Mr_Shank

For our final post about War of the Worlds, i chose to study the narrator again and see how he has changed since the start of the novel.  It seems that seeing all the death and destruction wrought by the Martians has definitely changed him, as it would have done to any person.  In the beginning, he was a very scientific, logical man who was intrigued and excited by the happenings on Mars and on Earth.  Now that he has been through so much for his survival, however, he has lost his interest in science and become more of an emotionally based person.  Throughout the chapters, we are given an insight to his thoughts and we see that he has become much more of an introspective person.

“For that moment I touched an eomotion beyond the common range of men, yet one that the poor brutes we dominate know only too well. I felt as a rabbit might feel returning to his borrow and suddenly confronted by the work of a dozen navvies digging the foundations of a house.  I felt the first inkling of of a thing that presently grew quite clear in my mind, that opressed me for many days, a sense of dethronement, a persuasion that I was no longer a master, but an animal among the animals under the Martian heel. With us it would be as with them, to lurk and watch, to run and hide; the fear and empire of man had passed away.”

This quote expresses an overwhelming emotion that the narrator felt as he emerged from his hiding place.  What he saw that made him feel this was not so much the amount of destruction, but the way the Martians have alienated the planet to make it their own.  It no longer looked like a place on Earth, but a place inhabited by some strange, extraterrestrial beings.

I think that this is one of the major things thar affected the way the narrator changed in the final portion of the novel.  He had almost no hope left and hardly even wished to live anymore until he discovered the dead Martians in London.  This gave him hope for humanity and allowed him to continue on and eventually return home and find his wife.

In the end, it turned out that humanity did survive.  They outlasted the Martians and were able to reclaim their planet.  However, this was only due to a microscopical phenomenon out of their own control. “By the toll of a billion death man had bought his birthright of the Earth, and it is his against all comers; it would still be his were the Martians ten times as mighty.  For neither do men live or die in vain.”  This is also true of the narrator.  He only survived because of instances out of his control.  Whether it was because of deterences to the Martians from the military, or ignorance on the their end he was able to live.  I also think that this book makes you think on both sides of the “war”.  Yes, the Martians are trying to wipe us out, but they are doing it to save themselves.  Humanity would do the same thing.  And when you think about it, we do the same thing as the Martians everyday on Earth.  We see ourselves as greater than the rest of the life on our planet, so we use it or kill it for our own good.  We are like mindless little ants to the Martians, but since we treat creatures on our planet the same way, are the Martians really in the wrong? Are we just blameless victims to a force far greater than ours?  Or is there another side? What if, as a young boy sprays an anthill with a hose, the ants are thinking the same thing that we are; “why?”

This is what is believed that Sydney Carton’s final vision (thought) was before being executed:

“I see Barsad, and Cly, Defarge, The Vengeance, the Juryman, the Judge, long ranks of the new oppressors who have risen on the destruction of the old, perishing by this retributive instrument, before it shall cease out of its present use. I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss, and, in their struggles to be truly free, in their triumphs and defeats, through long years to come, I see the evil of this time and of the previous time of which this is the natural birth, gradually making expiation for itself and wearing out.

“I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy, in that England which I shall see no more. I see Her with a child upon her bosom, who bears my name. I see her father, aged and bent, but otherwise restored, and faithful to all men in his healing office, and at peace. I see the good old man, so long their friend, in ten years’ time enriching them with all he has, and passing tranquilly to his reward.

“I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence. I see her, an old woman, weeping for me on the anniversary of this day. I see her and her husband, their course done, lying side by side in their last earthly bed, and I know that each was not more honoured and held sacred in the other’s soul, than I was in the souls of both.

“I see that child who lay upon her bosom and who bore my name, a man winning his way up in that path of life which once was mine. I see him winning it so well, that my name is made illustrious there by the light of his. I see the blots I threw upon it, faded away. I see him, fore-most of just judges and honoured men, bringing a boy of my name, with a forehead that I know and golden hair, to this place — then fair to look upon, with not a trace of this day’s disfigurement — and I hear him tell the child my story, with a tender and a faltering voice.

