Analyzing My Reading

        I have always loved to read, so that was easy.
       As a reader, I have learned that I really enjoy books that make me think and kind of make me look back on what I have just read. I have this obsession with the "Roaring 20's," 1920's era and I have been very interested in reading about that. I have read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and since many of his books take place in the early 1900's, I have begun reading This Side of Paradise. I watch Downton Abbey and I love the fashion and just the feeling of that era (if you were wealthy, of course,) so I really enjoyed The Great Gatsby, which captured the essence of it all.
       I personally enjoy reading realistic fiction the most because it allows me to relate to the feelings, settings, and circumstances of the characters in the books. John Green is my favorite young adult author, (and probably a lot of other people's) because, unlike many authors, he understands teenagers in another, foreign way. He understands our feelings, motives, and actions-and doesn't judge. That, to me, is amazing. I also enjoy reading non-fiction books. Right now, I am reading Jonathan Safran Foers' Eating Animals. As a vegetarian, I find it is a very interesting read. I love finding facts from books and I enjoy reading books for knowledge.
       Right now, I think science fiction is the most popular genre, probably all thanks to The Hunger Games (at least for young adults.) Right now, there are series' including The Hunger Games, the Divergent series, The City of Bones series, and The Maze Runner series. These novels are all incredibly popular and constantly talked about at the moment.
        Lastly, as a reader, I think I have changed this trimester by opening my mind to reading outside of my comfort zone. I didn't think I would enjoy non-fiction before I tried it. But once I did, I found I really enjoy it.

Book to Film: Where the Wild Things Are

       I believed that the film adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are was successful in the fact that it conveyed the moral of the story well. That being said, I think that there was room for improvement on the special effects and the adaptations of the monsters.
      Spike Jonze did a wonderful job in emphasizing the importance of imagination: an escape. Jonze emphasized the importance of family, honesty, and being yourself. In that case, Jonze did a great job in adapting this into a children's film.
     On the other hand, the physical adaptation of the monsters in the film could have been better. I was surprised that they spoke English, first of all, which, now that I think about it, was probably a positive. I personally think that the film would have looked better animated because the monsters are so difficult to make realistic.

My Favorite Book As A Movie

      One of my favorite books is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. The story follows protagonists Aibileen Clark, Minny Jackson, and Skeeter Phelan. Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson are African-American house maids working for white families in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960's. A White writer, Skeeter Phelan asks Aibileen and Minny to write down their what it is like living in segregation; which is a very dangerous thing to do. The story embarks on a tale of bravery, wit, and overcoming white supremacy in a time where it was forbidden to do so.
      I was extremely impressed and satisfied with the movie version of The Help. It was nominated for three Academy Awards and four Golden Globes in 2012 including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Original Song, and Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain. The screenplay was consistent in sticking to the book and the acting was incredible. Only one major part of the book was taken out in the movie but it was a part that would have made the film Rated R. I thought the movie was incredibly touching and was a great example of the danger of standing up for racial justice in that time period. It also shows the differences in the social classes and the ways the White people lived to the African-Americans. I am a big fan of who they chose to cast in the film including Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Viola Davis, and Bryce Dallas Howard. They took on the characters very well and their emotions were incredibly believable.
        If I could have chosen to change any one thing in the film, I think I would play more into how the maids had to care for the children of their employees almost 24/7 while their own children were left at home, neglected and unfed. This was incredibly unfair and I think it would have emphasized even more the injustice of the racial system in the South in the 1960's. This really touched me when I read the book and watched the movie because every child deserves a loving, warm home where their parents are there to look after them. These maids were forced to look after other children in order to feed their own.
        I would not choose to change any of the cast because they were all incredible. My favorite character was Celia Foote, the kind but ditzy employer of Minnie after she gets fired from the household of the racist Miss Hilly Holbrook. Celia was so kind to everybody no matter their race and I admire Kathryn Stockett's choice of putting her in the novel as she adds not only a comic relief, but a sense of the future equality for Blacks in the South. Most importantly, Celia Foote symbolized how African-Americans and Whites are in no way different and can love each other if they manage to get over their prejudices. Celia has a good heart and an open mind and is incredibly kind to Minny, offering her home up as a safe haven for Minny and her family.

 

(From left to right: Hilly Holbrook played by Bryce Dallas Howard, Aibileen Clark played by Viola Davis, Skeeter Phelan played by Emma Stone, and Minny Jackson played by Octavia Spencer.)

 

(The quirky Celia Foote, played by Jessica Chastain, and my favorite character.)