First Concept of Bilbo Baggins 12/22

                No story is complete without a well-defined and interesting protagonist. Some might argue that the protagonist is one of the most important aspects of a story. This is no different for The Hobbit or there and back again. So far, J. R. R. Tolkien has constructed a protagonist that has fit well into the setting and the plot of his novel. This protagonist is a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins.
                Bilbo is a humble and despises adventure. This fits in with the hobbit culture that is prominent within the setting of the novel, Middle Earth in the land encompassed in "Thror's Map". This is interesting, because most protagonists in fantasy novels are excited in adventures, or at least are not against them. Bilbo's character, however, starts to change in that he starts to become interested in adventure when the dwarves and Gandalf mention their great adventure to get the dwarves  gold back from Smaug, the dragon. This instance of early differentiation in Bilbo's original personality  is also interesting. Most protagonists don't make such a great change in their personalities until later in novels. It still goes along with the change and development element that a protagonist must usually have in a story. It also fits in with the sudden introduction of this adventure and the  fast pace of the novel.
               Bilbo's mood swings from is positive reactions towards the adventure to his desire to go back home is also interesting. Attitude changes such as these are not very prominent in most novels. Sure, protagonists have moments where they wish they were back home, but not usually as much as Bilbo. Another interesting aspect of Bilbo is his polite demeanor. I rarely ever encounter such a generous and hospitable leading character. All of these aspects of Bilbo's character make him such a great protagonist. Not only does he fit in with the novel and the elements of a protagonist, he is very likable which makes the novel much more enjoyable. 

An Abrupt adventure: The Hobbit 12/21

               I love fantasies, and one of the greatest fantasies of all-time is the Lord of the Rings series. I am very excited about being able to read The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring very soon. In order to better understand the series, understand the style of its author, J. R. R. Tolkien, and out of an overall interest in it, I decided to pick up and read the prequel, The Hobbit or there and back again (yes that is the actual title). I am interested in seeing what adventure started it all and I am curious to see if there are any events in this book that cause or are connected to certain events in the plot of the following trilogy.     
              The Hobbit or there and back again is about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. Like most hobbits, Bilbo is apposed to adventures and prefers relaxing at home, preferably by a warm fire while drinking tea. This life of relaxation is turned upside-down when Gandolf, a well known wizard, comes to visit and asks Bilbo to accompany him on an adventure. Bilbo, out of his well-mannered nature, politely declines Gandolf's offer. The next day, thirteen dwarfs, lead by Thorin the dwarf, enter his house and speak of a great adventure of stealing their gold back from the evil dragon Smaug. They do so because there were runes (ancient letters) saying that Bilbo was a burglar looking for an adventure, a message that was put on Bilbo's door by Gandolf. Gandolf's reason for doing this was because Gandolf chose Bilbo to be the burglar (they could not find a hero, so they settled for a burglar/treasure hunter) on this adventure. At first, Bilbo isn't sure what to make of this situation and starts to respectfully decline, but stories of vast plains, tall mountains, and wonderful things to experience causes Bilbo to turn over a new leaf  and agree to be the burglar.
               The story has already made a great start. I look forward to reading about what kind of adventure they will have. I am curious to see what kinds of places they will see and what kinds of creatures they will encounter. With the wise Gandolf and the stalwart dwarves by his side, Bilbo is sure to have a successful and thrilling adventure.