“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”

—-

The quote was a little difficult to understand, but I’ll start out with the explanation of the title.  I think that the name of the tile is refering to the incident when Lucie thought that she heard in footsteps on the stairs and the French Revolution events going on in Lucie’s home.  I think that the title indicates that Lucie and her family’s troubles are over.  I think that Carton is thinking about the future and what will happen in his friends’ lives (Darnay and Lucie).  He will be in a way “resurrected” through the birth of Lucie’s son, and later on, through her grandson.  Lucie will remember him and cry on the anniversary of his sacrifice and death.  He also tells of how good a man Darnay was and how he and Lucie will grow old together happily.  He will also be forever remembered because people will pass on the story of his sacrifice and he will be remembered in that way.  I think that Carton’s last vision was of his friends Lucie and Darnay and their life.  In this way he lives up to his nickname of “Memory” as well.

Do you have any different ideas of what Sydney Carton’s last quote meant?  Use evidence from the quote.

-Maddie Zinn

             The ending of the book was very interesting. Everything got wrapped up in the end and didn’t really leave any questions unanswered. Charles Darnay had been executed along with Carton and the suspense wasbeing built all the way to the very end. Personally, I enjoyed this book but I am interested to see what you guys thought. Now I have three questions for you to answer…

1. Do you think it was wrong of Carton to pretend to be Charles Darnay when it was time for him to be killed?

2. Why do you think Carton looked so pleased while he was being executed?

3. This is a simple question; what is your opinion on this book overall?

Megan Campbell

In the final section of the story the narrorator is locked in a house with the curate for fifteen days or so, and when the curate dies and the narrorator emerges to a world covered in this red weed.

Do you believe that this section of the story is a symbol for something or represents a greater idea?   What message is the author trying to tell us? Remember this is your opinion.

-Taran

Book V

 Since his mother, Mrs. Yeobright, died, Clym had been deeply depressed. Eustacia had also been feeling unhappy because she never meant for her unkindness to lead to Mrs. Yeobright’s death. When ever she begins to feel upset she seeks the comfort of Wildeve once again. After Clym starts to recover from his depression he begins to investigate what happened to his mother the day she died. He eventually talks with Diggory and Christian and learns that his mother had planned to visit him hoping they could reconcile. Then he talks to Johnny Nonsuch, the boy who received Mrs. Yeobright’s last words, he tells Clym that he saw another man enter the house, and then Mrs. Yeobright knocked on the door. Eustacia looked out but did not let her in, so Mrs. Yeobright stormed away thinking her son wanted nothing to do with her. Clym suspects that the man Johnny saw was Wildeve. He then becomes furious and confronts Eustacia, she tells him that she wasn’t sure what to do and that it was all very confusing, but she wouldn’t tell Clym about the man who entered the house. She then leaves Clym and goes to live with her grandfather again.
While staying with her grandfather she is cared for by his servant Charley. Charley begins to fall in love with Eustacia and as she contemplates killing herself he takes precautions so that she won’t be able to. While trying to woo Eustacia he creates a huge bonfire. Wildeve sees the fire and mistakenly thinks that Eustacia wants to meet with him. They begin to talk about leaving the Heath and going to Paris. While this is going on Clym goes to talk with Thomasin, he tells her that he still loves Eustacia. Later, when Wildeve returns home, Thomasin tells him that she believes he and Eustacia are “getting it on.” He becomes angry and the very next day he gives the signal to Eustacia that they are going to leave that night. Eustacia goes to meet Wildeve that night, there is a horrible storm during the time. She thinks about how poor she is and how Wildeve is not the kind of man she would have wanted to move to Paris with. Then the book switches directions completely and starts talking about Susan Nonsuch. She is making some sort if doll to resemble Eustacia, she then throws it in the fire, this is no doubt a foreshadowing of the things that will come.

