“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
This week I read pages 50-90. In this passage Jacob has a discussion with Camel, another circus worker. Camel is old and says that the only thing keeping him going is alcohol. Camel says that the circus is a bad place for aging people and that he doesn’t know what will happen to him when he is unable to work. This is very different from jobs in current times. Most people are able to retire comfortably and rely on social security to help them in retirement, but Camel wasn’t able to do this. I think Camel is trying to reveal the rough lifestyle of the circus to Jacob. Camel helps Jacob get a meeting with the circus boss, Uncle Al, so Jacob can hopefully get a better job. Uncle Al isn’t very kind to Jacob. In their discussion, Jacob says he would like to work with animals. Uncle Al replies, “’You want to carry water for elephants, I suppose?’”. This is obviously the quote that the title of the book comes from. I interpret this as Uncle Al being very sarcastic. He doesn’t believe that Jacob is actually going to be a good worker with animals. Uncle Al thinks that Jacob just fantasized about coming to the circus and dreamed of carrying water for the elephants which isn’t realistic because the circus doesn’t have any elephants and it would be impossible to carry the massive amounts of water needed to feed an elephant. The circus is becoming less idealistic as the book goes on.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
2 Blog #3
“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
This week I read pages 30-48. Jacob gets off the train when it stops. One of the men who was riding on the circus train with him, Camel, found a job for Jacob. Camel teaches Jacob how to act at the circus. Camel gets Jacob a job opportunity and Jacob soon rises to an even better position after proving himself. Currently, Jacob is working as a crowd controller in various parts of the circus. I think this is odd because this has nothing to do with what I’ve learned of Jacob so far. Jacob was going to school to learn to be a veterinarian, but he is not even working with animals. Also, there has not been a single elephant yet, as the title suggests. When Jacob first entered the big top he saw a girl standing next to some horses. She was very pretty and reminded him of his girlfriend at college, Catherine. Jacob was captivated by her. I predict that he will get to know her in the coming pages and will have a relationship with her. When Jacob goes to the dining place he quickly sees the harsh attitude of other workers. Camel warns Jacob that he needs to better learn the ways of the circus quickly because other people are not friendly. I predict that Jacob’s lack of knowledge will get him into trouble. He won’t be trying to cause a disturbance, but he will. Perhaps the trouble will be linked to the new girl.
This week I read pages 30-48. Jacob gets off the train when it stops. One of the men who was riding on the circus train with him, Camel, found a job for Jacob. Camel teaches Jacob how to act at the circus. Camel gets Jacob a job opportunity and Jacob soon rises to an even better position after proving himself. Currently, Jacob is working as a crowd controller in various parts of the circus. I think this is odd because this has nothing to do with what I’ve learned of Jacob so far. Jacob was going to school to learn to be a veterinarian, but he is not even working with animals. Also, there has not been a single elephant yet, as the title suggests. When Jacob first entered the big top he saw a girl standing next to some horses. She was very pretty and reminded him of his girlfriend at college, Catherine. Jacob was captivated by her. I predict that he will get to know her in the coming pages and will have a relationship with her. When Jacob goes to the dining place he quickly sees the harsh attitude of other workers. Camel warns Jacob that he needs to better learn the ways of the circus quickly because other people are not friendly. I predict that Jacob’s lack of knowledge will get him into trouble. He won’t be trying to cause a disturbance, but he will. Perhaps the trouble will be linked to the new girl.
