I am currently reading the book 1984 by George Orwell.
I think that the call to adventure for Winston, the protagonist of 1984, is when he first met Julia. Although she doesn't send him on some quest to vanquish evil, she does bring him into a world that is new to him. Winston and Julia fell in love and decided to secretly try to be together. Winston's wife, Katharine had disappeared years before but wasn't confirmed dead by the Party (although it is very likely that she was). It would be against the Party's rules for him to be with any one else. Winston and Julia being together was very risky but Winston seems to have decided not to return to his ordinary world. In a way them being together was a way for them both to take a stand against the Party's rules. Both of them dislike the Party and believe that the world could and should be in a better state than it is, so my best guess is that later in the book they will end up joining some kind of resistance against the Party.
"Both of them knew-in a way, it was never out of their minds- that what was now happening could not last long." from George Orwell's 1984
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Thursday, 8 December 2011
The Ordinary World
I am currently reading the book 1984 by George Orwell.
The ordinary world for the main character Winston is one that to us wouldn't seem very ordinary, although it is still set on our planet. Winston's world is in what was supposed to be the future (1984 was in the future when this book was written). The world in which Winston lives isn't very nice compared to ours. In the "future" the whole world is run by "the Party" which governs in similar ways to a dictatorship. Almost everything in this world is in bad or unsanitary conditions, people don't have very many things(including food), and people will be killed if they are bad. Basically the world of 1984 where Winston lives is not a very fun place. The citizens, a lot of which are poor, are only allowed very small rations of food and other resources. To make it worse the food they are allowed is generally quite bad and gross. Unlike in much of our modern world criminals will be hung in front of crowds as punishment for small crimes, and some people that do and say things that the Party doesn't like disappear and no one knows what happens to them. Life is rough in this world and the Party makes really wants to keep it this way by having everyone on camera at all times to keep people in line. I bet you might be wondering how the world we know of today could have became such a mess. According to 1984 there was a big revolution that took place before Winston was even born where the party took over and the world turned into the mess that the book is set in. It's kind of scary to think that many parts of the world are as bad or worse as the world of 1984.
"Everything faded into mist. The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became true."
From George Orwell's 1984, this quote is talking about how the Party has erased what once was and made citizens believe that the current world in 1984 was better.
The ordinary world for the main character Winston is one that to us wouldn't seem very ordinary, although it is still set on our planet. Winston's world is in what was supposed to be the future (1984 was in the future when this book was written). The world in which Winston lives isn't very nice compared to ours. In the "future" the whole world is run by "the Party" which governs in similar ways to a dictatorship. Almost everything in this world is in bad or unsanitary conditions, people don't have very many things(including food), and people will be killed if they are bad. Basically the world of 1984 where Winston lives is not a very fun place. The citizens, a lot of which are poor, are only allowed very small rations of food and other resources. To make it worse the food they are allowed is generally quite bad and gross. Unlike in much of our modern world criminals will be hung in front of crowds as punishment for small crimes, and some people that do and say things that the Party doesn't like disappear and no one knows what happens to them. Life is rough in this world and the Party makes really wants to keep it this way by having everyone on camera at all times to keep people in line. I bet you might be wondering how the world we know of today could have became such a mess. According to 1984 there was a big revolution that took place before Winston was even born where the party took over and the world turned into the mess that the book is set in. It's kind of scary to think that many parts of the world are as bad or worse as the world of 1984.
"Everything faded into mist. The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became true."
From George Orwell's 1984, this quote is talking about how the Party has erased what once was and made citizens believe that the current world in 1984 was better.
Eye-of-sauron.jpglotr.wikia.com
Sauron's eye from the lord of the rings is always watching just like the Party
Thursday, 1 December 2011
1984 and the future
I am currently reading the book 1984 by George Orwell.
Is the future shown in 1984 a possible one?
