Shadow of the Wind p. 200-225

The priest continues to orate Jorge Aldaya an Julian Carax's friendship, beginning at their childhood to Daniel and Fermin. We learn that Jorge and Julian share a complex friendship- a friendship based on intellect and wit. Then The priest talks about Miquel, whom was allegedly marries to Nuria, and is in jail for protesting. Miquel , like Julian, had a life altered/conjured up of memories from his mother. Also, like Daniel Miquel's mother passed away at a young age, but unlike Daniel he saw life through a Gothic/ death perspective. In addition we lean that Fermins arch nemesis inspector Javier Fumero was a good friend of Julian. As a child Fumero was detrimental and psycho to all life forms, killing birds, and spectating grotesque corpses. after consulting with the priest, Daniel and Fermin discover that one possible culprit is the inspector himself, driven by jealousy because Julian took his unconfined love, Penelope, away from him. Late Daniel meats up with Bea and they arrange another spontaneously planned date?

Do you think the priest was lying?

Shadow of the Wind p. 175-200

Daniel begins his date with Beatrice, promising to show her a different side of Barcelona that would lead her regretting leaving. Throughout their journey Daniel converses with Bea about his experiences with The Shadow of the Wind, and his newly found purpose to discover the true whereabouts of Julian Carax, or the purpose of his murder. After journeying to the Cemetary of Forgotton books, Bea selects her own book and returns home late. When Daniel returns to the bookshop he talks to Fermin and discovers that the P.O. Box belonged to another lawyer with a fake address, but this time all the letters were redirected to Nurma. In addition, Fermin informs Daniel that he will become a father soon, and expresses his mad lust for Bernada. After their inquiry, Daniel formally introduces Fermin to his purpose to excavate as much information possible about Carax, and with Fermin's great interrogation skills, they hope to withdraw significant information from the local priest. The priest, believing that Daniel was Carax's long lost son, tells the duo that Aldaya and Carax were great friends until Julian broke his sisters heart.

Why would Nuria lie?If she saved most of Carax's works from the hands of Coulbert?

Shadow of the wind p.150-175

Daniel returns to the shop and finds out that his father has continued his errands of delivering the books to the customers. Later he meets Merciditas, a patron whom his father has grown fond of, and new debater against Fermin. Suddenly a brutal act of violence surfaces and the reader meets inspector Fumero. Fumero is a governmental official known for brutally attacking "non-conformist"/abstract individuals through malicious violence. Then Daniel visits Nurma and spontaneously falls for her. Nurma tells Daniel that the publisher would be the best person to consult to find out information about Julian. Also, Nurma informs Daniel that she never had an intimate relationship with Julian because he was always living in his novels. With this fact, Daniel realizes that the person who wanted to completely extinguish Carax has to rid of all his works because of all the bibliographical information he embedded his stories in their with.

Why does Daniel always fall for every female protagonist in the novel?

Shadow of the Wind p.125-150

Sempere continues to interrogate Mr.Mollins and learns why Mr.Fortunys placed crucifixes around the house. He placed them all over because Fortuny believed that Julian was the offspring of sin; therefore, he was offspring to the devil. Later, Daniel confronts and converses with his best friends sister, Bea, whom he has grown to love passionately. When returning to the bookshop Fermin makes fun of Daniel and his weak 'game' he has with women. After enduring his mockery, Daniel reads Penelope's letter to Julian and finds out that she was from a very prestigious family, and loved Julian dearly. So, in hopes of conversing with Penelope to excavate more knowledge on Carax, Daniel travels to her home and ends up viewing an vacant/abandoned home. Like before with Mr.Fortuny's vacant house a caretaker/nosy neighbor was present and told Sempere that the family moved to start some sort of enterprise abroad.

What is the relevance of Penelope in the story? Why are all the people Carax become familiarized with either diseased or have migrated?

Shadow of the Wind p.100-125

After consulting with Torres, Sempere discovers that there is a posibility that Carax's father might still be alive, so he journeys to the Fortuny Hat Shop. There he discovers that the place was abandoned after Mr Fortuny (Julian Carax's father) died of loneliness, and then runs into the caretaker of the facility. Dona Aurora, the caretaker, tells Sempere that Carax lived a detached relationship with his father, whom frequently beat her mother on suspicion that Carax wasn't his real son. Later, Daniel tomb raids Mr. Fortuny's apartment and discover that someone had recently scavenged around the house because of the soot covered footprints that covered the house. When he finally reached Carax's room, it was surprisingly locked, even though none of the other rooms in the apartment were locked, and on the front of the door he saw that the soot footsteps maneuvered through the locked bearing to the room. As Dona constantly told Sempere to depart from the catacombs of the house, he found the key-entered the room and hid some of the relics into his jacket.

