The End Of The Road

As a write my last blog post, I can't get the end of Of Mice and Men out of my head. The book takes place over about a two day period. The two days are just a piece of a journey. It ends with one of the main characters, George, killing the other mentally insane one Lennie. Throughout the book, the author, John Steinbeck, creates an interesting perspective on Lennie. Personally, I felt bad for him, but there was also the angle of, he sets George back. The relationship between the two characters is crucial to the story and is true friendship. George kills Lennie for their own personal good. Lennie knows its coming and lets it happen. In that moment I felt truly bad for him but the way that Steinbeck brings out your emotions is great.

A crucial them to the book was follow your dreams. Lennie dreamed about having his own land and rabbits to play with. As George has a gun to Lennie's head, Lennie says, "'And I get to tend the rabbits'" (Steinbeck 116). This quote sums up that theme in the book. Even when he knows he is about to die, he still believes his dream could come true. The courage he shows and the passion he shows for that dream really makes the reader think about what they want to come true.

Overall I enjoy Of Mice and Men very much. It wasn't too tough of a read but the friendships and symbolism was great.

Very Enjoyable

So far, Of Mice And Men, has been great. The plot line has been different but enjoyable and the symbolism and themes are even better. The book is about Lennie and George, two friends who are opposites but somehow fit together. Lennie is not mentally right but is physically superior to others. George is on the smaller side but is smart. They rely on each other to help each other get through in life. Lennie recently got them in trouble at there old work place so they had to escape and go to a new one. Lennie just got into a fight and broke a guys hand.

Lennie is for some reason in love with animals. He loves petting things especially dogs. Lennie says, "I didn't mean no harm, George. Honest I didn't. I jus' wanted to pet 'um a little" (Steinbeck 47). The dogs mean a lot to Lennie and to the symbolism in the book. Dogs represent friendship and loyalty. Lennie loves the dog as much as he loves George. There friendship is powerful and that is a special thing. That is part of a theme in the book. Friends can help people get through anything like LEnnie and George help each other.

As for the future in the book, Lennie just broke the boss's son's hand. If Lennie and George get kicked out, which could easily happen, then they are going to be looking for work again. I think that they are going to stay and eventually buy the land that they want and start a good life. Will there be struggles along the way, yes, but that will be what makes the book interesting.

Of Mice and Men

If you asked me one week ago what do you know about Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, I would've said nothing but that I thought it was a classic. I knew absolutely nothing about it and I still don't know much about it. My friend Lizzy read it and said she thought it was good. So, I decided I'd give it a try. But there was one problem, I knew nothing about the book or author. So, I did a brief research on the book. I've learned that it was written in 1937 (OY, that isn't a good sign). This means the language and concept will be tough. I've learned the basic plot line consists of two people who live in California and are trying to survive during the great depression. The book is probably gonna be good considering its a classic but I hope its never too boring. The potential for a great interesting adventure as a reader is there but I'll have to read to find out if it lives up to the hype.

Mind Control

My head is spinning as I write this. George Orwell's end to 1984 really makes you think about control and the end of the book actually was very interesting. The book was slow at the beginning, but like Animal Farm, another book written by Orwell. They are also similar in the sense that the endings of the books were great. Orwell writes, "But it was all right everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother" (Orwell 245). Reading this is ironic. If you can remember from my last post, I said it seemed as if Winston was going to rebel against Big Brother, but now he loves them. That is where the book got interesting. Winston was caught with plans to rebel and was brought to a prison. The leaders then brainwashed him and tortured him to change his whole mindset. O'Brien says, "... Look at this filthy grime all over your body. Look at that disgusting running sore on your leg..." (Orwell 224). The pain and torturing made him see himself differently. As important as this was to the plot line, it was important to the theme. Orwell's themes deal with power and control, in this case mind control. He is saying how powerful the mind is and how powerful control is. The government has so much control that they can change someones mind. They made him love something he hated. Another part of control is said in this photo:

It is amazing how this is semi-true and a whole government is based off of it.

