Today's morning news show talk: "Minneapolis bridge tragedy: Who's to blame?"
That's always the question. Who's to blame? Maybe if we blame someone it won't happen again. Or maybe it will make the tragedy make more sense. Maybe it will explain it.
Casting blame won't change the fact that it happened. In my opinion the blame game is just another headline - something else to perpetuate the story and keep it fresh. There's really only one way to explain any tragedy that occurs: sin. It's plain and simple, yet very difficult for many people to understand.
On a lighter note, I just glanced over at CNN and was confused when I read the bottom headline, "SEARCH RESUMES FOR MORE VICTIMS OF BRIDGE COLLAPSE." I read it as "rèsumès," as in pieces of paper listing accomplishments and experience (I know the accents are funky but I don't know how to do them the right way on this dang PC) rather than "resumes," as in starts up again. This is definitely telling of how much I have been thinking of my impending job search.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Day 58: A late HP review
I finally finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Monday night. In case there is anyone out there slower than I was in reading the book, this post has SPOILERS.
The formula - I'm not sure if it's just that I'm no longer 12 years old or what, but this book made me realize how not good of a writer J.K. is. I mean, yeah she held my interest for the most part, but the entire book was formulaic; this must have been the easiest one for her to write. It was just a big puzzle and she gave us one piece at a time. But of course none of the pieces were really extraordinary, because it's a magical world so literally anything can happen. The repetition got to me: They make a new discovery, then they get attacked by Death Eaters or Voldemort, then Harry wakes up somewhere unknown and someone has saved him and they explain how they saved him. There wasn't any true suspense during their wanderings in the woods, because I knew no matter what happened, somehow Hermione or Ron or someone would do something miraculous and save the day. The amount of pure luck they encountered was ridiculous too, and sort of made the story less engaging. (Oh my gosh, Dean Thomas and Griphook just so happen to end up in the forest right where Harry is. Oh wow, Dumbledore's bro sees Harry and pulls him into the pub at exactly the right time. Not very believable, but of course things like that happen for Harry Potter.)
A fitting end - I think the book as a part of a whole was a fitting ending to the series, with the right amount of closure (revisiting old people and places, reliving memories, tying up all the loose ends), but as a book in itself, it was a huge letdown to me. Now, I will attribute a lot of that to the fact that I am now a college-educated woman and not a 7th grader like I was when I first met Harry Potter (crazy, I know), but it kind of dissapoints me on the whole.
Did Ginny intend on having sex with Harry? From all other clues in the book, I do not think they had sex or intended to in Ginny's bedroom. She didn't need to do that to show her devotion or love; remember they had barely looked at each other in a long time, and Harry had broken up with HER, not vice versa, so a kiss was a pretty bold and meaningful move in the first place. It doesn't seem to me that they are the type that would do that anyway, judging that Ron and Hermione would blush just saying each other's names, and Harry would blush just looking at Ginny.
Sexual tension between Bellatrix and Voldemort - I don't think Voldemort is capable of any sort of sexual desire. Even if he was, he would never make himself vulnerable like that. I do think Bellatrix had sexual fantasies about him though, as evidenced by her passionate moans and whatnot in one of the ending scenes.
The epilogue - Sooooo cheesy it made me want to gag. But of course it was the one part I cried at because I ALWAYS cry at epilogues, no matter what. Revisiting characters years later just is a tearjerker for me. I even cried at the epilogue at the end of "Sandlot 2." Embarrassing. But despite that, the dialogue at the end was so bad. I'm glad I found out how they all ended up and how the cycle continues (I love the thought of Harry's parents' generation and Harry's generation and his kids' generation all going through similar experiences at Hogwarts and in life), but man oh man! Too much cheese... where are the nachos...
Predictions - I was pretty certain Harry wouldn't actually die. I predicted the whole "he can love and sacrifice himself and voldemort can't" thing once I got closer to his sacrifice. As for the Harry as a horcrux thing, I'm not sure if it was supposed to be a big surprise, but it wasn't. I had a hunch Snape was good once I saw him in the shrieking shack with You Know Who. It was suspicious how little he was mentioned throughout the bulk of the novel. I also had a hunch that Neville would be the one to kill Nagini, especially after Harry told him to (duh).
Creative detail that I really liked - The trace on Voldemort's name and how you couldn't say it was a great addition, in my opinion.
Lupin? In the beginning I suspected Lupin of being a Death Eater. He has always been really supsicious in my mind. I feel like Teddy is the new Harry, with no parents and Harry as his godfather (by the way, why do they have godfathers when they have no god in the wizard world?).
Saddest death - Well, Dobby's was the most emotional for Harry, and therefore for most readers I would suspect, but of course it is awful to think of a beloved Weasley dead, especially when the narrative said, "His last laugh was still etched on his face..." That was a truly great and terrible line.
