2.28 Diction Excerise

a. gashes

lapping

scurried

shoals

wilderness

warbles

underbrush

fangs

b. Elevation: potent and compelling
Connotation: emblematic and denotative
Sound: metamorphose and fluctuating
Concreteness: corporeal and tangible

The metamorphic nature of Carl Sanburg's potent, emblematic diction along with the ending voice in The Wilderness exudes a sense of subjugating the internal chaos of the man in the poem.

Chainfire pg 438-510

We learn where the Deep Nothing is in the next chapter, and what is happening there. It is a small village of people surviving in an inhospitable area with ruins. The ruins possess some information about the powerful group of people that use to live there, but have not been there in a long time. The Imperial Order has just discovered the place and has begun to take over, but they have had a prophecy that says that Richard Rahl will come after hordes of evil men come to overthrow them. A girl named Jillian was named priestess of the bones, and is to wait for Richard to come.

Richard reached the Wizard's Keep the same time as Nicci did. Nicci told Richard that the people at Althur'rang were successful in defending against the Imperial Order. Richard went to see if Zed could shed some light on the recent clues or events. Zed like the others did not remember Kahlan and Richard tried to prove it by showing Zed the grave of Kahlan, the Mother Confessor, was empty and she was not dead, but they was a body there. The body did not have any recognizable features but its presence destroyed Richard faith. Zed gave the Wizard's Ninth Rule: A contradiction can not exist in part or in reality.

Richard went into depression believing that Kahlan might very well be only in his imagination. Nicci, knowing that this state was worst than the delusion she believed he had prior, encouraged him to see how he was giving up and that she did not believe Kahlan was real but he needed to remain steadfast in his conviction or accept reality. Richard gained back his determination, and approached the visitors arriving at the Keep, Nathan and Ann.

The Deep Nothing must be a central location with book like the one found by Nathan in the beginning of the book. Chainfire must be there among the bones, and the priestess of the bones will be there to help Richard. The Wizard's Ninth Rule must be true like all of the wizard's rules, so the contradiction cause by the spell cast that erased Kahlan is causing a contradiction, so this must be the source of one of the problems. It also means that there can only be one truth when one excludes the other. We must be firm in the correct conviction because if it is true it will not be contradicted. Nicci showed the qualities of a good friend that we have been seeing. She helped Richard back to the place he needed to be even though she did not want him to be there. She did what she had to for him and was there for him when he needed her the most. The depression also shows the waste of time Richard spent feeling a loss of motivation. He ended in the same place he began with just a bunch of wasted time. Constructive thought to solve problems is necessary not sulking.

Chainfire pg. 324-437

Zed has began to find the problem that is occurring in the prophecy too. Chase and Rachel are getting ready to leave to bring their family to the Wizard's Keep. Rikka notices Zed's frustration and gets Zed to explain the problem. Zed believes he knows what may be the source and rushes to find a book on the something called a prophecy worm. Rikka follows him and convinces him to show her down there in case Zed is never able to show Richard.

Richard is almost at Shota when he wakes up noticing that something is moving around him. By the time Cara rushes back from watch to see the disturbance, Richard has already figured out he was surrounded in some kind of web that burnt through any organic tissue it touched and was slowly constricting. He tried to cut his way out with the Sword of Truth, but it just became more and more reinforced. Before it was too late, Richard realized to cut down a tree next to him to make a bridge out of the web to escape.

After that encounter, they went on till they reached Shota's home. There Shota told Richard more about the beast chasing him. It made to not have a nature so that Richard cannot learn how to counter it. It randomly attacks at different times in different ways until it succeed. It is not rushed by time or angered by failure, so it may not attack for a while then attack with no warning. It also may try failed tactics multiple times or a new one each time. It is in essence suppose to be completely random with a single goal to kill him. Using his gift though does give an exact location of where he is, so he that does increase the chance of an attack. Shota did not know about Kahlan like everyone else, and in exchange she made him trade the Sword of Truth for the information he wanted. She told him "Chainfire" was important to what he seeked, What you seek is long buried, You must find the place of the bones in the Deep Nothing, and Beware the viper with four heads.
Richard and Cara then started heading towards the Wizard's Keep to see if Zed could shed some light on the clues.

I think Chainfire has to do with the spell that was evoked. It sounds like a spell to me, and almost sounds like it would cause a chain effect that is unpredictable and destructive, like erasing someone from everyone's memories. I think the vipers has something to do with the Boxes of Orden because the door to the Garden of Life had snakes on it as a warning not to go that way, but it did not really describe it to look like a 4 headed snake still they seem connected. I do not think the prophetic worm theory is any good because it does not seem to have to do with Chainfire. The doubts of people in Richard's abilities to lead will continue to increase especially after giving up the Sword of Truth to Shota, but I think Shota demanded it for his benefit because he constantly uses it as a form of his gift without trying, so by removing the only part of his gift he has complete control over will reduce encounters with the beast. This book also shows the aspect of true friends. Although Cara and Nicci do not believe in Richard and think he is delusional from his injury they are still following him, and being what he needs the most in his journey.

