Blog10

Neil Gaiman is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories, novels, graphic novels, comics, audio theatre, and films. He was born on November 10, 1960 in Portchester, England. Gaiman’s work has won many awards such as the Hugo, Newberry, Bram Stoker, and Nebula. One of Neil Gaiman most popular work is the book Coraline. Gaiman has also wriiten The Graveyard Book.
In The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman the main character Nobody “Bod” Owens grows up in a graveyard. His parents died when he was a baby so the ghosts of the graveyard take care of Bod. Everyone has a different role; his main care giver is Silas. Throughout the book Bod has many adventures that help him grow. According to Erik Erikson every healthy human being goes through eight stages in their life, it starts from when they are an infant all the way to the late adulthood. There is a new challenge in each stage and different accomplishments. If each stage is not completed successfully there may be problems in that person’s life. In the Graveyard Book, the main character Bod goes through the first five stages.
The first step of Erik Erikson’s stage of development is Hope which takes place from zero to a one year old child. This is where the child is dependent on its parents. At this stage this is where the child learns to trust its caregivers, the child will learn to trust the caregivers if the consistent with providing the child with its needs. If the caregivers neglect the child, then the child would not trust its parents. When Bod was this age he was still living with his biological parents. From the details that Neil Gaiman provides Bod was probably from an upper middle class or upper class family. Bod lived in a house that had two floors. Bod also had his own room; there were a lot of toys in his room. From these details I think that Bod had nurturing parents because they provided for him, he had more than what was needed and like most parents they want what is best from their children. From this I concluded that Bod trusted his biological parents.

The second step in Erikson’s stage of development is Will this takes place when the child is two to three years old. At this stage the child questions whether they can do things for themselves or will they have to rely on someone. At this stage this where the child learns to do for themselves. This is when they learn to walk, eat, wash, dress, and use the bathroom all on their own. If caregivers encourage this behavior the child begins to feel that they can handle many problems on their own; children develop a sense of autonomy. If these behaviors are not encouraged by the caregivers children may develop shame and doubt in their ability to handle problems. At this stage in Bod’s life he was taken in by the ghosts of the graveyard. Since the ghosts are only awake during the night Bod had to learn how to do different activities on his own. His guardian Silas would leave food out for him and he would eat it when he wakes up. He would have to take care of himself the entire day. He spent the daytime alone in the graveyard at this age. Since Bod took care of himself during the day he developed Will.
The third step in Erikson’s stage of development is Purpose. This stage takes place when the child is four to six years of age. At this stage the child question whether they are good or bad. At this stage the child faces the challenges of initiative and guilt. During this stage, the child learns to take initiative and prepare for leadership and goal achievement roles. At this stage children begin to have a risk taking behavior. If parents and preschool teachers encourage and support children’s' efforts, while also helping them make realistic and appropriate choices, children develop initiative- independence in planning and undertaking activities. But if, instead, adults discourage the pursuit of independent activities or dismiss them as silly and bothersome, children develop guilt about their needs and desires. At this stage this is where Bod has an adventure with a human girl he meets in the graveyard named


Scarlett. Bod and Scarlett breaks into a casket. They weren’t allowed in but they wanted to know what was in there because of the stories they have heard.
The fourth step of Erikson’s stage of development is Competence. This stage usually takes place when the child is about seven to twelve years old. At this stage the child questions whether they are successful or worthless. At this stage children become aware that they are individuals. At this stage children are eager to learn and accomplish. At this stage children also become disobedient and begin to rebel to express individuality. If children are encouraged to make and do things and are then praised for their accomplishments, they begin to demonstrate industry by being diligent, persevering at tasks until completed and putting work before pleasure. If children are instead ridiculed or punished for their efforts or if they find they are incapable of meeting their teachers' and parents' expectations, they develop feelings of inferiority about their capabilities. At this age Bod was always questioning the other ghosts he wanted to know everything. At this age Silas friend Miss Lupescu comes to teach and take care of Bod for some time while Silas is away. At first Bod is a little rebellious he refuses to eat what she provides for him because it is different from what he usually has. Bod also complains Miss Lupescu tells him he has to study. Then one day when Miss Lupescu, Bod gets captured by a set of Ghouls. He becomes frightened and doesn’t know what to do. He then called for help in Night- Gaunt, hours later Miss Lupescu comes and rescues Bod. She had transformed to a huge dog. From that point on the time that was spent with Miss Lupescu, Bod did not complain or rebel when Miss Lupscue told him to study or to eat. There was another incident when Silas tells Bod the truth about where he came from and who he really is. Bod replies to Silas by telling him that he has learned so much while living in the graveyard, but he wants to learn more and would like to go to a school that is outside of the graveyard. Silas does

