"'Now let's take up the minorities in our civilization, shall we? Bigger the population, the more minorities... The people in this book, this play, this TV serial are not meant to represent any(body)...anywhere. The bigger your market, Montag, the less you handle controversy, remember that!... Authors full of evil thoughts, lock up your typewriters. They did. Magazines became a nice blend of vanilla tapioca. Books, so the... snobbish critics said, were dishwater... It didn't come from the Government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship, to start with, no! Technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick, thank God.'"
Addressing Montag's concerns, while shattering (at least denting) his world at the same time, Captain Beatty, chief fireman, explains, among other things, his and Montag's profession. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, like 1984, is a look into an alternate terrifying future, the theme of Bradbury's being, "What if firemen started fires and being literate was basically a crime,"
His shift over, Montag begins heading home. On the way, he meets Clarisse McClellan, a peculiar young girl who, through a couple conversations, instigates Montag's questioning. "Why do firemen burn books," being the most prominent question.
Through several events, including a house and all the occupants of it being burned and Montag's secret being revealed, Montag meets a professor named Faber, who helps him realize what must be done for people to learn to live to a fuller extent again, rather than to just be content with simplicity and entertainment. Ironic how Faber and Montag believe to truly live, you must become learned (not necessarily literate though), as opposed to the "current" trend of driving vehicles in excess of one hundred miles an hour, among other favorite pastimes. Formulating a plan to topple the firemen hierarchy and renew an interest in learning and thinking, Faber and Montag take the beginning steps of that journey. This being a short story ("dime novel," according to Bradbury), not much can be written in a review without giving a lot of the plot away.
However, I will hop all the way around these spoilers. Clarisse is at the center of a problem that affects and plagues Montag, he never learning the true resolution to the problem. Faber assists Montag in formulating battle plans and executing them against the firemen, Montag being the inside man, Faber being inside Montag's ear. The Mechanical Hound, the firehouse's "mascot," trails Montag and is the cause of a compromising problem for him, which ends up having to be solved with fire and death.
In a world where nobody tries to change the standardized way of living, where everybody is satisfied with not reading, Montag takes a stand. He feels as if something is missing from his life and books being the only obvious thing actually missing from it, he pursues saving them. This he does, going against his wife, his coworkers, even the world's ways in general.
Fahrenheit 451 is comparable to Isaac Asimov's "The Feeling of Power," in the sense that in both short stories, a method of learning that has been with humanity for at least a thousand years each, reading and mathematics that is, is forgotten/done away with. Despite both being set in the future, these stories have the potential to teach a lot about the current/constant human condition. If that is too cryptic, read the stories and then prove me wrong. With that said, I recommend this book.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST By Ken Kesey
"Ting. Tingle, tingle, tremble toes, she's a good fisherman, catches hens, puts 'em inna pens . . . wire blier, limber lock, three geese inna flock . . . one flew east, one flew west, one flew over the cuckoo's nest . . . O-U-T spells out . . . goose swoops down and plucks you out."
Ken Kesey's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest compelled me with its excellence to read it completely in three days, all 617 pages. This may not be viewed as something to be proud of, but as I haven't read a book that thick in so short a time in a while, I'm proud.
This book is set in a bleak insane asylum (not much color is ever present, other than white, and the only variations between rooms are the furniture/appliances), told through the perspective/mind of Chief Broom, A.K.A. Chief Bromden, A.K.A. The Chief, a massive Indian who is deaf and mute. Though he could be argued to be the main character, since his psyche is closely evaluated while reading this book, since the book is his thoughts, Randle Patrick McMurphy could just as easily be viewed as the same, if not just the protagonist. The Big Nurse is THE bad guy, with several cronies and wards to aid her in suppressing the patients. McMurphy is a late arrival to the hospital, but with him comes hope, amongst other things that change everybody affiliated with the hospital permanently.
Cuckoo's Nest, despite being placed in a serious setting with serious undertones, is actually a very funny book at times. Being told by a "mentally unstable" Indian who does nothing but observe and has nothing but time to pay attention, with all seriousness in retelling the story, comedy is prevalent occasionally. Hardly any, IF any, details are omitted in the "retelling" of the story; details so vivid exist that there was no need for a movie to be made, if only the potential viewers could have the determination to read the whole book and the understanding required to experience it fully (this being a somewhat complicated book to follow at times, to say the least). This book is unlike others, in the sense that dramatic irony is hardly, if ever, present. The Chief tells the story as it goes, only foreshadowing occasionally; the readers never know (much of) anything about other characters until the potential things have happened/are happening. If the sentence, "The dog runs," was present in the book, it would be written something like: "Four legs bounding through the dew, the beast, our best friend, flees from the light of the moon," That is to say that there is never a lack of detail and the meaning of a sentence is not always spelled out. Sometimes the readers must be able to piece together the given information to understand a section, which pulls the reader in more, makes us more involved in the reading. And because the narrator is indeed a mental patient, some of the "unexplainable" events that take place are explained by Bromden, who is full of paranoia and fear ("the fog machine").
Because the narrator knows all the characters on a personal basis, and is not merely an observer nor the creator of them, the characters are told in the same manner as if you were to read a short biography of them, if The Chief's descriptions are not more detailed. Even the Vegetables (each group of patient is labeled by the caretakers), who are what their title suggests, are explained with enough detail to make the reader feel as though he is looking at them, knows them enough to consider them an "acquaintance."
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is indeed a critical necessity to any (Viking's) library. I have been lucky enough this year to have the following statement follow many, most, of my reviews: this book is worth reading a good several times.
Ken Kesey's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest compelled me with its excellence to read it completely in three days, all 617 pages. This may not be viewed as something to be proud of, but as I haven't read a book that thick in so short a time in a while, I'm proud.
