What are you reading this summer? 
Comment: During the summer please comment on this blog post at least three different times at any point during the summer about your progress on your summer reading novel or play. Don’t summarize it but rather discuss how you are being affected by it, what you notice about how the author constructs meaning and what meaning you are constructing from the text.
Reply: Then, during the summer reply to at least two different comments posted by your future classmates. Read some of the commentaries and respond to at least two that haven’t already been responded to. Write at least 5 sentences using the following questions to get you started- What did it make you think? Did you realize something new after reading their commentary? If you are reading the same book, do you agree with their argument? Note: It is not your job to grade someone else’s commentary.
Morse AP English Lit. 
Post #3: For my play, I decided to read “No Exit” by Jean Paul Sartre by reading all the reviews and the fact that the play was depicting hell and how different it seemed than all the other plays listed. As I started reading, I enjoyed how although hell is usually depicted as a place where people are physically tortured as a consequence for all their sin, Sartre put Garcin, Estelle, and Inez in a room with no furniture or anything and made them stay there for eternity as their punishment. During most of the play, it was kind of hard to really get what was going on but eventually it became clear that the characters were basically put there to torture one another. Sartre showed Garcin, Estelle, and Inez telling why they went to hell and it was pretty interesting that they were all there for similar reasons: they all mistreated their loved ones in one way or another by hurting them directly or betraying them. But I think they were really put in the room to kind of reflect on the error of their actions especially when they were talking about why they thought they were all there. I think the reason that the room was such a punishment for them was because although they all mistreated others, they were all stuck together forever with no way out. And when Garcin said that “hell is other people” and when Garcin didnt take his chance to escape because he didnt want to leave until Inez had faith in him, it amazed how they were so busy worrying about what the others thought that they pretty much drove themselves crazy because they werent able to be themselves and face the things they did.
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Reading the end of Brave New World was not satisfying. Huxley basically stated the only way to achieve real freedom is to end it all. But in reality it is not that easy, you should never give up your life just to have “freedom”. I think the ending of the novel could have been more comprehensive instead of being broad. I feel as if Huxley should have made the ending less predictable. But Huxley sure kept me very interested throughout the novel. Brave New World is a book I would recommend you all to read.
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We can all agree that this book doesn’t have a happy ending, but I did like the consistent preciseness of his diction till the end. And it does address some important questions about individuality, human nature, and the negatives of technological advancement. I would also recommend this book to everyone!
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During the summer reading, I read the Oedipus the King by Sophocles. While it is a short play, it was a fairly challenging piece to read. One thing that interested me about the play is the dramatic irony of the whole plot. Oedipus learns that in order to stop the plague, which is devastating his city of Thebes, is to find the murderer of the former king Laius. He orders for a blind prophet named Tiresias who tells him that he is the murderer. He then seeks for the truth no matter what the outcome might be. Ironically he is very arrogant from solving the riddle of the sphinx that he thinks he knows everything, but when he was slapped by the truth, he realizes how blind he really was. Even with his arrogance I’ve learned to love his perseverance in order to save his people from the plague, an attribute that great leader should possess. The play was one huge interesting paradox. When Oedipus had his eyes he couldn’t recognize, but when he was blind he could finally see the truth. Many people till this day share similar characteristics with Oedipus, and could definitely learn from this play.
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Upon completing the Brave New World I have come across some prominent references to sex, violence, drugs, and alcohol. In Brave New World, sex and violent acts are the only passionate thing a human can legally perform. Sex has been dehumanized and treated casually rather than personally. Sex is totally promiscuous and partnering is illegal. It’s even socially acceptable for people to engage in, what they call, “orgy-porgies”. Violence is seen as entertainment. Drugs and alcohol are undoubtedly everywhere. The drug “soma,” a hallucinogen without any drawbacks, is distributed to the masses by the government. As this world full of sex, violence, drugs, and alcohol might seem fun at first, a quick read of Brave New World will show how this world can make humanity one dull group. Sex, violence, drugs, and alcohol are all just interesting ways for the government to control their people. Sex and violence are used to distract and pacify the people, drugs and alcohol helps the people escape momentary dissatisfaction. While this world might have order and satisfaction, it does take away their identity. This book sheds light upon important questions about individuality, human nature, and the negatives of technological advancement.
