My Further reading endeavors

Just in case anyone is looking for more things to read, I will be reading “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” over break. This was another book that my group considered reading. It is currently being made into a movie, so I’m hoping to read it before the movie debuts. The premise is that a young German boy during WWII is exploring in the woods when he finds another boy about his age behind a fence. The boy is wearing “striped pajamas,” which the reader should infer to be a prison uniform. The book is supposed to be written from the German boy’s perspective. The real story of course is that the German boy is meeting a boy in a concentration camp, but from the boy doesn’t understand that that is what he is observing. I think that the book sounds very interesting, and I am looking forward to seeing the story of the Holocaust shown from a new viewpoint. The book is also very short and is supposedly easy to read. I also want to read Twilight over the break even though it has been banned from this class lol. I saw the movie and was surprised by how much I liked it, so I might have to read that too haha. Anyway, I hope that everyone is as psyched about reading as I am, and that you all do well on your finals. Hope everyone has a wonderful break, and that it doesn’t snow too much more here!

Is that a club for books to congregate?

I would just like to say a little bit about this class before it is officially over. I initially took this course because I needed a humanities GER, and had exhausted most other options already. As I look back now, I used to try to avoid reading like the plague. In addition to everyone’s great discussions in class, and the ability to say that I’ve read X amount of books this year, I really feel like my outlook on reading in general has changed. I don’t think that I have ever actually wanted to read since maybe 5th grade lol. I really did enjoy the final project. My mom is in a book club back home that meets like once every two weeks. I always used to laugh at her and wonder why she would waste time reading when there were “better” things to be done. After doing the final project, which was very similar to my mom’s book club, I think I understand why she participates. A book club is kind of like a mini version of our class. I know that a lot of people have been saying that they are sad to have the course end, because they enjoyed reading throughout the weeks. If I was in a book club, it would be like class all the time, but without the stress of a grade attachment haha. Anyway, I just thought that I would bring this up. If any of you still need to post comments, let me know if you agree with my sentiments, or if you just think I am lame for saying I’d join a book club lol.

My Vote

My vote for next year’s book is “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult. Although I did enjoy many of the other books presented b other groups, I think that a class would gain the most from reading this novel. There is much to discuss regarding the mechanics of the writing, along with infinite discussion about the plot. There are so many ethical questions raised by this text, and I feel like they are more applicable to the students than the questions raised by “My Year of Meats.” My group personally had enough discussion to fill 3 class periods, and that was only with 6 people talking. The book was also a very easy read, which I think many of you in the class would enjoy. I do admit that I am a total procrastinator. I didn’t begin reading the novel until the Monday following Thanksgiving break, and I had finished it by the following Saturday. I also wasn’t reading at breakneck speed because I had many things to do such as prepare for a piano performance. The book kept my interest throughout which is difficult for a book to do. In that aspect it is a lot like Water for Elephants. Also, it was good to have a definitive ending unlike “Happiness,” even if it was a very sad ending. I know that it isn’t good to toot one’s own horn, but I am voting for my own book because I honestly think that the next class stands to gain a lot from reading it.

The Road

I really liked how “The Road” sounded. I have never read any of Cormac McCarthy’s works, but judging from the descriptions of two of his books, I think maybe I should start. I watched the movie version of No Country for Old Men, and the book’s description sounds about like how the movie played out. Both No Country for Old Men and The Road seems to have a sense of hopelessness, and endings that kind of leave the reader hanging. The Road really appealed to me though because of its sense of darkness. Not only is the physical setting supposed to be dark and covered in ash, but apparently the subject matter of the novel is also very dark. Based on the description of the group that presented in class, I imagine that the book would feel similar to 28 Days Later, I Am Legend, and Children of Men. Most stories about apocalypse portray the characters as fighting desperately to live, but at the same time, knowing that their own death is imminent. I think that The Road would be heavier than the other films I have mentioned because of the young boy. It is scary to think about being alone in a hostile world, but it is far scarier to picture yourself having to protect someone you love. The helplessness of children always complicates survival situations, but at the same time gives hope for a new beginning. I would like to read this novel, and I will definitely check out some of the other novels written by Cormac McCarthy.

What do you mean Calvin Klein isn't a real man?

