The host Chunk Three

Honestly if I were in the situation that Wanderer and Melanie are in I would do exactly what Wanderer is doing. I understand that Melanie is in deep love with Jared and shes so happy to see them alive, but she also promised them she would come back. If she is alive in some way I believe her life is worth saving. But with all the crazy outbursts she has she is making it that much harder for Wanderer. Wanderer has it in her mind that if she talks less then she would cause less trouble. Which makes sense because every time she said something or made a move she ended up getting hit. On the other hand, from the very beginning wouldn't have stayed in Melanie's body if I was having trouble with it. As a soul maybe a reputation is more important but I don't see the use of a reputation if I can't gloat about it. Think about it. There was a very large chance that Melanie would've pushed Wanderer out of her body. If I were a soul that would scare the living crap out of me. Wanderer has some serious issues when it comes to decision making. What actually throws me for a loop is she doesn't know who she wants to help. She is keeping secrets from the humans and she is keeping secrets from her own kind. Its like she's a rogue soul or something. To be frank her indecisive mind is annoying me. Either she helps the aliens or the humans. I'm sure what I want to happen but I know something needs too happen soon. Books don't always have to have a happy ending but they do need to have a good one.

Who is your least favorite character and why?
How do you think the book should end?

The Host Chunk Two

Now that Melanie and Wanderer have been caught, Wanderer is in a state of fear and panic. As she listens to the ddisputes and conversaations, she sees that she has been saved, not because the humans care about her, but because she is suppose to be apart of some experiment that the humans have ran on other souls and failed. These observations she makes confirm the thoughts that she and her people had about humans being violent beings. Meyers introduces something that has always been. That is research. Research is used to learn more about something and unfortunately its not always done in the most humane way. ot only that but it results in failure at times as well. The worse type of research known to man is that done another living creature. It's known to many as playing God if you don't let things happen naturally. It's also seen as a barbarian like occupation to run experiments on people. This portion of the book is a small evaluation of what humans would do to get the knowledge that they want. Whats crazy is their knowledge is in the form of a diamond. Its like a conflict/blood diamond.

The Host

Finally Melanie got what she wanted. She has found Jared among these humans howver her love for him has blinded her. This is because Jared does not see Melanie. The only thing he sees them as right now are parasites. She ignores the fact that he does not know that she is still alive. Her longing for him is so strong that she actually gains enough control to extend toward him only to recieve a pound against her face by the smack of his hand. However, the thing that makes this scene pitiful is that she seems to obsess over him instead of analyzing her situation to see what she should do to stay alive. Stephanie Meyers is giving the impression that love is more like an obsession.

What is the difference between love and obsession?

Sixth Blog For The Host

At this point Wanderer is definitely helping Melanie get to her family. They are wandering around in a desert to follow the directions of a relative of Melanie's of whom is known to be crazy. They do this in hopes to find Jared and Jamie at the house waiting for her to arrive. Amazingly they make it to their destination only to pass out on the hot desert sand. They are rescued by Melanie's uncle but he, along with a group of other survivors, believe her body is taken over by an alien, which it is, but she is still coexisting in her mind. The humans are feeling threatened by her presence and Melanie and Wanderer now have to figure out how they can convince these people that Melanie is still alive inside of her or neither of them will be living. The worse part is Melanie will die at the hands of her very own uncle unless they think of way to get the humans to believe them. Though she is looking death in its face the only thing on Melanie's mind is what other relatives of hers have survived this take over. Wanderer is preoccupied with the clubs and axes in the hands of the people surrounding them. Honestly their whole mission is pointless. In the end if they do find Jared what will happen? Wanderer is pretty blind to believe that Jared will return the same feelings she now has for him. His heart is with the human Melanie not with the soul Wanderer, or any soul for that matter.

Fifth Blog For The Host

Uh Oh! Wanderer is way over her head. At this point she is thinking of turning on her people. Melanie's story has made such an impact on Wanderer she is beginning to act human. I mean that in a sense as she is starting to have feelings for Melanie, her boyfriend Jared, and her little brother Jamie. Wanderer is now trying to think of how she is going to get clear of this difficult obstacle. One of her options is to just leave the body but then she would have to leave the host to a harassing Seeker that wants to try and get the info from Melanie's mind herself. Just the idea disgusts both Melanie and Wanderer. The turn of events in this story keep readers alive while reading. One thing that is booming in my head is what will Wanderer do if she actually meets Melanie's family? How can she convince them that Melanie is still present in her mind and that she means no harm? Wanderer is taking a risk with any choice she makes. Either she helps Melanie save her family or she doesnt help and let the Seeker feed off of Melanie's mind to destroy the last two humans who have not been invaded.