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The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini has granted me an unforgettable novel that touches base on violence and the consequential string of events that come from those who are participants, victims, and witnesses. Amir, like Hosseini, is a talented writer in the novel who suffers from the being guilty in both his child and adulthood. The suffering from his childhood comes as a result of bearing the insane amount of guilt of watching his best friend be destroyed before his very own eyes. Hosseini’s way of creating irony throughout the book is a terrific way to keep the story fast paced and jaw dropping at certain points. The book is also kept at a speedy pace thanks to his description of violence in Amir’s everyday life in Afghanistan. The instability of the country reminds me how thankful we should be to be living in a first world country that is not a war zone or political mess. Hosseini’s portrayal of loyalty in Hassan and his “father” Ali is outmatched by the betrayals of their masters, and best friends, Amir and Baba, respectively. The events that unfold throughout the novel lead to the search of redemption for Amir which Hosseini hopes to magnify and signify that it is never too late to correct one’s wrongs, even twenty plus years later.
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(3} Purple Hibiscus vaguely parallels Jean Paul Sartre’s No exit because they both introduce the element of one’s history. What I learned from both pieces of work is that going back into one’s history or past can explain and answer so many questions about one’s own present and future. The point is to realize where mistakes were made in order to prevent them from recurring. An old African proverb teaches, “Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.”
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(2) It is refreshing to read Adiche’s work because it is so relateable. Although I did not grow up in Africa, I have been raised with some African traditions and I find it strangely amusing that I can relate to people who either don’t exist or those whom I have never met–through his writing. Chimamanda Adiche’s novels bring a sense of home to me as I recount my own memories of learning things such as self love, the appreciation of family and sacrifice.
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The novel I chose to read over the summer was Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adiche. I found it to be incredibly relatable and poetic in a way. It is narrated by a fifteen year old girl named Kambili and I found myself feeling almost nostalgic reading her words, feeling her emotions and understanding her mind, for I too have experienced some of her same struggles.
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Khaled Hosseini’s book, The Kite Runner, has easily became one of the best novels I have read. The story of Amir and his writing of both his past and present have left me emotionally hooked all summer. Hosseini is able to create powerful images with both descriptive and painful scenes throughout the story. The multiple allusions in the novel can create confusion but over time I became easily accustomed to the terminology used in order to further enhance the intense events and vocabulary of Afghanis. The emotional bond I have developed with the characters is very strong and a great deal of the book is difficult to read due to the ethical nonsense that constantly occurs. The novel has opened up a new side of me and understanding the ties of loyalty, love, guilt, and strength, especially in a third world country. It pits betrayal and after breaking my heart on multiple occasions, it offers redemption in the end. The friendship of Amir delves much deeper than what the story has to offer, it draws the line of the selfish and the righteous. Amir and his father have an unbearable amount of guilt and from the get go Hosseini is able to spin the novel in a way that engaged me to the tale of Amir, Baba, Hassan, and everyone in between. I absolutely loved the style and plot of this heartbreaking tale.
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(Post 3) The ninth and last story from Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri was way different that the other eight. I started to wonder why Lahiri chose to do this The first eight stories ended in tragedies for the most part. However, in the last one, a man immigrates to Boston for an arranged wedding with his spouse. They live happily in a town outside of Boston and have a child who ends up attending Harvard. I feel like Lahiri chose this composition to show that in between the midst of life challenges, there will always be a rewarding result.
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(post 3) Oedipus Rex was full of literary devices, in fact it had so much foreshadowing that it was basically obvious Oedipus was the killer. His ignorance brought upon his own ruin, his very edict banished himself. He was always blind, after he realized how blind he was to the prophecies he ended up literally blinding himself, so he stopped being blind then he became bling again. His own ruin was ironic, he was meant to be killed to stop the prophecy but instead that caused the prophecy to become reality.
