I recently entered an essay contest about Ayn Rands Anthem. I was asked to explain why the characters rarely reached the age of forty-five. Below is an exert from my essay.
Equality 7-2521 says that " When a miracle happens and some [of the Old Ones] live to be forty-five, they are the Ancient Ones." Many reasons can be found as to why most people do not reach the age of forty-five. An individualized world can have a huge impact on a person and whether he or she wants to live or die.
Most people, by the time they reach the age of forty-five, are weak. They have been worked hard their whole lives. Over exercise can severely wear the body down. With a hectic schedule, the people could not get enough rest. Working the same schedule everyday with no rest, with the exception of maybe just a few hours, is too much work. Weakness could have also been brought forth by punishment. If someone stepped out of line in any way when they were younger, they were severely punished. They were sent to the Palace of Corrective Detention where they would receive their punishment. The Palace would strip the scoundrel and then beat him or her with a whip. The beatings from the corrective detention officers could wear down the body.
In a world with no love, no hope, and no freedom what is there to live for? Having nothing to make life worth while can make living to see the age of forty-five a miracle. No one can express his or her own individuality in any way; they have to be the same as every other person.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Anthem Book Review
Ayn Rand's Anthem is a story of hope and perfection. The novel upset me at first, but began to brighten as it continued on.
The characters in Anthem live in what they view as a perfect world. There is no I, only WE. All the people are living for their brothers and sisters, not for themselves. Everyone is supposed to be happy and appreciate what they have. They believe there is no happiness except in pleasing their brothers.
Every character in Anthem is assigned a job by the Council of Vocations. When assigned their job, the characters have to go live in the house of that vocation. None of the characters get a say in what their job is to be. They are supposed to be happy with whatever is assigned to them.
Eating, sleeping, and even resting are only at designated times. Each morning, when a bell rings, all the people are to get up, get dressed, and eat breakfast in a matter of thirty minutes. The characters work in five hour increments, and at the end of each five hours they get a meal. The people are allotted thirty minutes for lunch and one hour for dinner. At the end of each day the people are allowed to go to bed until the bell rings the next morning.
There is no love in the world Ayn Rand created. Although all brothers are supposed to love each other, they cannot love one more than the other. All people are supposed to be equal, and if someone is loved more than another the rules have been broken. Men and Women are not supposed to fall in love either. They are not even supposed to look at each other except at certain times each year.
Anthem is a very good book. I would recommend Anthem to any reader. The book made me wander about what a perfect world could really be like, and about the true importance of the word "I".
The characters in Anthem live in what they view as a perfect world. There is no I, only WE. All the people are living for their brothers and sisters, not for themselves. Everyone is supposed to be happy and appreciate what they have. They believe there is no happiness except in pleasing their brothers.
Every character in Anthem is assigned a job by the Council of Vocations. When assigned their job, the characters have to go live in the house of that vocation. None of the characters get a say in what their job is to be. They are supposed to be happy with whatever is assigned to them.
Eating, sleeping, and even resting are only at designated times. Each morning, when a bell rings, all the people are to get up, get dressed, and eat breakfast in a matter of thirty minutes. The characters work in five hour increments, and at the end of each five hours they get a meal. The people are allotted thirty minutes for lunch and one hour for dinner. At the end of each day the people are allowed to go to bed until the bell rings the next morning.
There is no love in the world Ayn Rand created. Although all brothers are supposed to love each other, they cannot love one more than the other. All people are supposed to be equal, and if someone is loved more than another the rules have been broken. Men and Women are not supposed to fall in love either. They are not even supposed to look at each other except at certain times each year.
Anthem is a very good book. I would recommend Anthem to any reader. The book made me wander about what a perfect world could really be like, and about the true importance of the word "I".
The Host Book Review
Aliens are taking over the world! The human species is on the brink of extinction! Within Stephanie Myers The Host Aliens, souls, are taking over the earth. The Host is an amazing novel, and is probably the best book I have ever read.
The souls taking over the earth are not hostile, they actually just want to make the earth more peaceful. The souls view humans as a violent and vicious race, and they want to stop the fighting and anger. Do you think the human race is violent and needs to be changed? Would you fight back knowing that your body was being taken over?
