Walter Dean Myers, author of the Michael L. Printz Award-winning MONSTER and many other acclaimed children's books, has done it again. Told from multiple perspectives in the aftermath of a high school shooting, Myers's latest effort SHOOTER tells the haunting story of three misfit teens.
Through a many interviews, newspaper clippings and the diary of a very troubled teen, the story unfolds. The reader learns about the shooter, Leonard, through in-depth interviews with his best friend Cameron and his ex-girlfriend Carla. Conducted by a school psychologist, an FBI agent, a threat analysis specialist and the town sheriff, the meetings demonstrate the different voices of the characters and reveal the teens' angst and desire to belong to a group.
Leonard assumes the role of leader with his friends. He introduces them to guns and brings them to the Patriots' target shooting club. Cameron and Carla are so needy for companionship that they don't see how disturbed Leonard truly is. They don't know the extent of his inner demons until it is too late. Leonard shows up at school one day with his guns and goes on a shooting spree, killing Brad, a jock and source of constant torment, and then himself.
SHOOTER is a story that uncovers the pain of several high school students. It explores the tragedies of school violence and how the result of bullying can go to the most dramatic extreme. Myers has a gift for expressing the voices of his characters. Through every word, pause and breath in these interviews, we gather understanding. The excerpt from Leonard's diary, or as he calls it, "die-ary," lolz reveals the twisted mind of the force behind the event.
The book Shooter by Walter Dean Myers is fantastic absolutely fantastic. The way its written is so much better than a normal book. Normal books are written so bland and have no flavor but the way Walter Dean Myers writes it has lots of spices. He writes it in a script format meaning, all talk so its like your right where the characters are.
Example-pg 1
RE( Richard Ewings): Do you mind if I call you Cameron?
CP( Cameron Porter): Fine
RE: Cameron, can we begin by telling something about yourself? Where do you live? Who do you live with? That sort of thing?
CP: Sure, I live on Jewtt Avenue. I live with my mom/ Elizabeth and my father.
During this page you can already tell that they are in a conference room and that Cameron is in a bit of trouble. To me its more intersting because it lets me imagine what the situation is like. For example i think that they are in a room with a one sided see through glass, and Richard is the good cop and that Cameron seems like a guy that dosen't like to do things and stays home or plays baseball with a pal. Thats my imagination for you.
Another thing i like about Myer's writing is that he includes little pictures of newspapers, and crime file reports.
I have skimmed through the book many times and he also switches writing like a script to a diary format. On page 169 it switches. The font changes from Times new Roman to some sort of high school handwriting.
I mean its not hard to read but its nice...(big fonts I live it)... It also changes from one story to another, on page 122 it changes to another story between William Beach Mosley and Cameron
Porter, I mean it dosen't change story but it changes the characters. It also adds characters like Victoria Lash.
I think that one of the symbols i have noticed in this book is racism. The main character is an African American boy. It also had alot about different religions as well for example on page 80
(they are talking about a gun show)
"VL: Going back to Ordo Saggitae. There was some mention that no Jew were allowed in the organization. Is that correct?"Later Cameron comments on it by saying that his friend Len had nothing to do with Jews although many people in his school made weird remarks about them.
And to clarify my last blog the newspaper strip titles were "Madison High Shooting Spree" I'm just going to summarize the articles so that you guys can be caught up. So basically the tragic shooting took place at Madison High (obviously) and the two students were killed by gunfire the police think that it is a murder and a suicide. One of the identified bodies is a 17 year old male named Brad Williams. Another weird thing is that the newspapers also stated that the shooting was from a cult which it obviously isn't. The most funniest thing i read was from the article titled "Leonard Gray and Cameron Porter Named as Shooters in Madison Case" Several students said that the cult to which Gray is said to belong in is influenced by a number of underground rock groups. By the way Leonard was the person who committed suicide.
I don't know why but how come in all stories like shootings always have the smart people dead? It said that Brad Williams had received scholarships to four different colleges according to the school's guidance counselor.
