Twilight

I first heard of the twilight series this previous summer. My old friend, Christy was counting down the months, days, hours for the premiere of a movie rendering of her favorite romantic novel. She was not the girliest girl, so to see her so engrossed in a love story intrigued me. Then she told me it was about vampires and I lost interest since I read a vampire story in 8th grade. Then i read this quote from the main vampire:

Next, my boyfriend'd little sister bought the last of the series, AND a Twiligt sweater

and. . . Then when school started in the fall I began to hear more girls obssessed by the Twilight series.

Now I am about to borrow thw book from a friend because I refuse to watch the movie without reading the book first. I bet I won't even like the movie as much as the novel. That's how it always is because you imagine the characters and everything a certain way and then you're disappointed when it doesnt coinicide with the actual movie.

This semester. . .

Wow, the semester is over soon! I can't believe the semester is coming to a close. This was my first semester at this campus and I must say, I liked it. The holiday season is almost here!
Not to mention. . . FINALS. One of my teachers already gave us the date and time for his class' Final: December 16.
So this also means that we are currently working on our research papers for our ENC 1102 course. The topic is basically about how Art reflects life. Which is pretty much what I was stating in my previous blog! We could choose any work of art, so I decided on a motion picture instead of an actual novel or poetry. Since our choice of subject had to deal with ONE current issue that exist in our society today . . . I chose Teen Pregnancy.
Juno, the motion picture about a teenage girl dealing with an unplanned pregancy is my example.

Art, etc.

One thing I noticed is how universal every aspect of art can be. Everytime I read a piece of literature I can somehow relate it to what I am feeling or experiencing. It does not matter if it was a poem our teacher reads to us in class, or a movie I am watching, or a painting I am analyzing. THAT is one of the wonders of art. It can touch anyone and everyone in numerous ways. I love it that I can turn on the radio and feel the lyrics because they remind me of something I am currently experiencing or an even that happened long ago. ART has that power. It also reminds me of the Kantian Philosphy we learned about in HUManities class. A group of people can look at one piece of art and each single person has their own unique perception of it.
:-)

The Thief and the Dogs; CH 14 & 15

Chapter 14 is the one in which Said leaves late at night in his "uniform." Excited and energized, he boats all the way to Rauf Ilwan's. Said's mentality is that as long as he 'punishes' Rauf, Ilish's escape from being murdered would not have been a total loss. To him, Rauf was the embodiment of absolute treachery. It was his own form of bloody protest. When Said is headed to murder Rauf, it seems like for the first time he's actually a little more careful than usual... he analyzes the journey there. He aims at the driveway as Rauf is gettign out his car and then he is distracted when someone from the garden apparently tries to shhot him and barely misses. Instantly he calls out Rauf's name and hastily shoots twice, maybe three times. An adrenaline rush allowed Said to flee the scene and he jumps into a taxi. The pain he felt was nothing in comparison to the relief of safely making it out alive. He consoles himself physically (the bullet just barely grazed his leg) and mentally, by telling himself that he for sure shot Rauf-- since Said Mahran never misses a target, right? Nur worries when she returns tired from work, seeing blood on his leg. She makes a very important statement to him:

"You don't know good from bad."

Which is true, his mind is so wound up on revenge he can not even think straight. And she tells him also that he'd rather destroy himself than just leave with her ♥
Chapter 15 makes Said a star. All the headlines are swarmign with news about him: Rauf Ilwan once again was stirring up controversy saying that Said was a madman and . . . . once again, Said murdered an innocent, this time it was his doorman. The chapter foreshadows that SAID will be the last "innocent" victim. He still justifies himself, or at least tries to:

'Whoever kills me will be killing the millions. I am the hope and the dream... And the declaration that I'm mad must encompass the loving.'

Nur seems to be losing the ability to take it anymore. She appears to be losing trust in him. I feel for her. :-/

He kisses her, and means it.

The Thief and the Dogs; CH 13

Tarzan acts as Said's informant when he tells Said that one of them 'finally turned up.' It turns out he was referring to Bayaza, who used to be a partner of Illish & Said.
Poor, unsuspecting Bayaza gets threatened into revealing info of Ilish's whereabouts to the point that Said begins to physiclly hit him. He begs for mercy as his life is at stake. Said takes 10 pounds of money from him, but no exact address. He claims Ilish Sidra is scot-free but that he would have lived in vain if Rauf continues to live.