The Host contains many themes, one of them being that just because someone is different does not mean he or she is evil. People all over this world make assumptions about others just off of differences. If those people could get to know the other person then they might possibly change their mind about him or her. Everyone on this planet is different, and judging someone because they are not like you is not fair. Melanie Stryder's body gets taken over by a soul named Wanderer. Normally the human mind would disappear when the body is taken over, but Melanie does not leave. Melanie shows Wanderer all of the cherished memories of the ones she loves. Melanie knows that her brother and boyfriend are still out in the world and she begins to lead Wanderer to where she thinks they are. Melanie unknowingly leads Wanderer to a cave housing over twenty humans. The humans are disgusted by Wanderer because they think she is just another soul, and they do not know about Melanie. After living with Wanderer for a while the humans discover that she is not so terrible. They begin speaking with her just as she was another one of them.
The characters within The Host are very realistic. Wanderer does not care about her own well being, but about the well being of others. Wanderer stood up for a man who wanted her dead because she did not want him to be harmed. Wanderer is not violent, but she is full of real life emotions. She feels anger, jealousy, fear, and even love. Melanie is full of realistic emotions. She becomes jealous very easily. When Wanderer is holding Jamie or Jared in her arms Melanie becomes full of jealousy. Melanie becomes angry when she cannot speak to anyone herself. Melanie and Wanderer are not the only realistic characters in The Host though. Almost every single character can be related back to a real person. They all show anger, fear, hatred, worry, love, and concern.
The Host is an amazing book that I would recommend to any girl. Boys probably would not like The Host, but girls probably would.
3 books 637 pages
The souls taking over the earth are not hostile, they actually just want to make the earth more peaceful. The souls view humans as a violent and vicious race, and they want to stop the fighting and anger. Do you think the human race is violent and needs to be changed? Would you fight back knowing that your body was being taken over?
The Host contains many themes, one of them being that just because someone is different does not mean he or she is evil. People all over this world make assumptions about others just off of differences. If those people could get to know the other person then they might possibly change their mind about him or her. Everyone on this planet is different, and judging someone because they are not like you is not fair. Melanie Stryder's body gets taken over by a soul named Wanderer. Normally the human mind would disappear when the body is taken over, but Melanie does not leave. Melanie shows Wanderer all of the cherished memories of the ones she loves. Melanie knows that her brother and boyfriend are still out in the world and she begins to lead Wanderer to where she thinks they are. Melanie unknowingly leads Wanderer to a cave housing over twenty humans. The humans are disgusted by Wanderer because they think she is just another soul, and they do not know about Melanie. After living with Wanderer for a while the humans discover that she is not so terrible. They begin speaking with her just as she was another one of them.
The characters within The Host are very realistic. Wanderer does not care about her own well being, but about the well being of others. Wanderer stood up for a man who wanted her dead because she did not want him to be harmed. Wanderer is not violent, but she is full of real life emotions. She feels anger, jealousy, fear, and even love. Melanie is full of realistic emotions. She becomes jealous very easily. When Wanderer is holding Jamie or Jared in her arms Melanie becomes full of jealousy. Melanie becomes angry when she cannot speak to anyone herself. Melanie and Wanderer are not the only realistic characters in The Host though. Almost every single character can be related back to a real person. They all show anger, fear, hatred, worry, love, and concern.
The Host is an amazing book that I would recommend to any girl. Boys probably would not like The Host, but girls probably would.
3 books 637 pages
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
To Perfect My World...
This world is far from perfect. The people in this world are to judgmental, and just about everyone tries to follow the crowd.
To perfect my world all the fighting needs to be stopped. Many of the wars going on have no point, and are just making the earth worse. Wars are not the only fighting that needs stopped; many countries fight bloodless battles everyday. If every country in the world could get along and work together this world would be so much better. Family and friends quarrelling needs to halt. If friends and family members cannot get along nothing will be perfect. All the inhabitants of this world need to get along for the world to be perfected. Gang violence is the worst. Young kids, and even some adults participate in gang violence.
To make my world perfect no one needs to be judgmental. People make the wrong assumptions all the time about other people. The people they judge do not always take criticism so well. No one should have to worry about being criticized in this world.
The one most important aspect of my perfect world is Jesus. The world would not revolve if it was not for Jesus. I believe the world would be one thousand times better than it is right now if every single person would except Jesus into their life.
There needs to be individuality in the world. No one needs to follow a crowd, they just need to be themselves. People need to think for themselves and not worry about what anyone else is doing. Individuality could make this world so much better.