Clym is sitting at home waiting for Eustacia when Thomasin tells him that Wildeve has left their home. Then Captain Vye, Eustacia’s father, tells him that Eustacia is also gone. Worried they go out looking for them. Clym and Wildeve meet, Wildeve is on his way to meet Eustacia. They hear the sound of something falling into the nearby river. They realize that it is Eustacia and both jump in to save her. Diggory then arrives on the scene and tries to rescue them. He recovers Wildeve and Clym, Wildeve is dead. They later find the body of Eustacia. Clym is the only one left alive; he blames himself for all their deaths and once again becomes depressed.

Book VI

Both Clym and Thomasin are deeply disturbed by the deaths of their spouses. Thomasin eventually moves in with Clym. For the longest time Clym remained alone is his part of their house. Eventually Thomasin realizes that she must be there for her daughter, her spirits then rose and she is happy once again. Then Diggory comes back to town, he is no longer a reddleman and once again starts talking to Thomasin. The two begin to fall in love all over again and after an argument with Clym the two eventually marry. Clym is once again left alone in the house; he becomes a sort of a preacher and preaches around the Heath. In the end it worked out tragically for most, although Thomasin and her daughter are finally going to have the life they deserved.

WORDS!!!!

maypole- a colorfully decorate pole that people would dance around (I thought I knew what it was but I figured I would checked, seemed too obvious)

weir- a small dam or stream

Not many words I didn’t know, must have gotten used to the writing, if their are any other words you didn’t know please mention them.
Also….a question….

What do you think would have happened if Clym had died instead of Wildeve?????

Well, after I finished summarizing eight chapters, I realized that that was what we read last week. So now I have to do it all over and I’m just going to summarize Book the Third.  Be patient, its going to be a very long post.

Book the Third

Chapter 1: Darnay is travelling through France, trying to get into Paris.  Because he is so well dressed and obviously aristocratic, mobs of the revolutionaries try to stop him.  The only reason he is allowed through is because of his letter to Gabelle.  He learns about a degree that forces any emigrants to death.  He eventually decides to take two men as escorts on his journey.  Upon his arrival in Paris, a court rules that he  is a prisoner “in secret” of the La Force Prison.  Darnay is taken to the prison and requests Defarge (who takes him to the prison) to notify Mr. Lorry of his imprisonment.  

Chapter 2: Mr. Lorry is in Paris, at the Parisian branch of Tellson’s bank.  He is very worried by the violence that is running amok in the city.  Lucie and Dr. Manette enter his room and Lucie hysterically tells him that the revolutionaries have taken Darnay prisoner.  Outside, a mob places a grindstone in the courtyard and begin sharpening weapons.  Mr. Lorry tells Dr. Manette that they are going to kill the prisoners of La Force and Dr. Manette leaves to try and stop the mob.

Chapter 3: Mr. Lorry finds an apartment for the the Doctor and Lucie.  He leaves Jerry Cruncher with Lucie to protect her while her father is away.  A few days later, Defarge delivers a message to Mr. Lorry from Dr. Manette.  It says that Darnay is safe for now.  Madame Defarge tells Lucie that she and the Vengeance need to see Lucie and her daughter so that they can protect her if they have to.  Lucie complies.

Chapter 4: Dr. Manette returns.  He tells Mr. Lorry that as a former prisoner, he could only guarantee Darnay’s saftey, not his release.  Darnay also recounts his thoughts about the violent mobs sweeping through the streets of Paris and their mood swings.  He is confident that he will be able to free Darnay.  However, Darnay remains in prison for more than a year.  

Chapter 5: Lucie goes to the prison every day that Darnay is there for two hours.  She hopes that he will be able to see him.  But the only place where he could see her is right next to a woodcutter’s house.  The woodcutter pretends to chop off the two Lucies’ heads.  Lucie pays money to the cutter to leave them alone.  One day, a mob comes and surrounds Lucie.  Once they leave, Defarge informs Dr. Manette that Darnay’s trial is scheduled for the next day.

