New Moon- A missing point of view

New Moon- Conflict

     In book two, New Moon, of the Twilight series, written by Stephanie Meyer, Bella Swan is left by her boyfriend Edward Cullen. The vampire who loved and cared for Bella more than anyone ever has. The perfect boyfriend; incredibly gorgeous, caring, smart and protective. It all came in surprise, really. 

"I promise to always be here for you." promised the honest and trustworthy Edward. Leaving Bella with nothing but a quick goodbye and a less than reasonable explanation, he left Forks, Washington (their hometown) and Bella was clueless as to what to do with her life. She spent several months not speaking, giving short direct answers when asked things, had a small appetite and was completely anti-social. She got a "wake up call" when her father decided to confront her and told her he would send her back to Pheonix (her hometown) if she didn't get her act together. Bella was shocked by her father's outburst. She wasn't sure of what to do with herself. This conflict had many positive and of course negative effects on Bella.

     A positive effect this devastating conflict had on Bella was that she learned to try harder and to help herself. She learned that she couldn't live life this way because of her being abandoned by the person she trusted most. She pushed and tried until she found a true friend. Bella made a slightly awkward attempt of returning to her original "group's" inner circle. They were mortals, nothing special, but they were kind to Bella. They welcomed her back in, knowing that she was left by Edward and was going through a difficult time. Yet, it wasn't the same. Bella had grown out of their friendship and it hadn't seemed to work. She and her former friend Jessica went out on a saturday and didn't seem to bond like they used to. Bella understood that and she certainly wasn't going to force a friendship. So she pushed her way into another friendship. Jacob Black. She did her very best to befriend Jacob and not lose him. I think that this shows that Bella is ready to help herself and decided she can't live so emotionless because Edward left her.

     The reason Bella is staying in the dull town of Forks, Edward Cullen, is gone. He left her with a short goodbye and an upsetting abandonment in a dark forest. Of course from this experience, Bella has become a stronger person. She learned to help herself and make the best of her life. But of course this dismal time in Bella's life had a bad affect on her. "Stay safe. Don't do anything reckless or stupid". Edward's final words to Bella before leaving her. Bella was angry, hurt and upset. She decided to go far against Edward's knowledgeable words. One of the most important people in her life had left her, so she didn't care much about herself. Without thinking of the cold, dark, waters Bella decided to jump off a cliff for "the fun of it".  " I wanted to see what it was like to fly." The average person would immidiately think about the painful landing in the water. But not caring about her life any longer, Bella goes ahead and does something very few proffessional divers do. In conclusion, Bella wasn't cautious towards her own safety.

Secrets of my Hollywood Life: On Location The Antagonist

  
      The book Secrets of My Hollywood Life: On Location is about a humble sixteen year old Hollywood A-Lister. The book is about Kaitlin Burke (the main character) living a glamorous life but with the average person's problems. Kaitlin's character is best described as warmhearted yet a bit of a pushover. She usually let's the antagonists of the book take her over, and rarely speaks up. 

     
There are several antagonists in this book: Sky Mackenzie, the insane, overcompetative costar who wants to ruin Kaitlin's innocent reputation, Drew, the backstabbing ex-boyfriend who will do anything for publicity, Hutch Adams, Kaitlin's frustrated, loud, crazy movie director, and the least obvious, Kaitlin's mother and manager.
    
Kaitlin's mom-ager, as the magazines like to call her, thinks she always knows what's best for Kaitlin. I mean, she probably does, she's her mother, but she never takes in Kaitlin's opinion. For example, when Kaitlin has to make decisions about what movie offer she should take, her mom makes her take both, as well as a T.V series. Kaitlin desperately tries to tell her mom that three jobs is far too overwhelming for her,  her mom insists it's what will make her the next quote, "Reese Witherspoon". Another example that shows how Kaitlin's mother is an antagonist in the Secrets of my Hollywood Life series, is when Kaitlin and her family are out for dinner, Kaitlin is ready to order a delicious hamburger filled with bacon and melted cheese, as the book describes. As the waiter comes to take orders, and as Kaitlin makes her request, her mom interrupts are and tells her to get the salad instead because of a bikini shoot later that week. Maybe that is the healthier choice, but this situation happens often. Far too often for Kaitlin to enjoy her nights out.
     
Another reason Kaitlin's mom is an antagonist in the book is because she is much too controlling. Kaitlin is in her room, memorizing lines, and is constantly getting calls from her mom, who is making sure Kaitilin is reviewing her lines. First off, this doesn't let Kaitlin focus. Constant phone calls aren't helping. Also, how is Kaitlin going to ever memorize lines when her mom isn't there to tell her too? Kaitlin is only sixteen and it is understandable if she puts off lines memorizing to go out and have a pizza with her friends. Another example which shows how controlling Meg Burke, (Kaitlin's mother) is, is when Kaitlin tells her she is "officially" dating Austin, a "regular" boy who goes to highschool near Kaitlin. Austin is exactly what Kaitlin needs; someone who's not in the business. But that isn't what Meg thinks. She is constantly giving Austin disapproving looks because she thinks he doesn't understand the difficulties of being an actress. If that was the case, Kaitlin would have already left him, as she did with the publicity loving ex-boyfriend she had. Kaitlin obviously knows what she's doing and her mom doesn't let her.


Kaitlin's mom is only trying to do the best for her daughter, and plays a huge role in the book. Although it isn't too obvious, she is an antagonist in the book. She almost keeps Kaitlin from becoming her own, independent person.

The Phantom Tollbooth- (Question #1 on the sheet)

     At first, Milo regarded the process of seeking knowledge as the greatest waste of all time. Which honestly, I completely understand why he would say such a bizarre thing. As most people know, knowledge is very important. But why? I think Milo doesn't understand and see the importance because he's never had any encounter in which his knowledge had to "kick in". 
      
     Truthfully, I thought the exact same thing when I was in elementary school. I had maintained good grades, but really, when would I ever have to count the number of bricks that make up my house, as the world problems in fourth grade had suggested. And when was I ever really going to use writing, unless I become a writer, or something of the sort? I think Milo is in pretty much the same situation. Knowledge has never come in use for him. Yet.
     
     In Dictionopolis, Milo is taught how knowledge is what makes up a person. Well, in dictionopolis, it is literally what makes up a person. In this strange land, Milo learns that knowledge is what let's a person have their opinion heard. With more knowledge, a person has more to say. People are also more interested in what they have to say. In Dictionopolis, people with less knowledge, were actually arrested! This is a bit of an extreme, but this is probably the only way Milo will understand how important knowledge is.
    
     And why do people seek knowledge? Well, to be smart. To get a better job. Money. But is any of that important in Dictionopolis? Maybe in "our world" it is why people value knowledge, but because jobs and money don't matter in this strange land, we see the real reason as to why people seek knowledge. In Dictionopolis, the reader and Milo are taught that people seek knowledge simply for their own happiness. To be able to speak up, and have their voice heard in the world. If someone wants their opinion heard, they must have a certain degree of knowledge to explain what they want, and for their opinion to even be considered.


    Dictionopolis helped Milo see the true importance of knowledge, rather than the common, modern, shallow reasons. It also made it difficult for him: Milo didn't go with Dictionopolis's rules, he ended up arrested. Although this probably wouldn't happen in real life, it did help Milo understand why knowledge is important. Knowledge was also required to get Milo out of his six million year sentence!