Comparison: Opal Dream VS Pobby and Dingan

     We just finished the book called "Pobby and Dingan" recently, and we watched a movie called Opal Dream today. This movie is reorganized based on the novel itself. It mainly talking about a story that happens on the Williamson family in Australia. Kellyanne has two imaginary friends whose names are Pobby and Dingan. At first, no one believes in the existence of her imaginary friends, but after her father lost them and her brother Ashmol starts looking for them and as well as the people in town, more and more people actually believe Pobby and Dingan are real. 

     If you ask me which one I like best between the movie or the novel, I will definitely choose the novel. I think the novel is the original form which was created directly by the author and not adapted by any other people. It is much more detailed than the movie and I think it makes more sense. It tells us the story logically. In comparison, the movie deletes some scenes which are suppose to be in the original book. For example, the book tells that after Ashmol tells all the people in the town to help Kellyanne to find Pobby and Dingan, people are actually looking for them. Many people go to the Williamson's house and claim that they find Pobby and Dingan and ask for rewards, but Kellyanne insists that they are lying. The whole part of this section is missing in the film. I think this is a very important scene, because it is actually why Kellyanne asks Ashmol to go to the mine and search for the bodies of Pobby and Dingan. It is a vital part which connects things that happens before with things that are going to happen together. It exhibit a logical way to the reader, and I think people will probably get confused if they only watch the film. 

Also, the novel actually creats a much wilder space for our imagination to expand. Virtually, the film is like a "mind killer". I imagine what every person in the Williamson looks like; I imagine the environment they live in and also how people are searching for Pobby and Dingan and gradually change their attitude. All the actors and actress in the film are actually totally different from what I imagine. 

This is why I like the novel much more than the film. Although I know there are a lot of people love the movie because it kind of gives us some images, and the movie tells the story in a way closer to what we hope, I still think the original novel has more advantages for us to read.  

Life of Galileo: An Unforgettable Night

On this Friday night, I went to our school's Black Box Theater to watch the drama play called "Life of Galileo". Galileo is an astronomer and a mathematician. This show is mainly talking about Galileo built his own telescope and used the telescope to affirm Copernicus's heliocentric model of our solar system was correct. His action was both against the Church and people's common belief. He then was brought to Vatican for interrogating. Because of the suppression from the Church and pressure of threatening and torturing, he withdrew his teaching. Then he was put under house arrest. When his friend Andrea visited him, Galileo gave him a book which contains all of his scientic discoveries and theories, and he asked Andrea to bring it out of Italy. Andrea finally knows that Galileo withdraws his teaching to fool the Church. 

To be honest, I did not really get what the whole play was talking about when I see it in the Black Box Theater. However, when I search it online after I watched it, I think everything seems to make a little bit sense to me. One thing that surprises me is that this play is not like other drama which make good compliments on Galileo. It shows us another side of Galileo. He is not like what people thinks which he is a hero and he dedicates himself for science and truth. He is brave to say things that he sees and challenges the authority fans the Church. However, he did all of these things not for his passion to science but his desire for money, food and drink. He is just like a normal person who wants these normal things and owns a dream of being wealthy. 

For the last part of the play, I think it is kind of surprised but meaningful. Andrea says to the boy: "Believe what you see, child." This sentence provide much information for thought. Andrea tells us that we should not believe in rumor and what other people are saying. We need physical evidence and should believe in what we see, just like Galileo. Although Galileo takes risk for his personal goals, we still should respect his bravery and insistence of believing the truth. We should all like him, believe in our eyes rather than our ears. 

This is actually my first time to see this kind of play. Although it does not have a crowd of audience, but I think every audience behaves very well. There is no ringing of cellphone or cheat chatting. Everyone is quiet and pays full attention to the actors and actresses on the stage. I have to say I was amazed by these actors and actresses in the play. As we all know, the language of this play is very hard and it is kind of old fashion English. Not just saying that it is hard for us to understand, but it is even harder for people who are in this show to remember and act out naturally like it is her own saying. They did a really awesome job! They are amazing! I can not imagine how hard for me to remember these words and act on the stage under the spotlight. 

I think this is a very successful and good play which makes us to think and learn. I really appreciate those people who work hard to give us this fabulous play. This is an unforgettable night! 

Research on Brecht

Bertolt Brecht is a German dramatist, poet, and theatre director. He is born in 10 February, 1898 in Germany. He dedicated himself into his career and made great contribution to theatrical production. He had many famous works such as "Life of Galileo", "Mother Courage and Her Children" and "The Good Person of Szechwan". He developed a style of epic theater which is a long narrative poem telling people historical stories. It proposed that a play should cause people to question the actions on the stage and self-reflection. He wanted his audience to provide critical persepectives and views and connect with their own society and also bring effects to the whole world. One interesting thing about Brecht is that he is influenced by Chinese theatre. Brecht attended a Chinese opera performance and was introduced to a Chinese opera performer called Mei LanFang in 1935, who is the most popular, famous, influential and respected opera performer throughout Chinese history. However, he found out that Chinese opera style is not transportable, his epic theatre needed to seek another way of addressing society and telling historical events. He used both his poem and drama to criticize European culture. He then died at the age of fifty eight in 14 August, 1956. Although he passed away at such a young age, he left remarkable influences to the world drama. 

