"'Liberation?' Astonishing how the criminal instincts do survive in the human species. I choose the word criminal advisedly. Freedom and criminality are just as indissolubly linked as...well, as the movement of an aero and its velocity. When the velocity of an aero is reduced to 0, it is not in motion; when a man's freedom is reduced to zero, he commits no crimes. That's clear. the only way to rid man of crime is rid him of his freedom"(36).
This stood out to me this is the way this entire society thinks. They have created their schedules and laws based on this philosophy. When D-503 questions the word liberation, he wonders why anyone would want to leave a so called perfect society. He does not understand freedom because he has never been free. Freedom cannot be learned, but must be experienced. The people's time is completely taken up by doing what they are told and following a schedule that allows little free time. It may be true that eliminating freedom is the only way to completely get rid of crime, but in doing so, life itself is also being taken away.
Today, freedom is taken away from criminals so that they can no longer commit any crimes. This book starts everyone out with no freedom in the hope that they can have no crime. However, individualism will emerge anyway. It is not possible to run a society that eliminates the individual.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
We - Reflection
I liked reading We because of how it is written as a journal. The book is meant to go with the INTEGRAL into space for others to read and understand the culture. However, D-503 allows his own personal thoughts and emotions become a part of this journal. Through his writing, all of his thoughts are shown and tell of how he feels about others and how he attempts to make sense of what is going on in his life. I also liked the way the characters were portrayed. Although their society did not allow for a whole lot of emotion, they all had unique personalities and were interesting characters that people today could easily relate to.
Anthem - Reflection
I liked reading this book more than some of the other books we have read about the same type of thing because unlike Fahrenheit 451 and We, technology has not developed, but instead it has started over completely. While We is extremely futuristic and Anthem is more primitive the same problems are still faced. These two extremes were gone to only because their previous ways were also not working in the way that they wanted them to. No matter how far technology is, a society will always have problems.
The Handmaid's Tale - Reflection
Many biblical allusions are found in The Handmaid's Tale. Finding out what these allusions were and looking them up to make the connections between the Biblical stories and the book was the most interesting part of reading this book. Almost every name and place in the book is biblical as well as the numerous references used to decribe things in the story. What i did not like about the story was that, because the story is told from Offred's point of view, only her true emmotions are truely shown. Everyone else in the story seemed much more dull. Had the story been told in their perspective, their true emotions would have been much clearer, but it was in Offred's so only her's was shown.
Fahrenheit 451 - Analysis
"Only the man with the Captain's hat and the sign of the phoenix on his hat..."(26).
The symbol of the phoenix is used by the firemen and worn by their captain on his hat. The phoenix is a bird that will catch on fire and burn to ashes when it dies. From these ashes the phoenix is reborn and lives another life. This symbol of the firemen is here to show that there will be rebirth. Montag, a fireman, changes his way of life and rises from the ashes of his former way of life of burning books. He eventually accepts that books are good and contain valuable knowledge.
Also, this allusion can be foreshadowing the death of the Captain. He, like the phoenix, dies by burning in flames. This is possibly because he could not go on with his way of life. The way he speaks, constantly quoting literature shows that books are still a part of him and that he no longer wants to destroy them.
The symbol of the phoenix is used by the firemen and worn by their captain on his hat. The phoenix is a bird that will catch on fire and burn to ashes when it dies. From these ashes the phoenix is reborn and lives another life. This symbol of the firemen is here to show that there will be rebirth. Montag, a fireman, changes his way of life and rises from the ashes of his former way of life of burning books. He eventually accepts that books are good and contain valuable knowledge.
Also, this allusion can be foreshadowing the death of the Captain. He, like the phoenix, dies by burning in flames. This is possibly because he could not go on with his way of life. The way he speaks, constantly quoting literature shows that books are still a part of him and that he no longer wants to destroy them.
The Handmaid's Tale - Analysis
In this book, there are many biblical allusions and references to the Bible. The use of biblical names in Gilead are possibly created by the leaders to reassure the citizens that the lifestyle that they are leading is one that is religious and meaningfull. The entire society is based upon religion and rituals, however; they are not allowed to read the the Bible themselves. Instead, it is locked up so that no one can have it except for the Commander.
The Bible is only read to them by the Commander. Of course, the Commander will only select passages that will enforce their way of life. Also, the women listening do not even know if what he reads is actually biblical since they can not read it themselves. This causes the women to wonder if they really are follwing the Bible. I find it ironic that a society so based on religion is not able to read the relgion for themselves.
The Bible is only read to them by the Commander. Of course, the Commander will only select passages that will enforce their way of life. Also, the women listening do not even know if what he reads is actually biblical since they can not read it themselves. This causes the women to wonder if they really are follwing the Bible. I find it ironic that a society so based on religion is not able to read the relgion for themselves.
Anthem - Quote
"Everything which comes from the many is good. Everything which comes from one is evil. Thus have we been taught with our first breathe. We have broken the law, but we have never doubted it. Yet now, as we walk through the forest, we are learning to doubt.
