My name is Devon Cozad, and I’m a freshman here at Buff State. It’s already been an adventure during this first week, but I’m convinced this will become a second home. My major is English Literature, and hopefully later I’ll be able to make a minor in creative writing. Writing for me is like breathing, and it’s my sincerest hope that I can become a published author someday.
For me, the books and movies of The Lord of the Rings were ways for me and my dad to bond. The day he wanted me to go see the movie with him, I agreed, not knowing just what I was about to see. In the car, he tried to give me a plot synopsis, which was of course lost on me. Once the movie started, though, I was immediately lost within Howard Shore’s music and the captivating scenery of the Shire. Afterwards, we talked about what surprised him (again, since I had yet to read the novels, his complaints of the missing Tom Bombadil were lost on me), and what I thought was simply amazing in scenery and costumes. There was of course a new-found love of Orlando Bloom and Elijah Wood, which my dad, thankfully, just laughed at.
Sometime during high school, and for the life of me, I can’t remember what year, I did read The Hobbit. It was enjoyable, though I really couldn’t take it in. Maybe that’s just because it was required reading and I have mental blocks against it.
Later, during my junior year of high school, I had the fortune of having an English teacher set up an elective class on the books and movies. We read and discussed the novels, and soon began watching the films. That was my first exposure to the books and full cuts of the films. After watching all of the workshop footage, I not only had incredible respect for all who worked on it (the people who worked on the chain mail no longer have thumb prints, can you imagine?), but could also do a fair New Zealand accent. Not anymore, though.
Now, Harry Potter was definitely another door to the world of fantasy. When I saw a few of my friends reading the first book, I had to go out and see for myself what all the talk was about. Once I was pulled in, my mom soon became an avid fan, more so than I am. It at one point rose to such a level that I couldn’t have the car start without being pulled into a scene via audio cassette. Not even the condemnation of the books could make me put them down. I was an official Hogwarts student, and nothing could change that.
I’m looking forward to this class more than any other. If you’d like to contact me or talk a bit, I do have a facebook, though it’s set to private.
Devon Cozad? August 28, 2008, at 07:29 PM