All in all the book was slow at the beginning but much better towards the end.

Confusing but good

George Orwell's 1984 has been a tough read for me. The language and the style is unlike any other things that I've read. The concept is also very interesting. I feel like the plot is slow moving but the whole is great. The book was published in 1949 so the time period greatly effects the book. The book is set in 1984, hence the title. The book is George Orwell's vision of 1984 and even though it was inaccurate and to the extreme, the book is not bad. In the book, the continents and countries don't exist. There are new ones like Oceania and Eurasia. Some are at peace, others at war. The government controls everything, they watch everything you do via things called telescreens. The government feeds propaganda and controls rations. It is kind of like Nazi Germany and WW2 which had recently happened in real life. It is cool how Orwell based his book off what was happening in real life.

The book makes the reader think about control and power. Orwell writes, "Syme had vanished. A morning came, and he was missing from work... Syme had ceased to exist; he had never existed" (Orwell 122). Orwell opens up a chapter with this. One of Winston's co-workers was killed by the government. The government has all the control and can make it seem like he never existed. Opening up the chapter with this was a pretty big statement and Orwell wants it that way. He wants the reader to think about how powerful control is and at the time was warning people to not let governments control people. The government motto is:

People live by this motto and it really shows the control. 

Another thing Orwell wants people to think about is love. Winston is secretly having an affair with a woman named Julia. Winston's life was boring and routine until he met Julia. He is happier with her and enjoys his life more. He also can talk about anything with her and they talk about the government and such. They trust each other.  Love is an important thing and so is trust. If Winston and Julia rebel or start some sort of up rising against the government, they will need each other. 

1984

The next book I will be reading is 1984 by George Orwell. The book is a classic and is very well known. Also the book is written by a great author in a time period right after World War 2. I believe that this might effect the book. Also, the time period is a long time ago so the word choice and complexity might challenge me. On a different note, 1984 was George Orwell's prediction of the world in 1984. I think that the concept of the book is very different from anything I've read so I wanted to challenge myself and read it.

The book wasn't recommended to me, but I've heard great things about it. I hope that the book lives up to its hype. Also, I've read another book by George Orwell, which I really enjoyed, so I hope I enjoy this book as much. The book is a classic for a reason, so I hope I enjoy it like a classic.

A great start and a great end

Wow! This book exceeded expectations. From front to back I was hooked. The book had a different tone from anything else I've read. The perspective and background of the author was crucial to the book. The author, Marcus Luttrell, is a Navy SEAL and a person who has a strong passion for the United States of America. He always talks about "the hate in their eyes," referring to the Taliban and Al Qaida. Marcus hates the Taliban just as much and this causes the book to be bias, but in my opinion better. It brings out passion in him and the reader. To end the book Marcus writes, "Because I came through it, and I wouldn't have traded any of it, not for the whole world. I'm a United States Navy SEAL" (Luttrell 96%). He is passionate about being a Navy SEAL and an American and that causes the mood in the book to go from up to down instantly.

Luttrell also talks about being a Texan and how much that meant to him. He goes to see President Bush and talks about how they are "both Texans" (Luttrell 96%). I think that this quote is important because it helps solidify an underlying theme in the book. This theme is love your home and your family. Also, let them help you through hard times and follow your beliefs. Luttrell always talks about his family and what they did to help him get through the hard times. Its an unmeant theme but it is very present.

The thing that really got me in the book is when he talks about how much is friends mean and meant to him. How he always hears there screams and how he thinks about them every day. He really loved his friends and since he survived this, he will and has tons of survivor's guilt and PTSD. He is going to have a rough life ahead of him, but his family and his loved ones will help get him through it. Losing those friends must have been so hard, but he has to get through it. As he said, " I wouldn't have traded any of it, not for the whole world" (Luttrell 96%). He believes surviving it was a great thing even though he lost his friends and many others.

All in all it was a great book that I would recommend 100%.

Luttrell getting his Navy Cross.