Did the soot covered footprints belong to Coulbert? Who do you think Penelope is? Was this all a set up?

Shadow of the wind p.75-100

After patching up things with his father, Sempere returned to find out more about Carax and Coulbert( the man who burned Carax's literary works). Without Clara as his distraction, Sempere prioritized most of his time to renew his friendship with Tomas, his best friend, and begin a new friendship with Fermin Romero de Torres, an ex CIA agent living in the streets homeless because of sabotage. A friendship with Torres established the addition of a professional, cheap, low-profiled, investigator to Sempere's team to excavate facts about his mysterious book's author. After assimilating Torres back to city life, Sempere began befriending his best friend again, Tomas. Tomas was an muscular built entrepreneur in mechanical devices, whom he first encounters in school ,during their fist-fight. The chunk ends in the discovery that Carax has several family and friends nearby, resulting in a new expedition to consult with each friend/family member; which may further complete the puzzle behind the absence and destruction of Carax's works .


When describing all the female characters, Sempere describes them in a deeper context. How does this correlate with The Great Gatsby? What may this reveal about Sempere?

Shadow of the Wind Chunk Three

In Chunk three, Clara reveals her true feelings to Sempere, by committing adultery with her music instructor in front of Sempere. Outraged, the instructor maliciously beats the heart broken boy, and Sempere limps out into the rainy street. There, he runs into a mysterious man who offers him a thousand dollars, to burn the novel. After declining his offer he runs to his copy of Shadow of the Wind and buries it in the Cemetary of Forgotten books, and later learns that the fiendish character he met in the streets is Lain Coubert. After consulting with Isaac, the overseer of the cemetery, Sempere discovers more information on Carax and now journeys to find Nuria, whom saved the last copies of Carax's books from the merciless hands of Coubert.
Finally, Sempere returns home and patches up the bond he had with his father, when he opens his gift, a pen, which he constantly begged for.



Why does Coubert burn Carax's literary works?what do you think happened to his face?

Shadow of the Wind Chunk 2

As the novel progresses on, Sempere continues to interrogate people on any significant knowledge on the author of Shadow of the Wind. In this chunk, we learn that Sempere gets absolutely sidetracked from his quest when he runs into Clara, because of his raging hormones. Ironically, Sempere dresses up in his best apparel , even though Clara is legally blind and is double his age(of fourteen).In addition, the might of a pen is frequently portrayed throughout this chunk, perhaps to describe how much powerful and certain it is when used to write(cant erase with a pen/makes it more declarative). Also, towards the end of the chunk, Sempere consults his father of remarrying, leaving his father infuriated because of his sons behavior; which ignites a new detached relationship between father and son.


What do you think Clara wants to tell Sempere? Why does Sempere keep referring to Victor Hugo, author of Hunchback of Notre Dame?

Shadow of The Wind p.1-26

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is a novel about another novel.Taking place in , Barcelona, Summer of 1945, Daniel Sempere, a young boy of 10, journeys to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books with his father, a second hand book merchant. The Cemetery of Forgotten books is a secret/underground haven for a huge collection of books that have been forgotten or have fallen into oblivion, so that they never be totally lost. Isaac, the overseer of the book preservatory, explains that it was tradition for newcomers to select a book from the lost library, and take an oath to never allow it to become extinct . Daniel chooses a book, The Shadow of the Wind, written by an unknown author, Julian Carax, and begins his expedition to discover information about the mysterious writer.

Do you think Sempere and Carax possible have much in common? perhaps that's the reason why Sempere was hooked immediately when reading it? Do you think Barcelo, the character who wanted to pay a small fortune for the novel is the one who wants to destroy Carax's books?

The Road Not Taken

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost is a poem about the decisions and choices one makes in life, and how each declaration impacts ones future . The poem first starts off with a mood of regret which then switches to satisfaction towards the end.The theme of "The Road Not Taken" is that the choices a person makes in life slopes one's future experiences, and sometimes in order to achieve those goals one has to leave conformity to the unknown pathway. Frost describes how the most successful take the most boisterous road to achieve his/her goal, instead of taking the easy way to the top.

Would you take the easy path to success? or the hard road?

