The Man with a Model Dinosaur

He is more than just passionate about writing.
He is passionate about life, and that's what makes him successful as an author.
Ray Bradbury's motivation for writing is found in his character, the character teeming with intense enthusiasm for doing what he loves. A central idea he expressed in Fahrenheit 451 was that the overusage and succumbing to technology hinders our personal character. If everybody were a color in the novel, they would be grey, like robots- all the same. However the individuals who didn't completely yield to technological advancements were rainbow colored, diverse- different. Is technology REALLY going to go that far though, to the point where it turns everybody grey? Well, take a look around. At a lunch table full of kids at South, I can almost guarentee you that every person has their cell phone out next to their lunch, or in their lap. But that's just a modern day practice. Elementary school kids get home from school, plop on the couch, and turn the television on. These actions don't mold us into the tech zombies Bradbury describes, like Mildred, and they don't necessarily define who we are. I don't think that we are anywhere close to becoming like Mildred and her friends, we're just "keepin up with the times."

But this is just 2010. The man with a model dinosaur described a futuristic setting, and"keepin up with the times" as multiple televisions the size of walls will dominating our lives, because of the destruction of books. I do think that elimination of books would be detrimental to the educational aspect of living, but I don't think we'll ever get there. Time changes, people don't. We'll always have new ideas weaved in and out of our brains, as well as old ones passed on through out. New discussions, new jokes, more to learn, more to see. And technology is probably more useful than destructive in the fueling of those ideas.

I mean, look at me now, blogging online instead of writing my ideas on paper. I can read my peer's blogs and expand my understanding of Fahrenheit 451 much faster and easier than I would've been able to 20 years ago. Bradbury's fiction won't become a reality to the degree he expressed, but possibly in moderation.

Swimmin against the current

We take advantage of books. The knowledge and entertainment that we receive from them, it's like we expect it; but after reading Fahrenheit 451, reading books feels like a privilege.

Montag's foil seemed to have the biggest impression on me.
Captain Beatty.
Why does he hate books?
I don't think he does, I just think he's too much of a coward to admit that he knows books are useful and can be used for good. When he came to talk to Montag when he was "sick", he expresses a clear understanding of the essence of his job as a fireman. But after the conversation I was left with a feeling the Beatty didn't completely support his cause. In the fire station Beatty recited numerous quotes from books, he obviously had read them. He was just too brainwashed into believing what he was doing was right that he wasn't able to distinguish his true personal opinions from the ones he was told to believe, much like Montag at the beginning of the novel.

I think there is a little bit of Captain Beatty or Montag in all of us. The world tells us things are right, the ways things should be done- and we just learn to accept it. And if we ever begin to challenge those ways, things get shaken up. Our personal character shines through in those situations- if we are like Captain Beatty we continue with the worldly ways, because it's easier not to question them. But if we're like Montag then we swim against the current, to achieve a better understanding of the world and maybe begin living our lives a different way.

When Montag kills Beatty, it's like he's burning (literally) away the possibility of being conformed to his old ways of hating books, because Beatty had the most influence on him in the fire department.

Many ideas in the book parallel to our modern world. Walls were replaced by televisions in the novel, much like people invest in ginormous flat screens today. The "seashells" remind me of blue tooth sets/ headphones. Bradbury mentioned faster speed limits, and today the speed limits have increased significantly since the time period this book was written.

The thing that really intrigued me was that entire idea behind burning the books is to achieve a universal happiness.
Where is it?
The wall watching seashell listeners have a superficial type of happiness. But Clarisse who ignores the rules, challenges things, has "different" views, and reads books has the internal kind. She doesn't let anybody else dictate her lifestyle, and that's why she's happy.

...farthest from a hypocrite.

What is a mockingbird? Besides being the obvious, a song bird, why would Harper Lee entitle his classic To Kill a Mockingbird? Because the mockingbird.. it represents something.

"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." -Miss Maudie

So the mockingbird seems like a pretty innocent creature, at least described by Miss Maudie, and that's what I believe it symbolizes- innocence. But this symbol must be significant in some way other than that, and because we haven't read part 2 yet, I believe that the idea of innocence will play a big part in the rest of the novel. We'll just have to wait and see, but i think the idea of the mockinbird is introduced early in the book because by the conclusion of the novel, we will have a greater understanding of this idea of innocence, and why it was "killed".

