#2 Chewing gum: The Fortunes of Taste by Michael Redclift- pg #35-70

Summary:

Thomas Adams tried making gum for months, but it took too long so Santa Anna stopped talking to Adams. When Adams went into a drugstore in New York, he overheard the shopkeeper trying to sell a young girl a penny’s worth of chewing hum. He was told that Curtis White Mountain developed it, and Adams invited a gum vending machine. He made $2 million, which would be $30 million today. When the population of people started to increase, there were higher demands. Chewing gum was mondine, yet enjoyable. It provided cheap, unalloyed pleasure and it could be shared. It celebrates a function in an immediately pleasing way. Chewing gum makers and sellers made huge profits. In the late 19^th century in American, chewing gum made a massive social transformation. William Wrigley made the marketing of gum into art. His father had manufactures soap, and it was sold from store to store. He struck the idea on having his soup, so he offered two packs of gum in the product. He then introduced a series of different branded gums in 1863 and they became Wrigley’s trademarks: Juicy fruit and Spearmint. He began to send small samples of gum to millions of people. His aim was to make chewing gum popular. He became a multimillionaire. The resin for chewing gum was fought over the jungles of the Yucatan Peninsula. The Caste War was between the Mayan Indian and the Mexicans. In the beginning, Mayan armies were winning until they took a surprising turn. During one of the wars, the Mayan armies turned around and left the battlefield. They rebelled because gum was from their land and they weren’t getting profit. They soon lost because they were affected with diseases.

Quote:

"If the chewing gum story owes something to the American interest in chewing, it also owes a great deal to the developing taste" (Redclift 38). 

Reaction:

In all grocery stores, packs and packs of gum are sold, and many of Americans buy it. As time passes by, there are more and more flavors made. I agree with this quote, because William Wrigley made the first flavored gum which was Juicy fruit and it has always been popular. Because of it's great taste, many people bought it and Wrigley became a multimillionaire.

#1 Chewing gum: The Fortunes of Taste by Michael Redclift- pg #1-34

Summary:

Chewing gum is regarded as a personal treat and substitute for food, especially when food is unavailable. It has been used to express attitude, demonstrating coolness. Chewing gum played an increasing role in many people's lives. Gum was sourced from the southeastern. Region of Mexico, the Yucatan peninsula. Mexicans introduced gum and the term they used was 'chicle'. It was made from rare ingredients from the Mexican tropics. It was treated as a sustainable forest product and it brought new customers to markets. Pablo Ortega worked on the streets of Mexico and his business was very bad. However, when he started to sell gum and sweets, his market was going back up to business because everyone was buying it. The first important of gum is to taste the popular culture. Second importance is it came to represent and bring Mexico and United States together. The last is it bound up with tropical forest frontiers. General Santa Anna, the former president of Mexico and Thomas Adams, former Military photographer introduced gum to the United States. When gum came to the United States, Americans loved it. Santa Anna was born on February 21, 1794, he began his career as an officer in the Spanish army, and he joined the revolution under the leader Iturbide. The movements of the Texan army were screened from the Mexican troops by trees and the high grounds. When the Mexicans and Texans were fighting, the war only lasted for 18 min. The Mexican army fled and Santa Anna managed to escape. Houston ordered a search for him and he was found hiding in bushes with solider clothes. Santa Anna agreed to the complete Mexican evacuation of Texas and eventually to Texan Independence. He was president in 1838, the exiled to Cuba for incompetence. The Mexican-American war restored to power in Mexico City with United States support. Santa Anna then betrayed the United Stated and exiled again. When he reached 75 years old, he lived in New York. He told Thomas Adams he needed money for a Mexican Army and he hoped to raise it by selling chicle. They were sold for $1 a pound; it was large lumps of gray dirt, covered in bark and stones. It was rubberlike qualities but poorly made.

Quote:

"Chewing gum is by turns habitual and regarded as a personal treat, it was and is, a substitute for food, notably when food is unavailable" (Redclift 2).

Reaction:  

I've always wondered why people love gum so much. In class, many students ask others for gum and they complain they're hungry. From this quote, people like to chew gum because they don't have any food available. I was also confused because I've been told that chewing gum makes people hungrier but I guess they want to chew on something and pretend it's food.

