Candide (Chapters 1-6)

Summary

Chapter 1

The book starts off with Candide living in a nice castle with a lot of wealth. He is one of the most prestigious people in that village and had been brought up there. He also admired a very brilliant philosopher known as Dr. Pangloss who taught Candide and believed that whatever happens, happens for the better of mankind even if it is human suffering. There was also a beautiful woman by the name of Lady Cunegonde whose beauty mesmerized Candide. One day they started kissing and were about to engage in intercourse when Baron Thunderten-tronckh, the owner of the castle, caught them in the act. He drove Candide out of the castle and out of the town.

Chapter 2

Candide wandered into a town called Waldberghofftrarbkdikdorff where some two men took him and bought him food saying that they would like nothing in return. After eating and drinking he was bound in shackles and taken away. They called him, "The Hero of the Bulgars." Candide was confused because he did not understand why he was being called a hero. He went for a walk but then was captured by the Bulgars and they offered to beat him or shoot him. In the course of the beating he said he couldn't take it anymore so he said they should shoot him but the King of the Bulgars stopped them and said that Candide was ignorant of worldly matters.

Chapter 3

 The Bulgars went to spread carnage in towns. Candide was scared at the site of what he saw so he fled to another village which was also in carnage. Candide met a good, unbaptized Anabaptist who was kind unlike the other people in town who were mocking Candide. He took Candide into his home and fed, bathed and offered to teach him to manufacture fabrics. He met a beggar the next day.

Chapter 4 

 Candide met Dr.Pangloss who was now a beggar after some misfortunes befell him and the others at the castle. Candide to him to the Anabaptist's stable and there Dr. Pangloss told him what had happened. He told him Bulgars had attacked the Castle and that Lady Cunegonde and Baron Thunderten-tronckh had been killed during the raid. Candide  begged James the Anabaptist to take Dr. Pangloss in and he agreed. Pangloss lost an eye. James needed to go to Lisbon for business so Candide and Dr. Pangloss followed him.

Chapter 5 

 There was an earthquake and the ship ship had been crucially damaged. A frenzied sailor who tried to punch James the Anabaptist missed, slipped and was falling off the ship. James helped him back on but in the process fell into the sea. Candide, Dr. Pangloss and the frenzied sailor made it to the shore of Lisbon. The earthquake had affected that area also and Candide and Dr. Pangloss did what they could to help and were rewarded with a meal. During the meal the King gets offended when Dr. Pangloss says everything is for the best.

Chapter 6 

Dr. Pangloss and Candide were arrested and to be put to death. Pangloss was hanged but when it was Candide's turn the earth shook again. Injured and walking away, a woman said to him, "Cheer up, my son. Follow me."

Quotation

Reaction

Devil in the White City

Summary

The book introduced a man who is a famous architect around the world. He is stuck in a room on a cruise and is unable to leave because his feet hurt. He constructed the Columbian World Fair which celebrated the discovery of America. It was a magnificent sight for all where diffrent cultures came together. Despite all the fun that people were having, there was a murder that took place your so so some bad and evil things that happened, there was a murder. It starts talking about how woman from different places from different world come to the fair and how they are amazed at what they see. the book then goes on to talk about different things that kill humanity which is going up to something that they never heard of before, a serial killer. 

Reaction

Quotation

"The prolonging of a man's life doesn't interest ne when he's done his work and done it pretty well."

Reaction to review

I agree with the reviewer of 127 hours. This reviewer likes the movie a lot and the way the movie was made like when he said the director made the movie more energetic instead of depressing by casting James Franco as Aron Ralston. He says that the director, Danny Boyle, goes after painful and unpleasant subjects but somehow makes it energetic  When the reviewer also says, "Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the film leaves you with the impression of having lived, vicariously but intensely, through something whose meaning is both profound and elusive." This is true because after seeing Aron resorting to drinking his own urine, cracking his bone and cutting off his arm with a little swiss knife, slowly you will see how better your life is. You will have an arm while Aron Ralston would not.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (201-268)

Summary
This next section is continuing with Lola, Oscar's sister who went to stay over at La Inca's place in Santo Domingo. It's her last day there before her mother comes to pick her up and take her back to America. When her mother saw her she expected her to say that she looked beautiful but she did not. Lola thought she still liked only Oscar. When they got on the plane to America Lola started to cry, I believe she felt loved and and enjoyed staying with La Inca. Her mother help her hand throughout the whole plane ride and even defended her when someone told her to tell Lola to stop crying.
Quotation
She put her hand on mine and left it there.                                                                  
Reaction
I chose this quote because I think it was very emotionally. I thought this because when the mother saw her she still didn't show any love to her daughter but she comforted her when she was crying on the plane.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (134-201)

Summary

Quotation

Reaction

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (67-134)

Summary
The second section of TBWLOW has the speaker recalling Oscar's mothers teen years in Baní with her aunt known as La Inca. Beli's parents died when she was young.The speaker talks about how fortunate Beli is for a girl living in a third world country. She has everything any girl in such a country could dream of but yet it looks as if she is not satisfied. It looks like she wants something else in life maybe something that has more value to her than anyone else.
Quotation
"
Reaction

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (1-67)

Summary
The book starts off by introducing Oscar. It makes one point clear which is Oscar likes girls. It is not saying anything is wrong with him just that it is his kind of obsession. This may have a part to play in the end of the story. Oscar had two girlfriends when he was seven. One was named Maritza, a beautiful young girl and the other was named Olga which you could tell by the name was not so attractive. One day Maritza went up to Oscar and told him to dump Olga or he cannot her. He made the decision to dump Olga. When Olga cried over the break-up, Oscar had not felt any sense of guilt. The next time he goes to the bus stop to wait for his bus. He finds Maritza with another boy. He then starts to think how the breakup affected Olga. He life  went downhill from there. He lost his groove when it came to dealing with the women. Olga's life had also gone downhill after their breakup. Maritza seemed happy but Oscar did not think so after seeing her slapped around by her boyfriends.
Quotation
"Mari Colon, a thirty-something postal employee who wore red on her lips and walked like she had a bell for an ass-all purportedly fell for him (Diaz 12-13)."
Reaction
When I first started reading the book, I found it confusing because the book started talking about the Tainos in the introduction. I felt like what was going on around here. I found that quotaion funny because the main character was young and he even had older women falling for him and he was just seven years old.