Thursday, September 30, 2010
Values in Literature
Something that we don't usually talk about when we discuss the books we read is how the literature reflects the values of the author and the values of the society we live in. Do we accept the premises and plots of the novels because they match our own? Does the author want us to examine those things that we value in our world. After re-reading the Dune series, which is based around the importance of a special "spice" that lengthens life and gives deep insight, I got to thinking, is there anything so vital and sought after in our world that we would fight wars etc over it? If so, is there a message about these sought after materials in the novel? Think back to a book you have read or are reading...does the author force you to question your values? How? Does the author demonstrate his own values to you? Be specific in your response.
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Hey Horvath, figured I'd pop into your blog for Old Time's Sake. I am going to answer the question, by the way, just so you know. The book we're reading in L.A. now (A Separate Peace) kind of makes me question my values, or rather, the importance of them. These kids are going through a war and they seem just fine. Given it's not their age that is up for the draft, they're still dealing with the CHAOS (archetype in mythology fyi) pretty well, which makes me wonder how it is we have the nerve to complain on a day to day basis. I'm not even in your class anymore, so I'm risking looking kind of crazy and annoying, but, hey, when did I ever care about that? Hope y'all enjoyed my answer!! ; ]
ya know im glad you asked this because my author is making me think about values. I read the book soldier boys and the author is explaining how lucky people are today. SPencer the main character is in war and in the book it always says how he would long for anything but to be there in war
The book I am reading does make me think about my values. In the story Katnis comes from a family who doesn't have much money to pay for food. Katnis needs to hunt or trade for food that we usually have. Also Katnis is chosen to go into the Hunger Games where she has to fight to stay alive and if she is the last one standing she gets a years worth of food. This shows how lucky we have it where we have enough money to pay and own things that others may not be able to afford.
My book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, definitely makes me question my values. For example, Harry, Ron, and Hermione risk their lives to save everyone in the world. It makes me question whether or not I would be able to that, to be able to give my life for others. I wonder if I would be able to?
In the book that I am reading now, Maximum Ride- The Angel Experiment, it makes me wonder if humans are really as weak as they make us seem in the book, but if we are smart enough to make an inhuman creature from a humans embro. Even if we are cruel enough to try to capture the creatures that were created and hurt them.
The book I'm reading, Nineteen Minutes, does make me question my values. Peter, a kid who is bullied a lot, brought a gun to school one day, and started shooting people. He ended up killing 10 people. He said that they "started it." This makes me realize that everything I do has a consequense, even if I'm just kidding or fooling around.
In the book i'm reading, The Maze Runner, I happen to question my values a lot. An example is when a boy named Thomas shows up in an area called the Glades with no memory of his past. After he arrives all these castrophes start to happen and thomas gets blamed for it with not having anything to do with it. This shows me that you can get blamed for something even if you had nothing to do with it.
In my book anne frank, who is also the author takes us through her time in hiding during world war two. She questions our values by simple daily things. Her values contrast with the rest of her roomates and their old time values on how women such as her should act and be treated.
A book that I have read, Glimpse, does make me think about my values. In the story, the main character is forced to choose bewtween two things that are really important to her, the power to see the future, and her boyfriend. She has to think what descision would be best for her, and which one she valued more. This got me thinking about my values and what I would choose if I were put into a situation like that.
The book i just finished reading, My Sisters Keeper did make me think about things valuable in life. For example when the main character was asked to technically kill her sister, by her sister, she did. This makes me wonder if her actions where right or wrong (I think they where probably wrong) and it also makes me wonder what I would do if my brother wanted to die.
The book I'm reading now is The Good Thief and it makes me think about valuable things in life. For example, the main character Ren is in an orphanage and is missing a hand. This makes me wonder what I would do if I was in his position and how I would deal without having a hand.
A good way into the book 'FEED' I've begun to wonder if the author believes that the growth of technology is useful but it shouldn't replace human characteristics that make us different than any machine that could possibly be made. Anderson makes this emotion in the characters and plot the spread to you and also emotions/opinions about the values of life, happiness, and technology. I was continually asking my self what I would do if I was in their position (which I won't say).
Im reading the book War Games and this book does make me think of my values. In the story,the main character, Petros, has to forget about his past, stop speaking english, and burn every peice of evidence about him being american at one time because the germans are going to take over greece. If they find out he was born in america he will be executed. If i were him i would be scared and i wouldn" know what to do, but Petros keeps going and is very brave.
The book I'm reading, The Smile, is written really well but it doesn't really make me question my morals. It more so makes me question what is accepted as normal and right in society during the Renaissance time period. Now that I'm thinking about it, it's somewhat my morals because it's how I feel about women’s' status in families, but it's not as straight forward as everyone else’s' examples from their books.
The book I'm reading, A Walk to Remeber, is written extremly well with emotion and it really speaks the truth. I deffinatly think the author forces me to question my vaule because most of the story is about a girl with cancer who is dieing and she wont ever get to do all the things she really does want to do so it makes me question and care for how much my life is valued and how lucky i am to be someone to get to do the things i may want to do. The author demonstrated his own values kind of my showing parts where his own heart would go out to the girl who is dying. he puts his emotion and thought into every word that he uses.
