To Jaleh the book was mostly about Tereza and she thought Tereza felt like she had to be faithful and she had to try and be strong and she had to do all theses things to be happy. Jaleh thought that all she had to do was live her life the way she wanted and she would be happy, or light. I, on the other hand didn't think the book was about any of the four main characters more than the others. I thought they were all equally important and they were all to show how lightness vs. heaviness affected different people. Jaleh didn't see there being any "unbearable lightness", only a good lightness, where as I saw there was a middle ground to the lightness that would take the "unbearable" part out of it. What stood out to me was that worry or overthinkining caused the lightness to be unbearable. I thought you had to not take things so seriously to feel light, which is one thing Jaleh and I agreed on.
I really like parts of this book, but found some parts weird and some unnecessary. I like the philosophical parts a lot, where the author talked about lightness vs. weight, and I realize that it wouldn't be as enjoyable a book without the characters, but I just wished their stories were different. So I wouldn't recommend the book to people on a regular basis or just go tell everyone to read it (I would only recommend to those who maybe were stressed about life or something) but I wouldn't caution anyone against reading it, if they asked my opinion about it,
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Wrap Up Talk with Claire Anne
What stood out to Claire Anne the most about the book was that the Bishop who was so kind, granted to acts of kindness upon Kean Valjean and it turned his life around and Valjean changed the lives of so many people. She thought it was amazing that just two simple acts could effect so many people for so long. For me, I don't think if Clarie Anne mentioned that I would have picked up on it so much. What stood out to me the most, was what I read in the unabridged version about the Bishop. He was so kind and generous, with no reason to be at all. He extended his hand to everyone, even those who weren't his biggest fans and asked nothing in return. The other thing that stood out to me was the Jean Valjean was able to keep up his goal of being a good person, just like the Bishop throughout his life. He did it because of the Bishop's kindness, but there was no other motivation and the Bishop died shortly after his kind acts. Jean Valjean continued in the Bishops footsteps, purely through self motivation and his will to become virtuous and make up for his past. I thought his determination was amazing and his ability to follow through with the promise he made something to strive for in my life.
I would recommend this book to people who like to read, because it is a tough book to get through because the wording and time period is different and hard to understand sometimes. If you don't like reading, you would probably give up on it, but it is worth it because it is a great story about virtue and perseverance, justice and morality.
I would recommend this book to people who like to read, because it is a tough book to get through because the wording and time period is different and hard to understand sometimes. If you don't like reading, you would probably give up on it, but it is worth it because it is a great story about virtue and perseverance, justice and morality.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Update 2
Quick overview of the rest of the book:
(Note: the book goes back in forth in time to when Tomas and Tereza are alive, and when they are dead)
Sabina moves to America and lives with an old couple who become like the parents she always wanted and doted on her. But she was unhappy because she kept thinking about what would happen after they died and she would be all alone with nothing once again.
Franz loves the girl he is with, but he still thinks about Sabina and wants to honor her memory by going to her home country. There he realizes he misunderstood Sabina and they never really belonged together. He realizes how much he loves the girl back at home and that he is happy without Sabina. But he is killed in Cambodia and never returns to he girl he loves.
Tomas had decided to give up his mistresses for Tereza, but he lost his job as a surgeon and became a window washer, which drove him to encompass the lightness of no job and he began "womanizing", as the book calls it, again to fully bear a total lightness of being. Tereza convinces him to move to the country with her and he gives up all his affairs and gives into his love for her completely. Tereza feels terrible for not being strong enough to put up with Tomas' mistresses and thinks he is unhappy or not as happy as he could be as a surgeon with all the other women. Tereza feels this imagined unhappiness is her fault, but Tomas explains to her that he is happy and loves her. Terza stops worrying and Tomas and her are finally happy together.
For the second update, I am going to pick a quote from the book that I think sort of shows what the book was trying to get at.
"So Beethoven turned a frivolous inspiration into a serious quartet, a joke into metaphysical truth. It is an interesting tale of light going to heavy, or as Parmenides would have said it, positive going to negative. Yet oddly enough, the transformation fails to surprise us. We would have been shocked, on the other hand, if Beethoven had transformed the seriousness of his quartet into the trifling of a four-voice canon about Dembscher's purse. Had he done so, however, he would have been in the spirit of Parmenides and made heavy go to light, that is, negative to positive! First (as an unfinished sketch) would have come to the great metaphysical truth and last (as a finished masterpiece) - the most frivolous of jokes! But we no longer know how to think as Parmenides thought."