#5The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (Film) Review

Reaction:

In The New York Times, A. O. Scott writes a review about The Last Song film on March 31, 2010. First, the reviewer wrote about the author Nicholas Sparks. Nicholas Sparks in the past had wrote books that were also put into films. In 2010, he had two of his books become a film, "We have already had two this year — "Dear John" and this one" (Scott). Then the reviewer gave a short summary about the book and talked about the characters. Ronnie had recently graduated from highschool and her parents divorced so she and her brother have some distress. Ronnie then meets a boy named Will who mechanic, a volunteer at the local aquarium and a young man that also has family problems. The reviewer says that "One major problem with “The Last Song” is that it can’t manage to sort through its various issues in any dramatically compelling way, instead falling into a slack, soap-opera rhythm in which potentially catastrophic developments seem to have no lasting emotional effects" (Scott). I agree with this because when I watched the movie, I didn't think the character expressed their feelings that well. Their facial expressions were blank for the most part and I was able to know the characters better from reading the book. Another problem mentioned about the film is, "But acting, for the moment at least, seems almost entirely beyond her. In “The Last Song” she pouts, slouches, storms in and out of rooms and occasionally cracks a snaggle-toothed smile, but most of the time she seems to be mugging for the camera, play-acting rather than exploring the motives and feelings of her character" (Scott). I also agree with this because I didn't think Miley Cyrus would be the best actress for this. In my 4th blog, I mentioned that another person should of played the role because it seemed like Miley had a hard time showing her expressions. Another thing I agree with the reviewer is the scene for the movie. He said he liked the beach because it was a nice place to spend the summer and for people to fall in love. I liked this review because I agreed with everything that was said.

Works Cited:

Scott, A. O. "Movie Review - The Last Song - Summer Love, a Sea of Trouble -
           NYTimes.com." Movie Reviews, Showtimes and Trailers - Movies - New York Times -            The New York Times. 19 Feb. 2011. Web. 19 Feb. 2011.
          <http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/movies/31last.html?scp=1&sq=the last
          song&st=cse>.

#4The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (Film) Reaction

Reaction:

The film of The Last Song wasn’t as interesting as the book. The main actor was Miley Cyrus who played the role of Ronnie. Even though there were many close-up’s of characters, it was hard to figure out what a person was thinking and what was going on inside their head. The setting of the novel I thought was perfect. The main places there were scenes were the beach, beach house, and carnivals in the small town. There were a few long shots, that showed the beach and small town from a far distance, and many people were seen in the location. There were some changes and things that weren’t in the movie but in the book that I was shocked by. I was shocked when the book revealed that the mom had an affair with another man which left the father to leave. The film let watchers believe that Steve left the family for no reason. The ending of the book and film were also different. My favorite part was when Ronnie and Will kissed for the first time. First, they were arguing, so the camera was had shot reverse shots really quick, then Will leaned over to kiss Ronnie and the camera was on iris.  They were on the beach, and I was able to hear to ocean and waves in the background while they were arguing, and then they kissed, music came on. A scene that I thought was so touching was when Jonah found his dad will be dying, he stood by the shore, having watch touch his feet looking upset and angry, and Ronnie came from behind to comfort him. The camera was pointed on a low angle shot. I also liked the ending of the book because Ronnie ended up going to Julliard and Will surprised her about transferring to Colombia. The ending in the film was Ronnie packing up and Will just shows up at the beach. It didn’t let us know what would happen in the future. I personally thought the book was better than the film. Even though I liked the film, I thought there should have been another character playing Ronnie instead of Miley Cyrus. I didn’t think her acting was as great as she was on Hannah Montana.

#3The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (Book) Pages 325-463

Summary:

