My personal opinion on the book "The Crucible", I thought it was the most interesting out of all the books. It showed how different times were back then, compared to now days. Its funny how everyone fully believed in 'witchcraft'. In the present days now , if you took someone to court for witchcraft, the judges would just laugh at you, and possibly send you to therapy. I thought it was entertaining to read this book, just because all of the different beliefs we have now, compared to the 1650's - 1690's. This is why I thought "The Crucible" was the most interesting out of all the novels we read, so far.
In this book, I really didnt connect to any of the characters very much. My favorite character was Abigail though. I liked how dominant she was and wasnt scared of the court or really anyone. Instead of being frightened of what was going to possibly happen to her, she figured out ways of keeping herself out of jail or being blamed for 'witchcraft'. My other favorite character was John Procter. He seemed helpful throughout the book, even though it wasnt out of kindness. He was so helpful because, he didnt want anyone to find out about the affair between him and Abigail. I really found that entertaining. My least favorite character was Reverand Parris. It seemed like he wasnt really concerned about the witchcraft, all he cared about was putting someone in jail to save his reputation as a good minister. Also Betty Parris bothered me, I couldnt figure out if she was faking throughout the novel to get the girls into trouble or if she really was taken over by the devil,or if she was sick. She really didnt do anything that made me not like her I just didnt like the idea of not knowing what really happened to her.
I really liked this book, even though it was tricky to read sometimes, just because of how different the time periods were. "The Crucible", was probabaly my second favorite book, I've read this summer. "The Great Gatsby", still wins. There was many things alike in the books but also alot of differences too. Both novels contain; guilt, deceptions, and is mainly about lying to keep good reputations. They also kept you wondering throughout the book, which I enjoyed. It made me want to keep reading. One major difference between the two novels was how different the time eras were to eachother. "The Great Gatsby" was more about how important wealth was to people, and that anyone would sell out eachother just to get their hands on money. "The Crucible" was also about selling out eachother . But it wasnt for the same reasons as "The Great Gatsby". It was for the hope of not going to jail. In the end though, I thought both novels were good.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
The Scarlet Letter
In the book "The Scarlet Letter", I had many opinions about it. For the most part I liked it. It was a very mysterious book to me. You had no idea who was actually the real father of Pearl Prynne, or who was Hester Pryennes lover was throughout the book. That is what kept me interested and kept me reading. I also really liked how there was so many different types of symbolic personifications like legalism, sin, and guilt. With all the variances of symbolism you could really make your own opinions about the book, which I really liked. The only really downfall for me was some of the metaphors Nathaniel Hawthorne used to describe his book. They had me confused at times, but once you figure them out it, you understand the novel more.
The main characters in this book all had very different personalities. I was really fond of Hester Prynne. She was such a positive, protagonist person throughout this book, even though everyone thought badly upon her. She knows she made a mistake but doesn't regret it. She loves her daughter Pearl and takes good care of her. Hester also doesn't want to get anyone else involved with her affair entanglement, for that she does not source who her lover was. I also really like Hester's daughter Pearl. She is a very intelligent little girl. She is also much more mature for her age. Pearl is able to perceive things that others are not. The two people I feel bad for are; Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Doctor Roger Chillingworth. Arthur ends up getting very ill in the book because of shame and remorse, secretly he wants to come out that he is Hester's lover but is afraid of what will happen to him. So instead he just hurts himself physically and emotionally. I also pity, Hester's old husband Roger Chillingworth. He is so hurt and damaged from Hester's mistake that he turns into a monstrous human being. He is the most malevolent character in the book because he is so agonized.
"The Scarlet Letter", was one of my favorite books I have read so far out of all the summer reading novels. It lost in a close tie against "The Great Gatsby". Both books were similar to eachother, they were both about love, and pain. Both books achieved the detailing facts about what loss can do to you. Full of secrets, deception, and affairs. One of the differences about the books was how Gatsby was in love with Daisy, he tried to win her back by showing off his wealth to her. Roger Chillingworth was also in the same position Gatsby was, but instead of trying to win his lover back, he did the opposite. He wanted to get revenge, by that he turned into an awful malvolent character. That was one big difference in the book, others were the time line and how different the outcome of affairs were. In " The Scarlet Letter" it was a huge deal if you had an affair with another person, it ended up you get scorn from everyone and a huge 'A' tattooed on your chest. While in "The Great Gatsby", it was hardly anything. As long as they had money, it didnt matter if you had affairs or not. The only thing that mattered to them was their reputation of them and they're wealth. All in all I really enjoyed both books.
