"The bitter thing was all the spirit, all the gallantry, was wasted. For even more than inferiors, they accepted and looked forward to being Capped. It was a part of becoming a knight, or of turning from a girl to lady. Thinking of this, I saw how good things could be meaningless in isolation. What value did courage have, without a free and challenging mind to direct it?" -p111
In this chapter, Will was sick and the three boys have been taken to the castle, and Will was living in the red castle where Eloise and the Comtesse looked after him. Will was having a wonderful life which he loved, and he became closer to the Comte's family, especially Eloise. After their friendship got even closer and Will discovered that Eloise was also capped, he started to look at the Capping with a different point of view. At first when he came to the castle and saw how people were happy and still did their own thing, he thought it was worthless since they were still being controlled. However meeting Eloise, he started to think differently because the Comte's family was all so nice even though they were capped. He thought that maybe he should stay behind at the castle letting Henry and Beanpole go on while he got capped. He considered the option because he really loved Eloise and he thought that if he got capped, he would still be able to live a happy life with Eloise, and that was all that mattered to him at that time. But when Eloise told Will how she was about to spend the rest of her life serving the Tripods, she was absolutely joyful and her attitude shocked Will. This made Will wake up to the fact that freedom was the thing he seeked and not a life with a cap on his head controlling his thoughts and actions. This whole chapter revolves around the idea of freedom because at first Will enters the castle with a mind full of hope for freedom but after he was nursed by Eloise his feelings toward capping changed dramatically and he almost forgot about the true reason he left Wherton. But luckily he was able to wake up and continue his journey to the White Mountains for freedom.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The White Mountains Week 3
1. How were the Tripods able to control the people?
- The Tripods are able to control the people because they cap the people. First of all, people get capped when they become about 14. All the guys get capped while girls rarely get capped. The Capping Day is a very big celebration, and they have a big feast. Everybody is excited of being capped although not Will and I know I wouldn't want to be capped. Anyway, our group has come of some theories on how the Tripods can cap people if they're just a machine. We had some different opinions, but this is mine combined with a few other ideas. First, when the person being capped goes into the Tripod, they are instantly blindfolded. I believe there are a few people (the ancients) inside the Tripod controlling the machine. I also believe they were the ones who made the machines. After that, the people shave the 14 year old's head, and they put the cap on their heads which also has wires that are inserted to the brain. I think that's how the cap is put on. Anyway, with the cap on people, the Tripods are able to control the people. The capped people don't' really have a mind of their own, and it's hard to call them a living soul since they have no control over what they do. Our group also came to a conclusion that Vagrants are produced when something goes wrong during the procedure of the capping. Vagrants don't really have a home, and people kind of ignore them. But not everybody is fond of the idea of being capped. People like Will is slightly afraid of being capped. Also there is a 'fake' Vagrant named Ozymandias who says there still lays freedom in the White Mountains, and Will is taking the chance to go there. I guess the Tripods don't have perfect control over their people!
2. Find evidence (quotations from the novel) to show that even though Will is comfortable living at the castle, he is frustrated that the Comte, Comtesse, and Eloise have been capped.
- "The bitter thing was that all the spirit, all the gallantry, was wasted. For even more than their inferiors, they accepted and looked forward to being Capped. It was a part of becoming a knight or of turning from girl to lady. Thinking of this, I saw how good things could be meaningless in isolation. What value did courage have, without a free and challenging mind to direct it?" This is a quote from page 111. I chose this part because it covers maybe not all of it, but most of the question. He sees that things are different. The place is peaceful, the people are kind, and people have chance to show their courage, but Will is thinking what's the point if they don't have a free thinking mind.