I think that what made everyone in the book happy eventually was taking the negative (the weight) and making it positive (light). I think the characters needed to not take everything so seriously. So Franz finally took his love for Sabina, and realized it wasn't right. He stopped taking their affair so seriously; he took a step back and then looked at it and he saw that it wasn't so serious. And Sabina, she could have been happy if instead of dreading what was to come, she had just enjoyed what was. If she had just enjoyed the fact that the old couple she was living with doted on her a loved her, she would have found the lightness she needed to be happy, the positive side of things. And Tomas and Tereza forgot about all the other things (weights) in their lives and just loved each other. They had aways loved each other, but they kept all the negative things with the, in their way; Tomas' mistresses, Tereza's guilt, etc.
So I think that there is an unbearable lightness of being, where you hold nothing dear to you and nothing really matters to you, so life is pointless, but there is also a lightness where you only look or hold onto the positives of your life and you just live, forgetting about and letting go of the negatives (aka, weights). I think that is what the book was trying to say and that quote from the book really portrays it well I think.
(Note: the book goes back in forth in time to when Tomas and Tereza are alive, and when they are dead)
Sabina moves to America and lives with an old couple who become like the parents she always wanted and doted on her. But she was unhappy because she kept thinking about what would happen after they died and she would be all alone with nothing once again.
Franz loves the girl he is with, but he still thinks about Sabina and wants to honor her memory by going to her home country. There he realizes he misunderstood Sabina and they never really belonged together. He realizes how much he loves the girl back at home and that he is happy without Sabina. But he is killed in Cambodia and never returns to he girl he loves.
Tomas had decided to give up his mistresses for Tereza, but he lost his job as a surgeon and became a window washer, which drove him to encompass the lightness of no job and he began "womanizing", as the book calls it, again to fully bear a total lightness of being. Tereza convinces him to move to the country with her and he gives up all his affairs and gives into his love for her completely. Tereza feels terrible for not being strong enough to put up with Tomas' mistresses and thinks he is unhappy or not as happy as he could be as a surgeon with all the other women. Tereza feels this imagined unhappiness is her fault, but Tomas explains to her that he is happy and loves her. Terza stops worrying and Tomas and her are finally happy together.
For the second update, I am going to pick a quote from the book that I think sort of shows what the book was trying to get at.
"So Beethoven turned a frivolous inspiration into a serious quartet, a joke into metaphysical truth. It is an interesting tale of light going to heavy, or as Parmenides would have said it, positive going to negative. Yet oddly enough, the transformation fails to surprise us. We would have been shocked, on the other hand, if Beethoven had transformed the seriousness of his quartet into the trifling of a four-voice canon about Dembscher's purse. Had he done so, however, he would have been in the spirit of Parmenides and made heavy go to light, that is, negative to positive! First (as an unfinished sketch) would have come to the great metaphysical truth and last (as a finished masterpiece) - the most frivolous of jokes! But we no longer know how to think as Parmenides thought."
I think that what made everyone in the book happy eventually was taking the negative (the weight) and making it positive (light). I think the characters needed to not take everything so seriously. So Franz finally took his love for Sabina, and realized it wasn't right. He stopped taking their affair so seriously; he took a step back and then looked at it and he saw that it wasn't so serious. And Sabina, she could have been happy if instead of dreading what was to come, she had just enjoyed what was. If she had just enjoyed the fact that the old couple she was living with doted on her a loved her, she would have found the lightness she needed to be happy, the positive side of things. And Tomas and Tereza forgot about all the other things (weights) in their lives and just loved each other. They had aways loved each other, but they kept all the negative things with the, in their way; Tomas' mistresses, Tereza's guilt, etc.
So I think that there is an unbearable lightness of being, where you hold nothing dear to you and nothing really matters to you, so life is pointless, but there is also a lightness where you only look or hold onto the positives of your life and you just live, forgetting about and letting go of the negatives (aka, weights). I think that is what the book was trying to say and that quote from the book really portrays it well I think.