This book is set in a bleak insane asylum (not much color is ever present, other than white, and the only variations between rooms are the furniture/appliances), told through the perspective/mind of Chief Broom, A.K.A. Chief Bromden, A.K.A. The Chief, a massive Indian who is deaf and mute. Though he could be argued to be the main character, since his psyche is closely evaluated while reading this book, since the book is his thoughts, Randle Patrick McMurphy could just as easily be viewed as the same, if not just the protagonist. The Big Nurse is THE bad guy, with several cronies and wards to aid her in suppressing the patients. McMurphy is a late arrival to the hospital, but with him comes hope, amongst other things that change everybody affiliated with the hospital permanently.
Cuckoo's Nest, despite being placed in a serious setting with serious undertones, is actually a very funny book at times. Being told by a "mentally unstable" Indian who does nothing but observe and has nothing but time to pay attention, with all seriousness in retelling the story, comedy is prevalent occasionally. Hardly any, IF any, details are omitted in the "retelling" of the story; details so vivid exist that there was no need for a movie to be made, if only the potential viewers could have the determination to read the whole book and the understanding required to experience it fully (this being a somewhat complicated book to follow at times, to say the least). This book is unlike others, in the sense that dramatic irony is hardly, if ever, present. The Chief tells the story as it goes, only foreshadowing occasionally; the readers never know (much of) anything about other characters until the potential things have happened/are happening. If the sentence, "The dog runs," was present in the book, it would be written something like: "Four legs bounding through the dew, the beast, our best friend, flees from the light of the moon," That is to say that there is never a lack of detail and the meaning of a sentence is not always spelled out. Sometimes the readers must be able to piece together the given information to understand a section, which pulls the reader in more, makes us more involved in the reading. And because the narrator is indeed a mental patient, some of the "unexplainable" events that take place are explained by Bromden, who is full of paranoia and fear ("the fog machine").
Because the narrator knows all the characters on a personal basis, and is not merely an observer nor the creator of them, the characters are told in the same manner as if you were to read a short biography of them, if The Chief's descriptions are not more detailed. Even the Vegetables (each group of patient is labeled by the caretakers), who are what their title suggests, are explained with enough detail to make the reader feel as though he is looking at them, knows them enough to consider them an "acquaintance."
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is indeed a critical necessity to any (Viking's) library. I have been lucky enough this year to have the following statement follow many, most, of my reviews: this book is worth reading a good several times.
What Makes A Leader A True Leader?
A person may consider himself a leader if he has the ability to draw a crowd and lead them. Logical enough: a leader is one who leads. But I believe there is more to it than just being able to consider yourself a ringleader conducting the clowns.
A true leader does not look out for number one alone. Casualties (figurative or not) are looked upon with sadness through the eyes of a true leader. "As long as it gets me where I want to go," is a thought that never enters his brain. "How can I defeat OUR enemies with the smallest number of my people losing the ultimate battle," is.
Charisma is a must for a follower to climb to the top, without a doubt. How this trait is used is what is important. Charisma is "a spiritual power or personal quality that gives an individual influence or authority over large numbers of people" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/charisma). Hitler had charisma and he was a "great leader," nearly leading his Nazis to victory. But his gift was abused. He was the one with the initial thought of, "I'm better than them," and through strongarming (muscling his "virtues" into others) and brainwashing, eventually gained a following.
A true leader is one who finds others who shares his beliefs, virtues, values, ideals, etc. These others who "follow" his way of thinking may wish to gain power in a society, one of many motives that would require a leader/group. If his "people" wish to omit the quotations, then he will have their full support from the start, another sign of a true leader (or a completely evil genius, the difference must be determined without bias).
Julius Caesar is seen as both. He was a brilliant general and a sufficient leader (at least) who led Rome to great power. Sounds like a true leader. The other side to that though is the fact that to get to where he was/Rome where he led it, he killed several million people, "not much better than Hitler."
What Makes A Leader A True Leader is how people view him, how his motives and accomplishments (with ethics (or something else completely unbiased, since ethics are not universal) as the trays) weigh out.
A true leader does not look out for number one alone. Casualties (figurative or not) are looked upon with sadness through the eyes of a true leader. "As long as it gets me where I want to go," is a thought that never enters his brain. "How can I defeat OUR enemies with the smallest number of my people losing the ultimate battle," is.
Charisma is a must for a follower to climb to the top, without a doubt. How this trait is used is what is important. Charisma is "a spiritual power or personal quality that gives an individual influence or authority over large numbers of people" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/charisma). Hitler had charisma and he was a "great leader," nearly leading his Nazis to victory. But his gift was abused. He was the one with the initial thought of, "I'm better than them," and through strongarming (muscling his "virtues" into others) and brainwashing, eventually gained a following.
A true leader is one who finds others who shares his beliefs, virtues, values, ideals, etc. These others who "follow" his way of thinking may wish to gain power in a society, one of many motives that would require a leader/group. If his "people" wish to omit the quotations, then he will have their full support from the start, another sign of a true leader (or a completely evil genius, the difference must be determined without bias).
Julius Caesar is seen as both. He was a brilliant general and a sufficient leader (at least) who led Rome to great power. Sounds like a true leader. The other side to that though is the fact that to get to where he was/Rome where he led it, he killed several million people, "not much better than Hitler."
What Makes A Leader A True Leader is how people view him, how his motives and accomplishments (with ethics (or something else completely unbiased, since ethics are not universal) as the trays) weigh out.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
JULIUS CAESAR By William Shakespeare
Supernatural events take place in Julius Caesar. In Act I, Scene III of the play, Casca has been witness to several omens, relaying them to Cicero in a manner most frightened. “But never till tonight, never till now, Did I go through a tempest dropping fire. - A common slave...Held up his left hand, which did flame and burn Like twenty torches joined; and yet his hand, Not sensible of fire, remained unscorched. - Against the Capitol I met a lion, Who glazed upon me and went surly by Without annoying me. - ...they saw Men all in fire walk up and down the streets. And yesterday the bird of night did sit Even at noonday upon the marketplace,” In Act IV, Scene III, the Ghost of Caesar appears to Brutus, stating they will meet again at Philippi.
