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.

1984... or is it?

Rock the Junta paints a different picture of what it is like to live in a fascist state. I found this short story very interesting. When I hear someone mention 1984, “V for Vendetta,” or Fahrenheit 451, I paint the same basic picture of oppression, poverty, and violence in my head. The same goes when I hear about Afghanistan, Darfur, and anywhere else in the world that is suffering a “Conflict.” It won’t come as a surprise then when I say that based on the first paragraph, I expected Rock the Junta to be yet another story of poverty, violence, and oppression. But it was not. Whereas the normal “Orwellian” picture’s colors are vibrant and stark, this picture of Fascism was filled with muted colors.
The Government control method in Myanmar is very different from the typical fascism (if there is such a thing.) Here, the government rules by supreme censorship. In Myanmar, you are allowed to listen to music. You are allowed to watch American television. You are even allowed to be whatever religion you please. But the government forces you to take everything in moderation. At first I thought that this sounded like an okay deal, until I learned later in the story, that everyone was afraid that they were being watched by the government at all times. This would disturb me greatly. Everyone in the United States seems to take “Freedom of Speech” for granted. What I mean by this is; I say a lot of things, to a lot of people, about a lot of stuff regarding the government. Basically the only thing that I fear is that the person I am talking with disagrees with me. Never have I had to worry that person I am talking to, or that the person standing 10 feet behind them, could potentially report me to the government, ensuring that I get arrested. What a scary thing this would be, not knowing who you could talk to openly, and who might be listening in on your conversation.
So while the situation in Myanmar might seem tamer than those situations portrayed in books, or talked about on TV, I think that the people suffer equally. Just the fact that Scott Carrier (or whoever actually went to Myanmar) didn’t really get a straight answer from anyone is evidence to the total mind control that the government there has exercised on its people.

The end of MY mountain

So I finally finished Happiness this afternoon. All in all I thought that the ending was alright, but I wish that it hadn’t played out so quickly. I was also disappointed with Jack as a character. I didn’t like the fact that Jack haphazardly pieced the book together while watching PBS. I felt like if jack was reading all these books, and was capable of comprehending economics, finance, and metaphysics, that he shouldn’t have lived such a dirty meaningless life in paradise flats. It seems to me that jack should have led a more intellectual life particularly since every other character in the book was a cliché stereotype. If I had written the ending of the book; first off, I would have either left out Mr. Mead and Dr. Ethics, or I would have made them play a much more substantial role… Assuming I left them out, I would have had Edwin run a gauntlet of riddles and dead ends before he finally got to meet Jack. With regards to jack, I would have made jack a much more classy drinker/smoker/womanizer (Charlie Sheen anyone?) I also would have had Edwin find the real Tupak at a place very close to his own house in the city (and for that matter, maybe Nigel should have been the true writer of the book, but then of course Edwin would have had to kill him…) I would have made the final confrontation much more epic and not so pitiful. I guess that Fergusson was trying to show just how pathetic both jack and Edwin were, but I just felt let down. Throughout the book I always pictured Tupak as a witty cunning genius, that was always one step ahead of Edwin, but it turned out that he was hardly in control of his own life (and by that I’m referencing his health and the condition of his trailer.) I think the ending would have been much more interesting had there been a grand battle of wits for the finale, complete with a massive ethical debate. I was hoping for a better debate about the ethics involved with what I learned on the mountain, Edwin arguing for free will, and jack arguing for freedom from unhappiness. With regards to May, I don’t know if I would have had them get back together again, but I do wish that May would have made another actual appearance; even if she only yelled at Edwin some more. It seemed dumb that Edwin went to kill Tupak as revenge for May, but then never got to see if she reverted back to normal after the release Unhappiness.

Self?

Well first off, I can’t say that I’ve read any “self-help” books. I would hope that some self-help books are being published with the intent to actually help people, rather than fulfill a “Mr. Ethics’esque” quota. I will say however that I have read a lot of “how-to” books. If self help books are anything like how-to books, I have this to offer: I personally notice that even if I have the world’s greatest “how-to do a handstand book” I won’t get any better at doing handstands unless I myself put in the time and effort required (maybe there should be a self help book about discipline…)

I think that self-help has to come from inside the individual (thus the “self” part…) Whether that be the perseverance required to accomplish a goal, the initiative to start pursuing said goal, or just the realization that such a goal is possible to attain, it all has to start with the individual. While it is true that going out to buy a book that will supposedly “help” you attain a goal requires initiative, I’m just pointing out that I have quite a few how-to books on my shelf and not a lot of accomplishments to show for them. This would lead me to believe that I have enough initiative to get the book, but that books alone don’t accomplish my goals for me. I could read a book a hundred times, but until I try and fail at my first hand stand, I won’t get any better at handstands, I’ll only get better at reading about them.

Being a music major, my life revolves around practice… Sometimes I hate practicing, but other times I’m very eager to learn a new piece (or instrument for that matter.) The trick for me has always been knowing how to press on through the hard times, to get to the goal that I seek.

Anyway, I think that self-help books may contain the information needed to better one’s self, but that it is ultimately up to the individual to accomplish their goals, not up to the book.