1. Around the World in Eighty Days

Right now I am reading Around the World in Eighty Days. The book was wrote by Jules Verne in 1873. I haven't got very far in the book yet. I am only at page 60 of 280 pages.

So far in the book though the main character has been introduced as Phileas Fogg. He made a 20,000 pound bet on if he could make it around the world in eighty days or not. He has mad it through Paris and parts of Africa. At this point in the book though he is in India, but his train had to stop due to railway problems. So instead of waiting for the railroad to be fixed Mr. Fogg goes out and buys and elephant to take him to his next stop faster. The farthest I've made it is when Mr. Fogg and his assistant are riding the elephant to the next station. Then there is a detective following them because he believes that Phileas is the thief who stole a lot of money from a bank in London.

To me the book is pretty boring so far. I think that it needs to move just a little bit faster, but then again most books start slow and progress on to the better parts. I think the author wrote this book to show how the world has evolved over time. Like all the trains and steamboats that they have only had for a few years. Then it shows how hard it could be to travel around the world and what difficulties that could happen. I think it also had to do with how science was starting to be a huge thing when this book was wrote. So traveling the world in eighty days was unheard of back then. The author's idea in the theme was to show what the world looked like and how different people on different parts of the world act. While reading this I think the author is really trying to show the world's advance in traveling technology.

So far in the book my favorite character is Phileas Fogg. He seems to be a smart man who looks far into the future and everyone one of his moves are planned in advance. That is why he is my favorite character in the story. I can see him change a little each day because he is getting to be more and more determined to make it all the way around the world in those eighty days. "Unless," objected the consul, "he is exceptionally shrewd. An English criminal, you know is always better concealed in London than anywhere else" on page 31. This quote was when the people that Phileas Fogg made a bet found out that Fogg may be the thief who robbed the bank. This I think will cause a lot more problems for Phileas later on in the story. At this point I am wondering how will Mr. Fogg's accusations about robbing the bank will come back and what problems it could cause for him.

Michael Kline 1st