One criticism of some literature is that it relies too heavily on the use of the supernatural to advance the plot or provide foreshadowing. Julius Caesar is validly criticized in this way.
Neither of the examples I have provided can really be considered necessary for the preservation of the story; that is, without these excerpts, the story would be relatively the same, without much being lost.
However, Act I’s supernatural sequence is nothing but foreshadowing, as is the second example. Hardly any other methods are taken to foreshadow events. In Scene II of the first Act, a Soothsayer warns Caesar to beware the Ides of March, a soothsayer being one who can see the future.
Even Calphurnia’s account of her dreams to Caesar, horrible events taking place suggest something is wrong (Act II, Scene II), is considered to be supernatural, as it includes a lioness roaming the streets of Rome, zombies and warriors fighting with fire (as their weapons) in the sky.
The supernatural is not the only way Shakespeare conveys foreshadowing though. Act III, Scene I: Brutus shakes the hands of the conspirators, drenching his hand in his fallen comrade's (Caesar's) blood (who fell to the conspirators) beforehand, marking them all for death and later, after the conspirators left, he vows to avenge him.
Although the majority of the story is told without the supernatural being involved, enough of it is present to allow the statement, "Julius Caesar relies too heavily on the supernatural to (advance the plot or) provide foreshadowing," to be a valid conclusion. Not necessarily bashing the book, just an observation; imagination must be used to get some of the details out of the story (which is what makes a story worth reading, details).
One criticism of some literature is that it relies too heavily on the use of the supernatural to advance the plot or provide foreshadowing. Julius Caesar is validly criticized in this way.
Neither of the examples I have provided can really be considered necessary for the preservation of the story; that is, without these excerpts, the story would be relatively the same, without much being lost.
However, Act I’s supernatural sequence is nothing but foreshadowing, as is the second example. Hardly any other methods are taken to foreshadow events. In Scene II of the first Act, a Soothsayer warns Caesar to beware the Ides of March, a soothsayer being one who can see the future.
Even Calphurnia’s account of her dreams to Caesar, horrible events taking place suggest something is wrong (Act II, Scene II), is considered to be supernatural, as it includes a lioness roaming the streets of Rome, zombies and warriors fighting with fire (as their weapons) in the sky.
The supernatural is not the only way Shakespeare conveys foreshadowing though. Act III, Scene I: Brutus shakes the hands of the conspirators, drenching his hand in his fallen comrade's (Caesar's) blood (who fell to the conspirators) beforehand, marking them all for death and later, after the conspirators left, he vows to avenge him.
Although the majority of the story is told without the supernatural being involved, enough of it is present to allow the statement, "Julius Caesar relies too heavily on the supernatural to (advance the plot or) provide foreshadowing," to be a valid conclusion. Not necessarily bashing the book, just an observation; imagination must be used to get some of the details out of the story (which is what makes a story worth reading, details).
Monday, December 14, 2009
Details
Lately, I have been the victim of Brain Babies; random "tidbits" of "stories" pop into my head from time to time. I really do not know why but for lack of anything else to rant about, this should suffice:
Clouds form around the sun; God looks on the act with contempt, which shines through the cornea; with malice, which is magnified; reflecting the Reaper's work.
Vehicles flock down the veins of humanity's civilization (the civilization-the being, the vehicular flocks-the blood), the species that longs for "bird-dom" (flight is achieved, songs are made, military conquests, family is stressed) resembles their template. The humans controlling the blood, the humans that made the being, are the souls of the blood of the creature-the life force.
Ghosts are seen in "our" world, said to be "visitors from the other side," maybe planes of existence overlap, maybe we're intruding on their property, preventing them from resting.
The elderly are punished for "winning" the game of life. Whoever can hold on the longest is the victor. Ha. The old-timers' old (as in long gone, not as in age) friends died doing what they loved: living as much as fast as possible. Living cautiously is not living at all, getting you nothing but grandkids that don't appreciate you and bad bones.
Shut it old man, I am bad to the bone!
Ha!! Calm down, work in a cubicle for forty years, at least, you'll see...
Questions = Answers
Answers = More Questions
Questions + Questions = Possibility (for the possibility) of inferred/implied Answers
Answers + Answers = "This is what we know _, this is what we don't: _______"Any Questions?
Questions + Answers = Problem Solved
Answers + Questions = Problem(s) Found/Made
The clouds were as the walls back where I escaped from; rows of life to be plucked and planted. Luckily, I found myself in a shadow, a row of life, yet to be harvested.. The birds were in on it, forming Morse code for the enemy, their masters, to interpret, knowing what was being planned in the process of formulating the process. The "letters" rearranged themselves as we spoke. None noticed. Ignorance is no excuse. "But when you're a prisoner, the task is not to shout epitaphs at the warden, but to get out."
To satisfy stereotypes Is to leave yourself disappointed. To conform civilly Is to satisfy others/Is to leave yourself disappointed. To not be addicted Is to deprive the body. To succumb to addiction Is to satisfy the body/Is to disappoint the mind. To know everything Is to be undead. To know nothing Is to have everything To live for. To know that two plus two equals five Is to march to a different drum. To know that two plus two equals four Is to conform/Is to be an addicted zom of a zombie (-un + undead).
Knowledge > Doubt...But Doubts Lead to Knowledge...The Ends Justify the Means
Destruction is a form of creation. Creativity is ideal when destroying. Creating is the negative. The world began "empty," (of things artificial) purely natural. Creating anything is adding something new(/converting), unnatural, despite the creator. Destroying is natural - erosion of things made. Creation is natural - if Mother Earth constructs it. Yes, we are all Her children, therefore everything is somewhat natural. But a lie is somewhat the truth, the opposite, man made. But a lie can be looked past, the truth being the blueprint for it. Natural(-ly).