What is it about people that makes them more human than animals? Is our capability to fell emotion? Animals feel emotion.
Is it our ability to make mistakes? Animals do it too even if they don't know it.
What sets humans apart from animals? (I only hope you won't say opposable thumbs).

Fourth Blog For The Host

Two main characters-a human girl named Melanie, and a soul named Wanderer- are conflicting with each other at this point. With most invasions of a host (human body) the mind has been completely taken over and the human is no longer existing in spirit, howver with Melanie it is a different story. Wanderer is known for her ability to take over any host successfully without struggle but Melanie is not a child host like all the other hosts. Melanie is still existing as a second mind in her body with Wanderer and she can't take it. Melanie continues to block thoughts in her mind to protect the last humans who have not been found making Wanderer's job much harder than she expected. By feeding the alien memories of her beloved Melanie has tapped into the "heart" of Wanderer causing her to fall in love. Wanderer is not use to this type of struggle and she is not sure whether she is safe in the host she has. If she stays in Melanie's body she is at risk to losing herself to Melanie. If she does not she will destroy her reputation as a conquering soul. How long will it be before Melanie wins her body back and pushes the invader out like Wanderer meant to do to her?


What is it about social appearance that gives it its title and place of important in people's minds?

Second Blog For The Host

One thing on my mind while reading is how these invasive aliens picture themselves as "the good guys" when they are suppressing the minds of humans and taking over their bodies. Keep in mind that suppressing something usually means by force. So there is a sense of oppression in the story. I can't agree that what the creatures are doing is for the good of the planet.The most upsetting thing about what is happening in the story is that the bodies preferred are that of children and once again the creatures justify their actions for that. When it comes down to it the main point is that their freedom of will is no longer there. In fact, the soul itself is not even there. It made me wonder whether the author Stephanie Meyer was trying to have her readers chgoose sides. Whether they agree with what the aliens are doing or whether the readers are on the side of humans. I for one am not agreeing with the actions of the aliens but I agree to a certain extent that humans can indeed be malicious beings.

The Host

In the beginning the book was moving fairly slow, but that was because the first few chapters were an introduction to the entire story. The whole idea of aliens taking over worlds and the bodies of other beings to maintain peace is very farfetched but I like it. Stephanie Meyer put a sligh t twist to it by making the humans in her novel look like the monsters and the foreign creatures were the ones trying to tone down violence. Not only does this story have peacemaking aliens but also romance; a love triangle if I may say, between the alien, the human's mind, and the human's boyfriend. This normally attracts the minds of young adults like myself, which is why I see this novel as a great choice for personal reading.

What components of this book are the most attractive?The romance or the alien invasion?

Night

Night, by Ellie Wiesel, is the narration of a victim of the Holocaust. In this story a man is reliving the horrific eventsHolocaust as he is transported to different camps and abused by the guards that keep him and other jewish people in confinement. This story reaches every person in the world in so many ways, whether thaose people have gone through troubles or not. The Holocaust is one of the most tragic events in history however, not many people are aware of how terrible it really was and Night helps inform the world.


Can it be said that when another major event in history happens, the one before it is forgotten?

A Lesson Before Dying

Ernest J. Gaines, the author of A Lesson Before Dying, implies in his argument that black men are not pigs incapable of reason, but are like every other white man; a human being. In the misunderstanding of a liquor store shootout an innocent bystander, Jefferson, is accused of murdering two white men. In the end he is becoming fond of a young gentlemen who helps him become a man instead of dying llike a locked up beast. This book interested me so much because it was a book that showed the steady progress of a man who would have his life taken when he didn't deserve it.

QUESTION

What is most important in life your first impression or last?

A Crack-down On Business

T. R. Reid's 2004 non-fiction text informs it's readers about the different scenarios in which Europe had taken the upper hand and over ruled the decisions in an American business. The corporation of I am speaking of is the General Electric. In the course of accomplishing a financial business goal Jack Welch ,CEO and Jack Welch Junior future CEO,are stumped when they are stopped in their tracks froom merging with another major company. With disregard for the European Union (EU) they excell into a titanious ruling in corporations until the International Competition Network ( ICN) stopped Jack Welch junior from merging with Honeywell. This was Welch's father's goal as CEO and he too was stopped. The book displayed exactly how powerful the EU had become and that their power would last for generations and be capable of bringing down multimilliondollar corporations whether they were American or not.