So far the character that I have taken the most interest in is Atticus. Miss Maudie tells Scout that her dad was a checker champion, that he can play a Jew's harp, and we later find out that he's an excellent marksman, but he doesn't tell his children this.
He's an extremely modest person, and I think that's why I take so much interest in him.

"People in their right minds never take pride in their talents"- another quote from Miss Maudie.

Atticus is definitely a character that is in his right mind, because he takes no pride in his abilities. Atticus is also a character who "practices what he preaches". He tells Scout and Jem that he loves everybody, not regarding the color of their skin or their monetary class. And though his choice to defend Tom Robinson in his trial results in negative feedback from the townespeople, he still does it. Because he truly does believe in the idea of equality he professes, and is the character farthest from a hypocrite that I have read about his summer.

. . for a second.

Throughout this book, I kept on asking myself, Why is this book a classic? What does A Separate Peace have that others don't? Upon finishing, I think I rendered a conclusion. Character. Human Character. And I feel John Knowles does a fantastic job of isolating one aspect of human character- the strive for competition, or at least the strive to be first.

"He had never been jealous of me for a second. Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us. I was not of the same quality as he."

Gene is always questioning Finny's motives for doing things. Like if he did something to be boastful, or to make Gene feel/appear lesser. Gene is insecure with himself, and I attribute this to his envy for Finny. He focuses more on Finny than he does himself. The actions and thoughts of these 2 boys truly reminded me of the relationship I have with my friends. We are all bonded with friendship, but at the same time we are competing with each other. Like in the classroom and on the court- it's natural to want to be the best. However I know my friends are aware of this silent competing, and that's why we remain great friends. And, my friends are secure with themselves, unlike Gene, and we don't accuse the other of trying to hinder our excellence as Gene does with Finny.

However, I do think the love/hate feelings Gene have for Finny are somewhat natural. If you're in a competition with a friend and they win, you don't necessarily hate them, and you can be happy for their success. But would you not be happier had you won? Finny's athletic superiority sizzles envy in Gene, and because of Gene's other insecurities he doesn't really have a way to release the jealousy.

In the first chapter, the scarred tree and marble staircase seem to be the most of Gene's interest. The tree plays an important role not only in his previous life, but in his current life as well I feel. It is also the location where Finny expired his athletic career due to Gene. The staircase is where Finny took the final fall that eventually resulted in his death. Initially Gene had to deal with the loss of the person who called him his "best pal", because of these 2 locations. But upon visiting, 15 years later, I think it rekindles the impression Finny made on him.

Would there even be a situation had there been no lies?

What would it be like to live in a lie-less world? To live, unexposed to any sin of tongue. Would it be easier, or harder? You wouldn’t be lied to, but you yourself couldn’t commit the act either, which could be complicating in some situations.

While reading The Crucible, I found myself asking many questions. What would become if this situation if Abigail and her follower’s lies stopped? Had John not lied to his wife and lusted after Abigail, would Abigail have started this in the first place? Would there even be a situation had there been no lies? I don’t think so. Lying appears consistently through out the play. After completely denying committing acts of witchcraft, Abigail “sets the story straight” with all of her friends in Act 1. John Proctor is engaged in an affair with Abigail, and lies to Elizabeth. Soon after John confesses to having an affair with Abigail, Mary Warren is accused of being a witch by Abigail, upon which Mary reacts by accusing John of being a witch. And Elizabeth, who according to John never lies, lies when questioned about John’s affairs in court. What a case of dramatic irony that was! One lie, then another. Another. And another. This play is built on lies!

However when that act of lying is committed, the liar has a choice when confronted- confess to lying or lie again. I think it’s instinct to lie again, because you don’t want to be condemned for the first lie.

And we all know that lying is bad and in court, unlawful. But would you lie to save your life? Some of the accused in this story did, they admitted to taking part in witchery of some form, even though they were faithful Christians. However, some didn’t. Like Rebecca Nurse, and Giles Corey. They should be praised for their incredible amount of character, and for having the courage to stand firm and testify on what they knew was the truth.