Sorry for the somewhat cynical review of the book. Harry Potter was my favorite book when I read it for the first time in December of 1998, and it has been a very engaging series for me since then. I love how I and so many others can open one of J.K. Rowling's books and be immersed in a fantastic world that is so well-developed and understood among fans. Now, however, as a 21-year-old and a Christian, I am wary of how cultish the series has become among some people. Coupled with that is the godless, morbid view of death J.K. Rowling has and perpetuates in her last few books. While I am able to separate her ideas from reality, I fear that most children cannot and this fantasy world will ultimately hurt them in the real world. More to come on that.
The formula - I'm not sure if it's just that I'm no longer 12 years old or what, but this book made me realize how not good of a writer J.K. is. I mean, yeah she held my interest for the most part, but the entire book was formulaic; this must have been the easiest one for her to write. It was just a big puzzle and she gave us one piece at a time. But of course none of the pieces were really extraordinary, because it's a magical world so literally anything can happen. The repetition got to me: They make a new discovery, then they get attacked by Death Eaters or Voldemort, then Harry wakes up somewhere unknown and someone has saved him and they explain how they saved him. There wasn't any true suspense during their wanderings in the woods, because I knew no matter what happened, somehow Hermione or Ron or someone would do something miraculous and save the day. The amount of pure luck they encountered was ridiculous too, and sort of made the story less engaging. (Oh my gosh, Dean Thomas and Griphook just so happen to end up in the forest right where Harry is. Oh wow, Dumbledore's bro sees Harry and pulls him into the pub at exactly the right time. Not very believable, but of course things like that happen for Harry Potter.)
A fitting end - I think the book as a part of a whole was a fitting ending to the series, with the right amount of closure (revisiting old people and places, reliving memories, tying up all the loose ends), but as a book in itself, it was a huge letdown to me. Now, I will attribute a lot of that to the fact that I am now a college-educated woman and not a 7th grader like I was when I first met Harry Potter (crazy, I know), but it kind of dissapoints me on the whole.
Did Ginny intend on having sex with Harry? From all other clues in the book, I do not think they had sex or intended to in Ginny's bedroom. She didn't need to do that to show her devotion or love; remember they had barely looked at each other in a long time, and Harry had broken up with HER, not vice versa, so a kiss was a pretty bold and meaningful move in the first place. It doesn't seem to me that they are the type that would do that anyway, judging that Ron and Hermione would blush just saying each other's names, and Harry would blush just looking at Ginny.
Sexual tension between Bellatrix and Voldemort - I don't think Voldemort is capable of any sort of sexual desire. Even if he was, he would never make himself vulnerable like that. I do think Bellatrix had sexual fantasies about him though, as evidenced by her passionate moans and whatnot in one of the ending scenes.
The epilogue - Sooooo cheesy it made me want to gag. But of course it was the one part I cried at because I ALWAYS cry at epilogues, no matter what. Revisiting characters years later just is a tearjerker for me. I even cried at the epilogue at the end of "Sandlot 2." Embarrassing. But despite that, the dialogue at the end was so bad. I'm glad I found out how they all ended up and how the cycle continues (I love the thought of Harry's parents' generation and Harry's generation and his kids' generation all going through similar experiences at Hogwarts and in life), but man oh man! Too much cheese... where are the nachos...
Predictions - I was pretty certain Harry wouldn't actually die. I predicted the whole "he can love and sacrifice himself and voldemort can't" thing once I got closer to his sacrifice. As for the Harry as a horcrux thing, I'm not sure if it was supposed to be a big surprise, but it wasn't. I had a hunch Snape was good once I saw him in the shrieking shack with You Know Who. It was suspicious how little he was mentioned throughout the bulk of the novel. I also had a hunch that Neville would be the one to kill Nagini, especially after Harry told him to (duh).
Creative detail that I really liked - The trace on Voldemort's name and how you couldn't say it was a great addition, in my opinion.
Lupin? In the beginning I suspected Lupin of being a Death Eater. He has always been really supsicious in my mind. I feel like Teddy is the new Harry, with no parents and Harry as his godfather (by the way, why do they have godfathers when they have no god in the wizard world?).
Saddest death - Well, Dobby's was the most emotional for Harry, and therefore for most readers I would suspect, but of course it is awful to think of a beloved Weasley dead, especially when the narrative said, "His last laugh was still etched on his face..." That was a truly great and terrible line.
Sorry for the somewhat cynical review of the book. Harry Potter was my favorite book when I read it for the first time in December of 1998, and it has been a very engaging series for me since then. I love how I and so many others can open one of J.K. Rowling's books and be immersed in a fantastic world that is so well-developed and understood among fans. Now, however, as a 21-year-old and a Christian, I am wary of how cultish the series has become among some people. Coupled with that is the godless, morbid view of death J.K. Rowling has and perpetuates in her last few books. While I am able to separate her ideas from reality, I fear that most children cannot and this fantasy world will ultimately hurt them in the real world. More to come on that.
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