St. Augustine: Confessions

Mom and I had the pleasure of reading excerpts from a translation of St. Augustine's Confessions. Though, this book is not typically considered European literature, mom still wanted us to read it because of its classic nature.
After reading "Beowulf," St. Augustine's prose seemed flowery and embellished. But not in a bad way. I like his writing style.
Something interesting to me was how modern his life seemed. Maybe modern isn't the correct word. By modern I mean he seems like he could have the same experience living today. Reading his confessions, I felt as though people today could really relate to his life.
Augustine talks about how he was so cool because he was smart and intellectual, probably wealthy, and he got a lot of ladies.
His life would make an interesting film.
Read his confessions. You won't regret it!

Sarah

BEOWULF: The Review is Here at Last!

SARAH'S REVIEW OF BEOWULF THE BELOVED:

When it was related to me by my dear mother that we would be reading the epic narrative poem "Beowulf," my initial thought was: "Oh goody! A werewolf story!" Please do not mock me for my ignorance, for I am now fully aware that there are no wolves at all in the tale. In fact, let it be known that Beowulf is not half-wolf, nor was he raised by wolves, nor did he meet with any wolves during his adventures. Still, his name sparks confusion.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It's exciting and suspenseful!

The story is about- guess who?! Beowulf!! And it begins when he travels to a nearby kingdom to rid them of a terrible monster, Grendel, who wreaks havoc upon their mead hall (FYI: mead hall=bar) and kills a lot of thanes (FYI: thane=BFF of the king). King Hrothgar is the ruler of these people.

Grendel is a great monster: terrifying and grotesque! He munches on the organs of the beer-drinkers.

But Beowulf is a beast. And he knows it. He pretty much thinks he's Jesus (a.k.a. bit of an ego). He says he will slay the beast and guess what? He does! Actually, he only succeeds in getting the arm of Grendel, but no one seems to care and they have a big party and give Beowulf lots of gold.

But then...guess who comes back for revenge?! Grendel's MOM! That's right. Grendel's mom is ticked off that some random guy ripped off her kid's arm and so she goes back to show them who's boss.

She kills King Hrothgar's BFF, like his ultimate BFF. So Hrothgar is heart-broken but Beowulf says, "No worries. I'll go kill Grendel's ma."

Beowulf travels to the lair of Grendel's mother and has a showdown, which, of course, ends in his favor (he kills her).

So Beowulf receives more cash and such from Hrothgar.

Time goes on and Beowulf fights a dragon.

Oh horror! I have given the whole story away.

Anyways, I loved this book! Yes, loved it. The translation I read was wonderful.

Oh, and just in case you were planning on watching a movie about Beowulf, DON'T. Just say NO. Mom and I watched like 7 and they all sucked. (More on that later...)

Part Two of Sarah's American Literature Reviews

Okay, here are the rest of the books we read last school year!

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain – This book is absolutely hilarious! There are parts that made me laugh out loud! Every character in the book is really stupid which makes everything so funny!

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, though there will always be a part of me that wishes Jo and Laurie ended up together… But anyways, this book made me laugh, cry, and smile. Perhaps my view of the story of Little Women has been tainted by the movie, which is not an accurate depiction of the book in my opinion. The book really explains the character of Amy in a way that makes the reader understand her and grow to love her. The book showed how the relationship between Laurie and Amy grew and changed. (It’s till weird though.) And also, Professor Bhaer is not such a creeper in the book. (He is still slightly creepy though…just kidding…) Anyways, every girl should read this book!

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass – Very interesting but extremely sad. This book will make you angry. But you should read it because it is so, so good!

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane – Waste of time. I know this is considered a classic, but…why? I couldn’t tell you what happened. I couldn’t even tell you the name of the main character. Who, by the way, is such an annoying slacker. Basically, the story is about this guy who runs around during the Civil War and eventually dies. Woop-dee-doo. Maybe I missed something major. If you know what it is please tell me!!!

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beacher Stowe – A wonderful surprise! I thought that the book would be dull, but it was anything but! The characters are so well-drawn and the story is captivating from the beginning! There are so many wise words throughout the book that remain relevant even today. This is a sad book, and it made me very angry at times, but I really loved it.

Giants in The Earth – Umm…I didn’t exactly finish this one yet… AAHH!! But I will, I promise!! I am going to force myself!! Everyone tells me it’s a great book so I mustn’t give up!