Les Miserables Update 2
In my Opinion the second half of the book was nowhere near as good as the first half. The second half was all about Marius and Cosette and the fight of the French Revolution. The second half wasn't as meaningful with all the kindness of Jean Valjean or as suspenseful, with the constant fear of Jean being found out. I will give you a short (as short as I can) summary of the last half of the book: Cosette and Marius are in love but done know they love each other but Jean Valjean knows and tries to stop Marius from going near Cosette or even looking at her so he moves. Marius finds Cosette and sneaks in the back to see her for two months. Then the French Revolution comes closer and Jean wants to leave and move to England. Marius is distraught over the move and decides that since he wont be able to be with Cosette he will fight in the battle and die there. He goes in to fight, but when he is wounded so badly that he thinks he will die, Jean Valjean goes to the battle and saves him. He sneaks Marius out, who is unconscious and leaves him at his house. Then the book gets good again for a minute when the policeman, Javert recognized him, but saw his goodness and let him go home. Then Cosette and Marius marry, but Jean Valjean is unhappy because he lost Cosette to Marius who forbade Jean to see her all the time because he found out about his criminal past. Jean becomes sickly and is about to die, when Marius discovers that Valjean was actually the one who saved him and was really a good person, so he takes Cosette with him to see Jean. Jean is overjoyed to see that Marius has forgiven him and dies happily after seeing Cosette one last time as Marius and Cosette sit at his sides.
I was happy that the book had a pretty happy ending, considering all the miserable events that surrounded these people's lives. In the beginning of the second half, I was sort of disappointed with Jean Valjean because of his attempt to keep Cosette from Marius. I also got annoyed at Cosette for never once mentioning Marius or that she wanted to see him. If she had just asked, I don't think Jean could have said no. Valjean not only kept Marius and Cosette apart, he actually began to hate Marius, which was kind of disappointing to me because he had been so good and kind before, but it seemed that he was reverted back to the way he was after prison. When Jean went to save Marius from the battle for Cosette, I was excited that the book was becoming better again and that Jean was doing the right thing again. My favorite part though was when Javert discovered who Jean Valjean was, but didn't turn him in. Throughout the book, Javert was very consistent and lawful. He did his job well and according to the rules exactly. He thought that was what was right and just and so that fact that he didn't turn Valjean in was really hard for him. Javert realized that Jean Valjean was a good, true man and didn't deserve to be in jail, but it was a conflict inside himself whether he should do his duty as a law enforcement or d his duty as a human. When he chose to do the humane thing, he realized everything he had believed about the law was wrong and he couldn't live the way he had always thought was right, so he killed himself.
At first, I wasn't happy with the ending where Jean Valjean died because I wanted him to get better on and live and see Cosette and Marius happy. But I realize that Jean was happy with himself and his life. The way he lived his life was the way he promised to live it and he had redeemed himself in his own eyes. He also knew that he had made Cosette happy and knowing that she loved him and that he had done what was right for her he had nothing else he needed to see or do alive. He died peacefully and happily and it was not a sad ending with his death. It was just an ending to the book and his life which was complete.
I was happy that the book had a pretty happy ending, considering all the miserable events that surrounded these people's lives. In the beginning of the second half, I was sort of disappointed with Jean Valjean because of his attempt to keep Cosette from Marius. I also got annoyed at Cosette for never once mentioning Marius or that she wanted to see him. If she had just asked, I don't think Jean could have said no. Valjean not only kept Marius and Cosette apart, he actually began to hate Marius, which was kind of disappointing to me because he had been so good and kind before, but it seemed that he was reverted back to the way he was after prison. When Jean went to save Marius from the battle for Cosette, I was excited that the book was becoming better again and that Jean was doing the right thing again. My favorite part though was when Javert discovered who Jean Valjean was, but didn't turn him in. Throughout the book, Javert was very consistent and lawful. He did his job well and according to the rules exactly. He thought that was what was right and just and so that fact that he didn't turn Valjean in was really hard for him. Javert realized that Jean Valjean was a good, true man and didn't deserve to be in jail, but it was a conflict inside himself whether he should do his duty as a law enforcement or d his duty as a human. When he chose to do the humane thing, he realized everything he had believed about the law was wrong and he couldn't live the way he had always thought was right, so he killed himself.
