The Hunger Games: A Warning of Days to Come?

In the Hunger Games, there is an almost dictatorial society where all of the Districts are forced to work, almost as slaves to the Capital. They get little in return, and even worse, every year, they must sacrifice two children to the Hunger Games, a fight to the death. It is then televised in a gaudy, tawdry festival, with the inhabitants of the capital treating it like a reality show, rooting for their favorite contestants, belittling the lives of 24 children with their own lives, family and friends.
It reminds me of the modern reality television show.   Reality T.V. has gotten cruel and abusive. Shows can psychologically abuse and physically abuse the contestants, much like in the Hunger Games, where they use psychological tricks and physical traps to kill off the contestants. Already T.V. shows go pretty far, but what if they took it one step farther? What if they took several steps, to bump up ratings, to stay interesting. With human rights being debated constantly, people have trouble figuring out where to draw the line. Often, science fiction novels are simply taking things a huge step in the direction the author believes that the world is already taking. Unless something is done, things may well go in that direction.

Witch and Wizard

Recently, I read the book Witch and Wizard by James Patterson. It was obviously a take on somewhere between nazi germany and the salem witch trials. It is about a brother and a sister in a world that has been taken over by the New Order, led by The One Who Is  The One, ( rather lengthy name), whose goal is to create a utopian society, for them at least, by disposing of all rabblerousers including witches, wizards, artists and anyone with free will, creativity or power. Told from the underdog's point of view, it positively exudes hopelessness and despair, a quality that I found rather depressing. It had it's hopeful moments, but each book makes the situation more and more dire, with no real victories. It is not the most uplifting of sources, but does a fair job of creating the feeling of being oppressed, and reads like an account of the salem witch trials I read once.
While reading it, it kind of made me think a bit more about what people in history have been through and how it must feel to be able to trust no one but yourself. Overall, a meaningful book, but a bit depressing.

Warriors: An Exploration in Rereading

I first read the Warriors series in fourth grade, but the books have been sitting in my library for years, untouched. One day, at a loss for what to read, I saw them and said to myself "Why did I like these books anyway?" So I decided to read the first series over. To my surprise, a lot had changed. Plotlines which once held me captivated, waiting in suspense for the next installment, now felt extremely predictable. I could pretty much anticipate the plot from the first page, using a combination of the painfully obvious foreshadowing and my prior knowledge of the book. They even have prophecies that basically tell you what the next plot twist is going to be. Details I once found endearing or heartbreaking or satisfying now seemed to fall flat. Even the premise seemed a bit strange. I mean, wildcats that live in clans and fight each other while struggling to survive. Throw in some pun based made up words and obvious, dead give away villain names and you basically have the Warriors series.
However, I can see why I liked it as a kid. It gave me a new and interesting viewpoint on life and culture to explore. It had peaceful, endearing moments where everything was innocent and fun, a reminder of younger days. It painted cats to look like people, like the tribes of old. The good guys won, there were themes of loyalty, forgiving, generosity, courage, love, friendship, even death. I see how I could have connected with these loose parallels to life and found amusement in a new culture and names I could barely  pronounce.

Grimm's Fairy Tales: Unabridged

A friend recently gave me her copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales: Unabridged Version. When I read it, it seemed, at first to be just a book of all those fairy tales we have all read a million times before, but then, it surprised me by being very different. I could see our fairy tales in these ones, but they were changed, spread out between several stories. Different details were added, even different endings all together. Plus, all the stories were extremely bloody. Almost every story had it's fair share of gore and death. It made me realize why fairy tales were made in the first place. They were made to teach lessons. Use common sense, be kind and courteous to those you meet, but don't place too much trust in strangers, for only fools do, as it can often be a trick, or not completely selfless in it's nature. These days, almost every fairy tale has a very different lesson. There is always a happy ending, the hero will always succeed, the princess will always get the man, don't trust old and ugly people because they are obviously a witch or monster in disguise. Some lessons are still there, but they've changed. Instead of light easy fairy tales with happy endings, these old. gory fairy tales tell the hard truth and drive it in, teaching children the lesson they need to know. We also have to keep in mind the time period. In this time, death and blood and hardship were part of everyday life. Animals could talk because at times, humans were nearly animals. People had to work or were cast out of their homes at a young age, many of the people in these stories being any where from 6 to 16. It is because these stories had plausibility then that they made an impact. Now they just seem fictional. These things would never happen now. There are no more unexplored corners of the earth, no endless seas, unclimbable mountains or dark, dense woods in which the witch lives. There are no abandoned castles with piles of treasure, nor are there talking animals (or possibly enchanted royalty.) All the mistique of the world is gone, yet these fairy tales are still alive from times when all that was still here.