Chapter 6: It is the day of Darnay’s trial.  Darnay has a well-prepared, cleanly spoken defense.  The jury remains unconvinced of his innocence, however.  Dr. Manette and Mr. Lorry testify in Darnay’s defense.  The jury rules Darnay innocent.  The crowd that once wished for Darnay’s head carries him home in  a wild burst of happiness.  Darnay is bewildered by their sudden change of heart.

Chapter 7: Lucie is still afraid for Darnay’s safety.  Miss Pross and Jerry Cruncher go on a shopping expedition while the family enjoys an evening together.  Soon after Pross and Cruncher leave, four men pound on the door of the apartment and tell Darnay that he is a prisoner again based on three new accusations: the Defarges and an unnamed person.  They inform Darnay that his trial will take place the next day. 

Chapter 8: Miss Pross and Cruncher enter a wine shop.  Pross screams and points at a man who she claims is her brother, Solomon Pross.  Solomon leaves the shop and Cruncher follows.  Cruncher tries to place the man who he knows he has seen before.  Soon Cruncher meets up with Carton, who reveals that the man is actually John Barsard, the spy from Darnay’s first trial.  Barsard is a prisoner now and is going to Tellson’s with Carton.  At Tellson’s, Carton tells Mr. Lorry that Darnay has been captured again.  Carton proceeds to interrogate Barsard and blackmails him with the knowledge that he is a spy.  Carton tells Barsard that he has a friend named Roger Cly who will give Carton’s case against Barsard even more justification.  Barsard breaks down and asks Carton what he wants.  Carton asks if Barsard has access to the prison.  Barsard says yes and Carton takes him into another room to have a private conversation.

Chapter 9: Mr. Lorry begins to yell at Cruncher because of his grave robbing activities.  He fires Cruncher and tells him that now he will become a regular grave digger to make up for all the bodies he uprooted.  Carton and Barsard emerge from the room and Carton tells Lorry that he is doing all he can to gain access to Darnay’s cell.  Mr. Lorry begins to cry for Darnay and Carton comforts him.  Carton comes to Darnay’s trial the next day.  The new jury includes the Jacques Three, a hostile group of jurors. The prosecutor begins with stating that the accusations come from the Defarges and Dr. Manette.  Manette protests, but is silenced.  Defarge tells of an old paper found in Manette’s old cell in Bastille that contained Manette’s accusation of Darnay.

Chapter 10: The chapter begins with a flashback via the letter that Manette wrote.  The year is 1757 and Dr. Manette has been contacted by two twin brothers to take care of a peasant woman and her brother.  Manette is informed that a nobleman raped the young woman and brought around the deaths of the woman’s husband and father. The woman’s brother tells Manette how he took his other sister to safety then confronted the nobleman who had his sister captive.  One of the twin brothers stabbed the peasant who proceed to curse their family.  The sister died soon after.  Manette was told to hold his tongue about the event.  Manette decided to write a letter to the court describing the episode.  Soon he was visited by a young woman that was the wife of one of the twins.  She wanted Manette to help her find the sister that was taken to safety.  Manette could not help so the woman ordered her son Charles to help right the atrocity that his father and uncle had committed.  Manette then delivered the letter but was kidnapped by one of the twins.  He was secretly imprisoned by them.  Towards the end of the narrative, Manette accused the Evrémonde family (this is Darnay’s family name).  As soon as the letter was finished being read, the court ruled Darnay was guilty and ordered him to death the next day.

Chapter 11: Lucie and Darnay say their goodbyes after the court case.  Darnay tries to comfort Dr. Manette, but Manette can only shake his hand and cry.  The guards take away Darnay and Lucie faints.  Carton carries her to a waiting carriage.  Once they reach the apartment, little Lucie begs Carton to help her parents.  Carton encourages Manette to try and convince the court one more time then arranges to meet Lorry and Manette in the morning.

