Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Jane Eyre Review

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is one of my personal favorites.

Written in the 1800's, this novel has thrilled generation after generation of readers. Jane Eyre tells the tale of a woman who was orphaned, taken in by an aunt and uncle, mistreated, and sent off to a badly managed school where she stayed for the next eight years and became a teacher- and that is where Jane Eyre's story really gets interesting.

Jane Eyre was written, many think, as a parallel to Charlotte Bronte's own life, as a means to cope with her circumstances (two of Bronte's sisters died under circumstances similar to Jane's). Whether that's the truth or not, Jane's story is dramatic, thrilling, and extremely easy to relate to.

Jane Eyre is one of those books that everyone should read, put aside for a few years, and then read again. Read it once to hear the story, wait a few years to let yourself grow, and read it again to see the meaning. It deals with morality, religion, and social class. It is a novel of balance: in life, love, and heart. And one cannot understand what I mean when I say balance until they understand the novel itself.

I suggest Jane Eyre for anyone mature enough to appreciate it.

Call of the Wild Review

It resides in all of us- something to fall back on when civilization forsakes us, something to remember when we've lost our way.

Instinct is one of the greater factors that shapes a person's personality and determines their ability to survive. In animals, the power of instinct is far, far more great.

In The Call of the Wild, author Jack London illustrates the natural instinctual pull in a poignant and beautiful way. He tells the story of Buck, a dog who is kidnapped from his home and thrown into a ferocious, icebound Gehenna- the 19th century Yukon territory.

Buck, previously tame and more than a little pampered, is suddenly a working dog, hitched to a sled. The life of a sled dog prooves to be far harsher than that of a pet, and it is only by trusting his instincts that he survived....

The Call of the Wild was an amazing book to read. One might think that with a dog for a main character, the book would be more of a children's story... but no, Buck's story is full of dark and violent scenes and moments of realization that ring of despair.

I loved this book and completely suggest it and it's 'mirror image' novel, White Fang. (White Fang is about a wild dog/wolf that becomes tame.)

Monday, February 9, 2009

Antigone Review (goodreads)

rating: 1 of 5 stars
My English class read Antigone as the first attempt in our efforts to explore the classics. Personally, I did not enjoy the play. I wouldn't say that the story wasn't interesting or that I would change anything about it if I could, but only that I did not like or agree with the characters in many ways. I do, however, suggest this book be read. It can teach a good lesson, offering an astute insight into human character and motive. Whether or not you end up liking it is your business, but I do think it's a classic that everyone should be familiar with.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Feet planted, heart pounding, standing up for what you know is right...

I have always been an animal lover. Ever since I was a little girl, if there was a dog or cat around, I was trying to pet it; if there was a horse, I was scrambling on top of it. I was fearless and enthralled, but I was neither stupid nor cruel.

I am still sickened and astounded by how idiotically cruel some people can be to animals. More than once, I have had to stand up and stop someone or some animal from getting hurt.

I've always had a soft spot for birds. One day, a few years ago, I saw a group of students at my old school gathered around tossing rocks at something on the ground. Drawing closer, I saw that the black lump they had been aiming at was a baby bird who had fallen from his nest. The students had cornered it and were literally stoning the poor baby to death. Angry, disgusted, I slipped past them, picked up the bird, and left without a word.

I took the bird back home with me, and cared for him as best as I could. I had had some practice with baby birds before, and have had more experience since, but all my care wasn't enough to bring the bird back to health. He died a week later, but I rested more at ease knowing that I at least tried to save him.