Draft of Final Book review

Basic Book Review

In the fictional book Eragon by Christopher Paolini, Eragon is the main character, the human, who has found a magical stone in the spine and managed to become its rider as it hatches. He had not recognize the value of the stone at first and decides to try to exchange it for meat as he could not hunt a doe down. Eragon was to support his family with meat and would have done anything for it, if it meant trading such a magical stone away. However, at the time, he did not know what power the stone possessed and what link it had with him.

      After Eragon learns about his connection to this rider and how he was the one to unveil the dragon from the egg, he develops connections with the dragon, Saphira. Eragon and Brom's journey for Garrow, Eragon's uncle who died possibly, Saphira's fault, allow them to grow together and learn about each others general past. Eragon as he discovered because of Saphira's hatching, is somewhat a Rider. Because dragon stones only hatch when the moment is right, Eragon learned how to cope with his dragon from a skillful man old man, Brom.  
      Ever since Brom wisely discovered Eragon's secret with his stone and questions on dragons, he has been informing Eragon on his education. Brom believes in Eragon and knows certainly that he is a strong Rider. After a first practice of spar with sticks in the plains, Brom insists Eragon to train again. He understands Eragon's strengths and weaknesses surprisingly quick. The day after a training session Brom says, "I wouldn't push you so hard if i did not think you were strong enough." Eragon replies, "For once, I wouldn't mind being thought less of,' Muttered Eragon." (pg 123) In here, Brom shows how he knows Eragon is a strong man and Brom had not put up a weak fight. He gave Eragon stings, bruises, and many injuries Eragon needed to nurse and heal. Brom knows Eragon well from the time he had spent with him galloping on the plains. Eragon, on the other hand, does not know Brom so well. Brom's relationship with Eragon is strong because they both are Riders. Eragon appreciates Brom's work and for once, does not mind Brom pushing him to his limit so he can avenge Garrow, his deceased uncle. Brom says, "That is one fact I'll keep to myself..."(pg141) Brom does not reveal so much of himself to Eragon, leaving Eragon curious about his powers and intelligence. Brom and Eragon have created an encouraging and supportive relationship. At times, Brom would always encourage Eragon, "Brom encouraged him, 'No matter, you'll do fine for what i have planned."(pg 211) Brom always has faith in Eragon and Eragon will always have his trust with Brom. Brom's close relationship with Eragon has allowed him to take time during their lessons and practices and learn from each other.

The book has its exciting and dull moments. Eragon is the main character of the book. He supports his family with meat because he is the hunter in the beginning who spotted a doe who he chased to the Spine. Eragon is a trustworthy and honorable man. After finding the polished blue stone and losing the doe, he went to Sloan, the irritable butcher. He does not have anything in return for meat from Sloan and therefore Sloan would not offer anything in return. Sloan is pure business. Eragon offers his stone after a hard days hunting without any result. Sloan is told the stone is from the Spine and does not accept it for meat after wards. Eragon, asks for meat in return and Sloan would bargain for his own benefit. Sloan's bargain would not earn Eragon's approval as he would deny it because, "That's a miser's bargain! It must be worth at least ten times that,...Three crowns would not even buy enough meat to last a week."(pg 12) Eragon knows he needs to feed his family and is willing to talk back to the butcher. Eragon, in order to keep his family alive, annoys the irritated butcher for what he has offered. The butcher could just not give him meat for anything. Eragon also "did not want to wait until they arrived"; it could be a while, and his family needed the meat now. Eragon is a strong man willing to give up his day's work and devote it to feed his family, even if it earns him a limited amount of food. Eragon chose the choice of trading in such a rare stone for meat that would feed his family. The family would have been lucky to have a reliable man who dedicates his day to supplying his family.