Night By Eli Wiesel

Authored by Elie Wiesel, Night is a personal narrative set during the Holocaust in 1942. Commemorating the thousands of Jews who were maliciously killed in the genocide, and those who survived, Eli Wiesel describes his personal encounter of the prosecution/prejudice he confronted from the Nazi's. In particular, the power of perseverance, the concept of never giving up, and the existence of God(leading to the strength of faith) are all illustrated through Wiesel's struggle to regroup with his family and survive throughout the novel. For example, in the last chapter in the novel Eli pushes himself to complete his forced labor, keeping faith that one day Allie forces would save him or he would continue to attempt escape. After completing his grueling labor, he lies along several diseased Jews who could not survive the harsh conditions or lack of food. His continuous faith ultimately allows him to prolong death, and later be one of the few survivors in the concentration camp rescued by Allie forces.“Where is God? Where is He?” someone behind me asked. ..For more than half an hour [the child in the noose] stayed there, struggling between life and death, dying in slow agony under our eyes. And we had to look him full in the face. He was still alive when I passed in front of him. "His tongue was still red, his eyes were not yet glazed.Behind me, I heard the same man asking:“Where is God now?”And I heard a voice within me answer him:“Where is He? Here He is—He is hanging here on this gallows. . . .And, in spite of myself, a prayer rose in my heart, to that God in whom I no longer believed".
my rating: an excellent portrayal of the horrors of the holocaust. Eli Wiesel's first person approach allows the reader to visualize gruesome scenes.
Do you think faith prolongs defeat?
Do you think, personally, that you can transition from "hell" or absolute chaos to a more peaceful ,one like Wiesel?

Mythology by Edith Hamilton

Authored by Edith Hamilton, Mythology, contains several distinguishable themes within each epic in the anthology of Greek, Roman, and Norse mythological tales. Edith Hamilton's argument is that even fiction has a significant value because it exemplifies several morale's; therefore, teaches any audience several lessons in life through the mistakes and success of the protagonists and antagonists in each tale. For instance, there are three reoccurring themes in this collection of myths: good versus evil, and the syphon rewarded to the good deed; fate, and how it can/can't be altered; the discrepancies of having a strong sense of pride, hubris. For example, the story of the dethroning of Cronos, by his son Zeus, is an example of a fixed fate. This exemplifies a fixed fate because after believing that consuming all his offspring would prevent his death, he ended up dead after his son Zeus escaped from his grasp, and ultimately slayed him, freeing his brothers and sisters. So, in the end Cronos endures the fate the Gods burdened upon him.
My rating: overall the book was good because it was an easy read, and had a rich amount of themes/motifs.

Question:

• What was your favorite story? why?
• Do you think Cronos could have evaded his fate?How?

Chunk Three of Freakonomics

In chunk three of Freakonomics (chapter 5 and 6) , Stevin Levitt and Stephen Dubner attack two major issues: "what makes a perfect parent" and "would Roshanda by any other name sound as sweet"?. With their abstract and unbiased approach, the duo confront their first questions with a series of factors that effect a child's success through parental involvement and economical stance. Levitt concludes that parental involvement, like participation in the PTA; English as a primary language spoken at home, a maternal age over thirty(when the child was born), highly educated parents are all positive factors that correlate to high standardized test scores. In Chapther 6, the authors extend the discussion of parenting with an overview of more economic aspects of parental choices. Primarily focusing upon the parents labeling of their children, Dubner and Levitt refer to previous research and conclude that a low income name, like De Shawn, has a lower chance of obtaining a job than someone named Jake (even with the same credentials). Levitt states that the employers interpret the socioeconomic correlation between name and stance, believing that a "white" name is an indicator of a less problematic, and more diligent worker. Finally, the book ends with a brief reminder that their are limits to the ability to predict every outcome, through an economic analysis, with the success of Roland G. Fryer, an African American, whom was raised in an impoverished, unstable family environment but "made it out" and became a well-renowned Harvard economist.

Tone: Practical, straight forward

Rhetorical Terms:

• Logical appeal: when proving that their rational is most practical after disproving all other conjectures.
• Allusion: to historical context, like Julius Caesar "alia iacta est"/the die is cast
• Statistics: making the authors argument more persuasive due to its credibility(the chart on education vs. names)

Questions:

• If you had a child would you rather allow them to participate in a play- date with a friend whom had a gun in their household or a pool in their backyard? Even after Levitt and Dubner stated that their was a higher chance of death by drowning.
• Why do employers consider the value, or weight a name if he/she has excellent credentials?
  