Tyler Durden has a very different opinion of necessary things than the rest of us. Tyler thinks that a leaking roof, sketchy electricity, and a makeshift chemistry lab are luxuries. Tyler seems to be at one extreme end of the food, water, shelter thought process, whereas Edward Norton leans toward the food, water, Armani way of thinking. Edward Norton talks extensively about his Ikea furniture throughout the movie. Near the beginning, Edward Norton is sitting on the toilet, looking at what appears to be a centerfold. The magazine is actually an Ikea catalog that contains no pictures of nude women. Edward also tells Tyler that he had almost an entire lifetime’s set of outfits, and that he was “this close” to never needing another outfit for the rest of his life. Naturally Tyler, the modern Emerson, sees all these things as a hindrance to Edward’s true manhood. Tyler Durden solves this by blowing up Edward Norton’s apartment. This forces Edward Norton to move in with Tyler at Tyler’s derelict residence on Paper Street. What is rather odd about all this is the fact that Edward Norton and Tyler Durden are the same character. It’s bad enough when normal guys give each other a hard time about “being a man,” but this takes it to a new level. Tyler, or rather the book/movie is trying to make a statement about the modern American man. What’s interesting is that everyone, men and women alike watch Fight Club and marvel at how crazy the participants in the Fight Club are. Does this prove that Tyler has been right all along? Are we all sitting on our fake-leather couches watching this movie on a blu-ray player that we don’t need?! In a house that we can’t afford?!! Well whatever lol. Like I said in a high school lecture about transcendentalism; “I don’t see what the big deal is, I really like all my stuff…”

My Generation... well maybe Tyler's

While Tyler Durden makes many references to the seemingly meaningless state of his life, the statement regarding “The Great Depression” and “The Great War” brings up a very important point about his generation. I suppose that this also applies to my generation. Previous generations in the United States, have always had some crisis that either bolsters solidarity, or forces a sort of “social Darwinism” on the nation. My generation, and those of Tyler’s generation, don’t really have something similar to the plights of past generations (granted now my generation has terrorism, multiple wars, and economic crisis to be concerned with, but in 1999 that wasn’t really the case.) Tyler points out that basically “man’s” sole purpose on earth is to fight (from an evolutionary standpoint,) and that modern man has nothing left to fight about. From a young age, teachers and parents try to train boys that fighting is bad, and that they should “use their words” etc. Whereas generations before us had wars to fight overseas, and wars to fight in the streets to try to feed their families, my generation really doesn’t have much to fight or complain about. Tyler thinks that this is a terrible thing indeed, to have made a whole generation of castrated men. The “Tyler” side of Edward Norton’s character is trying to give the passive side a nudge in the “right direction.” What’s really interesting about all this is that the "passive” side of “Tyler,” argues repeatedly with the “aggressive” side (for example in the car scene) about being inhumane and crazy. Anyway, I kind of have to agree with Tyler’s statement, but I don’t really want to “do” anything about it. Which I guess proves that I’m a lazy Ikea shopping modern man…

What puts the Fight in Fight Club?

Let me start by saying that Fight club is one of my all time favorite movies. I am a huge Edward Norton fan, which helps to explain my love for fight club. The story is so thought provoking. I can still remember the first time that I watched Fight Club; the plot twist was so amazing. I had to watch it again just to think about everything being done only by Edward Norton. But what else contributes to Fight Club outside of the actors and the plot? I mean for example, Ocean’s 13 has a ton of famous actors, but I don’t enjoy watching it nearly as much as Fight Club.
Basically, I feel like Fight Club creates a mood in addition to telling a great story. Everything about Fight Club is dark. From the behind the bar fights, to the derelict house in the middle of nowhere, to the disgusting basement. Even the opening credits are dark. This only augments the already dark subject matter of the plot.
The other thing that creates the “Fight Club Mood,” is the music. The musical setting created is absolutely perfect for the scenes depicted. My particular favorite is the song that is played after Edward Norton (Tyler) discovers he can sleep after attending the testicular cancer support group. A song that is very chamber musicesque plays in the background as he circles various support groups in the paper, while narrating about what a life changing experience this has been. The song follows the chord progression I, V, ii, iv. For those of you out there who are not music buffs, this chord progression is very odd. It is odd because it starts off sounding very happy, and then sort of “morphs” into something very sad. This fits perfectly with what is happening in the movie. Tyler has discovered something that makes him happy, but the only way he can gain this happiness is through other people’s pain and suffering.
The music, the subject matter, and the cinematography all leave me feeling saddened, and yet somehow driven at the end of the movie. Every time I watch fight club I feel like I need to get up off the couch and do something meaningful with my life (instead of the usual sit around and play video games chapter I seem to be stuck in.) I think that this is the message that the movie is trying to convey, with the production value embedded within the film.