Truth and Reality

I do not entirely agree with Plato in that once that person has escaped then they will do anything to never go back. I believe that some people will strive to hold on to what they have known in the past because if they do not, their whole world can come crumbling down. When the prisoner comes out from the cave, he is told that their whole world before was a lie. Plato says that, “Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him?”. It does not matter that what they have seen their entire lives is a lie because they will still believe in it because it is all they have known. They will be confused, not knowing which is reality and which is fantasy, but will probably go with what they have believed their entire lives because it is better than facing the fact that what they believed in was a lie. The people were safe in the cave and lived in a boring world where they were spoon-fed whatever their captors felt like but facing the real world where bad things happen could make them want to go back to where they felt safe even if it was a lie. On the other hand, some people may be ready to embrace the new world and feel liberated at being free. They could be braver and have more of need to discover on their own, to figure out fact from fiction. Reality can be harsh but also freeing. I believe that it depends on what the type of person is being let out. The thoughts and behavior of a human is not a specific science and everyone has different reactions.  Sure, what Plato says could happen but there is also a possibility that it would not. I believe this is the relationship between truth and reality because the reality is that not everyone can handle the truth and that truth is not always found in reality.

The Giver

            I decided to re-read The Giver by Lois Lowry. I saw a Facebook status about it from Spencer, so thank you Spencer! I had read it in middle school but had focused only on plot, not so much about the symbols or meaning behind it. It was assigned to us so I did not dwell on the meaning; I read it because it was homework. I wanted to read it again because I felt that there was a lot of symbolism I had missed. I wanted to go back and re-read it with a more mature mind and see what had changed for me. I also wanted to focus more on the meaning than the plot.

            One thing that I focused on was why did the community choose Jonas to become the Receiver? I thought it had something to do with his eyes being a different color just as Gabe and the Giver’s were. Later on though, the reader finds out that what Jonas had been seeing was color. Noone else in the community could see it except for the Giver, Jonas, possibly a Six girl and possibly Gabe. I was confused because if they could not see color, then I did not know how the community knew that Jonas had lighter eyes. This was one thing that struck me about the sameness. The color of Jonas eyes also represented specialness. The Giver, Jonas, Rosemary and Gabe all represented a difference from the sameness.

            I thought that the color red seemed important because it was the first color the Receiver saw. I think that it is a symbol though I am not positive about what. Red is usually a symbol of anger but could also be the color of love because of the heart. It could also be the color of blood. I do not know if this has any meaning to the story but I thought it was important that the first color seen is red and also that it is the color of Fiona’s hair, the sled and an apple. It could be important because it was the color of all the times Jonas rebelled against the rules or the sameness of the community. When the Jonas took the apple, he got in trouble for hoarding. When he saw Fiona’s hair he didn’t necessarily break the rules but he also had stirrings for her. So Fiona can represent rebellion as well. The sled was red and this was the first time Jonas received a memory. This is important because if Jonas did not receive any memories, the plan would not have been set into motion and he would not have gained the knowledge he did.

            I also really enjoyed the ending of the novel. I remember when I was in middle school I did not like the ending because it wasn’t a direct ending. It did not give the reader a clear perception of what happened. When I was younger I wanted everything to be spelled out clearly for me. I enjoy the ending now because I like that the reader does not know for certain what happened. It is open to the reader’s perception and opinion.  I thought it was a happy ending because at the end Jonas thought that he had heard music. I thought this meant that the Giver had helped the community and possibly started the end to sameness. This to me was a ending of hope.

            A lot of the parts about the book that I seemed to focus on were obviously that Jonas symbolized the difference from the sameness. Jonas was this symbol because what he had was knowledge. Gabe, the Giver, Rosemary and Jonas all had this along with lighter colored eyes. Gabe was a symbol because he received memories from Jonas. Rosemary also represented this because she received memories, as well as rebelling against the rules by being asked to be released. She rebelled against the sameness. The girl from level Six did not represent this because she never actually gained any memories or gained the knowledge. I think that what I focused on was the specialness of each person which was portrayed by Jonas. Jonas represented to me the specialness that each person has and rebellion against things in the world that tell people that’s not true.

Siddhartha

*-I keep away some of the plot.