Clouds form around the sun; God looks on the act with contempt, which shines through the cornea; with malice, which is magnified; reflecting the Reaper's work.
Vehicles flock down the veins of humanity's civilization (the civilization-the being, the vehicular flocks-the blood), the species that longs for "bird-dom" (flight is achieved, songs are made, military conquests, family is stressed) resembles their template. The humans controlling the blood, the humans that made the being, are the souls of the blood of the creature-the life force.
Ghosts are seen in "our" world, said to be "visitors from the other side," maybe planes of existence overlap, maybe we're intruding on their property, preventing them from resting.
The elderly are punished for "winning" the game of life. Whoever can hold on the longest is the victor. Ha. The old-timers' old (as in long gone, not as in age) friends died doing what they loved: living as much as fast as possible. Living cautiously is not living at all, getting you nothing but grandkids that don't appreciate you and bad bones.
Shut it old man, I am bad to the bone!
Ha!! Calm down, work in a cubicle for forty years, at least, you'll see...
Questions = Answers
Answers = More Questions
Questions + Questions = Possibility (for the possibility) of inferred/implied Answers
Answers + Answers = "This is what we know _, this is what we don't: _______"Any Questions?
Questions + Answers = Problem Solved
Answers + Questions = Problem(s) Found/Made
The clouds were as the walls back where I escaped from; rows of life to be plucked and planted. Luckily, I found myself in a shadow, a row of life, yet to be harvested.. The birds were in on it, forming Morse code for the enemy, their masters, to interpret, knowing what was being planned in the process of formulating the process. The "letters" rearranged themselves as we spoke. None noticed. Ignorance is no excuse. "But when you're a prisoner, the task is not to shout epitaphs at the warden, but to get out."
To satisfy stereotypes Is to leave yourself disappointed. To conform civilly Is to satisfy others/Is to leave yourself disappointed. To not be addicted Is to deprive the body. To succumb to addiction Is to satisfy the body/Is to disappoint the mind. To know everything Is to be undead. To know nothing Is to have everything To live for. To know that two plus two equals five Is to march to a different drum. To know that two plus two equals four Is to conform/Is to be an addicted zom of a zombie (-un + undead).
Knowledge > Doubt...But Doubts Lead to Knowledge...The Ends Justify the Means
Destruction is a form of creation. Creativity is ideal when destroying. Creating is the negative. The world began "empty," (of things artificial) purely natural. Creating anything is adding something new(/converting), unnatural, despite the creator. Destroying is natural - erosion of things made. Creation is natural - if Mother Earth constructs it. Yes, we are all Her children, therefore everything is somewhat natural. But a lie is somewhat the truth, the opposite, man made. But a lie can be looked past, the truth being the blueprint for it. Natural(-ly).
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For
- Family - without them, i would not be alive, though the obligations that come with family sometimes make having a family tedious (attempt at a joke)
- Being literate - I am able to learn and express myself
- Technology - "convenience is cey"
- Humanity's ability to converse - (though being literate is a branch of this, verbal language is what is meant) without it, humanity would make no progress as a species and be nothing more than another animal
- Music - without it, life would be somewhat emptier (that is to say that music's impact on us is difficult to express in words, though it seems so simple)
- Glasses - my visual connection to this world is cloudy no longer
- Groups (of people) - things are done, missions accomplished, progress made
- Conservationists - they postpone the inevitable "self destruction" of the world
- Agriculture - humanity would never have evolved from nomads to lazier peoples without it (this lazyness allowing for more time to think and do more important things)
- Medicine/Antiseptics - humankind will survive longer/the ability to make progress easier was a result of soap (death is prominent without cleanliness; progress can only be made if whatever the parent did with their life is continued after their death by their children)
Monday, November 16, 2009
THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEENS By Sean Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is essentially a self-help book written with teens in mind, composed by Sean Covey. A well designed book, the Habits are meant to help teens take full advantage of their lives and maximize their living.
Habit 5 (Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood) seems to be the most effective of the Habits. The Deepest Need of the Human Heart is revealed. Above everything else, a person desires to be respected and valued for who they are. I agree with this. A person who suffers from depression is more than likely misunderstood. True, they may be understood and it is because of that that they ARE depressed; ways to change oneself for the better are proposed elsewhere in the tome.
"I shouldn't have to change, people should like me for who I am!" If this is your mindset, persistence and patience will become your best friends. There will be some people that eventually come into your life that will like you for who you are. Be 'ware though. They may be part of the wrong crowd. That is not to say that you are a magnet that attracts negativity. It is to say that evil always looks attractive. Be 'ware. And to clarify, "eventually come into your life," does not mean to wait around and let them come to you. The best things in life are usually the ones worth pursuing.
I apologize for branching off on my own rant but it seemed to me that it held some relevance. Back to Sean. In this chapter, he describes five ineffective listening styles and provides methods that can be taken and procedures that are do-able to overcome these enemies to the ears. The difference between listening and hearing is alluded to and is very important to know while playing the game of Life.
Sean hardly ever tramples on and scolds those of us who do the opposite of what he advises. Additional ways are introduced to prevent this "slipping backwards" and, of course, we are only human, so to mess up occasionally is natural.
This book is worth a casual glance every now and then. Of course, it should not be followed strictly. To have the plan of your whole life set in stone, carved by an author, is not the best thing to do. This would actually prevent you from living every now and then. But several tips from the book are helpful; maybe even a laugh will escape you while reading (Top 10 All-Time Stupid Quotes is one of the segments). So to surmise, read this if you need help in managing your life or are just curious but if you are completely content with life (ha), steer clear.
This book is worth a casual glance every now and then. Of course, it should not be followed strictly. To have the plan of your whole life set in stone, carved by an author, is not the best thing to do. This would actually prevent you from living every now and then. But several tips from the book are helpful; maybe even a laugh will escape you while reading (Top 10 All-Time Stupid Quotes is one of the segments). So to surmise, read this if you need help in managing your life or are just curious but if you are completely content with life (ha), steer clear.
