GoT Reading

During the section of reading we encounter Catelyn's sister Lysa and her son Robert for the first time.  Lysa appears to be somewhat crazy and delusional and her son is incredibly immature for his age.  On the way to the Vale, Catelyn trusts that her sister will be able to help her and that she can be trusted but now that she has arrived it might not appear to be that way.  In the many years that Catelyn has gone without seeing her sister, Lysa has become unstable and is not what she remembers her sister to be like. In King's Landing we see that Catelyn's capture of Tyrion causing many problems.  When Ned and his men encounter Jaime Lannister and his company, Jaime commands that Ned's men be killed.  This action is yet another instance of a Stark vs Lannister feud coming to fruition.  In the far east, Dany is growing more and more mature and is carrying Khal Drogo's child.  She stands up Viserys once again, proving that she is not a girl to be victimized any longer.  The Dothraki have reached the city of Vaes Dothrak which is very interesting that a nomadic people would have such a large city.  At the end of the reading we see Robert still being just while trying to juggle his loyalties to both the Starks and Lannisters.  It will be interesting to see how Cersei and her family deal with Robert because so far in the book his friendship with Ned has been worth a lot more to him than his marriage.  It's actually kind of sad.  Robert won the rebellion and became King but he lost everything that he held dear in the process.  Instead of being married to his love Lyanna he is trapped in a marriage of hatred and mistrust.

GofT 4

This section really starts to mix the plot up and stir up crazy conspiracies. It’s really hard to be the reader at these times just because you know what is happening and you seriously want to scream it at the characters! For instance we know what happened to Bran and we know who was behind it. Or on another hand, Catelyn’s sister is crazy and believes all of these things that will happen to her son or what her son will become when really we know her son is a coward and wimp.

            I also found it very interesting how Arya overhears things that she is not supposed to hear, very similar to Bran. I think it is the Stark name in general, they are known for being very honest and strong family. I think there is a correlation there because they have morals and honor but yet they are here, in the wrong places knowing the truth and knowing what is wrong.

            I just really get very anxious at the idea of what is to come in the future when all of this tension builds up and finally explodes. I am really nervous about what will happen between the Stark/Lannister/Baratheon families and when it all comes to a point of when he truth comes out and someone will finally have to turn against each other and fight for their friends. As a moral person, of course I have to root for the whole Stark family, they have been casted as the morals and honor family while there is the Lannisters are the evil side of everything. It is impossible to not like Starks in my opinion, whereas King Robert is just neutral, you think he is a good guy, but at the same time you just don’t really like him because of his temper and the fact that the king ship/throne has really gotten to him and changed him from the Robert the Ned used to know and trust as a boy. 

GoT4

            I liked that Arya overheard the conversation between the two men as she was lost in the castle after running away from Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen. It reminded me a lot of Bran and how he liked to explore. It also reminded me of how Bran ended up falling because he overheard a conversation he wasn’t supposed to. I was a bit worried she was going to be caught and also a little disappointed that Ned didn’t believe her when she tried explaining what happened and what she had witnessed.

            I was super pleased with how Ned’s POV chapter went. Clearly, King Robert has anger issues. I understand he finds it utterly important to kill Dany and her son but the fact that he won’t listen or ever hear Ned out is so annoying. I am so glad Ned gave up his position as Hand. I think that shows how powerful of a character he is and I truly think he was meant to stay in Winterfell with his family.

            As for Catelyn, I think that it was a smart decision to take Tyrion to his sister and to try and sort through the mess of Jon Arryn. Although I do not believe Tyrion tried to kill Bran, I think that Catelyn is being smart in the way she is dealing with the situation. 