At first, I wasn't happy with the ending where Jean Valjean died because I wanted him to get better on and live and see Cosette and Marius happy. But I realize that Jean was happy with himself and his life. The way he lived his life was the way he promised to live it and he had redeemed himself in his own eyes. He also knew that he had made Cosette happy and knowing that she loved him and that he had done what was right for her he had nothing else he needed to see or do alive. He died peacefully and happily and it was not a sad ending with his death. It was just an ending to the book and his life which was complete.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Update 1
Quick overview of the book so far:
This book looks at the lives of 4 people and how they live their lives with either a lightness of being or a weight holding them down. It also talks about how sometimes the people who are living weightlessly, are not happy with the lightness; hence "the unbearable lightness of being."
So for the first update, I am going to introduce you to the four main characters and tell you how they live (with a lightness or with a weight) and how that has affected their life so far.
Tomas - Tomas is from the Czech Republic and he is definitely living with a lightness of being, but his lightness, at first, is not unbearable. He enjoys his life as the ultimate bachelor and never wants to get married. He meets girls and he sleeps with them and then he never sees them again or they become one of his mistresses that he sees every once in a while, but he never falls in love with any of them. But when Tomas meets Tereza he falls in love wither her and eventually marries her, but he still sees the other women. Tereza finds out and he tries to tell her that it doesn't matter that he has all these mistresses because she is the only one he loves, he just likes to feel the lightness that goes with not carrying about who he sleeps with. But his love for Tereza is so much that the lightness he feels starts weighing down from because of Tereza's unhappiness with his lifestyle. Tomas cant give up his mistresses, but he also cant give Tereza, and the lightness he felt so good in before, becomes unbearable and guilt ridden.
Tereza - Tereza is also Czech, and falls in love with Tomas because he was kind to her and she saw a way out of her small town life with her unbearable mother in him. Tereza does not have a light life, she carries weight with her. She knows the lightness because her mother lived with that lightness and she hated it. She found that lifestyle uncomfortable and crude and she thought it made no one special and made everyone the same and just a body. She wanted to have a soul and be herself; she wanted to be special to someone and that's what she thought she cold be to Tomas. The weight she carried was trying to force her soul and her specialness passed all the sameness of everyone. Tereza hates that Tomas cant give up hi mistresses for just her but she doesn't think it would be fair of her to make him stop. She tries to understand his lifestyle and even has a one time affair to try the light lifestyle, but she hates it because it takes all the love and passion and kindness out, and makes the sameness more real and obvious.
Sabina - Sabina is Tomas' favorite mistress who also lives in the same way as Tomas; carefree and light, with many different men. She lives happily with the lightness for a while, but eventually, when her 'main man', Franz leaves his wife for her, she feels like that being with him for real would threaten her light lifestyle and picks up and leaves. She realizes she has nothing of her past left after hearing of Tomas and Tereza's deaths and she cant stand the lightness, the nothing she feels. She has nothing to live for and is not sure what to do and sometimes wonders what her life would be like if she had stayed with Franz.
Franz - Franz has been married for 20 years and never cheated on his wife. He never wanted to betray her because she had said she would kill herself if he ever left her. He also has an 18 year old daughter that is just like his wife. Franz has lived with the weight his life and finally he meets Sabina and he loves her. He is afraid to hurt his wife so he keeps his affair very secret, but when he is with Sabina her lightness rubs off on him and he feels better. Eventually the weight of his wife his too much and he tells her about the affair and leaves her for Sabina, but when he tells Sabina, she leaves and Franz is by himself. At first he becomes depressed, but then he feels the lightness of his life without his wife or daughter and he enjoys his life of new found lightness. He even meets a girl who loves him and he takes care of her, but in a light, carefree way.
I think that the people in the book who had a lightness find it unbearable when they realize they have nothing important in their lives or that they could have something important. I think Tomas is just not sure yet whether he wants to give up his lightness because he doesn't know if he will enjoy the weight of being faithful husband. Franz is happy with the lightness he fells because he has been living his whole life with a weight and it felt good to not have to carry it around. When he found the girl who loved him, he also found a middle ground between the lightness he just loved and also a small weight that gave him meaning a something to do, like he was used to his whole life.
This book looks at the lives of 4 people and how they live their lives with either a lightness of being or a weight holding them down. It also talks about how sometimes the people who are living weightlessly, are not happy with the lightness; hence "the unbearable lightness of being."