Also, as Horst bought his meat for him from the butcher, he would say to his uncle Garrow's face that "I didn't accept charity." Eragon was honorable even when helped. He offered his polished stone when Horst bought him meat, to pay him back, but instead he would as Eragon for labor. Eragon agreed instead of walking off with free meat. Eragon works for everything he has earned, and does not take the easy way out. Taking the easy way out would not have allowed him to foresee his future at Angela's. He would make it that everything he got, free meat, would have its own sense of accomplishment. The Rider of Saphira is willing to make sacrifices.
Eragon is a strong reluctant man who has earned the right to find and possess a stone so magical with power as the polished blue stone. Eragon's road to defeating the Urgals who destroyed his home has allowed him to meet Brom. His relationship develops with Brom even if Brom does discuss some things on his own without consulting Eragon. Eragon as well, does the same with Saphira about his future. Their relationships have developed Eragon's loyalty to Brom when Eragon stays back to end an Urgal's life because it had caught Brom. Eragon did not leave, but use his newly discovered power. By doing this, he proved he has no hatred for Brom. After all the hard work Brom has pushed on Eragon to become a skilled rider, he does. With loyalty and honor, he is a prevailing rider who works for his rewards.

2nd test run of book review

    In the fictional book Eragon by Christopher Paolini, Eragon is the main character, the human, who has found a magical stone in the spine and managed to become its rider as it hatches. He had not recognize the value of the stone at first and decides to try to exchange it for meat as he could not hunt a doe down. Eragon was to support his family with meet and would have done anything for it, if it meant trading such a magical stone away. However, at the time, he did not know what power the stone possessed and what link it had with him.
   After Eragon learns about his connection to this rider and how he was the one to unveil the dragon from the egg, he develops connections with the dragon, Saphira. Eragon and Brom's journey for Garrow, Eragon's uncle who died possibly, Saphira's fault, allow them to grow together and learn about each others general past. Eragon as he discovered because of Saphira's hatching, is somewhat a Rider. Because dragon stones only hatch when the moment is right, Eragon learned how to cope with his dragon from a skillful man, Brom.  
   Ever since Brom wisely discovered Eragon's secret with his stone and questions on dragons, he has been informing Eragon on his education. Brom believes in Eragon and knows he is a strong Rider. After a first practice of spar with sticks in the plains, Brom insists Eragon to train again. He knows Eragon's strengths and weaknesses. The day after a training session Brom says, "I wouldn't push you so hard if i didnt think you were strong enough." Eragon replies, "For once, I wouldn't mind being thought less of,' Muttered Eragon." (pg 123) In here, Brom shows how he knows Eragon is a strong man and Brom had not put up a weak fight. He gave Eragon stings, bruises, and many injuries Eragon needed to nurse and heal. Brom knows Eragon well from the time he had spent with him galloping on the plains. Eragon, on the other hand, does not know Brom so well. Brom says, "That is one fact I'll keep to myself..."(pg141) Brom does not reveal so much of himself to Eragon, leaving Eragon curious about his powers and intelligence. Brom and Eragon have created an encouraging and supportive relationship. At times, Brom would always encourage Eragon, "Brom encouraged him, 'No matter, you'll do fine for what i have planned."(pg 211) Brom always has faith in Eragon and Eragon will always have his trust with Brom.

First test run of book review

In the fictional book Eragon by Christopher Paolini, Eragon, the main character finds a dark blue polished stone in the Spine, which were mountains that extended up and down one land. He does not recognize the value of the stone and decides to try to exchange it for meat as he could not hunt a doe down. Eragon, a human, goes to find information about magical ancient dragons.
The book has its exciting moments and dull moments. Eragon is the main character of the book. He supports his family with meat because he is the hunter in the beginning who spotted a doe who he chased to the Spine. Eragon is a trustworthy and honorable man. After finding the polished blue stone and losing the doe, he went to Sloan, the irritable butcher. He does not have anything in return for meat from Sloan and therefore Sloan would not offer anything in return. Sloan is pure business. Eragon offers his stone after a hard days hunting without any result. Sloan is told the stone is from the Spine and does not accept it for meat after wards. Eragon, asks for meat in return and Sloan would bargain for his own benefit. Sloan's bargain would not earn Eragon's approval as he would deny it because, "That's a miser's bargain! It must be worth at least ten times that,...Three crowns would not even buy enough meat to last a week."(pg 12) Eragon knows he needs to feed his family and is willing to talk back to the butcher. The butcher can just not give him meat for anything. Eragon also "did not want to wait until they arrived; it could be a while, and his family needed the meat now." Eragon is a strong man willing to give up his day's work and devote it to feed his family, even if it earns him a limited amount of food.
Also, as Horst bought his meat for him from the butcher, he would say to his uncle Garrow's face that "I didn't accept charity." Eragon was honorable even when helped. He offered his polished stone when Horst bought him meat to pay him back, but instead he would take Eragon's help. Eragon agreed instead of walking off with free meat.
Eragon is a strong reluctant man who has earned the right to find and possess a stone so magical with power as the polished blue stone.

