Blog 9: Birdseye in the Frozen Land

     This week, we just start reading a book which was written by Mark Kurlansky called "Frozen in Time". Unlike any other books we have read before, it is not a fiction or novel. It is a nonfiction which tells life stories about a famous man called Clarence Birdseye. 

     Clarence Birdseye is an American inventor and is considered to be the founder of the frozen food industry. He is bored in Brooklyn, New York. He went to the Amherst University in Massachusetts, but because of the lack of money, he dropped school. He is very abnormal compares to other children at his age. He is very curious about animals, insects and everything else in the nature. He has been called "bug" when he was young. However, he believes that only learning to get used to the mockery can bring him to success. He shows his astonishing talents in science and business. He love new things. He is always looking for adventures and feels never will get enough of it. One thing that really interests me about Clarence Birdseye is his action of going to Labrador. 

     Labrador is one of the most undeveloped place in the world. It actually is a Frozen land where Eskimos live. Clarence Birdseye is invited to spend six weeks along the Labrador coast. He is very willing to accept the invitation and immediately go there without any hesitating. There, he sees a big opportunity of both science and economy. A successful fox farm had been established in Labrador. High prices have been paid for live foxes. Clarence Birdseye then starts to observe foxes and do reaserch on it. Although it's unimaginably cold in Labrador, he dose not choose to quit. He keeps writing journals to record his life and observations and he says that he gets used to frostbite just like mosquito bites. He misses his family a lot and often sends them letters but he still stays in Labrador. 

     If I am him, I will never accept the invitation and go to Labrador. First, I hate being cold. I can not even stand the winter in Connecticut. So I can not imagine what -40 degrees Fahrenheit will be like. Second, I will never leave my family and go to such a dangerous place like that. He also has family but he chooses to take the risk of sacrificing his life to explore the frozen land. Has he ever thought about what his family will do if he dies? I don't think so. He is obsessed with adventures. 

     Another thing that surprises me about Clarence Birdseye is that he actually builds a home in Labrador. He brings his wife and his first child Kellogg there. I think only himself to take the risk is enough, but he brings his whole family there. This is one thing I will never do. I will not move to such a strange place with my whole family. To most of people, they see this action as suffering but to Clarence Birdseye, it's a joy. If I am him, I will stays where I am with my family and look for job opportunities in my city. 

     However, I think it is his bravery, love of adventures and being himself bring him success in his life. He is always looking for new things and do things that others never notice or dare to do. I think this is what makes him famous and a inventor. 

Vocabulary

Destine-  decree or designate beforehand. P60

Contagious-easily diffused or spread as from one person to another. P62

Articulate- put into words or an expression. P62

Perch- support consisting of a branch or rod that serves as a resting place. P65

Copious- large in number or quantity. P66

Prospective- concerned with or related to the future. P67

Subarctic-  of or relating to latitudes just south of the Arctic Circle. P67

Partridge - heavy-bodied small-winged South American game bird resembling a gallinaceous bird but related to the ratite birds. P70

Conspiracy-  a secret agreement between two or more people to perform an unlawful act. P73

Scheme-an elaborate and systematic plan of action. P73

Vocabulary: chapter 1-3

Rayon- a synthetic silklike fabric. P6

Massacre- large numbers of people were killed. P11

Trapezoidal- resembling a trapezoid. P14

Muskrat- beaver like aquatic rodent of North America with dark glossy brown fur. P15

Ridicule- a language or behavior intended to mock pain or suffer. P19

Mockery- make fun of or laugh at someone. P19

Fraternity- a social club for male college students. P20

Coyote- small wolf native to western North America. P23

Discredit- cause to doubt and disbelieve. P23

Insatiable- impossible to get enough or be satisfied. P27

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."