzgerald.

One place depicted in A Movable Feast that I would like to visit is Shakespeare and Company. I found this store very interesting, as it had such a bright and positive atmosphere “On a cold, windswept street, this was a warm, cheerful place with a big stove in winter, tables and shelves of books, new books in the window, and photographs on the wall of famous writers both dead and living.” I thought it was interesting how this store compares to large modern stores.

Generation A

“Generation A”, by Douglas Coupland takes place in a future in which bees are extinct. Over the span of a few months, five people from around the world are stung by bees. In an attempt to find the reason why they were stung by bees, their governments take them in to an isolated facility to study them. Later, after being released, the five people meet up and discover a conspiracy relating to the disappearance of the bees.

Although there is some degree of character development in this novel, many of the characters appear to be very simple and one-dimensional. One character who shows some character development is Zach, who starts off completely irresponsible but becomes more mature over time. The dialog in this novel is unconvincing and doesn’t contribute to realistic characters. The characters come from many different places from around the world, such as Canada, Sri Lanka, and France, and range in age from their early twenties to late thirties. However, the dialog is very similar for all of these characters, and comes across as unnatural and much more formal than people would actually use in conversation.

One quote I enjoyed was when the five people were choosing voices to talk to them in the research facility. “Diana chose Courtney Cox Arquette and Harj chose Morgan Freeman, which was probably the best pick. Harj understands Hierarchy.” I liked this quote because it shows some of the humor from the novel, which was one of my favorite aspects of it. The following quotes are also good examples of humor in this novel: “When I was young, I had a job helping my oldest brother escort young people - mostly young American tourists – around the island as they tried to ‘find themselves. Oh, the awful conversations I have had to endure, listening to a Kris or a Max or an Amy or a Craig discuss what it means ‘to be free in one’s head.’” and “I have never understood what these Craigs mean about feeling ‘at one’. Maybe they just need jobs. Perhaps all of the antibiotics they took as children damaged the portion of their brains that dictates the sensation of at-oneness.” These quotes made the book enjoyable, even though the story and ch

Trumpets Sound No More

Trumpets Sound No More, by Jon Redfern is a mystery novel set in Victorian England. This novel is the story of the detective Owen Endersby, who is investigating the murder of Mr. Samuel Cake, a well-known and successful man in the theatre. Endersby solves the murder by interrogating suspects and looking for clues, all without the help of modern technology.

Jon Redfern describes London as a very dark, grimy, and gloomy place. I think that although this was effective for setting the mood for the novel, it seemed to be darker than the descriptions of London in Great Expectations. Although the descriptions were not accurate, they were very successful at creating a gloomy atmosphere. “Inspector Endersby looked out mournfully at the misery beyond the cab window. Beggars huddled in corners, barefoot children with blackened hands cried out for ha’pennies to buy food. Thick mud and slush and smoky brown air had become the three elements of London’s streets.” pg. 35.

In this novel, there are many characters that are similar to characters from Great Expectations. For example, I found Inspector Endersby is very similar to Wemmick. Both are very serious about their work, and try to do their best, but are very kind and friendly in their private lives, for example Wemmick has his home in Walworth, and Inspector Endersby has his wife Harriet. Another pair of characters are Pip and Betty. Both of these characters are of lower class, and strive to improve their surroundings. Although Betty works to achieve this, and Pip is given money from an unknown benefactor, they are still very similar. Jaggers and Superintendent Borne are another pair of characters with a lot in common. They both take their work very seriously, and spend much of their time working.

Three of the major themes in this novel are love, social class, and crime. Love can be seen between Inspector Endersby and Harriet. This is also a theme in Great Expectations, and can be seen between Pip and Estella, Joe and Biddy, and Herbert and Clara. One of the other themes in this novel is social class. Betty strives too improve her social standing, just as Pip did in Great Expectations. This is a major theme in both novels. The third theme, crime, is very evident in both novels. Trumpets Sound No More is a novel about crime, and in Great Expectations, Magwitch and Compeyson are involved with crimes.

One thing that I noticed about Redfern’s descriptions of the theatre is the contrast from the rest of London. There is lots of intrigue in the theatre, and even the building, The Old Drury, is described as spectacular. I thought that this was interesting, as Redfern describes the rest of London very differently.

One of the main symbols of this novel is Inspector Endersby's gout. It represents the difficulties he has to go through in his daily life. Another symbol is Mr. Cake's cane. This represents that he is of upper class.

“The Book Thief,” by Markus Zusak

“The Book Thief,” by Markus Zusak is the story of a girl, Liesel Meminger, growing up in Nazi Germany. She lives in the town Molching with her adoptive family who took her in after her brother died and her mother was forced to abandon her. Later, her adoptive parents hide a Jew from the rest of their town, which is mostly made up of strong supporters of the Nazi Party. Early in the novel, Liesel finds a book at her brother’s funeral, and this starts her love of reading, and a life of stealing books.