Another quote is "My feelings about Eloise herself were also jumbled and uncertain. I had traveled a long road since leaving the village, not only in hard reality but in my attitude toward people. more and more I had come to see the Capped as lacking what seemed to me the essence of humanity, the vital spark of defiance against the rulers of the world. And I had despised them for it- despised even, for all their kindness to me and their goodness, the Comte and Comtesse. But not Eloise. I had thought her free, like myself. I might even have come to the idea-it's beginnings, I think, were in my mind already- that when we set off once more for the White Mountains, there might not be three of us, but four. All this was rendered futile by the sight of her bare head. I had come to think of her as my friend: perhaps more. But now I knew that she belonged, irretrievably, body and soul, to the Enemy." - p 116. I chose this part because it is after Will had learned that Eloise was also capped, and his thoughts about her is changing. Even if the Comte and Comtesse were nice to him he didn't like the fact that they were capped, and now he has learned that Eloise is also capped. He doesn't really know what to think of her since he had thought of Eloise as someone like him. Now his thoughts toward her are uncertain since she is also capped.
My final quote is "Was I to abandon my hope of freedom, surrender the mastery of my mind, for the sake of wearing jeweled leather and having other men touch their caps to me? The notion was absurd. Whatever privileges I was given I would still be a sheep among sheep. In the morning, though, waking early, I thought of it again. I rejected it again, too, firmly but less quickly, and with a feeling of being virtuous in doing so. To accept would be to let down the others- Henry and Beanpole, the Vagrant Ozymandias, Captain Curtis, all the free men in the White Mountains. I would not do that: nothing would tempt me to it." -p121. I chose this part because it is after Comtesse pretty much 'offered' Will to stay at the castle. Will's life in the castle has become very comfortable for him and he has come closer to the Comte's family. However Will still does not like the idea of staying because he knows that if he stays that he will be Capped. He knows that he didn't come all the way here to just get capped. He is frustrated because he knows that he wouldn't want to be capped, but he is already so attached to the Comte's family and the castle.
3. Find evidence (quotes) to show how Will feels about being capped.
- My first quote is "Thinking of this, I saw how good things could be meaningless in isolation. What value did courage have, without a free and challenging mind to direct it?" -p111. It is a short quotation, but it clearly shows that Will is still absolutely against the act of capping. He thinks that courage means nothing if the person has no real mind. Like before, Will still seeks freedom of the White Mountains. He wants to have a free-thinking mind, not a mind controlled by the Tripods.
My second quote is "Before Capping there might be doubts and uncertainties and revulsion; perhpas these people had know them, too.when the Cap was put on, the doubts vanished. How great a loss was that? Was it a loss at all? The Tripods, apart from the act of Capping itself, did not seem to interfere much with men.~~~None of it touched this secure and pleasant life." I chose this part because it is where Will's starts to change his mind. Now that he has seen that his life could still be joyful even if he gets capped, he's starting to think that it wouldn't be too bad after all.
- The Tripods are able to control the people because they cap the people. First of all, people get capped when they become about 14. All the guys get capped while girls rarely get capped. The Capping Day is a very big celebration, and they have a big feast. Everybody is excited of being capped although not Will and I know I wouldn't want to be capped. Anyway, our group has come of some theories on how the Tripods can cap people if they're just a machine. We had some different opinions, but this is mine combined with a few other ideas. First, when the person being capped goes into the Tripod, they are instantly blindfolded. I believe there are a few people (the ancients) inside the Tripod controlling the machine. I also believe they were the ones who made the machines. After that, the people shave the 14 year old's head, and they put the cap on their heads which also has wires that are inserted to the brain. I think that's how the cap is put on. Anyway, with the cap on people, the Tripods are able to control the people. The capped people don't' really have a mind of their own, and it's hard to call them a living soul since they have no control over what they do. Our group also came to a conclusion that Vagrants are produced when something goes wrong during the procedure of the capping. Vagrants don't really have a home, and people kind of ignore them. But not everybody is fond of the idea of being capped. People like Will is slightly afraid of being capped. Also there is a 'fake' Vagrant named Ozymandias who says there still lays freedom in the White Mountains, and Will is taking the chance to go there. I guess the Tripods don't have perfect control over their people!
2. Find evidence (quotations from the novel) to show that even though Will is comfortable living at the castle, he is frustrated that the Comte, Comtesse, and Eloise have been capped.
