Post #1

1. I enjoyed reading "1984" the most. The amount of tension and risk the characters were involved in throughout the book kept me engaged and wanting to read on. A simple thought against the government or even a slight suspicion of rebellious thoughts and actions could get you in prison and possibly killed. As Winston takes many risks such as keeping a diary and purchasing a paperweight, you can't help but feel the same anxiety of possibly being caught at any moment. Seeing an image of what the future would look like to someone of the past was interesting as well. I don't know the social context of when this book was written, but I think it might help me understand why this image of a dystopian society was formed by the author. Thinking about how much control the government has in this book is intimidating. Children are brain-washed to the point where they would suspect rebellion in their parents and report them in, the poor people are completely ignored, and everywhere you go, there is a telescreen monitoring your every action and a poster claiming Big Brother is watching you. The amount of privacy available in today's world is a huge contrast to what I read in the book. The people are even convinced to believe that 2 + 2 = 5.

2. I least enjoyed reading "The Stranger". The book wasn't able to grasp me in as much as the other books we read. Meursault appeared to be a boring guy, uninterested in life, and that may have affected why I did not enjoy this book as much. However, I'm sure the author did this on purpose and characterized Meursault this way to convey an important message. I found the contents of the book interesting though. I thought opening up the book with an announcement of death was an interesting way to start a book. I feel like I did not get as much as I could have while reading this book. I understood the plot and what was going on, but I wasn't quite able to see a deeper meaning.

3. If I were to write an essay on "Their Eyes Were Watching God", I would focus on the element of marriage in the book. As Janie is married to three different men throughout the book, I see an importance of marriage and love in Janie's life. Even after many struggles in her previous marriage, Janie looks to try one more time and finds herself in a new kind of struggle. Along with the marriage comes the man who she is with. These men are each distinct in their appearances, views, and treatment of Janie. As possible foils to each other, the three men from Janie's marriage are the sources to Janie's suffering. I think these elements are important because they further show the struggles women went through in that time period. To make the struggles worse, the community the story takes place in consists of African Americans in a time of racism and discrimination.