post #4

The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett

Some adaptations that would make filming The Help difficult is the setting of the book because the book takes place in the 1960’s so the appropriate houses and stores would need to be used in order for it to seem realistic because the book is all about the perspectives of maids that work for white people.  I think another think that would make the movie difficult to film is the book has three separate perspectives so making sure to focus on all of those separate perspectives would be difficult. 

I think one scene that is essential in this book is when Ms. Skeeter talks about how much she loved her maid (Constantine) and how Constantine raised Skeeter and she was there for her when her mother wasn’t. When Skeeter comes home from college Constantine isn’t there anymore and later on she figures out that her mother fired Constantine. I think another scene that is important to keep in the movie is Minny who is a maid that works for a young lady is not telling her husband that she has a maid working for her because she wants her husband to believe that she can cook and clean.  Minny is afraid for the day that her husband walks in and sees a maid in his house.  I think an important scene to keep in is when the husband comes home and finds Minny cleaning in his house.  Another scene that is very important is when Aibileen decides to help Skeeter by allowing her to interview her on what it’s like to be maid.

I think things that would need to be cut out of the movie would be the scenes when the maids are just explaining their day cleaning at the house they clean at every day or when Minny is teaching Miss Celia how to cook.

Book Project #1

Maya Hall

Bell 3

Thirteen Reasons Why

By: Jay Asher

Book 1 Project

1.     My idea is to have the restaurant called Monet’s Garden Café & Coffee House on Hannah Baker’s map actually built and the restaurant could be named after it.  On the inside of the restaurant inspiring or famous quotes from Hannah Baker could be written on the walls so when people walk in, memories from and about the book will come back to the people that are fans of the book.  I think the restaurant is a main part of the book because Hannah Baker has a lot of connections to it such as making new friends there that turn against her which is one of thirteen reasons why she commits suicide.  So I think having one of the reasons come to life will help fans experience the book from a whole different perspective. Also I think at the restaurant there could be an author signing every month to invite the fans in or people that have read his other books and the restaurant could invite them to read Thirteen Reasons Why.  Some examples of quotes I would like to put on the walls are, “No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes, we have no clue. Yet we push it just the same.” Another example of a quote I would use is, “I hope you’re ready, because I’m about to tell you the story of my life.  More specifically, why my life ended.  And if you’re listening to these tapes you’re one of the reasons why.”

2.     This restaurant is important in the book because Hannah Baker was new to town and she met two new friends named Jessica and Alex there that made her more comfortable in the new school she was in.  Monet’s Garden Café & Coffee House was a safe haven for Hannah and her friends. Hannah was now so excited to have friends to help her get through school as she said on cassette 2, “How many nights had I fallen asleep terrified, thinking of that first day of school? Too many. And after Monet’s? None. Now, I was excited.” They would meet there and talk about their past friends or what friendships they were hoping to develop but this safe haven soon changed to a place where their friendship was broken.  Hannah was hoping that moving to this new town was going to allow her to escape the rumors as she said on cassette 2, “but I had hoped—silly me—that there would be no more rumors when my family moved here.  That I had left the rumors and gossip behind me . . . for good.”  Their friendship that saved Hannah from being lonely was now crumbling which turned out to be one of the reasons why she decided to end her own life.  As she mentioned at the end of cassette 2, “Jessica, my dear, I’d really love to know if you dragged yourself to my funeral. And if you did, did you notice your scar? And what about you—the rest of you—did you notice the scars you left behind? No. Probably not. Because most of them can’t be seen with the naked eye.”

3.     I think this idea will bring in fans because the idea of one of the scenes coming to life is like almost being a part of the movie version of the book because the restaurant brings the book to life.  Since the restaurant will have important quotes that ended Hannah’s life it will send memories through the people’s minds that have read the book.  I think this idea can encourage people to read the book that haven’t because it is just an ordinary looking restaurant but on the inside have very interesting and inspiring quotes from the book that will motivate people to read the book.  I think it will help different audiences get into the book because some of the quotes from the book are very general but very enticing. 

4.    http://www.keancoffee.com/Images/EmptyCoffeehouse.jpg