Lennie's Behavior.

  Lennie's behavior plays a big part in the plot of "Of Mice and Men,". In what I've ready so far, Lennie's obsession of grasping and holding soft objects has gotten him in trouble in the past. For example, he grazed a woman's soft dress once and was immediately infatuated with the material. Once sucked in, he kept holding on and get grasping it until the woman could break free. Later on that day, the woman would get men to go and look for George and Lennie so they could "discipline," him. However, the lady had claimed Lennie had raped her, so they had to flee or else Lennie would surely be killed. This was the sole reason of coming to the new ranch and leaving that town of Weed. One other thing I noticed was that George is constantly keeping Lennie in place, hoping to avoid a serious mishap that would force them to relocated once again.

  Lennie's burden on George can be see as two different ideas. The first thing it could be is the bond that holds the friendship between George and Lennie. Furthermore, the burden Lennie has on George is the result of Lennie's behavior mostly. It's obvious George wants to keep his jobs and hates moving around the land. As a result, George is very high-strung and uptight. However, George stands to put up with Lennie because Lennie is all he has and likewise. Though George would rather have Lennie be a normally witted man, he doesn't care about his disabilities and puts up with him anyhow. It's almost like a guardian/child duality is being represented by these two men. Why does George do it? It's the experiences they share, good and bad, that keep George around. It's the same way with real people. We all bond through shared emotions and experiences and through them, we become closer.  In this case, it's the close-calls and run-ins with the law that keep this dynamic duo intact.

Of Mice and Men

Recently, I have begun reading the American class, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. So far, it tells the story if two unique, different men who have been brought together by fate. George is a small, street smart man who knows his way around a ranch and has a profound vision of the future. Lennie is a large, child-minded man who is George's companion and lives by hopeful philosophies. Their most commonly shared one is that they will both own their own ranch, make their own money, and that Lennie will specifically tend to the rabbits. This is due to Lennie's obsession with stroking soft things. This is seen in the initial pages when George discovers that Lennie has had a dead mouse carcass in his pocket from crushing its skull in the act of caressing it.
George and Lennie themselves are a large symbol of friendship as both of the men truly value each others. George loves Lennie, and Lennie loves George as if they were brothers. This relationship is developed early in the book. For example, when Lennie emptily and dumbly threatens to leave George and live in a cave on his own after George has a little tantrum, George apologizes and admits he need Lennie around because he "wants," him around. Also, George looks after Lennie and makes sure he stays out of troubles. This is because Lennie's obsession with stroking soft objects can be fatal to those who are unaware of his problem, and choose to let him touch their soft clothing. To me, George and Lennie are share a strong bond and both benefit each other mutually.

The Great Gatsby

  "The Great Gatsby," in itself is a mysterious and interesting story. In fact, the man the book is named for is as mysterious and interesting as the story. Jay Gatsby is known for being an eccentric millionaire whose source of fortune is unknown. He also holds several parties at his unprecedentedly large mansion and basically splurges on every occasion. Many characters in the book, especially our esteemed narrator Nick Caraway. I believe that Jay Gatsby is seen as a very mysterious person because of all the rumors spread around him haven't been cleared by himself, he seems to have many secrets, and has a very clouded past.
  Rumors that surround Gatsby include that he was an alcohol bootlegger, that he killed a man, he was an Oxford graduate who came from a wealthy family, etc. Such accusations are highly controversial for anyone. It's even worse if you're acquainted with several powerful, rich people who are large blabbermouths. Also, being involved with such people could have attracted several individuals who do not like Gatsby, and make up stories to take away his king-of-the-hill status. What's more is that Gatsby has never really come out to defend himself or take a stand against such rumors. This is most likely due to his devotion to secrecy. How do I know he's very secretive? Well, for one he lives in a large mansion on his on in Long Island, NY. Yes, he has friends but they're not very involved in his personal life. He also has no wife, kids, girlfriend, etc. Also, his dialogue serves to show how he can easily avoid confrontation of his personal life. Which now leads me to the reluctance to reveal much if anything about his past. So far, he has only revealed and confirmed he had a very wealthy family and that he went to Oxford prior to his run in World War 1 as a Lieutenant. What's more is that he used to be courted and in love with the wife of Tom Buchanan, a hot headed millionaire who uses violence to get his way.

