Blog Assessment

Specific words I used that demonstrate my voice are: vital, mysterious, vibe, and curious. These words show that I like more descriptive language and I would prefer to use less plain words. A specific phrase that showcases my voice is: “We don’t really know that much about Clarisse, which makes her all the more interesting.” This line shows how I typically word my sentences and I always tend to have a lot of commas in my writing. My writing style is always sort of an ongoing thought and I have never been very good at knowing when or how to end a sentence.

An example of syntax from this post would be my punctuation. “Clarisse seems smart; she asks a lot of questions specifically about firemen”. The use of a semicolon implies a relationship between Clarisse’s intelligence and why I find her smart. Most of my writing is informal diction. Unless it was an essay or something along those lines. In this post especially you can find multiple examples of informal diction. “Her attitude towards them is curious, maybe even a little threatened by what they do.” In my opinion, this quote is very informal and conversational. I would prefer to make it seem like I am just saying this to whoever is reading, instead of it being through a computer screen.

Divergent Theme

 This book has a clear theme, as shown from the first sentence you read, on the cover: “One choice can transform you.” It’s a simple line, and yet it really pulls you in.

Tris has reached the age of sixteen, which in her world, means something bigger than it does to us. She lives in an era where everyone is divided into five factions. These factions are formed on the basis of virtues and traits their members have - Candor values honesty the most, Abnegation values selflessness, Dauntless value bravery, Amity value peacefulness and Erudite value intelligence. From birth, you are placed in the same faction as your parents, and at age sixteen, you have to choose your own.  

Although Tris was born into Abnegation, she chooses Dauntless. This could be considered her choice that will "transform her". Not knowing what she has gotten herself into, she must then face life or death tasks to see if she is brave enough to survive in Dauntless. As if the initiation processes aren't bad enough, she also has to worry about not being murdered by others who want to get rid of the competition, and that things are happening outside of the Dauntless area which could ruin to the world she knows.

Krista Ramsey

 

This column by Krista Ramsey is about children and how they “give us hope”. She says that she visits different schools a lot and is always happy to see different kids and interact with them.

http://enquirer.com/columns/ramsey/1997/02/022297_kr.html

"We always talk about our children giving us hope for tomorrow. Some give us hope for today." In my opinion, this is the best written line throughout the column. She uses shorter sentences for the most part. By using shorter sentences, columnists can keep readers focused on the main idea.  Ramsey also uses the technique of repetition to enforce an idea. “Every day I look at that pencil. Every day I am touched by how instinctively Rafiel gives.” She repeats the term ‘every day’ to show that this wasn’t just a one time thing.

Divergent Update

               I am close to being done with Divergent now and it’s safe to say that the book blew the movie out of the water. I have fallen in love with the story and I am really excited to continue reading this series. One of my favorite things about this book is the main character, Tris. She isn’t like many other main female characters I have read about. She’s strong, but she doesn’t realize her strength until it’s put to the test. Tris is an extremely relatable character and I see so many of her traits in myself and in others.

Also, some of my new favorite quotes come from Veronica Roth’s writing. “Becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it.” This particular quote practically sums up the entire book within 3 sentences. Another one that stood out to me is "I don’t just want to be one thing. I can’t be. I want to be brave and I want to be selfless, intelligent and honest and kind. Well, I’m still working on kind." This is said by Tobias or Four when he is showing Tris his tattoo. Like the other quote, this too can sum up a lot about his character. Four possesses all these traits; he just needs the opportunity to show them.

Veronica Roth

            Bestselling author Veronica Roth was born August 19, 1988 in New York City. She was primarily raised in Barrington, Illinois and was the youngest of three children. She graduated from Barrington High School and soon after, attended Minnesota's Carleton College for one year. Roth then transferred to Northwestern and graduated from the university's writing program.

Unlike most authors, Roth had a fairly quick journey to literary stardom. Writing her first book, Divergent, while on winter break in her senior year at Northwestern University.  She secured a publishing contract with HarperCollins only four days after sending out the manuscript. At the age of only 22, she was on the top of the New York Times bestselling list. Her career took off rapidly with the success of her first novel, with the movie rights selling before she even graduated from college.

On a long drive from her home near Chicago to Minnesota, Roth saw on a billboard an image of a person leaping off a building. "I wondered why someone would do that," she says. "At the time, I was also taking Intro to Psych and we were studying the treatment of phobias by repeated exposure to fears." From this, she developed the underlying concept of Divergent.