Mr_Shank

Alright as you have read the ending to the book you see that a fairy tale ending has occurred.  Beatrice and Benedick actually get married, and Hero and Claudio mistake fixed itself.  Did you like the drama though?  I think Shakespeare used a great amount of drama and he kept the reader interested by playing these little kid games.  What I mean as a kid game is how he tricked Beatrice and Benedick and how he set up the plan for Claudio to marry Hero.

Much Ado About Nothing 2

That’s right we are continuing the book.  We know we can not write as good as Shakespeare, but I think the play should not end.  Let’s strat with Beatrice and Benedick.  Would they really stay together in your mind?  I think not because they don’t seem to be nice couple at all.  They seem to call each other names, and this could turn out to be a relationship where he gets mad because she asks him to do all this stuff.  In the story I would have her boss him around for a little bit.  Then out of nowhere I would have Benedick disguise himself as someone she may not know.  He would kidnap her where then he may be able to put some fright in her eyes and cause her to appreciate Benedick instead of taking advantage of him.  That is what I would do because that’s what would make me interested.  What would you do?

Next lets talk about the marriage of Claudio and Hero.  We see that they try to trick Claudio and say Hero is dead but she is really not.  I feel this is wrong, as faking death and making someone sad is not a good trick.  But we all know it turned for the best as they were married and go on to live a happily life after all.  In book 2 I think they would not be the main part of book 2.  They would fall off because they are a great couple.  They seem to me to be really happy, and I cannot see them fighting at all.  Do you guys have any ideas?

Lastly lets talk about Don Jon.  To me this guy played the spoiler role the whole entire play.  In the end he gets caught.  He did make the play exciting, but it was wrong.  Does this guy have a heart?  I think he is more jealous than anything.  So in book 2 we would find him a girl.  This will be great.  She will be a nice girl, who is really interested about his past.  To find out about his past she talks to the prince, Claudio, and Benedick.  She hears of him being a wedding crasher, but his plan had failed.  She is angered by this, so she repeats the plan with the two of them.  He shows him up at the weeding, and makes him feel very horrible.  The wedding ended, and they would be back to gether in another 2 months or so.  Then they would talk about how love is a very important thing, and not just an emotion you can toy around with.  He would learn his lesson and they would marry.  What is your guys idea?

Lastly the ending.  There willm not be a book 3 so it has to end.  Of course everybody is happy except for the Beatrice and Benedick, but they end up to be friends because they realize it was not a good idea to be together.  Anyways then together they should have a visit off into some place where they should all live, and they all could help rule that part.  It sounds like a picture perfect ending to me!  Any other things that you guys think is better?

Themes of this story:

1.  First I feel that love was a big part.  The author showed us that love is something more than emotion and it should not be messed with.  Also it showed us that some are in love but are afraid of admitting it.

2.  Mixed identities also played a role in this.  They were always devising plans to switch roles and trick one another.  I think this is important because this is how the drama occurred.

Those are the only ones I can think, do you guys have any others?

-Alex

Much Ado About Nothing seems to be a simple love story.  We also know that it is a Shakespearean comedy.  This is set up through act 1 and 2 by Benedick and Beatrice.  Also another important part to the story is the party, which is directly connected to Romeo and Juliet.  What we need to do is analyze the first 2 acts of this comedy.

We see that the story takes place in a small town called Messina.  Leonato is the leader of the people and he is very grateful for the army to come back.  It consists of Don Pedro, Claudio, and Benedick.  When they arrive in Messina they are warmly welcomed by the citizens of Messina.  Also it was love at first sight as Claudio laid his eyes on Hero, Leonato’s daughter.  Do you believe in love at first sight?  I think that Hero may be very beautiful, which would make everybody like her at first sight.  I do not believe that love can exist in first sight, because love is more than just seeing.  Now, we see that a big ball is going to occur later, so a mixed identity is going to happen.  Don Pedro and Claudio are switching places so that “Claudio” can win over Hero.  I feel this is wrong, because it could cause problems and if she likes you, she should like you for who you are not for who you are not.

