Shannon's Virtual Bookshelf

BOOKS THAT SHAPED WHO I AM TODAY

1. 1984

I chose 1984 by George Orwell because it influenced the way that I view my past, present, and future. This text was published in 1949, and it was intended to foreshadow a possibility of what the future may hold for our country. Since we have long passed 1984, I realize that we are blessed as American citizens to live in a free country where we can enjoy the freedoms granted to us by the Constitution. Throughout my life, I have been reminded of the struggles that citizens of other nations have in order to be treated as equals and to be able to live a life where they are free from government constrictions.  Our current freedoms from government control allow us to live life as we please. We are able to choose our jobs, our spouses, whether or not we want to pursue education, and all other major life decisions. I have become more grateful and appreciative of the country that we live in as well as the life that we are able to choose to live. The theme of control presented in 1984 has a small representation to the oppression of slaves in Beloved. Their lives were controlled by their masters and they had no say in what they did.

2. A Farewell to Arms

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway impacted my life in the most positive way it could, although it is a tragic story of a soldier and his partner, Catherine. This past May, I lost my grandfather to cancer; he was the first close family member of mine to pass away. Our family knew that he had cancer, but he never told us that he only had a short time left. When he went into hospice care, we knew that he had little to no time, so we made the best of it. After he passed away, I knew our family gatherings would never be the same. After reading A Farewell to Arms, I realized that life is valuable, but also cyclical. We never truly know when any of our loved ones will pass away, but life continues regardless. Just as Frederic Henry lost Catherine and his still-born baby boy, we too can lose loved ones with no warning. I have learned to cherish the moments we have with the people we love while we can and to be able to accept such tragedies when they occur and grow from them. This story of acceptance relates to the theme found in The Moons of Jupiter when Janet has to learn to accept the ultimate fate of her father. She doesn't know whether her father will survive the surgery or not so she must prepare for the worst. She accepts the possible passing of her father in the surgery just as my family and I learned to accept the passing of my grandfather.

3. A Good Man is Hard to Find

This was probably my favorite class reading this year. I learned the most from this short story: that we must put our idea of what society believes we are aside and realize who we truly are. Even though I only recently read this, it has already began to impact how I develop myself as a person through college. As college students, we now live without the complete guidance of our parents and are able to grow as an individual. I am beginning to learn what I want to be in the future rather than what the most influential people in my life want me to be. In addition, I am becoming more involved in clubs and activities in college that I did not pursue in high school. I am learning to look into who I am as a person: who I identify as and what my interests are. I am no longer conforming to who people say I am and what people want me to be.

4. Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre taught me that, although I am a female, I am powerful enough to overcome gender stereotypes in society. In current society, women have become more equal to men however we still face daily inequalities, such as the right to choose our reproductive rights and our current salaries (compared to men's). Although men may be physically more powerful than women, women are just as intelligent and have the capability to hold the same job positions as men. In addition, it taught me that we have the ability to make the most of our lives. Jane Eyre was poor and therefore was not viewed as high in society. She dismissed this idea and pursued what made her happy. She remained honest with herself and her emotions, but did not allow them to negatively impact her life. Eyre communicated how she was feeling so that she did not miss out on something that could change her life for the better. She wisely states, "It is madness in all women to let a secret love kindle within them, which, if unreturned and unknown, must devour the life that feeds it". I have learned to always communicate what is bothering me in hopes that my life will be impacted positively. The power of the woman can also be seen in Persepolis. Marji, as a female in Iran, must break the stereotypes of the role of women in her society. She follows her own path and "wanted to be an educated, liberated woman. And if the pursuit of knowledge meant getting cancer, so be it". Marji, just like Jane, overcomes the stereotypes that are placed upon her in society and stays true to who she is.

5. The Old Man and the Sea

Even though life may give you challenges, perseverance and determination can help you overcome these challenges. I have been dancing since I was three-years old. When I started attending conventions, scholarships were handed out to a certain amount of dancers in a class of about two to three hundred. For the first four years of attending three conventions a year, I was never called back after the first round. I would always leave the convention in tears, thinking I was not a good enough dancer to be competing. Finally, in my fifth year of conventions, I was called back to the final rounds. My confidence was boosted and I was filled with happiness. Although I didn't win a scholarship that year, I knew that all the experience I had and all the hard work I put into the art that I love finally paid off. I persevered through multiple injuries and denial for many years, but it made me a stronger person and a better dancer. This can be paralleled to the theme discussed in Dickinson's Hope is the Thing with Feathers. We all go through hardships at some points in our lives, but hope and perseverance can help us to overcome these hardships.

Breanna's Virtual Bookshelf

BREANNA'S VIRTUAL BOOKSHELF

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor

This short story is quite a memorable one for me due to it's somewhat deceptive title and the valuable message sent by O'Connor. I love the fact that the story is not about romance as one might initially assume upon seeing the title, but rather about the true evil which many seemingly decent people may portray. The short story encapsulates this strong message in limited words, and offers the opportunity for the readers to introspect about their view of notorious outcasts, and thus eliminate self-righteousness. I personally agreed with this message as I too believe that many of the the so called "menaces" of society have motives for their actions and could otherwise be law-abiding citizens if their circumstances were more desirable. I also found the story a bit humorous and like the fact that it manipulates the idea of a seemingly ordinary story, thus displaying Modernist and Southern Gothic elements while incorporating techniques such as symbolism.




Anne Of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
This novel has been one of my favorites due to Anne's wild imagination, optimism, and creative use of words to transform ordinary language. Somehow, this text made me want to creatively express my thoughts similar to Anne. It also engendered an optimistic outlook for myself by thinking of how Anne was once an impoverished orphan child but was able to ultimately succeed in school, was generally content with the little things in life, and was imaginative. She reminds me of children I have met who are similarly less fortunate but so promising with their intelligence and genuine happiness. The novel also incorporates some humor and maintains a light-hearted tone while delivering a positive message of the endless possibilities in life.






Archie Comics
 This series of comics has been my all-time favorite since childhood. Since my use of technological devices was limited when I was younger, reading light-hearted texts such as this would be one main source of relaxation. The fact that the novels are graphic and have separate short stories made it even more simple and easier to read whenever I wanted to ease my mind. I love that various character traits are depicted, making it natural for me to imagine it as the real world, but a tad bit more interesting and comical. I would imagine life with the different characters, and aim to live an easy-going life as they often do by going to the beach often. It would also portray life lessons as malevolent plans would never be successful. These comics just generally made reading for me as a child easy and fun.





Twelfth Night, or What You Will by William Shakespeare

This is my favorite Shakespeare play because of its very light-hearted and humorous nature. It seems to criticize people who are too uptight and maintain a false sense of superiority. The play explores an unusual love triangle, making it both dramatic and humorous, while demonstrating the idea of "anything goes" and revelry as implied by the segment of the title-"Or What You Will". I love easy-going people so I found this play interesting and unlike the other more desolate or grave Shakespeare plays I know. Additionally, the fact that the play is archaic and thus uses old English somehow makes it seem more poetic to me.

This text is unlike my other favorites which are mostly light-hearted or have a likable resolution, but I like it because of the humor in the plot and unexpected resolution. The play addresses serious issues such as racial injustice and general powerless due to various factors. Many characters are made powerless and though many had great aspirations, they were inevitably impeded due to social class, race, or lack of wit. Even the perceived superior characters in terms of class are ultimately unsuccessful due to negative personality traits. The ending seems desolate to me and none of the characters seem to prosper, but the message being sent is perhaps that people may have varying limitations preventing their success, and that unfortunately, people with good intentions may not always flourish.