The Help

In this novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett there are many important messages that I came across. I personally loved the novel, except the fact that it is EXACTLY like the movie. Even though this is so there’s many things to get out of this novel. As I read I realized that it stressed the morals of fighting for what you believe is right no matter what the consequences are. In this novel the character Skeeter was considered the hero and the one to be different. From the beginning she was always the rebellious one. For one she wanted to be a writer instead of a typical wife and also tried to help African-American maids which was definitely the wrong thing to do in Jackson, Mississippi at the time. After finishing this novel I learned one important thing and that was to trust. The maids had to trust in Skeeter because what she was doing wasn’t normal. But they got over the fear of trust and understood that not everyone is the same and there are some good people out there who’s just trying to do the right thing. What I got out of this novel is not to have a guard up against people you think are bad because you never know how they are capable of helping you and what type of person they really are.

Beowulf

Nearing the end point of this epic (the type of poem) poem, it pulls together the importance of family, bonds to your friends, and to have your own inner strength to overcome any challenge that may face you. Even though this tale is over a millennium old, it still enforces ideals that are still quite relevant to this day. It begins with King Hrothgar's kingdom, where a monster named Grendel terrorizes the land and kills all who attempt to stop him. Enter the Geat warrior Beowulf, who offers to take upon the task of slaying Grendel, for his father Ecgtheow had once received a great favor from Hrothgar; this is basically payment and respect from Beowulf to Hrothgar and his kingdom for the help he and his father had once received. Beowulf successfully fights Grendel in unarmed combat and tears off his whole arm, thus killing him. Beowulf rises to the challenge to protect both himself and Hrothgar's people. Later when Grendel's mother goes after the Danes for revenge, Beowulf is again called on by Hrothgar to protect his people; again he saves them for Hrothgar's good deed from the past.

Even the monsters in the epic have ties to family, for shortly after Grendel was slain, his mother comes out of the swamp and starts killing Danes. This actually relates to old warrior heritage, for one family member to go out an avenge a fallen member by killing the opposition, which while Grendel's mother stiff represents just as much evil and filth as Grendel did, even the monsters have honor for their own kind, showing just how important family is to all types of beings.

Sociological/Philosophical

Recently we have been doing a few assessments on sociological/philosophical views and how the differ from each other. In the beginning I thought this task would be hard but found it to be rather interesting. I’ve learned the difference between the two and how to use them both on any novel or poem. While learning about the two I find it easier to view it in a sociological way. Sociological to me meant the meaning of the subject through the eyes of your novel or poem. It could have a deeper meaning but only what the read thinks it should be. On the other hand philosophical meant what the object means as a whole. It has something to do with the outside world, not only in the novel but also how u would analyze it in general. After assessing a poem and a novel on this subject I found it much easier to understand and get a better feel on when, how, and why you should use these two views. Overall both are great views and they have totally diverse meanings allowing you to have different ways to assess things which only makes you a better thinker/writer.

The Favorite Poem Project

We have finished the dystopian project and we as a team have moved forward and the next project is Our Favorite Poem Project. When Mrs. Elliott first showed us I thought that it was going to be difficult, but after some team planning we have come up with what we will do. Each of us will pick a poem and we will figure out the merit inside that poem and also talk about why we choice that poem. What makes it special? How to it relate in our life? We are given seven minutes or less to read this poem and why we chose it. At the end of this project each of the ten members on the team will have made their own and it will be put together to make one big Our Favorite Poem Project.