Claudia's Character

Have you ever read one of those books where you absolutely fall in love with a character? Where a character seems so realistic that they could just walk out of the book and have a conversation with you? Or one of those characters that is totally like you, holding the same beliefs or traditions as you do?

I HAVE FOUND THAT CHARACTER.

Her name is Claudia, and she is from the same book I have been reading, Incarceron. Claudia has a fairytale life in a futuristic world. She lives outside of the prison in a place called the Realm, but her house is described as something out of a futuristic fairytale. What I enjoy most about the setting is that it takes too completely different ideas and twists them into one epic setting. Okay, this may seem confusing to some, because I understand that not everybody enjoys this. However, this is perfect for me, considering that I love fairytales but also like reading science fiction. Since these genres are on different sides of the spectrum, its nice to read something that is a combination of both. FINALLY!!!

"She could see the courtyard. Three horses were saddled; her father was standing by one, both gloved hands resting on the reins, and with a suppressed whoop of relief she saw that his secretary, the dark watchful man called Medlicote, was climbing onto the gray mare. Behind, Lord Evian was being heaved into the saddle by two sweating stable hands. Claudia wondered how much of his comic awkwardness was an act and whether he had been prepared for real horses rather than cybersteeds." (Fisher, 52). In this quote, Claudia refers to cybersteeds, which must be like robot horses. That would be so cool. Anyways, we can see how the author takes sci-fi elements and combines them effortlessly into a fantasy setting. I think this really adds amusement to the story.

So, like I said before, Claudia lives a futuristic fairytale, where she is being forced to marry into the royal family (even though Claudia lives in the future, it seems that the author wanted to make it seem that in Claudia's world, it was going backwards that made the society futuristic). However, she would rather do anything than get married to somebody she doesn't love, and she would rather be climbing a tree than attending afternoon tea. Let's face it, she has a free spirit and she is very independent. She is also very casual and relaxed, but still attempts to please others (even though she hates following strict rules and being proper). These qualities are very popular in characters in modern literature, as most go on to defy the government, society, or order. I think Claudia, in a way, defies her father, by acting like a tomboy and trying to be herself when he wants her to be somebody else.

"To hide from it he jumped down and took off the elaborate dress. Underneath she was wearing a dark jumpsuit. For a moment she glanced at herself in the mirror. Clothes changed you...Now Claudia felt lithe and free. Dangerous, even...Her father paused and glance towards Jared's tower. She smiled secretly. She knew what he could see. He could see her." (Fisher, 52). I feel like this quote represents how Claudia really wants to be herself and isn't afraid to show that she wants to be herself. I have also noticed that Claudia likes to test the boundaries and shows pleasure in taking risks. This shows her defiant attitude and spirit. She is also a very curious character, as she questions the rules of society and her structured lifestyle.

With that, have a spectacular Thanksgiving break!!

Incarceron

"Who can chart the vastness of Incarceron?
Its halls and viaducts, its chasms?
Only the man who has known freedom
can define his prison.
                        -Songs of Sapphique"
(Fisher, 10).                        


Hey everybody! So I just started this new book called Incarceron, and to be honest, I'm not really sure what to think of it yet. I definitely like it, but I'm going to have to read more for sure. So something that makes this book really interesting is the setting. There are two different settings of the book, which are a prison and a small town. They seem to be set in two different time periods, but subtle hints from the author show that both of the stories occuring in this setting happen at the same time. Yes, this can get a little confusing, but the author separates the stories by telling them through alternating chapters. This helps the reader to keep the stories serparate without forgetting the other story. So there are basically two different plot lines and settings, but I have a feeling the author will add a twist somewhere along the way to make the plots intertwine and come together.

