Once and Future King: Book One

Summary:
The sword in the stone was about a boy named Art, the second son of Sir Ector. Art goes on a quest in the forest Savage, to find a tutor. Art finds an old man named Merlyn who agrees to go home with Art and be his tutor. Merlyn stays for many years teaching Art by changing him into various animals, vegetables and minerals of which Art wanted to know about. Myrlyn also sends him on various quest all of different meaning. Word comes of the death of the King and a sword that is thrust through an anvil and stone. Upon this sword is the inscription, "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise King born of all England." Art is sent to retrieve Kay's sword when he finds the door to the hotel locked. Art then rides to the sword in the stone and pulls the sword from the stone. He brings the sword to Kay when Sir Ector notices what sword it is and demands Art to put the sword back in the stone and take it back out many times until he is declared king of all England.

Vocabulary-
Words I did not know:
Jerkin- a close-fitting hip-length usually sleeveless jacket
Astrolabe- An astrolabe is an instrument that was used to determine the altitude of objects (like the sun) in the sky.
Melancholy- an abnormal state attributed to an excess of black bile and characterized by irascibility or depression
Rheumatism- any of various conditions characterized by inflammation or pain in muscles, joints, or fibrous tissue
Conglomerations
Scombre
Conundrum- a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun
Fritillaries
Anachronism- a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other
Morosely- having a sullen and gloomy disposition
Imperceptibly- not perceptible by a sense or by the mind
These words i did not know what these words meant and had to look them up as I was reading. A few words I was unable to find the definitions for.
Words I found interesting:
Liddle
Measter
I found these words interesting because of there spelling.


Reaction and Reflection-
I have liked this book the most out of the books I have read this summer. I find it an easy and enjoyable read. I predict that if this book by TH White is anything like the packet assigned Arthur will grow to become a great king. I also predict that he will establish the round table with twelve knights, some of which he will like better then others. He will also fight many knights and go on many other quests and adventures. I also believe that many more characters will be introduced in the second book. So far I have found Merlyn and Arthur to be the characters I have liked. I like how Merlyn teaches Arthur, by sending him on various journeys, quests and also turning him into different animals. I like how Arthur is always willing to learn about nature and willing to go on the different quest and journeys that he is sent on. A character whom I did not like very much was Kay. Kay was always the one who would talk down to Arthur because Kay was the older son. Kay was also very self centered character, but without him being self centered Arthur may never have had a reason to pull the sword from the stone and become king. TH White's characters were not always realistic and made the book interesting and fun to read. This book by TH White is very similar to the beginning of Le Mort d'Arthur by Thomas Malory. The plot is very similar where Arthur is sent away to live with Sir Ector and spends his childhood with Sir Ector. Arthur then pulls the sword from the stone and becomes king. There are only slight differences in the technicalities of the story in the amount of time and the message on the Anvil is slightly different but has the same meaning. I hope that the plot and characters of the next three books in Once and Future King are as good as the first book.