John Green’s novel An Abundance of Katherines won a multitude of awards for its funny, relatable, and heartwarming plot that can be enjoyed by any age group. Colin Singleton was a child prodigy who happened to date a lot of Katherines- 19 in a row. After realizing that in all nineteen of these relationships, he had been the one dumped, Colin set out to find a mathematical equation to explain his predicament. Throughout the novel, Colin’s goal is to perfect and prove his theorem, which predicts the length of a relationship, along with the “dumpee” and the “dumper,” based on complex mathematical equations. After his final breakup, Colin takes a trip with his friend Hassan and ends up far from home in Gutshot, Tennessee. What begins as just a day job, interviewing the town’s residents, turns into a summer residency in the Wells’ household, where Colin Singleton branches out in ways he never did before, all while working on his theorem. Green’s novel has a lot of lessons to teach. The story is based around love and relationships, but there is a lot more depth to the story than the science of breakups. Green includes a wide spectrum of personality in his characters. …show more content…
Just like his other novels, An Abundance of Katherines is marketed mainly towards teenagers, but can be read and enjoyed by any age group. This novel in particular is unique in that it includes mathematical equations, charts, graphs, and explanations; while the novel can be understood without these aids, the footnotes and appendix allow for a deeper understanding of the story which makes it even more complex. The complexity of this novel is also increased by the addition of tidbits of information throughout the novel, usually presented by Colin. All in all, John Green composed a story that is heartwarming, funny, informative that is fun to read and enjoyable for all age
After her grandfather’s death in 1687, 16 year-old Kit feels that she must leave and sail to the only relatives she knows of, her uncle and aunt in Wethersfield, Connecticut. She desperately travels there on a ship called the Dolphin, where she meets a gentleman named Nat. She and Nat have a very playful relationship, Nat always has a mocking grin on his face and Kit occasionally flirts with him on the boat. When she arrives in Wethersfield, Connecticut, she is taken by surprise at the dull landscape and endless fields. Kit meets her uncle, a strict and sometimes grumpy man named Matthew Wood, her aunt, a sweet and caring woman named Rachel, her cousin Judith, a picky and vain young lady who’s otherwise kind, and her other cousin Mercy, a tender and loving girl who lost one of her legs when she was young due to a fever. Judith likes a rich boy named William, but one day at church, William sees Kit in her fancy clothes and starts liking Kit. Judith then decides to go for John, a very caring young man who secretly likes Mercy. Mercy also secretly likes John. Soon, Kit is comfortable wi...
Steinbeck, John. “The Chrysanthemums”. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama. 2nd ed. Ed. Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw, 2008. 459-466. Print.
Since taking possession of North America, Europeans have colonized the continent and enforced their beliefs and practices. Now Native Americans are reclaiming their culture and heritage. Thomas King participates in this movement through the form that Helen Tiffin identifies as "the processes of artistic and literary decolonization [which] have involved a radical dismantling of European codes and a postcolonial subversion and appropriation of the dominant European discourses" (17) by publishing his postmodern novel Green Grass, Running Water (1993). The book creates certain conflicts between values and expectations and conventions for the non-Native Canadian reader. These are mainly composed of stereotypes, internal structure of the text and reoccurring ideas throughout it.
Rob uses his past relationships to measure his new relationships. His first relationship with Alison Ashworth proves to be the beginning of a never-ending cycle. Rob never places much effort into his relationships because of his initial heartbreak where he was left for another young man. Hence, when Rob is confronted with his failing relationships, he has to compare himself to the man his girlfriend left him for.
The Color of Water is an autobiography about a woman named Ruth Mcbride Jordan. She is the mother of the author of the book, James Mcbride. Ruth is a very strong woman with a lot of faith in God. She is a Polish immigrant and she faces some hardships in the story. She immigrated to America with her Jewish and Polish family when she was just a little girl. Throughout the book, her identity is transformed through all of the events that occur with her and the other characters. All of the important things in her life consist of: religion, faith, God, education, work, and school. The reason that I say that Ruth Mcbride is a strong woman is because she has the ability to get through several hardships in her life. After reading, The Color of Water, I would state that Ruth Mcbride has obtained the identity of a strong mother with a lot of faith and confidence.