In the opening scenes of act 2 we see that this plan may backfire because everybody thinks Don likes Hero.  Once again mixed identities seems to be an important part to this play.  Also in this act they seem to be tricking Benedick into liking Beatrice.  They set him up which in my mind does bot seem like a good idea.  All this lieing could really effect a lot of people.  What do you think of the matter?  While all of this is occurring Don John is setting up an evil plot to mess up all of these love plans.  Don John is also the brother to Prince Don Pedro.  So we see that loyalty is also a theme throughout these first couple scenes, which in my mind I would all ways be loyal to my friends and family.  Why would Don John do such a thing?  In my mind he is jealous of how his brother is prince.  It was not very clear how he became prince though.

This play is classified as a comedy, and this is showed by both Beatrice and Benedick.  This can be said because every time they talk to one another they start fighting by calling each other names.  Very funny?  Yeah it is because they are a bunch of mature people fighting like little kids.  What do you think of the name calling?

The last thing that needs to be talked about is what is your thoughts on what should be changes?  I think that it should be the mixed identity thing.  I know that Shakespeare is thickening the plot, but I would like to see if Hero would like him for himself.  We already know that Hero like “Claudio” but is it for real?  What would you guys change in this enjoyable comedy.

-Alex

This book had me going.  I could not stop reading, until I got to the part where it does not explain if he wins.  Every player has their tales, was this one of Pete’s?  Does he always end his books like this?  We will have to read more to find out.  Anyways I would like to discuss themes, what you think happened with the rest of the tournament, and going all-in.

This part of the book takes place at Kings Crossing, in Las Vegas.  It is holding 120 people for a winner takes all tournament.  There has never really been a tournament of such, and it is attracting players from all over.  The odds are slim, but those odds are good enough for any of them.   Denn makes it to the final 2 players on at least 40 hours of no sleep.  This is truly amazing, and I think that it is dealing with the theme.  I think that Pete is trying to say that no matter what the odds are, there is always that possibility to win.  Never give up, give it your all until you are all out!  Also I think he is trying to prove the point that there are some people that live this lifestyle.  As we see it today with the World Series of Poker.  All of these points are proven as Denn still has one chip and he is not negative on his chances.  He says “all-in” with some confidence, which really makes me happy.  It proves he is not giving up.  Do you guys think he won?  Write you own ending to the story and include the tournament, plans with Cattie, and what he did in the future.   I personally think that he won, and in doing so he took over the casino.  He lived the high life and dated Cattie soon afterwards.  He grew up to be a successful gambler in Vegas, where he owned some of his own casinos.  I do realize as my thoughts on the ending were way off.  I think Pete did this to make the reader finish the ending to what they think should happen.  Denn in my mind was a kid who found a passion and a skill in a game and ran with it.

As I said I think that he won the tournament.  But is that what truly happened?  I think that it is amazing as he made it through the whole tournament and with little sleep.  Denn is truly the best of the best.  What do you guys think of the tournament?  My thoughts were that it gave the book more suspense as you wanted to keep reading.  Also do you guys think that it is right to violate the rules that you made everybody else follow?  This is what happened at the end of the tournament as Artie smoke a cigarette at the table.  It is wrong in my mind because it is breaking the rules.  I don’t like to break the rules, and I usually like to follow them.  It just shows how rude and cocky he is.  Another thing we see is that no cheating was seen.  It seemed as Cattie played straight up and so did the other dealers.  Then Ree even told Artie that he never made Denn go all-in.  Was this right to do as it could possibly lose the game for Artie?  I think it was because it is only right not to cheat.  It is kind of like Karma, as Artie wanted to cheat.  Karma says that whatever you do badly always comes around to bit you in the butt later.

