So I've been truly struggling with an overall essay topic for Wuthering Heights. It seems like nothing I could think about would seem "smart" enough to explain my thoughts on this novel. That plus lack of motivation caused this to become even harder. I became frustrated and didn't even want to hear about Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. However, currently going through some life learning experiences has made this novel the most impacting in my life. It is so difficult for me to dive into a novel and understand the message behind it. I have now realized it is because I try my hardest to avoid relating to them. Why? Because being vulnerable is a scary thing. However, this novel has taught me more about love than anything else. So as I'm trying to explain to someone why I care about them and where things went wrong I think back to this novel and say, "We shouldn't live for one another, instead we should live in each other's lives." At that point I realized that I not only figured out my own problem but had came up with what my essay should be about. While Heathcliff and Catherine's love seemed eternal, was it really? Heathcliff has lived for Catherine. He dedicated his life for her and their love. He became vengeful because what he was living for was not his. He lost sight of himself and became angry because what he thought he deserved he did not contain. On the other hand Catherine fell in love and continued her life. She did not live for Heathcliff like he lived for her instead, he was just another individual living in her life. With that being said, this novel goes deep into love and how people believe it should be expressed. Some are so deeply in love that they lose sigh of who they truly are and in the end become miserable. Heathcliff lived a sad life and once he died it remained that way. While Catherine was married a happier than Heathcliff was. When Heathcliff died he had nothing he cared about left. When Catherine died, she gave birth. This reflects the lives they both had lived. I think the message behind this novel is that one should not live for a person instead, be a person living in their life. Because once you lose yourself entirely the ending result will be disappointment vs. if you don't which will lead up to something beautiful.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess is a great example of a satire due to it’s dark humor and the questioning of free will the protagonist explores. To begin with, in my previous blog post I spoke about a quotation which I feel means a lot in this book. That quotation is “But the not-self cannot have the bad, meaning they of the government and the judges and the schools cannot allow the bad because they cannot allow the self (40).” To explain further this quotation determines everything Alex is truly living for. The way he acts is an exaggerated version of someone who does not want to be a product of society but believe what they choose to believe. However, what the protagonist has yet realized is that you have freedom until it intervenes with the freedom of other individuals. With this in mind I think Anthony Burgess made such character to show what the world would become if people thought they could live through their own freedom. Doing so would lead into a lot of chaos in the world and people would be living in terror most of the time. Im curious to continue reading and find out whether or not he has a realization. A theme statement that can be used to explain the work as a whole is when an individual is too focused on their own freedom they may lose sight of anyone else’s. I think this is a good theme statement that applies to the book because it is what Alex is doing. He is losing sight of the freedom of everyone else’s because he only thinks his is most important. For example, in the book Alex raped two ten year old girls. He was so focused on believing that if everyone has freedom then they should do what they want that he did not take account the little girl’s freedom. Instead he took it away from them by raping them. Not only does that support the theme but gives an insihg on how horrifying the world may be without laws to keep our freedom the way it is. Overall A Clockwork Orange there is a lot to learn from and it is a great story.

The book that I chose to read was A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. I decided to read this book because I heard so many great things about it. When I looked it up I instantly became intrigued due to the fact that it seemed filled with action and lacked dull moments. This book is about Alex, the protagonist, and his gang. This gang consists of Alex who is supposed to be the leader, Dim, Georgie and Pete. They live their lives by causing unimaginable chaos and crimes. They test the laws and believe that they should be able to express their malicious ways without getting punished for it. In chapter four Alex is speaking to Deltoid, his post-corrective adviser and says to him “But the not-self cannot have the bad, meaning they of the government and the judges and the schools cannot allow the bad because they cannot allow the self (40).” Although this is a long quotation I decided to put the entire thing instead of half because this is when you realize the motto that Alex is living by. In this quotation Alex is explaining that if individuals cannot be their true self whether being good or bad due to the government then they are not living their rights as human beings. If everyone is supposed to contain a life filled with freedom why can’t the be allowed to be evil ? Alex and what he believes are his “friends” are living by being able to be however they want because they have the freedom to do so,  when in reality they do not. Throughout the book Alex questions this freedom and does whatever fits his mood at the moment even if it means going against his own gang. He questions the government and the life we have all been brainwashed to live. Another reason I decided to read this book is because I can relate in a way. My last year history class was filled with biased opinions from the teacher and I often found myself questioning them and him. Whenever I decided to speak up on them I was immediately shut down by the teacher. Although I don’t live my life like the protagonist in A Clockwork Orange which consists of bad behavior, I do relate when it comes to questioning our “higher authorities” and knowing that they do not always have our best interests. In the book Alex questions this in horrifying forms from stealing, raping, assaulting, and more. The protagonist is a very mysterious character continuously having the reader wondering what he may do next. I’m excited to keep reading this book because i want to see what will happened to Alex at the end. Will he come to a realization and make a change ? or will he continue with his evil ways ? In my opinion he will try his best to change but it may be too late when he does. Overall, so far it is a great book and I recommend it for those who would like a different perspective on life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmm5jeeH8mY

