Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, is a fantasy-adventure novel based on Greek mythology. It is the first book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, which documents the adventures of twelve-year-old Percy Jackson as he discovers he is a demigod, the son of a mortal woman and the Greek god Poseidon. The title of the novel "The Lightning Thief" seems simple, as it refers to someone who has stolen lightning. As you start reading the novel, you learn that Zeus’s master bolt is stolen and that the protagonist, Percy is the prime suspect. Percy with the help of his new friends Annabeth, also a demigod and Grover, a satyr, must now prove his innocence by returning the stolen bolt and
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Riordan effortless weaves Ancient Greek myths into a modern setting; Medusa sells garden gnomes, Procrustes sells water beds, and Dionysus makes cherry cola. In the past, this book has been recommended to me at least once by all my friends and it was extremely popular after it was released, thus I finally decided to read it. My friends said that once I picked up the book, I would not be able to put it down; because Percy’s struggle to solve the mystery of the lightning thief is gripping, and little time is spent between one battle and the next. Also, while the book is a thrilling action-adventure story, it is balanced by a great deal of humor that appeals to young readers. Furthermore, the book shows readers that disabilities can represent great strengths and it has strong female characters, which really got me …show more content…
One of the most important words in the English language – almost all of us want to be it. We want to "fit in" rather than stick out. We don't want to be "different." But, do we even know what being normal means? Percy Jackson is the polar opposite of normal. He accidentally causes trouble wherever he goes, is challenged by his ADHD and dyslexia, and does terrible in school. His father was never around and his mother scrambles to make ends meet to support him and his dreadful stepdad. Nobody (except his mom) believes he will amount to much in life. However, this story proves just how bad the definition of "normal" can be at predicting how successful someone like Percy will be or can be. With a slight adjustment of our perspective and of our understanding of this word, you realize that Percy's greatest weaknesses are his greatest strengths. While being dyslexic and having, a hard time doing well in school, it does mean that he has a gift for reading and understanding Ancient Greek and has great battle reflexes. Maybe normal doesn't have it quite right after all. Whether you, like Percy, believe that the Greek gods are still around or whether you consider their stories to be mythology, this story has something to offer. It helped me understand that there is always more than one way of seeing and of making sense of the world. Sometimes being an outsider means that you have gifts that those around you don't yet fully understand or notice. Although this may sound cliché,
Percy attended school through the eighth grade in Alabama’s public schools. Going to high school was not an option for Percy, since he was a black person. But that didn’t stop Percy from going into college to pursue his dream.
In this essay I’m writing about Theseus and the Minotaur and The Lightning Thief. Theseus and the Minotaur is about when Theseus discovers that people of Athens are being given to the minotaur. Theseus slays the minotaur, and restores peace in Athens after sailing home safely, but then finds out his dad killed himself. What The Lightning Thief and Theseus and the Minotaur have in common is, both main characters take big risks even though they are dangerous. Even though The Lighting Thief and Theseus have different outcomes, they both show that taking risks can be dangerous, but it’s worth the risk if it’s for a good cause.
Percy Percy provides the novel with the perfect parallel to Dunstan. He does, however, contrast in many ways to Dunstan. They are best friends, but Percy rivalry results in the formation of the main setting of the novel. Percy also feels more of an attachment to material goods than Dunstan does. He thinks only of himself and is in constant pursuit of total and utter control. Percy was low moral standards in comparison to Dunstan and in some ways, feels he is of a higher stature than other human beings. This awkward relationship between him and Dunstan forms the basis of the novel.
Percy is always afraid that his friends might die. He is constantly questioning his “own powers” (29, Riordan) and is unsure he can save his friends. The protagonist is unable to complete his missions properly, because he is always battling his own self confidence. Anyone who is incapable of having confidence in themselves will not obtain their goal. Moreover, when Percy realizes he is able to “destroy” (79, Riordan)
Percy Jackson is a very interesting character but he’s more interesting when they keep some his great characteristics in the movie. There are many differences along with similarities in the comparison between the book and the movie of Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief. One of the major differences between the two was how in the book Luke and Percy never fought for the bolt because Luke took it, but in the movie Luke and Percy have an epic battle for the bolt. A good similarity with the two is that they do a very good job in describing Percy’s background and how they were in the Lotus hotel and got stuck their for hours but realistically was 5 days. I will be discussing and some of the main similarities and differences
Horn Book Magazine says “The novel is packed with humorous allusions to Greek Mythology... among with rip snorting action sequences, this book really shines” (Horn Book Magazine). With what Horn Book said about the novel it gives educational support that is taught in schools. “Rick Riordan’s (2005) popular Percy Jackson series for middle school readers provides a substantial link to greek mythology, utilizing Homer’s Odyssey and Lliad to create a window into classical texts” (Bright). By combining two complex and merit-able reads Riordan creates a novel that creates a stepping stone into harder literature to read and analyze.