Chapter 12: Carton goes to the Defarge wine shop and Madame Defarge notices the resemblance between Carton and Darnay.  The Defarges, Vengeances, and Jacques Three discuss whether or not Lucie, the Doctor, and little Lucie should be put on trial as well.  Madame Defarge reveals that she is the younger sister of the peasant family.  She wants revenge on the Evrémonde family and wants them all killed.  The rest of the group decides to keep the killing to a minimum.  Carton hears the conversation and goes to warn Mr. Lorry of the danger.  Dr. Manette has fallen into one of his relapses.  Carton calms him down and then instructs Lorry to have the passports and carriages ready by 2:00 P.M. tomorrow.

Chapter 13: It is the night before Darnay’s death.  He writes letters to Lucie, Dr. Manette, and Lucie.  The next day, Carton enters the cell and commands Darnay to switch clothes with him.  Carton then drugs Darnay while dictating a letter to him.  The guards come in and believe that Darnay is Carton and Carton is Darnay.  They drag the unconscious Darnay (who they think is Carton) out of the cell.  Carton (who everyone thinks is Darnay) is taken to the room where the execution is to take place.  No one notices the switch.  Meanwhile, the Manettes and Lorry are escaping the country with the unconscious Darnay.

Chapter 14: Madame Defarge is planning to accuse the Lucies and Dr. Manette.  She heads out for their home, not knowing that they have escaped.  At the same time, Cruncher and Pross are making plans to meet up with the escapees.  They decide that two vehicles leaving at the same time is too suspicious so Cruncher is to wait with her carriage at Notre Dame at 3:00.  Defarge enters the apartment.  Pross pretends to be guarding Lucie and her family.  Defarge suspects that the family has run away and tries to force herself into the room Pross is guarding.  The two fight and Defarge pulls out a gun.  Pross hits it away and kills Defarge.  Pross meets Cruncher and the two begin their flight from Paris.

Chapter 15: Carton, who is still disguised as Darnay, is in a cart with the rest of the prisoners.  They are all being taken to the execution site.  While Carton walks up to the guillotine he has a vision of the future.  He sees all the revolutionaries being executed at the guillotine and order being restored to the nation.  He also sees long, happy lives for the people he helped to escape.  Lucie and Darnay have a son whom they name after Carton.  Carton sees the boy growing up and turning into the person that he always wanted to be, but never really could.  Carton walks calmly to his death with peace in his mind.

Words to Know: 

1. Bastille - a fortress in Paris, used as a prison, built in the 14th century and destroyed July 14, 1789.  

This was the prison Dr. Manette was held in.  I chose to define it because I really had no idea what it was except a prison.  I also wanted to find out about because of I have heard of the French holiday Bastille Day.

2. Blasphemous – irreverent behavior toward anything held sacred, priceless, etc.

This was something I had heard before, but never really knew what it meant.  To understand the context it was used in, I had to know the word so therefore I looked it up.

3. Immolation (used in the word self-immolation) – a sacrifice

I had honestly never heard of this word before reading the book.  Even from the context I could not figure out what self-immolation meant, so I figured no one else would know it either.

4. Denounce - to condemn or censure openly or publicly

This was a word that was used a lot in the last part of the book.  Since much of the action in Book the Third revolved around court cases and trials, I decided it would be a good idea to know this term.

5. Gaoler – jailer, prison guard, etc.

This word caught my attention because of the unique spelling.  Also, the fact that there are three different vowels in a six-letter word was interesting.  Plus, I didn’t know what it meant.

So here is my question: Which character has changed the most throughout the course of the novel?  Also, how does the title, A Tale of Two Cities, connect to the overall plot of the book?  Give me some thoughts.

Erin B

Colin Easter

Book 2, Chapter 1:  The narrator and the curate decide to move on after a martian clears away the black smoke.  They see the destruction the martians have caused as they continue on and see some other people.  They have a close encounter with a martian who picked up its victims and put them in a metallic basket.  They continue on and rest in a house that has food.  While they are in the house the fifth cylinder lands, and a tripod arrives.