1984 tells the story of a horrible yet possible future, some describe it as a "negative utopia". Being a very old book, the story is set in what the character believes to be the year 1984 which is set a few decades after the book was written. The world in 1984 is, as the whole "negative utopia" thing would suggest, not a very nice place to live. The world is split into 3 areas: Oceania, Eurasia, and East-asia. According to the main character, Winston, there is always some kind of war going on between them. Everything in 1984 is being controlled by "the party" which is like a huge government party that is really a lot like a dictatorship. If any body is talking bad about the party, acting unusual, or doing any thing that the Party considers to be wrong that person will "disappear". How do they know when somebody is doing something they don't like you ask? At all times, the Party is watching everybody with cameras to try and catch people that need to be dealt with. The party also controls how many things people are allowed and there often isn't enough resources for every one to live well.
So as I was saying at the beginning of this blog, is this a possible future? Well, in London and some other British cities practically every inch of the city is on camera at all times, so that would be possible. As everyone knows there are always wars going on between countries similar to how the 3 regions 1984 are. A lot of countries are communist even today and heavily limit how much citizens are allowed. A lot of these communist countries will even make people "vanish" like the Party if they are doing things that aren't allowed.
I hate to say it but unfortunately the future shown in 1984 seems indeed possible to me, let's just hope it never happens.
Is the future shown in 1984 a possible one?
1984 tells the story of a horrible yet possible future, some describe it as a "negative utopia". Being a very old book, the story is set in what the character believes to be the year 1984 which is set a few decades after the book was written. The world in 1984 is, as the whole "negative utopia" thing would suggest, not a very nice place to live. The world is split into 3 areas: Oceania, Eurasia, and East-asia. According to the main character, Winston, there is always some kind of war going on between them. Everything in 1984 is being controlled by "the party" which is like a huge government party that is really a lot like a dictatorship. If any body is talking bad about the party, acting unusual, or doing any thing that the Party considers to be wrong that person will "disappear". How do they know when somebody is doing something they don't like you ask? At all times, the Party is watching everybody with cameras to try and catch people that need to be dealt with. The party also controls how many things people are allowed and there often isn't enough resources for every one to live well.
So as I was saying at the beginning of this blog, is this a possible future? Well, in London and some other British cities practically every inch of the city is on camera at all times, so that would be possible. As everyone knows there are always wars going on between countries similar to how the 3 regions 1984 are. A lot of countries are communist even today and heavily limit how much citizens are allowed. A lot of these communist countries will even make people "vanish" like the Party if they are doing things that aren't allowed.
I hate to say it but unfortunately the future shown in 1984 seems indeed possible to me, let's just hope it never happens.
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Character Archetypes
I am currently reading the book Shattered by Eric Walters.
One type of character archetype that I have noticed to be very common in Shattered is that of the mentor. Strangely there isn't really one specific character that takes role of the mentor but there are many different characters that share similar character traits as a mentor.
The most obvious one is the homeless man that saves Ian from the thugs and teaches Ian about the events in Rwanda and the effect that it had on him. At first it seems like Jack (the homeless man) is the obvious mentor but others also come up. The man who runs the soup kitchen is a bit of a mentor to Ian because he teaches Ian the how to do the soup kitchen work and about how and why people end up on the streets. Ian's family's housekeeper is also a bit of a mentor to Ian because she teaches him things about her experience in Guatemala and it's similarities to what Jack was dealing with from Rwanda. Lastly, at the end of the book Ian himself starts to become a bit of a mentor to Jack because he tries to help him move along and quit his alcohol addiction so he can maybe have a decent life again.
I guess this book shows that in the end there isn't only one character that can teach others important things and that almost any one could teach almost any other person important lessons.
One type of character archetype that I have noticed to be very common in Shattered is that of the mentor. Strangely there isn't really one specific character that takes role of the mentor but there are many different characters that share similar character traits as a mentor.
The most obvious one is the homeless man that saves Ian from the thugs and teaches Ian about the events in Rwanda and the effect that it had on him. At first it seems like Jack (the homeless man) is the obvious mentor but others also come up. The man who runs the soup kitchen is a bit of a mentor to Ian because he teaches Ian the how to do the soup kitchen work and about how and why people end up on the streets. Ian's family's housekeeper is also a bit of a mentor to Ian because she teaches him things about her experience in Guatemala and it's similarities to what Jack was dealing with from Rwanda. Lastly, at the end of the book Ian himself starts to become a bit of a mentor to Jack because he tries to help him move along and quit his alcohol addiction so he can maybe have a decent life again.
