Thesis Blog #5

There seem to be two different styles that Irving uses for this book. The story is told from two different times: the first being the present, where the main character reflects on the past and the second is back when he and Owen were kids. When in present time there is no conversation. You are told everything and don't truly get to experience it. When in the past the story has lots of conversation. You actually feel like you are experiencing the things the kids go through.

50 pages. Owen is trying to be friends with the main character again. He gives the main character his baseball cards (he collects them) and the main character, with help from Dan, figures that he needs to give the cards back and give Owen something that is of value to him. He gives Owen his Armadillo. Owen gives the Armadillo back and then they are friends again. Owen now stays with Dan(his step dad) and his grandmothers. He goes between the house whenever he likes.

Thesis BLog #4

I think the most prevalent use of symbolism in A Prayer For Owen Meany is Owen's interpretations of how the world around him works. Owen can find an abstract meaning in almost anything and uses them make sense of his world. When Owen is sleeping over at the main characters house he feels ill and goes to see the main characters mom. He walks into her room and runs back to get the main character. He says he saw an angel floating above the mother while she slept. Owen believed the angel was a symbolization of death coming for the main characters mother. He thinks that he has disturbed the angel of death while it was trying to take the mothers life.
30 pages read since last post. Owen and the main character play little league baseball. They are both bad at the game. Owen is only used when no one else is able to go up and he can never hit the ball. This is mainly because of his size. One game Owen is sent up and they are losing. Owen actually hits the ball and it hit the main characters mother in the temple. She was dead instantly. Owen's first hit and it was a foul, no less, that killed his best friends mother. I mentioned the angel of death earlier well Owen reasons that because he disturbed the Angel of death while working he was reassigned the task of killing the main characters mother.
I went on Wikipedia.org and looked up John Irving. Someone had done an analysis of his writings and had found common themes in many of his books. It said that New England, Prostitutes, and Vienna were the most common themes in his book. New England is brought up in all of his books except one. The analysis said that New England, Prostitues, Dead PArent, and Deadly Accident were four of of his re-occurring themes that showed up in a Prayer for Owen Meany

THesis Blog #3

Aite so ima gonna skip writing down all the time it took me to find an Author and just do what the post is asking. Ok so I'm reading John Irving. And he's a really interesting writer. Right now i'm reading a A Prayer For Owen Meany which is really entertaining. In the book so far I have been introduced to Owen who is the main reason for our main characters belief in God. Owen is a tiny kid who has an irritatingly high voice. He is a very devout Episcopalian and hates Catholics. The main character tells the story from both when he is older and living in Canada and from the time when he and Owen were best friends when they were younger(ARound 11).

Thesis Blog #2

So I went out and bought As I Lay Dying. I didn't understand that it was about a family waiting for their mother/wife to do. I definitely thought that with a title like that it would be a book with a lot of action. So since it was absolutely nothing like what I thought it was i didn't enjoy it at all. It wasn't compelling in the least, it was slow moving and took a while to establish the everything.
One piece of the text i don't think i will forget is when it is mentioned that the mother's coffin, which is being made by one of her sons, is being constructed just outside her window. Everyday she gets to hear the wood being cut and the nails getting hammered into place.
I'm going to try to find a new American Author. I'll ask my mom for suggestions

Thesis Blog #1

My first choice for an American Author was William Faulkner. As I started to read the Reavers, I decided to watch it instead. So I rented the Reavers. Overall a pretty good movie. So I thought I'd try the book again. Terrible Idea. I couldn't get past page twenty. Faulkner's writing style is very dense and quite boring...... Hmm, maybe i should try Hemingway?