Vignette project reviews

After browsing tons of vignette projects, each vignette had different things to say and different things to explain. Some however had some connection through the vignettes. The vignettes discuss similar things. Out of many vignettes, the descriptions had overlapping meanings. Some talked about name, some about music, and even about personal life.
Two vignettes that share a connection are in, Ivan Areola's and Justice Toailoa's vignettes on their description on shoes. In their family's concerns, shoes are more important than to their own concern. Shoes are used to portray personality. Some people over exaggerate using their shoes, and some people do not. Ivan explains shoes as,

"i have many shoes that tend to focus on what i feel and for different occasions. with having different types of shoes it leads to priority of specific one compared to others."

Ivan uses shoes to distinguish different types of events. He classifies shoes into events and uses them to fit an occasion. He says having various types of shoes to choose from, each of them can be organized and prioritized for different needs, thus not having to wear running sneakers to a funeral. With more types of shoes to choose from, each shoe can specifically be organized into occasions to fit the event better.
Justice, on the other hand, sees shoes as,

"Im simple open to any shoe as long as it’s cute and I’m not thinking about it. In some ways it is good to like shoes but i do not get the urgent obsession to have to buy a pair of shoes every weekend just because you feel like you need another pair of shoes to fit your life style."

She, as well as Ivan, cares about the shoes they wear. The shoe has to look good in order for it to be worn. It is a shoe that looks good and anything else can go. However, Justice does not buy so many shoes because you do not need shoes to fit different styles. Different shoes can go with different styles. Shoes can vary. Shoes do fit a person's style, but a person does not need a shoe for every style they have. The different between Ivan and Justice's care for shoe is that a specific shoe can match many occasions, and shoes should not be bought constantly as, "now your wasting someone's else's time who could really be using those
shoes and now they can't because you feel as though you really  need them." Obsession for shoes is not needed.
Ivan and Justice's vignette on shoes relates to show shoes do portray personality. However, people only have one personality.

Esperanza, the following episode

   In the final four vignettes of the House on Mango Street, Sandra shows Esperanza's hope to leave Mango street and possibly returning for the ones she "left behind". In the final four vignettes, Esperanza encounters visitors of the house who seemed to possess some uniqueness in them. The third to last of the four vignettes, Alicia points to Esperanza's house, she is too ashamed to admit she lives there.In the second to last of the four vignettes, Esperanza dreams of a house on her own, with her own independence and privacy. The last and final vignette, Esperanza believes she can break free from the gloomy house on Mango Street and come back for the ones she left behind, who cannot leave on their own.
   In these final vignettes, visitors viewed the house and asked Esperanza to make a wish, "Yes, make a wish. What do you want? Anything? I said. Well, why not? I closed my eyes...Along silence. When you leave you must remember always to come back, she said."(pg 104.) The visitors can predict Esperanza's wish was to leave after viewing the house. They can tell Esperanza wants to leave and shows this by telling her to come back when she does. These final vignettes show how much Esperanza wants to leave her shameful house. "You live right here, 4006 Mango, Alicia says and points to the house I am ashamed of. No, this isn't my house i say... I don't belong."(pg 106) This shows how strong Esperanza's feelings are to break free from this Mango Street house because she never wants to look at it nor come from it. This house is viewed to her as not a real house. Esperanza begins to vision her new house, "A house all my own. With my porch and my pillow, my pretty purple petunias."(pg 108) She has always wanted these visions to become true with her own privacy. In her future, she will live in her own house by herself raising flowers. This vision of a private house makes it seem as if she wants to live alone without anyone to poke at her. The wish, visions and shamefulness toward the house all lead up to her wanting to leave. When she finally leaves, she may become a storyteller or writer. She explains she likes to tell stories and with the life she had, she would love to. Her future of storytelling comes from the life she had moving from house to house and landing on a sad Many Street house. I do not think she will come back for the ones she left behind because she says "I don't ever want to come from here...but me I never had a house.."(pg 107) From this quote, she doesn't see her house as a house nor does she ever want to go back to it. By going back to the house, she will have to come from it.
   The last four vignettes express Esperanza's shamefulness toward her "house" on Mango Street and visions and wishes to finally leave and possibly get a storytelling related job in the future.

