the House of the Scorpion entry four

I chose the book the House of the Scorpion a lot of the other books sounded very boring, I thought it would be the main character Matts rise to power as a drug kingpin, I was very surprised it was not. I thought it would be like the Artemis Fowl series with the boy genius and his burly body guard running a drug empire but it was not. The book was really about Matt being a clone and his struggle to get by in a house full of scorpions. ( like seriously these people are worse than the Kardasians ) Everyone is out to get him except a few close friends and El Patron. The only reason El Patron keeps him around, is for spare parts. One personal connection I saw was between me and the main character Matt. What I saw was that nobody really likes Matt and all he wants in the world is to be accepted or to be normal. Isn't that true for everyone, nobody wants to be treated poorly for no reason. No matter what Matt accomplishes, he is still treated like dirt. Nobody wants that you want your accomplishments to matter, ever so small. That's how I connected with the book. As for a recommendation, I did not really like the book but if you are the kind of person that likes slower books, with mysteries around every corner, and well thought out and memorable characters, then this is the book for you. I much prefer books with lots of action, thats why I didn't really like this book.

the House of the Scorpion entry three

There are many great hooks in the House of the Scorpion it just keeps threading you along bit by bit. You never know whats going to happen next. To me one of the best hooks in the book is when the great El Patron, the opium king has just died and Tam Lin, Matts long time friend and bodyguard is sent to dispose of him. ( Ouch, am I right? ) Tam Lin is all business ready to kill matt no second thoughts, tells Matt he is a mercenary, gives out his services to the highest bidder. Said bidder is Mr. Alacran, says its Matts fault El Patron died, its time for him to be put to sleep. ( El Patron was going to kill Matt for his heart, he didn't get it in time. ) Tam Lin and his bodyguard buddy Daft Donald tied him up and got ready to dispose of him. Tam Lin straps him to the back of a horse telling him he is going to take him out to the eejit pens, with their toxic gas and yellow ooze. They are off on the horse surly headed for the eejit pens, when they stop Matt is ready to make one last struggle. He headbutts Tam Lin then realizes  they are not at the eejit pens they are at the oasis, Matts home away from home, a place where he feels safe. I was glued to the book during this entire sequence of events, I thought Matt was a goner, I thought Tam Lin really had betrayed him. Man, was I wrong, I should have never doubted Tam Lin. He gave Matt a chance to get  away and start over, way better than drowning in the eejit pens or giving your heart to a man that should of died long ago. One of my favorite parts in the book, very memorable.

the House of the Scopion entry two

All of the characters in the House of the Scorpion are very complex, well thought out. When you have a book that does not have a lot of action you need great characters to keep the reader interested, this book does that very well! The main character matt wants to be accepted and loved, everyone hates him because he is a clone, he does everything to gain their approval, he is very smart and great at music, this is still not enough. He is still an “animal” or a “stupid clone “in everyone else's eyes. I feel like El Patron wants eternal life, never to die. At the ripe age of 148 he is doing a very good job. Maria wants everyone to except Matt, no one else sees him the same way she does, and that's a problem for her. Tam Lin wants to protect Matt and to set him on the right path, he doesn't want Matt to be a bad person. Finally Celia much like Maria wants everyone to love Matt the way she does, she also wants Matt to grow up to be a good person. A theme I noticed while reading is that no matter how bad your upbringing, no matter how much everyone puts you down, you can grow up and become a great person. The Book is structured around Matts life and the decisions he makes good or bad. Whatever happens,  happens. Matt still has a hard path ahead of him; I hope he can get through it.