Overall I love this book, it was really well written, the format was perfect, and it was just a thrill to read. Although it didn't really give information. It was just a story and i like information documentary books better. Thats why i am choosing to read a brief history of time. It has all that i love, it has The Big Bang Theory and more.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Shooter pt 3
I'm just going to sum up what the whole book is about
Walter Dean Myers, author of the Michael L. Printz Award-winning MONSTER and many other acclaimed children's books, has done it again. Told from multiple perspectives in the aftermath of a high school shooting, Myers's latest effort SHOOTER tells the haunting story of three misfit teens.
Through a many interviews, newspaper clippings and the diary of a very troubled teen, the story unfolds. The reader learns about the shooter, Leonard, through in-depth interviews with his best friend Cameron and his ex-girlfriend Carla. Conducted by a school psychologist, an FBI agent, a threat analysis specialist and the town sheriff, the meetings demonstrate the different voices of the characters and reveal the teens' angst and desire to belong to a group.
Leonard assumes the role of leader with his friends. He introduces them to guns and brings them to the Patriots' target shooting club. Cameron and Carla are so needy for companionship that they don't see how disturbed Leonard truly is. They don't know the extent of his inner demons until it is too late. Leonard shows up at school one day with his guns and goes on a shooting spree, killing Brad, a jock and source of constant torment, and then himself.
SHOOTER is a story that uncovers the pain of several high school students. It explores the tragedies of school violence and how the result of bullying can go to the most dramatic extreme. Myers has a gift for expressing the voices of his characters. Through every word, pause and breath in these interviews, we gather understanding. The excerpt from Leonard's diary, or as he calls it, "die-ary," lolz reveals the twisted mind of the force behind the event.
Walter Dean Myers, author of the Michael L. Printz Award-winning MONSTER and many other acclaimed children's books, has done it again. Told from multiple perspectives in the aftermath of a high school shooting, Myers's latest effort SHOOTER tells the haunting story of three misfit teens.
Through a many interviews, newspaper clippings and the diary of a very troubled teen, the story unfolds. The reader learns about the shooter, Leonard, through in-depth interviews with his best friend Cameron and his ex-girlfriend Carla. Conducted by a school psychologist, an FBI agent, a threat analysis specialist and the town sheriff, the meetings demonstrate the different voices of the characters and reveal the teens' angst and desire to belong to a group.
Leonard assumes the role of leader with his friends. He introduces them to guns and brings them to the Patriots' target shooting club. Cameron and Carla are so needy for companionship that they don't see how disturbed Leonard truly is. They don't know the extent of his inner demons until it is too late. Leonard shows up at school one day with his guns and goes on a shooting spree, killing Brad, a jock and source of constant torment, and then himself.
SHOOTER is a story that uncovers the pain of several high school students. It explores the tragedies of school violence and how the result of bullying can go to the most dramatic extreme. Myers has a gift for expressing the voices of his characters. Through every word, pause and breath in these interviews, we gather understanding. The excerpt from Leonard's diary, or as he calls it, "die-ary," lolz reveals the twisted mind of the force behind the event.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Dante's Inferno part 3
Last we left off at the 7th circle of violence and talked about its 3 rings. Just to recap-first ring was violence against others, second was violence to self (suicide), and third was violence against God. As we move on we go to the 8th circle, the Circle of Fraud which is for the pimps and seducers. They are whipped violently and they must march for all of eternity. ( by the way they are whipped by demons. As we go more into the circle we meet people who use propaganda and advertisements to exploit people. In this circle are also astrologists and false prophets who are condemned to having their heads twisted backwards. There are also barrators or corrupt politicians and impersonators. The impersonators were said to be the "disease" of society. My favorite part of this circle is that there is a sword-wielding demon who slices and cuts up the body and dividing the parts of their bodies as in life they divided others ( as in because of the person, a family is split apart or a relationship is taken out) And after the division the victims' wounds heal, only to have the demon tear apart their bodies again. The comedy in this one is that Dante meets Muhammad who is said to have copied Gods religion only to make a knock off of it. A connection I have made between this and another book i have read is that the places where all of these sinners go to is called a Malebolge or "Evil Pockets). The connection i made was from the comic book Spawn, the antagonist of that story or the Devil of ghost rider is called Malbogia...I finally get it...lolz.