What I enjoy the most about this book (so far) are the vivid descriptions that are used to paint a picture of the setting. The author, Catherine Fisher, does a beautiful job transporting you into the world of Incarceron, a prison that is alive. From what I know so far, I can distinguish different groups that live within the prison, who all have a common goal:to survive any obsticle that Incarceron may create. "He was gasping with relief, but the trucks still came on. Surely the Civicry could see him. They must be able to see him! The flashlight was a star in the immense rumbling darkness of the hall, and in that moment, through all its stairs and galleries and thousands of labyrinthine chambers he knew Incarceron had sensed his peril, and the crah of the trucks was its harsh amusement, that the Prison watched him and would not interfere" (Fisher, 11). In this short description, we learn a lot of information about Incarceron. We know that Incarceron is a living prison, as well as is able to feel emotion, such as amusement, and that Incarceron is very vast. We also learn that there are different groups of people that live within the walls of Incarceron, such as the Civicry and other groups mentioned later in the book (Starseers and Comitatus).

The other story in the book has a setting that is very different from the prison. "From this height she could see the while estate; the kitchen garden, glasshouses, and organery, the gnarled apple trees in the orchard, the barns where the dances were held in the winter" (Fisher, 16). Right away, we notice that the setting is in complete contrast with the prison. It is much more calm and relaxing, unlike the tense and nervous feeling of the other story. I have a feeling that Catherine Fisher will use this contrast to twist the plots together to make the book more interesting.

I'm so excited to read more!!! Here is the author's website for information about herself, Incarceron, and other books:

Catherine Fisher Website

Blog Reflections

         Throughout the trimester, we have used Blogger to blog about the books we were reading and the specific elements of the book that enhanced the story. I believe that by blogging about books helped me to improve my writing as well as my reading skills. In the beginning of the trimester, I wrote a post about Hazel, the main character in the book A Fault In Our Stars. In the post I wrote, “In the beginning of the book, Hazel is very quiet, and would rather be reading or watching TV than hanging out with friends. She feels like she doesn't fit in with them, and that she shouldn't waste her time trying to.” My writing is very stiff and formal, and instead of my own voice being heard through the writing, it sounds more like sentences out of a textbook. Later in the trimester, we were encouraged to write as if we were talking to somebody about the book. In my later blog from the trimester, I wrote about a character, Jane, from the book, Formerly Shark Girl. “Jane must learn to overcome everybody else's expectations and be truly herself. Peer pressure of others has put a weight on her shoulders that she must carry around each day combined with stress of high school and life. She must let herself define who she is and who she wants to be. She has to pick up the paddle and choose a direction. This is only part of Jane's struggle. And that's just the beginning.” In this part of my blog, I feel like my voice is presented more and the quality of my writing has improved. Instead of just telling about the character, I gave some better descriptions about the character’s life.

            Through this experience, I have learned a lot about my writing style, as well as elements that make a book good to read. I struggled a little bit with the rubric and using Blogger. The rubric was very specific and focused on basic concepts that I didn’t always want to write about. But, as others felt the same way, we modified the requirements of the rubric and assignment as a class. This made the blogging more flexible and fun, and opened up more writing opportunities for my classmates and I. Blogger gave me some problems with formatting posts. As we used the blogs more, it became easier to format posts as well as add more exciting media to my blog, such as videos, links, and displays. One strength I had with blogging was the ability to add my voice to the posts, as well as make them casual. An example of more casual writing is, “Letting you know, yes, she lost her right arm. Was it easy to go back to regular life? Not at all. On top of the struggles of everyday life, and being talked about, numerous stories about the attack and her life began to appear in the news and the paper. This gave her the nickname Sharkgirl. Yes, Sharkgirl. First off, I think that is completely rude, considering she is probably scarred for life due to the attack. But, the name calling still happened. Even in her senior year, Jane is still followed by the press and the dreadful nickname, and worst of all, it began to define her.” I enjoyed writing in a casual way, as I felt that this style helped me to communicate the message, as well as make the blog easier to read.

My goal was to read 12 books during the school year, making my goal 4 books in a trimester. I ended up making my goal of four books, reading a total of seven books this trimester. I used goodreads.com to help me track my reading, find new books to read, and recommend books to others. I have improved as a reader during this trimester because I have read a variety of new genres of books, and learned more about my reading and writing through my blog. I feel that this helped me to grow a lot as a reader, and I hope to continue to blog and read new types of books in the future.