To perfect my world all the fighting needs to be stopped. Many of the wars going on have no point, and are just making the earth worse. Wars are not the only fighting that needs stopped; many countries fight bloodless battles everyday. If every country in the world could get along and work together this world would be so much better. Family and friends quarrelling needs to halt. If friends and family members cannot get along nothing will be perfect. All the inhabitants of this world need to get along for the world to be perfected. Gang violence is the worst. Young kids, and even some adults participate in gang violence.
To make my world perfect no one needs to be judgmental. People make the wrong assumptions all the time about other people. The people they judge do not always take criticism so well. No one should have to worry about being criticized in this world.
The one most important aspect of my perfect world is Jesus. The world would not revolve if it was not for Jesus. I believe the world would be one thousand times better than it is right now if every single person would except Jesus into their life.
There needs to be individuality in the world. No one needs to follow a crowd, they just need to be themselves. People need to think for themselves and not worry about what anyone else is doing. Individuality could make this world so much better.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister Book Review
One beautiful girl, two ugly stepsisters, one bossy step mother, and one prince; sounds like the ingredients for a good Cinderella story huh? Well, in Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire, a twist is added to the story for a more appealing read. I truly enjoyed reading Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. The novel changed my view of the original Cinderella, and the new twist were exciting and different.
Many themes are shown within the novel, but the most precise would be "do not judge a book by its cover." Have you ever judged someone off of likes, or maybe even smell? The consequences of your actions could seriously hurt someone else. Within Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, other citizens tend to shy away from Iris and Ruth, "the ugly stepsisters." Though they repulse most, Iris and Ruth do not repulse Caspar, the Master's apprentice. Caspar takes the time to understand the girls and get to know them. Other citizens see Caspar, and get to know the girls better as well. Caspar starts liking the girls after he had a chance to get to know them. So, just because from the outside someone seems repulsive does not mean he or she is on the inside. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister teaches that a person needs to look within someone else before he or she begins to judge.
Gregory Maguire tells the story in a way that makes the reader feel as if he or she is a character within the story. The book is so hard to set aside because the author pulls the reader in through his style of writing. He uses many creative and realistic events to make the reader feel that the story is really happening.
In the traditional Cinderella story, Cinderella finds true her true love in the form of a prince, and her stepsisters get put in their places. Well, within Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, the stepsisters are not mean, and they get a happy ending as well. Within Cinderella, Cinderella does not get along with her sisters, and they make her do all of the housework. Within Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Clara, Cinderella, gets along with her sisters really well. She also volunteers to do housework, although not without the assistance of her stepsisters. Many other connections can be made between Cinderella and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and many other changes from the Cinderella are within Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.
I would recommend Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister to all most anyone, but mostly girls. For those who enjoy the classics though, I would not recommend Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. Gregory Maguire puts a strange, yet fascinating twist on the classic Cinderella story that is really appealing and hooking.
372 pages...2 books
Many themes are shown within the novel, but the most precise would be "do not judge a book by its cover." Have you ever judged someone off of likes, or maybe even smell? The consequences of your actions could seriously hurt someone else. Within Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, other citizens tend to shy away from Iris and Ruth, "the ugly stepsisters." Though they repulse most, Iris and Ruth do not repulse Caspar, the Master's apprentice. Caspar takes the time to understand the girls and get to know them. Other citizens see Caspar, and get to know the girls better as well. Caspar starts liking the girls after he had a chance to get to know them. So, just because from the outside someone seems repulsive does not mean he or she is on the inside. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister teaches that a person needs to look within someone else before he or she begins to judge.
Gregory Maguire tells the story in a way that makes the reader feel as if he or she is a character within the story. The book is so hard to set aside because the author pulls the reader in through his style of writing. He uses many creative and realistic events to make the reader feel that the story is really happening.
In the traditional Cinderella story, Cinderella finds true her true love in the form of a prince, and her stepsisters get put in their places. Well, within Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, the stepsisters are not mean, and they get a happy ending as well. Within Cinderella, Cinderella does not get along with her sisters, and they make her do all of the housework. Within Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Clara, Cinderella, gets along with her sisters really well. She also volunteers to do housework, although not without the assistance of her stepsisters. Many other connections can be made between Cinderella and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and many other changes from the Cinderella are within Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.
I would recommend Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister to all most anyone, but mostly girls. For those who enjoy the classics though, I would not recommend Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. Gregory Maguire puts a strange, yet fascinating twist on the classic Cinderella story that is really appealing and hooking.
372 pages...2 books
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Call of the Wild Book Review
In Jack London's The Call of the Wild a simple house dog is transformed into a tough, strong sled dog. The book was very insightful and held my interest with ease.
