BLOW

Blow ** by ** Bruce ** Porter **
Summary (google images) George Jung grows up in a family struggling to make ends meet in the 1950s. His mother always yells at his father that he doesn’t make enough money. His mom always leaves and eventually comes back when they have more money. In the end his family goes bankrupt. It’s then when George promises himself that he isn’t going to let the same thing happen to him. George and his friend move to California and decide they don’t want to get jobs so they deal marijuana. He gets caught and sent to jail where he gets introduced into the wonders of cocaine. Once out of jail his jail mate introduces him to big Colombian dealers. He ends up making 100 million dollars with the Medellin Cocaine Cartel. George later on finds himself in trouble again and looses everything for good this time.

Actual Movie: media type="youtube" key="xwcumthbPnQ" width="425" height="350" align="center"

Trailer: media type="youtube" key="19MvJp5FaHg" width="425" height="350" align="center"

About The Author Bruce Porter used to be a newspaper reporter and editor of Newsweek. He teaches at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Bruce has also written for the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post, Rolling stone, playboy, and the connoisseur.

About the Characters:

George Jung: George was a very determined boy. When George was very little he was living a pretty good lifestyle and had a good amount of money. As his childhood and teen years came though, and Georges father wasn't doing as well as was expected from George's mother. This made his mother come and go leaving when things got tough. This was something that George had to learn to cope with being abandoned by her all the time. This is when George decided he was never going to be poor and live that kind of lifestyle. George, as his father said, could do anything he put his mind to it. As a teen in high school George was a strong kid, he was a star football player, but was always getting in trouble which caused him to never reach his full potential. After high school is when drugs and dealing came into play, he started with pot, but it just wasn't enough from him. He got sentenced to prison for two years for pot dealing, you think that this would teach George a lesson, but like i said once George was determined to do something he would get it done. He learned about Cocaine in Danbury prison learning how much money you could make from it George now had another goal. He wanted to deal cocaine. His cartel, the Medellin's, contributed for 85% of the cocaine smuggled into the U.S during the 70's into the 80's.George had to then cope with the stress of what comes first dealing or family life. He had to take care of his wife and the love of his life his daughter. He promises her at the end of the book that they would never get split up, and this promise was broken on his "last" cocaine deal he ever wanted to make. George got sentenced to prison to 2015 and his daughter just recently visited him for the first time. He broke his promise to her though and thats something he will have to live with forever.

media type="youtube" key="nb8kQSAj7jo" width="425" height="350"media type="youtube" key="7z1UV7CGI9Y" width="425" height="350" media type="youtube" key="m6PdMteGj5M" width="425" height="350"media type="youtube" key="q5aCeEyIikY" width="425" height="350"

(google.images) Johnny Depp vs. George Jung George in movie vs. George in Real life

Derek Foreal: Derek Foreal was one of Georges best friends through out the book. They started with pot together back in California, and kind of lost touch, George returns to derek after to long years of not speaking, then this conversation occurs: //[|George] //: So, what'd I tell ya, Derek? //[|Derek] //: It's great, but what am I supposed to do with it? //[|George] //: Sell it. //[|Derek] //: Jesus Christ, George, I don't see you for two years and you show up on my doorstep with 110 pounds of blow. //[|George] //: Just fucking sell it, Derek. //[|Derek] //: Okay, but it's going to take me a year. [ //scene shift to interior Derek's bar surrounded by stacks of cash //] //[|Derek] //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: 36 hours, 36 hours, I can't believe we got rid of it in 36 hours. //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #70579d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|George] //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: I think it's fair to say you underestimated the market, Derek. //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #70579d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Derek] //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: Right on. It's going to take us longer to count it than it did to sell it. (http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0007801/quotes) Derek and George stayed close friends through out the whole book, till Derek and Diego cut him out. Then Diego cut Derek out too, Derek and George kind of make up for the whole thing, but they never fully regain there friendship.

Diego Delgado: Diego and George met each other in Danbury prison when he then introduced George to the wonders of cocaine. George at the time was only a pot dealer, and when Diego found out how good he was he wanted to him to join the cocaine business. George and Diego become partners through out the book, Diego seems like a good guy and friend but as they get more into the drug business and the profits diego starts becoming a little bit sketchy. For example, he is always trying to figure out Georges connection, once arguing about it so badly during a drug exchange that George was actually shot. George and Diego made lots of drug trades together making tons of money in the process but in the end drugs got the best of this friendship. George got screwed in the end though when diego takes the business for himself and makes it his with his own "launch off" private island. Drugs mess with peoples heads and make people do things that they never would have done before.

Diego Derek

Favorite Quotes


 * “So in the end, was it worth it? Jesus Christ. How irreparably changed my life has become. It's always the last day of summer and I've been left out in the cold with no door to get back in. I'll grant you I've had more than my share of poignant moments. Life passes most people by while they're making grand plans for it. Throughout my lifetime, I've left pieces of my heart here and there. And now, there's almost not enough to stay alive. But I force a smile, knowing that my ambition far exceeded my talent. There are no more white horses or pretty ladies at my door.”**

Explanation: I like this quote because in the end he asks himself was that part of his life even worth what he lost in the end. He realized that at the end of it all there are no pretty woman and nice things left. He lost it all.


