Walden - Reading Journal 3

Thoreau ends his book describing the surroundings of Walden, especially during the Winter time. He discusses his neighbors and their lives along with the changes that come with Winter. He claims his Irish neighbor as lacking the intelligence to understand Thoreau's wisdom. The Irishman is also described as inheriting Irish poverty, which is surprising after Thoreau's earlier comment about helping runaway slaves. As Winter approaches, he has to adapt a daily schedule along with less visitors despite that he cleared a path for them to reach his home. Also, his farming has given him many goods to live off of in the Winter. Winter also comes with the freezing of the Walden Pond. He spends most of his days exploring the phenomenon of ice. Finally Spring arrives and he has reached his goal at Walden, he can leave. To finish off the book, Thoreau summarizes all of his experiences. He challenges the idea that a change of scenery can make us healthy by suggesting that it is more of the change in soul than the scenery. He explains at this holds the same reason that he is leaving Walden, that he wants to experience other parts of his life. He holds to his transcendentalist views by telling us to let go of civilization and realize our true selves. Walden actually holds very little evidence that these transcendentalist views are true. Thoreau, although claiming to enjoy his stay, never found his true self. Nearly all of his stories tell of his visitors, neighbors, and observed phenomenon (farming, bubbles in ice, etc.), very few actually address nature and how it affects him. It feels that he just declares things true with only theoretical evidence.

Walden - Reading Journal 2

In this section of Walden, Thoreau is describing his daily life. He starts his discussion by talking about the visitors he gets. He claims that his visitors are much higher quality because they actually have to want to come see him since he's out of the way. Also, he welcomes all visitors, especially run-away slaves, as long as they are not beggars. Following his excerpt about visitors, Thoreau discusses his bean-field. Apparently, he has found much evidence that there were natives living on his land before him. Although Thoreau, also, gives many tips about farming, the most important thing to take from this part is that he farms not for the food, but simply because he enjoys it. The way he describes it make it seem as if the bean-field purifies him. Despite Thoreau moving on to talking about places to visit and not his own life, he manages to brag quite a bit about his abilities. He first talks about visiting villages. He tells us that he hikes to Concord, but somehow manages to talk very little about actually being in Concord. Instead, Thoreau discusses being lost. He claims it allows you to understand yourself. Thoreau also talks about visiting the Walden Pond. He explains that it isn't the greatest pond, but its variation in colors calms him and makes him a better person, as it seems all of nature does for him. Thoreau seems to have made this book with a theme and or purpose. He's always advocating for everyone getting closer to nature. Even though he is a transcendentalist, he seems a little extreme. Like every sentence is trying to get me to go out camping. I guess I never really realized how powerful this movement was and judging by its popularity in this time period, its what the people wanted.

Reading Journal 1 - Walden

Thoreau begins his book telling the reader of his experiment. His experiment is to reconnect to nature by moving into the woods alone. Although he admits to not going far from town, he explains how people seem worried for him. He also confirms that this is not intended to be permanent. He later goes on to describe his cabin and why he picked that cabin. He claims that the less there is in the cabin the more open he is to nature. He also comes to realize the faults in society. He says we need to turn to nature and instinct to answer our questions and to stop the businesses from taking over. He finishes this part of the book with a reassuring discussion about animal sounds and how they comfort him. Although there are some truths to his assertions, Thoreau's idea of nature purifying humanity is incorrect. Although our society destroys nature to create cities, they don't stop us from realizing our full potential. Plenty of people have come to realize the truths of society through living in cities. There is no need for there to be a sudden rush to the woods because we can already accomplish everything we need to in cities. No one is directly benefitted by their own movement to the woods.

(1984) - Reading Journal 3

When part 3 starts, the reader is on his/her toes. The reader is eager to find out what happens to Winston and Julia. They have been taken to the Ministry of Love. In the Ministry of Love, Winston meets O’Brien, who identifies himself as an agent of the Party and of the Ministry of Love. At the Ministry of Love, they are tortured over and over again until they break. Winston is told by O’Brien that the Party controls everything, and you can’t do anything to stop them. O’Brien eventually breaks Winston into turning on Julia when he threatens Winston to have rats eat his face and body. He has now become one of the other sad citizens who blindly follow Big Brother. The story shows how the government will control us. No matter how bright the future is, Winston’s “revolution” for example, if the government is in control, there is no hope. The reader is devastated by the end of the book. His/her perception of government declines as the book ends. Orwell’s depiction of society also shows a shift in belief. In the beginning we believed in strong governments with monarchy. Then as we adopted revolutionary ideas we started this idea that governments needs to be ran by the people or have an extremely weak government. Then we eventually got to a point where our governments were too weak to help us so we had to gradually increase the power of the government. We, of course, were extremely cautious and thus far have kept them completely controlling us. According to Orwell though, there is a point where we won’t be able to stop them. I don’t think Orwell’s title 1984 is supposed to guarantee that this will occur in 1984, but just the general future since he wrote it in 1949.

