The Diary of a Player By Brad Paisley

Before I write about this fantastic book, there is a little background that I would like to share. In Summer 2009, I met Brad Paisley at the Delaware State Fair in Harrington, DE. He was exactly what I thought he would be and much more, except being tall. I remember that moment clearly when we looked into each other's eyes and I knew that I wanted to be just like him. It took a few years to get around to it, but I finally started playing guitar. Now, for the book. To briefly explain the book, it is sort of an autobiography and sort of not. I felt like he was in front of me the entire time and I was the fly on the wall. Although it may be classified as an autobiography and boring, I had a lot of fun reading about his life, especially the part when he says that he received a D in his guitar class. The entire time I read the book, I was on a roller coaster of emotions. If you have ever played a musical instrument, you know that it can be hard at first and most people take a break or quit. Like Brad, I went though this stage and I felt like we connected of those grounds. I have never read a book that I connected so much to and it felt great to know Brad and I felt the same way.

My First Experience with Hemingway

After some pondering, I decided that it was finally time to read some Hemingway. He was considered one of the best writers of the twentieth century, but I had to decide for myself. As you may or may not know, I love Fitzgerald and Poe, so he had some tough competition. I started with a simple short story, A Clean, Well- Lighted Place. I have to admit, the story had little impact on me and it would be easily forgotten (just like Faulkner). The story had no plot and it was good that it was short because I would have just stopped reading. But, as I thought about the story and did some research on Hemingway, I began to like it more and more. During my research, I discovered that Hemingway committed suicide. Also, I discovered that his father, brother, sister, and daughter also committed suicide. Upon finding this information, I began to feel to him. How could you live when you know that many of your family members took their own lives. I decided to take this information one step further and linked it to this short story. In my opinion, the old man is Hemingway. He has a feeling of nothingness and is blind to the world. Nobody cares for him and the only thing Hemingway has are his writing skills. The only thing the old man has is the bar. I also found it very coincidental that the old man had a drinking problem because Hemingway also had a drinking problem. This raises a question, did Hemingway tell his own story? From my point of view, Hemingway is a close fourth behind Hurston. Here's the Stats:

1. Fitzgerald
2. Poe
3. Hurston
4. Hemingway

My Favorite Othello Quote

"Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,Is the immediate jewel of their souls.Who steals my purpose steals trash. 'Tis something, nothing:'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands.But he that filches from me my good nameRobs me of that which not enriches himAnd makes me poor indeed."Othello Act III, Scene III, Lines 155-161

Othello

As part of my trip to Florida, I decided to bring along my copy of Othello. After being fully immersed into the world of Shakespeare the last 5 years, I decided that it would be best to add yet another play to my library. As much as I love comedy, I love the tragedies that love endures, or destroys. After reading Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet, I thought that Othello would be just the same. To test this statement, I used Aristotle's guide for a tragic hero. In Hamlet and Macbeth, the two main characters were tragic heroes, but what about Othello? First, I examined Othello's nobility. Othello has attained nobility by being a high ranked general in the Venetian army and he is a married to Desdemona, the daughter of a Venetian senator. Second, Othello is not perfect because he is a Moor and very insecure because of his race and age. Third, Othello's downfall is when he becomes insane by the thoughts Iago puts into his head. By listening to Iago, Othello makes himself crazy. Fourth, Othello does not deserve to be fooled by Iago. Iago caused more damage to Othello's reputation than to his relationship. Fifth, Othello asks to be remembered exactly the way he was. He does not want things exaggererated or toned down, but for the truth to be known to all. Lastly, Othello's catharsis is when he stabs himself in the end after losing his wife Desdemona. After my research, I came to the conclusion that Othello is a tragic hero after all. Also, as a last thought, I would like to point out the word demon in the name Desdemona. Did Shakespeare do this on purpose? Probably.

Happy Holidays!

Thank you for taking an interest in me, so it's my turn to take this oppertunity to take an interest in you. I would just like to take the oppertunity to tell all of my loyal followers Merry Christmas and wish you a happy and healthy New Year. Also, I would like it if you would keep my cousins in your prayers. Their dog was hit by a car today and they had to put him to sleep. Thanks and I look forward to writing more posts in the New Year.

Great Quote #1

How I felt when I finished Gatsby and Harry Potter:

"You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.”

- Paul Sweeney

Great Expectations (I Loved It So Much, I Had to Write Another Post)

Great Expectations is definitely in my top 5 favorite books of all time! If you have not read it yet, put it on your list, preferably before all the others. Recently, I watched the movie for the book and I was blown away! First of all, the cast consisted of Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert De Niro, and Anne Bancroft. This amazing cast set the footsteps for not only a great film adaption of the novel, but a modern American retelling of the story. My favorite quote in the story is when Pip says, "And could I look upon her without compassion, seeing her punishment in the ruin she was, in her profound unfitness for this earth on which she was placed, in the vanity of sorrow which had become a master mania, like the vanity of penitence, the vanity of remorse, the vanity of unworthiness, and other monstrous vanities that have been curses in this world?" Pip's love for Estella hurts me every time I think about it. I find myself wanting to yell at Estella because Pip is the perfect man for her, but she only uses him for attention. The way Gwyneth Paltrow portrayed Estella was an Academy Award performance and I have gained a lot of respect for because of her role. To finish, I would like to leave you with a quote from Thomas Foster's "How to Read Literature Like a Professor." Foster describes the novel by saying, "Life, death, love, hate, dashed hopes, revenge, bitterness, redemption, suffering, graveyards, fens, scary lawyers, criminals, crazy old women, cadaverous weding cakes. This book has everything except spontaneous human combustion. Now, how can you not read it?"