Letters About Literature

Dear Mr. Verne:

Your book, Around the World in 80 days, taught me that confidence and a positive attitude can take you a long way in life and it can rub off on others.  Phileas Fogg’s confidence and positive attitude took him from the life of man whose entire day, week, month, life was completely planned and accounted for to a state of unpredictable action and unanticipated challenge and adversity. I would not have expected that of him because your book set his character in a very rigid and predictable form when he is introduced.  I would not have guessed that Mr. Fogg, who lives a very precise life letting the clock dictate where he will be and what he will be doing, would venture outside of the safety and regularity of his daily, punctual routine.  It just goes to show that you can’t judge a book by its cover – no pun intended.  That is what makes this book so good.  Just when you think there might not be a lot of action, it turns out to be nothing but action.

This book also taught me that it can be fun to read about other countries and cultures.  Reading a story that takes place in the 1800’s isn’t something I would usually do, but after reading this book, I found that you never know where you’re going to find a good story.  It’s actually fun to learn about different places in the world, the cultures, the landscape, and the modes of transportation among other things.  If they could only write history books that way, it would be much more interesting.

I feel like your goal was to entertain the reader and take them on an unpredictable adventure.  There is also mystery, suspense, and fantasy.  It’s cool to see how an author can mix all of these elements and make them work together.  Reading a book like this helps me to see how you can mix all of these elements together.  Reading doesn’t just improve your ability to read, but it all can improve your ability to write and your overall knowledge.

I think the best part is that you made the story exciting and humorous which made me want to keep reading so I could find out what happens next.  Just when I thought the story was over and Phileas Fogg had lost the bet, I learned about the International Date Line and the story gave me one last surprise – victory for Mr. Fogg.  Choosing which book to read is a personal preference for each person, but, for me, there is nothing better than being assigned a book to read and actually enjoying it.  It really makes you want to read more.  The greatest thing I learned is to keep your mind open to reading, because you might be surprised at how much you enjoy it.

Sincerely,

Cody Zamora
Carbondale Community High School

Book Talk

Ship Breaker Links

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7095831-ship-breaker

This link gives reviews about the book.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_Bacigalupi

This link tells you all about the author, Paolo Bacigalupi.

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18560_162-2149023.html

This a link to a story by 60 Minutes on CBS news about real life ship breakers.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2261817_sell-scrap-copper.html

This link tells you how to sell scrap copper for money.

http://www.good.is/post/new-maps-show-sea-level-rise-submerging-america-s-coastal-cities/

This article from Good Environment news shows how the sea levels are rising and beginning to submerge America’s coastal cities.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article2671767.ece

This link, by The Hindu Business Line (online newspaper), features  a recent article, dated November 29, on how a slump in freight market leads to surge in ship breaking.

http://library.thinkquest.org/6169/hist.htm

This site gives you a history on clipper ships.  These ships were used in the story because they use wind power and sails – not gasoline.

http://oil.com/

This site is a reliable resource for keeping up to date with the Oil Market changes and information on Crude Oil.

http://thisrecording.com/today/2010/1/18/in-which-we-count-down-the-100-greatest-science-fiction-or-f.html

This site has an article on the 100 greatest science fiction novels of all times.

http://bombayjewelry.com/

Bombay jewelry is all about Indian jewelry.

http://www.google.com/search?q=ship+breakers&hl=en&qscrl=1&nord=1&rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS460&site=webhp&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=DoHeTpqgMoqCsAK686zcBg&sqi=2&ved=0CE0QsAQ&biw=1920&bih=965

This site contains all kinds of images on ship breakers.

http://www.google.com/search?q=ship+breakers&hl=en&qscrl=1&nord=1&rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS460&site=webhp&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=DoHeTpqgMoqCsAK686zcBg&sqi=2&ved=0CE0QsAQ&biw=1920&bih=965#hl=en&qscrl=1&nord=1&rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS460&site=webhp&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=ship+breakers+by+paolo+bacigalupi&pbx=1&oq=ship+breakers+by+pa&aq=0S&aqi=g-S1&aql=&gs_sm=c&gs_upl=35084l36301l0l38578l6l5l0l0l0l0l265l1122l0.2.3l5l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=4c2ea6530b7fdd05&biw=1920&bih=965

