Sunday, March 20, 2011

! Ranger's Apprentice : The Ruins of Gorlan !

The Ruins of Gorlan is the first book in John Flanagan's series of the Ranger's Apprentice. The novel follows a group of orphans and the paths they have taken during the middle ages. The protagonist, Will, always had his heart set on being a brave warrior, as he believed his father to be, but to his surprise and initial discontent, is chosen to be the apprentice of the ranger Halt. Not much is known about the rangers, but it is speculated that they practice dark magic because of their always elusive behavior.
Will's training as a ranger begins with tedious tasks such as housework, but eventually escalates to stealth and weapons training. Will's training was first put to the test when he and his hunting party were confronted by two large boar. He shot an arrow at the larger of the two, effectively distracted it and saving his friend, Horace, whom at the time he was feuding with.
The climax of the novel is when Lord Morgarath, an evil man bent on conquering the kingdom, attempts to advance with his dreaded Kalkaras, massive beasts immune to most weapons. Will plays a vital role in killing one of the beasts by shooting an arrow through its eye. Later, at a celebration the Baron announces that Will would be allowed to become a warrior's apprentice as he had originally wanted to do. But because of all he had learned under Halt, he declines and decides to stay a ranger. Halt then tells the story about how Will's father bravely saved Halt in a battle, sacrificing his life.

1. If you had the chance to do something that had always been your dream, but in return you had to give up something you loved now, would you do it?
2. Will found out that his father was not actually a traditional warrior, but he was still proud. Would you be proud if you found out your father was not some one who you thought he was?

10 comments:

Spencer P. 1-2 said...

1. I would not give up the thing that I loved because it is important to always live in the present instead of trying to do something that does not suit you.
2. I would still be proud because what he did was far more noble than just being something I thought he was.

Freddy B. 7-8 said...

1. I would give up the thing I loved if I really wanted to live my dream.
2. I would still be proud because he still did something respectable.

Nathan S. 7-8 said...

2. In Will's case, his father did something greater than he though before. If my dad did something like that I would surely still be proud, if not even more proud, of him.

Brandon Messner said...

1. I would do it because your dreams are things that you can normally not attain. And things that you love now are things that you do have. Therefore, the dream must be more worth it because you were not able to have it before this chance of sorts.

2. I would still be proud of my dad in this case because he sacrificed his life for something that he believed in. That is definitely something to be proud of.

Andrew C 7-8 said...

1) I would give up the thing that I loved to have the chance to do something I dreamed of. I think that it would be worth it because you should try to acomplish many things in your life and not just stick to the things you are familiar with.
2)I would definitley still be proud as he paid the ultimate price for something that he believed was right.

Laura P 7-8 said...

2.) In Will's case, I would definitely still be proud of my father, because he risked his own life for someone else, and that takes a lot to do.

Josie D 7/8 said...

1. I don't think I would. Just becuase if I loved something now, then that would become my dream. Dreams change as life goes on, so attaining an older dream wouldn't be as important.
2. I would still be proud becuase even though he was not traditionally 'great,' he still saved a life and acted honorably.

Kyle N.1-2 said...

1. I would do something I loved now. Feelings change, and you might not like what you once did.

2. In this case, yes. It depends upon what he really is. In the book he still turns out to be something great, and I think Will has the right to be proud of his father.

Morgan O 7-8 said...

I wouldn't give up something I love to achieve something i had always dreamed of because dreams don't always turn out the way you want them too and if you know you love something you never let it go.

Mrs. Sherwood said...

Graded