The Serpent King Response Jeff Zentner’s, “The Serpent King,” has been by far, my most favorite book of the semester. I was very unsure of what to expect based off of the title. It was not what I expected at all. The plot is not easy to define. To say, “a coming of age novel about three misfit seniors in the south” doesn’t quiet cut it. The pages of this novel are filled with so much beauty and the reality of growing up. I feel like there is a voice for everyone in this novel. Maybe not literally, but most people can find a little of themselves in one of our main characters. Dill grew up in an extremely religious home, endured his father being imprisoned for child pornography, lives in poverty with his mother, and longs to escape Forrestville …show more content…
Senior year is a pivotal point in the lives of so many. It is the last of many “firsts” and the first of many “lasts.” A huge theme in the novel is having to give things up or leave them behind. Lydia deciding to move from Tennessee to New York for college requires her to leave behind her friends (including her new relationship) and family, giving up her car, and giving up the comfort and peace of her small town. If Dill decided to stay in Forrestville and work at Floyd’s, he would have been giving up the possibility of ever amounting to more than his name. By Dill deciding to go to MTSU, he gives up trying to please his parents, he gives up his fear of following in the Early’s footsteps, and he gives up thoughts of surrender or suicide. When Travis decides to finally stand up to his dad he has to leave behind his mom and his own home, but he also gets to leave behind the abuse. The challenges that Lydia, Dill, and Travis face when deciding to move forward with their lives during and after high school are real and relevant to so many young …show more content…
There are two other positives I would like to briefly hit on: the character of Mr. Blankenship and the homage to Game of Thrones. First and foremost, Mr. Blankenship is my favorite character (possibly because I am a daddy’s girl). He is a sharp contrast to the other two fathers we encounter. He is supportive and loving not only of his own daughter, but her friends as well. He reaches out to Dill and Travis, never once making them feel like outcasts. It is evident that Lydia gets her character from her father. They both offer the boys comfort and a safe place when they don’t have one at home. Taking a sharp turn, I loved what Zentner did with the Bloodfall series. I would have totally been best friends with Travis gushing over all of the details. The different houses, the author’s name, and the story line are all clear representations of the Game of Thrones series.
The second positive criticism comes from Anne Alton. She stated that the characterization in the novel was incredible. The main characters’ names weren’t just names; they each had meanings behind them that went along with their character and their actions. She uses Finny as an example; Phineas, who was son of Aaron in the Bible, was a judge; Finny is constantly judging Gene throughout the novel. Though there are many praises for A Separate Peace, there are also many criticisms. One criticism from Alton is how in depth the author, Knowles, goes in parts of the story. It distracts the reader from the main plot and is usually giving the reader unnecessary information (Alton). Alton also mentions how the minor characters, excluding Leper and Brinker, are weak and underdeveloped. Alton states that they are merely “stock characters”; they are just there to fill the gaps in the novel and don’t contribute to or change the overall plot (Alton). Another criticism is how unreliable Gene’s narrative becomes as the story progresses. We only see Finny and the other characters how Gene does; since we don’t have an outside point of view, and Gene changes his mind about how he feels about Finny multiple times throughout the story, it is hard to differentiate which qualities and statements are true
High school. It’s tough. Especially if you’re a freshman. Everything changes when you get to high school. You start to notice specific people more, your friends start to change, and even your likes and dislikes change. These may just sound like the typical high school cliche sayings, but in the novel Sleeping Freshman Never Lie, written by David Lubar, Scott Hudson had to go through all of that in just his first year of high school. Throughout the novel, Scott Hudson encounters many changes in his freshman year of high school including, the arrival of a new baby sibling, friends coming and leaving, being on student council, writing for the school’s newspaper, working on the school’s play, all while he is chasing the “girl of his dreams”. The
Yet as we journey from the dark to the light in Aeschylus, we cannot leave the dark behind – the darkness breeds the light.
People say high school is supposed to be the golden years of your life. I don’t know what else in life is to come; however, my philosophy is to live in the moment and make the life you’re living in the present worthwhile into the future, not only for you but for those who surround you. I live my life participating in our community and getting involved in our school. The activities, and the people I’ve formed relationships with, are what have formed me into the person I am today. The person I am today is not perfect, but I have learned from the mistakes I’ve made.
Walking into Walnut Hills High School right now would have anyone thinking the just walked into the middle of a tornado. Everyone you look there are students running in and out of doors, in and out of cars, and most certainly either turning in missing assignments or retaking tests. There is only one way for you to explain all this ciaos, Senior Year, the year that all teens await with so much excitement and ambition and the year that every single hour long study dates pays off. For the class of 2021 this isn’t just their final year at Walnut Hills this is the year that friends separate and head off to their different university to follow their dreams.
