HTRLLAP: Chapter 10- It's More Than Just Rain or Snow

In The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, (I don't know what my deal is with Narnia books right now...) young Lucy Pevensie becomes the first character to discover the magical world of Narnia by crawling through a wardrobe. When she reaches the land, snow covers the terrain. Now, Narnia is huge. The landscape varies: covered in snow, forest, and fields. So why did C. S. Lewis choose to thrust Lucy into the snow?

From reading chapter 10, I realized just how many characteristics of snow also characterize Narnia. By creating a snowy, Narnian vision in the reader's mind, Lewis gives Narnia traits without flat-out saying them.

Go back in time a bit to when you were about, say, seven. One single snowflake hits the ground, and, all of the sudden, you are thrown into a frenzy. Snow is magical for children and adults alike. Narnia also flows with magic. It is, after all, a land hidden behind a wardrobe with talking animals. Snow invokes feelings of fascination and wonder, which Lucy feels as she travels through her new discovery. A landscape coated with snow seems new and quite different from the original landscape. Similarly, Narnia is a new and fresh landscape to Miss Pevensie.

On the other hand, snow can be cold and dangerous. When the White Witch is introduced to the reader, she is coated in white furs and pulled by polar bears. Lewis clearly wanted to associate her with snow as well. The White Witch, is not fresh and quiet, but is instead icy and cruel. As much fun as snow can provide, we often forget how we would die if left alone in it. Snow can be unforgiving, just like the White Witch that tempts Lucy's brother Edmond.

HTRLLAP: Chapter 7- ...Or the Bible

*Caution, here be spoilers*

One simply cannot separate The Chronicles of Narnia from The Bible. Almost every installment in the series shows religious ties, but the novel with the most is the final chapter, The Last Battle, which includes numerous allusions to the book of Revelation and Christian prophecies about the end of the world.

Anyone who's read The Chronicles of Narnia recognizes Aslan's correlation to Jesus. In The Last Battle, an ape named Shift finds a lion skin that was left by a hunter and puts it on, pretending to be Aslan. Sound familiar? Shift directs the people of Narnia to do deeds in his name for his own enjoyment. All in all, Shift is the Anti-Christ, wooing people over with lies.

There is also an evil character named Tash. One reference to a specific Bible verse appears when Aslan returns and forgives a follower of Tash who was not satisfied with his leader and lead a wholesome life. A little bit of "whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me" type thing.

In the end, Aslan calls all the denizens of Narnia, dead and alive together. He then separates them out, sending one group into the shadows never to be seen again. It is believed that they were sent to the Land of Tash, a symbol for Hell. The rest basically die, and Narnia is destroyed. However, the reader then rejoices when a New Narnia is created, and those who were deemed worthy get to spend all of eternity in joy, happiness, and light in the Land of Aslan. Just like Heaven, right?

Almost Bible History 101 for children. Kudos, C.S. Lewis, kudos.

HTRLLAP: Chapter 5- Now Where Have I Seen Her Before?

According to Foster, texts are linked in a system called intertexuality. This cements the relationship between characters, plots, and themes in literature. That being said, the same basic characters and character types appear in multiple works. Forster says, in all bold print, "there's no such thing as a wholly original work of literature."

Two matching characters that I have encountered live in the pages of Anthem by Ayn Rand and Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. The main character of Anthem, later self-named Prometheus, lives in a world where all forms of individualism and knowledge have been eradicated. Prometheus eventually finds a tunnel left from the old world, which leads him to discovering electric light. He presents his findings to the great Council, and they banish him from the town, leaving him to fend for himself in the wilderness. Always the explorer, Prometheus finds a home left behind that is filled with modern marvels and books. He uses these tools to develop a new society that includes the words "I" and "me" and reaches a higher state of enlightenment than that of his previous mates.

Now on to the next one. The main character of Jonathan Livingston Seagull is called Jonathan Livingston and is, wait for it, a seagull. How constricting could the life of a seagull be? Apparently, very. Jonathan Livingston loves to fly. Not normal seagull flying: shallow, short, and only for eating. No, Jonathan Livingston loves to really soar. He practices flying as high as he can and making sharp, fast nose dives. This ridiculous seagull behavior gets his thrown out of his colony. Jonathan Livingston, once exiled, just keeps experimenting. He finds the deep emotional state of serenity in flying, and one event sends him on his way to enlightenment.

See the similarities? Both characters love to search for knowledge in worlds where such things are frowned upon. Both get thrown out of their communites. Both use that to reach higher states of happiness. Both can teach us lessons about reaching our own potentials.

A List of Literature

1. Lord of the Flies (1954) by William Golding intrigues me with its dis-topia theme. The survival of the fittest story of plane wrecked young boys should prove to be haunting. The book is about average high school read size, and the writing style seems easy to understand with descriptive clauses and fragments.



2. J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye (1951) was recommended to me by my grandma. She and I usually have the same taste in books and movies, so I decided to give it a go. I think I will enjoy the "teenage angst" story, even if I don't have much angst myself. This book will be perfect to reward my hard-working reading muscles since it is only about 300 pages and the writing style is that of a seventeen-year-old boy. I can for see the style adding to the characterization of Holden Caulfield, the main character.



