Journey to the Center of the Earth: Part 2

Journey to the Center of the Earth

by Jules Verne



          As you know from my last post, I have been reading the science fiction novel Journey to the Center of the Earth and hve beenthinking about the characters of Axel Lidenbrock and his uncle Professor Lidenbrock.  As I am finished with the book now, I am amazed at their incredibly dangerous and unbelievable journey as they descend deeper into the depths of the earth.

          Throughout the book, Axel and the professor debate over their journey showing differing points of view and clarifying their characters.  At one point, Axel and Lidenbrock venture some way into the prehistoric forest, where Professor Lidenbrock points out in a shaky voice, a prehistoric human leaning against a tree and watching a head of mastodons.  Axel cannot be sure if he has really seen the man or not and he and the professor debate over whether or not this kind of civilization existed underground.

          Again their differences come out as they continue their journey exploring the coastline, and find a passageway marked by Saknussem where they find it blocked by a recent cave-in.  Hans and the professor are greatly disturbed at not being able to hack their way through the granite wall.  Axel goes along cautiously and with great concern as they plan to blast the rock with gun cotton and paddle out to sea to escape the blast. Axel, being the practical one, knows that if anything goes wrong, the rock could capsize  their raft and they would be done for.  They do come together as they realize that behind the rock fall was a bottomless pit, not a passage to the center of the earth.

          At the very end of the book, Professor Lidenbrock is forced to see things for what they really are.  Both he and the practical Axel realize why their compass was behaving strangely after their journey on the raft where they escape a geyser-acting volcanic chimnney.  They both realize that the needle of the compass was pointing the wrong way after being struck by an electric fireball.  While the professor had some regret that their journey was cut short, Axel is thankful for the experiences, challenges and grateful to be reunited with his fiance and life in Hamburg, Germany.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne

 

 

Journey to the Centre of the Earth

by Jules Verne

 

          I am in the midst of reading the classic science fiction novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne.  It is told through the eyes of Axel Lidenbrock, nephew of the eccentric Professor Lidenbrock, professor of geology and minerology at a college in Hamburg, Germany in 1863.  Professor Lidenbrock finds a parchment with a coded message in a 16th century book by an alchemist named Arne Saknussemm who claimed that he had traveled to the center of the earth.  The professor will not rest until he finds the meaning of this message and so, he sets off on a journey to Iceland with his nephew as his assistant to find the center of the earth.

          While Axel and his uncle, the professor Lidenbrock, both share a great love for science, there are great contrasts between them.  Axel does not match his uncle's scientific curiousity and is more practical about the hardships of their journey.  He prefers the comforts of home to exploring the depths of a volcano named Snaefells in the earth that could potentially become active.  Although it is Axel who figures out the coded message on the parchment that leads them on this journey, he does not immediately reveal it to his uncle, fearing precisely the dangerous journey that this could lead to.  Axel's lack of a scientist's character is shown by his constant hunger, compared to the professor's habit of ignoring meals while involved in great scientific research.  For example, at one point early on in the planning of their journey, the professor hides the keys to the door so that they cannot get their food.  Also unlike the professor, Axel is afraid of the dangers of the voyage but manages to hide his fear in part so that he is not shown up by their guide, Hans Bjelke.  In contrast, the professor sacrifices everything, including his safety and that of his companions for his journey and quest for knowledge.

          Axel's decision to stay on this treacherous journey rather than turning back seems to be a vital point in this book.  Professor Lidenbrock seems to need Axel to help him be more practical and cautious.  For example, as they were approaching Snaefells, Axel raised the question about the possibility that Snaeffels was not extinct.  He said,

"Just because the monster has been asleep since 1229, does it follow that it can never wake up again?  And if it does wake up, what will become of us?"
 

As I continue to read this great classic, it will be really interesting to find out if Axel and the professor make it safely to find the center of the earth.

 

 





Jacob Sutton

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie Literary Essay

 

In the book Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick, the Alpert family undergoes challenges whiling coping with the illness of their youngest son Jeffrey.  The book however primarily focuses on how this illness affects their oldest son Steven.  

Steven Alpert is a typical eighth grade middle-schooler.  He is sarcastic, self-absorbed and a gifted drummer who is a member of the school band.  Steven is also obsessed with Renee, the hottest girl in the school.  When his five year old brother Jeffrey gets Leukemia, Steven’s world is turned upside down.  Jeffrey’s illness winds up having a transformative effect as he gradually begins to grow into a mature and responsible young man.  Throughout the book, Sonnenblick shows the reader some of the ways Steven matures.

