William Douglas, the author of many short novels, including a short story book called “Deep Water.” This book has a lot of horrifying parts in it. I would not like to be him in this book. As terrifying as this experience must’ve been one may never really know what it’s like to experience this awful thing. This is a good thing for those who have not yet or never experienced this but most people would never know the feeling of almost breathing your last breaths while suffocating underwater!
Being in this situation is unimaginable. You must first experience this before knowing the horror of this dreadful flaw happening to this young boy. He was only 10 years old at the time when an older boy who looked as if he was in college or at least 18 called him scrawny and threw him into the water. He had nearly drowned. William thought that if he sank to the bottom of the pool and then kicked off the tiles to shoot him up to the top he could swim to safety.
This didn’t work too well. William had only got his nose out of the water but couldn’t manage to get his mouth out so that he could breath. William tried this several times but all attempts failed. He found himself on the side of the pool and started to cough and puke. William is now frightened and terrified by water. He couldn’t even go onto a boat without his legs freezing up and himself being paralyzed.
This affected him with not being able to do any activities with water such as fishing, swimming, or canoeing. William decided to get a trainer to help him not fear water anymore. This had worked and helped him out a lot he is not afraid anymore. I could never imagine being in William’s situation. The horror of almost breathing my last breath is just horrifying. I hope to never be in William’s position.
This short novel was very well written. It was very sad and must’ve been a terrible experience for William Douglas. If anyone who hasn’t been in this sort of a situation thought about this, it wouldn’t be a very happy thought. Just thinking about this is terrible. I couldn’t stand almost losing my life at such a young age. Although I didn’t like this book it was still such a sad short story and very well written also.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
The Pearl
John Steinbeck's story, “The Pearl” provides an insight into the destructive nature of greed. Kino, the main character, lives with his wife Juana and small baby boy, Coyotito. In the story the pearl, Coyotito is bitten by a scorpion and desperately needs medical care. However, the town’s doctor refuses to treat Coyotito because he is racist and refuses to heal him because of his skin color. Luckily, Kino makes a brilliant discovery, discovering a unique pearl known as "The Pearl of the World." Now, the doctor tries to get the pearl from Kino, so he hires a man to go out and kill Kino. The man who had attacked Kino was unsuccessful. Kino had stabbed him with a knife. Kino was a very greedy person and cared only about this pearl.
Kino’s obsession with the pearl was just absurd. He was so greedy and could care less about what would happen to Coyotito and Juana. Kino and Juana had been forced to leave the town with Coyotito because it was no longer safe for them to remain there. Too many people had found out about the pearl and would do anything to get there greedy hands on it. However, as his wife Juana repeatedly suggests, the great pearl could lead to misfortune rather than happiness. Juana tries to throw the pearl out so that their family would no longer be in a crisis. Kino sees her and finds her and decides to resort to violence and hit her and bruise her badly for trying to throw out his pearl which he thinks is a “gift from god.”
This is an example of Kino caring more about the pearl than his family and him being very greedy. His son Coyotito was shot and injured very badly. Only after his son dies does Kino comes to a point when he finally realizes this pearl is not worth tearing their family apart. They have already lost Coyotito and don’t want anything along this line to happen to them so finally he gets with reality and tossed “the pearl of the world” back into the sea. He returns home with his wife Juana after they had tossed the pearl into the sea. This is an example of him finally grasping to reality and starts to realize the pearl had caused the death of his first born. This made him not be greedy anymore and to get rid of this devil pearl.
I thought this story was very well written. I believe the purpose of the story “The Pearl” was to show us that you don’t have to have more valuables than what you need. You can’t have what you want all the time so be grateful for what you have. Kino became very greedy and caused it to where his child Coyotito dies. This peal had a devil in it and caused him to beat up his wife Juana. Kino dug himself into a deep hole because he wouldn’t just get rid of this pearl. He was much too greedy and cared more about it than his own family!
Kino’s obsession with the pearl was just absurd. He was so greedy and could care less about what would happen to Coyotito and Juana. Kino and Juana had been forced to leave the town with Coyotito because it was no longer safe for them to remain there. Too many people had found out about the pearl and would do anything to get there greedy hands on it. However, as his wife Juana repeatedly suggests, the great pearl could lead to misfortune rather than happiness. Juana tries to throw the pearl out so that their family would no longer be in a crisis. Kino sees her and finds her and decides to resort to violence and hit her and bruise her badly for trying to throw out his pearl which he thinks is a “gift from god.”
This is an example of Kino caring more about the pearl than his family and him being very greedy. His son Coyotito was shot and injured very badly. Only after his son dies does Kino comes to a point when he finally realizes this pearl is not worth tearing their family apart. They have already lost Coyotito and don’t want anything along this line to happen to them so finally he gets with reality and tossed “the pearl of the world” back into the sea. He returns home with his wife Juana after they had tossed the pearl into the sea. This is an example of him finally grasping to reality and starts to realize the pearl had caused the death of his first born. This made him not be greedy anymore and to get rid of this devil pearl.
I thought this story was very well written. I believe the purpose of the story “The Pearl” was to show us that you don’t have to have more valuables than what you need. You can’t have what you want all the time so be grateful for what you have. Kino became very greedy and caused it to where his child Coyotito dies. This peal had a devil in it and caused him to beat up his wife Juana. Kino dug himself into a deep hole because he wouldn’t just get rid of this pearl. He was much too greedy and cared more about it than his own family!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Chapter one
In chapter one, Coyotito (Kino and Juana's child) gets stun by a scorpion and becomes very ill. Kino and Juana try to find someone to cure him. When Kino was out pearling, he finds a rare, large pearl. It is the pearl of the world and he is very astounded to have found this. He is thinking about selling it, but also he may keep it for all we know.
Final thoughts on pearl
In the book the pearl, Kino starts out as loving his wife and child, until he finds the pearl. After he finds the pearl he starts to lose sanity and starts to think that the pearl is a "gift from god." His wife starts to think that this pearl is tearing their family apart. although i did think this book was very interesting and exciting. there were many adventures and every chapter had something new to it and as i read i couldn't stop thinking "what would happen next to Kino and Juana?" The lesson to be learned in this book is to be grateful for what you have and not to love silly objects such as a pearl more than the person you love and want to be with.
In chapter three of the pearl, Kino is a pearler (his job) and searches for pearls. He finds a very large unusual pearl that is apparently the pearl of the world. He seems to car more about the pearl than his wife Juana now that he has found the pearl of the world. The news about Kino finding the pearl of the world is now spread throughout the town. everyone knows he has the pearl so he has to watch his back for burglers or people wanting to kill him and take his pearl away from him and sell it for money. the priest here's about this and thinks to himself that might he have baptized their baby or married Kino and Juana? Then a doctor here's about this and starts to think about a plan to steal the pearl from them. Since in chapter one he made there baby sick he tries to offer to cure him for the pearl.
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