Lastly I would like to talk about the title.  We see that the title is “All-in” because everybody was going all-in.  This is very important to notice because you can see what the author was thinking when he picked the title.  Is this the title that you would have chosen?  Pick a title or keep the same one.   My thoughts were that it made sense as we see that the author built the whole story line to show what he meant as all-in.  I could not tell you a better title for this book, and this was a very good book.  I recommend it to all that read this blog.

-Alex

As we have reached the half way point in the story I would like to discuss some topics about Denn, Cattie, the plot and flashback, and theme.

As we read on we notice a few more things about Denn.  He is flat broke, lives for days with little food, he has loving feeling, and also he drinks beer.  I am very upset with the bank problem.  I see now that gambling can be a lifestyle that people choose, but does he not know from right and wrong?  To me it is very wrong to not have a suitable lifestyle and live off of nothing.  It is just like the communism and socialism that is happening today.  I say this because people are living off of other people, and the people that work hard do no t get anything.  I feel that this is wrong do you guys have any thoughts on this?  Also we see that he starves himself sometimes.  This is very wrong as in my mind I would leave Poker to get money so I can eat.  Why would anyone not want food?  This book relates to kids and adults in the real life.  Everybody needs money because they spend on wants and not needs.  Another thing I would like to talk about is love feelings.  In this part we find that he is losing a lot of money, but is not mad.  He is going sightseeing with a girl he knows not that much of.  What do you guys think of this matter?  I think that this is wrong and is very realistic as some people never know what love is.  Lastly it states that he drinks beer.  This is shows what teenagers do all the time.  They get on drugs and alcohol and blow their money.  What purpose does he need the beer for?  There is none, so he should not kill himself but get involved in a real job.  This Denn character is really annoying me, as he is throwing away his life.

Next I would like to talk about Cattie.  We see that she has set up Denn this whole time, and she steals things.  She meets a Jerry figure where she becomes his assistant because she needs money.  This is very wrong as she could easily get a different/real job.  We find out that she gets the dealing job because of this guy.  Did she really go to college?  I don’t think she did, because I do not remember reading this.  Then in the begging of the reading she steals the earrings.  This is definitely a kid typical thing to do.  Why did she do it?  I think she is getting to a point where she needs to go to jail.  She did it, because she needs money.  That is why when she received Denn’s necklace she put it away.  She is going to sell it.  I am very upset about the charters in the story.

The plot and flashback are very important.  We already know that it is in Las Vegas, but we also learn that he is going to a more specific location like Lousy Lou’s.  Denn needs 10,000 dollars so that he can get in the million dollar tournament.  Do you think that it is going to be another set-up?  I think it will not but, it will be “All-in.”  The flashback I just want to point out.  In the beginning it was present tense, but now it is past tense.  What do you think of the transition?  I think that it is different, but it will excite the ending, and have some crazy twists.

Finally, I want to talk about a theme.  I think it is teenagers.  I think that Pete Hautman is trying to show how the young kids of today are acting.  We are breaking laws, stealing, and surviving off of nothing.  What do you guys think of themes in this half of the book?

We need to keep an eye on how den raises money as he is only at 124 dollars.  Also we shall see if Jerry comes back, and if Cattie turns around.  Another thing is that family is more important than having a no rules life.  What do you think of the family situation that Denn has, and should he return back there to start his young life?

-Alex

P.S.  Keep blogging many things to blog about.

This book is truly mind blowing.  What I mean by this is that it has so much excitement, and is almost portrayed as a mystery.  I would like to discuss a couple of concepts from the story; such as Denn and his problem, Cattie and her problem, and how Jimbo is portrayed.  Also, we have to discuss the game and how it is played as well as how old  Jimbo really is.