Game Of Thrones 4

You can tell that tensions are beginning to grow between the Starks and the Lannisters and that something big will probably happen soon. Arya heard two men talk about killing her father and he doesn't believe her when she tries to tell him. This is obviously a big deal because it is setting us up to climax to an all out fight between the Starks and the Lannisters. This also shows a flaw in Ned for not believing Arya because he is a very likable character but at times has flaws like we see here. Him not believing Arya I think is going to come back to bite him as I expect to see some sort of assassination attempt that ends in a fight between the two families. Also Bran has a dream where he is no longer paralyzed and is devastated when he wakes up from it and is still paralyzed. Dany and Viserys also get into a fight when he slaps her and she hits him back and threatens him. This shows that Dany has more confidence now and is more of an independent women. We also meet Catelyns sister who is obviously crazy and has a son who is also different. As this is going on Tyrions capture is starting to cause controversy.

GOT 4

In this reading we uncover and learn many things.  In Arya's chapter we find out that some people are wanting to to kill Ned and planning on doing it. Arya tells her father but Ned the thick headed one doesn't believe her and says there is nothing to worry about. We find out that Catelyn's that her sister is a crazy person who is obsessed with her son and thinks he will become a God or something. But we know that her son is a wimp and not going to be a knight or anything like that. Robert and Ned get into a verbal conflict about the killing Dany. Ned insults Robert and Robert makes him resign from the Hand of the King. I think this a big problem because in the end I think Robert will need Ned when war comes. As soon as Ned leaves he runs in to Jamie Lannister. He threatens Ned and then decides to kill all of Ned's men. Bran gets to ride for his first time and it is a crazy and Bran gets attacked by a group of deserters of the Knight's watch. Robb helps and kills them and he is a true Knight going to take over Winterfell. Once again the direwolves are there and help out the Starks.


Questions: Why does Jamie feel like he is the almighty? What is going to happen to Ned? Will Robb take over Winterfell? Who is the most loyal out of the families?

GOT 4

Bran has a dream that he can walk again, causing him much more despair once he awaken and realizes he is still paralyzed. Within his dream he sees yet another crow but this time the crow has 3 eyes instead of one. The crow is a warning of something coming but we still aren’t sure what exactly is coming yet and the three eyes are still a mystery. Perhaps there is a foreshadow when Bran visits the wall where he is given a sketch by Tyrion. This shows the theme of cruelty towards those who are weak being broken. As Tyrion is a dwarf himself he normally is blunt and honest, which comes off as harsh. Yet with this photo Robb doesn’t understand why anyone would be nice to the King’s cripple son. This theme is also apparent when Viserys is invited to dine with his sister Dany. Realizing he can’t fight the Dothraki he takes it out on her, utterly forgetting that she is now one of them too. He calls her vulgar names and claims she’s awoken the dragon, then slaps her. Taking advantage of the “weak” since she is his younger sister. Finally Dany stands up for herself and hits him in the face with a belt, exclaiming, "The next time you raise a hand to me will be the last time you have hands," leaving Viserys in shock. It is then she realizes her brother will never be able to take back the seven kingdoms and is never able to lead an army. This reverses the role of the weak and puts Dany on top. 

338-430

I feel like something big is going to happen between the Starks and Lannisters. To begin, Arya hears two men talking about killing Ned (I believe they are Lannister's men). Arya tries to bring this news to her father's attention but he won't believe her. To be honest, I thought Catelyn was kind of a bitch before this section but she does seem to protect Tyrion, or at least give him still some respect (minus the whole imprisonment thing). Tyrion has gained a new friend in Bronn who is a sort of body guard for the dwarf. Bronn and Tyrion work well together and this excites me since Tyrion is my favorite character. I'd like to see how this friendship develops throughout the later chapters in the book. We also meet John and Lysa Arryn's son but he seems very immature and weak for his age. It makes the reader question if this truly is the heir to John Arryn that has been mentioned previously. Other than that, Bran is attacked by wildings. I'm still waiting for the white walkers to become a bigger issue in the book and I feel like a giant climatic battle is in the works for the Starks and Lannisters.