The Skies of Pern

In the Skies of Pern, something that really stood out to me was the connection between dragon and rider. Dragons tend to be amazingly important background characters. They are literally the only thing keeping Pern and all it's inhabitants alive, the very center of civilization on that planet. Yet, in the books, they have only choice lines, in few scenes. How can a creature that affects the balance of the story have only a few lines? It's because they are with their riders every moment of every scene. Their connection is so innate that they need not say a thing to effect what's going on. You can see a definite difference in characters as well. Lord holders think only of themselves, or else must think of many people, their minor holders. Hallsmen think only of their craft, how to improve it, spread it, get better at it. Dragonriders think of only their dragons. If one dies, so does the other. They are connected so that if one is injured, the other's entire life is changed.
For example, F'lessan and Golanth, were once heads of their wing, young, carefree, their entire life ahead of them. After a single incident, all that changes. Golanth is grounded, losing his ability to fly. F'lessan must now change his entire way of living, must get used to staying in one place his entire life. A world which once held so many possibilities is closing in on him, leaving him with few options, all of which would mean drastically changing his lifestyle, not to mention possibly being separated from the girl he loves. He of course can't blame Golanth, as that would be like blaming himself. Besides, if Golanth had died, F'lessan would've died as well. If a dragon or a rider dies, the other almost always commits suicide. To live without the other would be to live without half a soul. During a recovery process, both must be constantly reassured that the other is not dead, for fear of them losing the will to live. This level of loyalty and commitment spoke to me as something both beautiful and terrifying about this world of Pern.

Response to Amy's Blogpost

Amy's Blogpost
I read Amy's Blogpost on Twisted. I really liked it. She interpreted evidence from the book and formed her own opinion. She sectioned her supporting details into straightforward paragraphs and gave a concise overview of the story. She chose a very interesting book to post on, as well. I haven't read Twisted, yet I can see from her post that it is a really thought-provoking, deep book.
The main character, Tyler, handles his problems in a bit of a violent manner, however, in her blog, Amy says that though she is glad he stood up for himself, he should have told a teacher or other authority figure. She shows her personal opinion in context with the text. She says what she would have done in his place, which is something I think is important to understanding a character.
She also talks about the pressure Tyler's dad puts on him. He forces him to lose games and bow before the son of his boss, just to keep his job intact. He is cruel to both Tyler and his mom, forcing them to do things they don't want to do. He makes Tyler feel small and inadequate. In her blog, Amy communicates that anything bad Tyler does, he does to gain his undeserving father's love and respect.
Overall, I think Amy did a stellar job, and others should follow her blog.

Clockwork Prince

I read Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. It is a sequel to Clockwork angel. It centers around a young woman named Tessa Gray and two demon hunters, called Shadowhunters or Nephilim. In the Nephilim, they have a sacred pact. When to people become partners, or Parabarti, they are closer than brothers, two halves of the same person. Two of the main characters, Will and Jem, are Parabarti. Jem is dying of an affliction that will  kill him in 2 years, and for all his life, Will thought he had a curse which stated anyone who loved him would die, but he recently found out it was all a lie. They are both in love with Tessa Gray.

 Who deserves to have her? A man who has lived his whole life without love or a man who will soon loose his life? Can one even have her without hurting his Parabarti, his dearest friend and brother? It is not the shallow love triangle it first seems, but a moral dilemma. Do we give the dying their wishes, when they are dying anyway? Or do we give it to those who have only just found they have a chance for happiness, and can enjoy it all the more? Do we reward those  have been faithful to their dying days or do we spurn them for those who have only just shown interest? This is a tale of morality and mortality that has been told throughout the ages.