So for the first update, I am going to introduce you to the four main characters and tell you how they live (with a lightness or with a weight) and how that has affected their life so far.
Tomas - Tomas is from the Czech Republic and he is definitely living with a lightness of being, but his lightness, at first, is not unbearable. He enjoys his life as the ultimate bachelor and never wants to get married. He meets girls and he sleeps with them and then he never sees them again or they become one of his mistresses that he sees every once in a while, but he never falls in love with any of them. But when Tomas meets Tereza he falls in love wither her and eventually marries her, but he still sees the other women. Tereza finds out and he tries to tell her that it doesn't matter that he has all these mistresses because she is the only one he loves, he just likes to feel the lightness that goes with not carrying about who he sleeps with. But his love for Tereza is so much that the lightness he feels starts weighing down from because of Tereza's unhappiness with his lifestyle. Tomas cant give up his mistresses, but he also cant give Tereza, and the lightness he felt so good in before, becomes unbearable and guilt ridden.
Tereza - Tereza is also Czech, and falls in love with Tomas because he was kind to her and she saw a way out of her small town life with her unbearable mother in him. Tereza does not have a light life, she carries weight with her. She knows the lightness because her mother lived with that lightness and she hated it. She found that lifestyle uncomfortable and crude and she thought it made no one special and made everyone the same and just a body. She wanted to have a soul and be herself; she wanted to be special to someone and that's what she thought she cold be to Tomas. The weight she carried was trying to force her soul and her specialness passed all the sameness of everyone. Tereza hates that Tomas cant give up hi mistresses for just her but she doesn't think it would be fair of her to make him stop. She tries to understand his lifestyle and even has a one time affair to try the light lifestyle, but she hates it because it takes all the love and passion and kindness out, and makes the sameness more real and obvious.
Sabina - Sabina is Tomas' favorite mistress who also lives in the same way as Tomas; carefree and light, with many different men. She lives happily with the lightness for a while, but eventually, when her 'main man', Franz leaves his wife for her, she feels like that being with him for real would threaten her light lifestyle and picks up and leaves. She realizes she has nothing of her past left after hearing of Tomas and Tereza's deaths and she cant stand the lightness, the nothing she feels. She has nothing to live for and is not sure what to do and sometimes wonders what her life would be like if she had stayed with Franz.
Franz - Franz has been married for 20 years and never cheated on his wife. He never wanted to betray her because she had said she would kill herself if he ever left her. He also has an 18 year old daughter that is just like his wife. Franz has lived with the weight his life and finally he meets Sabina and he loves her. He is afraid to hurt his wife so he keeps his affair very secret, but when he is with Sabina her lightness rubs off on him and he feels better. Eventually the weight of his wife his too much and he tells her about the affair and leaves her for Sabina, but when he tells Sabina, she leaves and Franz is by himself. At first he becomes depressed, but then he feels the lightness of his life without his wife or daughter and he enjoys his life of new found lightness. He even meets a girl who loves him and he takes care of her, but in a light, carefree way.
I think that the people in the book who had a lightness find it unbearable when they realize they have nothing important in their lives or that they could have something important. I think Tomas is just not sure yet whether he wants to give up his lightness because he doesn't know if he will enjoy the weight of being faithful husband. Franz is happy with the lightness he fells because he has been living his whole life with a weight and it felt good to not have to carry it around. When he found the girl who loved him, he also found a middle ground between the lightness he just loved and also a small weight that gave him meaning a something to do, like he was used to his whole life.
Les Miserables Update 1
So I started off reading the unabridged version, but it was 1400 pages and it just seemed like too much so I switched to the 400 page abridged version. Basically the first 200 pages of the full Les Mis are an account of the Bishop of Digne, Monseigneur Myriel. The narrator talks about how M. Myriel is kind and charitable and generous and nothing like all the other Bishops of that time. The narrator also states, by the way that everything we read about the Bishop we really don't need to know because it has nothing to do with the story. All that happened in the first 5 pages of the book and the subsequent 195 pages, I read grudgingly knowing that there was no point to them. Already this book had taught me about literature and any future writing I do. I will never ever, not in a million years, tell my readers that what they are going to read is pointless and has nothing to do with anything, but should be read none the less. Because, although I enjoyed reading about the Bishop and I thought he was a great character, I couldn't get passed the fact that what I was reading was completely and utterly pointless, even by the authors standards.
