2013 Summer Reading List by Ellen

Here are some recommendations for those of you who want a relaxing summer with a fun book.  Thanks Ellen. 😉

 

Hate Rules the World

The book 1984 by George Orwell has so many unanswered questions.  Why didn’t O’brian kill Winston sooner?  Does Goldstein exist? Was Julia ever with the Thought Police?  Here is one question I would like to answer.

What is the brotherhood? The brotherhood of 1984 is a conspiracy.  The brotherhood was created by the Inner Party as a focus point for the party’s feelings of anger, betrayal, and fear.   It has kept the people united in their anger toward Goldstein and the brotherhood which in turn distracts them from realizing how badly they are living and how the Inner Party is controlling them. The brotherhood is just one example of such focus points.  Throughout history and even in entertainment we can find instances where hate it the greatest force in uniting people for a common goal.

Let’s take the anime Code Geass as an example.  During the second season, the protagonist, Lelouch, becomes the dictator of the Britannian Empire after killing his father.  Lelouch as the new emperor threatens anyone who dares to get in his way.  The other countries of the world turn against him and unite in order take him down.  Lelouch had planned this all along.  He wanted to make the world peaceful by giving the people something or someone to hate in order to get them to create an alliance.  In the end, he is defeated and the world does change for the better.

In a realistic situation, Hitler used the Jews as a scapegoat for all the Germans’ misfortune.  He fueled their anger and hate with heated speeches and propaganda.  Even the Germans who didn’t initially hate the Jews went along with the hype either out of fear or just a sense of nationalism.

Even more recent, everyday there are blogs, forums, and plenty of online discussions about what celebrities, politicians, or other types of people we don’t like.  Whether it’s their music, the way they dress, who they date, or who they cheat on we all love to jump at the opportunity to agree or angrily disagree with other people.  We enjoy it because we can find other people in the world with the same ideas we have or find people completely unlike us and start a huge discussion over who’s right.  After two sides form, we create a name for each group like the “Beliebers”  and then each side gains followers who also agree the opposition is wrong.  More arguing starts and never ends.

                     vs.                        

So, why do the party members seem to hate Goldstein more than the countries they’re fighting from Eastasia and Eurasia? Why would they dedicate two minutes of hate for one person every day?  My answer is that he has a face.  It is not possible to fully hate a country or an entire population as much as the betrayal of someone who was once supposed to be your ally.  The Inner Party knows that it is easier to hate someone who is closer to you than the millions of people from a foreign country.

Hitler is another example for this.  Everyone can reference to him because we see him as a person who committed horrible acts against humanity.  If someone saw his face there is a good chance they know who he is and what he did and would most likely feel a sense of dislike immediately.  However, if they were to see a picture of a random German person, it would be less likely they would feel anything at all since they are just one out of many Germans whereas Hitler is distinguishable.

Hate is a big part of what has created the world.  It is constantly shaping history and the world we know today.  How many situations can you think of where hate or fear created a shift in society?

“The past was dead, the future was unimaginable.”

The “Big Brother” reference occurs prominently in the book, The Hunger Games. The idea is that Panem is synonymously “Big Brother” can help us compare and contrast along with the book 1984. In reference to the plot of the novel, The Hunger Games, 1984 is significantly similar in the way that both worlds are controlled in means. The protagonist in the novel, Katniss Everdeen described how she felt trapped in her world, and how she wanted to win against the games of Panem. Winston on the other hand, significantly feels the same way living in the tyranny of the ruling Party, known to us as Ingsoc in the novel.

“Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.”

“I’m more than just a piece in their Games.”

Both of these protagonists feels the weight of the power of these totalitarian governments that they don’t know who they are as personal individuals anymore. The power of the control of the governments gives a great impact to the characters in the story, leaving them feeling lost in the world of their own. Progressively, both of them gets an internal spark in them, a strong passion to go above and go to forth pursuing their ultimate dream of essentially overthrowing totalitarianism. According to the plot of The Hunger Games, it is predicted that in 1984, rebellion will eventually and fundamentally occur, concurrently in conclusion of the novels.