Denn, to me, seems as a very intelligent looking man.  However,in the story  we learn he is only seventeen, a drop-out, and addicted to gambling.  What is your first reaction of him?  Mine was that this guy is totally a a fake trying to be somebody he is not.  I mean no offense to anybody, but he wears baby sunglasses, a jump suit, and probably does not even have a full beard.  He is definitely seen as a kidthrough the narrator’s point of view, and the adult charcters can see this too.  So, all the other Poker players do is try to swindel his money throughout the game.  I also think Denn is a very good observe. I know all poker players have good observation skills, but he knows everything.  It is a shame because if he went to college, maybe he could manage his money better.  Also, I want to discuss how he is losing all his money.  Pete relates Denn’s situation to a fold, raise, or call as a major problem for him.  He does this because poker is like life, as anything can happen, so you choose the best option for yourself.  What do you guys think of the situation he is going through?  I truly think he won’t stop gambling.  He has a passion for the game, and I think he wants revenge on Frisk and Morty for their scheme to try to ruin him.  Do you guys think he will stay and get revenge?

Next let’s talk about Cattie.  She is a non-intelligent girl who is very mean since she was born.  She is almost like a “player”.  Whatever she can do to get money, she does.  What I don’t understand is what Denn did to her to make her want to set him up him.  What do you think he did to casue this?  I think that he either abandoned her, or she just needs money.  I am really leaning towards the money one because in the story she is said to be untrustworthy and greedy.  So, I think it is more of her trying to get money than getting revenge on  Denn.  Also, I want to ask  what  your thoughts are on them getting back together in the book?  It seems that he does love her, but in Poker does love exist?  I think that Cattie and Denn will team up and begin to fall in love again.  I say this because a lot of the book so far is taken up by him thinking of his past with her.

Then we have Jimbo.  He is a poker player who is pretty old, and was in the World Poker tour.  What age do you think he is around?  I feel he cannot be in his 40’s because that is too old to be gamblingdue to his techniques at the table not being a secret anymore.  I think he is in the late 30’s.  Also, I feel that he wants to mentor Denn, because he is so intrigued by his skills at such a young age.  Therefore, I think that they both will become a team and run the game of Poker into a new era.   Do you get the feeling that Jimbo is narrating the whole thing?  I do because the narrator, from the beginning, describes Denn with interest at a Poker table.  Then I get this because as you follow the thoughts of possibly Jimbo because they are the same as when the story started.  So, do you guys think that he would be a good role model to Denn?  I say no, because Denn needs to not blow his money, which is what Jimbo had done in his past.  Soon, he won’t have a single penny, and Jimbo says that he has lived his whole life like that.  This is not good, but I want to find out what will happen next in this financial crisis.

Some other key things I would like to point out is the game of Poker.  We have to realize that some people live life by this profession, and things can get out of hand.  What I mean by this is with money.  People will cheat, and do whatever it takes to win.  Also, we have to know that there is luck involved.  Denn may know all the tales about everybody, but some of the game is how the “cards fall”.  So, he is running his life on the flip of a card.  This is not right and I thinkit is very wrong that people gamble their life on chance.  What do you guys think?  In addition, I would like to add that the title is “All-in,” so when do you guys think it will happen?  I think that there will be a build up through the narrator, and it will happen, as he is playing Morty and Frisk either in a championship, or at a huge club.  It will be a no-limits game.

The last thing I would like to say is that we have to watch the development of Denn, and we have to find out how he could beat the odds after being set-up.  Also, I would like to add the language being presented here is unique.  This is shown by “how foxy a lady,” and “my crib,” are being used by Jimbo.  This story is written for a teen age audience, I feel. As it uses words that teenage kids can relate to.  It seems that the language used by the author brings humor to the story, because he uses two different eras with his choice of words, phrases, and also how he is so old saying them.

-Alex

P.S.  Keep blogging there is a lot to blog about so far!

Wow, what a great ending to this novel.  I’ll admit I thought it was a little borinng at first but, it really finished out strong.

At the end Carton switches with Charles.  Charles then excapes back to England with his family.  Than Cartoon is put to death with a smile on his face.  This was the most unexpecting part of the whole book.  Do you think that this was a satifying ending?  Why or why not?  It did satisfy many of the characters.  Lucie and Charles get to live together again.  Cartoon also got to end his life, like he has talking about throughout the book.  He even got to die for a good cause, keep a family together and happy.  Lucie and Charles will always remember what Cartoon did ror them.  I believew they even named their child after him.