But anyway, after we hear about the Bishop of Digne, we are introduced to Jean Valjean, a convict who spent 19 years in prison just for stealing a loaf of bread because his family was literally starving to death. Jean goes to Digne and the Bishop is the only person who will allow him a place to stay. After prison Valjean had become a cold and hard man, but after a series of events in which the Bishop shows nothing but kindness to Jean, the Bishop sort of forces a promise onto Jean to be a kind and 'upright' man. Jean Valjean becomes this man, but under the name of Madeleine and in a different town (because he is still a wanted man).
I don't want to give a full summary of everything I've read because I think this blog post is supposed to be more of what I take from the book so far, but I just thought you should know about Jean Valjean and also about Cosette and Marius, who seem to be the characters in the book that are becoming more, shall we say, prominent. Cosette is the illegitimate child of Fantine, who leaver Cosette with the Thenardiers while she tries to make money for herself and her daughter. Fantine dies and Madeleine (Valjean) rescues Cosette and becomes a father to her. The police recognize him as Valjean and together Cosette and Jean run to Paris. There, when Cosette is 15 years old, a man named Marius see them and falls in love with Cosette after just seeing her. He lives next door to the Jondrettes and one day Cosette and Valjean go to donate food and money to them, but they turn out to be the Thenerdiers and try to rob them. Marius doesn't know what to do since he loves Cosette but owes his fathers life to the Thenerdiers. I stopped reading just a Valjean escapes from the Thenerdiers...We shall see what happens...
So far, at halfway through the book, I can really only think about two things. One, how much I like the book and want to see what happens to everyone,ant two, how much I hate it at the same time because of what keeps happening to everyone. It really is Les Miserables (The Wretched Poor or The Miserable Ones). Every main character in the book fully encapsulates 'The Wretched Poor'. They are all starving, just scraping by, poor, prostitutes, running from the law, or seeking some sort of revenge or all of the above. Already two people have died just when yout thought they were going to get better or right before something good happens to them. Jean was in prison for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread!! The kind and generous Bishop died. Seriously, no matter how many good things someone does in this book, the misery just follows them around. Justice is never done, even when you think it should be or will be.It just seems so unfair everything that happens to the people in the book but i love it all the same because I just cant help but want to see it all turn out with a happy ending. But I wouldn't at all be surprised if it turned out rotten, really. The injustice in the world is so much and you would think it would be a simple thing to solve, but as this book is showing me, injustice is one of the trickiest problems to solve of all. Every decision you make lends a hand to what someones life will become, to how justice will be played out. Thats really what this book portrays; that one litle thing that yu do can change the way someone will act throughout the erest of his life. You can make someone a better person or give them a better life through one small act of kindness or you can make them a terrible person becasue of something you said or did. But, on the other hand the book has so far showed that even if you are kind and make hundreds of people's lives better, you may not be rewarded. Even after everything Jean Valjean had done he still had to flee the town he made rich and live in fear of being sent to prison and leaving Cosette behind with no one.
But anyway, after we hear about the Bishop of Digne, we are introduced to Jean Valjean, a convict who spent 19 years in prison just for stealing a loaf of bread because his family was literally starving to death. Jean goes to Digne and the Bishop is the only person who will allow him a place to stay. After prison Valjean had become a cold and hard man, but after a series of events in which the Bishop shows nothing but kindness to Jean, the Bishop sort of forces a promise onto Jean to be a kind and 'upright' man. Jean Valjean becomes this man, but under the name of Madeleine and in a different town (because he is still a wanted man).
I don't want to give a full summary of everything I've read because I think this blog post is supposed to be more of what I take from the book so far, but I just thought you should know about Jean Valjean and also about Cosette and Marius, who seem to be the characters in the book that are becoming more, shall we say, prominent. Cosette is the illegitimate child of Fantine, who leaver Cosette with the Thenardiers while she tries to make money for herself and her daughter. Fantine dies and Madeleine (Valjean) rescues Cosette and becomes a father to her. The police recognize him as Valjean and together Cosette and Jean run to Paris. There, when Cosette is 15 years old, a man named Marius see them and falls in love with Cosette after just seeing her. He lives next door to the Jondrettes and one day Cosette and Valjean go to donate food and money to them, but they turn out to be the Thenerdiers and try to rob them. Marius doesn't know what to do since he loves Cosette but owes his fathers life to the Thenerdiers. I stopped reading just a Valjean escapes from the Thenerdiers...We shall see what happens...