This site contains images retrieved from a search on the book, Ship Breakers, by Paolo Bacigalupi.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_6?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=paolo+bacigalupi&sprefix=paolo+

This site on Amazon.com gives you a whole selection of books by Paolo Bacigalupi in case you want to read other books by the author.

http://www.starclippers.com/

Check out this link if you are interested In taking a cruise on a clipper ship.  Sailing routes include the Caribbean, Costa Rica, the Mediterranean, the Panama Canal and the Atlantic.

http://www.sfbc.com/

Go to this site, home of the Science Fiction Book Club, to see other science fiction books by other authors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35JxCOo0sUY

Youtube.com hosts this book trailer on the book, Ship Breakers.  The trailer was created by Gayle Lawrence, who is a librarian in Sand Springs, OK

http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/pages/rising-seas.html

This site shows images of how the rising seal levels affect millions around the world and billions of dollars in property.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/locations/ship-breaking.shtml

This site describes the ship breaking yards in Chittagong, Bangladesh.  There are also photos showing pictures of ships, some of the workers – child workers too – and some of the materials they scrap.

http://www.alibaba.com/suppliers/ship-breakers-supplier.html

This site for the Alibaba company lists contact information for ship breaker suppliers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRJYgNc_TNc

This video covers the the Gadani ship-breaking yard,  a center for the breaking up of derelict ocean-going vessels for scrap. The yard is located in Gadani, Pakistan.

SparkNotes is Not a Substitute

SparkNotes and CliffsNotes are online sites that are meant to be used as study guides for learning more about what you are studying.  The sites offer study guides for many books, and those summaries include character lists, chapter summaries and analysis, essays about the themes and symbols in a book, character maps, and information on the author among other things.  I tried to look up Ship Breakers on both sites, but the book was not included in either site.  I have used these sites before, though, for other books I have read for school projects.

Both sites give a lot of good information on books.  I have used SparkNotes in the past.  Reading from the site really helped me to understand certain stories and their characters, plots, etc. when I didn’t really get the meanings that teachers expect me to get.  The sites are not meant to be a substitute for actually reading a book.  They are meant to supplement the book.  Reading the book gives you a better experience overall.  When you read the book, you get the mood of the story at a much deeper level than you would just reading the notes.  If you are enjoying the book, you can get totally immersed into the story.  You get all of the little details that make a story so good that a summary would not contain.  Reading the book also helps you get to be a better reader. 

While I would not just read the SparkNotes instead of reading an actual book, I am glad that they are there, because they have helped me a lot in the past.  I don’t think there is anything wrong with using them when you need them.  I feel like you would be passing up a good resource if you didn’t use them when you need them.  I am glad I read Ship Breakers.  It was a really good book.  It was interesting and caught my attention and my interest right from the start.  I didn’t ever feel like I needed to go to a site like SparkNotes or CliffNotes.  I just enjoyed reading the book.

Iron Man: Black Sabbath

This song, Iron Man, by Black Sabbath relates to the book, Ship Breaker. Both the story and the song are futuristic. The book is a science fiction story set in the future, and the song feels futuristic too. Both are dark and dramatic. In the story, the characters are rough and hard. They are fighting for their survival. Everyday, they are working to get enough to eat and wake up - alive - the next day. They know at any moment they could be discarded by their society - too big to navigate the ships to pull copper and other metals or too small or weak to work the heavy crew.

The song is loud and powerful. It gives you a feeling of power and strength. There is nothing soft or wimpy about it. Throughout the book, the characters are faced with a rough life. They work in hard and dangerous jobs, fight off the madness that drugs and alcohol have on some of the people, and basically fight for their survival on a daily basis. This song came to me immediately when I thought about the book.

Black Sabbath: Iron Man

Lyrics | Black Sabbath lyrics - Iron Man lyrics

Ship Breaker Animoto

What's Up in Quarter 2

Response to Josh Darling


I also think you did a good job on your blog. I also agree with you that we should take advantage of time to work on blogs in class. I couldn't get my VLOG to upload last quarter, so this quarter I'm going to record it at school so I can get it to work like it is supposed to. This semester I am also reading Ship Breaker. This is a good book. I was interested in reading this book and was hoping it would be good. I'll be following your blog this quarter to see what you think also.