3. The Kite Runner (2004) by Khaled Hosseini tells the story of two boys in Afghanistan and how events affect their bonds. From what I've read, this book seems both moving and interesting. It has been recommended to me by many people who have varying tastes. The 400 pages are written in first-person style, which is different from many books that I read.



4. Last year, nearly every boy in my English class read George Orwell's 1984, (1949) and they continue to rave about it's greatness. The style seems to be very similar to Huxley's Brave New World and the themes match some too, though 1984 is longer at about 400 pages. 1984 presents a "utopian" society that turns out not to be very utopian after all. I love reading utopia/distopia novels such as Anthem, Brave New World, and The Giver which I have read previously in school.



5. Catch-22 (1955) by Joseph Heller was another novel read by and lauded by my classmates. It is a satire on the effects of war, a genre I don't usually read. I have heard that the style, though not overly grammatically difficult, is hard to read. Since the book is about 550 pages, it should prove to be a challenge, a challenge I'm willing to take.



6. The Awakening (1899) by Kate Chopin is shorter than most of the books I read at only 120 pages. I saw it on a "Must Read Classics" shelf at Barnes and Noble, and decided to check it out. Telling the story of a Victorian woman trapped by society and her "awakening" to a new world differs from the scary, adventure stories I love. Online reviews make The Awakening appear to be an intellectual delight. The style seems easy to read with short paragraphs and simple words, since the story takes place in New Orleans, Chopin chooses to use French phrases which might require the use of a translator.



7. I was first introduced to this book when we watched the movie in Oral Comm. I know that the book is probably far better, so Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury sits on this list. A classic example of my favorite genre, the sci-fi novel chronicals the tale of a fireman in a world where firemen start book-burning fires instead of putting them out. Soon, he discovers the wonders of the literature that has been kept from him for so long. Bradbury's style in the 200-page novel seems discriptive and full of supporting clauses. I believe I will enjoy the haunting tale.



8. Pride and Prejudice (1813) by Jane Austen has been recommended to me multiple times by Tosh. She simply adores this book, and she and I usually share tastes in books and movies. Written in the 1800s and at about 300 pages, I am expecting to be challenged by the novel, but the sample I read seems to have short chapters and paragraphs. The classic story of courting rituals between rich and poor has appealed to people for ages, and I should be no diferent.



9. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson embodies the classic horror story of man-controlling-science-and-then-science-gets-crazy along with the next entry on my list. A review I read said the ending was one of the best in horror literature history, so I'm excited for that. I expect this book will be a challenge as well as the writing style seems classic of the 1800s and it is almost 300 pages.



10. Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley wraps up my list with a monster. Once again a classic horror story, it tells of Dr. Frankenstein's monster and how he loses control. I have heard that this book can be difficult to read, but that the subject is interesting, so it balances out through the almost 250 pages.

How long is it? How old is it? Writing style? Story?
Title. Author. Publication date. Number of pages. Difficulty level. Reflection.

HTRLLAP: Chapter 1 - Every Trip is a Quest...

Zombies. Brain-eating, slow-walking, groaning and grunting zombies. A large portion of zombie movies lack any substance at all: zombies just aren't as scary as other horror movie fiends, and directors use that to make brain-numbingly dumb movies. Ahhh! Zombies, Pot Zombies, and Zombies, Zombies, Zombies: Strippers vs. Zombies show the bar that has been set for this genre of film.

But then, from a golden glowing cloud, comes a different breed: Zombieland! Maybe I'm far-reaching. Maybe I'm just too in love with this movie. But the point is, even Zombieland has just a little to give. That is, it tells the epic story of a quest of two characters in particular. So... Here we go.

1. Our quester(s): Two sisters, Wichita and Little Rock, surviving in the zombie-infested United States. When everyone they knew turned into zombies, they knew that they must stick with each other to get by. However, they shy away from creating bonds with other survivors they meet.
   


2. A place to go: The two sisters are found by our other two heroes, Columbus and Tallahassee, in a super market where they try to trick the boys to get their supplies. When the lovely ladies finally decide to band together with the dashing boys, they tell us that they are headed for an amusement park in Los Angeles, an amusement park that is supposedly a zombie-free haven.



3. A stated reason to go there: Little Rock, the younger sister, is searching for the Garden of Eden in their "Zombieland" USA. She wants to find a place where she can lose her fears. Wichita, however, secretly knows that the zombie-free rumors are bogus. She just wants to please her sister, afraid to tell her otherwise.



4. Challenges and trials: Travelling with Tallahassee and Columbus, the sisters must first and foremost face hoardes of zombies. They learn Columbus's rules to surviving a zombie apocalypse. Wichita, always looking out for her little sister, faces the decision between being loners or joining this zombie-fighting pack permanently. Along the way, the sisters try to run off multiple times, but always seem to go back.



5. The real reason to go: After fighting a hive of zombies attracted to the sudden activity in the amusement park, Wichita and Little Rock realize that without Columbus and Tallahassee, they are alone in this zombie-world. On the road to LA, they faced the constant pull to have other human community. Still, they continued to run from it. The realizations at the amusement park showed them that they loved their companions, and they genuinely shared a love with them. Not to mention a zombie-killing group of four is way better than two. The quest showed them the importance of family, even if that family is a Twinkie-crazy, gun-happy cowboy and a paranoid, clown-fearing nerd.