4.08 Free Choice Blog

The BLACK BOOK of SECRETS by F.E. HIGGINS

Chapter 9 “Obadiah Strang”

In this chapter of the exciting story Ludlow Fitch and Joe Zabbidou take a trip to the graveyard. They arrived onto the premise as the gravedigger “Obadiah Strang” was finishing up a grave. Obadiah kept digging for a while before he noticed that company had arrived. The man seemed disturbed by their presence in the graveyard. He started suspiciously as them especially Ludlow. Impatiently and in a hurry he urged them to tell him what they wanted so he could return to his work. Joe stared into his tired eyes and the man began to loosen up. Afterwards Joe invited him over to talk later that night after all the work was completed.

Personal Reaction: I believe that Mr. Strang is not very welcoming to strangers and feels as if they are a threat. He believes that they only come to town to make a profit off of the foolish villagers. The images that were portrayed implanted the sense of being there in my mind. The author used very descriptive phrases to describe the grave digger’s appearance.

Author’s Intent: I believe that the author is trying to build suspense within the readers. The author’s intention is to entice the readers’ emotions. Therefore the readers’ minds’ become captivated. The author is also trying to inform you of the lack of trust among the people in the village. He/She does a great job with allowing the reader to develop an image of future events but at the same time they have to wonder what will happen next. 

3.07 Free Choice Blog

The BLACK BOOK of SECRETS by F.E. HIGGINS

Chapter 7 “The Morning After”

Early the next morning Jeremiah Ratchet awakened suffering from last night’s escapades. Drunken and stoned Mr. Ratchet made his way up the hill into town to see what all of the commotion was. On his way up the hill he began to review the events that occurred during his previous outings to bar. Mr. Ratchet lost a relatively large sum of money the night before. Now, to make up for this loss he is going to raise the rent of the residents that live on his settlement of land. Meanwhile at the pawn shop Joe Zabbidou is greeting his customers and machining his introduction. And who do you think appeared from the crowd, none other than Mr. Jeremiah Ratchet.

Personal Reaction: This chapter in the story gives a very detailed flashback of Mr. Ratchet depicting the reasons for him drinking at the bottom of the hill instead of at a bar in town. It’s slightly shocking to see that a property owner would raise the rent of his residents due to his mistakes. This shows that he is a very unjust individual.

Author’s Intent: The Author’s intent was to excite the readers’ emotions with fun descriptions of how Mr. Ratchet felt alone on that hill top. The Author also used events that happened in chronological order and included flashbacks to help build the text. The Author planned to draw the readers in, the readers then become captivated by the wordplay and use of literature. The Author feels that by doing this it may build a connection with the reader allowing the reader to comprehend the story with ease.

2.07 Free Choice Blog

The BLACK BOOK of SECRETS by F.E. Higgins

Chapter 2: Fragment from the Memoirs of Ludlow Fitch

Leading man Ludlow Fitch unknowingly has hitched a ride on a carriage belonging to Mr. Jeremiah Ratchet. The journey to the mountain village of Pagus Parvus was very lengthy and tedious. Mr. Ratchet snored loudly during the trip home. Ludlow was desperately clinging to the carriage the path became treacherous as it traveled up the steep hill. When he arrived to his destination he made his way to the church. There he tried to sneak into a building that was separated from the rest, while doing this he became the first and last person to every see the mysterious Joe Zabbidou.

Personal Reaction: I believe that the characters portrayed in this scene are very mysterious in every sense. The most undefined individual in this scene has to be Joe Zabbidou seen as he has never been seen by anyone before. The vocabulary and pictures that were portrayed in this scene makes me excited to read the rest of this story.

Notes: If I were to take notes on this scene, the note taking strategy that I would use is “Three-Column Note Taking”. My reason for using this style for taking notes is that I will be able to gather a lot of necessary information and explain the scene vividly with room for extra detail if it is needed. Using this style of note taking allows much freedom and flexibility.

By Alanzo Humphrey 

What kind of reader am I? :

     Fiction is my favorite genre. I like to escape when I read. I enjoy stories that tell me about something other than my normal life. As long as it's not real, it's up my alley. I consider picking up books and short stories for my Free Choice Blog. Comedy is my second favorite genre. I like to laugh, and I want whatever I read to make me happy. If it is silly or has a happy ending, I'm game. I consider picking up a funny book or magazine for my Free Choice Blog.

             

      The last thing that I have read that I found entertaining was a funny text message. The reason why the message was so funny is because of the response that I received back.  This was amusing to because the person called me an idiot so I came up with this as a response: “the greatest geniuses are the biggest idiots” and the reply was “clearly that statement does not refer to you”. It has been proven that a great percentage of the geniuses that have existed have been sick mentally, physically or emotionally.

By Alanzo Humphrey