Excert from my 'Anthem' essay...

"Anthem tells an amazing story. The following quotes show the very moments where the message of Anthem is most thoroughly defined:

“The glass box in our arms is like a living heart that gives us strength. We have lied to ourselves. We have not built this box for the good of our brothers.”
“I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning.”
“I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them.”

These are the moments in which Equality 7-2521 takes the steps towards Prometheus. These are the moments that define his journey from slave to master. These are the moments that characterize the victory of the strong, individual Man over the cruel, controlling Men. At the base of a ladder is the Mass. The Mass is cruel and evil and wrong. At the top of the ladder is the Strong. The Strong is many, and every one is one alone. The ladder is a journey, each rung a step that must be taken to move away from the Mass and towards the Strong. The purpose of Anthem was to show the steps in the most personal way possible. The three quotes above are the steps of the ladder that are the most grueling, and they are the most rewarding to Equality. "

- from Slave to Master, an Anthem essay by Emily Q.

The Kite Runner Review

Lies. Love. Loyalty. Respect. War. Betrayal. Redemption.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (371pp) has it all .

There are many words to describe this book. Powerful, haunting, moving, innovative, astounding.

As I read this book, the sheer power of the emotion in the words had me laughing at some points, crying at others. On some pages, my heart jumped into my throat. On others, it nearly beat its way out of my chest.

The Kite Runner was so visual, so emotive, that I felt like I was right there with Amir through all his pain and guilt.

In the late 1900s, Afghanistan was thrown into turmoil. The Kite Runner is about two boys who grew up in Kabul during this time, their friendship, and their hearts.

There is so much to get from this book. Not only does the reader learn a little about the culture of Afghanistan and the country's recent history, but they learn about bravery, loyalty, and redemption.

"For you, a thousand times over..." - The Kite Runner

White Fang Review

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." - Eden Ahbez, Nature Boy (song, recorded by Nat King Cole)

White Fang by Jack London (252pp) is one of my personal all time favorite books.

It is the story of a 3/4 wolf, 1/4 dog that grew up as a loner and fighter. Named by Indian masters 'White Fang', he first learned to use his fangs in his own defense, then in the defense of his masters, and finally in offense.

White Fang is sold to a man who sets him against other dogs for entertainment. He was beaten and goaded and mistreated, and he grew to hate the humans that crowded around his cage... and he took it out on the dogs that he met.

But then White fang is rescued...

And he learns what it is to love and be loved.


White Fang is an amazing novel of mercy and kindness and the changes those two things can wrought in a pained heart.

Anthem Review

Anthem by Ayn Rand


Anthem is a book that I look at with duality. In my own opinion, this book is to be read with caution in mind and taken with a grain of salt.

The theme of standing up for your individual rights is one I applaud. However, the idea of living for one's own self is one that I scorn.

Equality 7-2521 was a rebel against a loveless, suffocating Communistic society. Equality stood against the suppressing power of what we call peer-pressure... only it was a pressure that promised death to those who defied it.

I agree that individuality is important, but I don't think that fellowship with ones 'brothers' should be abandoned.

True, in Anthem, 'fellowship' was a twisted means of control. But real fellowship (friends, family, colleagues) is essential. What must not be forgotten is the need for balance between the two: working together in a group without forgetting that every member of that group is a unique individual in their own rights.

Towards the end of Anthem, the word ego took on both its 'truest' meaning, as Ayn Rand put it, and the meaning we use more commonly.

I no more endorse this book than I do oppose it. Anthem was a story of hope and the importance of self, but it feels to me that Ayn Rand took her 'truest' meaning of ego just a little too far...




Ego:

1. the “I” or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its though
2. egotism; conceit; self-importance

To perfect my world...

It's honestly hard to think of anything I could do to my own personal life any better than it is. I have great friends, a wonderful family, my pets. I always have what I need and most of the time what I want, too. My life is pretty great. Not perfect, maybe, but then who's is?

No, I happy with the way my life is. But the whole world in general? That could use some perfecting. There is not a single thing that could just up and fix the whole world like a snap of my fingers. No, that's not possible.

For the world to be perfected, to be put into balance, there would have to be a widespread breakout of compassion and understanding. Or love and the will for peace. Of kindness.

However, I doubt that that is going to happen anytime soon. After all, we're only human. Greedy, selfish creatures that we are.

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.)