There is no life for men, save in the useful toil for the good of all their brothers. But we lived not when we toiled for our brothers, we were only weary"(Rand 85-86).
This was my favorite quote while reading Anthem, because it shows how Equality is learning that the laws that his city lives by are wrong. Even though he has been taught that anything that he comes up with on his own is evil, he still realizes that this is not how people are meant to live. People still have the ability to learn and they can learn that their laws are wrong as long as they are willing to accept that the majority of society is sometimes being misguided. Equality has the courage to go out on his own and discover a better way of life.
There is no life for men, save in the useful toil for the good of all their brothers. But we lived not when we toiled for our brothers, we were only weary"(Rand 85-86).
This was my favorite quote while reading Anthem, because it shows how Equality is learning that the laws that his city lives by are wrong. Even though he has been taught that anything that he comes up with on his own is evil, he still realizes that this is not how people are meant to live. People still have the ability to learn and they can learn that their laws are wrong as long as they are willing to accept that the majority of society is sometimes being misguided. Equality has the courage to go out on his own and discover a better way of life.
The Handmaid's Tale - Quote
“They will accept their duties with willing hearts.
She did not say: Because they will have no memories, of any other way.
She said: Because they won’t want things they can’t have"(117 ).
They are the transitional generation. If this society can make it past their lifetime and into their children’s then they will not know any better and will think that this is just how life is. “…they won’t want things that they can’t have”(117). If they are not given the ideas and thoughts of another life, then how will they ever be able to want these things? That is what the thoughts of those in control is. However, people only want what they do not have. This is proved multiple times through the thoughts of Offred.
Often times, Offred wants to steal things from around the house. Most of these things are not even useful or helpful, but she says that she just wants to take them because they are things she is not allowed to have.
A society can not last if it based on keeping people in the dark and not allowing them to know of the past. People will naturally want to be free and to have more. Though an entire society can be physically contained within walls, a person's curiosity and desires can not be bound.
She did not say: Because they will have no memories, of any other way.
She said: Because they won’t want things they can’t have"(117 ).
They are the transitional generation. If this society can make it past their lifetime and into their children’s then they will not know any better and will think that this is just how life is. “…they won’t want things that they can’t have”(117). If they are not given the ideas and thoughts of another life, then how will they ever be able to want these things? That is what the thoughts of those in control is. However, people only want what they do not have. This is proved multiple times through the thoughts of Offred.
Often times, Offred wants to steal things from around the house. Most of these things are not even useful or helpful, but she says that she just wants to take them because they are things she is not allowed to have.
A society can not last if it based on keeping people in the dark and not allowing them to know of the past. People will naturally want to be free and to have more. Though an entire society can be physically contained within walls, a person's curiosity and desires can not be bound.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Anthem - Analysis
In Anthem, light is used to represent knowledge. Equality discovers electricty and light while in his hidden tunnel. This light would not have been able to be discovered if he were in the city obeying the law, but he had to obtain his knowledge through the breaking of his city's laws. When he realizes that the city does not want his knowledge, he takes it into the forest. He takes the light with him into the forest which represents the unknown to escape the limitations created by the city.
The unknown is the perfect place for him to take his knowledge, becasue he can still learn more and what better place to learn from than one that is not yet known. While in the forest he discovers a house from ancient times and learns about the past. Also, while in the forest, light shines through the trees on him and the Golden one. This shows the knowledge that he is learning when he abandons his city.
Fahrenheit 451 - Reflection
I enjoyed reading Fahrenheit 451 because it showed how the advancement of technology and the neglect of books and knowledge will bring about destruction. In this book, technology allows people to be able to just stay inside all day watching telivision and not have to leave the house as much. The technology causes people in Fahrenheit 451 to have to have less interaction with the world and other people. Also, technology is able to keep people from knowing what is really going on in the world. They can be tricked into believing false things, like when the innocent man is shown on t.v. being killed by the hound and the news claims it was Montag that was shown. Another example of how their technology effects them is that in their technological society, suicide attempts are about 10 every day according to the handymen in charge of operating the machine that is meant to save their lives.
In this book, books are taken away and burned. Along with these books, the knowledge contained within them is also being destroyed. The destruction of knowledge represents the consequences of having a world so far into technology that knowledge is not even needed and is lost.
After reading the book, it has become evident that our world's technology is also causing us to lack knowledge that we once needed. With computers, people do not need to memorize things or remember how to do them as much since they can quickly look it up on the computer. Also, our T.V. sets and the media can change our way of thinking and do not allow people to think for themselves.
In this book, books are taken away and burned. Along with these books, the knowledge contained within them is also being destroyed. The destruction of knowledge represents the consequences of having a world so far into technology that knowledge is not even needed and is lost.
After reading the book, it has become evident that our world's technology is also causing us to lack knowledge that we once needed. With computers, people do not need to memorize things or remember how to do them as much since they can quickly look it up on the computer. Also, our T.V. sets and the media can change our way of thinking and do not allow people to think for themselves.
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