So far, at halfway through the book, I can really only think about two things. One, how much I like the book and want to see what happens to everyone,ant two, how much I hate it at the same time because of what keeps happening to everyone. It really is Les Miserables (The Wretched Poor or The Miserable Ones). Every main character in the book fully encapsulates 'The Wretched Poor'. They are all starving, just scraping by, poor, prostitutes, running from the law, or seeking some sort of revenge or all of the above. Already two people have died just when yout thought they were going to get better or right before something good happens to them. Jean was in prison for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread!! The kind and generous Bishop died. Seriously, no matter how many good things someone does in this book, the misery just follows them around. Justice is never done, even when you think it should be or will be.It just seems so unfair everything that happens to the people in the book but i love it all the same because I just cant help but want to see it all turn out with a happy ending. But I wouldn't at all be surprised if it turned out rotten, really. The injustice in the world is so much and you would think it would be a simple thing to solve, but as this book is showing me, injustice is one of the trickiest problems to solve of all. Every decision you make lends a hand to what someones life will become, to how justice will be played out. Thats really what this book portrays; that one litle thing that yu do can change the way someone will act throughout the erest of his life. You can make someone a better person or give them a better life through one small act of kindness or you can make them a terrible person becasue of something you said or did. But, on the other hand the book has so far showed that even if you are kind and make hundreds of people's lives better, you may not be rewarded. Even after everything Jean Valjean had done he still had to flee the town he made rich and live in fear of being sent to prison and leaving Cosette behind with no one.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Summer Reading Interview with Claire Anne
Thursday July 21, 2011 - Claire Anne Brand
Fo my second interview I talked to my friend Claire Anne. She gave me a few titles to choose form, including Pride and Prejudice, Blue Like Jazz, the Cask of Amontillado, and Les Miserables. Claire Anne recommended theses books because they all taught her something important that she will carry with her for the rest of her life, whether that was about human nature and human interactions, or love or even literature in general.
Even before interviewing her, Claire Anne had already recommend that I read Les Miserables because of how much it taught her about everyday interactions with people, and how important it is to make sure you always treat people right because "one small action by one person can effect a multitude of people in ways that no one can predict." So, I had already decided to read this book, but it was still very enlightening to hear what other books had impacted her life.
When Claire Anne mentioned Pride and Prejudice it caught my attention because I was going to recommend it to her as well. We talked about how the book impacted both of by showing us that everything happens for a reason and true love will find a way if its meant to be. The book also rang true to both of because of its focus on not judging people on your first impression of them. As Claire Anne said, "its important to examine your own mistakes and character faults and learn how to fix them before even thinking about judging others.'" Claire Anne told me that when she read Pride and Prejudice she was really disappointed with her best friend, and really connected with Elizabeth's disappointment in Charlotte when she married Mr. Collins. She also saw Elizabeth as a very strong and outspoken woman protagonist and really like that about the book.
I had never heard of the other book that Claire Anne said had influenced her, Blue Like Jazz. She told me it was about one man's thoughts about God and Jesus. She told me the book taught her a lot about human nature and how people interact. She said the book has influenced her to be a better person. Finally Claire Anne told me The Cask of Amontillado, which is a short story story about a man taking revenge on his friend for insulting him. While this is a short story, Claire Anne realized after reading it that her view of symbolism and literature had changed. She saw how an author can add so much symbolism to even the shortest piece of writing in the subtlest of ways. The book really influenced her own writings and she tries to make every word she writes important. She said she learned from The Cask of Amontillado that "you can get so much out of literature if you just spend the time to delve into it and really try to understand it."
When Claire Anne mentioned Pride and Prejudice it caught my attention because I was going to recommend it to her as well. We talked about how the book impacted both of by showing us that everything happens for a reason and true love will find a way if its meant to be. The book also rang true to both of because of its focus on not judging people on your first impression of them. As Claire Anne said, "its important to examine your own mistakes and character faults and learn how to fix them before even thinking about judging others.'" Claire Anne told me that when she read Pride and Prejudice she was really disappointed with her best friend, and really connected with Elizabeth's disappointment in Charlotte when she married Mr. Collins. She also saw Elizabeth as a very strong and outspoken woman protagonist and really like that about the book.