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The last thing that made the biggest impression on me by See’s novel, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, is how heavily she foreshadows and tucks in little details in Lily’s narration or in the dialogue that seem insignificant in the moment but in reality ends up tying so many loose ends. For example, it would seem that too much time is spent on the foot binding process and what Lily’s mother says to her as they go along the process. And for much of the novel the subject is not revisited until the critical moment in which Lily takes Snow Flower’s daughter under her wing as compensation for causing their falling out before her death. Lily said the same exact things her mother told her in the beginning of the novel to Snow Flower’s daughter, showing that their bond as lao-tongs went beyond death. The foreshadowing even goes under the guise of simply calling some one “auntie.” At their first outing, Snow Flower calls Madame Wang whom we assume at this point to simply be a matchmaker, “Auntie.” Lily does the same out of respect, but in reality Madame Wang was really a relative of Snow Flower. This little piece of information was hidden away from Lily and even contributed to their falling out. In this way See connects and sows the whole plot together that gives one that “duh!” feeling when everything is revealed and spelled out
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(Post 3) At the end of the novel Cat’s Eye, by Margaret Atwood, Elaine’s conflict with Cordelia becomes resolved because after Elaine sees Cordelia out in the cold she realizes that even though Cordelia bullied her when was younger, that no one should have to go through the pain of being alone. Elaine went through all those years of bullying because she just wanted to have friends and now that Cordelia was susceptible to being bullied by Elaine, Elaine welcomed Cordelia with open arms and was the bigger person in the situation. This giving Elaine peace with herself, Cordelia, and her hometown.
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I’ve decided to read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley for my summer reading, and right from the get-go I was hooked by the futuristic setting that it establishes. Huxley envisions a futuristic and high-tech society that is both fascinating and terrifying. A world that he envisions is place where babies are born in factories and grow up in strict social caste and are wired to learn to love their role. Such as, shocking babies intended for factory work to dislike books and flowers. In this futuristic world, science is used to imprison humanity rather than to liberate, which what science is used for today. It would be interesting to find out how this world could show how different humanity could really be.
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(Post 2) As I was reading through the different stories of Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, I started to notice a connection between the stories.They all seem to have a focus on Indian immigration and how each of the stories’ characters lives have been affected. They all seem so different and because of this, you would think that you can’t relate. Surprisingly, I have been able to relate and share similar experiences with most of the characters. For example. a wife feeling lonely in a new home and culture. Although I was born here, I have experienced second had what it is for a person of a different culture having to accommodate to a new environment.
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The story of the wife feeling lonely in a new home and culture sounds like the narrative of most foreigners! It made me think of numerous immigration stories I’ve heard about those coming for the “American dream”. People often risk everything they had back in their homeland to come here to live in poverty in hopes of a better future. Is the husband not foreign or does he not feel culture shocked in the new environment like his wife does? Seems like an interesting read!
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The World State is a unified government, which is the primary setting in Brave New World. The society in Brave New World is split into five castes: Alpha, Beta, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons. Soma is an example of the kind of medical, biological, and psychological technologies that Brave New World criticize most. The reason why I think Huxley did that is because the technology used by the World State’s leaders, like humans are grown in a manner appropriate to theirs caste, the lower the caste, the dumber the individual is created to be.
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Brave New World is definitely a book that interested me. The book takes place in a society where a caste system exists and where government controls information and reproduction. The book is still relevant to society today because of the way science and technology is changing the way people act and react to their issues and opinions. I think that the utopian society is truly not a happy one because of how people are divided. Those who are also different feel alone in their place. Everyone has conformed and there is no sense of identity.
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(Post 3) The novel I’m reading is Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In this novel, Ifemelu talks about how in America the word “fat” is an insult rather than a descriptive word like short or tall. This made me think of how the word “dark” is often used as a negative when it is also just a descriptive word. Words like dark or fat are often used in context where there a synonymous with ugly or unappealing when those words have nothing to do with physical attractiveness.
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Once I finished reading, “The Joy Luck Club,” the different stories in the novel allowed me to have different perspectives in life, especially since the mothers are strong in their Chinese culture. The characters helped me become more open minded and to not lose any hope. The mothers and the daughters faith grew stronger, although the experienced many struggles. This affected me because it made me realize that there are prizes at the end of every problem. Just like how June was able to fulfill her mother’s goal, since she passed away. Overall, this novel built a great impact in me, emotionally, by growing hope to lose the pain.
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The novel I have read during this summer was Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Throughout the novel, I had a difficult time comprehending the events but after putting it together, the novel started to make more sense.The primary character in Brave New World is John, he first enters the story when he shows an interest in participating in the Indian religion. My first impression of John is that he was an outsider among the indians because he was not allowed to participate in their rituals.
