Reading Response Two (The Black Dahlia pt.2)

    "I crossed the border at dawn. Tijuana was just comig awake as I turned onto Revolucion,

 it's main drag. Child beggars were digging as for breakfast

in trash cans, taco venders were stirring pots of dog-meat stew, sailors

 and marines were being escorted out of whorehouses at the end of their

five-spot all-nighters. The smakrter ones stumbled over to Calle Colon

and the penicillin pushers; the stupidos hot-footed toward East TJ,

 the Blue Fox and Chicago Club-no doubt eager to catch the early morning

 Donkey show. Tourist cars were already lined up outside the cut-reate upholstry

 joints; Rurales driving prewar Chevys cruised like vultures, wearing black uniforms

 that looked almost like Nazi issue."



Betty Short



     Recently, I have found myslef still engulfed in the world of The Black Dahlia. I've re-checked out the book and have plans to have it finished in time to turn it in! The Black Dahlia was a very famous and publicized murder in the '40's. To this day it remains unsolved. In the novel, James Ellroy takes us into the crime with detective Bucky Bliechart. Along with his partner Lee, Bucky gets sucked deeper and deeper into the crime. The police have a few leads on the crime. They have found a girl who knew Betty Short quite well, Lorna. She admits to making a porn film with Betty and says it took place in Mexico. She couldnt remeber the name of the man who shot the film. A few detectives are sent to Tijuana to find the man. Bucky has also traveled down to Tijuana, Mexico to look for Lee who has been MIA for a few days after being suspended from the police department. In addition to searching for Lee, Bucky is also on the hunt for a man names Bobby De Witt who has recently been released from prison and has a bit of of a grudge on Lee for putting him away. De Witt is also in Tijuana and eventually, a mexican police official leads Bucky and another detective to De Witt who sits in a jail cell. After a bit of roughing up, De Witt admits everything he knows about Lee but swears that he is not in Tijuana to get Lee. After De Witt makes a deragatory remark about Kay, Lees girlfriend (Bucky loves her as well) Buckys beats him up and blacks out. Soon after, De Witt is released from the jail. He is then murdered by an unknown person, Lee remains lost and there are no leads on The Dahlia case.

Movie Poster for "The Black Dahlia."

   This is as far as I have gotten in the book. As I already stated in my last post, I am in love with this book. I've already watched the movie and it is one of my new favorites. The book is kind of hard for me to understand at times which is why it has taken me so long to read. I would deffinatly recomend this book to a friend as well as the movie. Even though the book is called The Black Dahila, The murder of Elizabeth short plays somewhat o a backstory to everything else that is going on! It is hard to keep the stories straight and the book is somewhat mature (I was surprised to see it in the school library) and very graphic. I am fassinated by the Dahlia case! It is just so strange and so many things could of happend to Betty Short.This is easily one of my favorite books and I have yet to even finish it!

Project Proposal

    I will write an essay on Jersey Shore. Jersey Shore is a popular show among teenagers and is about friends living in Jersey who's lives consist of drinking, dating and drama. In this essay I will argue that Teenagers have been molded to idolize the cast as well as others for irresponsable behavior when they should be idolizing those of greater achievements. I will begin my essay with a look at the shows children and teens watch opposed to the shows children and teens watched in previous years. Teens look to them as role models and expect them to teach them how to act. Because the cast does engage in risky behavior, does that teach teens to do something of the same sort? Does Jersey Shore provide an accurate image about what adult life is like in Jersey?

Questions:
1. Does Jersey Shore represent an actual depiction of life in Jersey?
2. Is Jersey Shore real or scripted for effect?
3. Do their actions effect us?

Reading Response One (The Black Dahlia)

The Black Dahlia

James Ellroy

"It was the nude, mutilted body of a young woman, cut in half at the waist. The bottom half lay in the weeds a few feet away from the top, legs wide open. A large triangle had been gouged out of the left thigh, and there was a long, wide cut running from the bisection point down to the top of the pubic hair. The flaps of skin beside the gash were pulled back; there were no organs inside."

                On January 15 1947, Elizabeth Shorts body was found in Los Angeles. She had been brutially mutilated, as partially described above. The true story of her murder is one that is still unsolved today... but in James Ellroys novel, he spins a largely false account of how the murder could have happend. Two detectives, Lee Blanchard and Bucky Bleichart are assigned to the case along with every other cop in L.A.. Not only are they partners, but the two are also best friends, spending their free time together along with Lees' "girlfriend," Kay. Multiple stories coexist in this epic tale. There is of course the story of Elizabeth Short, as well as the story of Kay and Lee, Bucky and Lee, Bucky and Madeline, and Bucky and Kay.

      Lee goes crazy trying to solve this puzzling murder, leaving the case he was working on prior to the Dahlia case behind. Kay and Bucky both worry about Lee but he continues to do whatever it takes, sending Bucky out to find leads. This brings Bucky to a lesbian night club where he meets Madeline Linscott who he soon begins a relationship with. Meeting the Linscott family, Bucky sees how crazy they are and they are CRAZY. Bucky is sent on many a wild goose chase trying to solve the murder and eventually Lee goes over the edge. At the same time that Bucky is dating Madeline, he is also pursuing Kay. This is about as far as I've gotten thus far.

      I really like this book so far. I like that it is based on a real murder. While it's incredibly sad circumstances that Betty Short died, the author of this book is able to weave a story out of some true facts. I cheated and watched the movie before I finished the book, and I liked it. When I finished the movie, it took some of the excitement out of reading the book but I think the two might be kind of different from what I saw in the movie. I really liked the movie, but I still want to read the book and finish it. I chose this book randomly in the library because it stuck out to me. The blue color of the font on the black backround really popped out. I already knew about the Black Dahlia-- I though the story of it was common knowledge, but I found out that not a lot of people know about it. I made my friends watch the movie and of course, they didnt find it as interesting as I did, but they thought it was a little interesting. I am very excited to finish this book and see if it measures up to what I think it will.

Real picture of Elizabeth Short after being arrested for

Underage Drinking years before her murder.

January 2, 2012 (Book Choice, 10 years later)

      Book Choice for 2nd Semester

      For this semester, I have chosen to read "The Black Dahlia." I am continuing to read it from last semester, yet I havent posted on it yet. I cheated and watched the movie when I had only just begun the book and now I know what happens! This is one of the better books I have read latley and I look forward to sharing it with everyone.

Ten Years From Now

       My future is honestly something I haven't really planned yet. I am however, very excited for it. I know that I want to be a teacher. As much as I dislike highschool, I want to come back and teach. I would preferably like to teach history classes, english classes, and something along the lines of lib and law. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in sixth grade. I have a lot of amazing teachers since I started school and I couldnt choose one of them as my solo inspiration. I also want to travel and go to a lot of places. Among my list is Egypt, France, Germany, Norway and Greenland. Since I will have my summers off, this may actually be achieveable with time. In ten years, I see myself enjoying my life and living somewhere that is not here (Missouri).