Preventing Starvation Among The Lazy/Ignorant
I of all people know how important the title of this blog is. I did not learn how to make a sandwhich until I reached middle school! I am not proud of this but to prevent other kids succumbing to this tragedy, I have taken it upon myself to spread this knowledge.
Wasting away to nothing because of inability to move or an unknowing of knowledge is pathetic. I actually may be the only one who has exhibited this but on the off-chance that I am not, this blog was spawned.
Wasting away to nothing because of inability to move or an unknowing of knowledge is pathetic. I actually may be the only one who has exhibited this but on the off-chance that I am not, this blog was spawned.
- Collect the ingredients (bread, ham, cheese, lettuce, mayo, mustard, etc.)
- Lay out the bread and begin piling the ingredients atop each other (the order in which this is done is not vital but will affect what is tasted more)
- Put the bread together to make the actual sandwhich
- Ingest
- Digest
- Relax
I hope this will not amount to a futile effort. This is meant to save lives. The sad thing is I am not blowing this out of proportion... Or am I?... No.... Maybe.... You decide.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
ANIMAL FARM By George Orwell
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
The pigs are responsible for this mind set and the pigs’ subjects are powerless to go against this. Before this problem is a problem (though it is never really exposed as a problem because of the animals’ ignorance) though, the initial problem of man had to be solved. If you oppress a group, they will raise up in a fiery rage and overthrow the oppressors. This is one of the first points of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. All of the animals on the Manor Farm grew weary of working for the humans, receiving nothing in return other than a place to sleep and just enough food to be able to continue working. Major, a twelve year old boar, called a meeting of all the animals after the humans had gone to sleep. At this meeting, he felt it his duty to pass on some knowledge before his inevitable death. He told the animals of a song his mother and the other sows used to sing when he was a little piglet. This, coupled with the belief that one day, animals will rise up and take back what is rightfully theirs, the farm and then the earth, which he passed on to the other animals as well, motivated the animals to start the revolution.
After the successful overthrow of the humans, the animals worked together for the common goal of preserving and bettering their lives. The pigs served as the overseers; they were the smartest ones, it only made sense that they should be fill the position that the humans filled, with the exception, of course, that the pigs were nowhere near as maniacal and tyrannical as man was. This continued for a while, with few problems. The main problem was the rivalry between Napoleon and Snowball, the two main pigs who ALWAYS disagreed on every subject brought before them. When this problem was solved, a new problem arose. This new problem is summarized in the last words of the story: “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” If a ruler’s power is not kept in check and only increases, that ruler becomes a pig, a dictator. The problems that affect his people do not affect him, meaning they are not solved and only grow worse.
Orwell’s “voice” in this story could be heard from one of the oblivious animals’ mouths. He writes about a traitor of the animals; if this book was transferred to the silver screen, a sheep could be saying all the narrator says about the traitor (sheep follow the pig leader blindly, not allowing for any words that go against the leader to be said, without the leader’s maxim of “Four legs good, two legs bad!” being uttered enthusiastically, drowning out “anarchistic” words). He writes from the point of view of the animals, never acknowledging what the reader gathers. While reading the story, the reader will realize that the pigs have put the animals under a dictator’s rule again, but the author never states this, and only speaks from the point of view of the other animals, who never realize this.
Animal Farm, like 1984, is a book worth reading that elicits analysis of one’s government, world and self. Unlike 1984, the only reason one would need to reread this book would be to identify the satirical identities of the animals, mainly the pigs. That is not to say, though, that it is not worth reading twice.
The pigs are responsible for this mind set and the pigs’ subjects are powerless to go against this. Before this problem is a problem (though it is never really exposed as a problem because of the animals’ ignorance) though, the initial problem of man had to be solved. If you oppress a group, they will raise up in a fiery rage and overthrow the oppressors. This is one of the first points of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. All of the animals on the Manor Farm grew weary of working for the humans, receiving nothing in return other than a place to sleep and just enough food to be able to continue working. Major, a twelve year old boar, called a meeting of all the animals after the humans had gone to sleep. At this meeting, he felt it his duty to pass on some knowledge before his inevitable death. He told the animals of a song his mother and the other sows used to sing when he was a little piglet. This, coupled with the belief that one day, animals will rise up and take back what is rightfully theirs, the farm and then the earth, which he passed on to the other animals as well, motivated the animals to start the revolution.
After the successful overthrow of the humans, the animals worked together for the common goal of preserving and bettering their lives. The pigs served as the overseers; they were the smartest ones, it only made sense that they should be fill the position that the humans filled, with the exception, of course, that the pigs were nowhere near as maniacal and tyrannical as man was. This continued for a while, with few problems. The main problem was the rivalry between Napoleon and Snowball, the two main pigs who ALWAYS disagreed on every subject brought before them. When this problem was solved, a new problem arose. This new problem is summarized in the last words of the story: “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” If a ruler’s power is not kept in check and only increases, that ruler becomes a pig, a dictator. The problems that affect his people do not affect him, meaning they are not solved and only grow worse.
Orwell’s “voice” in this story could be heard from one of the oblivious animals’ mouths. He writes about a traitor of the animals; if this book was transferred to the silver screen, a sheep could be saying all the narrator says about the traitor (sheep follow the pig leader blindly, not allowing for any words that go against the leader to be said, without the leader’s maxim of “Four legs good, two legs bad!” being uttered enthusiastically, drowning out “anarchistic” words). He writes from the point of view of the animals, never acknowledging what the reader gathers. While reading the story, the reader will realize that the pigs have put the animals under a dictator’s rule again, but the author never states this, and only speaks from the point of view of the other animals, who never realize this.