Romeo and Juliet: How Hate, Rivalry, and Consequence Bring the Lover's Their Demise

  Hate in itself is a terrible thing. Whether justified or not, it can lead to poor decisions with dire or specifically criminal consequences. Throw a rivalry into the mix, and you've got a Romeo and Juliet-like situation, literally. Hate, rivalry, and consequence are all major factors to the plot of Romeo and Juliet, especially resulting in the act of being the driving force for several unfortunate events. If we think abut this further, this is how most tragedies occur. The hate, rivalry, and consequence in Romeo and Juliet are all that makes the play a tragedy, for without it, the whole play would end at Romeo and Juliet's wedding. William Shakespeare  incorporates the themes of hate, rivalry, and consequence to reinforce the dangers and dire fate associated with the three by making us feel pure sorrow in the concluding act of Romeo and Juliet.

  Rivalry is apparent between all the members of the Capulet and Montague families, except for between Romeo and Juliet of course. The first major, plot affecting instance of rivalry is presented to us in the very first scene of the first act. A pair of Capulet goons confront and taunt two other Montague kinsman until a street fight is instigated. Tybalt then continues the fight and basically gives away the fact that both families are in a dire, fatal feud. From that point on, Tybalt basically embodies the Capulet's hate for the Montagues. This is especially true when Tybalt quotes, "...I hate the word/ As I hate I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee."(1. 5. 69-71). 

  Then comes the idea of hate that is sprouted from these roots of rivalry. For example, Tybalt proclaims his strong hate for Romeo as he spots him at the Capulet party, but his uncle, Lord Capulet resists him, as Tybalt quotes "I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall/ Now seeming sweet, convert to bitt'rest gall."(1.5.102-103). This directly foreshadows the street fight instigated by Tybalt in Act 3. After Mercutio is killed in the duel between him and Tybalt, Romeo is sent into a hysterical rage. From this point on until he kills Tybalt literally minutes later, the hate between Tybalt and Romeo is mutual. This is seen in Romeo's quote: "...Staying for thine to keep him company./ Either thou or I, or both, must go with him."(3.1.133-134). This is basically Romeo saying he wants to avenge Mercutio through fighting Tybalt and taking his life, even if it means his is taken as well. When Romeo in fact does succeed at this, big, fatal consequences surely follow.
  Consequence is the final major theme to direct the plot of Romeo and Juliet. Although it breaks the chronological set of themes found in the plot, Friar Laurence early on warns of possible consequence coming from Romeo and Juliet marrying so early and young. For example, he says "These violent delights have violent ends/ And in their triumph die, like fire and powder."(2.6.8-9). More so in Act 4, that consequence starts to materialize and become a reality. This is seen through the events following Tybalt's murder by Romeo's hands, as he is banished from Verona. Prior to Romeo's departure from Verona, Friar Laurence proposes Romeo goes to stay in Mantua until he can convince the Prince to lift Romeo's banishment.  Although it seems like harmless idea, it proves to have great misfortune as Juliet is to be married to the County Paris within two days. Another plan produced by the Friar is for Juliet to fake her death so Romeo can meet her at her tomb and they can run off somewhere together. However, Romeo is never warned of such a plan since Friar John who was supposed to send the message caught the plague. This has fatal consequences now, as Romeo believes he has found Juliet dead in her tomb, and they both commit suicide from that point on. I believe Romeo killing Tybalt almost immediately set a series of consequential events to unfold, leading to eventual suicide of both lovers
  Romeo and Juliet may be a tragedy of a love that was meant to be but was thrown away by irony and misfortune, however it's more than just a sad love story. The plot of the play itself is embodied by three central themes: Rivalry, Hate, and Consequence (almost chronologically in that order). If anything, the saddest part of all was the amount of coincidental misfortune and death it took for the two families to stop feuding. The Prince put it best as he said, "Where be these enemies- Capulet, Montague,/ See what a scourge is laid upon your hate,/ That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love,/ And I, for winking at your discords too,/ Have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished."(5.3.301-305). A feuding rivalry fueled the hate of a relentless villain. When good intent was believed to justify the villain's execution, fatal consequences were set in motion. Such has led to the death of a pair of star-crossed lovers. Maybe it is in fact true that may never actually be a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