I guess this book shows that in the end there isn't only one character that can teach others important things and that almost any one could teach almost any other person important lessons.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Popular?
I have been reading the book Shattered by Eric Walters.
I would define a classic as a book that is able to prove the test of time and still be just as good 20, 30, 40 etc. years after it was written. To become a classic a book generally had to be quite popular to begin with, it also had to create strong bonds with it's readers that wouldn't break over a long period of time. A classic also must have a relatable story and likeable characters to draw the reader in. If a lot of people still love a book many years after it was released then I would definitely consider it a classic.
Shattered is a good book but I honestly do not think that it will become a classic. It's a good book that I think people would like, but isn't quite memorable or lovable enough to be a classic. One qualification to be a classic that Shattered meets is that it has a timeless concept, the idea of a soldier coming back from a war changed and damaged is something that has and will always happen. Whether it's Rwanda or not, it happens after every war, including the ones that future generations will be fighting. It isn't the best book that I've read, but I do think that more students should have probably read it as it does teach some important things about the world beyond our own. The biggest reason why I don't think it would be a classic is because it isn't popular enough and probably never will be.
I would define a classic as a book that is able to prove the test of time and still be just as good 20, 30, 40 etc. years after it was written. To become a classic a book generally had to be quite popular to begin with, it also had to create strong bonds with it's readers that wouldn't break over a long period of time. A classic also must have a relatable story and likeable characters to draw the reader in. If a lot of people still love a book many years after it was released then I would definitely consider it a classic.
Shattered is a good book but I honestly do not think that it will become a classic. It's a good book that I think people would like, but isn't quite memorable or lovable enough to be a classic. One qualification to be a classic that Shattered meets is that it has a timeless concept, the idea of a soldier coming back from a war changed and damaged is something that has and will always happen. Whether it's Rwanda or not, it happens after every war, including the ones that future generations will be fighting. It isn't the best book that I've read, but I do think that more students should have probably read it as it does teach some important things about the world beyond our own. The biggest reason why I don't think it would be a classic is because it isn't popular enough and probably never will be.
Friday, 28 October 2011
This reminds me of...
"But the million people, we don't know them so we don't care about what happened to them. A million is just a number, a statistic." -Ian, from Shattered by Eric Walters
The book that I am currently reading is about a boy who volunteers at a soup kitchen where he meets a homeless man who was a UN soldier that served is Rwanda. This book reminded me a lot about when Eric Walters came to our school in grade seven. When Eric Walters asked how many of us had heard of Rwanda, no one raised their hand, just like how the kids in the book hadn't heard of it either. He then went on and gave a very good talk about the genocide in Rwanda and taught us very similar things to what Ian had learned in Shattered. It also reminded me of watching the film Hotel Rwanda in class last year. It was a very scary movie that showed all of the horrible things that had happened. These aren't the only connections that I have to this book, but I feel these are the most significant.
The book that I am currently reading is about a boy who volunteers at a soup kitchen where he meets a homeless man who was a UN soldier that served is Rwanda. This book reminded me a lot about when Eric Walters came to our school in grade seven. When Eric Walters asked how many of us had heard of Rwanda, no one raised their hand, just like how the kids in the book hadn't heard of it either. He then went on and gave a very good talk about the genocide in Rwanda and taught us very similar things to what Ian had learned in Shattered. It also reminded me of watching the film Hotel Rwanda in class last year. It was a very scary movie that showed all of the horrible things that had happened. These aren't the only connections that I have to this book, but I feel these are the most significant.
Thursday, 20 October 2011
My book's main character
Currently I am reading the book Fear The Worst by Linwood Barklay.