Animal Farm, like 1984, is a book worth reading that elicits analysis of one’s government, world and self. Unlike 1984, the only reason one would need to reread this book would be to identify the satirical identities of the animals, mainly the pigs. That is not to say, though, that it is not worth reading twice.
1984 By George Orwell
“Do not imagine that you will save yourself, Winston, however completely you surrender to us. No one who has once gone astray is ever spared. And even if we chose to let you live out the natural term of your life, still you would never escape from us. What happens to you here is forever. Understand that in advance. We shall crush you down to the point from which there is no coming back. Things will happen to you from which you could not recover, if you lived a thousand years. Never again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything will be dead inside you. Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter or curiosity, or courage, or integrity. You will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty, and then we shall fill you with ourselves.”
This is what Winston Smith heard from one whom he believed was an ally during his imprisonment in the Ministry of Love. In 1984, the world is divided into three main factions: Oceania, where Winston dwells, Eastasia and Eurasia. In 1984, the government in Oceania is divided into four main branches: the Ministry of Truth, which handles the news, entertainment, education and the arts, the Ministry of Peace, which concerns itself with the war, law and order is maintained by the Ministry of Love, and the Ministry of Plenty is responsible for economic affairs. In 1984, even though nothing is illegal, because there are no laws, the simple act of keeping a diary could result in the death of the writer, if the Thought Police were ever to capture him (it is not a question of whether or not the Police would discover it, it would be inevitable for the writer to keep it secret forever). George Orwell’s 1984 ensnared me completely, using a well written story as the bait, the content of that story being the trap.
Orwell wrote this book in the `40's, using what was happening in the world as inspiration. 1984 illustrates what would have happened if democracy had been lost and communism and socialism had prevailed. Of course, in this book, none of the governments claim to be either communist or socialist, but considering their policies and methods of handling matters, it is only completely clear to someone from our time that the governments are what they claim they are not. Hardly anybody in 1984 realize this, though, because the government essentially brainwashes all of its people. If a person is not completely brainwashed and is able to think for themselves thoughts that contradict that of the government’s ideals, the Thought Police handles them. Kidnaping and vaporizations are common but are almost ignored completely. A coworker may be talking to someone one day and that will be the last day he is ever seen. If who he was talking to is inquisitive and asks around for news about him, he will be shocked to learn that the coworker who went missing never existed in the first place! The Thought Police handles any opposition to the government harshly and swiftly, whether the opposition is a single thought (“I doubt that the government actually cares about its people as long as it can remain in power,”) or the massive bombing of a building. “The more power a government holds over its people, the less human its ‘people’ become.” With the use of Newspeak, a language in progress (basically English but limited greatly; this was so to be able to limit the thoughts of the people), Big Brother, the government of Oceania, held more and more power over the people with each passing day. With each passing day, the people became more and more inhuman, following and listening blindly, with independent thought becoming more and more obsolete.
Doublethink is prevalent in 1984. Doublethink is the ability to KNOW that black is white when told so and to forget that black and white used to be two different things (2+2=5. to be able to know this when Big Brother proclaims that this is correct is to use doublethink; two plus two was four, as it used to be known, but when Big Brother says differently, it is different. so two plus two may equal anything but right now it equals five. to be able to know that two plus two equals five and to be able to forget that it used to be four and to know that it has always been five and to forget that doublethink is being used at all in the process (to forget that you are lying to yourself) is to use doublethink itself). Orwell uses a myriad of contradictions in his story, proving that the government has absolute control over its subjects and that the subjects are oblivious to this (in the story, though this possible future may become the present soon enough). Big Brother is always right. “Yesterday we were at war with Eastasia and it had always been so...”,“Today, Eurasia is the enemy, Eastasia is our ally and this has always been so.” It may be difficult to understand how the people could be so ignorant. All records that contradict what the government says now are destroyed or edited to ensure that the government has always been right and correct. The people in the Ministry of Truth, where Winston worked, tamper with history (newspapers, books, movies, etc.), making sure that Big Brother has always been right and that his/its mind has never changed (to change one’s mind is to show weakness). The editors then forget that they edited history at all and remember what they had edited to be truth. The Ministry of Truth is based on nothing but lies. Doublethink is prevalent in 1984.
1984 is a complicated story and needs to be read at least three different times to be able to understand every part of it completely. This should not be a chore though. This book is written well enough that each time it is read, it should still captivate the reader. Other than needing to read it more than once to catch every detail and contradiction, despite how complicated and how hard the story is to follow at times, this is one of the best books, if not THE best book, I have read and I recommend it to anyone who can read it. If a person can not read it, they should master the craft of reading and/or the English language just to be able to read this book.
(NOTE: this is not a good book in the sense of “happily ever after.” this is a good book in the sense that it provokes analysis of oneself, of the government and of the world.)
This is what Winston Smith heard from one whom he believed was an ally during his imprisonment in the Ministry of Love. In 1984, the world is divided into three main factions: Oceania, where Winston dwells, Eastasia and Eurasia. In 1984, the government in Oceania is divided into four main branches: the Ministry of Truth, which handles the news, entertainment, education and the arts, the Ministry of Peace, which concerns itself with the war, law and order is maintained by the Ministry of Love, and the Ministry of Plenty is responsible for economic affairs. In 1984, even though nothing is illegal, because there are no laws, the simple act of keeping a diary could result in the death of the writer, if the Thought Police were ever to capture him (it is not a question of whether or not the Police would discover it, it would be inevitable for the writer to keep it secret forever). George Orwell’s 1984 ensnared me completely, using a well written story as the bait, the content of that story being the trap.