“Everett was strange, “Sleight concedes. “kind of different. But him and McCandless, at least they tried to follow their dream. That’s what was great about them. They tried. Not many do.” (67) John Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild, briefly makes a comparison between two young boys Chris McCandless and Everett Ruess and fills the reader with different perspectives about them and their experiences. While the author wrote about McCandless he is reminded of Ruess and his book Everett Ruess: A Vagabond for Beauty written by W.L. Rusho and it sparked an interesting comparison between the two. The use of storytelling and letters about McCandless and the use of Artwork, letters,
James McBride ends the book on a high note leaving the conspicuous notion of the truth of life’s difficulties and the truth that things can get better. He says it in his own words and I quote, “This isn’t the movies; this is the real world…Love is unstoppable. It is our greatest weapon, a natural force, created by God.” (292) The book seems to be a collection of their lives’ tribulations all leading up to the impact of the combination of two in success, the success of a successful family and the finding of their selves.
When reflecting and writing on Eiseley’s essay and the “magical element”, I balk. I think to myself, “What magic?”, and then put pen to page. I dubiously choose a kiddie pool to draw inspiration from, and unexpectedly, inspiration flows into me. As I sit here in this little 10x30 foot backyard, the sky is filled with the flowing gaseous form of water, dark patches of moist earth speckle the yard, the plants soak up their scattered watering, and the leaves of bushes and trees imbue the space with a sense of dampness from their foliage. As my senses tune into the moisture that surrounds me, I fill Braedon’s artificial pond with water. I stare at the shimmering surface, contemplating Eiseley’s narrative, and the little bit of life’s wellspring caught in Brae’s pool. I see why Eiseley thought the most abundant compound on the earth’s surface is mystical.
Often time’s Hollywood romance movies have taught us to believe that when two people fall in love, a happy ending is inevitable. While it would be comforting to know love could be so simple, unfortunately, reality takes it upon itself to make a bit more complicated than that. In the 2009 romantic comedy, (500) Days of Summer by Marc Webb, there is an exceptional representation of how difficult and unpredictable love can truly be. While the movie may not end the way most people would it expect, it is far more relatable than the fairy tale happy ending we’ve become accustomed to. (500) Days of Summer is a good movie because it playfully yet truthfully illustrates the realities of falling in and out of love, finding oneself, and allowing fate
Green uses various literary elements, a few symbolic scenes, constant visual action along with the clever use of “action-reaction” format to let the text flow hence creating potential tension to make sure that the story isn’t dead at any point. The action is mentioned and the protagonist’s immediate reaction keeps the reader involved and complements each other heavily. Green drags the reader right into the text from the very beginning, and very skilfully keeps the reader engaged to the end of the introduction. With varied techniques to convey his message, Green is able to summarize the novel and grab attention in the few opening pages itself.
“How can you say the things you say you feel like when every thing outside is green like it is.” This statement from Mayfly is just one example of the misunderstandings between Mitch and Mayfly. The short story, “Everything is Green” by David Foster Wallace is about a couple having relationship problems. From the point of view of Mitch, we see how he is being emotionally neglected by Mayfly and how he feels he needs to chase his own happiness before it is too late. Mayfly, on the rare occasions she speaks, only expresses her failure to comprehend the situation that they are in. Her inability to articulate her inner thoughts give us little understanding of how she feels about the change Mitch is demanding. Wallace shows how unalike they are
Love is significant in people’s lives. Many forms of love are in their relationships with others, whether it is romantic, platonic, sexual or a mixture of all the above. When someone experiences love intensely for the first time, the feeling can send them into a euphoric shock. A natural concept that young lovers feel is that their relationships are transparent and their love is unconditional. However, Simon Mawer points out that budding relationships progress to eventual collapse due to sexual frustration and a want to avoid confrontation, consequently leading to the questioning of an existence of any emotional connection whatsoever. In the novel The Glass Room, Mawer introduces multiple characters with different relationships with one another.
Nicholas Sparks’ book, The Best of Me, tells the story of two lovers-Amanda and Dawson- who grew to love one another at a young age. Both characters live in the same place geographically, but are in different worlds. Dawson lives in a trailer park and his family has a history of causing trouble around town, while Amada lives in a large house with an affluent family. Despite their differences, they come to fall deeply in love with each other. Once Amanda’s mother catches wind of her love interests, she insists that she end it. Amanda’s plans are different; she plans to run away with Dawson, but in the end they go separate ways. Years later they return to the place where their love once bloomed in hopes that it may be restored.
John Green’s wonderful yet tragic best-selling novel The Fault in Our Stars tells a heart-wrenching story of two teenage cancer patients who fall in love. Augustus Waters and Hazel Lancaster live in the ordinary city of Indianapolis, where they both attend a support group for cancer patients. Falling in love at first sight, the two are inseparable until Augustus’s cancer comes out of remission, turning Hazel’s world upside. This is one of the best young-adult fiction novels of the year because it keeps readers on the edge of their seat, uses themes to teach real life lessons, and uses a realistic point of view instead of the cliché happy ending of most books.