Northern Lights and Swallows and Amazons Essay -- Literary Analysis, B

Rudd’s (2009) essay evaluates Enid Blyton’s work offering a different perspective to account for the appeal and popularity of the author. This essay looks at the aspects raised by Rudd. How Blyton, Pullman and Ransom illustrate the different aspects of a good or a bad book. The way critics confer prestige on a book or author and the arising criticism. How the agenda of the committees affects the selection of prize-winners. Finally, looking at the factors involved in success. The set books used in his essay are Pullman (1995) Northern Lights and Ransom (2001) Swallows and Amazons. Critics view the books by Pullman and Ransom as examples of literary excellence. In order to evaluate this opinion it is necessary to discuss what aspects critics consider contribute to a good book and how these books illustrate them. The American Library Associate (ALA) uses the term ‘edubrow’ (Kidd, (2009) p158) to mean the middle ground of literature with an educational emphasis. This emphasis is at the centre of the criteria for a good book by increasing the experiences of the reader through varied language, dynamic themes, rounded characterisation with comprehensive plots. The critics favour works that involve the reader in a non-passive manner to gain insights into universal aspects of human existence like love, identity, revenge, sexuality and betrayal. Pullman has written a basic adventure story laced with multiple themes, metaphors and ideas. He uses intertextuality to enrich his text and enhance his ideas and arguments (Squires, 2009). His novel is mainly a critique of the theology surrounding the Judaeo-Christian myth of the Fall where the gaining of experience replaces the loss of innocence. He compares this idea with the journey of his m... ...as created controversy where his books are studied and dissected by academics. He is outspoken and interacts with critics about the themes in his book, which are the antithesis of C.S Lewis Narnia series. Controversy and debate are forms of creating interest in a book that send sales soaring. Everyone wants to read the book that is creating such a furore. In conclusion, critical evaluation of what makes a book good or bad depends on the selection criteria and agenda of those making the evaluation. The prizes have been criticised through the years and the selection committees have risen to this by changing the selection process, even if this change has been slow. Children’s Literature is in flux due to the ever-changing ideas and perceptions of childhood. Children’s books seen as prestigious today may become, like Blyton, unpalatable to the critics of tomorrow.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Essay

The book Pirates of the Caribbean, written by Irene Trimble is about the legend of a pirate ship called the Black Pearl its curse and the crews that fight for it. Jack Sparrow was once captain of the Black Pearl but now Barbossa is the captain. Jack and Will Turner are on a mission to take over the black pearl and save Elizabeth from Barbossa and his crew. Barbossa and his pirate crew are cursed. Because of the curse the food they eat turns to ashes in their mouth, they cannot taste their drinks and when they step into the moon light they turn into skeletons. â€Å"But there is one way to end the curse,’’ Barbossa said raising an eyebrow. ‘’All the scattered pieces of Aztec gold must be restored†¦ and the blood repaid.† (Pg.52) The blood has to be from Bootstrap Bill or his son Will Turner. After all the gold is returned to the cave at Isla de la Muerta and Will’s blood is on the gold the curse is broke and Barbossa and his crew turn back into humans. Jack shoots Barbossa and he dies because he isn’t a skeleton anymore. In the end Jack escapes from being hung and joins his crew on the Black Pearl and Will and Elizabeth fall in love. Jack Sparrow is tricky pirate because he steals a ship and when the crew comes aboard to capture him he sneaks onto their ship, which is faster, and steals it. He is also very smart because he and Will put a row boat over their heads and walked under water still breathing. Jack is humorous because whenever he is asked a question he always answers by saying something funny. Jack is dishonest so nobody really knows what he is planning to do. Will Turner is heroic because he threw a sword under Jack’s feet before getting hung so he didn’t die. He was also a very skilled blacksmith because he made swords and axes. The most important thing to him was Elizabeth. Will has been in love with her ever since he met her. Elizabeth Swann is attractive and majestic because she always wears fancy expensive clothes and she is also the Governor’s daughter so she is shown a lot of respect. Elizabeth is very curious about pirates and wants to live a pirate life. She was very brave because she was not afraid of the pirates and she helped save Will and Jack from Barbossa and his crew. Barbossa is caring because he is trying to find all of the Aztec gold to help end the curse that is on him and all of his crew. He is gullible because Jack is always lying to him and tricking him. Barbossa is respected by his crew because they always do what he asks. Two crews were fighting over the Black Pearl. Jack wants it back and Barbossa wants to keep it. Barbossa needs the last piece of Aztec gold to end the curse and Elizabeth has it. His crew takes Elizabeth because they think she is Boot Strap Bill’s daughter and they need his blood to break the curse. Will Turner wants to rescue Elizabeth from Barbossa. Everyone ends up at the cave of Isla de la Muerta where the chest of Aztec gold is. Jack and Barbossa had a sword fight and found out that they are both skeletons. Will Turner puts his blood on the gold and at the same time Jack shoots Barbossa with his pistol and because Barbossa is human again he bleeds and dies. Jack Sparrow escapes and takes over the Black Pearl again and Will Turner and Elizabeth live happily ever after. I really like this book because I love pirates and it has a lot of action. I like how Jack and Barbossa fight over the Black Pearl. My favorite part was when Jack stabbed Barbossa and nothing happened and then Barbossa stabbed Jack with the same sword and he turned into a skeleton. I would recommend this book to someone that likes pirates and action.

Video Games A Form Of Entertainment - 1319 Words

Video games have been known as a form of entertainment since its introduction in the 1980’s. With an ever growing market driven by millions of people, video games have become one of the largest industries in the world. However as the video game industry has evolved, so has the content of the video games. What started out with family games like Super Mario and Donkey Kong that involved maneuvering over obstacles, evolved into violent games such as Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto which required the player to kill people within the game. With the market for video games increasing, there has been growing concern for the effects video games may have on the individual with numerous studies looking into this. Since video games have the ability to affect or influence a person, it is important to understand how they may influence a person. Specifically how video games influence an individual in the emerging adulthood period, defined as a developmental period between adolesance and y oung adulthood spanning the early to mid-20’s.It is in this developmental period were individuals are not only prone to influence but also begin to develop a sense of what they want to become were they experiment a little with their identity. The question is not why, but how does video games influence an emerging adult positively and negatively. Since emerging adulthood is such an important developmental period, this paper will examine the effects of video games on the individual during the emergingShow MoreRelatedVideo Games : A Form Of Entertainment939 Words   |  4 PagesVideo games were initially created as a form of entertainment, with the intention of providing the player with a delightful experience. As times have changed, people adapted these new video games as their source of knowledge and a gateway to paradise for the mind and body. 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