Lockdown: Escape from Furnace 7/22/15 (Summer Reading Blog #2)

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace
Author: Alexander Gordon Smith
Pages: 160 - 273 (End)
Prompt: Analyze how your feelings change as you read this story and why.

        My feeling changed a lot while reading this book. There were moments of fear, excitement, anger, sadness, etc. This was due to the many events in this prison and how descriptive the author was throughout this book. I think another factor that contributed to these feelings was the setting. The fact that the prison, prisoners, and guards are so brutal, you never know what could happen next.

        Like I said the events and descriptive had me feel different ways. For instance, the blood watch. Gordon Smith described the prison, the wheezers, and the actual event so well that if this were to happen I was scared for Alex, Donovan, and their friends. I'm not going to give away what the blood watch is, but I'll say it happen at night, which makes the prison pitch black, besides flickering the red lights. Also, the way that the wheezers are describes is quite scary. They have eyes that look like, "...black marbles," and have a, "contraption that covered its mouth and nose... colored with rust and verdigris... stitched permanently into the skin."


        There were many times were the my feelings changed quickly. For instance, at the beginning of the book there was a section where I was anxious, then afraid, and then sad and angry. There was also a time Alex and Donovan were talking about escape then Alex got challenged to a fight. I went from excited to afraid knowing that Alex was in danger. These were only two quick changes showing that this happen a good amount of times, so I would say that this book was and emotional roller coaster.

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace 7/13/15 (Summer Reading Blog #1)

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace
Author: Alexander Gordon Smith
Pages: 0 - 160
Prompt: What surprises you in this story? Explain why.

        What surprises me the most in this book is the prison itself. I'm mainly going to focus on the events that can occur and how the prison is set up and handled. You probably wouldn't imagine what happens in a prison for teens is that bad, but things that go on in this prison probably wouldn't happen in any other prison in the world. That is how bad it is. Also, keep in mind this is only what I've seen half way through the first book of a five book series.

        This prison set up and handled, so poorly it makes it dangerous throughout the whole day, even if the warden or guards are around. The book describes it as, "A place of pure evil with walls soaked in blood. Murderous gangs and vicious guards rule the darkness." That description is only scratching the surface of this prison's dark side. Skirmishes and fights can happen and guard don't care as long as there is no weapons. Lunch is the only meal time and it consist of, "Slop" and only Slop, spoiled meats, bone, molded and rotten food, and much more ground together. There are over a dozen floors of small cramped cells with two inmates each.

      The events that occur in Furnace are horrible and probably unlawful. There are skirmishes like I mentioned earlier, which rarely happen. Also, like normal prisons there are lockdowns at Furnace. Prisoners are supposed to go to their cell. Here's the thing, there are two types of lockdowns one from skirmishes and another for no reason which is worse, yet both are the same. When the doors close mutated, skinless, and vicious dogs and/or guards with shotguns are released to get any prisoners left outside their cell and kill them. Yes, I'm still talking about a prison for teens. There are also, "Horrific creatures that can steal people away in the dead of night." Which you'll have to find more about it by reading the book.

All these events and description are few of what I've seen happen to Alex, the main character, and/or his friends in this prison. I will probably encounter more horrific events in the future, but that all for now.

Of Mice and Men: The Movie 5/11/15

Of Mice and Men

5/11/15

Prompts:

1.  In the film, the director shows us “the incident in Weed” differently from how we find out in the book. What’s different? Why do you think he chose to do it that way? How does it change the story?
2. The book begins with the “stage” set by the pond. In the film, we see George on a train first. Why would the director do this? What is the director telling us about George’s life?
3. What do you think of the director’s choice of Sharilynn Fenn to play Curley’s wife? Does she look the way you imagined her in the book? Whom would you have chosen?

        In the movie "the incident in Weed" is introduced differently because they showed the girl screaming and running and it showed George and Lennie running from the men. It also showed them hide in an irrigation ditch and leave Weed on a train. In the book they just said Lennie liked the dress touched it and accidentally ripped it, they didn't go in depth of the incident. I think the director chose to do it that way because it could leave audiences confused of what actually happened. It also wouldn't make sense if they mentioned it in the movie, but didn't show it. This extra scene doesn't really change the story because it happened in the book, too. The book didn't explain the situation as well.

        I think the director did this to show that George had to move around the California. He had to go from Weed to Soledad. He also ended it with him on the train, so it could mean that he's going to have to move again. It could tell that George's life has a lot of traveling and change. If he started and ended the movie on a train, I think there could be another message the director was trying to send.

        I think his choice of Sharilynn Fenn was a great choice. She did a great job conveying the emotions of Curley's Wife at the right times. She almost exactly how I pictured her. In the book it said she was heavily made up, so I expected more make up on her. Besides that I think the director did a great job portraying her from what John Steinbeck wrote. I don't know who I would pick. I can't think of any female actor that would look like Curley's Wife, other than Sharilynn Fenn. If I could I wouldn't change the actress for this roll.

hhk