8th grade, 8th grade from the opening day to the signing of the yearbooks. This is the year of memories, goodbyes, and regrets. 8th grade and I’m still realizing that there are people in the world that would die to go to a school like this. A school where every body knows everyone’s name, respects everyone, and where violence and fighting are about as common as the Yankees missing the playoffs. When I’m done with my homework and go to bed, as the days of 8th grade wind down, summer will come and go, and I will find myself in one of those giant, scary places called high school.
I found the book to be easy, exciting reading because the story line was very realistic and easily relatable. This book flowed for me to a point when, at times, it was difficult to put down. Several scenes pleasantly caught me off guard and some were extremely hilarious, namely, the visit to Martha Oldcrow. I found myself really fond of the char...
This book has great balances of love interests, actions, and internal conflict with characters. It has an interesting story so far with new pieces coming up every few chapters that are very important. Like Al attacking Tris, Eric talking about Divergents and how the rebels must be eliminated. Tris and Four are developing feelings for each other, which I find weird because he is basically her teacher. They are only two years apart, so the relationship is not that awkward. In this journal I will be predicting, evaluating, and questioning.
Fans of the novel found that the way the novel is written, you never want to put it down and the action keeps things moving and is quite entertaining. The novel pulls you in and makes you love each of the main characters in it. This is a great series for anyone to read, and it is audience friendly for whoever reads them. There is quite a bit of suspense that will make the novel exceed readers 's expectations, and the twists and turns keeps you guessing and lets nothing be predictable. Some like the way this group of people bands together when they really need to and keep things together so they can all stop the
The book had many different things to keep track of but still stayed on the main plot. It was really good when they managed to bring in all my favorite characters which really made the ending work even better. This book was well balanced with drama and suspense and it just flowed throughout the book. The book was written in first person, in James and his friends perspective and we see everything how they see it. I like all the background information you are given whilst there is an exciting thing going on and that just makes it really good because you don’t think about it until the chapter is over and some sort of outcome has happened. This is one of those books that are written so well that you just cannot put it down it’s just so full of action you have to read it in one go!
After four years thinking that this moment would never come, it finally did with a handshake and piece of paper, but the journey had just begun. Joy Alexander graduated from high school with high hopes, and ready to begin her most important years at Lowthian College. She started as a bright eyed 18 year old not sure of what to think of the world, and ended as a mature 21 year old, and ready for any obstacle to come her way.
These novels are all great; there isn't one I didn't love. The stories are connected to each other; characters of different storylines may appear in each other's stories. The books tend to have something important to tell, for example, in Hogfather (why we need to have faith in non-existent things), or in Carpe Jugulum and in Witches abroad (if you know who you are, you can defeat your darker side). The world the writer creates is very detailed and there are very few inconsistencies and plot holes, which is impressive as, starting in 1983, he wrote at least one novel per year for the past three decades.
By the time senior year starts, many students are already looking towards the future. Countless are sending in applications to colleges they wish to attend while others are closing in on jobs they wish to acquire once school is over. As senior year comes to an end, students have already had to make tough decisions that will potentially affect their lives permanently. No matter which path is chosen, it is clear that these decisions will help prepare the students for the real world.
It is an easy to say that I want to make the most of my senior year, but doing it is a different story, especially if I do not set smaller goals.Setting less extravagant goals will help me to meet my own expectations.In order to make the most of my senior I will stay involved. Being involved in my community and school allows me to experience opportunities that would not be available to me at home. In addition, many seniors are their own worst enemies when it comes to meeting their goals, I am determined not to be the obstacle that keeps me from living my senior year to the fullest. Ultimately the crowning achievement of my senior year is graduation. Graduation isn’t the end,not even close, it’s just the beginning. I know that by achieving these goals my senior year will be the best year I have had yet at Delta High
You know, it is really strange how quickly time passes, after spending my whole childhood wishing I was an adult, now here we are and it's a little hard to grasp. It feels like just yesterday I was standing here in the same position at eighth grade graduation. Ahh, middle school, such a joyous time for all of us, free of maturity and not a care in the world. The biggest decisions I ever had to make then was deciding which group to stand with at passing time and choosing which shirt from my extensive collection of Stussy and No Feat apparel to wear. We were all naive to the danger that lurked just around the corner. We were unaware that the carefree world we lived in was about to come crashing to the ground in a blazing inferno of real school work and responsibility ... otherwise known as high school.