Risk it for the Biscuit

In Roald Dahl's short story, "Man From the South," an American cadet is found on a Jamaican beach seated with an English and a Spanish men. This cadet lights up his cigar with a lighter in the middle of all the wind. The Spanish men dressed with a white suit is surprised that this American could light up a cigar with just a lighter so he offers him a bet. If he could light up 10 times his lighter in a row he would receive a Cadillac from the year, but if he fails once the Spanish men would cut the Americans pinkie finger. The cadet at first decides not to bet but then he realizes that his pinkie has never worked for him so he bets. The English, Spanish and American boy goes up to the Spanish apartment and the bet start. The cadet is a pro and lights up his candle very relaxed until he is in his 8th light. Everything was on the American side and he was going to own a cadi, until what seemed as the Spanish wife entered the room and stopped all the bet. She apologizes for her housebound and told them that he has nothing to bet and that the Cadillac was hers. All this bet ended and the only thing that the American learned is to don't trust strangers. 

I admire Roald's skill of making images in your head without putting illustrations on his work. For example,

It was a fine garden with lawns and beds of azaleas and tall coconut palms, and the wind was blowing strongly through the tops of the palm trees making the leaves hiss and crackle as though they were on fire (1).

This is a perfect use of imagery because without even knowing Jamaica Dahl gives a precise description of this beach. I imagined a beach in Esmeraldas called Atacames because of the palm trees and the wind that the author describes. 

Roald's skill in imagery is good but not so good as his characterization. For example when the American lights up the cigar,

With his thumb he raised the top of the lighter, and again with the thumb he gave the wheel a sharp flick. The flint sparked and the wick caught fire and burned with a small yellow flame (8). 

Not only he explained meticulously the American action, but also he described perfectly the lighter and how this pro made it light. This can tells us that the cadet knows what he is doing and he has a true passion with his lighter. 

                                                                                             See the American's Lighter Designs 

This story is so interesting and well written that it really makes me picture it in my mind without having to see illustrations or a movie. What this book tells us is that strangers are not only trustful and you need to think of your actions before committing them. Roald Dahl is for my one of the best short story authors I have read and I am looking forward to read more of his work. Imagery and characterization is what makes book feel real.   

   

 
 

Release = Death

Chapters 17-30 have definitely been my favorites of the entire book.  A very suspenseful rising action has finished and a story-changing climax has absolutely made me addicted to this book. Specifically in these chapters we have learned a lot of juicy stuff that can help us predict how this book would end. First in chapter 17 a holiday took place in Jonas community, and while all his friends were playing a war game Jonas broke into tears since he had experienced the memory of war and all that horrible knowledge came to him. Then in a training in chapter 18 Jonas for the first time asked the Giver what had happened to the prior receiver, and the Giver explained that her name was Rosemary and she applied to release because of her training. Jonas started to question again the word release, how was it? The Giver himself told Jonas to watch the release that happened that morning because twins were born and one needed to be release...  For the surprise of Jonas in the open records he find a video tape of the release that his father made that day and actually now he discovers that release equals death. This part of the story made Jonas vision of life change completely that's why it is the climax. After that turning moment the Giver and Jonas find a solution and it is that with a very good plan, Jonas is going to be able to escape the community and the Giver would help him so all the memories Jonas has would be transferred to the people of the Community. It is a very risky plan but I hope Jonas would do it. 

 While I was reading the climax, one of the quotes that made me release that Jonas life would change completely was this. "He killed it! My father killed it!" Jonas said to himself. 

After this quote Jonas knowledge of life changed completely. All the time of his living he always wondered what the word release precisely meant and in less than a few minutes he discovered the truth he would never expect. Release was a synonym of death and all does poor people who were released at the end they were killed. Jonas is confused on what his father had done but since we know that in the community they don't have feelings we can infer that his father is not more than an ordinary person, he just doesn't know that killing someone is bad. In our world killing is one of the most terrible acts of life and almost in all of the religions killing is seemed as a sin. Now that Jonas has all the memories that compiled him he is able to understand that killing is a huge crime and that the act that his father did was incorrect. After that moment Jonas was so hurt that he didn't even want to go home again, so he started to look for solutions. That's why this moment is the climax; it changed Jonas perspective of his world entirely. 

  

The Giver and Jonas now have planned a very effective plan that would let Jonas escape his community and transferred the memories of his own to the people in the community. We also learn that Rosemary finds out to be the Givers daughter thats why he cant go with Jonas. I don't know what would happen next and especially what would happen to the community. I cant wait to finish this amazing book.