- "The bitter thing was that all the spirit, all the gallantry, was wasted. For even more than their inferiors, they accepted and looked forward to being Capped. It was a part of becoming a knight or of turning from girl to lady. Thinking of this, I saw how good things could be meaningless in isolation. What value did courage have, without a free and challenging mind to direct it?" This is a quote from page 111. I chose this part because it covers maybe not all of it, but most of the question. He sees that things are different. The place is peaceful, the people are kind, and people have chance to show their courage, but Will is thinking what's the point if they don't have a free thinking mind.
Another quote is "My feelings about Eloise herself were also jumbled and uncertain. I had traveled a long road since leaving the village, not only in hard reality but in my attitude toward people. more and more I had come to see the Capped as lacking what seemed to me the essence of humanity, the vital spark of defiance against the rulers of the world. And I had despised them for it- despised even, for all their kindness to me and their goodness, the Comte and Comtesse. But not Eloise. I had thought her free, like myself. I might even have come to the idea-it's beginnings, I think, were in my mind already- that when we set off once more for the White Mountains, there might not be three of us, but four. All this was rendered futile by the sight of her bare head. I had come to think of her as my friend: perhaps more. But now I knew that she belonged, irretrievably, body and soul, to the Enemy." - p 116. I chose this part because it is after Will had learned that Eloise was also capped, and his thoughts about her is changing. Even if the Comte and Comtesse were nice to him he didn't like the fact that they were capped, and now he has learned that Eloise is also capped. He doesn't really know what to think of her since he had thought of Eloise as someone like him. Now his thoughts toward her are uncertain since she is also capped.
My final quote is "Was I to abandon my hope of freedom, surrender the mastery of my mind, for the sake of wearing jeweled leather and having other men touch their caps to me? The notion was absurd. Whatever privileges I was given I would still be a sheep among sheep. In the morning, though, waking early, I thought of it again. I rejected it again, too, firmly but less quickly, and with a feeling of being virtuous in doing so. To accept would be to let down the others- Henry and Beanpole, the Vagrant Ozymandias, Captain Curtis, all the free men in the White Mountains. I would not do that: nothing would tempt me to it." -p121. I chose this part because it is after Comtesse pretty much 'offered' Will to stay at the castle. Will's life in the castle has become very comfortable for him and he has come closer to the Comte's family. However Will still does not like the idea of staying because he knows that if he stays that he will be Capped. He knows that he didn't come all the way here to just get capped. He is frustrated because he knows that he wouldn't want to be capped, but he is already so attached to the Comte's family and the castle.
3. Find evidence (quotes) to show how Will feels about being capped.
- My first quote is "Thinking of this, I saw how good things could be meaningless in isolation. What value did courage have, without a free and challenging mind to direct it?" -p111. It is a short quotation, but it clearly shows that Will is still absolutely against the act of capping. He thinks that courage means nothing if the person has no real mind. Like before, Will still seeks freedom of the White Mountains. He wants to have a free-thinking mind, not a mind controlled by the Tripods.
My second quote is "Before Capping there might be doubts and uncertainties and revulsion; perhpas these people had know them, too.when the Cap was put on, the doubts vanished. How great a loss was that? Was it a loss at all? The Tripods, apart from the act of Capping itself, did not seem to interfere much with men.~~~None of it touched this secure and pleasant life." I chose this part because it is where Will's starts to change his mind. Now that he has seen that his life could still be joyful even if he gets capped, he's starting to think that it wouldn't be too bad after all.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The White Mountains Week 2
http://www.historyofwar.org/Maps/MapChannel.jpg
- How will Beanpole help Will and Henry on their journey to the White Mountains?