The current world has so many packages that most people do not even realize they are missing out on something. Percy tries to open everyone’s eyes to why these packages need to be taken apart and ways to go about doing it. Things like travel, organized sports, self-help books, and social media all take away a person’s ability to live their own lives freely as they choose. The packages that are put in front of people look so appealing that they jump to have them, not even think about what they are losing. Everyone deserves to be a sovereign individual who learns, lives, and dreams all on their own. No one needs to organize it for them or verify their experiences. They have the ability to live a successful life all on their own. As soon as people fight to break free from the packages they get their lives back.
“Go on with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all”. This quote, spoken by Percy is a repetitive thought that he uses in his quest to persevere to the end. From movies, to stories, to plays, the hero undergoes a journey, that is universal in nearly all. This journey is referred to as the Hero’s Journey and consists of three stages with other elements within each stage, and was recognized by Joseph Campbell. The pattern of the journeys allows a universal audience that all, young and old, can relate to. A broad description of the monomyth includes the hero leaving their ordinary life, commencing the bulk of the journey, and returning home. In the movie The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, the protagonist Percy Jackson presents discernible
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Lightning Thief the movie is about a young boy who has just discovered that he is a demi-god Percy Jackson. His father is Poseidon and his mother has been keeping it from him for many years. There is a lightning bolt that is stolen from Zeus on Mt. Olympus and Zeus believes that Percy has stolen it and demands its return by the summer solstice. In the mean time Percy gets attacked by multiple magical and mythological beings. There is a camp that demi-gods are safe from these things which is where Percy’s mother and his protector, Grover, take him to. This is where Percy’s journey begins. After a few days of being at the camp he realizes what he has to do. His mother was taken by Hades to the underworld and Percy has to save her all while trying to prove to Zeus that he did not steal the Lighting bolt.
“Suspense combines curiosity with fear and pulls them up a rising slope.” - Mason Cooley. These emotions that suspense creates are intended to keep viewers interested and entertained while watching, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”, directed by, Chris Columbus. “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” was filled with suspense. The three major elements the director used to generate suspense were conflict, sympathetic attachment to the protagonist and foreshadowing.
There are many other characters in the story the story, but there are a couple special one. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. So you can imagine she was one smart cookie. Percy’s father is Poseidon, god of the sea. Athena and Poseidon didn’t really get along. Annabeth and Percy have something in common: both have family issues and terrible step-parents. Her dad is a human, a professor at West Point who teaches American History. Annabeth is anger at his for rejecting her at a young
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan is a fantasy- adventure novel that is based on Greek mythology. It's the second novel in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Percy Jackson has been having nightmares about his satry friend Grover Underwood. The first dream involving Grover running from an unknown force and hiding in wedding shop. At school a group of Laestrygoians attack Percy and his classmates in a game of dodgeball, but is saved by one of his friends Tyson and Annabeth Chase, one of his friends from camp. Annabeth takes Percy and Tyson to Camp Half Blood, the only safe place for demigods, which are kids who are children of humans and gods. All three of them take the
Percy Jackson is a true hero. Imagine if you had the chance to save your mother, but put your own life at risk. When Percy was given this chance, he never even thought about his own life. When he saved the world, he didn't care if he put his own life in immense trouble. When he met his half brother, he stood up for him, not caring if no one liked him after. It is clear that there is no way that Percy Jackson can be thought of anything but a hero, which is what he truly
Percy Jackson is the main character in this story, who is a demi god, who mortals are after. His name is short for Perseus and his father is one the big three gods, Poseidon. He is suffering from dyslexia and ADHD, which could be deliberately added to the character by Riordan, to show he is meant to be a hero, and not to do well in school. This shows that school is not what he is good at, and he is destined to be a hero and save people.
The first novel of the series, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief , is where Percy’s Hero’s Journey begins, encompassing the first five stages. The Ordinary World, the first stage, is the introduction of the main hero. “The hero, uneasy, uncomfortable or unaware, is introduced sympathetically so the audience can identify with the situation or dilemma” (Campbell). Percy Jackson, a twelve year old diagnosed with both dyslexia and ADHD living in New York with his loving, over-worked mother and abusive stepfather, begins his story attending a boarding school for “troubled youth” and having a less than spectacular time being the new kid. Despite his good intentions of protecting his only friend Grover from a bully, Percy gets in trouble at school and is pulled aside by one of his teachers, whom is revealed to be the Fury Alecto, one of Hades’s servants in disguise. It is at this point in the story in which the second stage, The Call to Adventure, comes into play. Percy defeats the Fury with the help of a centaur named Chiron, t...