Finally, the final circle-Betrayal- this is where Satan (Lucifer) or the fallen angel is, because he betrayed God he is sent down to the 9th circle of hell. The traitors are frozen in a lake of ice and in the very centre of Hell, condemned for committing the ultimate sin (personal treachery against God), is Satan who is described as a giant, terrifying beast with three faces, one red, one black, and one a pale yellow. This is how Alighieri explained it:
-he had three faces: one in front bloodred;
and then another two that, just above
the midpoint of each shoulder, joined the first;
and at the crown, all three were reattached;
the right looked somewhat yellow, somewhat white;
the left in its appearance was like those
who come from where the Nile, descending, flows
Satan is waist deep in ice, weeping tears from his six eyes, and beating his six wings as if trying to escape, although the icy wind that emanates only further ensures his imprisonment (as well as that of the others in the ring). Each face has a mouth that chews on a prominent traitor, with Brutus and Casius feet-first in the left and right mouths respectively ( i don't know why these people are important.) Later The two poets escape Hell by climbing down Satan's ragged fur, passing through the centre of the earth (with a consequent change in the direction of gravity), and emerge in the other hemisphere (described in the Purgatoro) If you don't remember the two poets are Dante and Virgil)
Finally, the final circle-Betrayal- this is where Satan (Lucifer) or the fallen angel is, because he betrayed God he is sent down to the 9th circle of hell. The traitors are frozen in a lake of ice and in the very centre of Hell, condemned for committing the ultimate sin (personal treachery against God), is Satan who is described as a giant, terrifying beast with three faces, one red, one black, and one a pale yellow. This is how Alighieri explained it:
-he had three faces: one in front bloodred;
and then another two that, just above
the midpoint of each shoulder, joined the first;
and at the crown, all three were reattached;
the right looked somewhat yellow, somewhat white;
the left in its appearance was like those
who come from where the Nile, descending, flows
Satan is waist deep in ice, weeping tears from his six eyes, and beating his six wings as if trying to escape, although the icy wind that emanates only further ensures his imprisonment (as well as that of the others in the ring). Each face has a mouth that chews on a prominent traitor, with Brutus and Casius feet-first in the left and right mouths respectively ( i don't know why these people are important.) Later The two poets escape Hell by climbing down Satan's ragged fur, passing through the centre of the earth (with a consequent change in the direction of gravity), and emerge in the other hemisphere (described in the Purgatoro) If you don't remember the two poets are Dante and Virgil)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Shooter part 2
I think that one of the symbols i have noticed in this book is racism. The main character is an African American boy. It also had alot about different religions as well for example on page 80
(they are talking about a gun show)
"VL: Going back to Ordo Saggitae. There was some mention that no Jew were allowed in the organization. Is that correct?"Later Cameron comments on it by saying that his friend Len had nothing to do with Jews although many people in his school made weird remarks about them.
And to clarify my last blog the newspaper strip titles were "Madison High Shooting Spree" I'm just going to summarize the articles so that you guys can be caught up. So basically the tragic shooting took place at Madison High (obviously) and the two students were killed by gunfire the police think that it is a murder and a suicide. One of the identified bodies is a 17 year old male named Brad Williams. Another weird thing is that the newspapers also stated that the shooting was from a cult which it obviously isn't. The most funniest thing i read was from the article titled "Leonard Gray and Cameron Porter Named as Shooters in Madison Case" Several students said that the cult to which Gray is said to belong in is influenced by a number of underground rock groups. By the way Leonard was the person who committed suicide.
I don't know why but how come in all stories like shootings always have the smart people dead? It said that Brad Williams had received scholarships to four different colleges according to the school's guidance counselor. Just something to think about...please comment.