The Jordan Rules

     Recently, I finished the book "The Jordan Rules," by Sam Smith. From it, I learned several things that I not only didnt know about the Chicago Bulls, I also learned about specific things that occur throughout the league itself. To be completely honest, it changed the way I thought of a lot of things about the NBA and its legends. For example, although most great players are portrayed as ideal role models, several players had particular qualities about them that made them hard to deal with at times. I believe that Sam Smith sought out to  inform us of these kinds of things throughout the book so  at the end we could conclude and see how things compare to our expectations and inferences.
     Michael Jordan was the best player to play the game. He started his career in the early eighties and from the on skyrocketed. However, the road to greatness for him and the Bulls was very rough and tougher than most people know.  For example, Jordan received a lot of critiscm for the number of shots he constantly took, some games completely relying on him shooting an unfundamental amount of shots. However, it was severely exaggerated as Michael had been an underrated passer, who liked to penetrate and the pass out the ball to open men.  Another unknown aspect of the NBA is the true advantage of playing on your home court. For example, game balls are either overly or underly pumpmed with air, according to the preference of the home team. Magic Johnson used to prefer a high dribble, so the Lakers always pumped their balls up to 11-17 pounds of air.

The Jordan Rules: The Winning Formula

    "The Jordan Rules," is a story of how the 1991 Chicago Bulls won their first NBA championship. However, things started out very rough. Problems that intruded with the chemistry between players on that team mainly include money, playing time, and downright ego displacement. For example, Michael Jordan can be very controlling and intolerable of the faults of others. This caused several conflicts between players such as Bill Cartwright, Horace Grant, and Stacey King. Also, the stubborn antics of former Bull's  general manager, Jerry Krause, made being on the team Itself hard to enjoy with the constant difficulties in trying to negotiate contracts. Scottie Pippem himself was the sixth highest paid athlete on the team, although his play was worth much more. These problems and more probably serve to explain why the Bulls only went 2-3 in their first five games that season. I believe that several things must go right in order for a team to do well,.
    Months into the season, improving an excellent record of 37-14, the Bulls as a team resolved most of their chemistry problems. Jordan, although very overconfident, began to see the error of his rants and acted towards helping the team rather than putting it down. He evolved as a leader, and that made things much easier for the coaching staff and players alike. This conflict and resolution situation contains a commentary on life itself. For example, you can't let yourself try to control extraneous things without a negative consequence. If we just let things resolve themselves or if we do things in a reasonable way, then all problems would be resolved.

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

    "The Last Olympian," by Rick Riordan is a very interesting book in several ways. Being the final book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians pentology, it closes out and finalizes the series. It also concludes several conflicts within the story. However, when one reads this book and comes to the end, the surprising g twist in which Luke Castellem, the son of Hermes, sacrifices his life to rid his body and the world of the should of Kronos, who was planning a full on attack of Mount Olympus. This somewhat renders the fact that Percy was the actual hero of the Great Propechy. This Propechy is super relative to the "Hero's Journey," storyline authors like to use. I find that this leaves the reader unaware that a plot twist can be iminent, since they assume that the relativity between the prophecy and the Hero's Journey is so close.