At Will’s volleyball game, Marcus was playing with fireballs and Blaze later joined. One of the fireballs hit her shirt and she was on fire. She was brought to the hospital and had to get surgery. Blaze mom visited her white she was getting better and she wanted her to stay away from Marcus because he was trouble. Will and Scott are at work, and they get into an argument. Will is tired of covering for Scott because Marcus keeps playing them. Ronnie. Will goes over Ronnie’s house and the turtles hatch out of their shells. As the turtles are swimming to the sea, Ronnie’s dad Steve keeps coughing and blood is coming out of his mouth. It turned out that Steve had received his death sentence in February. Before the summer, the taught a student Chan Lee piano, but he had to stop because he became tired and lost energy, He started to take daily naps, and when he’d wake up, there was pain in his stomach. When he went to the doctors, Steve was told he had stomach cancer, which his father had also had. He had less than a year to live. He called Kim (ex-wife) to tell her the news and asked if the kids could stay with him for the summer. Ronnie found out at the hospital, upset, but she forgives Steve for not telling her. Will stays with Ronnie at her house, and he could feel her pain because he lost someone too. He was there to comfort her. Ronnie had been thinking a lot because her father was sick, and Will was leaving in a couple days for college. Will and Ronnie went to see what Jonah was going. He was bleeding and his jeans were ripped. He was working on the glass for the church, he was crying because he wanted to finish it before Steve gets back. Will decided to help and he decided to tell Ronnie the truth about why the church burned down. It turned out that Scott was playing with fire and I caused to the church to fire. He left before anyone could find out and Will was only covering for him. Ronnie became angry and shut Will out. It has been two months and Kim picks the kids up. Ronnie decided to stay to help out her dad. Kim and Ronnie talk, she found out Steve left because it was the mom who was having an affair. Jonas went home with Kim because he needed to start school soon. Blaze and Ronnie run into each other, and Blaze told her that it was Marcus who really started to fire. The glass was ready to be put up on the church. Throughout the time, Ronnie was taking care of Steve and he became skinner and started to spend more time in bed. Ronnie had also been playing the piano, finishing the song Steve had been writing. Ronnie played the song on the piano for him when he got back. It was great for Steve to hear Ronnie play the piano. I was the last song he wrote, and heard. He died a week later, in his sleep. The funeral occurred a few days later. Light shined through the glass and Jonah and Ronnie knew their dad was there. The light faded and they said silent goodbyes. She played the song on the piano. Will was there and they talked for awhile. He told her Scott was doing okay and Marcus is in jail. They both didn’t want the summer to have ended the way it did. Few weeks after the funeral, Ronnie was back home in New York. She hid her pain of losing her dad. She and Jonah spent more time together. Ronnie also auditioned at Julliard and Will had surprised her. He planned a date for the weekend, and the weekend after. He told her he was staying in New York because he was transferring to Colombia. 

Quote:

"I was so mean to him. I quit the piano! I blamed him for everything, and I didn't say more than a few words to him for three years! Three years! And i can't get those years back. But maybe if I hadn't been so angry, he might not have gotten sick" (Sparks 379).

Reaction:
Ronnie blames herself about her father's stomach cancer. I think this was one of the deepest parts of the book because I can see Ronnie's reaction when she found out her father had cancer. She thought about the past and felt bad for not talking to him for three years. I could see Ronnie breaking down crying in my head.

#2The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (Book) Pages 169-324

Summary:

After Will takes Ronnie to the aquarium and fishing, he took her to the beach so she can watch him practice volleyball. As Will stepped away for a few minutes, Will’s ex-girlfriend Ashley approaches Ronnie, telling her that Will was a player and he took many girls on the same date. Ronnie got upset and marched herself back to her dad’s house. A few hours later, Will went to see Ronnie, but she pushed and told him to go away. He sat out in the beach in front of the house until night, til she finally went out to talk to him. Ronnie told Will what Ashley told her, but he told her she lied and that he did go out with other girls, but it was before he met Ronnie. He then kissed her passionately and they both loved every second of it. A few days later, Will was invited to have dinner with Ronnie, Ronnie’s dad Steve, and Ronnie’s little brother Jonah at their house. Will took Ronnie to her house to change, and she met his mom Susan. His house was very fancy, high classed and fancy. When Will left Ronnie to go upstairs to clean up, Ronnie and Susan were left to face each other. It was awkward until Will’s dad Tom showed up. He showed her his airplane and they were able to talk. It was less awkward than Ronnie being stuck with Susan. After that, they went to Ronnie’s house for dinner. After eating, Ronnie and Will went out to the beach to have a deep talk. Will got accepted to a great school with a beautiful campus, but he won’t be able to go there because his mom wanted him to go to Vanderbilt. Ronnie told him to attend to the school where he wanted to go, but he said it was a family tradition that the family would go to school at Vanderbilt. He also tells Ronnie that his family had been going through a tough time throughout the years. He and his sisters wear bracelets in honor of their little brother Mike, who was the happiest kid ever, with a great laugh and had many people who loved him. He died because of a car accident, which Will caused. It was something important Ronnie didn’t know about Will. In addition, Will wanted to know something about Ronnie. She told him she used to play piano, and she stopped because her dad left the family. She was getting used to staying Wrightsville, North Carolina with Jonah. She’s actually starting to talk to her dad again and she got to see Will. When Ronnie went home, she wondered where her dad was. Jonah told her he was at the church playing the new piano at the church. He stopped playing the piano at home because every time he would, Ronnie would start yelling at him. She walked to the church and heard her dad playing. She heard him playing and writing a song. Even though music is not in her life anymore, music is still in his life. He used to teach Ronnie how to play and he was a piano professor at Julliard. In the church, Ronnie heard a song being played she has never heard before. When the music stopped playing, all she heard was her dad cough once, then again, and then some more. She questioned if he was okay, and he claims it was the dust in the church. A few days later, Ronnie sees Blaze and tries to talk to her. She asked her why she put the CDs in her bag, and Blaze told her it was because she was mad at her. Ronnie told her she has no interest in Marcus, Blaze knew, but she didn’t like Ronnie because Marcus liked her and Blaze didn’t want to lose Marcus. Another few days later, Ronnie went to Will sister’s Megan wedding. She wore a black formal dress and Will thought she looked beautiful. They had a great time together at the wedding, they watched Megan get married, eat, and danced. Then Marcus showed up, he wanted to be Ronnie and Will told him to leave. They both ended up fighting each other causing a new scene. Will’s mother Susan was upset because that ruined the wedding, and she didn’t like Ronnie because she was low class.

