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.
Tuesday 8 November 2011
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)