House of the Scorpion entry one

the House of the Scorpion is a very interesting book with lots of plot twists, and many great characters. Briefly I will go into the characters and try to explain some of their quirks and traits. I will start off with our main character Matteo Alacran, otherwise known as the dirty clone. Matteo is a clone of El Patron a ruthless drug dealer and the leader of a country called opium which lies between the US and Mexico. The country of opium was built for growing and producing drugs. By law clones are injected when they are born, when injected there intelligence is blunted( this is a terrible thing to do to a living creature!), they become to stupid to do any tasks on their own. Matt was not injected at birth and this makes him special, he is smarter than every clone in existence. But he is still hated because he is a clone. Maria is matts best friend she does not hate him because he is a clone, she almost sees Matt as an equal, they have grown very close throughout their childhood. Tam Lin is Matts Scottish bodyguard,  and mentor in everything having to do with nature. Finally there is Celia, she is like the mother Matt never really had, and she loves him with all of her heart. The setting is at the Alacran estate and the surrounding area, the estate is beautiful, it does a good job of showing off all of El Patrons power. The surrounding area of the estate is a dry, dry , desert. This makes sense because Opium was once part of Mexico. The conflict of the story is that Matt is a clone, and everyone hates him, he is trying to get past this, and is having a very hard time. He has made some friends along the way but will never be truly excepted. This book is starting to grow on me, I did not like it at first. But the wonderful cast of characters kind of sucked me in! This book reminds me of the matrix in a way, like how Neo live his life not knowing what was going on, then he finally woke up, Matt would have been stupid his entire life, if he was not spared at birth. The Matrix and the House of the Scorpion both have a amazing cast of characters. I really wonder what is going to happen to Matt at the end of the book, I hope he doesn't end up like Neo!

Final Blogging Assessment Cohen

  1.    What specific words/phrases demonstrate your writer’s voice? How do these words/phrases showcase your personality as a writer?                       Some of the specific words and phrases that demonstrate my writer’s voice are, the author just kind of rambles on about his topics, I love how it’s written from his perspective. I can’t say that enough, something of the sorts, and out of this world. I use a lot of casual diction to make it feel like I am talking to the reader. I like to keep my writing nice ad relaxed, fun, and fast paced. I don’t want you to dread reading one of my posts.

2.  What purposeful diction AND syntax choices did you make to enhance your writer’s voice? You must choose to discuss at least one diction AND one syntax technique from the list below. Make sure to include textual evidence from your post where you included the diction and syntax choices you discuss.                        For diction I used low/ informal. Like I said before I want it to feel like I am actually talking to the reader. I don’t want it to sound like I am just droning on about my topic, that’s boring. I want it to be fast paced and fun like I’m actually there talking to you. I’m talking about a book I read not giving a speech to the president, these blogs are supposed to be fun. An example of low/informal diction in my post is I say “out of this world”.  For syntax I used sentence length, I kept my sentences nice and short to make the post feel short and keep it fun. Also it is casual you’re not going to see me droning on in a normal conversation. In a normal conversation the sentences are short and to the point, so that is what I did in my blog post. An example of sentence length in my blog post is “I love how it’s written from his perspective, I can’t say that enough.” It’s a short sentence straight to the point, just like I said.

 

The Road Setting

The Roads  setting is all around the post apocalyptic United States. But the setting is really this main road that they are on during there journey. The main characters in this book are a father and his son struggling to survive. This road is going to save them, it is taking them south where it is warmer and safer. Their only lifelines in this book are the road which is the setting in the book and this shopping cart that they carry all of their supplies are in. The road is keeping them alive and sane, it is something to hold on to, something to keep them going. The father doesn't care what happens to them as long as his son survives. Then the boy is growing up in a strange world where everyday is a struggle to survive. I love the setting of the book and the concept for the story. The father and the son have such a strong bond, that is getting even stronger because of the struggles. The road will save them. This book is great and I would recommend it to anyone.

The best things about my book

Some of the best things about my book, Let Me Off At The Top are that it's written from a fictional characters perspective, the author just kind of rambles about his topics, and the crazy stories that he tells. I love how its written from his perspective, I can't say that enough. Not too many other books or writers have done this, it is very unique. His character is outlandish and crazy, so it is extremely funny. About his ramblings, he will be talking about a very specific topic like America or Mexico and then just start talking about how his neighbor stole his lawnmower or something of the sorts. He can not focus on one topic for more than like one or two pages, which I find hilarious. Some of the stories that he tells are just crazy, he talks about how he went jackalope hunting with two famous actors, how many prison riots he has been in, and how he has a collection of spanish longswords. Just out of this world crazy stories. It is a really good book, everyone should read it.