Game of Thrones 2/28

This reading is when things really start to get going. Arya overhears two men talking about killing her father. This is something that should be expected. Ned clearly has a different moral compass than the rest of the characters in King’s Landing. Ned however does not believe Arya. Clearly Arya is right and Ned should be worried. This again shows that Ned is stubborn. Ned has many great qualities, and stubbornness is one of them. He does not accept anything that he finds immoral. In this case however, stubbornness is going to hurt Ned and his family. There is more and more tension between the Lannister’s and the Stark’s. I really like the contrast in the two families. One is from the north, one from the south. Their morals are completely different as well. Tyrion escapes Cat using his mind. At this point Tyrion is my favorite character. I love his wit and how he can be in a situation where he is facing certain death and comes out not having to fight and gaining a loyal army man.  Cat’s sister is clearly gone crazy. This may be because of the sorrow she feels due to the loss of her husband John. Tyrion and Bronn are obviously made to compliment eachother. Tyrion has the brains Bronn has the brawns (funny how his name is Bronn). Bran and his brother are attacked by wildlings, which adds to the uncertainty beyond the wall. This problem is something that is in the backdrop. Everyone is focused on John Aryan, the Lannister’s etc., yet nobody is focusing on the danger beyond the wall. This is a problem that must not be ignored. 

Game of Thrones 338-430

In this reading there were multiple drastic things that occurred. One of them being during Arya's chapter. As she was following some men she over heard them discussing the matters of killing her father, Ned. As she went to tell her father, it seemed as if she confused herself and was somewhat disoriented  This didn't totally make sense to me. Although she is a young girl, I would think she would remember the details concerning her fathers potential murder. Obviously Ned does not believe her daughter...that's frustrating. Another big scene was the conversation between Robert and Ned about the death/murder of Dany. Ned stands strong on his belief of keeping Dany alive, and even goes to the extent of giving up his position of the kings hand. I think this shows some of the honor Ned has. He isn't as evil as the other characters and is overall in it for the good of everyone. Ned later gets into a fight with Jaime which ends with the death of his men and a broken leg himself. When we get to Catelyn we learn that Tyrion is not being somewhat abused in his cell after they arrived at the Vale. We then learn that Tryion is still claiming he is guilty in relation to Bran's assassination. He demands a "trial by combat" which under my impression, is basically a fight/war. Bronn volunteers to fight for Tyrion but I am confused who Bronn is and where he even came into play here. Bran of course is included in this section and he goes out with Robb testing out his new saddle and horse. They get somewhat attacked here but the escapees of the Night's Watch. This means most likely someone on the Night's Watch has now tried twice to assassinate Bran. Again the Direwolves save the day and kill them all besides on, who is taken back to Winterfell. I think this person is going to play a significant role here in the future as hopefully they will speak up about who sent them to kill Bran, or even the purpose behind it. 

I think a theme here is who is loyal to who as it has been in the book, but coming forth in this chapter. Who is Dany really loyal to? Who is Ned royal to? If he is easily willing to step down from the King's Hand does he really wanting to be there?

-Where has Jaime fled to? Is he looking for something or something?
-What is the deal with these combat fights? It seemed as if they were going to do a trial but then changed to a combat fight which seems like it may do more damage than anticipated.

GoT: heating up

This section of the book is where things start getting interesting. It feels like the author has been building up tension/drama in order to cause a huge explosion of events. Arya while exploring the castle find hidden tunnels and over hears 2 men talking about killing her father, but Arya does not know who the men are and when she tries to tell her father he does not believe her. I really enjoy how her character is set up, unlike the other characters who follow formalities and a "code" she tells it like it is and has no desire to be another housewife (hence the sword fighting lessons). Ned ran into some trouble with Jamie Lannister. This is especially important because now we see tension between the Lannisters and Starks on two fronts (in kingslanding and with Cat). Clearly there is a war about to break out between the two families but thanks to Robert they are holding on by a thread. Tyrion escaped Cat's imprisonment by once again using his wit and money. He also gains a new body guard Bronn who like Tyrion likes money, whore, and is a complete smart ass (so naturally i find him awesome). It will be interesting to see how two men being so hard headed in nature like Tyrion and Bronn will act around each other. I honestly see them as a perfect duo, Tyrion has the brains and money while Bronn is an excellent sword and keeps Tyrions ego in check. Finally, while Bran is riding on his newly saddled horse him and his brother are attacked by wildlings, thus confirms Brans dream where he saw wildlings running south towards the wall leaving us questioning what exactly is beyond the wall? And will the Nights Watch be able to hold them off while their low numbers and weak defenses?