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(post 2) After finishing The Kite Runner I actually understood the meaning behind the title. At first I was thinking the novel would have been better titled The Kite Fighter since Amir is the main character as he was the kite fighter while Hassan was the kite runner. I kept thinking about that until i reached the end of the book, throughout the whole novel Amir wants to forget about his sins as he is anguished by the events in the ally. That stays true until he takes Sohrab, Hassan’s son, to america and tries to make up for his sins by giving a better life to Hassan’s son. At the end Amir becomes the kite runner to make Sohrab happy and he quotes Hassan by saying “For you a thousand times over”, now the title is correct.
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In the middle of “The Joy Luck Club,” by Amy Tan, I began to gain emotions while the mothers are explaining to their daughters on how they just want what’s best for them. I grew emotional because it gave me a reminder to my own mother. The stories of the mothers helped me realize that they go through so much, whether it involved pain, getting beaten up, or anything that makes them feel weak, in order for us to live a better life, and this reminder helped me expose more appreciation towards my mother.
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As I was reading “The Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan, it made me comprehend different perspectives within the mothers and daughters. Amy Tan exposed the difference between the mothers and daughters by comparing their past tragedies since the daughters didn’t seem thankful enough on how they are living, and because of this, I grew eagerness to seek what the reward is after facing their struggles.
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(post 1) The novel I have chosen to read is The Kite Runner. This novel has a good start with the characterization of the two boys Amir and Hassan, they have have a master/servant relationship yet they seem to be best friends. They share a special bond in the story it said “there was a brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break”. They would spend a lot of time together but Amir never felt him as a best friend, he would sometimes neglect him when people went to his house and never admitted to Hassan being his friend simply because he is his servant and a hazara. Hassan on the other hand is completely loyal to Amir even after a great betrayal.
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I agree that Amir did not feel Hassan was his best friend due to his prejudice. I also remember Amir feeling jealous of Hassan because his father would give Hassan special treatment. Amir was able to appreciate and understand Hassan when he finally lost him. His prejudice and jealous kept him from connecting with Hassan and creating the brotherhood they were supposed to have. He in the end tried to redeem himself to Hassan by protecting and taking care of his son.
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Overall, Oedipus Rex, created by Sophocles was rather an interesting play. With its storyline revolving around this prophecy, the story allows for the audience to be brought closer into this play. The plot was thought out and had brought, somewhat, easy reading. It was seen that Theseus is the hero and Creon as the villian. Although a great sum of the story had involved uncovering the truth and the secrets that lie within, it is self knowledge that had brought the story together. The ending had me with mixed emotions as it has come to conclusion but I believe the ending of this play has brought a quiet unique angle towards this feature.
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After I finished reading the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, I became fascinated with his work and the storyline itself. King Oedipus struggles to find out who he really is upon from hearing about his dreadful fate from an Oracle. Even though Oedipus had many flaws he still seeks for the truth no matter how bad of an outcome it portrays. When reading about Oedipus in the beginning of the play I was amazed upon how he undoubtedly wanted to remove the plague of the land of Thebes. His efforts and determination made me realize how considerate he is; yet, when I had received a more deeper understanding of his personality and actions I failed to realize how aggressive he can easily become. Moreover, Oedipus fails to see the truth since he is blinded by his own shame.
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What’s crazy about this whole play is that Oedipus ultimately falls to his own doom at his own expense. I know that many of individuals (especially teens) have times where they have to go into denial with their past when someone brings up certain events they, themselves, don’t want to recall. So I completely understand why Oedipus was driven to madness, the past is something that we all shouldn’t look back on if it’s negative, you know?! What I loved from the story line is that Oedipus is actually accepting of his doom and is defensive about it in the end. Acceptance is a hard concept to overcome, even for us, so the fact tht he accepted his wrongdoings says that he has alot of courage.
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(Post 2) The novel I’m reading is Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In this novel, there are often short passages explaining minor characters. One of my favorite passages was about Kosi, Ifemelu’s (main character) first love’s wife. Kosi is described as being the epitome of conformity, in conversations, she chooses peace over truth and was eager to agree with everyone around her. Kosi, to me, is a weak female character, used to contrast the strong qualities of Ifemelu. Kosi is lighter compared to her African counterparts and often takes pride in being mistaken for being mixed or half white. This pride Kosi feels reflects the hierarchy based on skin tone even in the black community. Labels such as lightskin or darkskin often used in the black community separate and put those having more European similar features on higher pedestals in the same oppressed community.