(they are talking about a gun show)
"VL: Going back to Ordo Saggitae. There was some mention that no Jew were allowed in the organization. Is that correct?"Later Cameron comments on it by saying that his friend Len had nothing to do with Jews although many people in his school made weird remarks about them.
And to clarify my last blog the newspaper strip titles were "Madison High Shooting Spree" I'm just going to summarize the articles so that you guys can be caught up. So basically the tragic shooting took place at Madison High (obviously) and the two students were killed by gunfire the police think that it is a murder and a suicide. One of the identified bodies is a 17 year old male named Brad Williams. Another weird thing is that the newspapers also stated that the shooting was from a cult which it obviously isn't. The most funniest thing i read was from the article titled "Leonard Gray and Cameron Porter Named as Shooters in Madison Case" Several students said that the cult to which Gray is said to belong in is influenced by a number of underground rock groups. By the way Leonard was the person who committed suicide.
I don't know why but how come in all stories like shootings always have the smart people dead? It said that Brad Williams had received scholarships to four different colleges according to the school's guidance counselor. Just something to think about...please comment.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Dante's inferno cont.
Where did i stop...Oh ya at the 5th circle. The 5th circle is called Wrath and Sullenness, it takes place on the river styx and is for the people who find no joy in God or of any sort. He is transported by Phlegys (i don't really know what she is) to the lower parts of hell. Inthe lower parts of Hell is the city of Dis, which is surrounded by the Stygian marsh. The sinners being punished within Dis are active (rather than passive, Passive is like being impaled on a stake forever, but active in this context is being burned alive and whipped) sins. The walls of Dis are guarded by fallen angels. Virgil is unable to convince them to let Dante and him enter, and the Furies and Medusa threaten Dante. An angel sent from Heaven secures entry for the poets, opening the gate by touching it with a wand, and rebuking those who opposed Dante. (lucky him lolz) Allegorically ( of relating to), this reveals the fact that the poem is beginning to deal with sins that philosophy and humanism cannot fully understand. This is also the circle in which Dante begins to reflect upon his own sins.
In the sixth circle which by the way is called Heresy. A place for Heretics, its actually said to be more of a tomb with burning people in it. In there Dante finds Guelph who is the father of one of his friends. The comedy in this part was between Cavalcante de Cavalcanti (I don't know why his name is put in twice), and Guelph.
"From these two, art and nature, it is fitting,
if you recall how Genesis begins,
for men to make their way, to gain their living;
and since the usurer prefers another
pathway, he scorns both nature in herself
and art her follower; his hope is elsewhere."
This brings them closer to the 7th circle of hell (Violence) The gate to the circle is guarded by a Minotaur and the circle is divided into three rings.
The first ring is a river of boiling blood for the people who commit violence to other people and property. The people are drowned by the boiling blood of their victims. This ring is patrolled by Centaurs who plunge fiery arrows to the ones who try to escape. The river is called Phlegethon.
The Second Ring is for the ones who commit violence to themselves, this is where Dante finds his mother who was said to die of a "fever" but instead she killed herself due to Dante's father's greed. Since the people in here commit suicide they do not get to maintain their bodies instead they come out as trees that are fed on by harpies.
The third ring is for the people who commit violence against God. Or the blasphemers. I don't know much about this one it was sort of confusing.
Ill talk about the other 2 circles later next blog lolz
In the sixth circle which by the way is called Heresy. A place for Heretics, its actually said to be more of a tomb with burning people in it. In there Dante finds Guelph who is the father of one of his friends. The comedy in this part was between Cavalcante de Cavalcanti (I don't know why his name is put in twice), and Guelph.
"From these two, art and nature, it is fitting,
if you recall how Genesis begins,
for men to make their way, to gain their living;
and since the usurer prefers another
pathway, he scorns both nature in herself
and art her follower; his hope is elsewhere."
This brings them closer to the 7th circle of hell (Violence) The gate to the circle is guarded by a Minotaur and the circle is divided into three rings.