So many shenanigans happening in game of thrones it's just a blunder of excitement.  Where to begin, well Arya gets lost in some creepy part of the kingdom where she overhears an important discussion.  Turns out some peeps ain't to found of good ol' Ned Stark.  In these chapters Ned went through a lot and most of the characters turn against him in one way or another.  More and more information is coming out about the Lannisters, but very slowly.  There seems to be a separation between Tyrion and his other siblings, while they are all manipulative Tyrion is actually innocent and Catelyn is starting to see this and side with him.  I feel like this could absolutely be the start of a dominating relationship within the story.  I think the chapter that stood out the most to me would be when Catelyn went to the vale.  Learning about Lysa and her son, just getting to see there characters, really opened up a lot to the story and makes the reader reevaluate.  Another chapter I really got into was Dannys when a part of the Dothraki culture is explained.  The Kahls hands are called "blood of my blood" meaning they are more than brothers to the Kahl and if/when the Kahl dies these men die with him.  This really showed the differences in the relationships between the Dothraki and the Western peeps as we saw when Robert got so mad at Ned he made him relinquish his duty as kingshand.

Questions: What is Tyrion Lannisters role, is he good or evil?

GoT to 430

One character that is really getting to me is Jaime Lannister.  It seems as if he has no conscience and will kill anyone he see's besides his family, but if it came down to it, I wouldn't be surprised if he killed them too.  It blew my mind that he told his men to kill the men Ned was with for absolutely no reason.  He is an evil person through and through and I can't wait until someone puts him in his place.  A character that I am curious about is the young Arryn boy, Lysa's son.  It is made clear that he has something wrong with him but I'm not quite sure what.  I can tell that is very childish unlike the other young boys we have been introduced to in the book. He is a year younger than Bran and Bran is is probably twice the kid he is.  Jon Arryn's last words were, "The seed is strong" and I don't think he is talking about his child.  I believe he may have a bastard possibly or he was talking about another seed.  This boy could not be it.  Catelyn has surprised me also.  She has great character but she begins to question herself about the accusation of Tyrion.  Although he is her prisoner she does protect him from Lysa.  I think she would like to question him herself and find out the real truth.  She is a very brace woman to have traveled all the way to the Eyrie and survive the attacks.  She is truly a fighter and I like that about her.
Questions: Jon Arryn mentioned before he died, "The seed is strong." Is he talking about his boy or someone else?

Game of Thrones 338-430

-In this set of reading there are many interesting problems and situations that arise.  In Arya's chapter she sneaks off and is wandering the kingdom when she finds herself following two men who are discussing possibly killing her father.  When she tells Ned about this, he does not believe her. Ned gets in an argument with Robert about the possible killing of Dany.  Ned gives up his spot as the hand of the king and decides he is going to go back to Winterfell.  In the night of leaving they get in a fight with Jaime Lannister and some of the guards men.  Jory gets killed and Ned severely hurts his leg.  Robert ends up making Ned hand of the king again whether he wants to be it or not.  Catelyn finally ends up at the Vale, where her sister is at, after the treacherous trip up the mountains.  Tyrion is taken prisoner while here and is treated bad.  Tyrion decides that he's going to have to talk his way out because everyone belives he is guilty.  He ends up convincing Lysa Arynn to decide his case through a trial which ends up being a "trial in combat."  We are left here with Bronn volunteering to fight in Tyrions place in the combat.  Also, Bran goes out on a ride with Robb and others on his new and improved saddle.  They find themselves in trouble when they ride in to the woods and are approached by escapees from the Nights Watch. Robb, and the direwolves end up killing them all while taking one prisoner back to Winterfell.
- One thing I noticed while reading Dany's chapter is this confusion of where her heart is.  I feel like shes becoming adapted to this luxurious lifestyle with the Dothraki but at the same time she is still trying to be at peace with her brother and she wants to please him.  I feel like Martin tests characters loyalties throughout the book often.  Other cases this is shown is with Jon between the Nights Watch and the Starks, or Ned's loyalty problems between doing what Robert wants and doing whats morally right.  Another conversation that Martin has discussed alot through the book is the arranged marriage idea.  In the age of the book it seems as if all the marriages are arranged and thats just how life is.  We saw that Catelyn and Ned are lucky because they are truly in love, however I feel like in this set of reading we see even more how this may not always be true such as in Roberts case.  He seems as if he would be so much happier if he could have been with Lyanna which he would have chosen, but instead he's stuck with Cersei because that was the way it was arranged and he can't stand her.


