Outside Reading - post #2

In the novel Halfway House, the Voorster family struggles mainly with Angie's sanity. Although, each member has his/her own inner or outer conflict as well. The wife, Jordana, struggles to find happiness in her worried day to day life. With Angie's manic highs and depressing lows, Jordana stumbles along trying to hold on brefore she becomes as overwhelmed as Angie. Jordana finally realizes that her only chance at happiness is through leaving her stressfull environment behind. Jordana leaves her husband Pieter and moves out into the country for fresh air and clear thinking. Jordana can now handle Angie's dilema more easily as well as find enjoyment in simple activities. Jordana becomes more in touch with herself after she left, "She'd never enjoyed cooking before. Now she found herself admiring her hands as she lifted apples from their bowl, as she sliced bread, as she lifted a glass of wine. She'd changed in other ways, too, these six months she'd lived alone. She slepts better, and therefore less" (296).

With his wife gone, Pieter now appreciates the presence she had at home. Pieter doesn't realize how much he loves Jordana until she is gone. While alone at home, Pieter often catches himself thinking of his wayward wife, "He felt weak with wanting her back...He needed to find a piece of her...Finally he found a shoe under the bed. Lying on his side, he pulled it out from among the gray dustballs: a pump, black, something Jordana wore resentfully and only when she felt she had to...He pressed his fingers against the shoe lining, the ghostly imprint of his wife's foot" (307-8). Pieter struggles to not obsessivley mourn her absence. Pieter becomes relentless in wanting Jordana back. Every night, he drives to her house and watches her through the front window while hiding in the bushes. Pieter finally realizes, through desperation, that he needs to live with others in order to be at ease. Pieter thus invites his son Luke and fiance, Wendy, to live with him. Through the family's struggles, they can become more in touch with themselves. No one said coming to terms with yourself was easy, especially for the Voorster family.

4th Post: Photo Analysis

I took this picture in Ashley's front yard with her digital camera. I'm not sure if I should write down the photo's camera angle, distance, and lighting. I should probably leave that up to you! (I placed the flower in the photo on purpose!) I hope this picture has enough depth for you to analyze!

Outside Reading - post #1

I am reading a novel called Halfway House by Katharine Noel. The book is about a family who is struggling to stay together and look normal under the public's eye. The first page of the book jumps into the action with the straight-A highschool senior, Angie Voorster, diving into a swimming pool to drown herself during her brother's swim meet. After the "pool incident", Angie is put in a halfway house in hopes of recovery. Back home, the family tries to hold on and deal with their manic daughter. After running away, Angie is found by her brother but rebells against him when she discovered he wasn't taking her to the ocean, "She turned on him, going for his face with her nails. Her face was so distorted-teeth bared, eyes glazed with pain and fury-he thought for a second it wasn't her, that he'd picked up a stranger after all" (210). The wife, Jordana, finds comfort through an affair with an artist. The husband, Pieter, can't sleep at night and the dull routine of his life submerges him completly with his celloist carreer. While Angie's younger brother Luke escapes his life at home by excessive partying.

Each family member struggles to deal with what's been thrown at them. Angie's jump to the bottom of the pool was only the beginnig of the unraveling of the Voorster's affairs. So far the book is really good! I like the fact that the Voorsters seem like the typical family, but in reality they are dysfuntional and on the verge of shattering into a million tiny pieces. Jordana has difficulty coping with every-day life when she realizes, " As soon as she felt coziness, though, it turned lonely. The most companionable moment of her day was with her barely-speaking-to-her son" (204). The plot and the characters seem real, which is why this book makes such an impact on its readers, including me!

3rd Post: Memoir

People write memoirs to tell the story of their life. Though it may seem vain to talk about yourself for the lenght of an entire book, it usually triggers a moral or important outcome. There is always a reason the author chooses to write a memoir, to show the struggles they've faced, to prevent an outcome, to open the reader's eyes to see what is really going on in the world. A memoir is a shock, jolting the readers into realization.

When readers read a memoir first hand, they begin to see that there is more in the world than their every day life. Authors of memoirs aren't better, or more aware of the world than the reader. The author is only trying to convey a new thought, way of life, or belief in hopes that the reader will react. Writing a memoir has the power of making someone feel significant, which can be easily forgotton otherwise.

2nd Post: Richard's "hunger"

There are several items that Richard "hungers". Some are metaphores while others are real in his every day life. While living with his grandmother, Richard hears the story of Bluebeard from Ella. After the tale, Richard hungers for the excitement he felt while listening. He becomes obssesed with reading and steals novels from Ella. His hunger for knowledge and reading lead to Richard's dream of becoming a writer. Richard also feels the hunger of starvation which he associates with his abandoning father. His unsettling hunger looms over him and blocks his view of a carefree life.

The effects of Richards constant physical and metaphorical hunger have positive outcomes in the long run. Richard's hunger for stories that send his emotions running makes him earn to read and become educated. With his book hunger, Richard realizes he wants to be a writer. Richard's hunger for food may seem negative, but it only wills Richard to work harder for the things he wants in life. Richard states that if he'd known the challenges he faced in becoming a writer, he would have given up his dream.