The main characters in this book all had very different personalities. I was really fond of Hester Prynne. She was such a positive, protagonist person throughout this book, even though everyone thought badly upon her. She knows she made a mistake but doesn't regret it. She loves her daughter Pearl and takes good care of her. Hester also doesn't want to get anyone else involved with her affair entanglement, for that she does not source who her lover was. I also really like Hester's daughter Pearl. She is a very intelligent little girl. She is also much more mature for her age. Pearl is able to perceive things that others are not. The two people I feel bad for are; Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Doctor Roger Chillingworth. Arthur ends up getting very ill in the book because of shame and remorse, secretly he wants to come out that he is Hester's lover but is afraid of what will happen to him. So instead he just hurts himself physically and emotionally. I also pity, Hester's old husband Roger Chillingworth. He is so hurt and damaged from Hester's mistake that he turns into a monstrous human being. He is the most malevolent character in the book because he is so agonized.
"The Scarlet Letter", was one of my favorite books I have read so far out of all the summer reading novels. It lost in a close tie against "The Great Gatsby". Both books were similar to eachother, they were both about love, and pain. Both books achieved the detailing facts about what loss can do to you. Full of secrets, deception, and affairs. One of the differences about the books was how Gatsby was in love with Daisy, he tried to win her back by showing off his wealth to her. Roger Chillingworth was also in the same position Gatsby was, but instead of trying to win his lover back, he did the opposite. He wanted to get revenge, by that he turned into an awful malvolent character. That was one big difference in the book, others were the time line and how different the outcome of affairs were. In " The Scarlet Letter" it was a huge deal if you had an affair with another person, it ended up you get scorn from everyone and a huge 'A' tattooed on your chest. While in "The Great Gatsby", it was hardly anything. As long as they had money, it didnt matter if you had affairs or not. The only thing that mattered to them was their reputation of them and they're wealth. All in all I really enjoyed both books.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The Great Gatsby
The book "The Great Gatsby", was a very good book in my personal opinion. It showed the glamorous flaws of the 1920's and the 1930's. It demonstrated how dazzling life could be back then, attending all of the most fashionable parties, and being very wealthy. In the book it also showe the social flaws and social attitudes of the Jazz Age. During the Jazz Age it was a time of prosperity and booming economy. Fitzgerald takes a different angle to book though. He criticizes and actually shows the dishonesty of the American Dream, the immortality and injustice in society in the 1920's. The original American Dream was based on an assumption that no matter what social class, you could have prosperity if you have the effort and will. This novel is about what happened to the American Dream and how the pursuit of wealth corrupted it.
In this novel I really enjoyed all of the characters, even though most of them showed immoral traits. The only character that really was honest was Nick. He seemed the most genuine out of all the characters to me. He always helped out his neighbors and never cheated on any of the women in this book, unlike some of the other characters. One thing that Tom and Daisy did have in common was cheating. Even though they are supposed to be the perfect married couple, they both end up having affairs. No one ever brings up the issue though; they mask their problems, by avoiding the subject. Tom has an affair with an older married women name Myrtle. While Daisy rekindles her love with the famous Jay Gatsby. Throughout the book Mr. Gatsby is supposed to be the hero, everyone wants to be his friend and be invited to his extraordinary parties. They are so many different stories and rumors about him. When actually he also masks his real identity to impress Daisy. Gatsby's real name is James Gatz, and his parents weren't incharge of the German army, they were farmers. When Mr. Gatsby first met the wealthy, classy Dan Cody, that is when Gatsby became obsessed with having money.One other immoral trait was the scheme of Jordan Baker. She had to intentionally cheat during a tennis match just to win. These are some of the immoral traits of the characters.
This novel really relates to how our society is now. The American Dream is completely tarnished. No one cares about their family or anybody else for that matter. All they worry about is there reputation and how much money they have in their bank accounts. " The Great Gatsby" legitimately shows how people forget about having morals, because they are to busy chasing the idea of having wealth and power. This is what our civilization has come to, except worse. In the 1920's they at least still had more of the opportunity to prosper, and they also had alot more class. Now days you hardly know anyone who still fully believes in having morals, except your grandparents. Although this book was about the corruption of the American Dream I still really enjoyed the novel. It really showed that human nature barely changes throughout time.
