Walden is nothing like Life As We Knew It bu Suzanne Collins. The former has a positive outlook nearly the entire time of its duration, while the latter incorporates pessimism into everything that happens. Every. Single. Thing. Miranda was always whining about how the world was ending, how hungry she was, how unfair her mother was, how ungrateful she thought of herself, and on and on and on. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's on the whole other side of the spectrum from Walden. Thoreau was always bringing up how grateful he was for his lifestyle, perspective, and more. He hardly ever looked down upon his choices, and surely never pitied himself for making them.
However, both are similar in that they lack action. Honestly, nothing really happens in either story. Life As We Knew It is a bit better with the plot. But Thoreau uses his lack of plot to his advantage. He preaches more of life lessons, and what he learned from his experiences with nothing. Miranda also bases her journal entries on the fact that practically nothing happens to her. They both lose contact from a majority of the outside world. All in all, they were both enjoyable books. At least to some extension.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
What was the main idea of the book?
People are too caught up in "making a living" and forget to truly live. They dedicate their lives to consumerism and "producing a good harvest", but leave the 'human harvest' to wither and rot.This idea is pushed in a variety of ways throughout Walden, intertwining other morals and lessons in its wake motivating Thoreau to continue on with his experiment.
What was praiseworthy?
AP lang is supposed to focus more on rhetorical strategies, but the content was the best part of this book. Thoreau spends two years (two years!) in basically isolation. His persistence is admirable. That alone is a feat in itself, but Thoreau goes even further and maintains a positive outlook about the whole thing. He finds life lessons in every minute detail, which admittedly gets annoying after a while, but the fact is that he never lost hope. In a society like today, very few people could do such a task. Being used to action filled, cry-your-heart-out, drama heavy plot lines, this was a nice change.
What are the shortcomings?
Thoreau presented his opinions directly and as if only his opinions were right. After a while, it felt like he wasn't only stating his beliefs, but criticizing others unlike his own. Like when he met the Irish family in the shed. He spent most the time preaching to them about pulling their lives together economically, accusing them of being inherently Irish poor, and deeming them a lost cause in the end. He also made a lesson out of everything. Which is understandable, considering he lived in practically solidarity for over two years. He probably went a little crazy within that time. And don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with presenting a life lesson in every aspect of life. It just seemed overbearing after a while. The most important lessons lost significance because there were too many to keep track off, similar to the way that cliche phrases lose their meaning.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Life As We Knew It made me aware of my life as I knew it
FCA's
1. Identify a position (5)2. Explain your criteria, application, reasoning for your position with quoted evidence as support. Please indicate the page number of your quote in parenthesis following the quote. (10)
3. Explain the position of the opposition and provide counterargument. (10)
I hate reading. I hate everything about it. But personal preferences don't mean anything in high school, leaving me with no choice but to read Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer. Allow me to clarify, I'm not necessarily a bad reader; I just don't like the way books have the power to completely detach you from your surrounding situation, completely altering your awareness of reality. And man did this book hit hard. Life As We Knew It establishes a solid connection with the reader, bringing out universal themes everyone can relate too. It's also written as an easy read with a realistic plot anyone can follow, appealing to an unlimited audience. On the other hand, some people disagree, stating the novel lacks action. However, Pfeffer provides just enough to keep everyone on their toes with anticipation, creating an even better plot than filling more drama.
Life As We Knew It relates to everyone in every situation, on a global scale. Miranda has a self awareness moment watching the moon one night, realizing it was the same moon Shakespeare, Marie Antoinette, and every other person alive and had ever lived was looking at during that moment, (Pfeffer). Even though Miranda lives in a small town, everyone in the entire world is going through the same situation. It'a an almost cliche idea, but Pfeffer uses it perfectly, reviving the meaning underneath. In addition, it touches on feelings of losing loved ones and not having any control over it, or any way to change it. "I hate a world where things that have absolutely nothing to do with me can destroy my life,"(Pfeffer)
It never felt as if I was reading Life As We Knew It, it felt as if I was living it.The writing is in such a way that feels so realistic, it's almost impossible not to feel as if it were truly happening. After a long reading session, I walked to the window only to see the sun shining, that the world wasn't ending. It was just one of those indescribable reality checks, and Pfeffer deserves props for that. Also, the actual writing is done so well that you don't want to stop reading. The journal entry format and colloquial style of Miranda make the book feel like it's going by so fast. You can almost feel time passing. A friendly atmosphere is created too, making it like a conversation with Miranda, a personal connection between the narrator and the reader. This book is good, but every good thing has a critic.
Some argue action determines a novel's success, and Life As We Knew It lacks such success. However, adding too much action just for the sake of enjoyment takes away from the purpose. Event after event, when done properly, can create a fast paced and action filled atmosphere. However, under Pfeffer's circumstances, adding action for the sake of action takes away from the bigger picture. The drama turns into "fluff", and the plot loses its value. Pfeffer includes just enough to build anticipation without losing the true meaning.
Life As We Knew It can impact any reader, in any part of the world. In conclusion, I'd recommend it to anyone. Though everyone has their own opinions and standards, this book has the ability to please any picky reader. I can testify to that. Both the writing style and the content are perfectly strung together, giving the book credibility on more than one level. All in all, Life As We Knew It changed my life as I knew it, and I can say it's only been for the good.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
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