Chainfire pg 283-323

Verna is in at the People's Palace with Berdine to look check the volumes of prophecy there to see if the same discrepancy is present in the prophecy blanks are appearing in all books of prophecy. Verna does not tell Berdine what is wrong, and then asked her questions about a few books in one of the libraries to see if she see the same problem without planting a suggestion which could influence the perception. Berdine found the same problem in the prophecy proving what we already know that Kahlan has gone missing in the prophecies too.

Verna was forced into a devotion because she was at the People's Palace at the proper time, and through it she found meaning in her life again. She found was she was really fighting for and finally found reassurance in Warren's death.

Then she checked to make sure the Boxes of Orden were safe, and they were. The First File guarding them now has weapons that can penetrate any magic barrier to eliminate wizards. As far as Verna could tell, everything was fine.

Many of the characters have found resolve and meaning in the devotions, and I think it is trying to show the value of just stopping and thinking for a part of your day to analyze things and find meaning for yourself. The Boxes of Orden keep getting mentioned and they have not been a concern since the first book, so I think they are soon going to be involved with the solution to one of the problems.

2.23 Diction Exercise

a.) dark slate
treacherously
stocky
taciturn
hewn
sharply
amidst
lean

b.) Elevation: Intelligible and unequivocal
Connotation: Literal and methodical
Sound: Monotone and dryness
Concreteness: Objective and definite

c.) Neil Gaiman's diction in "Stardust" is intelligibly methodical with objective dryness conveying the seriousness of the informative passage.

Chainfire pg 222-282

Richard packed his things and left with Cara to find Shota while Nicci remained in Althur'rang. Nicci took over the preparations for battle, and made the Imperial Order's army believe that a group of them wanted to surrender. She went as a gift of the people who did not want to fight, so that she could get close enough to kill their wizard's and force them into attacking right before night causing disorder. Although she killed the wrong wizard on accident at first, The wizard which was the leader foolishly gave her a chance to remove him to. Thinking she got all of the wizards, she retreated to Althur'rang with the remaining army that was not killed in her fight with the wizards following her. She lead them into the traps set up causing disorder among there ranks. At the end of the chapter, she realizes that there is a third wizard that she must find and deal with before he causes to many problems.
The Imperial Order let their emotions of anger at Nicci's attack overrule the reason that should have made them question charging after her. They allowed themselves to fall into a planned trap by blindly seeking retribution. Using reason in stressful situations is the difference between success and failure sometimes. We must be aware of traps that surround us and defend against them.

Chainfire pg 174-222

Richard, Nicci, and Cara retire to a inn owned by Ishaq. They eat a quick meal and then head to bed for the night. Nicci stayed on the first floor and Cara stayed on the second floor in the room next to Richard. Suddenly, Richard heard a crash coming from a few rooms down. When he turned, he show something coming at him breaking everything in his way, and the he had to dive out of the window and grab onto the edge to prevent from falling. After he had escaped whatever it was, some misty inky cloud came out of the window and disappear. The guards place around the building came rushing from all sides. They helped Richard back up through the window, but Cara in the next room did not dodge the mass. She was frozen in a defensive stance and was not moving; when they reach her they felt that she was frigid, and quickly moved her to Nicci's room to try and figure  out the problem. Nicci spent a few hours working on healing Cara, but the cause of her suffering and wound was unknown and seemed to still be killing her. Nicci could not do anymore. Richard unable to accept Cara's death went into the room, and while trying to encourage her to fight, his gift allowed him to sink into Cara, and bring her back from the brink of death and save her. Nicci was surprised when she saw Richard emerge from the room with Cara, but as worried as surprised. When she left Cara was beyond the reach of her magic, yet Richard was able to use his gift to save her without trying, and by using his gift he alerted the beast of his presence there. Richard decides that he need to continue his journey especially now that the beast knows of his presence. While Richard was healing Cara, she was able to prob him as well, and she show that without Kahlen is we lonely in his core, so she suggested to Nicci to maybe try and she if he was open to relation with her because she did not want Richard to remain so lonely.
 I was surprised on the new side of Cara that quickly emerged in these chapters. There were hints that she had a different nature that the rigid determined protection of Richard that was her duty, but it really emerged in this chapter. Evidence of Kahlen disappear keeps accumulating, but people are still dismissing Richard. I am not sure I would believe him at first, but the holes in others memories when he makes some points would have been strong evidence to me. I believe that I have a good memory, so suddenly forgetting things would draw more concern from me.