If one person lies to another and the person believes it and commits a drastic act that cannot be undone, then the person to blame is the one who lied. When Iago decides to be malicious and lies to Othello that Desdemona and Cassio have been having an affair and Othello believes him, Iago is to blame. To begin with Othello had believed Iago was a noble and honest friend. With this in mind it is safe to say that Othello didn’t seek for Iago to fail in any sense. The hatred was one sided from Iago’s part. Because of this Othello is viewed innocent. Iago on the other hand was filled with envy because Cassio was selected to become Othello’s lieutenant and he was his servant. This is what lead to Iago’s plan of revenge, and the fact that he thought Othello slept with Emilia. Iago’s lie caused a domino effect in the play. If he had not lied to Othello and strategically planned everything then Othello would not have believed him to the point of causing the death of Desdemona. If he had not started these rumors then there would not have been a conflict to begin with. Yes, it can be said that Othello is at fault for believing in Iago enough to kill his true love. However, when someone begins to tell you lies that actually seem to be true it is hard not to believe them. For example, when Iago told Othello that he would make Cassio confess to having an affair with Desdemona but was really talking to him about Bianca, gave Othello a sense of proof to Iago’s accusations. If someone were to hear what they think is proof then they would obviously believe the lie. Which again is Iago’s fault for allowing Othello to think the conversation was based off of Cassio and Desdemona’s relationship. Overall if Iago had not made Othello believe that Desdemona was cheating then Othello would not have killed her. His lie not only caused Desdemona’s death but Emilia’s, Roderigo’s, and Othello’s.

Assimilation is conforming to a group. Conforming isn't necessarily a bad thing, it is actually something we all do depending on our surroundings. For example, when I'm In school verses hanging out with my friends. There's a different level of comfort ability. Not only that but there's a level of respect that should be met when you're in the presence of a teacher.  Anyway, when conforming becomes who you and everyone thinks you are but it isn't truly, is when it is a terrible thing to do. You begin to lose yourself and forget your own morals. In Invisible Man it is difficult to recognize when the protagonist is living for himself or conforming to what society wants him to be. Because throughout the novel he considers himself invisible it can be said that he is conforming to society's views about African Americans. If during a time of racism they were treated as less than then the protagonist made sure he, himself was and felt less than as well. Instead of believing in his worth and acknowledging that he truly does exist, he decided not to. He chose to conform, to become less than, to lose himself and to allow society determine his outcome in life. Because he believed that society had already planned out his future, that he was born to fail, then he eventually did. He gave in to everything he believed society wanted him to. Deep down he knew becoming a part of the brotherhood wasn't a good idea. When Jack asked him to change his name and disown his loved ones he doubted Jack's intensions but still obeyed him. Why ? Was it because deep inside he knew that it was a bad idea, that it was society trying to bring him down ? Maybe, but he isolated his feelings and conformed to what he was told to do, even when self doubt was so visible. This is an example of assimilation and how it can become negative. On the other hand he uses assimilation to his benefit many times without having to risk his beliefs or himself. For example, when Mary takes him in he sees it as an act of kindness, which it is. He doesn't doubt her character or believe she is out to get him. If anything he begins to feel this way when the brotherhood enter his life and make it seem as though no one but they are his true "family". With Mary the protagonist didn't have to lie about who he was before he meant the brotherhood. These are two examples in Invisible Man on how the protagonist conformed in a positive and a negative way and how conforming in a negative way can do enough damage to allow one to lose his self.

"a work of literary merit" is how well written a book is. For example, all the books that are in our list that have appeared on the AP exams. They are books that have been read by professional individuals that know exactly what makes a book incredible. Although, some of these books may be extremely difficult to read and understand, they are considered a "masterpiece". I am stuck in the middle when it comes to my book. I read a play by Henrik Ibsen, called A Doll's House, The Wild Duck, The Lady From The Sea. I really did enjoy reading A Doll's House. It is very empowering for women during that era which were supposed to be "house wives". I am not sure if we are supposed to spoil the book but when Nora decided to stop being "a doll" it made me kind of sad. Like I said, it is empowering but at the same time to just leave your children. I got teary eyed so in that way I do think it was amazing. However, The Wild Duck was so confusing to me. What I did love about this was how the duck represented Hedvig. I thought it was so meaningful and clever. Although it was a sad ending ,it was very beautiful. The Lady in The Sea was alright. I do think that all three were written very well but some parts did confuse me. Overall, great plays.

So welcome to my reading blog and this very corny first post. Well I'm not a reader. In fact I hate reading. My favorite book till this day is Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, which shows how much I dislike to read. It may sound pretty ridiculous but, it's the book that I read over a million times just to better my English when I was younger. So yeah, I absolutely love that book. Other than that I've read two books without being obligated by a teacher, A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer and lets just say the other one is really inappropriate but consists of fifty shades. So as you can tell I'm not very big on reading but I do hope to change that. However, as much as I try to get away from romance and drama, I can't. So I don't think I'll be reading anything other than that on my own time. Anyway my goal for this blog is that I become more interested in reading and continue to post my thoughts because it's kind of fun. Also one last thing, if you haven't read Green Eggs and Ham, then you should!