Group items tagged

-Main Idea: Discusses Albom's book, For One More Day. Explains why Albom wrote the book and what he hopes people will learn from reading this story.  -Claims: After he got off the phone with his mother, Albom realized that his mom was getting older and that time was precious with her and close people in his life. Mitch Albom hopes that readers will be influenced to never take people and moments for granted.  -Evidence: "Albom said he wrote the story in honor of his own mother after speaking with her on the phone one day as he was working on another book. The call was nothing out of the ordinary, he said, but it struck him that his mom was getting older and would not always be there" (Elliott). "In real life people don't come back and spend a day with you," Albom said "so you should try to grab that day now" (qtd. in Elliott). 

-Main Idea: Describing what Albom's purpose of writing the book; how divorce affects the children. Themes: man vs society, and man vs himself. Learn to forgive yourself. -Claims: Makes readers relate to the story, his themes in other books including this one always seem to be universal. Everyone goes through disappointment, sadness, or loss one point or another in their life. "Many people are hanging on the past, so it would be nice to read something that would go back to it and learn the things that you never learned in your past life." -Evidence:  "This book let me explore how children, when their parents split, chase after the love thateludes them. That chase often haunts you right into adulthood" "He always gives inspiration to thereaders and this time an eye opener to the children who always took their parents for granted. " "You can find lessons that arealready seen by your own eyes but not yet felt by your hearts"

Argument: The Kite Runner reflects a modern day allegory of humanitarianism. Hosseini's novel shows the shift from race and nation as primary community and national builders to the modern individual shaping to form "the human". Claims: Khaled Hosseini humanized a country (Afghanistan) many in the West find inhuman. The author combined elements of coming to age, culture, and a morality tale to bring a real-life humanization to his characters. The novel discerns between "good Muslim" and "bad Muslim" and the shaping of what it means to be a "good Muslim", especially in today's modern world.  Evidence: "The identification of "universality" in a third world work of fiction has long been a mode of praise and acceptance, and a means of selecting which third world texts are worth reading in the West; this practice clearly 'take[s] the white reader to be the norm'" - "To some degree, the novel's portrayal of Amir's turn to Islam as personal spirituality problematizes the totalizing representations of Islam in western media accounts of the so-called "War on Terror", and, more generally, in a variety of Orientalist discourses. Yet at the same time, by conforming to the narrative expectations of the western reader, and affirming the dominant cultural values of that reader (i.e. religion as personal), the novel translates difference into sameness." - "The Kite Runner opens by foregrounding the themes of sin, guilt, and redemption, which shape the narrative"

In the literary critique Heroes of Our Time: The Stranger, written by Germaine Bree, the author discusses the characterization of Meursault as the "absurd" hero. She claims that he is content to live and ask no questions, refusing to make any concession to the norms of society. Meursault's development throughout the course of the novel is also tracked. Bree claims that Meursault's error lies in his disassociation from society. She describes him as an individual whose story is used by Camus to ridicule modern man's strive to put meaning to their lives, emphasizes Camus' absurdist philosophy. Furthermore, she tracks the development of Meursault's characterization in order to emphasize Meursault's innocence in the fact of society. "In L'Etranger Camus thus suggests that in the face of the absurd no man can afford passively just to exist. To fail to question the meaning of the spectacle of life is to condemn both ourselves, as individuals, and the whole world to nothingness"(Bree). "Meursault's attitude at first merely reveals how arbitrary and superficial are the codes with which we cover up the stark incomprehensibility of life" (Bree). "He is a stranger to society, because he refuses to make any concession whatsoever to its codes and rituals. He sees no relation at all between his mother's death and the fact that he goes to see a comic film two days later, and he establishes none" (Bree).

Main Idea: Basic book summary and review. Connects the story-line of this book to his other books (quote#1). Discusses how he writes, and the book's themes. Claims: There is an underlying theme present in the five people you meet in heaven, and for one more day. He uses real emotions and real life stories versus crazy fantasy made up stories, which make it perhaps easier to connect to then other fictional books. His writing style, although not that high of a reading level, seems very genuine and believable due to his is characters always facing hardships and trials just as everyone faces, i.e. death of a loved one, making mistakes..etc.  Evidence: "The underlying message of this book is certainly one that has been tackled before. It explores the notion that we are all connected to another so that an action undertaken by one person is destined to have an unanticipated and drastic influence upon someone else. Along these same lines, the book reminds us of how easy it is to fail to express appreciation or gratitude to those we love until it is too late to do so" "While [in heaven], Eddie gains insight into his life and, for the first time, sees how his actions impacted so many others"

Argument: Helena Silva, in her literary criticism of "My Sisters Keeper" argues that the advancements in biotechnology and genetic research are raising ethical questions of scope and the limits of genetic intervention. Claim: Silva argues that the advances in biotechnology and genetic research presented in Picoult's "My Sisters Keeper" are allowing doctors to intervene in the human genome preventing diseases. This intervention is raising concerns in the scientific community that might soon be able to take biological evolution into its own hands. Almost "playing God" in a sense. Evidence: "Playing God" is an expression commonly used to refer to this self-transformation of the species which, from the evidence, might soon be a reality" (Silva). "Jodi Picoult, an American novelist has been devoting her writings to several present-day events and controversial issues such as genetic engineering and the prospect of "savior siblings" with all its ethical implications" (Silva). "Anna wasconceived for a specific purpose and can't be forgotten because she is expected always to be ready for the welfare of her sister" (Silva).