Raising boys and girls

   In the book of a series of vignettes, The House on Mango Street, written by Sandra Cisneros is about a young girl Esperanza Cordero who faces many difficulties in her life as she comes to learn how she can achieve in the future. Written by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza is raised in Chicago, the Latino rundown neighborhood section. Esperanza had many difficulties and obstacles she needed to overcome in order to pursue her life out of Mango Street.While facing these difficulties, Sandra Cisneros portrays a difference in the way children should be raised based on their gender. In some vignettes, boys are showed to be raised as stronger and more independent. This freedom allows the boys to go outside and do what they want. In some vignettes, as well, girls are showed to be under the grasp of parents without as much freedom. In Sandra Cisneros's view, boys do not have the safety that girls have when they are young and are vulnerable to more trouble. The freedom that boys have allow parents to not worry about them as much, but worry about the girls future. Girls are more worried about and can get into trouble more easily. It is shown raising a girl requires more spy activity and focus on the people around you. On page 41, as Rachel, Lucy, and Esperanza are "tee-tottering" down the corner while men are watching,

"Mr. Benny at the corner grocery puts down his important cigar: Your mother know you got shoes like that?  Who give you those? Nobody. Them are dangerous, he says. You girls too young to be wearing shoes like that. Take them shoes off before i call the cops, but we just run."

 This shows how some people in their neighborhood pay attention to girls more. Depending on how they pay attention, boys with glued eyes and Mr. Benny with criticism of their shoes, girls lean on to be raised with a much harder life. Girls are raised to not have the bad look and are always watched.
  Boys on the other hand have more freedom but are sometimes protected when it comes to interaction with girls in the outside world. Esperanza describes the boy's world as, "They've got plenty to say to me and Nenny inside the house. But outside the house they can't be seen talking to girls."(pg 8) This shows how boys are allowed to talk to their sisters, in the house, but cannot talk to other girls, outside of the house. They can't be seen with girls, meaning the parents are being protective and preventing their boys from having that interaction with other girls.
Thus, the differences between boy and girl vary on the type of protection they receive, some receive more from more people, some receive more from their family.

Avoiding Fears

1. Tall Wood
2. The Word
3. 5 Broken Pencils
4. As opposed to dark
5. Hairs

Tall Wood

Walking down the road surrounded by nature all the time, I didn’t appreciate what nature did. As I looked for my mom in the football field parking lot, I kept an open eye for everything around me, just in case she appears. I looked everywhere while standing in place and saw expensive cars, shopping bags, and parents of others. I saw trash cans, pillow clouds, and trees like dinosaurs. These trash cans were full of trash and even recyclable material. The fluffy clouds looked like they were moving across the blue ocean sky. The humongous trees rose up from their roots far in the ground. The trees had bright green leaves. I waited for my mom to come out of the store. Whenever I felt like panicking, I stared at the trees and took deep breaths like running from a bear. The trees waved at me as the wind blew and leaves lightly lifted away from the branch into my hand. The thought of mom coming back was carved onto the bark of the tree. Every time this bark chipped off or was chipped off, I lost the image.

I never appreciated trees. My basic description of a tree was wood, that, like plants, produce oxygen. When I looked at the trees this time, I saw a huge body of life. The tree had many friends. He was surrounded by many other trees. They surrounded the perimeter of the parking lot and kept everything that belonged in, in. The tree was a permeable border, it let people come in and let people out. Without the help of my fellow trees, my mom would leave. I knew the trees would not let me down.

The whole time, i played with the trees. I laughed with them, waved with them, and climbed on them. People stared but the trees would fend them off.

I never understood the power of the tree. It brought my mom to me and me to my mom. I stared at the tree as we left. Birds like eagles had occupied it and sneaky squirrels had their eyes on it. It would have company as I left.

   

The Word

When it was time for bad words to finally arrive, it arrived. I was waiting for the word to finally pop up.

