All posts by Jade Reese

Editor-In-Chief
Entertainment, Reviews

Divergent movie series disappoints fans

Leave a comment

 

“One choice can transform you. One choice can destroy you. One choice will define you” encompasses an entire series of books in three simple sentences.

Veronica Roth’s Divergent series has been popular since her first book, Divergent, came out in 2011. This New York Times Bestselling Author continued on the legacy of the main character Tris Prior with two other books: Insurgent in 2012 and Allegiant in 2013.

This famous series drew in many teens and adults with its dystopian world, action-packed moments and a love story unlike any other. The premise surrounds a futuristic Chicago in which society is divided into five factions. As each person enters adulthood, he/she must choose a faction and commit to that group for life.

This was the first complete series I have ever read in its entirety, and I did so in a matter of months. I was so intrigued with the storyline and identified with Tris while reading. Since the first two books are narrated by Tris, I was able to make a personal connection to her struggles to find her true identity and her growing love for Four.

Allegiant, the last book, is very unique: the narration switches from Tris to Four, also known as Tobias, from chapter to chapter. Alternating the narration allows the reader to see inside Tobias’ mind, see what he sees and truly get a true sense of how he feels about Tris.

With the creation of this captivating series, Hollywood soon grabbed a hold of the books and ran.

The first book’s movie was released in 2014. Shailene Woodley plays Tris in the film, and I think she fits the role perfectly. Each actor that played the characters from the books seemed to be picked well; however, the film did not do the novels justice.

Divergent the movie is closer to the complete storyline of the first book than is the second movie, Insurgent, to its original book. The first film left out a few main characters that are key to advancing the plot in the other books. I believe one of the major book characters, Uriah, made a quick cameo in the films, but maybe the actor just fit the description in the book because I do not recollect hearing his name on screen.

The films make the situation seem like writers never read the other two books before making the first movie. They neglected to realize the whole story line would need to change completely if they left certain roles out. The ending to Divergent was altered as well, meaning the entirety of the second and third films would not match their books.

Although the alterations have enraged many fans, the movies are exceptionally well done on their own. Each movie is nicely developed, and the acting is up to par. The movie writers exploited the romance bit of the novels which did make the movies more appealing to a wide audience.  

As March 10 approaches, many people may be rushing to finish the exhilarating Divergent book series. On this date, the last book’s movie Allegiant will be released. There is no doubt the movie will not match its book. No rush is needed. 

Although I would suggest seeing both the movies or the books, I do not advise rushing the read the series just to see the movies: disappointment is sure to trump the preconceived excitement. The best advice I can give to someone who is intrigued by both media forms is to watch the movies first then read the books; however, choosing one form over the other will preserve the authenticity of the love for the series, for whichever version of the series one chooses.

Feature

Root words give origin to English words

Leave a comment

Most people know the connotation of the words they use daily but rarely ever recognize the origins of such words. Most words can be broken down and traced back to other languages.

According to dictionary.com,  “About 80% of the entries in any English dictionary are borrowed, mainly from Latin. Over 60% of all English words have Greek or Latin roots.”

With the majority of English words stemming from Greek and Latin, identifying which words come from which original language can become difficult as there are a plethora of roots from both dialects. Many of the roots are actually the same from both Latin and Greek.

A root is similar to a prefix of a word yet is not always placed in the beginning of the word. They give a word a base meaning, or alludes to a specific definition.

Starting with Latin, some common roots are ante, bio, epi, gen and retro. These roots form words all around, like antebellum, biology, generation and retrospect; however, these are not just coincidental words with the same three or four letters in sequence.

Ante actually means before. This root is not only used in English: the root can also be found in other languages, as ante directly translates to before in Spanish. Many roots and meanings of words are more directly related in multiple dialects than many may realize.

Bio means life. One can see this in the word biography, which is a written account of another person’s life.

Gen means race, family or kind. Such words like generation and gender use the root gen to derive their meanings.

Retro means the same as it is used regularly: backward. Even though the English language has retro as its own word, the root makes an appearance in other words such as retrogress and retrospect.

When looking at Greek roots, but also Latin, many can be used to compose a single word.

The word bibliophile, according to dictionary.com, is a person who loves or collects books. This definition is perfect for the word, as many definitions seem to be once a person discovers roots of the word. The root bibli means book, as in bibliography and Bible. The root phil means love, such as philosophy and pedophile. The two roots together form an extremely fitting meaning of lover of books.

Another simple word, sympathy, has the same composition. Sympathy, according to dictionary.com, is the “harmony of or agreement in feeling, as between persons or on the part of one person with respect to another.” Breaking the word up reveals there are two roots constructing the word: sym and path. Sym means same, and path means emotion; the roots together correlate exactly with the definition of the word.