Argument In this article, author Susan Tarrow, contrary to the common belief that Meursault maintains the same passive attitude throughout the book, argues that he is instead a dynamic character who evolves through the course of the novel. She explains that Camus's clever use of language establishes a tone that forces many readers to be frustrated with Meursault. Claim Tarrow explains that Meursault is introduced as passive character whose attitude allows him to act with total disregard for others. By the end of the second part, he develops into a  staunch defender of his individuality; he maintains his right to not admit to believing in concepts that do not seem logical to him. Camus's use of passe compose, or compound past tense, maintains a passive tone and establishes the theme of absurdism. Meurasult does not make emotional connections to events which frustrates many people. His lack of language, or rationale for his action, seems insane but he simply does not feel the need for it. Evidence "If the hero Meursault has a moral message-and the reference to him as a Christ figure would suggest that he has-it is one that plays a constant role in Camus's thought; there are no absolutes to which one can adhere, only limits, and the vital nuances are played out within those limits. Total indifference and apathy allow others to act without limits. Meursault develops from an acquiescent figure who admits no limits to a combatant who claims the right to be different" (Tarrow). "When The Stranger was first published in 1942 the aspect that evoked the most interest among critics was the use of the passé composé, the compound past tense, since the traditional tense used in literary narrative is the passé simple. Sartre, in his review of the book, comments that the effect of the passé composé is to isolate each sentence, to avoid giving any impression of cause and effect" (Tarrow). "Meursault, who places no reliance on language, throws down

Argument: This article provides an interview with Jodi Picoult and her reasoning behind the consroversial themes of her novels. The interview also asks particular questions reguarding nineteen minutes and Picoult's resoning behind writing such a dark novel. Claims: Most of Picoult's novels pertain to controversies and that Nineteen Minutes required a lot of research. The Picoult also claimed that Nineteen Minutes and My Sister's Keeper are similar books in the interview. Evidence: "Nineteen Minutes to My Sister's Keeper I see them as very similar books - they are both very emotional, very gut-wrenching, and they're situations that every parent dreads" "I think that sometimes when we don't want to talk about issues that are hard to discuss or difficult to face, it's easier to digest it in fiction instead of nonfiction" "Fiction allows for moral questioning, but through the back door. Personally, I like books that make you think - books you're still wondering about three days after you finish them"

Argument: The author explains that though Camus was labeled as an existentialist, he rejected the title and called himself an absurdist. Claims: Camus believed that life was devoid of meaning and purpose and rejected any idea that attempted to apply meaning to life beyond physical existence and human connection. What was most important was living in consciousness of the absurdity; he criticized existentialists for merely recognizing the absurdity of life and often taking a pathetic leap of faith to apply meaning. Camus disagrees with the idea that life is not worth living simply because it has no meaning. Sysiphus is Camus's depiction of a man of full consciousness, aware of his reality. Such a life may seem torturous and worthless to many, but Camus was a staunch believer in the value of life. Evidence: "Absurdism is an off-shoot of Existentialism and shares many of its characteristics. Camus himself was labeled as an 'Existentialist' in his own life, but he rejected this title. He was not the first to present the concept of Absurd but it was owing to him that this idea gained popularity and influence, and it transformed into a proper philosophical movement of Absurdism" (Aftab). "Kierkegaard describes the Absurd as a situation in life which all thee rational and thinking abilities of a person are unable to tell him which course of action to adopt in life, but in this very uncertainty he is forced to act or make a decision. He has to do something but his reason offers him no help. He writes in one of his journals: "What is the Absurd? It is, as may quite easily be seen, that I, a rational being, must act in a case where my reason, my powers of reflection, tell me: you can just as well do the one thing as the other, that is to say where my reason and reflection say: you cannot act and yet here is where I have to act"" (Kierkegaard qtd. in Aftab) "Even in the latter case, the question arises: what is the purpose of God? And it is this question which a

Argument: The Giver is not just a 'controversial' and 'banned' book, but it also has much more depth in it that meets the eye; set within a distopic setting, Lowry uses the setting to construct a way to see into today's morality code as well as the reader's. Claims: *Irony over the censorship of the book *different views on what the book's meaning(s) are Evidence: *Lowry foreshadows this perplexing but hopeful ending when she describes Jonas as Keeper of the "memories of the whole world." Her message, finally, is that one cannot ignore uncomfortable memories; one must embrace a "whole" vision, which contains joy as well as pain, if one (or one's children) is/are ever to feel "at home" in the world. *Through Jonas, Lowry argues for the preservation of a kind of creative vision, a vision which every community needs if it is to benefit from its citizens' differences and input. *The irony of censorship attacks on the novel is that The Giver dramatizes the plight of an individual living in a society that censors its peoples' language, emotions, and behaviors. This irony is compounded by the fact that most who would like to see The Giver censored confess that they have never read the novel in its entirety.

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