not agree to this and says there would be no one outside of the graveyard to keep him safe. Bod replies and says “No. It’s who will keep him safe from me”. In my opinion when Bod say this he wants to prove that he’s not scared of anyone and show that he can be successful and wouldn’t have to continue to hide in the graveyard for the rest of his life. There was another incident where Silas told Bod he is not allowed to leave the graveyard to go to school or anywhere else. Bod doesn’t listen and leaves.
The fifth step in Erikson’s stage of development is Fidelity. This stage takes place when the child is thirteen to nineteen years old. At this stage the child questions who they are and where they will go in life. At this stage Bod is alone at the graveyard he has no idea where Silas or Miss Lupescu is. He later reunites with his childhood friend Scarlett. Scarlett meets a friendly man at the graveyard named Mr. Frost; Scarlett spends time with Mr. Frost at the graveyard. Bod starts to wonder what he should do when he learned that the man Jack had killed his parents is still out there and still looking for him. Scarlett starts to do some research on her own and learns that her friend Mr. Frost lives in the house that Bods family was killed. Scarlett tells Mr. Frost and asks him if knows anything about the murder and that her friend would like to learn more about the murder. A few days later Mr. Frost calls and tells Scarlett that he found a letter in the floorboards that might help her friend. Scarlett tells Bod, he looks everywhere in the Graveyard for Silas and Miss Lupscu but does not find them. He finally decided to go to the Sleers for advice and they tell him to find his name. Bod decides to go with Scarlett to Mr. Frosts’ house. When they get there Mr. Frost tells them both that he would show Bod the letter first because he is the one that is concerns. Bod and Mr. Frost go up to the attic together. Mr. Frost goes over to the loose floor board and pulls out a knife. This is when Bod realizes that Mr. Frost is Jack the same man that had killed his family. Bod and Scarlett run to the graveyard and Jack and his friends follow them. Bod hides Scarlett in the Sleer’s casket. Bod takes care of Jacks friends, then goes to take care of Jack. Jack

finds Scarlett and threatens to do as she is told or he will kill her. Bod finds Scarlett and Jack in the sleer’s casket. Bod tells Jack that before he is killed he would like to know his real name. Jack doesn’t tell him. Then when Jack decides to tell Bod he says he knows who he is, he says he is Nobody Owens. In my opinion when Bod says this it’s like he realized who he is. He can’t change what has happened in the past, and what has happened has made him become who he is.
In conclusion, according to Erik Erikson everyone goes through the same stages throughout life. In the book from what I have concluded is that Nobody Owens is a normal human being. He went through the stages successfully even though he was brought up by ghosts. He was normal because he went through experiences that made him become successful in each stage.

Blog 6

First Draft

Water-Lilies

Where the water-lilies go

To and fro,

Rocking in the ripples of the water,

Lazy on a leaf lies the Lake King’s daughter,

And the faint winds shake her.

Who will come and take her?

I will! I Will!

Keep still! Keep Still!

Sleeping on a leaf lies the Lake King’s daughter…..

Then the wind comes skipping

To the lilies on the water;

And the kind winds wake her.

Now who will take her?

With a laugh she is slipping

Through the lilies on the water.

Wait. Wait

Too late, too late!

Only the water-lilies go

To and fro,

Dipping, dipping,

To the ripples of the water.

Alan Alexander Milne was born in London in January of 1882, and died in January of 1956. Alan Alexander Milne was best known for writing the Winnie the Pooh books and children poems (Wikipedia). One f the poems that Alan Alexander Milne wrote was Water Lilies; it was written in 1924 (Wikipedia).

This poem is made up of twenty one lines. The rhythm scheme of this poem is AABBCCDDBEBCCEBFFAAEB. Since this poem was originally written for children I think this poem can be read in a happy go lucky kind of tone. But in my opinion I think that the poem should be read in a snide or sneaky kind of tone.

In this poem the poem is being told in third person. In the poem there are water lilies on the lake and the Lake King’s daughter is sleeping on one of the lilies. Then the person reading the poem asks who will come and take the Lake King’s daughter away, someone replies that they will. Then for a second time the person that is reading the poem ask who will come and take the Lake King’s daughter and someone laughs and the next thing that the reader knows there is an empty lily floating on the lake.