Response to Pierre McCauley

1. I can agree with you about procrastination. I know how it is. I don't think you need to have a perfect score. There is a place in between perfect and gray hairs that will be a good place for you. Don't stress on your blog so much. You will like it better if it is something interesting. I see you want to be entertaining. That works with me, because I will be following your blog this quarter and I need interesting posts to read. Your blog is good.

   Response to Komal Chaudhry:

   
   

   You definitely don't have trouble getting a lot of words out. It seems like it's easy for you to write and write and write more. I admire that. I agree with your comments that some of the blogging assignments were not as interesting as the others. I also really liked the Animoto post. I don't know that I will want to read the book you have this quarter, but I am reading the Ship Breaker, and I want to recommend it to you. I will be following you this quarter, so we'll see how your book goes.

Second Quarter Kick-Off

We are now into the second quarter of the semester and beginning our second Read for a Lifetime book.  Blogging is a new experience for me - I never blogged before the first quarter assignment.  I can tell you for sure that if it hadn't been assigned, I would not have done it.  During the first quarter, I could have done better, but I think the combination of blogging to an audience - not just to the teacher - and learning the technology of using a blog site take some time to get used to.  I am getting more used to it now.  The first quarter I couldn't get my VLog to upload even though I recorded it over and over at home, and that was frustrating.  So, this quarter I am going to make my recording at school if we have to do it again.  Now that I am more familiar with blogging on blogger.com, I will probably have a little easier time this quarter.  I like blogging more than I like writing papers, but I don't see myself using Facebook or Twitter anytime soon.

This quarter I am reading Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi.  This book was first published in 2010.  The author was born in 1972 and writes science fiction and fantasy books.  This one seems to be a science fiction book.  The story takes place in America around the Gulf Coast.  It doesn't say what year it is, but it must be in the future because there is no more oil, so big oil tankers have been abandoned along the shore, and crews of "ship breakers" are tearing them apart to sell their parts, like the copper, brass, nickel, aluminum and stainless steel.  They also looked for hidden petrol and ship oil pockets which could buy them freedom from ship breaking. 

The main character, Nailer, is a young boy who is small enough to get into the ships ducts to pull out copper wiring for his crew.  He belongs to a crew of people who are desperate to survive, and will do practically anything to get work on a crew.  Nailer's crew is run by a guy named Bapi who is mean and only cares about how much and how fast his crew can strip a ship.  The crew have their crew's symbol carved into their cheeks to show who they work for.  The work is dirty and hard and has practically no reward for the workers who risk their lives to get the parts.  It is also very dangerous work.  The ships are broken down and dark and hard to navigate.  Nailer puts phosphorus paint on his forehead to get light while he crawls in the ships dirty ducts that are also filled with dead rats and dust and sharp rusty edges.

Second Quarter Begins

Reflection

My New Book

My second Quarter book is tittled Ship Breaker which is about a crew of pople who go to shipwreckes and scrap the reuseable parts out of the ship. In this timeperiod, resources are scarce and workers have been set in horrible work conditions to get paid a small amount of money. Food in this time is rationed off to the workers and as you can immagen it probably doesn't taste better than the food you were given by you middle-school lunch ladies.

What's Next

Animoto

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Want to Learn More

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Around_the_World_in_Eighty_Days 

This is Wikipedia's site that talks about the book.  It gives a good overview that tells the reader the story. It gives you the main storyline.

http://www.online-literature.com/verne/

This site gives you more information about the author, Jules Verne.  Jules Verne wrote Around the World in 80 Days in 1873.  The story takes place in 1872.

http://www.festipedia.org.uk/wiki/The_1870's_Train

This site gives you information on trains that were used in the 1870's.  Travel across American was made easier for settlers when the train tracks were laid.  Towns were built around train stations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport_in_India.  