As many everyday words contain specific segments of letters that give the word a definite meaning, one can learn many new and interesting meanings and origins of the English language.

Simply learning of roots can make English much more intriguing and could even serve a traveler well since other dialects also use the same roots.

Next time when reading a book, speaking out loud or even going abroad, try to recognize the composition of words because they are likely made up of parts from other languages.

No matter if one is getting into an automobile, walking into geology class or celebrating someone’s birthday, roots are all around; it is about time English speakers give roots the recognition they deserve.

News

New operating system gives mixed messages to Apple users

Leave a comment

Avid iPhone users and tech-oriented fans were rapidly up-to-date with the newest Apple Software update, iOS 9.1, while other iPhone customers disregarded the update notification as a waste of time and disastrous to their current operating system.

On Oct. 12, Apple came out with their renovated iOS 9.1 beta 5 software with the hopes of introducing many creative features and solutions to problems within the previously released updates. Without success, Apple was quick to cover up the issues with the next update, but even this did not help very much.

According to forbes.com, “Apple released iOS 9.1 Beta 5. iOS 9.1 will be the first major iOS 9 update and is tasked with addressing the bevy of bugs missed by iOS 9.0.1 and iOS 9.0.2 – both of which were dedicated bug fixes but did nothing other than paper over the cracks.”

Although new updates can sometimes go the wrong way, as did iOS 9.0.2 with issues with battery life, iMessages, touchscreen and many more, the main purpose of appealing features and apps still remains apparent.

For many texters, the latest update with the addition of more emojis has many pumped and some confused. Those who have not done the update see a box with an alien face or a question mark in place of the emjoi that is not existing on their phones. Others, who did the update as soon as possible, were astonished to finally find all of the recent silly-faced, yellow characters available.

According to emojipedia.org, there are 184 more emojis to choose from including a unicorn, a robot, a burrito and a plethora of flags from various countries.

Apple advertises the newest update as, “iOS 9 is full of enhancements you’ll appreciate every day. Your apps become more essential. New multitasking features on iPad make you even more productive. Siri can do more than ever, and new proactive suggestions help you get things done before you ask. And improvements at the foundation of the operating system enhance performance, battery life, and security. The more you do with iOS 9, the more you’ll wonder how you ever did without it.”

Even though their advertisement may seem impressive, many are still experiencing trouble, even with iOS 9.1; many realize it is time to solve these problems personally and not wait for another possibly ineffective update.

As there are problems within every major update, iOS 9 does come with some imperfections yet still has pleased many customers. This update many still be a worthwhile update, especially with the ability to finally put a unicorn and even a tornado into a text message.

Visit gottabemobile.com for help with the newest iOS 9 update.

News

Guidance offers free school supplies

Leave a comment

_DSC0020

The beginning of the year can become quite pricey when paying for fees, buying school supplies and new clothes; however, the school has a way to help cut some of the prices that many people do not know of.

For many years, the guidance office has collected school necessities to give to students who are in need of supplies.

They have folders, binders, paper, notebooks, notecards, many writing utensils and much more miscellaneous materials available. The supplies are accessible all year or until they run out.

The child guidance and family solutions counselor, Sally Dean, is the main person in charge of the school supplies. She wants to make sure any child in need of a school item can have it for class. With the help of community churches, like Stow Alliance Fellowship, along with some teachers and students, Dean is able to provide the free supplies.

“It is wonderful to see those in our community thinking of the students who may be in need of school supplies,” guidance counselor Jason Lepard said.

Students eligible do not have to be considered part of a low income family to obtain the items.

“We do not ask for any proof that the student is in need, so anyone can get them,” Dean said.

The generous idea was not founded by a specific person but was more of a group decision by the counseling staff, who are always around to help with any student’s needs.

On average, she sees about 20 people every year who are there to ask for some materials. There may be many more in the school who need some, but students may not even know about the stock.

“I did not know [about the supplies] at all. I feel like they should definitely broadcast it more because I know a lot of kids who could really use it,” senior Shiloh Platt said.

Even though many are not aware of the supplies, teachers were notified to refer students to the office if they notice someone lacking what they need. Getting the word out about its existence to everyone can show how beneficial the donations could be to students.

The positives of the help obtaining the school items stands out; however, some students can see where others could possibly abuse its readiness.

For now, the supplies go to each student who truly ought to have the supplies. If anyone would like to help others by donating any items, new or gently used, the guidance office will be willing to take it.

“It is good that they support people in need. It is generous of them,” senior Megan Marks said.

Knowing that there is such a place to go for some supplies, maybe students will improve their readiness for each class.

“We know back to school expenses can really add up and be a hardship for some families,” Dean said, “and we want to help students come to school [each day] ready to learn.”