Monday, November 17, 2008
2 Blog #2
"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
This week I read pages 14-30. The book started in the time period where Jacob was in a nursing home, but is now in an extended flashback of when Jacob was in college. Jacob was attending college when he was informed that both of his parents had died in a car crash. He immediately felt sick and had to leave college in the midst of finals to cope with his parents’ deaths. This reminds me of the book I read last quarter called “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel. In “Life of Pi”, Pi also began with a happy life. He liked studying the zoo animals around him and different religions. Similarly, Jacob was happy studying at a very good college, Cornell. Their happy lives were both interrupted when they lost their parents. Pi lost his parents when his family was traveling on a boat. The boat sank and Pi’s parents drowned. Jacob lost his parents in a car accident. These events relate to the Monomyth we have been studying in class. Both Pi and Jacob had ideal circumstances surrounding their childhood. Pi was content studying animals and Jacob was content studying at Cornell. Also both characters left on a journey. Pi left his home in India on a boat. He was stranded in the middle of the ocean in a lifeboat after the ship sank. After Jacob discovered his parents’ deaths he left Cornell. He walked far away from the college, unsure of where he was going. He arrived at some train tracks. He saw a train going by and jumped onto it. Both boys crossed the point of no return because Pi couldn’t jump out of the lifeboat and Jacob couldn’t jump out of the train.
This week I read pages 14-30. The book started in the time period where Jacob was in a nursing home, but is now in an extended flashback of when Jacob was in college. Jacob was attending college when he was informed that both of his parents had died in a car crash. He immediately felt sick and had to leave college in the midst of finals to cope with his parents’ deaths. This reminds me of the book I read last quarter called “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel. In “Life of Pi”, Pi also began with a happy life. He liked studying the zoo animals around him and different religions. Similarly, Jacob was happy studying at a very good college, Cornell. Their happy lives were both interrupted when they lost their parents. Pi lost his parents when his family was traveling on a boat. The boat sank and Pi’s parents drowned. Jacob lost his parents in a car accident. These events relate to the Monomyth we have been studying in class. Both Pi and Jacob had ideal circumstances surrounding their childhood. Pi was content studying animals and Jacob was content studying at Cornell. Also both characters left on a journey. Pi left his home in India on a boat. He was stranded in the middle of the ocean in a lifeboat after the ship sank. After Jacob discovered his parents’ deaths he left Cornell. He walked far away from the college, unsure of where he was going. He arrived at some train tracks. He saw a train going by and jumped onto it. Both boys crossed the point of no return because Pi couldn’t jump out of the lifeboat and Jacob couldn’t jump out of the train.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
2 Blog #1
“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
This week I began reading “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen. I read from pages one through thirteen. In the passage, the main character Jacob is introduced. He is an old man who lives in a nursing home. He seems very grumpy. For example, he does not like it when a new man at the nursing home tries to sit with him at lunch. The man tries to make conversation. The man sees that the circus is coming to town and setting up next to the nursing home. He says that he used to work for the circus carrying water for the elephants. Jacob calls him a liar and says that he couldn’t have carried water for the elephants because elephants drink too much water to carry. Also, Jacob is unhappy with the nursing home. He always longs for better food. I think that Jacob will be a very interesting character because he is full of grumpy attitude. The book begins with a flashback. It is a flashback of Jacob working for the circus when he was younger. The flashback is of a time when all the animals escaped from the circus. There were panthers and yaks running freely everywhere. The flashback does not state specifically what Jacob’s job was in the circus. I predict that his job will have to do with animals because the title has an animal, an elephant, in it and also because the flashback he had concerned animals. In addition, Jacob seemed to have some knowledge of circus animals when he fought with the man in the nursing home.
