Tag Archives: opinion

Book Review: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Posted on by under Book Reviews

Book Review

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

by Agatha Christie

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Overview

“It is odd how, when you have a secret belief of your own which you do not wish to acknowledge, the voicing of it by someone else will rouse you to a fury of denial.”

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, a novel by the incomparable Dame Agatha Christie, is one of the greatest mystery novels ever written. In 2013 a group of 600 professional writers in the Crime Writers’ Association voted it the best crime novel in history, though this is but one of the countless accolades attributed to the unparalleled Queen of Mystery. This novel is worthy of its acclaim and is perhaps her greatest work. It was a perfectly planned and expertly executed story that shows just how well the writer knew her genre, lulling the audience into comfortable confidence with characters and ideas that feel all too familiar only to shatter all possible expectation in the closing moments. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a prime example of what a great mystery novel should be: cunning and clever above all things.

Below is both my full written and video review of the book.

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Of Essence & Appreciation

Posted on by under Fiction, Of Life & Lunacy, Opinion

Of Essence & Appreciation

Or why a vast amount is lost in translation

(This article will primarily focus on creative works translated from English to Japanese)

A video version of this review can be found here:

I have recently begun exploring the world of critiquing creative works on YouTube (a dangerous pastime, I know… ) and I came across a video analyzing Hayao Miyazaki’s marvelous film,「 千と千尋の神隠し」, or, as it is known in English, “Spirited Away”.

The YouTubers who analyzed the work, Daniel Greene and Merphy Napier, are both excellent and have a wealth of interesting content in their channels, but a few points arose from their analysis that I felt were inherent issues when a non-native speaker attempts to analyze a translated work. The video can be found here, and I feel it is well worth a watch.

I will state at the outset that I have no idea how knowledgeable either of these reviewers are of Japanese language or culture. Further, please understand that what I present here is in no way an issue unique to these two reviewers. I feel their analysis was very well thought out and presented. The issues lie in understanding the fundamental difficulties in transferring a creative work from one language to another, and it is my contention that distance, method of expression, and cultural factors all play a part in why quite a bit is lost in the translation.

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The Blasted GRE – Round 1

Posted on by under About Me, GRE, Prompts

So, I’ve run up against another barrier to my writing.  I have taken on the mighty task of studying for the GRE in order to make myself graduate school worthy.  (I want to enrol in a Masters of Education program).  Now my free time has been filled with studying, editing, child playing, and not enough sleep.  This leaves me with zero blog time.

However!  I do have to practice for the writing prompts, and as such, I thought I would post them as prompts for anyone wanting to take a crack at boring old ‘analytical writing’. Continue reading →

Of the Divided States of America & Redux

Posted on by under blogging101, Of Life & Lunacy, Opinion

Another week in the United States and another tragedy at the hands of a firearm. 

Not to kick a dead horse, but I feel like I’ve been here before…

Then I was told that guns aren’t the issue with Alton Sterling or Philando Castile, or the Dallas Police officers for that matter. 

It’s about Obama and the death of America.  It’s about division.  

Then we were told Alton Sterling was shot because he was reaching for his gun. 

So he was shot with a gun because he was reaching for a gun, but it’s not about guns.

I’m confused. Continue reading →

Of Guns & Control

Posted on by under blogging101, Of Life & Lunacy, Opinion

America sure does love its guns. 

Well, some of them don’t, but those are just the bleeding heart liberals that don’t understand the necessity of deadly force when an intruder comes for your loved ones.  Could happen any minute now, so we gotta be prepared. 

The simple, ‘violence begets more violence,’ never crossed anyones mind I guess. 

The issue is complex and I don’t mean to make light.  Many people have lost their lives due to America’s stubborn refusal to take a good hard look at not only why guns are such a problem in the US, but how they became one. Continue reading →

Childhood is…

Posted on by under About Me, Prompts, The Daily Post

This is a post in response to the daily prompt:  Childhood.

I compiled a list of things that came to mind as soon as I read the word, and it’s in no particular order.  I am sure some of them will relate, depending on your age, and others will have a similar link but a different name.

Still, the idea of childhood brings with it a very visceral response that ignites memories of a day when things seemed so much simpler..

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Of Politics & Division

Posted on by under Of Life & Lunacy, Opinion

The United States is in the preliminary process of electing a new president.  The great debacle otherwise known as…

The Lesser of Two Evils: 

A Game Where We Pick A Winner and Everyone Loses!

That sounds like pessimism, and I am sure there are a whole slew of people pipping up to give me all their reasons why their candidate isn’t all that bad, but the reality is – in my humble opinion – that the two party system in America is a system built to breed division. Continue reading →

Of Racism & Pride

Posted on by under About Me, Of Life & Lunacy, Opinion

Race and racism is a complex issue.  I can readily admit that I lack the proper skill to tackle the entire beast in one post.  However, there is something that has occurred to me over the past few years that I would like to put out in the world.

Until we learn to completely disregard race as a factor, racism will never die. 

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Of Hollywood & Diversity

Posted on by under blogging101, Of Life & Lunacy, Opinion

I read on a friend’s Facebook post the other day that they are making a biopic of Michael Jackson’s life and that he will be played by Joseph Fiennes. 

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This lead to a debate of needing to give more people of colour the opportunity to star in major films. 

To be clear upfront:  casting a caucasian man to play Michael Jackson, who was African American, is absolutely ridiculous.  Regardless of what Michael might have looked like toward the end of his life. 

That being said, there is a reason behind why this happened and I am going to attempt to address it.

1. The Problem of Miscasting Goes Deeper Than Race.

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