- First of all, I should probably introduce Beanpole. Beanpole's real name is Zhanpole, although I prefer to call him Beanpole. When Beanpole introduced himself to Will and Henry, Henry had called him Beanpole. Since I like the name Beanpole better, I'll use this name instead. Beanpole is different from Will and Henry. He is a local in this place where Will and Henry is new, and he can speak both English and the local language. He's tall, but the more interesting thing is that he wears glasses, something Will and Henry had never encountered before. Actually I thought of this just now, but maybe it is that in this place there are still some man made objects that are left. One thing that all three boys have in common is that there ages are similar, and that they all haven't been capped yet. This is why Beanpole was curious about Will and Henry and wanted to follow them. Personally, I don't really like Beanpole and I don't trust him. It's mostly because we don't have much information about him, and he could turn up to be a traitor. I was pretty much the only one who thought of this. After listening to my idea Kat and Momo were a little bit unsure, and Peggy stuck to her idea. However, there are still benefits of Beanpole's addition to the group.
The most important thing is that he's a local. I mentioned this before, because it is really important. He can speak both the local language, and English. Something actually surprised me, and that was that Beanpole approached Henry and Will speaking English. Of course, he was there when Henry and Will were being questioned in a different language, but that doesn't necessarily mean they come from England. So this led me to think that Beanpole knows a bit more and has quite some knowledge (actually I thought of this just now). If Henry and Will travels with Beanpole, Beanpole will be able to talk to the local people in their language and they will be able to blend in. They probably won't be so noticeable. Also he knows the land well, and he can lead the group to the White Mountains. Although Captain Curtis had given the two boys some directions when they got off the boat, it wasn't enough for them to get to the Mountains itself. Beanpole can act like a guide. When Beanpole helped Henry and Will get out of the house, he wanted to know why the boys were trying to further in land. This shows that he's curious, and Henry and Will told Beanpole about the possibility of gaining freedom. Beanpole seemed interested enough, and he decided to go on with them. This puts them into the same situation, looking for freedom. At least this way they will be able to understand each other more.
I'm not going to talk too much about how things can go bad with Beanpole joining the journey, but there are some negative sides to it. Even if Beanpole can talk to the people and attempt the whole group to 'blend in', still people will get suspicious of three uncapped boys travelling with packs. In addition it would look even weirder if they noticed that only one of the boys spoke their language and the other two spoke a different one, although they wouldn't observe that closely. Also, this was my original idea from the start, Beanpole can betray them later whenever he wants to. He knows the land, he speaks the language, and now that he gained some information about the White Mountains he'll have no trouble going by himself. What's the need of Henry and Will? However, despite the fact that I don't find Beanpole reliable I don't really think he's a spy. Well, we'll just have to wait and see!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The White Mountains Week 1
- How are you like Will?
- At first when I saw the question, I couldn't think of anything. But now that I think more deeply into it, I think I do have some similarities with Will. I should probably write down what Will is like first. Will is a free thinker, having a mind of his own while everybody around him pretty much thinks the same thing. Also he is smarter than others. When Jack told him a little about the Black Age and Ozymandias told him about the White Mountains, he was able to make connections and he knew that Ozymandias was telling the truth. Another thing is that sometimes he is slightly disobedient. He had wanted to touch the Watch so he had took it and was going to show it off to Jack. Also when his father had told him to stay away from the Vagrants (specifically Ozymandias), he had disobeyed him and had met him at Jack's den near the ruins. But the thing that I have in common with him and the fact I think matters most is that he is curious. When Jack told him about the ships he had seen at Winchester, he hadn't known much then but he still had questions in his head. He is also quite adventurous. When Ozymandias tells him about the White Mountains and freedom he immediately accepts the fact and decides that he will begin his journey for freedom.
Like Will, I think on my own mind and sometimes I end up thinking of things different from others. When people say their opinions, it often looks like I take it in and I have changed my mind, but most of the times it only seems like it and I have actually kept my original idea of things. Also like Will, when I hear or see different things by different people I am usually able to make the connections. When different people give me different parts of a story I try to connect the two ideas to actually realize the real situation. Well, I'm also quite disobedient at times. The thing is, if you're curious you can't be obedient and follow the rules ALL the time. And of course, I turn very curious when people tell me only one part and they don't tell the rest of it either on purpose or because they really don't know it. Either way, I ask a lot of questions to myself and I try to figure out the answer or the missing part. Especially when Ozymandias tole Will everything including his true identity, I would have been aching to go on the journey to the White Mountains. However, I would reacted slightly different from Will.