          I read Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. When I first started reading, I thought I was reading about the Siddhartha who would later become the Buddha. *I went into the novel with wrong expectations and was thoroughly confused when Siddhartha began to take lessons from a courtesan, named Kamala, on sex. It was then that I started to think maybe this was not about the Buddha. I looked on the internet and discovered that it was not about Siddhartha/the Buddha. I was also surprised to find out that Gotama was the actual Buddha. I did not make the connection because of his name. I thought that they would call him the Buddha or Siddhartha instead of Gotama. I instead thought that Gotama was an enlightened monk but not the enlightened Buddha. I think that not having any background information about the subject made it hard to understand. I got the message sure, but I also wanted to learn more details about the Buddha as well as be able to really understand Buddhism. I really just wanted to know about the history of the Buddha. I went in expecting to learn about the Buddha and read a story from his point of view. I knew that the author was not the Buddha but I thought that the author had decided to write it from the Buddha’s opinion. I heard about the novel in Mrs. O’Hara’s class where we were beginning to learn about the Buddha. Buddhism sparked my interest so I decided to learn more on the subject and was disappointed when I read Siddhartha. I wanted more of a history lesson, than a novel.

          *There is a lot of parallelism between the character Siddhartha and the story of the Buddha. Both Siddhartha and the Buddha came from a wealthy family where they were loved by many. They also both went and joined the ascetics. In the end of the novel, I belief that Siddhartha had reached enlightenment. I do not know that much about Buddhism so I cannot say for sure if Siddhartha had reached the same enlightenment that was so hard for the Buddha to achieve. Something that struck me about his enlightenment was that Siddhartha gained enlightenment from the river. I really enjoyed that because I think nature is something precious and I was able to relate to that in the novel. I could imagine myself in the character’s place. I understood what he meant when he said the river was talking to him. At one point, Siddhartha thinks the river is laughing at him which I thought seemed kind of harsh for the river to do because it is kind of put on a pedestal. I gave it human features and so looked at the river as a human being. I thought that the river would be like a saint-like human and so it struck me as mean that the river would laugh at him. Another thing that bothered me was Siddhartha’s son. The son runs away and before that he insults his father who only said kind words to him. Siddhartha just wanted to love his son but his son was selfish and bored and ran away. I believe that this had a message which was that people cannot control what others do and that sometimes someone has to sacrifice their happiness so that someone else can be happy. Siddhartha also did that to his own father when he left and never saw him again but it did not strike me as unusual until his own son did it to him. I thought maybe this reflected on the cyclical parts of Buddhism because it was sort of a cycle for father and son. A lot of themes in the novel have a lot to do with beliefs and religious aspects about Buddhism. I believe that if I had more of a background I would be able to grasp more of the themes that a Buddhist would pick up on. Since I do not know any of their beliefs, I probably missed a lot of the symbols.

          I did think it was an interesting book. It made me want to keep reading to find out what would happen. I also thought that it would be predictable but I was wrong. I thought that the son of Siddhartha would come back but he doesn’t. I thought that he might so that there would be a happy ending and reunite. I kind of hoped I would learn more about what happened to him just because I got very curious. The ending was still good because Siddhartha’s childhood friend also reached enlightenment with the help of Siddhartha. They both reached enlightenment which they had worked on for their entire lives.

Delirium

          I read the novel, Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I decided to read it because I saw it in the Barnes and Noble Top 100. *Delirium is about a futuristic society where love is a disease. People get cured when they reach the age of eighteen. The disease is called amor deliria nervosa in the novel.

          One thing that I knew from the beginning was that the plot could easily be predicted. From the beginning, the reader knows that the main character, Lena, is going to fall in love with someone. It was predictable even though the beginning didn’t really hint at it but it was a given. Lena falls in love with Alex, who is supposed to have been cured.

          What I found interesting was the prospect of no love. The people that have become cured are more like robots while the other people, who have not been cured, seem like hippies. The other people, who live on the outskirts of society in make-shift houses where they can’t be found, are called Invalids. It is supposed to be hidden in the society that they even exist but people know. There is strife between both groups and they do not understand each other. The people can be divided into two separate sides, the cured and the uncured. Although one thing is sure for both sides, they all experience fear. The people who have become cured fear the people who have not. While the people, who have not been cured, both those who chose not to and those who are waiting, fear the cure.

