Mariel and I were enjoying Mother Auma's funny posts when I noticed that Mariel was toying with her expanders (which she is not supposed to do, as it inhibits her dental progress). I pushed her over, and she fell on the floor. I grabbed her leg in a vain attempt to steady her.
"Are you dead?" I queried, rather unsurely.
She looked up at me from her fit of giggles, and quoted L.M. Montgomery. "No, Diana, but I think I am rendered unconscious."
I played along. "Where, Anne, WHERE?!"
Ah, the joys of reading.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Monday, January 12, 2009
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Watership Down Characters: Hazel
Hazel is a leader among rabbits. He is described as being “still below full weight” and with a “shrewd, buoyant air”. He is not one of the “Owsla”, the top rank of clever and strong rabbits in a warren, but he is not a bullied, harassed rabbit because of this. He can take care of himself and is a very good leader.
Hazel is protective of those under his care. His brother Fiver is small, underweight and often bullied, and Hazel keeps older, stronger and meaner rabbits away from him. He is capable too, and noble in that he is willing to stay by the smaller rabbits. When they are journeying, they come to a river. It is swelled and rushing, but on the side they’re on is a dog who is hunting. The older rabbits can swim the flood, but Fiver and Pipkin are too small and tired out to. Bigwig, an impatient, tough rabbit, says that those who can should cross the stream and whoever can’t can just come later or not at all. Hazel says that he isn’t leaving Fiver and Pipkin, and if one of the other rabbits hadn’t found a large piece of wood for a raft, Hazel would have stayed and been killed by the dog along with Pipkin and Fiver before abandoning them.
Hazel is essential to the plot. One might call him the “star”. He is the one who takes care of everyone and keeps them going until they reach Watership Down. Without him, the plot would feel empty, as though something important were missing. But like everyone else, he has his weak points. Because he is secretly a little upset at not being chosen to “ambassador” to Efrafa, a nearby warren, he leads a disastrous raid on a nearby farm to rescue four rabbits who have lived there all their lives and are well taken care of, but lack the important instincts necessary to live in the wild. This raid results in three rabbits joining their warren, one being captured again and put back in the hutch, and Hazel being shot with a gun in his leg (causing in him being slightly lame there for the rest of his life).
I admire Hazel for his bravery, fortitude and nobility. When everyone else is tired and wants to stop traveling and stay where they are, he is the one who keeps them going. When Bigwig is caught in a snare and believed dead, he is the one who tries to get them away before a man comes. When the other rabbits begin to doubt Fiver’s visions and start turning against him, he is the one who restores them to sense. “A Chief Rabbit must be El-ahrairah [the rabbit hero; literally Elil-Hrair-Rah, enemies-thousand-prince: Prince with a Thousand Enemies] to his people and teach them cunning.” He is a true leader and one of the best personalities I have ever met.
Hazel is protective of those under his care. His brother Fiver is small, underweight and often bullied, and Hazel keeps older, stronger and meaner rabbits away from him. He is capable too, and noble in that he is willing to stay by the smaller rabbits. When they are journeying, they come to a river. It is swelled and rushing, but on the side they’re on is a dog who is hunting. The older rabbits can swim the flood, but Fiver and Pipkin are too small and tired out to. Bigwig, an impatient, tough rabbit, says that those who can should cross the stream and whoever can’t can just come later or not at all. Hazel says that he isn’t leaving Fiver and Pipkin, and if one of the other rabbits hadn’t found a large piece of wood for a raft, Hazel would have stayed and been killed by the dog along with Pipkin and Fiver before abandoning them.
Hazel is essential to the plot. One might call him the “star”. He is the one who takes care of everyone and keeps them going until they reach Watership Down. Without him, the plot would feel empty, as though something important were missing. But like everyone else, he has his weak points. Because he is secretly a little upset at not being chosen to “ambassador” to Efrafa, a nearby warren, he leads a disastrous raid on a nearby farm to rescue four rabbits who have lived there all their lives and are well taken care of, but lack the important instincts necessary to live in the wild. This raid results in three rabbits joining their warren, one being captured again and put back in the hutch, and Hazel being shot with a gun in his leg (causing in him being slightly lame there for the rest of his life).
I admire Hazel for his bravery, fortitude and nobility. When everyone else is tired and wants to stop traveling and stay where they are, he is the one who keeps them going. When Bigwig is caught in a snare and believed dead, he is the one who tries to get them away before a man comes. When the other rabbits begin to doubt Fiver’s visions and start turning against him, he is the one who restores them to sense. “A Chief Rabbit must be El-ahrairah [the rabbit hero; literally Elil-Hrair-Rah, enemies-thousand-prince: Prince with a Thousand Enemies] to his people and teach them cunning.” He is a true leader and one of the best personalities I have ever met.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Movie Review: Prince Caspian
In and of itself, the new Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was a very good movie. However, if you have read the book, you may not find this movie to be all you expected.
Reepicheep, my favorite character, was very good. So were Aslan, Lucy, Pattertwig (that's the red squirrel), Miraz, and Queen Pruneprismia. The other characters I was slightly disappointed in. Trumpkin, for example. The dwarf in the movie is more like Nikabrik than the Trumpkin I remember from the book.
Other things I was not satisfied with: Caspian and Peter keep having arguments, the Hag and Werewolf actually get far enough as to call up the White Witch, the story sequence was quite out of order (what they used of it), and Susan and Prince Caspian fall in love.
I don't see why the movies think they have to improve on C. S. Lewis. He did a perfectly fine job writing the books, so why can't they stick to those? They seem to try and make everything funny, or make the characters argumentative, and the movies don't seem as special and wonderful as the books. Perhaps because the media feel that they cannot offend the majority of people and so choose to make it what they think "people" like - i.e. they remove, twist or modify anything that remotely resembles a Christian allegory.
(Note: C. S. Lewis did not intend for these books to be allegories, but they still are so useful in understanding the Christian faith.)
The media can't get everything, though. Aslan is still the same wonderful character he is in the books. Lucy is still her brave, faithful self. Reepicheep is still the same dashing, gallant, chivalrous and unusual mouse. Miraz is still a horrid usurping tyrant. Some people just can't be changed.
Reepicheep, my favorite character, was very good. So were Aslan, Lucy, Pattertwig (that's the red squirrel), Miraz, and Queen Pruneprismia. The other characters I was slightly disappointed in. Trumpkin, for example. The dwarf in the movie is more like Nikabrik than the Trumpkin I remember from the book.
Other things I was not satisfied with: Caspian and Peter keep having arguments, the Hag and Werewolf actually get far enough as to call up the White Witch, the story sequence was quite out of order (what they used of it), and Susan and Prince Caspian fall in love.
I don't see why the movies think they have to improve on C. S. Lewis. He did a perfectly fine job writing the books, so why can't they stick to those? They seem to try and make everything funny, or make the characters argumentative, and the movies don't seem as special and wonderful as the books. Perhaps because the media feel that they cannot offend the majority of people and so choose to make it what they think "people" like - i.e. they remove, twist or modify anything that remotely resembles a Christian allegory.
(Note: C. S. Lewis did not intend for these books to be allegories, but they still are so useful in understanding the Christian faith.)
The media can't get everything, though. Aslan is still the same wonderful character he is in the books. Lucy is still her brave, faithful self. Reepicheep is still the same dashing, gallant, chivalrous and unusual mouse. Miraz is still a horrid usurping tyrant. Some people just can't be changed.
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