Next I would like to talk about the trial that put Charles in jail and gave him a death sentence.  The Defrarges challenged this along with a letter written by Dr. Manette.  Madame Defarge wants Charles ead because his family has done terrible things to her sister.  Madame believes the only way to avenge her sister is to destroy the desendents of this family.  Do you think that this is a good reason to go after Charles and his family?  Eventually in this trial Charles is ruled guilty.  This brings me to another topic.  The people and the jury at this trial seem to rule to who you know.  By this I mean that if you know people that have done good you would be set free.  This is demonstrated in the first and second trials for Darnay.  In the first he is set free because Dr. Manette speaks good of him.  Dr. Manette is like a hero over in France.  In the second trial Darnay is guilty for waht his familt has done.  Do think it is fair to be judges based on friends and family?  Why or why not.

What do you guys think about some of these questions.

-Julian Garca

So far, I am mostly understand the story, but still I am slightly confused. But there are a few things I would like to ask to get the discussion for this week’s blog going.

First off, what do you think of Madame Defarge’s knitting? Does it not seem sort of creepy to you? Also I’m not sure if I missed it or if it just didn’t say, but what happens to the people whose names are knitted on the register?

Secondly, I would like to remind you of something that may be a key part in the story by asking you a question. Did the fact that Lucie and Darnay went on their honeymoon cause the doctor to “cobble shoes”? Possibly, this is just his reaction that happens when he is confused, lonely, or scared. He may be going a little insane.

Lastly, I would like to comment on how Mr. Lorry had reflected so deeply on the way he had brought Lucie up and helped her through everything. Could he possibly have some feeling for Lucie? Also, even though their relationship has been lasting for 9 years, do you think it will last them for the rest of their lives?

-Leah

To start off this discussion, I would like to talk about the first and second book.  It is kind of weird that we start off with a lost father, and turn around to a top priority treason case.  What are your guys thoughts on the first books?  Are there a connection, why Dickens would start off the book like this?

Also it seems as the trial is the main part in this book.  It involves Darnay, who is Monsieur the Marquis nephew.  It is said that he was involved in killing people from England and France.  It was said that he was targeting soldiers.  Even so, there was no hard evidence of this, but do you think he did it?  Nobody really saw his identity at any of these places.

Also in this story Monsieur the Marquis and his coach hit a young poor boy.  He does not blame his guy for hitting him, and instead hands out some gold coins and leaves.  What is your thoughts on this.  Also I notice in the stories that this is a struggle class problem/theme in the story.  It seems as the poor of the old, are the slaver that had occurred in America.  Do you think that this would be a good argument?  Also explain your answer.

Also a major problem in this book is the marriage of Ms. Manette.  It seems as Darnay wants her hand in marriage, but so does Mr. Stryver.  At the end of the chapter 12, we learn that Mr. Stryver will not marry her, because she does not wish for that.  But Darnay’s fate is not yet determined.  Do you think they will “hook up?”  Also what do you think about Darnay’s name problem?  Do you think that will affect his chance?  Also if they were to marry, and he told the truth, would they brake up?  This seems like something to watch out for, because if I were a girl I would not like the lies.  So put yourself in a girls shoes, and tell if you would like this name problem.

Also the last topic I want to talk about is the development of the relationship of Dr.Manette, and his daughter.  Also I want to talk about Mr.Lorry a little bit.  It seems as the development of the relationship is great.  There is not much detail of how they are doing, but it is a good sign that they are all talking about this marriage problem.  You can infer that they are loving being together, or she probably would care on his opinion of the marriage.  What do you guys think of this?  Also with Mr.Lorry, do you think he symbolizes anything?  To me it seems as he is the god father that has always looked after her.  Also I get the feeling that he could be related to them, and that is why he has always looked after her, and knows all about her.  Do you think my thought is right?

Alright that is all I have so have fun answering the questions.

-Alex