          What I found interesting was that even though I knew that it was wrong and love is not a disease, I could still see their point of view. I felt that if there was some sort of balance between love and the cure then a lot of problems that accompanied both would not occur. If there was a balance, it could be possible to feel love while not experiencing the problems that come with it. Although this could be what makes love, are all the emotions surrounding it even though that can cause stress. *Lena’s mother had committed suicide after getting the surgery two times before and about to get it again. It did not work on her and she was still able to love although she would have to hide it so she would not be taken away. In the end, the reader learns that she did not actually commit suicide and was actually locked up with others who had disobeyed the government. A lot of diseases supposedly come from love which actually makes sense the way it is presented. The Book of Shhh says that, “Instead people back then named other diseases-stress, heart disease, anxiety, depression, hypertension, insomnia, bipolar disorder- never realizing that these were, in fact, only symptoms that in the majority of cases could be traced back to the effects of amor deliria nervosa” (pg 6). The Book of Shhh is the book they follow which is also interesting because it implies that you do not talk about love and therefore your emotions or feelings. It is an appropriate book for a government that demands silence. The society is not even aloud to listen to music or poetry. I believe this is because music and poetry are ways to express yourself, to express your love of life.

          I would like to continue reading the series because I really enjoyed reading about it. Although it could be predictable it was thought provoking. The series is supposed to be a Trilogy and I already preordered Pandemonium. A good novel awaits me I am sure; I just have to be patient! J

           

* Spoiler Alert- I gave away a lot, Sorry!

The Picture of Dorian Gray

            I read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.  The first thing that struck me about the story was how Basil Hallward viewed Dorian Gray. His friendship with Dorian Gray was more of an obsession then a typical partnership. Basil thought that the reason his artwork was so amazing was because of Dorian Gray. I think the reason it was so amazing to him was because it exhibited his love. Basil said that, “Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed” (pg 30). I believe that what changed the art for him was not Dorian Gray but the love he felt for Dorian Gray. I believe that Basil Hallward has a crush on Dorian Gray even though that is not technically confirmed in the novel. His crush was not returned although because Dorian cannot feel love. Dorian only has love for himself and beauty. It is said that Basil does not have beauty, but genius, so that would make Dorian have no interest in him.

            Basil Hallward wanted to keep Dorian his secret but ends up telling Lord Henry, his “friend”. I think that Lord Henry wanted to meet Dorian just because he wanted to make Dorian like him more then Basil. I assumed that once Lord Henry met Dorian Gray, he would not be affected by him. This is not the case and Lord Henry becomes obsessed with Dorian as well. It made me think that something else was amiss that was making them obsessed with him. I did not think that Lord Henry also had a crush on him (although it's possible). I thought that maybe what made him obsessed with Dorian Gray was that he wanted to be him, well at least look like him. Lord Henry admired him because of the power he held from his looks. Lord Henry discussed beauty when he said, “And beauty is a form of genius- is higher, indeed, than genius, as it needs no explanation”. (pg 54-55). This contradicts what he said earlier to Basil which was that genius was more important then beauty because it can outlast it. This leads to my other point which is that I don’t think Lord Henry knows what he is saying all the time. I think that Lord Henry just says words hoping that they will be insightful and make sense. I also think he speaks just to speak, not to prove a point. He must fill in the silences with words and hope that they make sense. This is why I was surprised that his words had such a big influence on Dorian. I think this proves that Dorian is easily influenced.

            I think that Dorian Gray is easily influenced because he is just like a spoiled child. Since anything that is not a compliment is unusual, it affects him the most. Dorian has not known anything other than beauty. I believe that is why the loss of it frightens him so and causes him to make the portrait age instead. Dorian also loves Sibyl because of her beauty and her acting. This reflects himself because he is just an actor as well. He has no personality and he doesn’t know real emotions. People like him for his beauty, not his personality which has no depth. I believe this is why he stops loving Sibyl because once she starts feeling real love, her acting suffers. Once she is not faking her love anymore, he does not love her and leaves. I believe this is because he cannot express real emotion. Dorian adjusts himself to make people like him which is what Sibyl did when she acted. He related to her because he played different roles as well.