I had never heard of the other book that Claire Anne said had influenced her, Blue Like Jazz. She told me it was about one man's thoughts about God and Jesus. She told me the book taught her a lot about human nature and how people interact. She said the book has influenced her to be a better person. Finally Claire Anne told me The Cask of Amontillado, which is a short story story about a man taking revenge on his friend for insulting him. While this is a short story, Claire Anne realized after reading it that her view of symbolism and literature had changed. She saw how an author can add so much symbolism to even the shortest piece of writing in the subtlest of ways. The book really influenced her own writings and she tries to make every word she writes important. She said she learned from The Cask of Amontillado that "you can get so much out of literature if you just spend the time to delve into it and really try to understand it."
Summer Reading Interview with Jaleh Browder
Sunday July 10, 2011 - Jaleh Browder
I recently sat down for a talk with my Aunt Jaleh about books that impacted her life. All the books that she mentioned having a meaningful impression on her life had something to do with either truth, conviction, beliefs, or spirituality (or all of them).
When my aunt was about 16 or 17 years old she read Othello, Iliad, and Odyssey. Othello taught her about deception and lies. She told me this was the book that taught her the implications of lies and to never hide behind them. In this way, Othello helped her discover her own identity and philosophy. The Iliad and the Odyssey both forced her to question her theology. At the time she read it, her father was trying to convert her to Islam, and reading the mythological books made her realize that there were other religions out there very different from the Muslim religion.
The Rise and Fall of the Shah was another book that she told me had impacted her life and her perspective on truth. When my aunt was growing up she had always heard only her family's perspective on the Shah of Iran, but this book was written from the the American Media point of view and was very different from her family's stories. Reading a completely different version of the same story made her realize that there were two sides to every story and that you need to do your own research before you believe either side of a story.
Two other books impacted my aunts spirituality. One, The Prophet, she read when she was 23 and the other, Christ out of Egypt, she read when she was 40. The Prophet was a bout a man who was born and raised Catholic, but one day he questions his entire existence and religion. This book broadened her prospective on religion and spirituality by showing her many different views on religion and death and everything in between. Christ out of Egypt re solidified her own beliefs as a Christian, and also reinforced her belief that it doesn't matter how you believe as long as you do believe with passion and conviction.
The final book that influenced my aunt (and also the book that I chose to read) was The Unbearable Lightness of Being. This book is about a woman who felt tied and compelled to be a mother, daughter, employee, etc. and she was becoming consumed with being all of these different things, until she realized that just being was good enough. My aunt realized that you shouldn't have to try to be anything at all, just be, and everything else will fall into place. I chose to read this book because my aunt said that of all the books she has read, this one has helped her throughout her life the most, by allowing her to become more free and be herself.
When my aunt was about 16 or 17 years old she read Othello, Iliad, and Odyssey. Othello taught her about deception and lies. She told me this was the book that taught her the implications of lies and to never hide behind them. In this way, Othello helped her discover her own identity and philosophy. The Iliad and the Odyssey both forced her to question her theology. At the time she read it, her father was trying to convert her to Islam, and reading the mythological books made her realize that there were other religions out there very different from the Muslim religion.
The Rise and Fall of the Shah was another book that she told me had impacted her life and her perspective on truth. When my aunt was growing up she had always heard only her family's perspective on the Shah of Iran, but this book was written from the the American Media point of view and was very different from her family's stories. Reading a completely different version of the same story made her realize that there were two sides to every story and that you need to do your own research before you believe either side of a story.
Two other books impacted my aunts spirituality. One, The Prophet, she read when she was 23 and the other, Christ out of Egypt, she read when she was 40. The Prophet was a bout a man who was born and raised Catholic, but one day he questions his entire existence and religion. This book broadened her prospective on religion and spirituality by showing her many different views on religion and death and everything in between. Christ out of Egypt re solidified her own beliefs as a Christian, and also reinforced her belief that it doesn't matter how you believe as long as you do believe with passion and conviction.
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