Reaction to Sherlock Holmes, the movie 12/15

               Deep in the dark, underground chambers of London, a robed man chants in a satanic language. A girl on a stone table seizures as the man casts his dark spell. In the darkest hour, a rough looking man with a capacity of knowledge that exceeds any other human being rushes in and fights off this mysterious man and his cronies. With his partner Watson by his side, Sherlock Holmes comes to save the day.
               "Sherlock Holmes" is a movie that is both a thrilling and mentally stimulating movie. It is fascinating to watch Holmes' deductive process in solving his mysteries and the fast planning of his next reaction. One of my favorite scenes is seeing his in the moment planning of how he is going to defeat his opponent in his fistfight match. The slow motion visual helped me understand each move he was going to make and why he was going to make it. This was by far his more impressive talent. I also enjoyed some of his more abstract methods of solving his cases. For example, I found the scene where he practiced the same black magic that Blackwood uses in order to find out what Blackwood's methods of action and true plan to be peculiar. His conclusion is even more impressive, connecting the symbols of the magic circle to Blackwood's past and future victims and his true intentions. The final deduction of Blackwood's methods, exposing the fact that Blackwood is not a sorcerer, is sheer brilliance. Holmes accurate theory about how Blackwood faked his own death and killed his victims using  exotic chemicals and herbs and uncommon, intricate tactics that barely any common mind could even begin to think of shows off Holmes' true mental capabilities.
                What sets "Sherlock Holmes" apart from most mysteries is its incorporation of a plethora of action scenes. It constantly keeps the viewer excited without using senseless violence and explosions. Like most mysteries, the protagonist is accompanied by an intelligent and faithful assistant. This assistant is Dr. Watson. Watson is unique because he is a headstrong, medical doctor who has a great deal of arguments with Holmes. His love-interest, Irene Alder, is an interesting characters that provides a unique addition to the story and to the depth of Holmes's character.  Blackwood makes a great antagonist for Holmes. Evil, arrogant,and a mentality almost as great as Holmes makes him the perfect opponent. All of these characters make great foils for Holmes, revealing new characteristics about Holmes during almost every interaction with them.
                "Sherlock Holmes" is an intriguing movie that I would recommend to anyone. You end up not only enjoying a movie,  you learn a little about analysis and deductive reasoning. This movie helps prove that Sherlock Holmes is the greatest fictional detective who surpasses today's detectives from mystery drama's like CSI, NCIS, and many more. I greatly look forward to seeing the sequel and expect nothing more than witnessing Holmes's brilliance and the excitement from the mysteries waiting for him to solve.

Review of the curious incident of the dog in the night-time 12/6

            In the dead of night, Christopher Boone enters Mrs. Shear's garden and finds the mutilated corpse of Wellington the dog. There is a pitchfork sticking out of the center of the dog's body, and Christopher kneels down to hold the dog in his arms as his heart grows heavy. With a love for dogs and strong sense of justice, he seeks out the murderer, using all of his knowledge of detective work to bring this cutthroat to justice. This starts the interesting adventure of the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, a story like no other.
            The curious incident of the dog in the night-time, by Mark Haddon, is an entertaining and well written novel that provides many good reasons to pick it up and read it. The main plot of the novel is not straightforward, but well constructed enough to comprehend what is happening in the novel and be able to deduce the main plot. It is a great example of both a quest story and an English Bildungsroman. The book does a great job of providing a first-person point of view of how Christopher, who has Asperger's syndrome, sees and reacts to the world around him. I learned a great deal about people who have Asperger's syndrome, including their levels of genius in certain subjects as well as their levels of paranoia of large, unknown areas and strangers. The miniature subplots about some of Christopher's experiences have also helped me to gain a better understanding of him. Other characters in the novel, such as his mother and father, are also well developed and realistic. His father's caring attitude for Christopher but also frustration with him at times and his mother's frustration with Christopher and the sadness she has from leaving him are traits you can see in people in real life.  Haddon's attention to mathematical and environmental detail is also something to be admired.
           This novel, however, is not flawless. Haddon has a tendency to over elaborate, which causes the novel to drag on. I understand that Christopher is going through a similar problem of over elaborating, but Haddon's tendencies are just unnecessary to Christopher's development. Also, some of the chapter's in the novel are subplots that bare little importance and relevance to the novel. We do not need to know about every menial activity Christopher undergoes or every minuscule mistake Christopher makes. Note, however, that these occurrences are infrequent and do not completely hinder the overall reading experience of the novel. In conclusion, the curious incident of the dog in the night-time is a spectacular novel with great characterization and attention to detail that provides you with a new perspective on those who are mentally-challenged.      

If we do not limit our material goods, will they begin to dominate us? 12/5

The idea of  limiting your amount of material possessions to prevent them from dominating you came from Henry David Thoreau. I agree with Thoreau on this matter. Owning a great amount of material possessions can distract people from more important things. These include proper human connection,discovering hidden talents, and looking deep down inside yourself to discover what you truly desire in life. Likewise, when you own a large amount of material possessions, you will most likely develop a need to obtain more and more. It is a sort of an addiction or obsession. Life's material narcotic.

Is life like prime numbers? 12/4

        Prime numbers are similar to life in certain ways. Like how one may spend a great amount of time finding a prime number, one may spend a great amount of time finding his/her own life answers. Also, finding out the rules that regulate one's life is as difficult as finding the rules that regulate prime numbers. The process used to find prime numbers (seeing what numbers have more than two factors by dividing a number by a variety of integers) is similar to finding out some of life's answers (testing out many theories in order to find facts and answers).    
       On the other hand, there are ways in which prime numbers are not similar to life. You cannot remove life's patterns all the time like you can in numbers in order to find a prime number. Also, life doesn't have two factors like a prime number. Finally, a prime number is simple, but life is very complex.