Barbara Palvin- I LOVE CHANEL

Reader's Response--A Dog's Journey?

*This post may or may not contain spoilers

"Dog is God spelled backwards."  I have loved dogs since I got my first dog at the age of four.  She was a Golden Retriever named Candy.  She was beautiful.  We used to roll around in the yard together.  One day her nose started bleeding.  The vet said that it was a tumor.  Candy is dead now, but I have three new dogs to love and care for; Andy, Ella, and my baby boy Charlie.  Charlie is a mutt (a Shih Tzu Yorkie mix).  I was recommended A Dog's Journey, by W. Bruce Cameron, after my mom bought it from her school's book fair.  I have to admit, I was kind of skeptical before actually reading the book.  I had done something that I vowed to never do--judge a book by its cover.  The little puppy and speech bubble on this particular cover screamed "Young Adult" (and I am not a big fan of Young Adult, excluding John Green that is).  It looked like it would be a quick read though, and I do love dogs.  Needless to say, I caved and read it anyway.  It was amazing.  I cried, multiple times.  This being said (if it was not made obvious by the preceding sentence fragments), I only saw it suiting that I recorded my response to the book in writing.

Before I begin, I would like to give a brief synopsis of the journey itself.  Buddy is a good dog.  After spending several, eventful lives in search of his purpose, Buddy has discovered that he has already fulfilled it--he lives to love and protect his master.  A Dog's Journey  follows Buddy as he lives, dies and returns to life, in the body of another dog.  Buddy becomes Molly, who later becomes Max, who finishes his journey as a sweet Beagle named Toby.  The most impressive part of this story, was the fact that it was told from the point of view of the dog.  Never did I stop to think, "Hmm, this doesn't sound like a dog," because it did, in fact, sound just like a dog.  I was drawn in with this approach, and was made to care deeply about the dogs, the people, and what happened to them.  I cannot always say that I get this involved with the characters, so when I do, one can assume that it was a very well written and heartwarming tale.  In fact, A Dog's Journey was far from just a "Young Adult" novel.  It was a book in which any person, of any age, can love and hold close to their heart.

One question remained after I finished this novel: do we take care of our pets, or do our pets take care of us?  I could not help but think about my little Charlie as I read through this book.  I imagined Charlie's first encounter with a mirror.  I imagined the time that Charlie so excited, that he sprinted around the house, jumping from chair to table in order to release some of his excess energy.  The loyalty expressed by Buddy in this story, crossed all boundaries, and I am sure that Charlie is moved by this same loyalty.  This book is the kind of emotional gut-wrench that makes me proud to care for a canine, and proud of the loyalty that they show to us.  If you are not a dog lover, or not even a dog liker, steer clear of this novel.  If you are like me however, grab yourself a copy of this wonderful book, and prepare yourself to laugh, smile, yell at imaginary people, cry, and seek out love from your furry friend. 

The Secret Society of Superheroes?

Superpower: Lashing you with his dreads.

Slick Chrome American Prince

 

Mythological Criticism--The Shadow People?

*This post may or may not contain spoilers.

You spot something from the corner of your eye.  It seems to be dark and shadowy, yet nothing is there. What was it?  Your imagination? Shia Labeouf?  Or perhaps, a shadow person--those creatures that are seen briefly out of the corner of one's eye. 

According to legend, these entities appear in a variety of forms.  They may simply pass through our bedroom as we sleep at night, or lurk in our doorways--watching, waiting.  These figures have become so widely recognized as paranormal entities, that people have taken up the study of these beings.  Several theories have been offered as an explanation of the origins of the Shadow Person.  They may be demonic entities, ghosts, inter-dimensional travelers, astral bodies, or just a figment of the imagination.  My research led me to the multiple classifications of the Shadow People: the benign shadow, negative shadows, red-eyed shadows, and hooded shadows.  The benign walk through one's room, never straying from their path and never paying the living any attention.  Their only purpose is to walk the Earth for the rest of eternity.  The negative shadows lurk, causing an unnatural feeling of terror.  The red-eyed shadows are a form of the negative, which stare at their victims with glowing, red eyes.  Supposedly the negative and red-eyed shadows feed off of their victims' fear.  The hooded shadows appear to be dressed in ancient garb, similar to that of a monk.  They appear to those who are experiencing an immense amount of rage.  Whatever these entities actually are, they each prove to be equally shocking for a human to come into contact with.

 David Wong made use of the "negative shadows" in his book, John Dies at the End.  People can rarely make out the features of these dark figures that lurk in the corners of your room.  After a shot of soy sauce however, John and David the ability to sense these "people" at all corners of the universe.  According to Mr. Wong, the Shadow People are dark messengers from a universe parallel to Earth.  His adaptation of the paranormal phenomena, described them as malicious, soul hungry beings that sought to take over the universe.  The Shadow People in John Dies at the End were the inter-dimensional beings described by the theorists that I came across during my research.  It is discovered toward the end of the novel, that an alternate dimension exists almost identical to that of the Earth.  The Shadow People from the alternate dimension, had found a way to intrude Earth in attempt to take over it's inhabitants.  The only difference between Mr. Wong's Shadow People and those of paranormal myth, is that they can cause physical harm to their victims.  They prove to be rather dangerous enemies, as John and David attempt to save the world. 