 * “Danbury wasn't a prison, it was a crime school. I went in with a Bachelor of marijuana, came out with a Doctorate of cocaine.”**

Explanation: I like this quote because it shows how jail can make a person worse and put thoughts into a person’s head that were never there before. George went from just marijuana to cocaine.


 * “Alright. Well, in all honesty, I don't feel that what I've done is a crime. And I think it's illogical and irresponsible for you to sentence me to prison. Because, when you think about it, what did I really do? I crossed an imaginary line with a bunch of plants. I mean, you say I'm an outlaw, you say I'm a thief, but where's the Christmas dinner for the people on relief? Huh? You say you're looking for someone who's never weak but always strong, to gather flowers constantly whether you are right or wrong, someone to open each and every door, but it ain't me, babe, huh? No, no, no, it ain't me, babe. It ain't me you're looking for, babe. You follow?”**

Explanation: I think it’s incredible that he has so much passion for what he does. He puts effort and faith into everything that he would go as far as stating this quote to a federal judge just because its something he believes in. He stood up to someone with this much power just because he believed it was right, and too me that’s something incredible.

Round and Flat Character Analysis

Round Character- Character with a fully developed personality, who may change or act in a surprising way in a story

George is a round character because in the beginning of the story he is all about being part of the drug cartel. In the end he realizes that everything he went through wasn’t worth the outcome. By the end of the book there’s nothing more he wants then to be with his daughter.

Flat Character- Character with little development who does not change or grow during the course of a story

Diego Delgado was a flat character because he never changed his opinion on life. He was always about money and nice things. All he ever cared about through out the book was the drug cartel despite the fact that he had gone to jail for it more than once.

Themes

Family- Family is an important part of blow. George’s life growing up greatly influenced who he turned out to be. His mother made him believe he had to have a lot of money in order for someone to love him. Also another example would be how George cares greatly for his daughter. He tries so hard to be there for her but in the end he can’t keep his promise.

Friendship- Friendship is another part of Blow. Through out the book George’s friends turn out not to be who he thought they were. Diego and Derek the two friends that were supposed to be his best friends end up going behind George’s back. George looses everything after this and gets out of the business for a while.

Gerne This book and movie can be considered a documentary. You can say this because they interview George and document his life, and all of his past experiences based on his memory, memory of others, and facts. Changing only a few names of things here and there for security reasons. This story brings Georges life all together from day one, till where he is at now. Watch it to really take a look into George's life and the feelings and things he experiences along the way.

Setting of the Story This book starts off where George is born, Boston Massachusetts. He is raised in this town, and its somewhere he can call home. There are so many settings to this story though because of all the wonderful places that George has visited through out his life such as California and Mexico. At 17 years old George and Tuna his best friend leave home seeking money and adventure. They find there having the time of there lives in California, selling pot and making money. Another setting in this story is prison. The first one being Danbury Prison where George is sentenced his first time to for marijuana transport. They describe Danbury as more of a school for the bad, as stated in one of our "favorite quotes". Right when George is released he gets on the phone and calls Diego, already having plans to fly out to Columbia and jump right into the cocaine business. They continue in the cocaine business with George taking brakes here and there finally settling in California with his wife and daughter, whom he loves very much. His wife one day decides to throw George a birthday party, after being clean for a while, and the party gets busted by the "waiters" or FBI. He is sentenced to prison for another 5 years. You'd think that'd be enough for George but once he is out he finds out his bank has been emptied. George needs money to support his daughter, so figuring he would do one last trip George gets ready and puts together one last plan. He and Kevin Dulli and old friend of George's come together with a few others and plan out Georges last cocaine move ever, saying that he was ready to take this money and settle down with his daughter in California, promising her that they'd be going together when he was done with " business". George was set up by his group though, and caught for the last and final time, sentenced to jail until 2015 (our graduation year).



Connecting to the Story You can connect to this story in many ways: 1) This story connects with real life because just like in real life you never know where your life is going to take you. You have to expect the unexpected, and be prepared for the worst. 2) This story connects with the movie because the movie was based off of the book. You don't get as much detail and emotion as you pick up while reading the book, but it is still an amazing movie with lots of emotion and fun thrown in. 3) This story connects with each and every one of us and our high school because of all the very important meanings behind the movie like friendship and betrayal. George gets "f*** over" many times throughout the movie by a friend. It just shows that you have to be careful on who you trust and what your trusting them with.

Literary Terms Blow is man vs. society. Man vs. society because George is always breaking the law. He fights the police and judges. Even the first time he went to prison instead of realizing he made a mistake he just gets worse and comes out of jail ready to deal cocaine.
 * Conflict: conflict can be an opposition between two characters, a large group of people, or man vs man, man vs nature, man vs society **

George has been in a lot of situations that affected him in life. In the beginning of the story he delt with his mother leaving various times when she thought there wasn’t enough money. It made George think that if your poor someone will stop loving you. That effected him greatly, it shaped who he was as an adult. Climax is the point in a story where intensity reaches its greatest The climax of the story is when George does his last cocaine run. He was ready to get out of the business, he just needed enough money to start a new life with his daughter.
 * Internal Conflicts is the struggle in the story that occurs within the mind main character. **

On his last coke run George gets caught. He had been set up the police were just waiting for him to mess up. The result was that he got sent to prison again. There was no real resolution to the story.
 * Resolution of the story is the outcome or result to a conflict in a story that follows the plot **