School was the last place I thought the word would fall in. With so many teachers watching and so many other students who could snitch. I was watching my classmates take a test like it was brain surgery. They tapped and winked at each other like they were on a secret mission, just taking a test. They never stayed silent during the test even if they were not cheating on the test. I eyed the teacher in the corner of my eye. She looked at me like I was doing something wrong while all the other kids were talking.

When I walked up to turn in my test, she looked at the test then to me before taking it from my hand.

I said, Why can everyone else talk?
She replied, and spoke to the rest of the class, “QUIET”.
Shocked, I walked back slowly to my seat and quietly down without making a noise. I sat with my hands crossed and stared at the clock. The talking continued and one student began throwing balls of paper at another. The other student replied with a sharp pencil thrown back at the first person. It hit the student around the eye area.

He yelled, “OW” and the WORD.

The next thing I noticed was he was gone. After the teacher did not tolerate the language, he left holding his eye and looked ahead for his mom.

After that, the students began to say that word just for fun. I, maybe once or twice, stopped and saved its use for emergencies.

I heard, “Hey...Why, what is one plus one.”

I answered with the word in my mind, “toe.... two sorry.”

In class, HE was back. and calmed down. I laughed at him when he came in and as he sat down, I said his word. He said, It wasn’t funny, my eye hurt when his pencil hit me. Can I borrow a sharpener?

I said no, but that word was what I started to think of.

The thrower began to throw little balls of paper at me, and I asked him to stop. He thought it was funny that the balls bounced off my face, so he kept going and threw a larger one that looked like an orange. I stormed the WORD out and the room froze. This time,  I was on my own, in the dark dreary dull corner because of my disruption. Was the WORD worse than what the thrower did?

5 broken pencils

Tests sucked. Some students liked tests, I did not. They were in it for the grade because it would boost them up. Some students began to care about their grades at an early age. I never understood what they were until the end of sixth grade because I got “3s” on most of my grades. It did not matter as long as my parents would not get mad, they would say, it is OK, but you have to start doing better when you get older. I said, OK, and did not know if i could pull it off.

In class, i sat at my seat and stared at the clock and board as usual. “Put your stuff away and take out just a pencil”. Surprised, I put my papers on my desk away and scooped my hand into my backpack for a pencil. I said, “Hurray”. I felt so many sticks of wood in my backpack and fingered around to lift one up. The ones i lifted were broken in half. One after another, until, I found a pencil tip in my backpack and whipped it out between my fingers. This, I thought, saved me from embarrassment from walking up the classroom and asking the teacher for a pencil. Even with a pencil tip, i was glad.

As opposed to dark.

As opposed to dark, light would always from me happiness. At  night I sleep. At night, I avoid seeing even though it is nearly impossible to see. At night it is like the Earth is a room, and the light is blocked out. I like the sun shining its bright light down instead of the darkness.

In the dark, i would stumble past walls and bang my hip onto the side of the door and fall. I sat there waiting, too scared to move. As I saw the smiling sun rise just a little, I ran to my bed and jumped in. I did not get much sleep, but at least the sun saved me. In the light, i ran like there was no dark after me. The light is where I am alive and not resting away from the darkness.

The one day, I went upstairs on my own, was the only day that I needed to jump into my drawing bed.

Hairs

Everybody in our family has different skin tones. My Papa’s skin is like a cardboard box. It is not too dark nor too light. It is a darker shade of brown. His skin shines in the sun at the pool. It is often rough and thick, sometimes even dry. And me, my skin is light and dark. It doesn’t burn much because I try to avoid the sunlight. His skin is sensitive and easily burnt by the sun. He does need to apply a lot of sunscreen whenever exposed to the sunlight. And the turtle, his skin is scaly.

But my mother’s skin, my mother’s skin, is very pale. She does not expose her skin to the sun. If any method possible, she will try to avoid the sun. It does not ever turn dark because as soon as it becomes red, Mama escapes the sun. It glows in the sun instead of shining. It does not dry easily after washing vegetables. My Papa’s skin is rough and hard. It is the skin of a turtle without the scales. Her skin is soft when she is holding you and easily scratched. The dark skin, the glowing skin, and the hidden skin at the pool, all at once.