                Steven is having an emotionally difficult time with his brother’s illness.  In response to this, he falls behind in his school work.  When Renee, the girl Steven has been in love with since third grade, volunteers to come to his house to tutor him Steven can hardly wait.  He combs his hair (which he never does), wears his best shirt and even puts on cologne.  When Renee finally gets to Steven’s house and says she thinks she is coming down with a cold, Steven is put in a difficult situation.  Telling Renee, the girl of Steven’s dreams, that she can’t come into the house, is difficult for Steven, but he knows that Jeffrey’s Leukemia has made him very weak.  If Jeffrey gets even the slightest cold from Renee it could be fatal.  Here Steven has done the responsible thing.  Rather than doing what was best for him, he did what was best for his brother. 

                Another way the author portrays Steven’s growth is related to an incident that takes place at Jeffrey’s school.  Jeffrey comes to visit his class after months in the hospital.  Adam, the new kid in Jeffrey’s class, introduces himself to Jeffrey and says; “Hi, I’m Adam.  You’re bald”.  This is when Jeffrey finally realizes that his Leukemia has made him different and makes him feel very sad.  Steven shows his support for his little brother by shaving his own head.  This brings a smile to Jeffrey’s face and makes him feel supported and appreciated.    This is another way that Steven acts in the best and most responsible way he can for his brother.

                The first time Steven goes to the hospital with Jeffrey, he meets a girl named Samantha.  Samantha is Steven’s age and has been suffering with Leukemia for some time.  She tells Steven that her sister is in college and never comes to visit her.  This makes her feel unsupported and alone.  Samantha tells Steven to always be there for Jeffrey no matter what.  This encounter with Samantha winds up playing an important role in Steven’s growth.  

At Steven’s band concert, which he has been practicing for all year,  the band members decide that all the money raised at the concert should go to Steven’s family to help pay for Steven’s medical treatment.  Steven has dreams of being the star of the show.  This is clearly the biggest moment of Steven’s life.  During the show Jeffrey starts to run a fever.  Steven has a choice.  He can keep playing in his concert, or leave with his parents to take Jeffrey to the hospital.  He remembers what Samantha told him and without hesitation acts responsibly and decides to accompany Jeffrey to the hospital. 

The book Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick, is mainly about the influence Jeffrey’s illness has on his older brother Steven, and how he learns from it.  Even when difficult choices have to be made, Steven winds up doing what’s best for Jeffery.  Steven gradually changes from a sarcastic and self-absorbed teen, into a caring, responsible, and mature young man. 

Memories of Grandma

Jacob Sutton 708                                                       

Memories of Grandma

Though my grandma died on a beautiful, radiant, sunny day in May four years ago, my heart was heavy with the sadness of her death.  My mother received a call in the middle of the night from my grandma’s caretaker.  Her death came as silently as the darkness of the night.  On one hand, we were relieved that she no longer had to feel any more discomfort as she had become very frail in her last months.  Even though my family had planned ahead and prepared for her funeral, I was unprepared for the stream of sadness that flowed through me.

Some of my memories of Grandma Goldie have faded, but others are still as clear as that day in May.  As my mother tells it, I was grandma’s shining star, and her greatest joy was spending time with me.  Grandma loved to teach me elaborate card and pencil games and we would spend endless hour playing and laughing about nothing in particular.  I would watch, as she held the pencil with the bottom half covered, as she curled one hand over the other, her blood-red, oval-shaped nails peeking out as she tried to secretly write a number to challenge me in our match.  Grandma always said, “I play to win”, and the seriousness in which she played, enticed me for I was just a young boy at the time. 

On the day of her funeral, we all took turns sharing our thoughts of her and were able to celebrate the joyous moments and the light and laughter that we remembered her by, even through our darkness.  My memory is foggy and I cannot remember what anyone spoke about, but when the rabbi asked if anyone else wanted to share their thoughts, I  walked to the podium without reservation and said,  “I remember that my grandma always said, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you’”.  In my mind, grandma’s love for me was unconditional, pure as an innocent baby.  I carry my memories of grandma in my bag of thoughts and she is always there with me.

Micheal Vey:Rise of the Elgen

Michael Vey: Rise of the Elgen

by Richard Paul Evans

          Unlike other books that I've read about protagonists who do not fit in, Michael Vey: Rise of the Elgen is a compelling science fiction novel.  In this book, the main character, Michael Vey, is a fifteen year old boy with Tourette's Syndrome which causes him to have ticks, but his ticks spark his special electrical powers.  He, along with several others form the Electroclan.  They go on an actionpacked adventure of intrigue and torture to save Michael's mother who is being held captive in Peru by the  Elgen, a dangerous electrical group led by Dr. Hatch.