This novel is written from the point of view of death. I thought that this was very interesting, and was something I had not seen before in a novel. An example of this unique point of view is when Liesel talks to the Mayor’s wife about her son, who we discover had died. At this point, Death recalls collecting the soul of her son; “Oh yes, I definitely remember him. The sky was murky and deep like quicksand. There was a young man parceled up in barbed wire, like a gigantic crown of thorns. I untangled him and carried him out. High above the earth, we sank together, to our knees. It was just another day, 1918,” I thought this point of view was very effective, as it sets a dark mood in a unique way. This allowed the author to talk about the theme of death in a new way, and I think this made the novel much more powerful. Death is portrayed as slightly detached from humans, but not as evil. "They say that war is death's best friend, but I must offer you a different point of view on that one. To me, war is like the new boss who expects the impossible. He stands over your shoulder repeating one thing incessantly: 'Get it done, get it done.' So you work harder. You get the job done. The boss, however, does not thank you. He asks for more.' It is interesting that in this novel death is not seen as the villain, people are.

One of the themes of this novel is the inevitability of death. The narrator often talks of deaths that happened before the start of the novel, and hints at deaths occurring later. Another major theme of this novel is the power of words. The novel discusses the power that words have over people. For example, the Nazis initiated massive book burnings in which they destroyed anything that they thought could lead to their loss of power. Another example of the power of words is the connection between Liesel and Max, the Jew that her family is protecting; he writes her a story that managed to change her feelings towards him from suspicion to friendship. I think that the author did a great job expressing these themes, and that it was very effective.

Markus Zusak uses many rhetorical devices in this novel. The biggest rhetorical device is the personification of Death. This is used to give a darker mood, and also gives a unique view of death. Another rhetorical device the author uses are similes. An example of this was from the Nazi book burning. “To their left, flames and burning books were cheered like heroes,” This gives a good description of the excitement at the scene, and how people were happy to see the book burnings.

This book is a coming of age story like “Great Expectations.” As the book progresses, Liesel grows up from being a little girl with no idea of the events going on in the world, to a strong independent person. When Liesel was young, she accepted the way life was, but as she grows older, her attitude changes and she starts to hate Hitler and the life she is living. Although the two novels take place in very different circumstances, they are both about growing up.

I found this book very interesting, as it is about life in Nazi Germany, something I knew very little about. I found it interesting to learn about the war from a different point of view. Although I had read about the war from the point of view of soldiers or people living in Canada, reading about it from a German’s perspective was a new experience. I enjoyed this book very much, and would highly recommend it.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Catch-22, by Joseph Heller, is the story of Yossarian, a World War 2 bombardier. Yossarian’s ultimate goal throughout the novel is to survive the war, and to be relieved of duty and sent home. His attempts to do so are thwarted by the bureaucratic rule Catch-22, which says that an insane man can be relieved of duty, but making a request to be relieved of duty proves that you are not insane, and you cannot be relieved of duty.

This book is written in the third person, and is shown from the points of view of Yossarian and some of the other characters in the book. I found that this was effective, as although most of the book is based on Yossarian, you still can feel and relate strongly to the other characters.

One of the major themes in this novel is the danger and absurdity of bureaucracy. One of the biggest problems facing Yossarian in this novel is the rule, called Catch-22, which stops his attempts at getting out of his missions. Bureaucracy also leads to many other problems in the book, such as when the C.I.D. man is trying to investigate the chaplain, but cannot, as all of his letters ordering people to do this are censored. Another theme in this novel is greed and selfishness. Yossarian puts his own life above everything else, and will try anything to get out of danger, even if this could put others in danger. Other characters, such as Colonal Cathcart, even put others lives at risk for their personal gain. He continually raises the number of missions the men must fly, hoping to be promoted to the rank of General. Another theme in this novel is insanity. Although some of Yossarian’s behaviors make him seem insane, and many others think that he is, his actions are reasonable considering what he has to go through on a daily basis.

Joseph Heller often uses onomatopoeia in the bombing scenes. An example of this is when they are bombing Bologna. “He could hear the hollow boom-boom-boom-boom of the flak pounding all around him in overlapping measures of four, the sharp piercing crack! of a single shell exploding suddenly very close by.” I think that these are useful, as they add excitement and suspense. Another rhetorical device Heller uses are similes, for example “The plane gyrated into a spin and fell the rest of the way to the ground, fluttering inside its vivid pyre like a shred of coloured tissue paper.” I think that these are also very effective, as they help you to form a vivid image of what is happening.

I enjoyed this book very much, and have only two criticisms. Initially, I found it difficult to keep track of the many characters, however this problem faded as I continued to read the book. As I learned more about the characters and their unique histories and personalities, this became less of a problem. I also found the non-chronological story confusing, but once I had learned some of the major events this was no longer a problem.

I thought Catch-22 was a great book, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a funny yet meaningful novel.