POST #7 Truth in Memoir

In my mind, if a book wants to be considered non-fiction it must be one hundred percent true. If a story with bent truths is being passed off as a book that is non-fiction, then I feel like I am being lied to and as the great Oprah Winfrey put it “duped”.  I think a solution to stopping things like this from happening is making the sub-genre of “memoir” more specific by classifying completely true stories as non-fiction memoirs and half true stories “novels that are based on a true story”.
Personally, I do feel that half truths that have good stories are alright. My issue is their classification. I think that you shouldn’t take something, and call it something else that is wrong. For example, what if I took a soccer ball and sold it as a football to people who don’t know it isn’t a football. Then I said that they both have “ball” in their descriptions so they are pretty much the same thing. People would say I’m a person who lies, so why do authors get to do this?

Post #6 READICIDE

I feel that Gallagher’s argument is very true. I do feel that schools are killing children’s love for reading. To solve this issue I think we should stop teaching the classics exclusively and adopt Gallagher’s idea of teaching genre fiction fifty percent of the time and literary fiction the other fifty percent of the time. To expand on this idea I think that we should pair a classic with a genre fiction novel and use to the two to compare and contrast styles of writing, ideas portrayed, etc. This could help give children an appreciation for the art that literary fiction is and the entertainment value found in genre fiction.

I think that genre fiction shouldn’t be undervalued when compared to literary fiction. I think that they both should be held to the same standards. I understand that literary fiction may be harder to write and more of an art form, but this shouldn’t mean that genre fiction is overlooked. For one, genre fiction usually has a better plot and story than most literary fiction. For all we know someone who can write good literary fiction couldn’t write an entertaining and interesting story as well a genre fiction writer can. On the flipside, a genre fiction writer may not be able to write a story that is rich in detail like a literary fiction author can. Another reason that genre fiction has the same value as literary fiction is that they both have their strong a weak points. Genre fiction does a good job of being relevant, enjoyable, entertaining, etc., while it can be lacking in terms of writing craft. Literary fiction is strong in terms of writing craft, having a lasting effect on society, conveying strong messages, etc., meanwhile it may be lacking in being relatable to modern readers and being as entertaining.

Fight Club Book Trailer

Presention: http://prezi.com/fwz8whvpyxa1/copy-of-book-project-2/

Adaptation (CAUTION: Spoiler Alert)

The major challenge that a filmmaker would have in adapting a Fight Club to a book would be showing how Tyler Durden and the Narrator is the same person. This is major challenge because it is so important to the storyline that you can’t just separate the two of them and make them two different people; they need to somehow mesh at the end and still make sense to the viewer.

·         The first scene that a filmmaker would need to keep is when they hold the first fight club. This scene is just too iconic to the book, to keep out of the movie,

·         The second scene that a filmmaker would need to keep is the scene when Tyler kisses the narrator with the lye. This is the first scene that shows how crazy and demanding Tyler actually is.

·         The third scene that a filmmaker would need to keep is when the narrator figures out that he is Tyler and Tyler is him. This scene really makes the book. It is completely unexpected.

o   The first thing that a filmmaker needs to cut out is the amount of emphasis that is put on the narrator traveling for work. A filmmaker would need to mention it because it contributes to how miserable the narrator is, but not spend so much time on the subject.

o   The second thing that the filmmaker would need to cut out is the amount of time the narrator doesn’t know where Tyler is. In the book it seems like the narrator can’t find Tyler for a long time and I don’t think that the movie can’t be too long.

Project for Book 1

Idea

I propose the idea of having a tour around the possible places the American troops may have seen in the city of Dresden, Germany. This tour would be Kurt Vonnegut’s personal choices of places to visit based on the book Slaughterhouse Five. At every place your may visit in the city the tour guide would read a personal excerpt from Kurt Vonnegut himself. Vonnegut’s excerpts could be written about why Vonnegut picked the particular place, what he remembers about it when he thinks of it, or something else. This would allow people on this tour to have a much more personal connection. This personal connection would make the tour much more than a tour and more of an experience.

Why Dresden?          

Dresden is obviously the best choice for having this tour because it is where the book takes place. Those who have read the book are probably asking, “Wasn’t this city horribly fire-bombed and burned to the ground?” Yes, the city was fire-bombed, but it has been rebuilt in the places in the city that were inflicted the worst. It has been returned to its former glory. In the book Slaughterhouse Five it says, “…the doorways framed the loveliest city that most of the Americans had ever seen.” This quote just shows how beautiful the city is.

Dresden has some of the most beautiful architecture in Germany and even Europe. It possesses a very classical style, because the city itself dates back eight hundred years. The way it contributes to the sky line of the city is described in Slaughterhouse Five when the narrator says, “The sky line was intricate and voluptuous and enchanted and absurd.” The way the narrator describes sky line makes it sound picture perfect. The city just seems like a city that everyone needs to experience before they die. This tour would provide many people the reason to visit and experience Dresden for themselves.

Other Benefits of this Tour

This tour has many benefits other than just being a great tour. One of these reasons is that it can be very educational. This tour would include a lot about WWII and its effect on Germany and other parts of Europe. Dresden was one of the worst affected cities in WWII and you can learn and see that first hand on this tour. You can also learn a lot about Kurt Vonnegut’s experiences in WWII because he experienced everything on the tour and in the book. Another benefit of this tour is that it could boost Dresden’s tourism industry. This tour would attract many fans of this book and of Kurt Vonnegut. Since Kurt Vonnegut is one of the most acclaimed writers of American modern literature, this tour would attract a lot of new fans of Vonnegut and old fans alike. A third benefit of this tour is exposing those who may not be able to experience such a beautiful city a chance. In Slaughterhouse Five, Billy Pilgrim describes Dresden by saying, “It looked like a Sunday school picture of Heaven..” A final benefit of this tour is that it can spark a new push for buying this book. Much like how movies that are based off books can spark a sudden interest n the original book, this tour could do this too. Since, this book was published around 1969 there is not a big interest in the book right now, so the tour could rekindle the fire to buy the book. Also, since this book was mainly released in America and the tour is based in Germany, this tour could start up a following in Germany.

Why I Read...

Why I Read...

I read to relax. When I read it is a release from the outside world. Reading helps me to lose myself in something other than the distractions of what is going around me. With reading I can “transport” into a whole new world. I read to learn about new things. Those who read are usually more intelligent people than those who don’t. Reading helps you stay relevant. It also helps you when making connections to things you come across in everyday life. Also good stories carry good lessons and morals that everyone can learn from. I read survive. Imagine living in today’s world and being illiterate. Imagine the hardships you would face. You wouldn’t know where to go, what to do, or what is going on.  Think about all the things you wouldn’t understand: instructions, the news, traffic signs, maps, etc. It would be impossible to live completely independent. I read to stay entertained. In my opinion there is no other form of entertainment, whether it be movies, television, or another type of amusement, that you feel as immersed in the story as you do when you read.  When you read there are no commercials, you just pick up your book and go. Your book is also completely portable. You do not need a wireless network or a 4G connection to read a book.

I read to live.