In my book, Beautiful Creatures, this girl Lena is new in town but is rumored to be a huge freak because she lives in this old house with this old man who is known as old man Ravenwood. The main character Ethan has to decide whether or not he wants to get to know this girl or not because he feels some kind of connection with her. This made me think about how I would react if I was in that situation. Would I choose going with my gut or staying popular?
The thing with my book, "The Replacement", is that the character Mackie has the chance to be heroic, but hes not. He has a chance to save his girlfriend's sister but he doesn't (or at least not at first bc I'm not done yet). I know that saving her would mean he might die but when he hadn't tried I was left wondering why? I guess in all the other books I have read the character, no matter how messed up he/she may have been, would of done something. But what gets me thinking about values is the fact that I feel like me and Mackie were two of a kind, he's the kind of characters i can just relate to, but if he didn't act heroic, does that mean i wouldn't either?
The book that I am reading now, "Willow" definitely makes me question my values. The main character, Willow lost her parents in a car accident, and she feels responsible because she was the one driving that night. There are a couple of parts in the book when she reflects back on her "old life" and realizes that so many things she worried about; like having a bad hair day, were absolutely nothing compared to what she is going through now. These few parts really got me thinking that my friends and I make such a big deal of the littlest things and fail to realize that nothing bad is really going on. I guess what I am trying to say, is that we take so many things for granted without even realizing, until a tragedy opens up our eyes. I definitely feel that one of the goals of the author with the novel was to open up our eyes, and make us take a good look at our selves and at our actions and I think that this says a lot about the author and her values.
I read a previous response about the book "The Hunger Games" (I'm using quotations because I'm not sure how to underline in this if there is a way) and it got me thinking about it. Katnis is a girl who hunts and trades for her family because no one else is capable of doing it for themselves. That in itself is a hard thing to do and I assume it could sometimes make you feel like your alone. She also puts in extra tickets for herself in the Hunger Games drawing to get her family extra food even though it puts her at risk of dying. Would anyone of you who are reading this do that? Then on top of all of this she takes her sister's place in the Hunger Games when she is picked. She put herself in a death trap to save her sister. She is extremely brave and I question whether I would be able to do the same.
The book im reading - The Gunslinger porteays some questionable values in my opinion. The gunslinger shoots people when he finds it needed. I obviously dont think that is right but it is an interestint book abecause it makes you think about people's values.
Last month, I read the book "Skin Hunger" and I think it made me value a lot of things. In one of the 2 stories, the main character, Hahp, has a father who dislikes him for no obvious reason. Hahp's dad sends him to a cruel wizardry school. Later in the story, Haph learns that his dad knew he might die from the school experience, but still made him go. This caused me to think about my dad and how nice he is compared to Hahp's dad. I also wonder why Hahp's father hates him so much and, if I was in Hahp's position, what I would do.
I just read the book, War Games, which makes me value things in everyday life. In this book the family is living in the time when Germany invaded Greece. Thier family was restricted from doing many things. These included things like going out into town. after reading this book it made me think about all the things i can do that seem like nothing but are important.
A book that I read, A child called it, makes me think of values. This story is a true story about a little boy that was abused by his alcoholic mother. This made me think of values and how I am very lucky that I have parents that that care about me dearly. They provide food for me to eat, unlike the boys mom who made him stare and occasionlly fed him leftover cerel.
A book i read, "awakening" did make me think of my values. This book was about a girl her lost her memory of everything in an explosion. She dosent remember her family friends or even her own name. This book makes me realize how lucky i am that i am alive and healthy. It also makes me think of how less fortunite other people are.
I think the Hunger Games series makes you think about your values. Katniss the main character has to go day to day without much money and has to hunt for food. Then when she is sent to the Hunger Games she has to fight for her life and a years worth of food. This makes me think how lucky we are to have money to buy food and other necessities.
Percy jackson and the olympians makes you think about your values because percy talks about how much more diificult it is being a halfblood then a regular human.
The characters in my book Red Moon at Sharpsburg have values because it is historical fiction and my book is mainly about war from the south invading the north and the charcters have values like who should die first from these southern souldiers talking to them at there house.
The characters in my book The Last Song have values because they each have relationships with eachother that are not the best, and that are so strong, that it makes the book a very personal book that some people can relate to.
After i read the book, Soldier's Heart, it opened my mind that in the Civil war, bread was worth practically gold to the soldier's and would trade anything for some good food.
I just read the book This World We Live In. It made me think about food and the people who can't afford it and are dying of hunger. I do not know why I thought of this but i relized in this book that since all grocery stores have no food left they have nothing left. And when we eat something and throw a lot of it away they would be so happy to get the last few bites of whatever you were eating. It made me think about world Hunger and what I take for granted.
Wen i finnished reading The Maze Runner i was wondering how grateful these characters wer wen they finally got out of the Glade. It makes me think how lucky my life is and how bad some other people's lives are.
I read the book The Scorch Trials and it made me value my freedom. In the book a group of teenagers must fight and survive in an unknown territory in order to get a cure for a disease that they were given. They have to go through whatever these people put them through to possibly get a cure that hasn't even been developed.
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