I selected Charles Frazier because I started reading his book Cold Mountain last year. The book got my attention write away when I started reading it. I really liked the time period the story takes place in and the style that Frazier wrote in was very interesting for me to read. I did not finish the book last year once school ended. I found it again this year and I wanted to finish it so I just am re-reading it. I learned that Cold Mountain was Frazier's first book he ever wrote and that got me interested in doing the author study on him. I figured that if his first book is as good as it is, his later books have to be as good or better. That is why I choose him to learn more about him.
Now that I chose to learn about him, I want to know what kind of other books he writes. Cold Mountain is about the Civil War so I want to learn what other books he wrote and what time periods they take place in. I also want to learn about why he chose to write about the civil war and if he prefers writing about history; rather than modern day books. One thing that led to my curiosity about learning more was his cool writing style and how he talks about specific little details that many other authors ignore in their writing. Frazier is also very good at creating imagery such as this example, "At the first gesture of morning, flies began stirring. Inman's eyes and the long wound at his neck drew them, and the sounds of their wings and the touch of their feet were soon more potent than a yardful of roosters in rousing a man to wake." That is the first sentence of the book cold mountain and that imagery got me more interest and hooked me to keep reading that is why I want to learn more about Frazier's and the books he wrote.
The character I want to talk about is the main character in the book Cold Mountain. The character’s name is Inman. In Cold Mountain, he is the protagonist which means that that he is the good guy in the story. He is a strong man that has a lot of will power. He has the will power to survive a wound to his neck that all the doctors in the field hospital thought would kill him. He is also bull headed in the fact that he will not give up trying to get home and to find his women, Ada. Inman is also kind hearted as well. On his journey home, he helps many people during the turbulent times of the Civil War. Inman feels that the war is not worth the cost of his life possibly anymore and he is seen as a traitor by the Southern army but he just wants to go home. Inman is a complex character that Frazier is revealing his layers of complexity chapter by chapter.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Inman fits the plot line very well. He seems to be the tough but kind hearted person needed for the story. I feel that he is goal oriented and I feel that is very important to a person on his journey. I also connect to him that he was a farm boy before he left to go to war against the north and to protect his state. I feel that he is very significant to the story line as a whole because he is one of two main characters in the story and the story is about him getting back to the other main character so I feel that he is very important to the story line. He is a great fit for the story and makes a great main character.
Charles Frazier is a very good author as I am discovering. The more I read his book, Cold Mountain, the more I enjoy his style of writing. As story advances, I feel that I know the characters much more and how they will act and think. It is kind of cool also to see how the author develops the characters in the story along with how he adds characters in the story to help create more dynamic characters that evolve as the story advances. Inman is one of the most dynamic characters in the story. Frazier gives the reader enough insight into Inman's life that the reader can get a feeling how he acted before the war and how he is changing along his journey. Frazier is very good a developing characters as I have learned.
ReplyDeleteFrazier's book was turned into a movie at some point in time. I have seen the movie multiple times and now I am reading the book. It is interesting to see the differences between the two and also the similarities. By watching the movie, it gives me an idea of what the characters would look like in person. For me, that makes it easy for me to visualize the characters acting in certain ways and how they look. The way the movie portrays the characters might not be completely right, but it gives a good visual basis to put a picture to the words. The movie did a pretty good job following the story but it does not give as much detail as the book does. The movie also skips certain parts and changes parts of the story as well. With out reading the book, the movie is very good. But now after reading the book, I will have to watch the movie with a more critical eye to see what they changed or skipped.
The way that Charles Frazier writes is very good for the book Cold Mountain. His style sets up the story very well. He decided to write like how the people talked when they are taking in the story. This gives it a feel that you are back in time. The way that characters talked tells a lot about their education levels and their mind sets in the story. This is key to the story because there is a wide variety of backgrounds that come together in this book. Each one talks different and Frazier was able to capture it in the story. When characters are not talking, he uses third person point of view that allows him to switch back and forth between characters in the story. This gives a broader perspective of the plot line which Frazier is very good at creating. His style allows you to imagine what might happen next but he keeps you roped in and on tract with the story at the same time. You can imagine the struggles to come because he allows your mind to wonder but then he pulls you back in at certain points in the story. He is very good at describing the world around the characters as well.
ReplyDeleteFrazier has a talent for setting the scenes and allowing the mind to create the scene. He is very good at creating a visual image through his wording and phrases that he uses to set the scene. He is also able to set the mood for the plot at particular points in the story by using very good description words that allow the reader to feel what the character is feeling. Frazier does not tell the reader specifically he or she should feel through his writings. He gives subtle hints during the story that allows the reader to come up with their own conclusions about the mood of the scene in the story. Frazier has the ability to create his own distinct style of writing. He is able to use his style of writing to create books that are fun to read but also interesting and exciting at the same time. These come together to create a really good book written by the great style of Frazier.
As of right now, I am thinking about making a shadow box for my project. This shadow box would have in it a native American village. In both stories, native Americans played a large role in them. This would be the best because it shows his love for history and it connects the two books that I have read for him. I will also be able to explain why the village was important in both books because they very well could be the same one. Both stories take place in a similar area but 13 moons took place later than Cold Mountain did. This will also show my working question because I wanted to find out if he actually liked history or if it was just a spur of the moment idea.
ReplyDeleteHow the shadow box will work, I will immerse the people I am presenting into the time period by creating a realistic village for every one to see so they can connect to both stories. I will explain how Inman knew Native Americans and how Will Cooper grew up with the Cherokee people in south Carolina. I will use actually sticks to create the houses and make it as realistic as possible. I want the people I am showing this to; to feel how I did in the books. I felt that he was able to describe the places where the story took place in such detail that I feel that I am able to recreate it in this shadow box to teach about my topic.
This was the first time that i had to study an author for a school project. I never before had the chance to research an authors motives for writing a story. This assignment enabled me to learn a lot about my author Charles Frazier. I was able to answer my question and it was a fun experience to peel back the layers to my authors motivations for writing the books that he did. This project helped me develop as a reader by allowing me to read the stories and along with knowing his motivations for why a character acts the way it does in the story. I was also able to tell other people about my author and hopefully get their attention to the benefits of reading this authors work.
ReplyDeleteThis project did not really challenge my research skills. To tell the truth, i spent about 10 mins. researching till i found the answers i needed for this project. It was a fun project to make the shadow box but it did not take long to find the answers. The project was also a little tough to do because i waited to the last minute to finish my project. The senior-itis is was kicking in at this point however. Overall, i feel that the project was not very hard but i was able to learn a lot about my author and i was also able to have a greater understanding of his motives for writing the books that he wrote.