Discussion Question:
-Who is Dany's heart with, Viserys or Khal Drogo and the Dothraki? Who is she loyal too?
- Does it seem to anyone else that Catelyn is becoming sort of attatched to Tyrion and is starting to believe him?  Do you think even if he loses the trial and is sentenced to death, will Catelyn let it happen?

Game of Thrones Summary III

                In this week’s Game of Thrones summary, p.226-338 are discussed. Dany and Viserys Targaryen take a brief moment in the spotlight as they travel across the Dothraki Sea with Khal Drogo and his men. Dany is a fluster of physical and emotional abuse and often contemplated suicide. However, her arranged marriage is bittersweet as she feels a sense of belonging to her newfound royalty. Consequently Dany gives Viserys an order for the first time in her life. Infuriated, Viserys confronts her but is immediately lassoed around the neck by a Dothraki For punishment, Dany orders Viserys to walk the rest of the trip, a terribly degrading act. The chapter ends with Dany a ball of confidence and Viserys a bitter soul.

                Meanwhile, Ned gets information from Grand Maester Pycelle and Littlefinger surrounding Jon Arryn’s death. In the process, he learns Robert had a bastard child that Jon visited. Soon after, the royal tourney in King’s Landing commences and Sandor Clegane takes the trophy after saving the true winner’s life, Loras Tyrell, from an enraged Ser Gregor Clegane. Lastly, Lord Varys unexpectedly reveals to Ned that Jon Arryn had been killed by poison from a knight killed in the tourney.

                On the wall, Jon Snow befriends a heavy, cowardly fellow. He is picked on and Jon personally sees to it that this stops. Jon is beginning to understand the true meaning of brotherhood, it seems. Last but not least, Catelyn is on her way back to Winterfell disuised as a common traveler. She is discovered by Tyrion Lannister at an inn and rallies the travelers to take him under arrest.

My questions/ponderings for this reading:

1.                                     1. Who does each of the Lords of King’s Landing truly pledge allegiance to? There’s so much shady dialogue between Ned and Littlefinger, Varys, and the lack of Stannis. I wonder who is on who’s side.

2.                                      2. I think Varys is truly in the pocket of the Lannisters/Cersei. I believe Varys’s conversation with Ned was to discover Ned’s true intentions for coming to King’s Landing. Varys crafted the conversation to get Ned to confess who his suspicions were for. Sly and cunning is Varys, and I believe Ned gave too much information.

GOT 3

The Starks have finally reached King’s Landing where Ned has taken up his position as The King’s Hand, which has more responsibility then he ever imagined. He now has to learn to make allies and learn who to trust in order to not create more enemies or fake friends. For example Petyr, the kings treasurer, precieves himself as an ally to Ned but he has a nasty motive behind his fake friendship that revolves him being still in love with Ned’s wife Catelyn. Ned and Catelyn still try to discover who attempted to kill Bran, whom we discover is paralyzed from the waist down. This causes Bran much despair and he soon downfalls into a depression, whishing he would rather be dead then paralyzed. Arya soon takes over the role as “son” and becomes more fascinated with her needle. She takes up lessons from a master fencer who teaches her how to be quick on her feet and handle the sword. Ned quickly approves and admires his daughter for following her passions. She is not the only girl who follows her passions either. For Dany a new passion has evolved and that is becoming a mother. She discovers she is expecting her first child with Khal Dogo and this gives her the belief of supreme power to which she finally stands up to her brother reversing the roles of “the powerful”