In the poem Water -lilies ne word that is repeated a few times is the word “Lilies” and “Water-lilies” to me since the Lake King’s daughter is going to sleep there it has to represents safety or home. Since a safety is a representation of home this Lake was somewhere that no one was going to touch the King’s Daughter. Another symbol in this poem is the wind; to me the wind represents cold and loneliness and that would represents either death or disappearance

In my opinion what I think that is actually happening in this poem is the Lake King’s daughter, which seems to a fairy or something that is small because she has to be able to fit on a lily. Then it seems as though there are two or more people that is watching her resting on a lily by the bank of the lake in some bushes. It seems as though that these two people are watching her in like a creepy kind of way like the way a stalker would watch its prey. Then one of the stalkers asks the other one who “Who will come and take her?”(A.A Milne). To me when this is said it’s as though the first stalker is saying there is no one that would dare to even try and take the kings daughter. But the two stalkers continue to watch the Lake Kings daughter and the first stalker asks again who will come and take the King’s daughter but by the first stalker finishes speaking the second stalker laughs and doesn’t waste any time and goes to captures the Lake King’s Daughter. When he does this it is like a wish come true and he’s is just boasting that he is not afraid to capture the King’s Daughter.

Blog 5

In class my group had to read the first part of A Midsummer’s Night Dream where Theseus tells Hippolyta that he can’t wait until their wedding night so that they can finally have sex. Hippolyta then tells Thesus that their wedding is only four days away and that the time would go by very quickly. Our group decided that we would have Thesues in kind of a begging tone where he wants Hippolyta. We decided that Hippolyta would be speaking in a resentful tone.

3.1

I think one of the topics for essay number two should be something relating one of the readings, where you have to interperet the symbols on the reading and write what you think it means.

Blog 2

The Prophet Abraham and his wife Sarah were married for many years; at this time they did not have any children. In those days it was a custom for a man to remarry if they did not have any children with their first wife. Abrahams’ first wife Sarah suggested that he should get married to her servant Hajira. Abraham agreed to this and soon Hajira gave birth to Abrahams’ first son Ishmael. A little while later Sarah gave birth to Abraham second son Isaac. Allah told Ibrahim and told him that from his sons would come two nations and three religions. Allah instructed Abraham to take Hajira and his son Ishmael to the valley of Mecca. Sarah became jealous. After travelling for days Abraham leaves Hajira and Ishmael; where nothing grew or lived (dessert). There were two hills of both sides of the valley. They soon ran out of the food that Abraham had left them. Ishmael started to cry and kicked the ground. Hajira ran from one hill to the other in search for help. She didn’t find any help and then returned to her son and began praying to Allah. Then after all the kicking by Ishmaels’, a small spring of water rose from the ground at his feet. They drank the water and thanked Allah. Hajira and Ishmael settled by the spring. The spring is now called the The Well of Zam - Zam. Sometime later Abraham came to visit and was surprised of their new home.
In my opinion it seems kind of silly when Hijira freaks out because she and Ishmael are left stranded at the dessert. I find it very odd because they were at a valley, so why didn’t they just take the water from there. Also since it was a valley obviously water had to be coming from somewhere so if they had just dug deep enough into the ground they probably would have found more water.

Blog 1

When I grew, I grew up around mostly Muslim and Hindu people. I am Muslim, and Muslims believe that on the Day of Judgment everything that you have done in your life will determine whether or not you will get into heaven or hell. When Muslims pray they are to just face the East, it’s a little weird to worship something that’s not really there. One thing that always makes me question if there is really a God is that why it is that good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. If the people that are genuinely good and really worship God aren’t getting rewarded for the good they do, but the people that commit sin after sin and believe in God are rewarded for doing bad deeds. Muslims also believe that there are two Angels that are always with you. They are located on the right shoulder and the left shoulder; the Angel on the right shoulder write down all the good things you do and the Angel that is on the left shoulder writes down all the bad things that you do. In Hinduism they believe in reincarnation after death. Hindu’s also belief in Karma. Hindu’s don’t eat beef because they believe that the cow is a caregiver like a parent. I have heard that some Hindu’s would take the urine and wash their hands. I also heard that if a part of your body is hurt or injured and if the cow touches that part of your body you will get healed. Also if a sick person sees a cow giving birth they will be healed.
Some random superstition that I have heard while growing up were, don’t shake your legs while you’re eating because you’re calling the devil to eat with you. When it is dark out girls shouldn’t walk outside with their down because a ghost might pull their hair. I also heard don’t kick someone because your foot would rot. Don’t point at a cemetery because your finger would rot. I also heard that you should sweep your house after six PM and don’t cut your nails after six Pm. Girls should have too many people touching or playing with their hair because this would cause it to fall off.