Quote:

“After he and my mom separated, I was . . . angry with him, and the last thing I wanted was to spend the summer down here” (Sparks 247).

Reaction:

I chose this quote because it seems like the most important quote. It brings and explains the whole story. If Ronnie’s parent’s didn’t separate, there would be no background to this story. Many people’s parents separate and I don’t know how they can go through it. I wouldn’t know what I would do without both of my parents in the same house, because they’re my favorite people.

#1The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (Book) Pages 1-168

Summary:

Veronica, “Ronnie” and her little brother Jonas is sent to spend the summer with their father in Wrightsville, North Carolina. Ever since her parents got divorce, Ronnie stopped playing the piano, failing school and shut her family from her life. She’s rude towards people, dresses all black, ignores curfew and hangs out with people who smoke and drink, though she doesn’t. When she arrives to Wrightsville, she walks off to the carnival right away. There was a volleyball game, which Ronnie watched for ten minutes. As she was walking away from the beach, one of the volleyball players bump into Ronnie, coughing her to spill her milkshake all over her. The person’s name is Will, he tries to apologize, but Ronnie is cold towards him and walks away. When Ronnie is still at the carnival, she deiced to buy a new shirt. As she was searching, a girl Blaze that is dressed like Ronnie and the same age as her assists her. Ronnie didn’t want to buy the shirt because it was overpriced, so Blaze thought of stealing it. Ronnie chose not to because she was already caught twice back at home. She’s already on probation. Blaze introduced Ronnie to her boyfriend and friends, Marcus, Reddy and Lance. They throw fireballs as shows to make money. Will and his friend Scott shows up during one of the shows. Will and Scott doesn’t get along with Marcus and his friends, due to conflict in the past. At one point, they were ready to fight, but Ronnie stops it, and from there, Will had his eye on her because he thought she wasn’t like other girls. Later on the night, Ronnie hangs out with Blaze, Marcus and his friends at bower’s Point. She starts to feel uncomfortable, because they all drink. Marcus starts to hit on her but the police came and took her home. She was happy to be away from Marcus but mad that her father sent the cops to look for her. The next day, Ronnie and Blaze see each other a CD store. Blaze gives Ronnie the cold shoulder. Ronnie questions why, it’s because Blaze was told that she was trying to get at Marcus. Blaze being mad, puts CDs in Ronnie’s bag. When Ronnie leaves the sore, she’s stopped by security and gets in trouble When she walking on the beach, Ronnie sees sea turtle eggs being eaten by a raccoon and she immediately calls the aquarium. Will comes by the next day to mark the nest. Will and Ronnie meet again, and Will has interest in her. He marked the nest but employees didn’t stop by to put a protection. It angered Ronnie and she’d have to sleep outside again. This time, Will stayed out with her. They bonded together, and the next day he took her out on a date to the aquarium and fishing. Will sees Ronnie as a different girl and they both like each other. 

Quote:

“She was almost an adult, she hadn’t been doing anything wrong, and it wasn’t even midnight” (Sparks 67).

 Reaction:

I think this quote can relate to all teenagers nowadays. Ronnie’s currently 17 and she thinks she can do whatever she wants because she’s almost an adult. She disobeys her parents and comes home any time she wants. Teenagers today do the same thing. They [arty and hang out with their friends until 2am and ignores all their parents call. I could personally relate to this quote because I have over protective parents. They don’t let me stay out late often, but it’s not like I’m doing anything wrong, and I’m safe.