The Call of the Wild was written based on personal experience. Jack London's writing put the reader in the story. He kept the reader entertained through adventures and real life happenings. The book held no confusion and was easy to focus on.
Survival of the fittest is the main theme of The Call of the Wild. Have you ever taken a stand to survive? Not so easy huh? Survival of the fittest is tough for almost anyone and anything. There can be both negative and positive consequences from surviving in the wild, and Buck, the main character of The Call of the Wild, experiences both. Buck goes through many hardships and endures many lessons so he can survive in the wild.
Everyone in the world has instincts, but sometimes the instincts are hidden deep within. The hidden instincts will be revealed when the time is right. Buck never had to rely on his instincts until he became a sled dog. After weeks pulling a sled, Buck's instincts completely took over his mind and body. He no longer had to worry about starving or surviving. Through instinct, Buck established his rightful place in the world.
I would recommend The Call of the Wild to anyone. The adventures are very thrilling, and there are many surprises along the way.
The Call of the Wild was written based on personal experience. Jack London's writing put the reader in the story. He kept the reader entertained through adventures and real life happenings. The book held no confusion and was easy to focus on.
Survival of the fittest is the main theme of The Call of the Wild. Have you ever taken a stand to survive? Not so easy huh? Survival of the fittest is tough for almost anyone and anything. There can be both negative and positive consequences from surviving in the wild, and Buck, the main character of The Call of the Wild, experiences both. Buck goes through many hardships and endures many lessons so he can survive in the wild.
Everyone in the world has instincts, but sometimes the instincts are hidden deep within. The hidden instincts will be revealed when the time is right. Buck never had to rely on his instincts until he became a sled dog. After weeks pulling a sled, Buck's instincts completely took over his mind and body. He no longer had to worry about starving or surviving. Through instinct, Buck established his rightful place in the world.
I would recommend The Call of the Wild to anyone. The adventures are very thrilling, and there are many surprises along the way.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Antigone Book Review
How far would you go to bury your brother? Would your answer change if knowing that mourning a loved one is one of the only rights you had? Within Sophocles' Antigone, Antigone, one of the main characters has to make the choice. Antigone was quite interesting and many lessons can be learned by reading the play. I enjoyed reading Antigone.
Taking a stand was clearly the main theme of Antigone. Have you ever stood up for something you believe in? Women, unlike men, have to take many stands in their lifetimes. Women all over the world have to summon up the courage to take a stand for something they want, just as Antigone did.
Antigone was not the only one to take a stand in the play, Haemon, her fiance, did too. He did not consider the consequences of his actions as Antigone did though. Haemon's actions led to his tragic downfall. What was the downfall? Well, I can not tell you unless you want me to ruin the play for you.
Many lessons can be learned in Antigone. Thinking before acting is a major lesson learned in Antigone. Have you ever learned a valuable lesson from a mistake you made? Most of the time the realization of your actions registers to late right? Well, that is exactly what happened to Creon. He made a mistake, but realized to late what his mistake was. If Creon had realized his mistake earlier than he had, a tragic downfall could possibly have been prevented. Creon learned his lesson about acting before thinking, and realized his mistake. I think that Creon may start thinking about his actions instead of acting on impulse.
Would I recomend Antigone as a good play to read? Yes, Antigone is a very short, quick, and easy read. If you like short, easy, quick reads, Antigone is the play for you.
Taking a stand was clearly the main theme of Antigone. Have you ever stood up for something you believe in? Women, unlike men, have to take many stands in their lifetimes. Women all over the world have to summon up the courage to take a stand for something they want, just as Antigone did.
Antigone was not the only one to take a stand in the play, Haemon, her fiance, did too. He did not consider the consequences of his actions as Antigone did though. Haemon's actions led to his tragic downfall. What was the downfall? Well, I can not tell you unless you want me to ruin the play for you.
Many lessons can be learned in Antigone. Thinking before acting is a major lesson learned in Antigone. Have you ever learned a valuable lesson from a mistake you made? Most of the time the realization of your actions registers to late right? Well, that is exactly what happened to Creon. He made a mistake, but realized to late what his mistake was. If Creon had realized his mistake earlier than he had, a tragic downfall could possibly have been prevented. Creon learned his lesson about acting before thinking, and realized his mistake. I think that Creon may start thinking about his actions instead of acting on impulse.
Would I recomend Antigone as a good play to read? Yes, Antigone is a very short, quick, and easy read. If you like short, easy, quick reads, Antigone is the play for you.
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