Rather than using the sun or the moon to foretell the end of the world, David Wong used the elusive Shadow People, a figure which many readers can recognize, in order to evoke a universal feeling of fear and terror.  John Dies at the End is recognized as one of the scariest books of the modern era.  Why is this so?  Well, it is primarily due to Mr. Wong's expert usage of myth and archetypes, both of which induce a realistic interpretation of the novel as a whole.  

After I finished the novel, I found myself thinking about the possibilities of an actual alternate universe, full of actual Shadow People.  Shaken by this thought, I set the book down and started a more lighthearted read.  The point of my saying this was to emphasize the effect that the Shadow People in John Dies at the End had on me.  I was terrified.  I found myself checking my back when I took my dog out late at night.  The shadows in the corner of my room seemed to take on a life of their own.  After experiencing that kind of fear, I would say that David Wong's use of a mythological archetype proved to be rather successful. 

Cancer is the reason that I don't believe?

I have been feeling very emotional lately (probably due to my recurring nightmares, but I won't get into that right now).  In short, I have been having trouble with my faith for the past couple of months, in the sense that I don't really believe in any god.  I believe in good morals--obviously--but I just do not believe that there is an outside force watching over what we do.  I don't believe in any sort of life after death.  When we die, we just die.  That's all there is to it.  Sometimes I like to pray despite these feelings, as a way to quell my fears for the time being. But is that worse than not believing?  Realizing that there is no god, but making one up anyway, so that life is more bearable? 

To get to the point, someone that is very dear to me has had cancer since before I can remember (since I was four to be exact).  This cancer has made me morally and spiritually stronger, but not necessarily religious stronger.  I always get really emotionally when I see someone with cancer, or something of the sort.  I hate it.  I hate it so much, but there is nothing I can do about it.  I feel so helpless, and watching the pain that it causes is more unbearable than suffering through it first hand. 

Ever since my first encounter with cancer, I have liked the idea of living in the present--the whole notion of carpe diem--but am not sure if a god resides in this present.  I believe that you have to be your own god.  Let me rephrase, I believe that you have to make the good in your life, despite all of the bad.  I am more than happy with the life I have been given, but I have an incessant sadness that resides inside of my subconscious.  I'm not depressed or anything, in fact, I'm quite the opposite.  I enjoy every day that I am given with the person, for I know that they could be taken from me in a different manner.  I have already been given 17 years with them, and hope that I may have 17 more.  Despite everything, I have been blessed with a truly wonderful life, whether it was by God--if there is a God--or by the luck of the draw. 

The Second Quarter Challenge

My posts for the entirety of the second quarter, will consist of a series of applications of the critical approaches to literature.  Why?  So that Mrs. Healey will be able to differentiate the legitimate posts from the ones that were "just for fun" (i.e. the pictures and Remark re-posts and the posts that have no real purpose other than to entertain).

Does John Die at the End?

A few things before I begin...
I knew absolutely nothing about John Dies at the End (aside from the title that is) before putting it on hold at the library.
It was a recommended read on a list of books to read around Halloween.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the novel, thus had no expectations beforehand.
It turns out that a movie version is hitting theaters this January, so I am naturally curious to see how the adaptation pans out (Paul Giamatti stars as Arnie in the film, hence the picture of Paul)
 

What did you say?  You want a short description of John Dies at the End?  Well, it’s a drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit. On the street they call it Soy Sauce, and users can drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human.
Suddenly a silent, otherworldly invasion is underway, and mankind needs a hero. What it gets instead is John and David, a pair of college dropouts who can barely hold down jobs.
Can these two stop the oncoming horror in time to save humanity?
No. No, they can’t.

What's in a name?  Mr. Wong understands the importance of a title, and the impact that the title can have on the book, and it's interpretation among readers.  Titles, more often than not, have a direct reference to another work of literature or a pivotal point in the plot of their novel.  They can be taken seriously, or as a joke.  They can encapsulate the underlying meaning of the story.  Most importantly, titles have the ability to entrance a reader within a matter of seconds.  If the title does not catch the reader's eye, the book simply will not be read.  John Dies at the End, as a title, could be received in a variety of manners.  Does John actually die at the end?  Well, that is for you to find out.  Either way, the quirky title was the primary reason that I choose to read this book.

The 'Wrong' Kind of Christian?

While I sat in my room, contemplating the topic of my post for this week, an epiphany came to me in the form of Barack Obama.  According to an article that I had found on the interweb, some see Obama as the ‘wrong’ kind of Christian.  What does this even mean?  To summarize, the religious conservatives do not find Obama to be a true Christian (which is understandable considering that most conservatives are unable to understand any beliefs aside from their own).  Obama is a man of faith, and referred to his strong belief in God many times over.  He reads his Bible, just not literally, which is what the majority of the conservatives are doing.

Obama is a President that recognizes, and tolerates (emphasis on the word “tolerates”) other religious denominations that exist in the United States.  It is unfortunate that many people (specifically the conservatives), are still unable to recognize that there must be a separation between Church and state.  If Church was related to state, then the Magisterium mind as well take over the entire country.
At least Obama recognizes that not everyone in the U.S. is Christian, or even believes in God for that matter.