New Book: And the Mountains Echoed By Khaled Hosseini

I have been told by my friend Suraj, that this was a good book. When I first heard the title I was like, what in the world, that sounds so lame. But, after I saw that Suraj had made a blog post on it, I knew it was a good book, because you only make posts on good books. So, as I looked at the post, I saw that he had posted a link. I clicked it and it took me to a website where I could read the book. I got it, and here I am, talking about my first impressions of the book.

As I read the first few pages, which was a story in a story. Right away, that got me hooked. The idea of putting a story into a story was really smart and I liked it. The imagery and diction of the first few pages also reeled me in. As I read a bit more, I realized the story reflected the rest of the actual story too. That also made the book that much better.

A few things I didn't like about the book was that there was a lot of emotional engagement, but not enough action. But that's just me. I like books with fast-paced action. Although this book wasn't exactly my kind of book, I have really enjoyed it so far, and I think you should read it too.

This is a PDF copy of the book.
This is a Epub copy of the book.

Fahrenheit 451 Theme Handout

Fahrenheit 451 Theme Notes Handout

Theme: Engaging with difficult, uncomfortable thoughts and experiences is the only route to true happiness.

Faith Scully, Aleah Ellis, Jiwoong Jang

Bell 6

Visual-Timeline

Examples From The Text

“He wore his happiness like a mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back.” (Bradbury, 9)

“People are having fun? ‘Committing suicide! Murdering!’” (Bradbury, 83)

“Later, in a month or 6 months, and certainly not more than a year, he would walk along here again, alone, and keep right on going until he caught up with the people.” (Bradbury,157)

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print.

Connection of Theme and Story

This theme is important to the understanding of the story because it relates to Montag’s journey from the difficult feeling of emptiness and depression when he realized what horrific things firemen actually do in his society to the feeling of joy and happiness when he found a new society with Granger and others who cherish books and their impact on the lives of citizens in a society.

Real World Connection

Our real-world connection, “Scientists found that those who suffer hardships are happier long-term”, connects to our theme by analyzing a scientific study proving hard times lead to future happiness, and this is important because many people are experiencing hardships, so it’s vital to know they will find greater happiness after those events.

"Scientists Find Those Who Suffer Hardship Are Happier Long-term." NewsComAu. N.p., 17 Dec. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. <http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/scientists-find-those-who-suffer-hardship-are-happier-longterm/story-fniym874-1226784735514>.

How to Read Literature Like A Professor: Part 3

Well. This time around, I learned some new things I thought that were really cool. One of the things I learned was that, in literature, violence is almost never accidental. The death of a character can cause many things in the plot. It can be there to make action happen, cause complications in the plot, and put other characters under stress. Now that I have read this, I see how the violence in the books I have read affect the rest of the plot. For example, in Inheritance by Christopher Paolini, the final battle that takes place helps develop action in the plot. The death of certain characters put stress on other ones. This clearly shows how violence affected the plot in this text.

Another thing I learned is that almost everything is a symbol. But the symbols don't just have one meaning, they have different meanings for different people. There is no exact meaning to a symbol. But there is one, if it is an allegory. An allegory is a way to communicate one single idea and is straight forward. No ambiguous nonsense. So, after I got the difference between the two right, the author moved on. He gave examples of how the simplest most non-connected things, can have symbolism. The example I enjoyed the most was from A Passage to India, by E.M. Forster. The example of symbolism from the book is when they go into a cave. Adela, the main person in this scene, goes into a cave with a group of people, When she goes deeper into the cave, she thinks that something is happening, and runs out in fear. The cave seems to symbolize her darkest fears and anxieties. So, as we see here, symbolism can be found in many places.

As I continue to read this book, I think I will learn more and more about literature and the many things that affect its meaning. I hope that eventually, one day, I will be able to analyze and enjoy literature at a different, more deep level.