(1984) - Reading Journal 2

The book enters its second third revealing secrets from the very beginning. The woman who Winston earlier despised comes to show Winston her love for him. Her name is Julia. They revolt against the Party just the two of them by going against the Party's wishes. O’Brien contacts Winston to come visit him. Winston and Julia go to visit him and reveal their wish to join the Brotherhood, an organization wishing to rebel against the Party. O’Brien tells them that he is part of the Brotherhood and initiates them into the organization. He also gives Winston Goldstein’s book which is the book of revolution. Winston and Julia continue to see each other against the Party’s terms until they are betrayed by Mr. Charrington and are arrested by the Thought Police. Orwell’s vision of 1984 shows the governments control over everything. Winston and Julia were not able to trust anyone because anyone can be working for the Party. No matter how close they are to you they can turn on you. In ways this is true today. The government can track everything, from your phone calls to your text messages to your emails they do minor searches over them for plans of terrorism. As long as its digital you need to watch what you’re saying just as the characters in 1984 need to do except theirs is a little more extreme. They even have to watch what they think. Orwell is also turning on the impression that he gave us in the first third of the book. The impression of a hero’s tale, that Winston would end up leading a revolution against the Party and generally succeeding. However, there is still hope in the story for a revolution to occur. Just as in any hero’s tale there is always a hiccup this one just may be a little too large. It engages the reader to continue to read and find out.

(1984) - Reading Journal 1

1984, a book by George Orwell, opens up with an explanation of who Winston Smith is. He works for the totalitarian party in charge except for he's a pretty low rank. His work is to write history to make Big Brother and the Party look good. The Party is in complete control of what people are doing and what they see and hear. The only thing the Party does not have absolute control over is people's thoughts. Winston is the character who begins to interpret what he is seeing and feels a rebellion. He hates the Party. Orwell opens the book like any other hero book. Times are bad and no one likes it except the people in charge. Orwell's times are a little more cynical because the people don't even have the ability to think that the government is bad. But our hero, Winston, has this ability. He realizes the Party's lies and it looks as if he may succeed. We are also introduced to another character, O'Brien. O'Brien is an inner Party member meaning that he is the top of the food chain. For whatever reason Winston thinks he can trust O'Brien because O'Brien has a look like he would hate the Party. This again continues to follow this hero story where theres an inside man helping the protagonist out. On top of O'Brien there is a women he is interested in. He wants her yet can't have her because of the Party's rules and for this reason wants to rebel anymore. The hero's story just continues to sink in as there is lady he has to fight for which makes it all the more intriguing. It'll be interesting seeing how the story plays out.

(Dracula) - Reading Journal 2

After Harker disappears into Count Dracula's Castle, the story fades to a collection of letters and journals written by Harker's fiance, Mina, to her friend, Lucy. The writings tell whats happening in their lives and feelings. Lucy reveals her craze for three different lovers while Mina reveals her wish to help her husband in any way possible. Mina represents a stereotypical woman, being controlled by her man and being happy about it. Lucy represents an atypical woman, being able to pick whichever man she likes and controlling her men. During their stories, they also discuss this suspicious Russian ship. All that was found on the ship was a dead captain with the rest of the crew missing. There were also fifty boxes of earth on the ship, similar to the boxes Harker found in the Count's room earlier in the story. Stoker is hinting at what is going to happen with Dracula. Lucy is scared by the entire event and begins sleepwalking. The sleepwalking leads to Dracula biting her. Dr. Seward begins to try to treat her. Soon after he calls upon his old mentor, Van Helsing. Helsing puts up garlic around Lucy which seems to help. This leads to the idea that vampires can't be near garlic. Although Harker ends his scene with the words "Good-bye," he reappears in Buda-Pest with Brain Fever. Lucy's treatment ends up failing and she dies. Helsing is convinced she is undead and gets Holmwood, Seward, and Quincey Morris to finish her off. The Harkers return to England and help Helsing and gang to defeat Dracula. They collect information to track him down. In the process, Mina gets bitten. Once Dracula is killed by the team, Mina is cured and they all live happily ever after. The entire story is a quintessential vampire story. If it was written today, the story would just be cliche. The book is not cliche because it was the first real book about vampires. The book is what gives us these ideas about a cliche vampire book. Helsing as an evil hunter, vampires hating garlic, and the physical appearance of vampires all came from Dracula. That's what makes the book so interesting and makes it a classic.