The Thief and the Dogs; CH 12

The 12th chapter begins with Said trying on the uniform and Nur admiring his work. The next night she finds out that Said is wanted for murder. Nur gives him one last chance to flee his troubles: "You don't love me. I know that. But at least we could have lived together until you did love me!" He makes her alll these promises, that they'd run away and live together forever.
Said visits Tarzan at the coffeehouse only to be told that it is not even afe there anymore. He returned to his lonely dark hideout at Nur's. He was angry and frustrated, because he knew it was rauf's fault that Said's story had been blown up-- by one newspaper in particular. Rauf was not giving up in stirring up more controversy against Said. Said feels that his life will have loss all meaning, unless he kills the ones who have betrayed him. He starts to look back before "time brought terrible changes" to Rauf Ilwan. He even claims that his former mentor possessed within the same power that Said could not even find in the Sheikh. He even remembers all Rauf taught him, like his love of reading or self-respect in being a thief. Said was transforned into a Robin Hood of more modern times. He is in shock of how much Rauf has flipped in philosophy, "You too, want to kill me, to murder your conscience and past as well."
There seems to be some foreshadowing when Nur returns. He kisses her more enthusiiastically, "knowing her now to be the person closes to him for as long as he might live." She told Said about how he's all they talk about, he is a hot topic... "as if you were some story book hero. But they don't have any idea what torture we go through." <--- it sounds like every one else has a positive view when they are on the outside looking IN.
On page 115, Said then brings up the term DOGS again, with a negative connotation. He then reveals to the readers that he does not use this term literally, at all. I was confused at the end of this chapter because.... it seems to me that Said implies that Nur associates with Rauf, when Said calls her a liar.

Ch. eleven; The Thief and the Dogs.

The first half of this chapter is all somewhat of a flashback. Said is recalling how his father, Amm Mahran, was a concierge of the student's hostel before he died. It is revealed that thanks to Rauf , Said was able to take over his father's job.
Amm Mahran's piety made him happy, and the students had respected him. His pilgrimage to Sheikh Ali's home was his only source for entertainment. He would encourage Said to join him, "It'll give you a sense of peace and contentment, the finest thing you can enjoy in life." It was obvious that Amm would talk about Said to the Sheikh, and when SheikhAli met him he said his heart was spotless (meaning PURE) and that there was 'a lot of intelligence in his eyes.' Both statements about his innocence as a child are very ironic, Said grows up to be a thief, who does not plan out his deeds despite how educated he is.
The Sheikh gives the young Said some advice, he recalls. Then, as the chapter goes on, Said is remembering how his father died when he was a child and how Rauf Ilwan was a young law student who helped him and his mother at the time. He took on these responsibilities as a child, and then his mother died of a disease. She had suffered for an entire month before death. In which he [symbolicly ? ] stole for the first time. Rauf there for him, as a very influential and important male figure in his life. And you begin to see how he first took him under his wing and "trianed" him to think it was justified to steal. Irony: Said says in his flashback, "Where have all your principles gone now, Rauf?" Now that their relationship has changed. He seems to remembering, however, in a more positive mood.... better days perhaps: 'times when sorrows could be forgotten, wounds could be healed, and hope could bring forth fruit from adversity.'
Then the chapter takes a twist back into present time. Said gets the urge to leave Nur's flat and take a walk, finding himslef back in his old seat next to Tarzan in the cofeehouse. Both Tarzan ( and old criminal friend of his) and an arms smuggler, give him advice since Said is now a fugitive. Tarzan suddenly gets up to look out the window because he believes he saw a face staring in at them... leading me to wonder if this is foreshadowing or if Tarzan is just paranoid. The waiter went outside to investigate, but Said didn't stay around. Said is very aware of his own fear. He sees the light in Nur's window on, and he is pleased. When he sees her he wants to caress her ( a sign that he seems to be liking her a whole lot more than earlier in the novel) but her eyes are red and he sees her cry for the first time in his life. He was deeply moved. It turns out her young customers BEAT her! "The DOGS!" exclaimed Said.
And still, she was sweet enough to remember to get him a fabric he requested from her so he could make a uniform. On page 108, she then tells him of a fortune-teller who said 'there'd be security; peace of mind.' Page 108 is full of references to human beings as DOGS. Very symbolic. You can tell Nur had a horrible day, since she is pessimistic to the point that it depresses the protagonist. She finally shows a glimmer of hope in the last sentence when she says, "That day will really come!" <--- referring to the safety and peace she wants promised to her.