"I do know it was instinctual. Someone suggests you killed your own daughter, that you took the life of the person more dear to you than anyone else in the world, what else are you going to do but try to get your hands around his neck and try to choke the life out of him."
-Tim Blake, from Fear the Worst
The main character of the book I am currently reading (Fear the worst) is a man named Tim Blake. Tim Blake makes a living selling cars at a car dealership and has a 17 year old daughter named Sydney (Syd). Tim is a divorced father and when Syd was staying with him, she didn't come home one night. Tim's daughter was then confirmed missing and Tim is very scared and worried about what might of happened to his daughter. Ever since Tim has been searching all over for her. Tim is a good guy and is good at his job but this has all had a massive effect on him. As the story progresses Tim starts to uncover clues that slowly start to unviel answers to where his daughter may be. I think in the end Tim will probably find Syd but there will be a lot more to it than it seemed at first.
The video below is a video done to the song "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" by Bob Dylan. I think this is a good song to represest what Tim is thinking because the lyrics are about a father worrying about his child that he can't find.
"I do know it was instinctual. Someone suggests you killed your own daughter, that you took the life of the person more dear to you than anyone else in the world, what else are you going to do but try to get your hands around his neck and try to choke the life out of him."
-Tim Blake, from Fear the Worst
The main character of the book I am currently reading (Fear the worst) is a man named Tim Blake. Tim Blake makes a living selling cars at a car dealership and has a 17 year old daughter named Sydney (Syd). Tim is a divorced father and when Syd was staying with him, she didn't come home one night. Tim's daughter was then confirmed missing and Tim is very scared and worried about what might of happened to his daughter. Ever since Tim has been searching all over for her. Tim is a good guy and is good at his job but this has all had a massive effect on him. As the story progresses Tim starts to uncover clues that slowly start to unviel answers to where his daughter may be. I think in the end Tim will probably find Syd but there will be a lot more to it than it seemed at first.
The video below is a video done to the song "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" by Bob Dylan. I think this is a good song to represest what Tim is thinking because the lyrics are about a father worrying about his child that he can't find.
Monday, 10 October 2011
Swim the Fly Summary and Review
Swim the Fly's story mainly revolves around three friends who have set a summertime goal to see a real live naked girl. The story is told from Matt's perspective and therefore is mainly based around him. Matt and his two friends, Sean and Coop, are also part of a swim team. I won't go into too many plot details but as the summer progresses the boys continuously get caught up in more and more trouble in their many adventures. They do accomplish their goal but with a twist.
Despite having a funny concept Swim the Fly isn't executed as well as it could have been. It has some funny moments but it gets quite repetitive and therefore drags on way past the 300 page mark. The plot is very predictable and as a result did not keep my interest in it's story. The characters aren't really that likable and I didn't find my self identifying with them. Chances are you'll really enjoy the book at first but be disappointed by the end. While it's an okay read for teenagers, there are certainly better reads available.
I give it a 5 out of 10.
Thursday, 22 September 2011
George Eliot Quote Part II
While I was looking through different famous quotes about reading I didn't really come across many quotes that I really liked or that spoke to me, until I found this one by George Eliot. I liked this quote because I found that it was unique and I agreed with what it was saying. Instead of just being another quote about how wondrous reading is and how life is pointless without books (the latter is taking it a bit too far) this quote really made sense to me. People always talk about how you get something different out of books or stories after time passes and I think George Eliot was able to translate that idea very effectively into her quote. Maybe in the future I'll go back and read books that I've read in my childhood and I'll find something different in them. I wonder how I'll feel about The Catcher in the Rye in thirty years, especially if I am a parent?
See you in my next post!
See you in my next post!
George Eliot Quote
"No story is the same to us after a lapse of time; or rather we who read it are no longer the same interpreters." George Eliot
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Welcome to Book Bits and Bytes!
This is the very first post of my new blog. In future posts I will be talking about and reviewing different books that I've been reading. Currently I am reading the book, Swim the Fly by Don Calame. I'm roughly half way through the book and will likely post a complete review of it when I'm done, but I will post other things about it in the meantime. See you in future posts!
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