With that, I think these trials brought out the true character of people. Sometimes today we are tested, tried, (not necessarily tried in court), and put in difficult situations. These situations are portals for our true selves to show. Though John Proctor falsely confessed to witchcraft, he ended up renouncing his confession because he felt it was unjust for him to live by telling a lie. He was sent to be hung, with his wife in tears, but he had told the truth- and that's what killed him.

The past is gone!

“Let us not look back!” answered Hester Prynne, "The past is gone! Wherefore should we linger upon it now?”

Those quotes sound kind of cliché. They basically mean, don’t look back, which is a common phrase among us today.

But when I reviewed The Scarlet Letter as a whole, this is what I took from it. Hester lived with an emblem, representing a great sin, on her chest- the embroidered A, for “Adulteress.” This letter promoted alienation from others, and altered her life completely. However when she finally decided to remove it, she said the above quote.

I know we all have, or will acquire, some sort of scarlet letter in our lives. Some sin or wrong doing others won’t forgive us for, or we ourselves can’t release. It lingers with us, usually mentally, but in Hester’s case, also physically. Hester struggled with this letter, because it prevented her from living like the average individual of that time. But when she throws it near the stream, she tries to focus on not dwelling on the past, as she had done before. Hawthorne goes on describe her feeling weightless and radiant. I found it this really inspiring, the idea of unfastening your burdens and feeling freer afterwards.

However in the next chapter, when Hester is letter-less, Pearl won’t “hither”. She had always associated her mother with the letter. In order to pacify pearl, Hester refastens the letter on her chest.

This also made me think about another common saying- forgive and forget. I think in unfastening the letter, Hester forgave herself, and was ready to move on. But when she reattaches it, it makes it impossible to forget about it. It’s possible to forgive, but what about the forgetting part?

One of the sole reasons I enjoyed The Scarlet Letter was because of these consistently relevant ideas it contained. I wonder. Was Hawthorne trying to convey the idea of the capability of forgiveness, but not forgetfulness? Someone lies to us, steals from us, cheats on us, hurts us- the list of possible wrongdoings is infinite. We can forgive them, but unless we are impaired from memory loss, we can not forget. Their decisions defined their character, and their scarlet letters are always a part of them in some way.

Whether it's the Jazz Age or July 10th, 2010..

You have a dream, as do I, and the person sitting next to me. We all have hopes for the future and plans for the present. These dreams, these unknowingly attainable ideas we have, we love them. But do we really love them, or just love the idea of them?

The Great Gatsby was a cool breath of crisp air on a sizzling summer day. It reawakened my desire to take this Honors class, so thank you F Scott Fitzgerald!
This idea though, of being in love with the idea of a dream, is really what I took from this masterpiece.

Jay Gatsby professes his love for Daisy through his actions, and values her the most among all of his possessions.
".. he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes." - a quote from chapter 5.
But Daisy, Gatsby's green light, is what he believed in. He believed in the idea of the love Daisy would provide- perfect love. Though he was in love with Daisy the person, his love was based on his desire for love.
"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes us."
He wanted Daisy to say that she was never in love with Tom, ever. But she couldn't do it, and a piece of Gatsby's dream of the perfect mate was slivered away.

Gatsby hosted parties every Saturday night, with expensive food, live music, and hundreds of people. The guests, invited or not, would come and drink, dance, and enjoy the party. They would come dressed in fashionable clothing, and arrive in fancy cars. But out of all the people, the hundreds of people, who attended these parties, none of them showed for his funeral. Not even his closest friends, besides Nick, attended his service. These people were in love with the idea of going to fancy parties at a rich man's home, but as for the rich man himself.. they could care less.

So are we, today, in love with the idea of our dreams? Young boys dream of having the point guard position on their favorite basketball team, but will they have the dedication and performance to get there? I think this idea is relevant in all time eras, whether it's the Jazz Age or July 10th, 2010.

One reason this book was so refreshing was because I really connected to the character Nick. I'm a person who is constantly over thinking and over analyzing everything.
"I am slow-thinking and full of interior rules that act as brakes on my desires."
This quote really stuck out to me because it reminded me of myself so much. The idea is that he's cautious, and the way this sentence is worded, I perfectly understood that about Nick.

At the end of the book, I wished it was longer. Fitzgerald's style is easy to read- but it gives you a lot to think about- and I think that's the reason it's one of my favorites.