Chunk 2 of Freakonomics

Chunk two (chapter 3 and 4) of Frekonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner asks why drug dealers still live with their mom's and where have all the criminals gone. Like previously, Levitt and Dubner encounter these problems with an economists perspective of analyzing the problems many solutions and sources at a fast-paced tone with the use of moderately sophisticated language. To solve why drug dealers still live with their moms Levitt and Dubner offer a detailed glimpse into the economics of a drug-dealing street gang; through the eyes of Sudhir Venkatesh, a sociologist. When Venkatesh remarkabley receives a copy of all the financial records kept by the gang he shares it with Levitt. With extensive analysis of the data, Levitt debunks the common perspective that all crack dealers are wealthy and live lavish lives. He refutes this common misconception, by informing the general public that only the few top of the food chain make money while the actual 'foot soldiers'(drug dealers) make less than half of the minimum wage. Levitt states the like the college football player who lifts weights to better his chances of playing in the NFL, people who become crack-dealers have the same ambition to climb the latter to more pay. In chapter four Levitt concludes that the 1973 legalization of abortion is the source of the rapid decline in the crime rate. Recognizing the volatility of this argument, Levitt and Dubner approach the problem from numerous perspectives, methodically proving that their is no correlation between each of the solutions to the surprising crime drop. For instance, in detailed analysis, they demonstrate that factors such as improved policing strategies, stricter gun control, new prisons, an aging population, and a number of other possible explanations simply do not relate to the dramatic violent crime drop because they either don't occur chronologically or with disproving crime data. Hence forward, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner show how "..conventional wisdom is often found to be a web of fabrication, self interest,and convenience.." and how some solutions should not be overlooked because the abstract answer may be the right answer after sorting out the facts from the fiction.

Tone: not too formal, straight-forward, persuasive

Rhetorical devices:

1. Allusion: when describing how cocaine impacted the American population harsher than the Jim Crow laws, to amplify the severity of the problem.
2. Statistics: making Levitt's argument more credible and believable. For instance, when he included data of how the crime rate decreased when abortions increased.
3. Logical appeal: when disproving all popular solutions with counter arguments and credible data to prove that their(Levitt and Dubner) solution is correct.

Questions:

• Do you think the legalization of abortion was the source of the dramatic drop in crime?.
• Why does present culture depict drug-dealing as a well-respected and wealthy career in the media, when there is a one in four chance of death, and the pay is half of minimum wage?

Chunk 1 of Frekonomics (Incentives and Information)

Freakonomics, authored by the collaboration of Stephen J. Dubner, writer for the New Yorker and New York times, and Steven D. Levitt, an economics teacher in the University of Chicago, refute the common misinterpretation of today's economic issues with a more 'below the surface' analysis of the conundumn. Levit and Dubner urges the general public to use an econmists perspective when confronting problems. With simple,vulgar language Levitt and Dubner address some of the most intriguing issues with a series of economic based questions. For instance, in chapter one, the authors define the jist of economics as the study of incentives by asking what sumo wrestlers and school techers have in common. Levitt does this by describing how incentives are a "means of urging people to do more of a good thing than a bad thing", with reaserch on the rigging of high stake stanardized tests,conducted by teachers for more pay; sumo wrestling in Japan, with the 'qiud pro quo' deal. In both circumstances an incentive drives one to cheat in order to gain money. Another topic addressed in the first chunk was how the Ku Klux Klan is like a group of real-estate agents. The pupose trying to be conveyed, in this case, was how ..."nothing is more powerful than information, especially when its power is abused". Levit and Dubner apostrophized this purpose by describing how the exploitation of information single-handedly crippled the white-supremacist KKK and can prevent one from commiting a bad deal when puchasing or selling propety by serarching the 'blue book' value of the property online first, before consulting with a corrupt real estate agent. In both circumstances, the KKK and the real estate agent manipulate their victim because of their prey's ignorance. Stevin Levitt and Stephen Dubner attack intriguing issues with an economists prespective, showing how economics is not merely the dry, uninteresting study of financial trends and maket economy, but can be used as a tool to deal with everyday problems.

Tone: formal, persuasive,informative
Rhetorical strategies:

1. statistics-making an argument more credable
2. logical tone- when dicussing how the most practical awnser is not always the best awnser to the source of some problems.
3. humor/comparison- when relating two completly different fields with each other(sumo wrestlers and teachers)

Questions:

• Why don't the people educate themselves from ignorant feeding predators(i.e. corrupt real estate agents)?
• If the KKK's group has multiplied rapidly over the years then why is there a decrese in lynchings?