Orwell wrote this book in the `40's, using what was happening in the world as inspiration. 1984 illustrates what would have happened if democracy had been lost and communism and socialism had prevailed. Of course, in this book, none of the governments claim to be either communist or socialist, but considering their policies and methods of handling matters, it is only completely clear to someone from our time that the governments are what they claim they are not. Hardly anybody in 1984 realize this, though, because the government essentially brainwashes all of its people. If a person is not completely brainwashed and is able to think for themselves thoughts that contradict that of the government’s ideals, the Thought Police handles them. Kidnaping and vaporizations are common but are almost ignored completely. A coworker may be talking to someone one day and that will be the last day he is ever seen. If who he was talking to is inquisitive and asks around for news about him, he will be shocked to learn that the coworker who went missing never existed in the first place! The Thought Police handles any opposition to the government harshly and swiftly, whether the opposition is a single thought (“I doubt that the government actually cares about its people as long as it can remain in power,”) or the massive bombing of a building. “The more power a government holds over its people, the less human its ‘people’ become.” With the use of Newspeak, a language in progress (basically English but limited greatly; this was so to be able to limit the thoughts of the people), Big Brother, the government of Oceania, held more and more power over the people with each passing day. With each passing day, the people became more and more inhuman, following and listening blindly, with independent thought becoming more and more obsolete.
Doublethink is prevalent in 1984. Doublethink is the ability to KNOW that black is white when told so and to forget that black and white used to be two different things (2+2=5. to be able to know this when Big Brother proclaims that this is correct is to use doublethink; two plus two was four, as it used to be known, but when Big Brother says differently, it is different. so two plus two may equal anything but right now it equals five. to be able to know that two plus two equals five and to be able to forget that it used to be four and to know that it has always been five and to forget that doublethink is being used at all in the process (to forget that you are lying to yourself) is to use doublethink itself). Orwell uses a myriad of contradictions in his story, proving that the government has absolute control over its subjects and that the subjects are oblivious to this (in the story, though this possible future may become the present soon enough). Big Brother is always right. “Yesterday we were at war with Eastasia and it had always been so...”,“Today, Eurasia is the enemy, Eastasia is our ally and this has always been so.” It may be difficult to understand how the people could be so ignorant. All records that contradict what the government says now are destroyed or edited to ensure that the government has always been right and correct. The people in the Ministry of Truth, where Winston worked, tamper with history (newspapers, books, movies, etc.), making sure that Big Brother has always been right and that his/its mind has never changed (to change one’s mind is to show weakness). The editors then forget that they edited history at all and remember what they had edited to be truth. The Ministry of Truth is based on nothing but lies. Doublethink is prevalent in 1984.
1984 is a complicated story and needs to be read at least three different times to be able to understand every part of it completely. This should not be a chore though. This book is written well enough that each time it is read, it should still captivate the reader. Other than needing to read it more than once to catch every detail and contradiction, despite how complicated and how hard the story is to follow at times, this is one of the best books, if not THE best book, I have read and I recommend it to anyone who can read it. If a person can not read it, they should master the craft of reading and/or the English language just to be able to read this book.
(NOTE: this is not a good book in the sense of “happily ever after.” this is a good book in the sense that it provokes analysis of oneself, of the government and of the world.)
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
THE TIME MACHINE (And The Invisible Man) By H.G. Wells
“I stood up and looked round me. A colossal figure, carved apparently in some white stone, loomed indistinctly beyond the rhododendrons through the hazy downpour. But all else of the world was invisible. My sensations would be hard to describe. As the columns of hail grew thinner, I saw the white figure more distinctly. It was very large, for a silver birch-tree touched its shoulder. It was of white marble, in shape something like a winged sphinx...It chanced that the face was towards me; the sightless eyes seemed to watch me; there was the faint shadow of a smile on the lips,”
The Time Traveler recollected his whole story in vivid detail, this detail, the first thing he saw when he reached the future, being no exception. Wanting more than anything to witness the fantastic, advanced world of tomorrow, the Time Traveler builds himself a Time Machine. After some consultation with his fellows, he rides the Machine forward in time, to the year 802,701 A.D. Once there, he realizes that his perception of what the future would be like is very wrong. Discovering this, the Traveler attempts to return home. Attempting this, he discovers a worse discovery: the Machine has disappeared. Venturing to reclaim it, from whom he does not discover til later, the Traveler explores the future and draws conclusions about what has yet to happen. H.G. Wells’ Time Machine enveloped me in a mind boggling report of what the future may be like in the form of a fantastic science fiction story.
The Morlocks and the Eloi, the underground monsters and the aboveground dwelling folk respectfully, are the results of several thousand years of the separation of classes: the Eloi representing the capitalists, the money holders, the ones in power and the Morlocks being the equivalent to the common people, the workers, forced to live with the machines they worked underground (contrary to the comparisons, it is actually the Morlocks who are in power, control (meaning that the potential revolt that is sure to come when a people are supressed must have already happened when the Traveler appeared)). The hopelessness of both existing illustrates Wells’ point very well, which is that an equal government, such as communism, is ideal if society and humanity are to prevail and defeat the natural decay that time causes.
Other than the people in the present, which is, of course, now the past (such as the Psychologist and the Provincial Mayor), and the Time Traveler himself, the characters that inhabit this world are not portrayed as people. Instead, they are portrayed as animals with somewhat high intelligence, considering the fact that they are animals. Weena, for example, is not perceived by the Traveler to be a human companion, but as a favored pet. Because the Morlocks and the Eloi never say anything, other than the short, choppy sentences that compose the remnants of any kind of language, spoken by the Eloi and the sinister sounding mutterings of the Morlocks, the idea that they are people is even more absurd and harder to prove.
The Time Machine can be read by almost anybody (some of the terms used in the book require a broader vocabulary to be understood/known) and should be read by the capable. Even though many countries are democratic and only a few are communists/socialists/etc., and one of the author’s points clashes with democratic-like governments, this short story is well worth the time it takes to read.
