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