In this novel I really enjoyed all of the characters, even though most of them showed immoral traits. The only character that really was honest was Nick. He seemed the most genuine out of all the characters to me. He always helped out his neighbors and never cheated on any of the women in this book, unlike some of the other characters. One thing that Tom and Daisy did have in common was cheating. Even though they are supposed to be the perfect married couple, they both end up having affairs. No one ever brings up the issue though; they mask their problems, by avoiding the subject. Tom has an affair with an older married women name Myrtle. While Daisy rekindles her love with the famous Jay Gatsby. Throughout the book Mr. Gatsby is supposed to be the hero, everyone wants to be his friend and be invited to his extraordinary parties. They are so many different stories and rumors about him. When actually he also masks his real identity to impress Daisy. Gatsby's real name is James Gatz, and his parents weren't incharge of the German army, they were farmers. When Mr. Gatsby first met the wealthy, classy Dan Cody, that is when Gatsby became obsessed with having money.One other immoral trait was the scheme of Jordan Baker. She had to intentionally cheat during a tennis match just to win. These are some of the immoral traits of the characters.
This novel really relates to how our society is now. The American Dream is completely tarnished. No one cares about their family or anybody else for that matter. All they worry about is there reputation and how much money they have in their bank accounts. " The Great Gatsby" legitimately shows how people forget about having morals, because they are to busy chasing the idea of having wealth and power. This is what our civilization has come to, except worse. In the 1920's they at least still had more of the opportunity to prosper, and they also had alot more class. Now days you hardly know anyone who still fully believes in having morals, except your grandparents. Although this book was about the corruption of the American Dream I still really enjoyed the novel. It really showed that human nature barely changes throughout time.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The Grapes of Wrath
In my opinion I really thought that this book, "The Grapes of Wrath" was alot better than " The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". Granted "The Grapes of Wrath" was alot more depressing, but for me I could relate to it alot more. In the book it describes how people have to overcome the difficulties of financial and personal troubles. The book didn't cookie cut it either, it was completely raw and showed the real misery of what people were going through. It really amazed me how so many people were in starving and without jobs. It seemed like everyone who was trying to move to California were getting used to seeing others die on the roads. No one was shocked by the passing of human life at this point in the Depression of the 1930's.
Many of the struggles faced were presented by nature. For example the dust forced the Joads to leave their family farm. The farm was owned by the Joad family for many years and represented their roots and stability. They didn't want to leave, but because of nature (the dust) had completely wiped out their way of life. The dust is symbolic of emptiness and loss. Then they were unable to pay off their loan to the bank and were obligated to leave. Another force of nature that posed an obstacle for the family was the migrant workers that they came upon. The migrants were trying to frighten the Joads into staying in Oklahoma. The turtle in this case represents the Joads ambitions to keep moving on, even though forces try to prevent it from leaving.
One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that John Steinbeck allowed the reader to form their own opinions about the characters. For example it showed the good and bad about the father. At the beginning Pa was a very strong leader of the family, but by the end of the book it showed he does have a weak side. Ma had to eventually take over and be the stronger one in the situation. Another example of how the characters have more than one dimension, is Rose of Sharon. She was foolishly in love with her husband Connie, while everyone thought he was a no good idiot. By the end of the novel she had to mature enough to handle the abandonment of her husband and the death of her baby. All in all I thought this was a decent book that taught me about the miseries of the Great Depression.
-mims♥
Many of the struggles faced were presented by nature. For example the dust forced the Joads to leave their family farm. The farm was owned by the Joad family for many years and represented their roots and stability. They didn't want to leave, but because of nature (the dust) had completely wiped out their way of life. The dust is symbolic of emptiness and loss. Then they were unable to pay off their loan to the bank and were obligated to leave. Another force of nature that posed an obstacle for the family was the migrant workers that they came upon. The migrants were trying to frighten the Joads into staying in Oklahoma. The turtle in this case represents the Joads ambitions to keep moving on, even though forces try to prevent it from leaving.
One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that John Steinbeck allowed the reader to form their own opinions about the characters. For example it showed the good and bad about the father. At the beginning Pa was a very strong leader of the family, but by the end of the book it showed he does have a weak side. Ma had to eventually take over and be the stronger one in the situation. Another example of how the characters have more than one dimension, is Rose of Sharon. She was foolishly in love with her husband Connie, while everyone thought he was a no good idiot. By the end of the novel she had to mature enough to handle the abandonment of her husband and the death of her baby. All in all I thought this was a decent book that taught me about the miseries of the Great Depression.
-mims♥
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)