Tone
Informal

Vocabulary
Phalax

Rhetorical Terms
Analogy: " Welch took home hundreds of millions of dollars in salary, options, bonuses, and benefits. Indeed, he created a lifestyle of Babylonian splendor for himself at the company's expense."
Question
They say that China is going to be the new superpower meaning Europe has been pushed behind it so how much power exactly has the EU lost across the Atlantic?

The United States Of Europe

T. R. Reid's 2004 non-fiction informs it's readers of Europe's accelerating rise to supremacy over the U. S. Reid begins first by introducing the different ways that America is mocked and portrayed in Great Britain using entertainment as a source of support. There are television shows and plays in Great Britain that are partially funny and at the same time offending and even at times inaccurate. But he is not choosing sides because he then introduces evidence of some of the fairly admirable traits of the U. S. By using quotes from immigrants that have traveled from their home countries and decided to stay in America Reid was capable of showing the good side of America. Not only is Europe pointing out the problems with America but Reid shows that they have also been trying to unify itself into a greater more peaceful union. By adopting the blueprints that the U. S. used to create all 50 states Europe has began to congregate its countries into a more open and team-playing union.


TONE
Satirical/Informal

VOCABULARY

• Masochistic
• Demurely
• Pancontinental
• Predawn
• Consternation
• Ubiquitous
• Deleterious
• Mawkish
• Cosseting
• Paradigm
• Haranguing
• Caricaturist
• Plight
• Jarring

RHETORICAL STRATEGIES

Allusion: "...to receive the adulation of millions celebrating VE-Day, the prime minister..."

Anecdote: "I was offered 200 pounds on the spot for the cowboy boots I was wearing. That was $370, more than twice what I had paid for the boots, new, back home in Colorado."

Satire: " ...the typical American home depicted on "The Lardburgers," a regular segment on a satirical British T. V. show Big Breakfast... Jeff and Stacey don't have jobs, so they spend their free time looking for the lawsuit that will make them rich. Their big hero, other than George W. Bush, is the woman who sued Mc Donalds, and won, because her coffee was too hot."

QUESTION

Is America seeing Europe's uprise as a challenge to their power and if so how are they reacting to make sure they do not drop below the bar of superpower?

Killer Space Rocks

In Kevin Krajik's 2007 article ,for Popular Science, he enlightens the public with information of millions of NEO's (Near-Earth Objects). Krajik lets the public know what exactly it is thats in outer space, who is watching these meteorites, and what they're planning. They have estimated that one meteor is going to hit Earth in 2029. They say the places most likely to be hit are the U.S. and China. NASA's ideas so far are to blow up the meteor, crash into it, or push/pull it but they have continuously found problems with those options. So They are currently working on ways to make sure homo sapiens do not end like the dinosaurs did.

I located this article at: http://www.popsci.com/popsci/aviationspace/b9212179d0074110vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html

Tone
Urgent

Question
What type of cosmic trgedy could the Earth not protect itself from even with years of research?

Two authors, a rabbi and an atheist, debate religion and science

Steve Padillo
I viewed this article here:http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-me-beliefs29dec29,1,4742833.story?page=2&cset=true&ctrack=2&coll=la-news-science


Steve Padillo's 2007 Los Angeles Times article highlights the debate between a rabbi and an atheist about religion, science, and how it is incorporated in the daily lives of many. Sam Harris and Rabbi David Wolpe are both known authors who write books on such topics. Padillo notes how Harris brings attention to the violent crimes committed claiming to be in the name of God. Wolbe being a rabbi admits that there are erratic interpretations of religion that result in violent endings but religion is also capable of aiding in the construction of an admirable person. Before an alternating debate about that science was in play. "...the idea that science explains human life is an idea that I think is promoted only by people who are under the misimpression that the place of science in human life is a scientific question, when in fact it's a philosophical or religious question," was one point made. "And you can't explain the place of science in human life in scientific terms. Just like you can't explain what an idea is in scientific terms. It's intangible and philosophical and religious," Wolpe said. The rabbi believes that science doesn't have a purpose of proving a religion wrong rather it answers questions unknown. Padillo continues to show the two differing points of view that the atheist and rabbi have with this quote from Harris. "I would challenge anyone here to think of a question upon which we once had a scientific answer, however inadequate, but for which now the best answer is a religious one. Now, you can think of an uncountable number of questions that run the other way: Where we once had a religious answer and now the authority of religion has been battered and nullified by science and by moral progress and secular progress generally. And I think that's not an accident." The debate truly was insightful but Padillo does not believe it had swayed the views of any religious or non-religious minds.

Tone
Controversial
Question
What can be expected of a society diverse in religous beliefs as oppose to one without?