Madalyn's Blog

Did you know that according to History.com there were an estimated 35,000 to 135,000 civilians killed after the bombings. Probably because there was basically no where for people to hide after the fire had wiped out virtually all of the buildings.

I honestly can’t tell which book I liked more. They were both books that I would have never expected to like but for some reason I loved every second of both. I think the fact that I procrastinated long enough to read Mudbound second could have something to do with why I liked it a little more than Cold Mountain. I think it has something to do with the complexity of the characters and their stories. Mudbound just seemed to have more characters with a more interesting story in my opinion.

Like every other girl is I was completely taken with Jamie. Even after the war i still loved every minute of Jamie’s stories. Another thing I think I like most about him is that he was so charming but damaged. That’s such a strange thing to say, that I like him because he is damaged. I think the main reason I say this is because I was so taken with him before that I, as well as Laura, wanted to fix him and see him get better. I would have loved to see them go on with Jamie’s life and figure out how and when (if he ever does) get better.

I was also very taken with sweet Ronsel. Oh how I loved him. He was so sweet and respectful and kind and I loved every minute of him. Despite all of the terrible things that happened to him which literally made me scream and at some points cry. I would have loved nothing more than to see what his life was like before the war, just to explore that side of his life so that I could get a better understanding of what kind of person he was. I also wonder if him and Jamie would ever speak again. Somewhere hidden i’d assume. Maybe they would write to each other and plan some sort of secret meeting where they could finally see each other after all of the mess that ran them both out of town. I can picture them meeting up probably Ronsel going to see Jamie and they would drink together and it would be just like old times. Seeing that happen would’ve made me very happy.

I think that I can relate really well with Laura. Mainly in terms of how she sees herself and her appearance. I am, like her, extremely simple and average. There’s really nothing to us, were neither here nor there and we both can tell that we are nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe that’s why I always wondered why she was so taken that Henry had wanted to marry her at first. I mean he was a pretty simple man too it seemed that they suited each other. I hate admitting that they were an okay pair mainly because i’m not really sure how much I like Henry to begin with. I feel like I didn’t like him that much because i’m the kind of person who loves to read about perfect, loving, romantic couples and they were not that. There is no doubt that they didn’t love each other dearly, although i feel like he just didn’t really give her what she truly needed in a marriage. She didn’t get the attention and love that she needed form Henry which she clearly got elsewhere… Jamie.

Another thing that I would have liked to explore would be Pappy’s life. as much as i hated his guts I still would like to know why he was so mean in the first place. Maybe he was so mean to Henry and Jamie and fathered them the way he did because his father was the same way with him. Maybe he is so bitter because he never really got the love that he needed growing up. I’m not really sure but that’s what I would like to think happened. I like to think that so that I can justify to myself that Pappy was just damaged too. Although all in all I don’t think that I could ever actually like Pappy. hypothetically damaged and all around mean he was an evil man. I’m not saying that I promote murder or anything like that but I think that in the end he got what he deserved.

 

 

 

I’m the type of person who rarely reads books from any genre other than fantasy, poetry or anything related that. That’s why I am so surprised that I loved every minute of Cold Mountain. I found my self so indulged in this book (especially the ending) that once I started it was hard to stop until I had finished. I think what I liked most about the book was that it took some of my favorite things to read, like romance, and hardship, and a bit of suspense and wrapped it all into one. I’m also not the type of person who would be very interested in a story about the Civil War. Although this book was of a different perspective than I had imagined. I imagined myself being painfully bored, forcing myself to read about the war. Instead I was so interested that i wanted to know all about every aspect of these characters lives.

Mainly I was interested in who Inman was. He was such a mysterious man with so much life hidden behind him. I wanted to know how the character had come about, who was the real Inman and so I searched for that. As it turns out the book was based off of a real man William P. Inman, Twenty-fifth North Carolina Infantry Regiment. Even more interesting to me is the research that Charles Fraizer went through to make this character come to life. “Frazier reveals in one of his interviews that he was able to get information on Inman’s Civil War service through the North Carolina State Archives.” The information Frazier gathered was very accurate “His physical description is listed as five feet, seven inches tall with dark hair and a fair complexion. Inman, from Haywood County, North Carolina, was twenty-two years old at the time of his enlistment… Inman’s service record shows that he was wounded July 1, 1862, at the Battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia, a major engagement that ended the Seven Days Campaign and Union Gen. George B. McClellan’s attempt to take Richmond. Inman deserted on September 5, 1862, twelve days before his regiment saw action at the Battle of Antietam, Maryland” Although there were few details that were left out, for creative purposed I would assume. The real inman did return to his company in November of 1862 which I think is interesting. mostly this interests me because in the book Inman in no way sees himself returning to his company by choice. I reflect on the end of the book in chapter 12 I believe where Ada and Inman are talking about his options. It mentions how he does not like that option at all which is interesting to me now that I know the real Inman chose to return.

Another thing the little girl in chapter 13. Obviously she is Ada’s daughter because the little girl refers to her as “mama”. I think my favorite part about her is that she is kind of like a token of remembrance for Ada to keep after Inman in killed. She in my opinion is the thing that she would have to occupy her time for the rest of her life. She talks about that with Ruby in the end of the book. About how she didn’t want to spend the rest of her days alone. But after Inman is killed she still had another person to love for the rest of her life. We can only assume that the child was conceived the night that Inman and Ada lay together in that cabin before they set off the next day, but there is still a considerable amount of mystery left. The fact that Fraizer doesn’t go into detail about the night, Inman’s death, or really who the girl is leaves so much for us, the audience, to think about. It gives us the chance to kind of come up with the events that took place. Although it’s kind of implied what happens there is still a considerable amount of space that we can fill in.

The reason I loved this book so much is because I like the creative freedom Charles Fraizer gives the audience when he leaves things up for interpretation. That opens a creative window for all of us to kind of tell the story that we want even though it is slightly implied we are the ones who get to pick out the small details that really make the story a whole. I think the book was beautifully written and I was very pleased with how it ended. Not so much of it was resolved necessarily but I think each character benefited in the end by growing and learning to live in the hard times that they faced.

 

Hi I’m Madalyn but I prefer to be called Maddy.

Introductions aren’t really my thing, so bear with me.

I was born in Virginia and lived there for a few years, but my true home is West Virginia. Although one day i do see myself leaving the state, the time I’ve spent here has made me grow as a person. West Virginia has taught me to be open and expressive. The culture here is rich and the people are extraordinary.

If you know me then  you know that I’m super awkward and not really that funny, but I make up for it with enthusiasm. I’m really open’minded and I love just about everyone. I’m also the kind of person who really enjoys everything. My favorite things are Grey’s Anatomy, Johnny Depp, and Melanie Martinez but that’s just cutting it short. I’m open to new things and I appreciate almost everything.

One of my favorite things is art. I adore all forms of it: music, photography, performance art, painting, etc. What makes it my favorite is that it is a way to be expressive and therapeutic. Writing is also extremely important to me. Its a way to get all of my feelings out onto paper. There’s nothing more satisfying than to see your words come to life in front of you.

I’m extremely excited for my senior year! One more year to figure out what I’m gonna do with myself after all of this is over. Most importantly i am excited to challenge myself to see what I’m really capable of achieving.

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