The soloist post #4

After completing the Soloist, i decided to look more into Steve Lopez. The most significant thing I found was that Steve Lopez was actually being accused of exploiting an unfortunate person’s suffering for personal gain. I was so surprised when i came across this piece of information because i believe the opposite. I feel as though Lopez is doing Nathaniel a favor. After all, he is still a schizophrenic homeless person! I believe it takes a lot of generosity to pour so much of your time into a stranger. I guess it all depends on the point of view you are currently looking at the subject with.

Reading this book has helped me realize how big of an impact music can have on a person. There are many different types of psychology developing that are based on music and how they help sooth and tranquilize the mind. As a student at GAMP, i am proud to call myself a music student, and i know that it has helped me in the past as well. I hope that people will realize this huge influence music has on people's minds, and begin to adapt, rather than discriminate against it.

To end my thoughts, Steve Lopez, to me, is a hero. Though some people may doubt this thought, I still strongly believe so. I also believe that Nathaniel Ayers is a hero, for fighting his disease, and becoming an inspiration to all who read about his story.

The Soloist Post #3

As the novel unravels, it continues to be one of the most interesting books i've read so far. I am beginning to develop may questions in my mind as i venture into the book such as, why does Steve Lopez care so much about Nathaniel, or what triggered the drastic influx of Nathaniel's schizophrenia? At this point in the book, Lopez is starting to become a huge fraction of Ayers' life. He gathered instruments and stored them in a facility where Nathaniel can come anytime he would like to use them. I just really find it rare that an ordinary person can just come upon someone with such a severe burden and such talent and become part of their lives within a short amount of time.

The soloist post #2

At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to a man named Nathaniel Ayers, who is a schizophrenic. The narrator of the book was Steve Lopez who is actually the author of the book. I thought that it was a very interesting way to write a book. Anyways, Lopez stumbles upon Ayers whilst walking through the streets of Los Angeles. Nathaniel was playing Beethoven on a violin that had two strings out of four which i find quite impressive. Many of us will just look at Nathaniel as another hobo on the street, but Steve Lopez saw a man with passion for what he loves and Lopez, passionate about his profession finds interest in this mysterious man.

The soloist Post #1

I think that Steve Lopez is the type of author who writes articles based on true stories of the people on the other side. The side where no one has the advantages of life, such as wealth, renown, etc. These people have nothing but their motivation to push them forward, and to get them where they wish to be in life. But why is Steve Lopez so interested in these people? It could be that Steve Lopez was once one of the people he would be interviewing now. Maybe he was a nobody from the slums previous to his job as a columnist for these big time newspapers and magazines. I believe that the people with the disadvantages are the ones who go further in life because the ones who have the privileges take advantage of what they have and they don't try as hard to better themselves.

We have read a few of the articles written by Steve Lopez in class, and I really find his work inspiring and

As the book progresses, Steve Lopez starts to play a more and more active role in Nathaniel's life. What I want to know is what is Steve's motivation to pry himself into Nathaniel's life? What makes him want to help this man? Could it just be out of the kindness of his heart? Or is there more to the picture? Is this career a safe and on going career for Lopez? Will he ever run out of people to interview?

the catcher in the rye

The Catcher in the Rye was a very interesting book to me. I thought the way that Salinger wrote the novel was very natural and flowing. I really liked the way that he made Holden have a line or a saying that he repeats multiple times such as, "and all," and "i really did." This gave the effect that i was reading a book from the point of a teenager.

For the most part, i really enjoyed the book, up until the end. I thought that the way Holden was portrayed made him a much more interesting character to follow. I saw Holden as a boy who has much potential, but the way his childhood turned out, made him lose all motivation to unleash his potential. To add on to his non motivational ways, he lost his younger brother Allie, and is separated from his other siblings. His older brother whom he looks up to is in a dead end job that is getting him no where, and his younger sister reminds him of his younger brother who passed away. I think that when he leaves and runs to New York draws back to his personality, and of how he runs away from his fears instead of facing them. He fears his parents finding out about his expulsion, so he ran away, he was afraid of getting shot down, so he never told Jane about his true feelings, not having sex with the prostitute, etc. When he finally decides to come home, he sees his sister in bed. Awoken by her excitement of seeing her older brother, the two talk. After their parents arrive home, Holden hides in the closet, and then flees when he gets the chance. The next day, he meets his sister at the museum, and he plans to leave and never come back. In a way, he was going to run away from his fears, permanently. Recall that he says that he wishes to become a catcher in the rye, to catch those who are running off the cliff. Him leaving forever is sort of like him already being a victim of the gaping hole that follows the edge of the cliff. For him, there is no new beginning except helping others before they end up in this dark abyss that exceeds this inevitable cliff.

To summarize, while reading the book, it may seem very simple, and vulgar. The vocabulary is not too difficult, and the plot is unnecessary. But after reading it, you start to see the big picture. In a way, Salinger's writing is like a Monet painting. Up close, you will never see any resemblance to anything found on the planet, but once you take a few steps back, and fully analyze the painting, you see a gorgeous work of art.

Death of a salesman

The American dream is something that many of us have in common these days. Many attempt to achieve but many fail to succeed. People wake up everyday, go to work, come home, sleep, and repeat these steps from day to day to inch themselves closer to this "dream." In the play, Charlie explains that people are only worth as much as they can sell. I believe that this quote is true because you only possess the money you make, despite the method of making it. This may limit the net worth of some people because they do not have as much potential to unleash as others. These people can be considered as unfortunate, or just ordinary. Willy wanted to leave behind a legacy as a great salesman. I think that he made a wrong choice in choosing a career, because he failed as a salesman. Charlie states in his speech that "salesmen must dream," and indeed they do, but i believe that willy had the wrong dream. He imagined a life where he was wealthy, loved by everyone, and his kids were successful in life. In reality, he was fired, no one knew who he was, and his kids didn't make it as he wanted them to. Towards the end, Biff breaks out into tears because he is so upset with the whole situation, and Willy takes Biff's tears as a sign that he "likes him," and we recall that Willy wishes to be a well liked salesman. I think that Biff's tears were the source of encouragement for Willy to make his last sale, which was his life.

To conclude, i think that Willy was too wrapped up in his achievement of the American Dream that he forgot all about the things around him such as his family. Once Willy realizes that he as failed in reaching this dream, he confides in hie children, especially Biff to complete his legacy, not caring if whether or not they wish to do so. In my opinion, Willy should have went to Alaska with Ben. I think his future would have been brighter is he did so, and he wouldn't have to die the death of a salesman.

Blogging with blogger... yo

For the past seven weeks, our literature class have been using blogger as a medium in which we post our work. Personally, i feel that blogger is a great idea, and I am glad we are using. I also believe that we are fortunate to have such a good thing going, plus its free!

Blogger has brought forth to us a totally new way of submitting work and keeping up with the new age of technology. Another benefit is that we don't have to use paper, so blogger is also good for our environment. I think that blogger is great also because it doesn't automatically fix your words and put in the correct punctuation marks where they need to be, so students are more careful when posting work on blogger. I feel that blogger has broken the barrier that holds our two classes apart. Not only do we learn to appreciate literature, but literature by our peers who happen to be in the other class and our own also. I think that blogger is perfect the way it is, and that we should continue to further conduct our work on it.

To conclude, I think that blogger is great, and we should continue using it to post our work.