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.

Madison's Virtual Bookshelf

 

These 5 books are pictured and described in chronological order of when I read them, as each one created a step in the staircase leading to who I am today. From fantasy to humor to stories of racism, these texts led to the accumulation of my respect for literature and my understanding of the world. Each book led to a more heightened perspective.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

This was the first difficult read I tackled. My dad prompted me to start the Narnia series when I was in third grade, and the rest of my elementary school reading experience centered around Narnia. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the most famous book in the series, and captured my interest in literature. The wardrobe acts as a portal to an alternate world in which things are seen in a different light, and the opportunity of discovering new things in Narnia is endless. A reason we read is to escape our own world and discover another. These are themes we have seen in our course through magical realism, and have translated into my life since I read the novel a decade ago.

Flush

Transitioning into middle school, I saw my dad reading Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen. He told me I would like the author because he's funny and writes about Florida, so I borrowed Flush from a friend. I've read many of Hiaasen's books since Flush, but that was my first experience with one of my favorite authors. A couple kids take it upon themselves to expose a ship for dumping their waste in the water illegally by "flushing" dye in their drains to prove where the waste was coming from. This book explores deception, greed, and the bringing to justice of these moral infringements. Through humor and mystery, all of Hiaasen's books are fun reads, and enjoyment is a big reason why we read literature. 

The Old Man and the Sea

This is another book that my dad told me to read one summer in high school. We had visited the Hemingway house in the Keys on vacation and he brought up The Old Man and the Sea. The theme of this book that resonated with me is perseverance and the respect for mother nature. An old man fights a fish alone in the open ocean, and the battle between the two is out of respect for their equal but opposing efforts. It's a short book, but it thematically very deep and led to introspection on my part as the reader. Perseverance is a huge theme of the literature in this class, as pushing through obstacles strengthens a character as they go through struggles in life. Hemingway, as an author, writes to convey moral messages, and as the reader we read his literature to take away life lessons.

The Poisonwood Bible

I read this book for my AP Literature class my senior year, and it became my favorite book I had read to date. Racism, prejudice, and privilege are all examined when a southern Baptist family from Georgia moves to the Congo. The moral symbols and the development of each character were so striking to me, I remember the whole 546-page book vividly. There were thematic parallels between this book and Beloved, where white supremacy and brutality is challenged. Barbara Kingsolver writes to highlight racial injustice, which is one of my favorite things to read about. Reading stories of the horrors of colonialism and slavery is important. Bringing light to an issue raises awareness and puts things into perspective that we as a society need to grow and learn from our blemishes in history. Although it can be difficult and sad to read, this leads to healing and understanding of other perspectives.

Beloved

As soon as I read the short summary of this book, I was excited because it seemed similar to The Poisonwood Bible. Like Barbara Kingsolver, Toni Morrison speaks to injustices that morally challenge the audience. Morrison also writes literature as a healing process for her, as writing is an outlet for her to grow and enjoy life. Not only does Beloved have thematic weight, but Morrison had internal motives to be a writer. The importance of Beloved to the audience and to the author make it a source of reflection for me, that literature can serve many purposes in enriching our lives, including healing and consideration for others.
 

These 5 books affect who I am today. The diverse combination of thematic elements create a holistic moral base that I carry with me through life. Literature affects how we grow up and see the world, and reading more books only adds to your mental capacity.