New Love

Mary starts to fall in love with William Stafford, a handsome [worker] for her family. His dreams are equal to hers; to live on a quiet farm in Hever, away from court and Mary's devilish sister. As Mary is walking in the gardens one evening, William stops her and tucks her hand sweetly in the crook of his arm. He traps her into flirting with him and she gets angry about it. She's not directly angry with him, but with herself for willingly flirting and letting him court her. A new romance is stirring in the most famous court in England, and it's not the king's.

A Harsh Joy

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory: This quote is long, but I like it very much, "Henry Percy must have felt a harsh joy to send to Anne the man who had separated them, now sick with exhaustion and despair. It was no fault of Henry Percy's that Wosley escaped them all by dying on the road and only satisfaction that Anne could take was that it was the boy she had loved who told the man that had parted them that her vengeance had come at last." (Gregory 349).
Anne seeks revenge on Wosley, the man who separated her and Henry Percy. Of course, he dies on the road to his death escorted by Henry Percy, Anne's first love.

A Lack of A Quote

A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson: (I'm sorry but there simply is not one good quote I can use to sum up the reading I did.)
A Countess Below Stairs is about a young Russian Countess who is forced out of her country because of the Russian Revolution. Anna's father is killed and their maid stole all their fortune. Anna, then, decides to work for an English Earl as a housemaid to earn the money her family needs. While working for Rupert, the young and handsome Earl, Anna begins to fall in love with him, and he her. Rupert is, however, engaged to a most beautiful girl who has an abundance of money. Rupert's bride-to-be soon displays her bitter side, which he can't stand but cannot find it in himself to stop the wedding. Anna falls more in love with him by the hour and he does as well, but can't find a way to be together.

Comic Book Heroes

Comic book heroes make the impossible look possible. They save the world by night and work in an office by day. The many heroes we think of such as Superman and Batman originate from the comic books children read everyday. Inuyashu and Sailor Moon are two heroes from Japan, both TV shows but also comic books. Comic book heroes display the concept of supernatural powers through American and Japanese comic books.

American Comic Book Heroes




Iron Man trailer displays the regular man saving the world with the powers of his past (making weapons).







The Batman trailer shows, again, the regular man transforming into a hero and saving Gotham City from the villains such as the Joker with his powers acquired by his assets (his money).






















Superheroes are shown in the place of Jesus and Mary, displaying the significance of them through famous paintings.
















The old Superman cover shows his strength and his want to help ordinary people.





















Spiderman saves his town with the powers he received when bitten by a radioactive spider.



Japanese Comic Book Heroes

















Dragon Ball Z is a common known name in Japan, even here in America. The main characters struggle to keep their world safe from invaders and dictators.

















Sailor Moon is also a common known name. Sailor Moon protects herself and her friends from destruction and evil. She's a school girl by day and Sailor Moon by night.






Inuyashu is another hero who keeps his village safe from the harsh world around him.


Conclusion

The comic books these superheroes are born from provide the reasons for superheroes and display the concept of supernatural powers through American and Japanese art. The world is kept safe from nasty villains and evil dictators by the wonderful superheroes we so praise. Their supernatural abilities and kind hearts save the world from destruction and mishap.

What We Do for Attention

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory: "The happiness of a queen, the safety of a throne, the respect of the people, the sanctity of the church. Sometimes it seems to me as if you and I have spent our lives working for Anne, and I don't even know what we have gained from it." (Gregory 332). Again, Gregory illustrates the hardships of court life. As Anne rises, the rest of the family does as well. The family's happiness seems to fall, however, with each new title it's given. George confesses to Mary early on in the book that he's gay and Mary now realizes she's in love with a farm boy. Their Uncle has many mistresses and fights often with his wife and their mother is said to have been with the king before Mary and Anne. The Boleyn/Howard family is full of scandal and unhappiness underneath the title of earl and earldom. Despite their unhappiness, they do try to rise in the favor of the king, gaining his affections and his money by making him fall in lust with first Mary and then Anne.
Did you know that Anne's real name is Annamaria and Mary's real name is Marianne? Their names are in each other. How clever?

A Good Way to Start A Book

The Eight by Katherine Neville: "'You are in danger,' she said. 'I feel danger all around me. Right now.'" (Neville 40). Catherine, one of the main characters in The Eight, is told at the very beginning of the book she's in danger. At a chess match, Solarin, a chess master from Russia, also warns Catherine of the danger she's in. After Lily and Catherine are shot at and Lily's chauffeur is kidnapped, Catherine finally believes it's true. Solarin, a Russian chess master who has unmeasurable good looks plays one of the best chess players in the world, a man named Fiske. During the match Fiske goes pale and doesn't move. When Solarin calls a break, Fiske walks out of the room. Solarin follows him until they reach another building. Once they enter, Fiske turns around and shows Solarin a ring he's wearing. Solarin believes it's a trap, that once Fiske removes the ring, it will blow up. So when Fiske decides to slide the ring slowly off his finger, Solarin dives out of the building counting down from ten. When he reaches one, however, nothing happens. He walks into the building again and sees the ring on the ground. He looks up and finds Fiske hanging from the ceiling by a rope around his neck.

Growing Up at Last

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory: "But there is clearly a third sort and that is the woman that men neither marry nor take as their mistresses. Women that go home alone for christmas. And that seems to be you, my sister. Good day." (Gregory 242) Mary finally stands up to Anne! Mary seems to be growing up and realizing how much power she has over her sister and she's discovering ways to use it with class.
I think when Mary doesn't want the king anymore she's showing how naive she was and how it was just an infatuation and nothing real. (Not real love, what she thought it was.) When Anne leaves for christmas, it gives Mary a chance to be free from Anne's brittle and mean comments. Plus the fact that Mary is almost twenty now, not her youthful, immature preteen years, she has more insight and a clearer head.
I should also point out how her brother, George, is a homosexual. It's ironic because he is the envy of the court with his charm and good looks. He's betrothed to Jane Parker, a nasty lady-in-waiting and he despises her with all his heart, as well as Anne and Mary.

Sisterly Love

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory: "'Everything I have gained she has taken from me,' [Mary] said, [her] voice low with passionate resentment," (Gregory 233)
Queen Katherine went through the same thing Mary is going through; the king moving onto another woman. Katherine had to watch Mary move in and take her man, now Mary has to watch Anne swoop in and take the king. The sad thing is they have no choice. Once the king has moved on, he has moved on, there's no arguing.
Anne has a whole plan in mind; to become Queen of England, a plan Mary did not think of. Mary couldn't envision herself taking her most beloved queen's place. Mary does have a child, however. She has two both from the king; a son and a daughter. Henry is ever so grateful, but can't claim them for his own, Mary being his mistress. Her children, Catherine and Henry, take the name of Carey (Mary's husband's name). I think it's funny how the King wanted to name Mary's daughter Elizabeth (a little foreshadowing going on there). If the king finds a way to get ride of Katherine, he could have a boy and a girl, 2 heirs to the throne. If he does get ride of Katherine, however, Mary would become queen. Mary does not want that job.
Mary's interest in the king has vanished. She does not have the desire for him the way she did when he first courted her. The king is also loosing interest Mary, for Mary has been moping and sad and not as charming. Partially because she cannot see her children and because Anne is being a back-stabbing, hypocritical, mean sister.