If I were the one in the days of the Tripods and if Ozymandias had told me that by being capped we were being controlled and that freedom still existed in the White Mountains, I would have liked to believe him, however I would have been suspicious. If I were the one hearing the story from Ozymandias, I would have wondered if he really had mental problems or not. I would have wanted to believe him since I would have seen Jack change after the Capping, but I would still have my curious side and I would have tried to decide whether to trust him or not, since there was nothing to prove that Ozymandias was telling the truth. However I would have taken the risk to go on the journey because if I just stayed in the village I would have gotten capped. If I set out on my journey and found out that Ozymandias was just telling silly lies, I would just end up being a Vagrant and if he was telling the truth I would gain freedom. So I would have taken the risk, but still I have questioned a bit before making up my mind.
So this proves that I do have quite some characteristics that Will has, although the degree is kind of different and we would react on several things quite differently. I think I was able to understand the book until now pretty well since the book is on Will's point of view and I understand pretty well what he's asking and what he's feeling. I have a feeling that this is going to be a great book and Will will have a meaningful and possibly painful journey to the White Mountains.
- At first when I saw the question, I couldn't think of anything. But now that I think more deeply into it, I think I do have some similarities with Will. I should probably write down what Will is like first. Will is a free thinker, having a mind of his own while everybody around him pretty much thinks the same thing. Also he is smarter than others. When Jack told him a little about the Black Age and Ozymandias told him about the White Mountains, he was able to make connections and he knew that Ozymandias was telling the truth. Another thing is that sometimes he is slightly disobedient. He had wanted to touch the Watch so he had took it and was going to show it off to Jack. Also when his father had told him to stay away from the Vagrants (specifically Ozymandias), he had disobeyed him and had met him at Jack's den near the ruins. But the thing that I have in common with him and the fact I think matters most is that he is curious. When Jack told him about the ships he had seen at Winchester, he hadn't known much then but he still had questions in his head. He is also quite adventurous. When Ozymandias tells him about the White Mountains and freedom he immediately accepts the fact and decides that he will begin his journey for freedom.
Like Will, I think on my own mind and sometimes I end up thinking of things different from others. When people say their opinions, it often looks like I take it in and I have changed my mind, but most of the times it only seems like it and I have actually kept my original idea of things. Also like Will, when I hear or see different things by different people I am usually able to make the connections. When different people give me different parts of a story I try to connect the two ideas to actually realize the real situation. Well, I'm also quite disobedient at times. The thing is, if you're curious you can't be obedient and follow the rules ALL the time. And of course, I turn very curious when people tell me only one part and they don't tell the rest of it either on purpose or because they really don't know it. Either way, I ask a lot of questions to myself and I try to figure out the answer or the missing part. Especially when Ozymandias tole Will everything including his true identity, I would have been aching to go on the journey to the White Mountains. However, I would reacted slightly different from Will.
If I were the one in the days of the Tripods and if Ozymandias had told me that by being capped we were being controlled and that freedom still existed in the White Mountains, I would have liked to believe him, however I would have been suspicious. If I were the one hearing the story from Ozymandias, I would have wondered if he really had mental problems or not. I would have wanted to believe him since I would have seen Jack change after the Capping, but I would still have my curious side and I would have tried to decide whether to trust him or not, since there was nothing to prove that Ozymandias was telling the truth. However I would have taken the risk to go on the journey because if I just stayed in the village I would have gotten capped. If I set out on my journey and found out that Ozymandias was just telling silly lies, I would just end up being a Vagrant and if he was telling the truth I would gain freedom. So I would have taken the risk, but still I have questioned a bit before making up my mind.
So this proves that I do have quite some characteristics that Will has, although the degree is kind of different and we would react on several things quite differently. I think I was able to understand the book until now pretty well since the book is on Will's point of view and I understand pretty well what he's asking and what he's feeling. I have a feeling that this is going to be a great book and Will will have a meaningful and possibly painful journey to the White Mountains.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)