Chapter 2: The narrator and the curate take turns looking at the martians through a hole in the wall.  The narrator describes another of the martian’s machines.  This one is unpacking the cylinder.  We also learn about the anatomy of the martians.  They have large heads and don’t have any digestive organs.  Instead of eating food, they inject the blood of other creatures into their veins.  They don’t sleep as well.

Chapter 3: Even though the narrator and the curate are in danger, they can’t resist the urge to watch the martians.  The narrator doesn’t like the curate because of his exclamations, constant talking, and weeping.  The narrator resorts to threats and blows to stop the curate’s carelessness.  The narrator sees a man taken for feeding.  At the end, the narrator hears guns in the distance.  All of the martians except for a tripod and a handling-machine desert the pit.

Chapter 4: The narrator tries to ration the food they have left, but the curate doesn’t want to.  They result to fighting, and the curate starts to become insane.  The curate starts talking loudly and goes out of the kitchen.  The narrator strikes him with the butt of a meat chopper out of fear.  A martian hears the disturbance and investigates.  The narrator hides in the cellar, but the martian figures out how to unlatch the door.  However, the narrator remains hidden from the martian.

Chapter 5: The narrator becomes so thirsty that he took a chance by using the creaking rain-water pump.  He does this for several days until he sees a dog.  He then looks out and sees that the martians have abandoned the pit.  He looks around and sees that the martians are nowhere in sight, and the town has been destroyed.

Chapter 6: The area around the pit is covered with the red weed.  The narrator relates this to a rabbit whose home is being dug up by people.  Rivers are choked with the weed.  The narrator moves on and sees less of the weed.  He finds food from a garden and thinks he is the only person left in this part of the world.  

Chapter 7: The narrator stays the night at an inn, finds food, thinks about the curate, and prays.  The narrator moves on and stumbles upon the artilleryman.  They talk about surviving and life when the martians take over.  They go to the artilleryman’s cellar where he is staying and make it larger.  They take a break, look out from the roof of a house, and then eat.  After playing cards and drinking, the narrator goes to the roof alone.  He decides to part ways with the artilleryman because he is an “undisciplined dreamer of great dreams” and a drinker and a glutton.

Chapter 8: The narrator walks through London and only encounters dead bodies and black powder.  As he walks through the streets he hears a loud howling that continues for a while.  He keeps going and sees the martian that is making the noise.  It is still and he moves to get a closer look.  While moving, he sees a dead martian in a handling-machine and a still tripod.  The howling stops and the narrator moves toward the pit the martians created.  In the pit, the narrator sees dead martians and their machines.  The martians were killed by disease.

Chapter 9: The narrator tells about how people all over the world received the news by telegraph.  The narrator stayed with some people for 4 days and then went to see the now destroyed town of Leatherhead.  He learned through a paper that they are learning much through the study of the martian machines.  The narrator goes to his house by way of train and finds his wife and cousin there.

Chapter 10: The narrator tells more about the study of the martians.  He also talks about how the invasion will effect men in the future and his flashbacks when he goes near the places in his story.

Words to know:

curate-a clergyman in charge of or as an assistant of a parish

efficacious-having the power to produce a desired effect                                                                                   The narrator said that the curate thought that his tears are efficacious.

timorous-fearful                                                                                                                                                   The curate was described as timorous.

anaemic-lack of vitality                                                                                                                                      The curate was also described as this.

gesticulating-communicating through bodily motions                                                                                      This is what the curate and the narrator did when they were trapped in the house.

Questions:

1. Do you think that H.G. Wells provided a good ending by having the martians killed by disease?

2. How long do you think it will take to rebuild the damage caused by the martians?

3. Will the narrator suffer any long lasting emotional effects from the invasion?

I chose the a passage from page 284-290 which is chapter 16:Soundness of Mind and Freedom of Will. So in this few pages The 4 of them go to The Offices of Jonas Wilford Armistead, in Oklahoma City. Here they go through the paperwork and Esperanza and Estevan put on a good show like Turtle was actually their daughter. They cry and tell a very convincing story about why they cant keep Turtle anymore, so they are giving her to Taylor.