Love 101

In today’s society love is everywhere. From books, to movies and tv shows, to everyday life. You might be saying that it is not true, but if you think about it comedy, science fiction, horror stories, and most genres have some kind of love story in them. It might not be a romance story, like Edward and Bella, but it might be the love that exists between siblings, or between a mother and her son. In the spirit of Valentines, here are some need to know things about love.

1. Even the most unlikely people can find love. Just take a look at the guys from the Big Bang Theory .  We can see from the very beginning that Leonard is crazy for Penny and after a very long time of drooling over her, they finally become a couple, “if there is a will, there is a way”. There is also the love story between Howard, the short, needy, and as Penny describes him “disgusting”, and Bernadette, sweet loving and all caring, following the idea that opposites attract. Then there is Sheldon, the last person anyone would think that would get a girlfriend, and Amy. Both completely socially awkward and believe that they are much smarter than everyone else, until Amy meets Penny and Bernadette and begins to understand how to interact with others. That relationship shows that sometimes you need someone willing to change to keep thing going well. Finally there is the lonely Raj, a guy who can’t talk to any girl unless he’s drunk, and whose longest relationship has been with Siri, and in the latest season his dog, showing that love is not always as easy to find.

2. Sometimes, love comes in large packages and sometimes, in little steps. In the novel City of Bones, we see an example of love coming in small steps. The main character, Clary Fray, becomes infatuated with a supernatural demon-hunting boy: Jace. At first, he isn’t so interested in her normality and humanity. However, as the plot thickens Jace finds himself constantly protecting her from danger. These brief moments of action eventually bond Clary and Jace together, with the help of some heated conversations. As love stories go, this one seems to be the typical one that ends in a happily ever after; but towards the end of the novel, readers discover a big secret that would most certainly affect Jace and Clary’s love for each other.

3. Love is complicated.  It can make one do impulsive things and feel things we don’t understand.  No relationship can be absolutely perfect.  If it was, it wouldn’t be interesting, especially in television.  The drama, heartbreak, jealousy, and the finding of new love are what keeps the viewers from changing the channel.  Fans are always anticipating the conflict will try to break their favorite couples apart.  Although we don’t really want them to break up, it’s way more interesting to watch them struggle.  For example, in the Vampire Diaries, Stefan and Elena seem to be the most perfect couple.  Elena, the beautiful cheerleader and Stefan, the handsome new boy and vampire.  They would do anything to protect the other, even risk their lives.  They have faced many dangers like hybrids, witches, originals, and werewolves.  Stefan is thoughtful and protective and seems like the perfect guy.  However this doesn’t stop Elena from being attracted to Stefan’s equally hot, bad boy of brother, Damon.  Damon unlike his brother, is ruthless, impulsive, and a heart breaker.  After Stefan leaves Elena to save his brother, Elena turns to Damon for support.  While trying to get Stefan back, Elena’s feelings begin to waver.  She can’t help but be entranced by Damon’s subtle acts of kindness, gorgeous smile, and the thrill she gets from being around him.  It doesn’t help that after being turned into a vampire, that her feeling for him are amplified.  Elena now realizes that while she still loves Stefan she isn’t in love with him, but rather she’s in love with Damon.  So now all the Stelena fans are probably waiting to see if Dalena will last the rest of the season.  Interesting, right?  From this we learn that while love is difficult to maintain and doesn’t always go the way we hoped, it’s not then end of the world. A new love could be just around the corner.

4. There is love, and then there is romance. In Nicholas Spark’s The Notebook, we the audience could explore the genuine meaning of how romance can have a deep meaning originating from something as simple as love. In The Notebook, you could call it old-fashioned romance as opposed to today’s modern views of love and relationships. As notorious for being the movie that will surely touch your heart and jerk tears from your eyes, The Notebook has been notably acclaimed as the perfect romantic movie for anyone, at any age. Yes, love is very complicated. Romance is what keeps the fire going. When a couple falls in love, they are bound to run into problems. It is inevitable. As Noah and Allie have, couples will without doubt run into such problems regarding jealousy, trust issues, and distance. With the typical love triangle in every other work of romance, it will most definitely keep the audience on edge throughout the movie, as the novel likewise.

HAVE A HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!