            What led me to read this novel was the movie, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I was thinking about reading all the novels that inspired the characters in the movie. Some examples are Mr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Dracula. I am not sure if I am going to do this but I think I would like to read Dracula anyway. Another reason I read this novel was because I know that other English classes had to read this for summer reading and I thought it looked interesting. I also wanted to read it because I thought it would be a good novel to prepare me for the AP exam. I thoroughly enjoyed it because I thought it send a good message. Beauty can be ugly.

A Tale of Two Cities

            I read A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I’m finally ready to return it to Mrs. Healey’s personal library but maybe not right away hehe (Thanks Mrs. Healey!). What caught my eye about it on the bookshelf was that it looked old and kind of fancy because it had gold on it. I had heard about the novel before but had never read anything by Charles Dickens before. I decided that I needed to read more classics which I do not always look forward to reading because of the language. In older literature, I sometimes find them harder to understand because of the dialect. The way people spoke was different then how we speak now and can confuse me sometimes because I do not always know what the characters are referring to. So when I set out to read a Tale of Two Cities, I was prepared to not understand it. This was not the case and I was happily surprised. I really enjoyed reading the novel because it wasn’t an easy read but it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. It kind of reminded me of this other book I had read called Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel. I am not quite sure why but it had a similar way of talking for me. It kind of had a humorous side to it but not quite. I am not really sure how to explain it (sorry), only that I really enjoyed it.

            I enjoyed a lot of the characters. I really loved quite a few of them like Mr. Lorry. A lot of the plot also seemed very modern to me. The novel was written in 1859, but it seemed to me that it had a lot of storylines that could happen in modern life. One plot twist that I thought was kind of modern was that Lucie did not know that her father was alive. Her mother had told her that he was dead and I felt like that could happen in modern times as well. I just thought it was unusual because I had this picture in my head that back then everyone tried to adhere to the social rules and that this was against the social aspects of the time.

            The female characters of the book made me think. There were a lot of things that I did not think were realistic with some of the characters, especially Lucie. Lucie is nice to everyone and everyone loves and worships her. Lucie was good all the time and wasn’t a very dynamic character. I found her unrealistic and frankly, kind of boring. I thought that she was a good person but I started to get annoyed with Lucie because she was too stereotypical. She was what everyone thought a woman should be, and to me it just wasn’t realistic. I also thought the relationship between Lucie and her father, Doctor Manette, was unusual. Right when she met him, she was hugging him. I don’t know if it is just me but I feel like I would need more time to feel comfortable around my newly discovered father after so many years. Although I still kind of love Lucie because I really love all the characters even Madame Defrage. Although Madame Defrage is an antagonist, I like that she is a strong women. When she first appears in the novel, my first thought was that she was kind of stoic and I admired it. She is only the antagonist because circumstances made her become that. I also loved Miss Pross. Miss Pross was a humorous character. When she first appeared, I found myself smiling. She was also extremely protective and maternal of Lucie. Lucie’s mother died and she did not have a motherly figure in her life. Miss Pross never had children. I did not find it surprising that she would become so maternal to Lucie because it made sense. Although, that is also a little stereotypical.

            By far, my favorite character is Sydney Carton. I have always been one to cheer for the underdog, and I was rooting for him. I have read another book with a love triangle and for some reason I rooted for the other guy. This happened in A Tale of Two Cities as well. I related to Carton. I felt he was just misunderstood. When the reader first meets him, he appears mean in an intelligent, sarcastic, and dark way. As the novel continues, Carton reveals more about himself. It becomes obvious to the reader that is just his persona. I mean he is like that but he is also more than that. I felt bad for him because he was an alcoholic and had all these problems but he really was a good guy. He sacrifices himself because he wants Lucie to be happy. Carton was my favorite character because he was the underdog, and the misunderstood hero.

            I really enjoyed A Tale of Two Cities. I want to read other novels by Charles Dickens because I really liked his writing style. I also related to his characters because I found at least one thing about each character that made me like them. Even Marquis, Darnay’s uncle, because although he is a terrible, terrible person, without him, the story would be missing crucial plots. I mostly focused on characters in this blog but I also thought that there were a lot of themes in the novel as well. I guess that will have to be in another blog post….