I choose this becasue all throught the blogging we were asking questions about if Taylor would keep Tutle, or if she would be a good parent to Turtle, and now she is legally adopting Tutle. Yes, Estavan and Esperanza are not her real parents and they posed as her parents, but the paperwork is done and Turtle is now Taylors. So what some of thought about Taylor keeping Turtle is true. With everything that has Happpend to Taylor including leaving hime, meeting Mattie, Lou Ann, Dwayne Ray, Estevan, and Esperanza. Also with Turtle getting attacked at the park while she way with Edna, and the whole situation with Estevan and Esperanza.

Do you think that Taylor Made the right desicion to adopt Turtle and help Estevan and Esperanza? Should Taylor have done things differently with everyhting that she has been through?

Well since this is our last post for “War of the Worlds” I will attempt to make it the best one that I’ve written so far. Well if everyone in this group had read the book then we should all know what happens at the end and how the main character takes it, but out of this we learn some interesting things about the narrator.

First off, the most noticeable thing that we learn about the main character is the fact that even when surrounded by certain people that have gone partially insane, he keeps his head. This shows some of the development that the main character has gone through since the beginning of the story. Because at the beginning of the story the main character seemed to be the kind of person who would just deny that something was happening. An example of this would be like when he found out about the martians at first, he didn’t go and try to do something about the problem at hand instead he went home and ate a hearty meal with his wife. But during this last section of the book we now notice that he has progressed enough to not be afraid if it is unnecessary and he’s now able to deal with the situation at hand like a normal person.

We also see that the main character now doesn’t just think about being the hero, he actually mans up and attempts to be the hero. We see this when he was talking to the artilleryman. During that conversation that he had with the artilleryman he was actually considering doing exactly what the artilleryman was saying and ending up being a huge hero, that is until he found out that the artilleryman was extremely insane and didn’t know what he was talking about. Also after the main character had left the artilleryman he didn’t just go somewhere and lie in a fetal position ready to die, no, he went straight to the source of the problem and to his utter amazement found that the problem had been eradicated by the very thing that has been eradicating mankind since the beginning of time.

Now to end off this amazing blog I have a couple of questions that I was wondering about while I was reading and I would like to get some of your input. First off, I really am wondering whether the main character will maintain his new found level of maturity, or do you just think that he only matured this much because he was in a constant state of fear and shock? I was also wondering whether or not you think the martian invasion is really over, or were these martians only the first wave of the invasion? Finally I was wondering whether you thought that the martians demise was satisfactory for the amount of pain and suffering that they caused on earth, or do you think that they should have had a harsher death? Please answer these questions to my last blog on “War of the Worlds”. Thank you in advance.

Ok, so the movie I would like to connect these last chapters of the book to is ‘I Am Legend”. In the book, the narrator walks through deserted London, and the way he describes the scenery really fits the chapter name ‘Dead London’.  The way he describes the scene resembles the scenery seen in ‘I Am Legend”. In the movie, a disease of sorts has taken over all the human race that makes them savage and deformed. Only one man is not affected and he looks for a cure.  Due to the lack of population, New York City is in shambles, just like London in the book.

“But it was not so much the stillness of death – it was the stillness of suspense, of expectation. At any time the destruction that had already singed the northwestern borders of the metropolis…might strike among these houses and leave themsmoking ruins. It was a city condemned and derelict…” – This quote describes the feeling the narrator gets as he walks down the street in London. He knows that at any time the Martains could attack and kill him. In ‘I Am Legend’, everytime the protagonist goes out at night or when he has to go get his dog from inside a dark building, he is at risk of being attacked by the infected humans. During these times in the movie there is never any music playing, only silence. The protagonist is in a state of fear and worry, which is the same feeling the narrator gets as he walks down the street.

My question for you is, if you were the narrator in the book or Will Smith in the movie, and you realized that you were the only human left on the planet, would you give yourself up to be killed or find a way to keep on living, even if you know you’d be on the run and be in a state of fear for probably the rest of your life?