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(Post 2) Cat’s Eye, by Margaret Atwood, mostly focuses on the main character, a controversial painter. The book focuses on the painter return to her hometown of Toronto. The main goal of the author in this text is to discover who she really is and throughout her trip there is quite a bit of personal reflection. There is quite bit of reflection on the relationships that Elaine has as well as the depth of these friendships. Elaine has to come to terms with haunting memories multiple times throughout the story and these memories seem to drive most of the plot and story line as I continue reading.
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I finished reading the play No Exit by John Paul Sarte. I was extremely excited to read the play because I read comments and reviews about it and many readers loved it. As I finished reading No Exit I came to wonder how hell really is like. It gave another possibility that John Sarte’s interpretation of hell could be correct. He highlighted his idea that hell is other people. I understand where he is coming from. Due to the fact, in life people go through conflicts, misunderstandings, etc and through out those trials there are people who continue to support or be against one another. In fact, there are people who are labeled as so called “haters” and many would say these haters made their life a living hell and or motivated them to do better. In life there will always be some people that will try to put down another person affecting their status, money, position, physical, mental and or emotional health.
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I like your take on the play and how you felt it relates things that people actually go through. I felt the same way when I read it looking at how he showed the interactions between the characters and showed how they weren’t actually being physically harmed but it was all in their heads due to the way they felt others felt about them and the way they felt they didn’t have the freedom to be themselves.
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I felt that both the play, “No Exit” by Jean Paul Sartre, and the book, “The Plague” by Albert Camus, taught me something that i can apply to life. I believe that both of them taught me about working together with others. In “No Exit,” they had to help each other figure out why they were there. In “The Plague,” they had to work together to stop the epidemic, or at least stop it from spreading. Both were really interesting stories that caught my attention and had good themes that made me reflect on my life. Whether its, working together, love, religion, or hope, many people can relate to some of these themes.
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Later on Amir loses his father to cancer, and is left to live with his wife. He then receives a call from a friend of his father telling him to return home to Afghanistan. Upon his arrival he is informed that Hassan was executed by the Taliban. This reinforces the fact that the Taliban are a very violent group of people, in order to teach about the tension in the region. But Amir learns that Hassan’s son is still alive, and he want to make it up to Hassan by giving his son a better life in order to make up for the time when he forced him out of his home. Hosseini uses this in order to teach a life lesson in redeeming one’s self after committing a mistake.
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Later on in the novel, Amir and his father decide to sneak into Pakistan and then proceed to move to California in order to get away from the danger that the Soviets presented. Once they arrive in America, they realize that life is not the same. They have a hard time living off the little money that his father made at a gas station. Hosseini uses this a way to give readers insight on how difficult it was for certain ethnic groups to come to America in hopes of a brighter future and live a comfortable life.
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The novel that I chose for my summer reading was The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The story revolves around Amir and his friend/servant Hassan. In the first part of the story, I really like how Hosseini gives the reader a sense of how life was like in Afghanistan prior to the Soviet Invasion and rise of the Taliban. Hosseini also teaches his readers a valuable lesson in betrayal, after Amir hides his money under Hassan’s bed in order to try and force him out of their home. Amir’s plan works and Hassan feels deeply betrayed by the one person he really considered to be his friend. Throughout the novel, Hosseini uses small details in order to further immerse the reader into the story.
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For my play I decided to read No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre. I really liked how the story unfolded because it brought a sense of suspense. In the beginning, we had no information as to why Garcin, Inez, and Estelle were in hell but as they started talking to each other, we were able to discover why they were damned. I enjoyed reading it because it was somewhat refreshing and out of the ordinary. Hell is often depicted as being tormented physically but Sartre took a different take on it. Dealing with other people is what he portrayed hell as. Not only being tortured physically but also mentally. In the play, the three characters served as each other’s mirrors causing them to torture one another because they can see each other’s self inflicted pain. I think this idea also applies into our world. In life, being around the person you dislike can be torturing. Also, we often use another person’s presence to see our identity. We let other people’s judgement affect us. More often than not we try to change ourselves for other people in order to please them just like when Estelle started attracting Garcin.
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