The railway in India is what started the bet between Phileas Fogg and the men at the Reform Club.  The incompletion of the railway is why they  happened to travel by Elephant and come upon their adventure with Aouda.  This site tells of the history of transportation by train in India.  In the book, Phileas Fogg and Passepartout travel by train in India.

http://books.google.com/books?id=BJg-AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA243&lpg=PA243&dq=sioux+indians+attacking+trains&source=bl&ots=ApWUFb4Biw&sig=Me8XNOnwMnk-t9K_Y_FIR5dTors&hl=en&ei=lgGNTt3NC4-atwfkrr2RDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CGUQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q&f=false

This link tells the story of a woman who was captured by the Sioux Indians in 1873.  That was around the time the Sioux Indians attacked the train Phileas Fogg was taking from the west coast of the United States to the East Coast.  In the story, the trains passengers overcome the Indians.

http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=664&q=traveling+by+elephant&gbv=2&oq=traveling+by+elephant&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=5782l10180l0l10403l21l19l0l8l2l0l211l1618l2.6.3l11l0

This site shows images of people riding on elephants.  In India, Phileas Fogg traveled by elephant when the train tracks ended.  He paid a lot of money to buy the elephant.

http://books.google.com/books?id=JL8CAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA13&dq=about+whist+card+game&hl=en&ei=GAONTo_DL86gtgfOqNSiDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CFEQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=about%20whist%20card%20game&f=false

This link tells you about the game of Whist, Phileas Fogg's favorite pastime.  It is a card game he played at the Reform Club.  He also played it during his travels.

http://www.gjenvick.com/SteamshipArticles/TransatlanticShipsAndVoyages/OceanSteamships/1882/index.html

This site gives you a history of steamships in the 1800's.  This was the way people traveled across oceans during the travels of Phileas Fogg in 1872.  Airplanes were not invented yet.

http://www.reformclub.com/

This site tells you about the Reform Club - the club for wealthy Englishmen that Phileas Fogg belonged to and visited daily.  This is where Phileas Fogg made his bet.  And it is where he won his bet.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/brief-scotland.html

This site gives you a history of Scotland Yard.  Mr. Fix, a member of Scotland Yard, pursued Phileas Fogg all the way around the world.  He had reason to think Mr. Fogg was the bank robber he was looking for because he matched the description of the wanted robber.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_den

This link gives you a history of Opium dens.  At one point in the book, Mr. Fix tries to prevent Phileas Fogg from making his boat for the next part of the journey by getting his servant, Passepartout, to pass out from smoking opium in an opium den.  The trip was almost ruined by what happened in the opium den.

http://adaniel.tripod.com/sati.htm

This site explains sati which is an Indian Hindu ritual of sacrificing the wife of a dead husband...against their will.  In the story, Fogg and Passepartout save Aouda from this ritual.  They took her back to England with them.

http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/dateline.htm

This site tells about the international date line.  In the end, Phileas Fogg wins his bet because he finally realized that he was not late, but early, because he traveled east and actually gained 24 hours travel time. If they would have traveled west, they would have lost a day.

http://www.visitlondon.com/

If you want to learn more about London - this site will tell you all about it.  London was the home of Phileas Fogg and where the trip began.  It was also where the Reform Club was.

http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/

From London, they traveled to Suez and went through the Suez Canal.  This site tells you more about the Suez Canal.  This is where Mr. Fix came into the picture.

http://www.mumbainet.com/

From Suez, they traveled to Bombay, India.  This site gives you more information on Bombay which is now called Mumbai. 

http://www.calcuttaweb.com/history.shtml

From Bombay, they travelled to Calcutta, India.  This site gives you a history of Calcutta.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/hk.html

From Calcutta, they traveled to Hong Kong.  Here is a site on Hong Kong.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2156.html

From Hong Kong, they traveled to Yokohama, Japan.  Here is a site on Yokohama.

http://www.baycityguide.com/

From Yokohama, they traveled to San Francisco.  Here is a site on San Francisco.

Video Blog

CZamora said...to Pierre McCauley

You had a lot to say in this first blog post. I know that a lot of students like to blog, use twitter, and socialize on facebook, but I am not one of them, so this is more difficult for me. It sounds like you might want to be a teacher they way you explain the purpose for blogging and the "Read for a LIfetime Program" and even offer your suggestions for blog prompts. Good job.