The first ring is a river of boiling blood for the people who commit violence to other people and property. The people are drowned by the boiling blood of their victims. This ring is patrolled by Centaurs who plunge fiery arrows to the ones who try to escape. The river is called Phlegethon.
The Second Ring is for the ones who commit violence to themselves, this is where Dante finds his mother who was said to die of a "fever" but instead she killed herself due to Dante's father's greed. Since the people in here commit suicide they do not get to maintain their bodies instead they come out as trees that are fed on by harpies.
The third ring is for the people who commit violence against God. Or the blasphemers. I don't know much about this one it was sort of confusing.
Ill talk about the other 2 circles later next blog lolz
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Shooter
The book Shooter by Walter Dean Myers is fantastic absolutely fantastic. The way its written is so much better than a normal book. Normal books are written so bland and have no flavor but the way Walter Dean Myers writes it has lots of spices. He writes it in a script format meaning, all talk so its like your right where the characters are.
Example-pg 1
RE( Richard Ewings): Do you mind if I call you Cameron?
CP( Cameron Porter): Fine
RE: Cameron, can we begin by telling something about yourself? Where do you live? Who do you live with? That sort of thing?
CP: Sure, I live on Jewtt Avenue. I live with my mom/ Elizabeth and my father.
During this page you can already tell that they are in a conference room and that Cameron is in a bit of trouble. To me its more intersting because it lets me imagine what the situation is like. For example i think that they are in a room with a one sided see through glass, and Richard is the good cop and that Cameron seems like a guy that dosen't like to do things and stays home or plays baseball with a pal. Thats my imagination for you.
Another thing i like about Myer's writing is that he includes little pictures of newspapers, and crime file reports.
I have skimmed through the book many times and he also switches writing like a script to a diary format. On page 169 it switches. The font changes from Times new Roman to some sort of high school handwriting.
I mean its not hard to read but its nice...(big fonts I live it)... It also changes from one story to another, on page 122 it changes to another story between William Beach Mosley and Cameron
Porter, I mean it dosen't change story but it changes the characters. It also adds characters like Victoria Lash.
Example-pg 1
RE( Richard Ewings): Do you mind if I call you Cameron?
CP( Cameron Porter): Fine
RE: Cameron, can we begin by telling something about yourself? Where do you live? Who do you live with? That sort of thing?
CP: Sure, I live on Jewtt Avenue. I live with my mom/ Elizabeth and my father.
During this page you can already tell that they are in a conference room and that Cameron is in a bit of trouble. To me its more intersting because it lets me imagine what the situation is like. For example i think that they are in a room with a one sided see through glass, and Richard is the good cop and that Cameron seems like a guy that dosen't like to do things and stays home or plays baseball with a pal. Thats my imagination for you.
Another thing i like about Myer's writing is that he includes little pictures of newspapers, and crime file reports.
I have skimmed through the book many times and he also switches writing like a script to a diary format. On page 169 it switches. The font changes from Times new Roman to some sort of high school handwriting.
I mean its not hard to read but its nice...(big fonts I live it)... It also changes from one story to another, on page 122 it changes to another story between William Beach Mosley and Cameron
Porter, I mean it dosen't change story but it changes the characters. It also adds characters like Victoria Lash.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Dante's inferno part 1
Dante's inferno was originally from a book. Dante-main character inferno-hell The book is not really based on the bible but his own thoughts on it.
Dante Alighieri wrote a poem from the Divine Comedies about Dante's inferno, it depicted hell as nine distinct circles in the core of the earth. Originally there are three realms for the dead-Inferno (hell) purgatorio (purgatory, and paridiso (Heaven). The book and the game start out differently, the game starts off with Dante in a crusade war and gets stabbed in which he meets and kills death, he also takes death's scythe. In the book however he is riding a horse and is confronted by a beast and a stranger (who later becomes the man who killed Dante's family.) Dante especially loved his dear Beatrice whom by the way made a deal with the devil for Dante's safe return from the war. That is why he goes to hell to save her. Near the gates of hell, he meets a poet named Virgil, who agrees to guide him through Hell's 9 circles and to destroy Lucifer or the betrayer angel.
