Out of My Mind Blog

Out of My Mind Blog

Ch. 4-6

Prompt: Select a quote from your reading that you liked. What made you pick it? How

does it make you pause and think?

       Even though I am not that far along in this novel, there were several quotes and phrases the author wrote that made me stop and think. These quotes really open up your mind about being able to express yourself through words, and not letting labels define you, and how easily we take advantage of our capabilities when others are greatly misunderstood and struggling because of appearance.

        The first quote that really popped out to me is, "Words have always swirled around me like snowflakes-each one delicate and different, each one melting untouched in my hands.”(page 1) This really stood out to me because of the figurative language and the imagine it created in my head. This also really shows how beautiful and fragile words can be. We don't always realize it, but words and expressions are very powerful. Having that ability to express ourselves through language is a gift that not everyone receives unfortunately. This quote is also on the first page, which is definitely how the author brought me into this story. The author did a great job of sucking the reader in and making them want more. 

         The second quote is when Melody's mother takes her to the doctor to see if she is able to attend school. The doctor gave her options of keeping her at home or sending her away. Melody's mother was appalled by this. She said lots of powerful things, the best one in my opinion is, "[A] person is so much more than the name of a diagnosis on a chart.” This quote really spoke to me. It shows how Melody is so much more than her disabilities. This also applies to any sort of label, whether it's a diagnosis or just what people call you. This is just something more people need to realize.

         The final quote is also about words and ability to express them; "Every word my parents spoke to me or about me I absorbed and kept and remembered. All of them. I have no idea how I untangled the complicated process of words and thought, but it happened quickly and naturally. By the time I was two, all my memories had words, and all my words had meanings. But only in my head. I have never spoken one single word. I am almost eleven years old.” This is much like the first quote. It shows how we take advantage of our everyday abilities and freedoms. Imagine what it would be like to be in love with words, but never spoke a single one. That's sounds like one of the worse things that could ever happened to a person. It's not just people who don't have the ability to speak, some don't have the rights. Several countries around the world control people's right to speak out. It just shows that words are extremely valuable and easy to take advantage of.

Personal Book Blog

Out of my Mind

Ch. 1-3

Prompt: Describe the main characters

        So far there are three main characters, Melody and her mother and father. Melody is the narrator of this book. She has a photographic memory, loves music, loves learning, and wishes she can express herself. Melody is disabled, she is strapped in a pink chair with buttons to move it and a tv remote. She can't talk, move, eat by herself or use the bathroom by herself, she can't pick things up, she just can't take care of herself. She is extremely frustrated she can't speak; because of this she notices more and remembers more. Unfortunately because of her memory she remembers everything, from advertising to books to an entire conversation, this annoys her because she wants to get rid of the useless and irrelevant memories like ads and annoying jingles. Sometimes she gets so frustrated with all of these things bottled up she has spasms. I feel really bad for her. It really shows you how much you take advantage of everyday things.

      

        Her mother is a nurse. She loves and defends Melody from others who judge. She loves classical music like Beethoven and Mozart. Melody likes classical because of her. Her mother, when Melody was a baby, insisted she was wrapped in blankets and given lots of love. Melody's mother sung to her and spoke to her in baby voices; which greatly annoyed Melody. 

         Melody's father is the opposite of her mother. The only thing they really have in common is that they both love and care for Melody. Her mother always had her wrapped in blankets and pillows, Melody's father took her out and let the sun touch her skin. He spoke to her like an adult. Melody's father loves jazz (her mother hates it). He always recorded Melody when she was a baby; expecting her to speak or crawl or grab or take her first steps. She never did. Even with all of this hurt they still love Melody.

Life is Beautiful Blog

       The movie Life is Beautiful and the book Night by Elie Wiesel are both about the same subject, the Holocaust. Though they may be similar in this category, they are very different from each other. One of the main differences between the two is the tone and mood. In Night everything is very serious, depressing, and disturbing. In Life is Beautiful there is a touch of humor even in the most unlikely events. They are similar because they both have characters with a strong father son relationship.

        In the book Night and in the film Life is Beautiful, the relationship between the two main characters (father and son) is very strong and important. However, the relationships are very different from each other. In Night Elie and his father have one purpose, they live for each other. Their care for each other is equal. When Elie is sick, his father cares for him. When his father is sick, Elie does everything he can for his father. In the book it says, "My father had huddled near me, draped in his blanket, shoulders laden with snow. And what if he were dead, as well? I called out to him. No response. I would have screamed if I could have. He was not moving. Suddenly, the evidence overwhelmed me: there was no longer any reason to live, any reason to fight." This shows Elie lived and fought for his father and his father did the same. This is different from Life is Beautiful because throughout the entire film the father mostly cares for the son because he is so young. He protected him from the truth, Guido made his son believe it was a game. Even though their relationship is as strong as Wiesel's,  it is certainly different. Joshua (the son) isn't scared for his father to die or anything because he doesn't know what's really going on. They both know they shouldn't separate, but only the father knows why. Guido is fighting to protect his son, but his son isn't fighting for his father. This may sound bad, however it was just the son's innocence that protected but stopped him from helping his father at the same time. 

        A very large difference between the book and film is the mood and tone. In the book Night the tone and mood is extremely serious. There are hardly any light moments throughout the story. An example of this seriousness is when they arrive at Birkenau, "In front of us, those flames. In the air, the smell of burning flesh. It must have been about midnight. We had arrived. In Birkenau." This is only one example of the level of seriousness in this memoir. There are many examples and circumstances that add to the depressing mood and tone. Examples such as all of the death and starvation and misery during this unfortunate time. This differentiates from the movie Life is Beautiful because throughout the whole film there are moments of humor. Humor is displayed mostly through Guido because he has such a goofy and weird personality. Even to his end he still displays this level of humor. Though the Holocaust is an extremely serious topic, the humor was still demonstrated very appropriately. 

         Life is Beautiful obviously shows how life can be absolutely beautiful. There are many examples and ways this is shown in the film. Guido's son's innocence plays a huge part in the movie. Without his innocence their lives could have gone even more down hill. Keeping his son believing it was a game let's Guido keep him safe and happy. I think this shows life is beautiful because he is hiding his true fear and emotions to protect his beloved son. It didn't matter what was happening, Guido kept his act together while around his son. This also represents sacrifice. Sacrifice saved his son. Dora's sacrifice of herself to get on the train to the camp even though she wasn't selected, and Guido's sacrifice of his true emotions protects their son from fatality. This is beautiful because they put their son's life in front of theirs. 

          Another example of beauty in life shown in the film is laughter. Moments of joy and laughter occur during the whole film. These light and funny moments add to how much they love living life. These moments show how happy the characters are. Happiness is beautiful, and these characters really showed that. They showed this through making jokes, being silly, and just plain weird. They also showed this happiness and laughter through Guido and Dora's love for one another. They were completely in love and loved every minute with each other. They laughed and had inside jokes, they were just completely happy with their lives together. I think that is just beautiful.