CZamora said...to Josh Darling

Well Josh, I don't want to be the first to bore you with my blogging, but odds are that I will. I am glad that you have changed your opinion about blogging being boring to, now, hopefully exciting. Your page is unique because it is very artistic - interesting background and font choice. Maybe you want to be a web page designer. Creativity seems to be what motivates you. I am disappointed that you thought "Half Brother" was boring. I was thinking of reading that book because it has a monkey on the cover. A MONKEY MAN!

CZamora said...to Jamieson Deamer

This post was not boring. It was entertaining to read. I hope all of your blog posts are as interesting. I like your thoughts on swearing, but I don't think it's appropriate for this class, Sir! I am also a fan of Bruce Lee. Nevermind about your book, just tell us more about you!

.http://www.classicalconnect.com/music/2603

The classical song I selected is 

Symphony No. 5 in c minor, Op.67 (Allegro) by Ludwig Van Beethoven

  I chose this song for my blog because it reminds me of my book "Around the World in 80 days." The song starts out very seriously.  In the start of the book, they go into great detail about how exacting and serious Mr. Phileas Fogg is.  They talk about his exact daily schedule, they way he keeps constant order of his life, and the way he labels all of his clothes so he knows what season to wear them.  Shortly after the serious start, the music surprises you by becoming lighter and quicker which relates to the way Phileas Fogg kind of took his fellow Reform members by surprise when he challenged them that he could make it around the world in 80 days.  He had a reputation for always being exactly on time.


When Mr. Fogg came home and told Passepartout that they were to leave for a trip around the world, Passepartout was completely shocked.  He had to go and sit down in his room for a minute before he gathered a few things for the trip.  The music goes in and out of a long slow beat and then to a quicker tempo.  It goes from loud to soft and back to loud.  When it gets real serious, it reminds me that all but one man from the Reform thinks Phileas Fogg will loose his bet to make it in 80 days.  And Phileas Fogg and Passepartout are off on their journey.  Suddenly, we come to a high point in the song and we're back to surprise and a sense of urgency.  Now Phileas Fogg has been labeled as a bank robber, and Scotland Yard is on the case.

See what lies beneath cover of the skys.

As Neat as a Fogg

Mr. Foggs money.

Around and Around we go

80 days in 80 ways?

Slow and steady

. . . . . .. . .a map

Jump! Jump! Jump!

Good thing this camera guy moved out the way

For protection only.

Dega Vu

When Mr. Fogg takes over!

G.J.---> J.V.

Me Myself and I

Hi my name is Cody and i am 16 years old.  Right now I am sitting in my English 3 class, and we have an assignment to blog about ourselves.  I am an average kid living in a decent sized town in a near backwoods state. I don't have very much to say about myself. I prefer to keep my life as private as possible, so it is difficult for me to write about myself when I know others are going to be able to read it.  In any event, I apologize if my blog is not as interesting as most of my classmates.  I feel that I don’t like to do these things because when I was growing up I never really sat down and read stories about people and how they lived. I did not have the patience to sit and read and I really didn't have the patience to write - not even my name at the top of my papers.  I was a very active child so I was always moving.  Sometimes I drove my mom crazy.  As I have gotten older, there have been more advances in the technology age and more and more people are used to the new ways that you can use computers, phones, and “tablets”.  I, however, am not one of those people.  As many may know, I have no “Facebook “, “MySpace”, or “Twitter”. I don’t text unless I am texted, and as far as talking on the phone, if you’re not in my family I wont answer.  I do like to play video games with my friends online from the comfort of my house.

As I said earlier, reading is not one of my main interests, but occasionally I find a book or series of books that I actually like.  I chose the book, Around The World in 80 Days, because I like stories about adventure.  I know that Jules Verne also wrote 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and I saw that movie when I was younger, and it was good.  After reading just the first two chapters,  I have already laughed at the book and think I made a good choice.  The main character, Phileas Fogg, is just my style.  I like the way he has everything in the order he wants it and the way he wants it, and he doesn't allow anyone to interfere or change his ways.  I really like the way he labels his clothes with numbers so that he knows the time of year and season he is supposed to wear them.  The Read for a Lifetime program makes you read, and for people like me, it gets me to read.  If I find a book I like, I don't mind reading it.  I will actually like it.

Some blog topics I would like to see throughout the course of this unit are paintball and video games.  As I said earlier, I am not a blogger, but we will see how this goes.