This week I began reading “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen. I read from pages one through thirteen. In the passage, the main character Jacob is introduced. He is an old man who lives in a nursing home. He seems very grumpy. For example, he does not like it when a new man at the nursing home tries to sit with him at lunch. The man tries to make conversation. The man sees that the circus is coming to town and setting up next to the nursing home. He says that he used to work for the circus carrying water for the elephants. Jacob calls him a liar and says that he couldn’t have carried water for the elephants because elephants drink too much water to carry. Also, Jacob is unhappy with the nursing home. He always longs for better food. I think that Jacob will be a very interesting character because he is full of grumpy attitude. The book begins with a flashback. It is a flashback of Jacob working for the circus when he was younger. The flashback is of a time when all the animals escaped from the circus. There were panthers and yaks running freely everywhere. The flashback does not state specifically what Jacob’s job was in the circus. I predict that his job will have to do with animals because the title has an animal, an elephant, in it and also because the flashback he had concerned animals. In addition, Jacob seemed to have some knowledge of circus animals when he fought with the man in the nursing home.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Blog #7
“Life of Pi” by Yann Martel
This week I read pages 220 through 335. I continue to find Pi’s journey on the boat to be fascinating. In my opinion, be has acted in a very level headed manner. He did not panic and scream when he discovered he was alone in a lifeboat. He did not jump overboard when he found that a zebra, hyena, and tiger were on the lifeboat with him. He has not gone crazy from being alone in a lifeboat for days. I would say he is doing very well. Pi tried to construct a fishing device so he could catch fish to feed to Richard Parker, the tiger. He made the device out of fishing equipment that he found on the boat and he used a piece of his leather shoe as bait. The device didn’t work and Pi was left without a shoe. He loses confidence, thinking to himself, “’Stupidity has a price. You should show more care and wisdom next time’”. I think Pi is being way too hard on himself. He has already achieved far more than is expected of a teenager trapped on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean; he has survived. He says that he has acted stupidly, but I don’t think he has. He had the thought of getting himself food and looking on the boat for a box of food. He also came up with a way of training the tiger, to give him fish as rewards. Both thoughts were very necessary for his survival and he intelligently came up with them. I think that Pi’s insecurity could be his worst enemy. He has demonstrated the creativity and intelligence necessary to survive, but if he doubts himself, he won’t survive.
This week I read pages 220 through 335. I continue to find Pi’s journey on the boat to be fascinating. In my opinion, be has acted in a very level headed manner. He did not panic and scream when he discovered he was alone in a lifeboat. He did not jump overboard when he found that a zebra, hyena, and tiger were on the lifeboat with him. He has not gone crazy from being alone in a lifeboat for days. I would say he is doing very well. Pi tried to construct a fishing device so he could catch fish to feed to Richard Parker, the tiger. He made the device out of fishing equipment that he found on the boat and he used a piece of his leather shoe as bait. The device didn’t work and Pi was left without a shoe. He loses confidence, thinking to himself, “’Stupidity has a price. You should show more care and wisdom next time’”. I think Pi is being way too hard on himself. He has already achieved far more than is expected of a teenager trapped on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean; he has survived. He says that he has acted stupidly, but I don’t think he has. He had the thought of getting himself food and looking on the boat for a box of food. He also came up with a way of training the tiger, to give him fish as rewards. Both thoughts were very necessary for his survival and he intelligently came up with them. I think that Pi’s insecurity could be his worst enemy. He has demonstrated the creativity and intelligence necessary to survive, but if he doubts himself, he won’t survive.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Blog #6
“Life of Pi” by Yann Martel
For this blog, I read pages 150-220. In this passage, the hyena kills the zebra, then Richard Parker, the tiger on the lifeboat, kills the hyena. If I were on the boat, I would have found this incredibly frightening, as Pi does. He is concerned for his safety. I would be frightened beyond thinking and would scream and be beside myself. A good thing that happens to Pi is that he finds a locker full of supplies. He is overjoyed to find water and biscuits, which he quickly consumes. This makes me wonder if I would be able to survive in this situation. I’m a picky eater, which I would immediately have to overcome. I think I could force myself to eat the rations, but I think the larger problem would be to overcome mental obstacles. I would have to stay positive and sane on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with a tiger. I don’t think I could do this. Interestingly, Pi decides he will train Richard Parker. I’m glad to see Pi’s background as a zookeeper’s son come in handy. Pi will use a whistle to train the tiger and a fish as a reward. He deduces that there is no way for him to overcome the tiger since it is much larger than him. Pi thinks he needs a companion to keep him sane so the best solution is for him to train the tiger. I obviously wouldn’t have thought of this solution since I don’t know anything about training or being around exotic animals. Instead, I would have tried to stay as far away from the tiger as possible until it ate me.