The first Circle of hell is called Limbo or for the pagan ones who did not sin, but also did not believe in God. There Dante meets Homer, Aristotle, Socrates etc... Mostly for the thinkers who did not believe in God but Science. The others who arent Pagans are bought to Minos who decides where each soul goes in the other eight circles.
The second circle of hell is Lust the sinners here are put into a everlasting violent storm in which they are blown everywhere without rest Dante sees Dido and many others here, the special one here though was Paolo Malatesta who committed adultery, but died a violent death here is a quote from an english poet John Keats about how Paolo would feel like
But to that second circle of sad hell,
Where ‘mid the gust, the whirlwind, and the flaw
Of rain and hail-stones, lovers need not tell
Their sorrows. Pale were the sweet lips I saw,
Pale were the lips I kiss’d, and fair the form
I floated with, about that melancholy storm
The third circle is gluttony which is guarded by Cerberus the three headed demon minion, the gluttons are basically fat people who are forced to lie in a vile slush produced by ceaseless foul, icy rain. To get past Cerberus, Virgil put mud in its mouth
The fourth circle is one of the most important parts in the story, it describes Dante's past and Dante meets his father there. The fourth circle is called Averice- or greed. In the story his father was very greedy when it comes to money, one day he was missing three coins and he beat his wife in which after one year-she died of " a fever" ( i'll explain it later) The sinners put in here are drowned in melting gold and smooshed by golden gears. (its nasty) Dante had to kill his father to gain passage to the fifth circle.
My next blog post will be about the other four circles...stay tuned.
Dante Alighieri wrote a poem from the Divine Comedies about Dante's inferno, it depicted hell as nine distinct circles in the core of the earth. Originally there are three realms for the dead-Inferno (hell) purgatorio (purgatory, and paridiso (Heaven). The book and the game start out differently, the game starts off with Dante in a crusade war and gets stabbed in which he meets and kills death, he also takes death's scythe. In the book however he is riding a horse and is confronted by a beast and a stranger (who later becomes the man who killed Dante's family.) Dante especially loved his dear Beatrice whom by the way made a deal with the devil for Dante's safe return from the war. That is why he goes to hell to save her. Near the gates of hell, he meets a poet named Virgil, who agrees to guide him through Hell's 9 circles and to destroy Lucifer or the betrayer angel.
The first Circle of hell is called Limbo or for the pagan ones who did not sin, but also did not believe in God. There Dante meets Homer, Aristotle, Socrates etc... Mostly for the thinkers who did not believe in God but Science. The others who arent Pagans are bought to Minos who decides where each soul goes in the other eight circles.
The second circle of hell is Lust the sinners here are put into a everlasting violent storm in which they are blown everywhere without rest Dante sees Dido and many others here, the special one here though was Paolo Malatesta who committed adultery, but died a violent death here is a quote from an english poet John Keats about how Paolo would feel like
But to that second circle of sad hell,
Where ‘mid the gust, the whirlwind, and the flaw
Of rain and hail-stones, lovers need not tell
Their sorrows. Pale were the sweet lips I saw,
Pale were the lips I kiss’d, and fair the form
I floated with, about that melancholy storm
The third circle is gluttony which is guarded by Cerberus the three headed demon minion, the gluttons are basically fat people who are forced to lie in a vile slush produced by ceaseless foul, icy rain. To get past Cerberus, Virgil put mud in its mouth
The fourth circle is one of the most important parts in the story, it describes Dante's past and Dante meets his father there. The fourth circle is called Averice- or greed. In the story his father was very greedy when it comes to money, one day he was missing three coins and he beat his wife in which after one year-she died of " a fever" ( i'll explain it later) The sinners put in here are drowned in melting gold and smooshed by golden gears. (its nasty) Dante had to kill his father to gain passage to the fifth circle.
My next blog post will be about the other four circles...stay tuned.
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