In Class Writing on Pobby and Dingan

The secret of an opal's color is not in its substance because all of its substance can be seen by others. However, what it's absences are is what really important. For example, the opal Ashmol found in the mine has different meanings toward different people. For Mr. Dan, it is a very valuable opal because it has strange colors. For Kellyanne, it represents Pobby and Dingan. However, for Ashmol, the opal means hope. He finally got proved that their mine actually has opals. The opal also means that it will make Kellyanne get better after she knew it is Dingan's bellybutton. This opal's real value is not its rare color or its price, but things that cannot be priced and are important to the Williamson family. Its real value cannot just simply be seen from its color, but things and stories behind it. I think this is the reason why the author says: "The secret of an opal's color lies not in its substance but in its absences."

Preparation for "Life of Galileo"

"Life of Galileo" is a play which was created by a German dramatist in twentieth century. It is also called "Galileo". It has two versions: one is German and one is English. The main character Galileo is a mathematician, an astronomer and a philosopher during the scientific revolution. At that time, a great debate about world astronomy was going on between the Geocentrism and Heliocentrism. Galileo built his own telescope and used the telescope to affirm Copernicus's heliocentric model of our solar system was correct. His action was both against the Church and people's common belief. He then was brought to Vatican for interrogating. Because of the suppression from the Church and pressure of threatening and torturing, he withdrew his teaching. Then he was put under house arrest. When his friend Andrea visited him, Galileo gave him a book which contains all of his scientic discoveries and theories, and he asked Andrea to bring it out of Italy. Andrea finally knows that Galileo withdraws his teaching to fool the Church. Andrea thinks his action was heroic, but Galileo said this action had nothing do with being a hero but self-interest. In this case, he published his last work in Germany in 1638. On January 8th, 1642, Galileo passed away at the age of seventy seven. 

Have You Ever Had a Imaginary Friend?

     This week in our English class we started to read "Pobby and Dingan" by Ben Rice. This is a book which talkes about imaginary friends. There are some main characters: Kellyanne, who is the girl has imaginary friends, Ashmol, who is her brother, her father, her mother and her imaginary friends: Pobby and Dingan. Till now, which I read, the book is mainly talking about stories of how Ashmol and his father didn't believe in the existence of Pobby and Dingan, but then they tried all they can to help Kellyanne to find Pobby and Dingan when her father lost them. If you are going to ask me whether I like this book or not, I think it is half and half. 

     First of all, I like this book is because it has a very interesting topic. When I read this book, I was a little bit confused by who Pobby and Dingan are. Then when I know they are Kellyanne's imaginary friends, I was surprised because I have never read any book about the imaginary friend. This is very special and makes my want to know what's the story between the Williamsons and Pobby and Dingan. Also, this book is a book which has the theme of love. I can feel the warmth of the family when I read this book. Especially, I love the part where talkes about Ashmol decides to help Kellyanne and his whole family to get into a better condition, he goes out and telles all people to help her sister to find Pobby and Dingan. I was moved when he figured out what he is going to do repot help Kellyanne: "I reckoned that the first thing would be to have as many people as possible looking for them, or pretending to look, so that at least Kellyanne know that people cared, that they believed in her imaginary friends and wanted to help out." He is really brave. He can come out with this idea while most people in their town don't like them and think they are ratters. Although he knows that his family has a bad reputation in the town, he still chooses the most efficient way but will take risks to do it. He loves his sister so much so he tries everything he can to make her sister get better. 

     However, there are things that I don't really like about this book. First, there are many bad words in it. I really don't like that. I think its acceptable if it appears fewer times, but there are actually many words like that in the book. I think it is not good for us to learn these words an use them in our life. I think the writer could choose some words that are more formal and politely but still can show his emotion. This is a better way to write and for our readers to receive good and positive information from the book. Second, there are many slangs in the book. The story happens in Australia, which is not local American English. There are many slangs that I don't know and I can not find the meaning in my translator, either. In this way, it is hard to understand the full information which the author is trying to convey to us. I think the best way to solve this problem is that the writer could have some notes at the bottom of every pages to explain what the word means. In this way, our readers are able to understand the story better. 

     All in all, I think Pobby and Dingan is a good book. Although it has things that I like and don't like, I will focus more on the good things. I enjoy my time when I read this book. I hope everyone has similar feeling toward this book.