Can someone help me with Animal Farm?
Ok, So I know Animal Farm is supposed to be some type of satire or political commentary, but I'm having trouble figuring out what character is supposed to be what person in history.... does anyone have any information on that to help me out? I guess when I read this book I was too young to understand the nature of the story and I just took it at face value as a bunch of pigs trying to take over the farm. I need some help breaking it down... N E Help would be appreciated. thanks!!
Brave New World or Scary New World
I read 1984 and thought our world was a lot similar to that, but now I think it's a mixture of 1984 and Brave New World. Brave New World is similar to our society today because of the theme of inventing a paradise by use of genetic means. Now that we've decoded the human genome it is possible a world like this could somehow exist in the future. Babies are born in test tubes in 5 different categories the top one being the most phsically and mentally fit, and then each lower category produces a slightly less efficient and physically abled then the previous caste. Then the children become programmed to behave certain ways (think television and our education system). In order to be able to escape from the mundane every day aspects of life, people of this book take a drug called soma, which makes them hallucinate and go on 'trips'. There are a lot of aspects of this book which can be seen in society today? Anyone have a good one to point out?
Is 1984 here?
Is Big Brother watching us? Have we started to limit our language to that of Double Speak? Is Big Brother in our home as the only source of what we hear about the world from the media? It's really scary to think that many of the things George Orwell put in his book 1984 may actually be a reality for us. Let's discuss 1984 and 2006 and see how many similarities we can come up with between what happens in the book and what is happening in real life....
The Famous To Kill a Mockingbird
One of the best books. Ever. I've read this books a few times, mostly because I had to in school, but I've enjoyed it every time. This book has such a great feeling to it, it leaves you feeling all warm and happy inside. The story follows the Finch family and their lives growing up in the south. Atticus the father is a very strong character. He is a wonderful father to Scout and Jem his two young children. The story is about how the children learn to realize that the environment they grow up in consists of fear, racism, violence, and hatred. These things become very real to them as their father, a local lawyer, becomes the attorney for a black man accused of rape. The way the family deals with the situation makes their family seem like such a strong unit. I will have to re-read this book to become more familiar with it again, but I will always remember what a great book it is!
Finally read the Lord of the Rings....
and boy was it a tough one to get through. After seeing all of the movies, I decided I would read the books. I never read them growing up, so I wasn't as versed in the Hobbit world. The Lord of the Rings was definitely a good book although parts of it seemed to drag on and on. It may be due to the constant singing that was happening with these merry little Hobbits. I did enjoy the adventures of Sam, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin but I am not sure I can endure another adventure with them. Did anyone else have a hard time getting through this novel?
Battlefield Earth??
Has anyone read Battlefield Earth? It's on my lists of books to read, but I'm a little apprehensive to read something so closely related to Scientology.....
Mission Earth is also on my list. Why is everyone reading L.Ron Hubbard? How many people out there are really Scientologists?
If anyone has read either of these books and you are not a Scientologist, could you please let me know if you liked it and whether or not it's worth my time to read?
Mission Earth is also on my list. Why is everyone reading L.Ron Hubbard? How many people out there are really Scientologists?
If anyone has read either of these books and you are not a Scientologist, could you please let me know if you liked it and whether or not it's worth my time to read?
Ayn Rand isn't as bad as everyone says....
Although a lot of people think that Ayn Rand and Ann Coulter are long lost cousins.... Ayn Rand isn't as bad as post people make her out to be. For a woman who was born to communism, she had a very good grasp on the human condition. She definitely doesn't like things sugar coated. Atlas Shrugged is by far her best novel. The main character, Dagney Taggert, is a very strong female role for the time this book was released. She was the head of a major railroad company. The book follows her through the trials and tribulations of being on top as a woman. She has to deal with men in a Man's world. Hank Reardon is one of the most imporant men in her life, she relies on him not only for her railroad's steel, but for love and affection. This book is so great, I will probably read it once every other year. I loved it. I've also read some of her other books. What was your favorite? Any favorite scene or part of her books you'd like to share comments on?
who GROKKED Stranger in a Strange Land?!
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein was by far one of the best and most interesting books I've encountered over the years. Last year I decided I wanted to read as many of the Random House Modern Library Top 100 Novels as I can, and I have read quite a few of them. This one has been one of my favorites. It's about a man (human) who was born on Mars and was raised as a martian. He was returned to Earth because technically the people of Earth felt that he was now the RULER of Mars simply because he was the first human to be there.
The story goes on to describe his interractions with the human race which he did not quite understand because even though he was biologically human, he was really Martian at heart.
The themes of this book are love, understanding, and grokking. Sexual freedom was also very much explored, and it made it seem like a 1960's hippie love fest.
I learned a lot from this book about humans and it put a lot of our behavior into a new perspective. What did you get out of this?
The story goes on to describe his interractions with the human race which he did not quite understand because even though he was biologically human, he was really Martian at heart.
The themes of this book are love, understanding, and grokking. Sexual freedom was also very much explored, and it made it seem like a 1960's hippie love fest.
I learned a lot from this book about humans and it put a lot of our behavior into a new perspective. What did you get out of this?
Clan of the Cave Bear
Recently I picked up the book Clan of the Cave Bear at a local thrift store. I had heard a lot of people talking about it saying it was an excellent book, so I thought I would give the series a shot. I really enjoyed Ayla's character and her interaction with the rest of the Clan. Jean Auel, the author, must have done a lot of research to be able to write about the lives of the prehistoric peoples the way she was able to. She was very descriptive about the environment they lived in, the things they ate, and the plants they would use for food and medicinal purposes. Sometimes I wonder about the accuracy of the book though because it seems like the Clan people were slightly too intelligent, but then again, I wasn't living back then so how would I know? This is a great story of love, friendship, and courage, and I recommend this book to those who enjoy reading stories based in different times of the world. I'll definitely have to start reading the other books in Auel's Earth's Children series.
One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest
Although this book doesn't necessarliy belong in the medical section, I think it could strike up a good conversation on the current state of mental illness in society. I had always wanted to read this book, and I was very happy when I finally picked it up. I think what hit me hard was how McMurphy was labeled as being mentally ill even though he probably wasn't. He definitely had some character quirks to him, but he definitely did not deserve to be lobotomized. The only reason that happened to him in the end was because of the Big Nurse. It's scary that one person can have that much control over what people do. All of the other hospital patients loved McMurphy because he helped them to feel alive and human while the Big Nurse made them feel subhuman and not worthy of living a happy and fulfilled life. She had a hard time even letting the guys watch a baseball game. I don't know much about the way hospitals like that run now, but I have a feeling not too much has changed. Does anyone have any thoughts on this book? How did it impact you and your views on the mentally ill (or not mentally ill)?