For this blog, I read pages 150-220. In this passage, the hyena kills the zebra, then Richard Parker, the tiger on the lifeboat, kills the hyena. If I were on the boat, I would have found this incredibly frightening, as Pi does. He is concerned for his safety. I would be frightened beyond thinking and would scream and be beside myself. A good thing that happens to Pi is that he finds a locker full of supplies. He is overjoyed to find water and biscuits, which he quickly consumes. This makes me wonder if I would be able to survive in this situation. I’m a picky eater, which I would immediately have to overcome. I think I could force myself to eat the rations, but I think the larger problem would be to overcome mental obstacles. I would have to stay positive and sane on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with a tiger. I don’t think I could do this. Interestingly, Pi decides he will train Richard Parker. I’m glad to see Pi’s background as a zookeeper’s son come in handy. Pi will use a whistle to train the tiger and a fish as a reward. He deduces that there is no way for him to overcome the tiger since it is much larger than him. Pi thinks he needs a companion to keep him sane so the best solution is for him to train the tiger. I obviously wouldn’t have thought of this solution since I don’t know anything about training or being around exotic animals. Instead, I would have tried to stay as far away from the tiger as possible until it ate me.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Blog #5
“Life of Pi” by Yann Martel
This week I read pages 100-150. Pi’s family decided to leave India because of turmoil in the country. They boarded a cargo ship with many of the animals from Pi’s father’s zoo. One night, Pi woke up in the middle of the night to find that the ship was sinking. He escaped on a lifeboat, but he couldn’t find any other survivors after the ship sank. There was also a zebra and hyena on Pi’s lifeboat. I cannot imagine what I would do if I were in Pi’s position. First, he was thrust into a lifeboat by crewmembers. I would have started freaking out and not been able to stay calm as he seemed to do. I would have been too worried about what was going to happen to me and where my family was to be able to function. When Pi first got on the lifeboat he saw a tiger in the water, struggling to stay afloat. He helped the tiger swim to the lifeboat, but then realized he didn’t want a tiger on his lifeboat. I wouldn’t have tried to help the tiger in the first place because I would have been too shocked to do anything. I think Pi only helped to tiger because he was so accustomed to animals that they were like family to him. Also, Pi was afraid of the hyena onboard his lifeboat. I would be very frightened too since hyenas are very dangerous animals. I don’t think I would have stayed as levelheaded as Pi. He thought to stay away from the hyena and not to make sudden movements. I probably would have tried to run away or jumped off the lifeboat if I saw a hyena. Overall, Pi’s actions were admirably thoughtful in the chaos of the sinking ship, despite his fear. He acted much more rationally than I would have.
This week I read pages 100-150. Pi’s family decided to leave India because of turmoil in the country. They boarded a cargo ship with many of the animals from Pi’s father’s zoo. One night, Pi woke up in the middle of the night to find that the ship was sinking. He escaped on a lifeboat, but he couldn’t find any other survivors after the ship sank. There was also a zebra and hyena on Pi’s lifeboat. I cannot imagine what I would do if I were in Pi’s position. First, he was thrust into a lifeboat by crewmembers. I would have started freaking out and not been able to stay calm as he seemed to do. I would have been too worried about what was going to happen to me and where my family was to be able to function. When Pi first got on the lifeboat he saw a tiger in the water, struggling to stay afloat. He helped the tiger swim to the lifeboat, but then realized he didn’t want a tiger on his lifeboat. I wouldn’t have tried to help the tiger in the first place because I would have been too shocked to do anything. I think Pi only helped to tiger because he was so accustomed to animals that they were like family to him. Also, Pi was afraid of the hyena onboard his lifeboat. I would be very frightened too since hyenas are very dangerous animals. I don’t think I would have stayed as levelheaded as Pi. He thought to stay away from the hyena and not to make sudden movements. I probably would have tried to run away or jumped off the lifeboat if I saw a hyena. Overall, Pi’s actions were admirably thoughtful in the chaos of the sinking ship, despite his fear. He acted much more rationally than I would have.
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