"Hitting Budapest" by NoViolet Bulawayo

For starters, I read Hitting Budapest by NoViolet Bulawayo. To list a few, some of the primary features of this world (Budapest) would be the poverty difference. The children wandering down random streets looking for guava to eat because they have already eaten all that they can find. They spare nothing (aside from the few they throw at a house), compared to the woman who was taking their pictures and eating pizza. She threw away a perfectly good piece of pizza without thinking to offer it to the children. They woman and children clearly came from a different cultural background just form the way they treat each other. For the children, it's basically to fend and fight for yourself. To us, the woman's behavior would seem normal; taking pictures of strange children, throwing away food that we don't finish, being offended by someone who is offended by us. 

What are the world's ethos?
For the above story, i would have to say that the beliefs of the children differ from the beliefs of the older woman. The children believe that they have to steal to survive, which very well may be true. But they also think and hope that one day they wont have to. They will marry rich men and live in a nice place. The woman already has these things, supposedly. She seems to have a belief that its ok to take pictures of strange children on the street. Which to us (as mentioned before) would be a normal thing. Just going about our daily business, eating some food, taking pictures of things and people that intrigue us. 

What are the strategies used by the writer to convey the world?
The author paid attention to detail, for sure, to help convey the different worlds. They went into detail about how each character looked or was dressed, who had matted hair, who had clean feet, what the shoes of the dead woman looked like. They described the streets and the houses, the color and texture of the guavas, the pizza and all its funny looking toppings. Everything that the reader would need to feel like they were in the same world and setting as the characters. They gave insight on every single little detail about the characters and what they were doing and feeling. 

How are the characters connected to the world of the story?
For this answer, i'm going to base it entirely on the children. They are growing up practically on the street, having to fend for them selves, to steal food so they don't go hungry. They have to plan for the future of higher thefts, such as stealing valuables from peoples houses. They are having to make due with the crap hole of a world they are living in. A 10 year old getting pregnant by one of her family members...what kind of a life is that? They are growing up differently than the people around them, who have homes and food to waste. 

Girl by Jamaica Kincaid

OK, so my honest opinion Girl by Jamaica Kincaid, is a really weird short story. There are little to no punctuation marks to show the end of a sentence so it just seems to ramble on and on. I really didn't like it, my reasons having nothing to do with the writer. I can really relate to the person who is being spoken to, having orders barked at them or telling them how to do things a particular way. My mom does this to me and it really bothers me. If I do something a certain way, its automatically wrong and she has to tell me the right way to do it.....which is essentially the same way I just did it. The only difference is that she told me to do it and watched me do it. Then theres the factor of calling the girl a slut. I wont go as far as to say my mom does that to me, but she's certainly come close....though I am no where near being one. Thanks mom. The wording of Girl isn't asking the other person to do something, it's telling. Thats something that gets under my skin with my mom. If you want me to do something, ask me, don't tell me. You have a better chance of getting me to do that thing if you ask me vs telling me. Telling me is going to get you a snippy attitude, and a reluctance to do it.

Grand Budapest Hotel vs Writings of Stefan Zweig

Right off the bat I will admit that i am not a fan of Wes Anderson films. His films just seem to hold no interest to me. Sure they are definitely well made, they just aren't my forte. It's a bit jumpy for my taste and if you're not paying attention the whole time, you can get lost pretty quickly. That being said, I will enforce again that i don't think this is a bad movie. The sets and costumes are beautiful, the scenery is fantastic and the actors do a great job with their roles. Each character is studied in depth for the importance of their role. For example, the main characters are described more than the jail members. 

I think the readings are pretty similar to the writings of Stefan Zweig in the ways of storytelling, or narrating. Both the narrators in The Grand Budapest Hotel, and stories written by Zweig are quite unexpected. They each have interesting backstories to tell that don't always end in happiness. They were also both told in a flashback. I have mixed feelings about flashbacks. I often forget (which might be the whole point) that i'm viewing a flashback. I like the realization though once it comes back to "real time", that you were looking into someone's past. I found that most of the stories are about loss and love, and occasionally death. They both have that in common. Wes Anderson's film Moonrise Kingdom was all about love and loss. Not that there is anything wrong with those subjects, I just really didn't like how they were conveyed in either Zweig's writings or Anderson's films. I prefer fantasy, syfy, fiction and horror. Something that is able to hold my attention more than a film about love and death that jumps around a lot. Overall, these would be interesting stories for someone who is into those kind of lovey, dramatic....stuff. I for one, am not a fan. 

True Grit

When someone asks you to explain a western film, what are the first things that come to mind? Probably something along the lines of gun slinging cowboy bad boys, horses on desert trails, gunfights and lone rangers. To me when I think of westerns, I always have the same ideas that come to mind. In my opinion all western movies are the same. If you haven't gathered already, im not a fan of western movies. I find them boring and repetitive and they're all pretty much the same. One or two main characters who tend to be bad boy gun slingers who have to figure out a way to save someone or something while out in the middle of desert areas. To me, True Grit (2010) was no different. 

The main character, Mattie Ross, a stubborn 14 year old girl seeking to find and kill her father's murderer. So already we have the rebellious bad ass character. Next up would be Rooster Cogburn, the lone cowboy who doesn't take crap from anyone...except the stubborn little 14 year old of course. Aside from those characters, there's the other, not so important characters who may or may not help. In this case that would be LaBoeuf. Personally, i believe this movie sums up the stereotype of western movies. There were gun fights, chases on horseback, danger at every turn, potential damsels in distress, and lots of arguing that may or may not have been understandable (i'm lookin' at you Jeff Bridges). 

With all this being said, I found this movie to be a bit boring. Sure it was well made, it just didn't hold my attention. I think the only parts that actually stuck out to me were when little blacky died, and when in the end it showed that Mattie had lost her arm. That was a little surprising. The only thing that i can think of that might break the typical western movie standards is that the main character is a young girl compared to a large burly man with no fears. That was a nice change for once (seeing as i don't normally watch westerns, there might be more with female leads that i don't know of)