        Though on the surface, this novel appears to be about Michael's electrical powers and the adventures that drive him to save his clan and his mother, it is much more than that.  On a deeper level, this book is about Michael's inner power and his love, loyalty, faith and courage for his friends and family.  For example, at the end of the book, Michael is faced with the dilemma of certain death or to sell out his friends and values to save himself.  Michael puts himself on the line and protects his friends.  At this critical point he says, "Hatch wants me.  If he follows me, everyone else can get out."  For Michael, his greatest power is not his electricity, but his courage and heart.  The reason he succeeds is because he loves and cares for those around him.  He is able to overcome and earn the respect of his friends despite his differences.

         

         

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

 

“I won’t describe what I look like.  Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.”

                This quote is spoken by the narrator who is also the main character, August

Pullman, an eleven year old, fifth grader in the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio.  What struck

me as a major theme in this book is August’s struggle to be accepted and loved despite his

physical differences in the community of his peers who are middle schoolers faced with their

own social challenges and peer pressure to accept a boy with extreme facial deformity.

                R.J. Palacio allows us to understand different characters perspective and feelings

for August by switching narrators throughout the book including his sister, his mom, his best

friend, his dad, his classmate and others.  The characters perspective come together to

form a picture of this community’s struggle with empathy, compassion and finally

acceptance.

                I’ve read other books about middle schoolers who had a difficult time fitting in

because they were different, such as the character Joe in both The Misfits and Totally Joe

by James Howe and Melody in Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, and though these

characters’ struggle for acceptance was great, none of them reached the depths of pain that

I felt for the character August Pullman.  What comes through is that those people that allow

themselves the chance to get close to Auggie and to get beyond the gruesome deformity in

his face, find a bright, funny, warm and caring person who impacts their life in a very

positive way.  Every middle schooler should read this book as it will make them think about

being a better person to those around them who may not fit in with the norm and how those

people should be treated.

Discrimination in Revolt of the Evil Fairies

Discrimination in “Revolt of the Evil Fairies”

Jacob Sutton 708

In the short story, “Revolt of the Evil Fairies” by Ted Postman, a young African American boy with a dark complexion tells the story of how African American children in a small “colored” school in Kentucky are discriminated against because of their skin color.  The annual play at the Booker T. Washington Colored Grammar School of Prince Charming and Sleeping Beauty was presented as “the modern mortality play of conflict between the forces of good and evil.”  However, the real conflict is the evil of discrimination that both this boy and the community share as a result of being African American and also African American with dark skin.

            From the very beginning of the story, the reader begins to feel the unequal treatment of the black people in Hopkinsville Kentucky.  Blacks are allowed to use the Cooper Opera House but as the text notes, “the first two rows of the orchestra were always reserved for our white friends, and our leading colored citizens sat right behind them – with an empty row intervening of course.”   “The yallers” had a lighter skin tone and were the more privileged in the black community.  Being closer to white gave African Americans in this community more opportunities and opportunities led to a better life.  In the text it states, “The yallers had the best of everything.”  It goes on to explain that the yallers were doctors, lawyers and insurance salesman for example.  Blacks with darker skin had none of these positions and none of these opportunities for a better life.  They were considered to be the lowest class citizen.

  This gives the reader a sense of the kind of discrimination that was used against African Americans during the time in history when this story took place.

            There are different, but similar forms of discrimination within this story.  The narrator of the story is a young boy who is denied the role of Prince Charming, a role he has desperately wanted for years, but that role is given to the “yallers” (African Americans with a lighter skin tone).  In the text, he states, “I made the best grades in my class, I was the leading debater, the scion of a respected family in the community.  But I could never be Prince Charming because I was black.”  What he basically means is that he would never get the role because his skin tone was darker than some of the others.  Even within the black community, being closer to white was considered better.  Being closer to white gave you the opportunity to be Prince Charming.  Being a darker skinned African American got you the role as the evil fairy or a part with no speaking lines.  This mirrors the discrimination that blacks in Hopkinsville experienced by the white community.

                        Discrimination in “The Revolt of the Evil Fairies” is particularly horrific because blacks who are lighter skinned see themselves as better and superior and more deserving than their darker neighbors.  The yallers show the same discrimination that they have felt from white people on those from their own community with a darker skin tone.  Martin Luther King Jr. once said,

Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking

 moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is

accepted as truth in the society dominating them.

In this story, the dark skinned blacks feel a kind of discrimination that “gnaws” at their very soul.  The narrator feels this intensely and understands that his own community practices the same kind of discrimination as the white community does toward the blacks.  He teaches us that when a group believes that they are superior to others, they put themselves in a position of power over those less able.  This kind of unequal treatment creates feelings of weakness and inferiority.  The narrator teaches us that there is no truth in discrimination – there are only judgments and opinions that attempt to define a person or group.