The reading was a quick revision of developing paragraphs. I found it useful to go one more time over importance of topical flow, transitions and punctuation. However, I also found it a little bit difficult to use parallel structures across sentences to create a framework and to know when to stop using it, since it can bore the readers. Other than that the strategies provided in the reading were practical.

The count of Monte Cristo.

In my dorms, the front desk offers DVD rental services. When I went there to find a movie that could be related to my final paper I couldn’t really find a movie that could be related directly. My final paper is about video games addiction and there was nothing about it, so I was confused for a while. Then I asked the front desk officer, that time there was a girl called Julie, which movie according to her is the one that makes people “addicts”, the one she would recommend me to watch and she answered promptly: “The count of Monte Cristo”. I had never watched that movie, but I read the book and I knew that “The count of Monte Cristo” was a rousing, impeccably crafted adaptation of Alexandre Dumas pere's literary classic, so I decided to choose that movie to write a review.

The story is revitalized in the movie by director Kevin Reynolds and screenwriter Jay Wolpert in 2002. The movie focuses on a French sailor named Edmond Dantes. On a trading trip back to Marseilles, Dantes’ home city, Dantes had the misfortune to stop at the island of Elba, the home of the exiled emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, to find a physician to help the dying captain. Napoleon asks Dantes to deliver a confidential letter for the price of Napoleon’s physician and Dantes agrees. That night the captain dies. With his captain dead, Dantes arrives in his home city port. He is excited to be reunited with his family and friends, and eager to marry his fiancée, the beauty Mercedes. He is also proud of his promotion to the new captain for the effort to save the captain. Edmond's good fortune inspires jealousy in those close to him. His promotion to captain offends the ship's purser, Danglars; his relationship with Mercedes inspires the jealousy of Edmond’s best friend Fernand Mondego, who wants Mercedes for his own. The haters conspire to have Edmond arrested on charges of treason and thrown into a political prison called the Chateau D'If. Dantes spends many years suffering in solitary confinement, although he eventually meets an elderly priest prisoner who educates him while they plan their escape. Moreover, this prisoner tells Edmond about a fabulous treasure that could be his for the taking. Eventually, Dantes escapes and embarks on a series of adventures that finds him returning to seek revenge against his enemies under the name "Count of Monte Cristo".

Since the story takes place in France, Italy and islands in the Mediterranean and the Levant during the historical events of 1815–1838, so the historical setting is a fundamental element of the movie. Also, since the movie is primarily concerned with themes of hope, justice, revenge, mercy, and forgiveness, it is a part of genre of adventure.

The movie is a very short description of Dumas' novel; obviously there were difficulties in translating "The Count of Monte Cristo" into a two-hour film. The revenge plots Dantes formulates against his enemies alone are of such length and complexity that it would take hours to encapsulate them on the screen. There is just too much detail, characters, and sub-plots in the novel to work with. However, as the screen writer Jay Wolpert claims: “movie never tries to be a literal interpretation of the book”. In some ways deviating from the book does make the story more compelling. For example, Edmond's interaction with the smugglers directly after escaping is an entertaining part of the movie, but it is not even in the book.

There was obviously a lot of work put into the way this movie looks. The cinematography is great. The film has a good acting and the set and the costuming are gorgeous. Overall, it is a good movie. Love, friendship, betrayal, long suffering, fantastic escape, instant riches, revenge - everything you need for a great adventure, plus a deeper meaning to ponder. I would definitely recommend everyone to watch the movie. The movie really made me an “addict” for the entire time of the movie.

I found the reading useful and interesting. The beginning of the reading seemed to be interesting, but then it seemed to be wordy and repetitive, that’s why a little bit boring. However, the story itself is really interesting. It shows how life could be tough and how people struggled to fight for the right. I admire how sixteen years old black girl was involved in solving racial issues and was a representative of all young black people of that time. The reading describes in details the horror of racial discrimination, so a reader can understand what is to be a discriminated human and how important it is to avoid any kind of discrimination.

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