The Time Traveler recollected his whole story in vivid detail, this detail, the first thing he saw when he reached the future, being no exception. Wanting more than anything to witness the fantastic, advanced world of tomorrow, the Time Traveler builds himself a Time Machine. After some consultation with his fellows, he rides the Machine forward in time, to the year 802,701 A.D. Once there, he realizes that his perception of what the future would be like is very wrong. Discovering this, the Traveler attempts to return home. Attempting this, he discovers a worse discovery: the Machine has disappeared. Venturing to reclaim it, from whom he does not discover til later, the Traveler explores the future and draws conclusions about what has yet to happen. H.G. Wells’ Time Machine enveloped me in a mind boggling report of what the future may be like in the form of a fantastic science fiction story.
The Morlocks and the Eloi, the underground monsters and the aboveground dwelling folk respectfully, are the results of several thousand years of the separation of classes: the Eloi representing the capitalists, the money holders, the ones in power and the Morlocks being the equivalent to the common people, the workers, forced to live with the machines they worked underground (contrary to the comparisons, it is actually the Morlocks who are in power, control (meaning that the potential revolt that is sure to come when a people are supressed must have already happened when the Traveler appeared)). The hopelessness of both existing illustrates Wells’ point very well, which is that an equal government, such as communism, is ideal if society and humanity are to prevail and defeat the natural decay that time causes.
Other than the people in the present, which is, of course, now the past (such as the Psychologist and the Provincial Mayor), and the Time Traveler himself, the characters that inhabit this world are not portrayed as people. Instead, they are portrayed as animals with somewhat high intelligence, considering the fact that they are animals. Weena, for example, is not perceived by the Traveler to be a human companion, but as a favored pet. Because the Morlocks and the Eloi never say anything, other than the short, choppy sentences that compose the remnants of any kind of language, spoken by the Eloi and the sinister sounding mutterings of the Morlocks, the idea that they are people is even more absurd and harder to prove.
The Time Machine can be read by almost anybody (some of the terms used in the book require a broader vocabulary to be understood/known) and should be read by the capable. Even though many countries are democratic and only a few are communists/socialists/etc., and one of the author’s points clashes with democratic-like governments, this short story is well worth the time it takes to read.
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE AND OTHER STORIES (The Body Snatcher. Markheim. The Bottle Imp) By Robert Louis Stevenson
“When this shall fall into your hands, I shall have disappeared, under what circumstances, I have not the penetration to foresee; but my instincts and all the circumstances of my nameless situation tell me that the end is sure and must be early...,”
So wrote Dr. Henry Jekyll to his friend and lawyer Mr. Utterson. Dr. Jekyll is a respected and pretty well liked member of society. Mr. Hyde is a shady character whose visage sparks disgust and terror into the hearts of any who are unfortunate enough to witness it. These two, though two completely different humans, are actually one human and must share the same body. Utterson realizes, after the situation is made perfectly clear to him, that to discover and utilize the remedy to this is extremely important. Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tantalized me with a captivating tale of mystery and suspense.
One of the most significant problems humanity faces is addressed in this tale: the ability to balance a life between good and evil (this is, of course, only an issue to the “majority” of people). Jekyll lives a righteous life, meaning problems are rare for him, and are even nonexistent, other than the desire he has to release his darker side. Rather than to commit misdeeds occasionally, Jekyll uses his science, he is a doctor after all, to construct a solution that grants him his wish. Edward Hyde overthrows Jekyll for control of the body and runs rampant. Because Jekyll could not find a healthy medium, adopting neutrality as his manner and not good, his need to transform consumed him and drove both Hyde and the doctor to their death(s).
The way in which Stevenson wrote this book appeals to readers that possess an extended vocabulary of and who know a considerable amount of “Old English” terms; that is to say that if your lexicon is only filled with modern English, this story is, for the most part, un-understandable. Extended sentences that may last for a whole paragraph occur often and incite annoyance, making it hard for any impatient, uneducated (of the old forms of English) potential readers to read this. If these two proposed “problems” are, in fact, NOT problems, by all means, read this. Other than those two obstacles, the finish line that is the end of the tale is easily obtainable.
Intelligence and patience are ideal to the complete understanding of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but persistence would allow anyone to be able to read this classic; and anyone who does finish this composition will more than likely have enjoyed the time spent reading it.
So wrote Dr. Henry Jekyll to his friend and lawyer Mr. Utterson. Dr. Jekyll is a respected and pretty well liked member of society. Mr. Hyde is a shady character whose visage sparks disgust and terror into the hearts of any who are unfortunate enough to witness it. These two, though two completely different humans, are actually one human and must share the same body. Utterson realizes, after the situation is made perfectly clear to him, that to discover and utilize the remedy to this is extremely important. Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tantalized me with a captivating tale of mystery and suspense.
One of the most significant problems humanity faces is addressed in this tale: the ability to balance a life between good and evil (this is, of course, only an issue to the “majority” of people). Jekyll lives a righteous life, meaning problems are rare for him, and are even nonexistent, other than the desire he has to release his darker side. Rather than to commit misdeeds occasionally, Jekyll uses his science, he is a doctor after all, to construct a solution that grants him his wish. Edward Hyde overthrows Jekyll for control of the body and runs rampant. Because Jekyll could not find a healthy medium, adopting neutrality as his manner and not good, his need to transform consumed him and drove both Hyde and the doctor to their death(s).
The way in which Stevenson wrote this book appeals to readers that possess an extended vocabulary of and who know a considerable amount of “Old English” terms; that is to say that if your lexicon is only filled with modern English, this story is, for the most part, un-understandable. Extended sentences that may last for a whole paragraph occur often and incite annoyance, making it hard for any impatient, uneducated (of the old forms of English) potential readers to read this. If these two proposed “problems” are, in fact, NOT problems, by all means, read this. Other than those two obstacles, the finish line that is the end of the tale is easily obtainable.
Intelligence and patience are ideal to the complete understanding of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but persistence would allow anyone to be able to read this classic; and anyone who does finish this composition will more than likely have enjoyed the time spent reading it.
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