Animal Farm Makes Politics Seem Almost Interesting

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Sorry to interrupt - we're sure you're probably in the middle of watching an old VHS (VH-what now?) tape of the 1988 Vice Presidential debate. Or perhaps you're simply catching up on all those saved DVR recordings of C-Span programming.

All right, so maybe it's more likely that you're ramming your head repeatedly into a cactus. It takes a special kind of person to be genuinely interested in all things politics - for the rest of us, it seems tedious and boring and lackluster and monotonous and repetitive and droning... you asleep yet?

But politics are indubitably important. In fact, it is arguably the most vital science for us to wrap our heads around, as it affects everything around us - our education, our health care, our laws, and our quality of fodder for stand-up comedians.

George Orwell understood that, to communicate his strong convictions about the world of politics to the common man, he would need to come down to his level. And rather than simply 'dumb down' his arguments, he chose to utilize the tool of humor to make people sit up and take notice.

Animal Farm, which is more warmly received today than when it was first published, was intended to depict a tyrannical dictatorship at its worst, thereby convincing its readers of the dangers inherent in a totalitarian government. However, he used farm animals in place of Stalin and the other targets of his satirical attack to lighten the mood, make the subject matter more accessible, and make his characters seem all the more dim-witted. Turns out that, when you examine their DNA and get down to the biology of it, there aren't too many differences between a herd of pigs and an autocratic regime.

If you've studied for or taken the PSAT, you may be familiar with analogies. Although structured differently when found in the form of a test question, an analogy is something that draws an often metaphorical connection from one thing to another. And that's really what Animal Farm is - just one big analogy. In addition to the humor aspect of Orwell's novel, this device also draws the reader in, as it is entertaining and engaging to spot and consider the parallels between the characters in the book and the real-life jackasses they represent.

As you may have noticed, we here at Shmoop have a similar philosophy. We know you've had to sit bravely through a number of classes taught by dry, humorless teachers who make time stand still and cause the potentially exciting material they're teaching to become lifeless and dull. And we know that you've also had teachers who jump up and down (or at least seem to), make you laugh (or at least try), and just generally try to get your motor running. If those are the ones where you've learned the most - and we suspect that they are - then Animal Farm should be right up your alley.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Animal Farm, biology, and PSAT. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Endurance As a Virtue in The Scarlett Letter - Antigone and To Kill a Mockingbird Quotes

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Endurance is a virtue that we, as a Westernized society, place a great deal of worth in. To withstand intense pain, strife or just plain unpleasantness-or even muster up the strength to resist an endlessly tempting pint of Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby-is to be respected, appreciated and at times, worshipped. History is littered with examples of those elevated super-humans who demonstrated the capacity to grin and bear it while turning the other cheek. Think Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha or even the countless Christian saints revered for their storied sacrifice and strength.

It should be no surprise that our reverence for those who endure has found its way into our story telling. Tales of strength, daunting and physically excruciating tasks and the ability to overcome the odds are the stuff that define our heroes. More importantly, these sort of tales also define humanity as a whole. They represent not only our values and our morals as mere humans, but they also construct social norms and rules that shape our societies. Again, religious figures such as Jesus and Buddha come to mind, whose teachings have shaped our perceptions of how we as humans should act for thousands of years. Consider the Golden Rule-a virtue present in nearly every religion that urges people to treat others as they would like to be treated-as a sort of test of endurance. Especially when you're in line for the DMV. That bitter (and completely justifiable) attitude is only going to get you more bitterness.

A classic literary example of valued endurance, especially with religious connotations, is Nathanial Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter in which Hester Prynne, a young woman living in mid-17th century puritanical Massachusetts Bay Colony area, is publicly punished and shamed for having a child with someone who is clearly not her husband, since the dude has been MIA for a few years. As part of her punishment, she is forced to wear the letter "A" to forever mark her as an adulterer. Yet, despite her imprisonment, constant public shaming and general disenfranchisement, Hester endures. A woman of honor, she does not public reveal who her baby daddy is (it's the town minister, by the way) to protect him and his reputation. Her love for the minister gives meaning and purpose to her suffering, making her a patient and relatively tolerant literary figure with religious overtones.

Another notable female figure of endurance is Antigone, Sophocle's famous play about a young noble woman whose morals and do-right attitude prompts her to defy the king's irrational decree that banned the proper burial of her traitorous brother. Her courage and gall is what largely defines her ability to endure, refusing to back down or out her sister as an accomplice while standing before the king. Though she does kill herself off stage while in prison, Sophocles' implies that her action was not out of fear or desperation but it was yet another way to defy and thwart the tyrannical king. That level of commitment and bravery is akin to the virtues contained in our human capacity to endure, often going hand in hand.

The trope of female endurance is also not lost on Harper Lee, who created Scout, a tough tomboy character who learns that with femininity comes great strength and an undeniable ability to endure trying times. In one of the To Kill a Mockingbird quotes, Scout finds that her Aunt Alexandra's insistence on maintaining polite hospitality in light of the tragic death of Tom is in fact an attribute of endurance and strength rather than being a hypocritical or insensitive display. Scout says: "Aunt Alexandra looked across the room at me and smiled. She looked at a tray of cookies on the table and nodded at them. I carefully picked up the tray and watched myself walk to Mrs. Merriweather. With my best company anners, I asked her if she would have some. After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I."

Our stories show us humans to carry on and endure in hard times. After all, it's what makes us human.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Antigone, To Kill a Mockingbird quotes and Scarlet Letter. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Double Double, Toil and Trouble: Assessing the Supernatural Through the Macbeth Summary and Quotes

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The supernatural is big these days. The Harry Potter film franchise just wrapped up, Twilight is still on the boy-crazed minds of adolescent girls (and a handful of older woman), while the ever popular True Blood book and TV show series is satisfying the grown-up purveyors of the magical and superhuman persuasion.

Vampires, wizards, witches, werewolves: they've completely saturated film and books the past few years, reawakening the popular mainstream desire for the fantastical.

Yet, those who'd like to indulge in some classic supernatural fun have plenty of options. One excellent option, especially if you're into witches and prophecies of power, is the William Shakespeare's famous cautionary drama Macbeth. It has spooky spells, bubbling cauldrons, haunting ghosts, eerie hallucinations, and a pack of mysterious women with beards to boot. What's not to love?

The play's opening is the real cincher. It's a dark and stormy night-always a good sign for some kooky stuff, not unlike another good classic supernatural option Edgar Allan Poe's equally blustery and creepy poem The Raven about a grieving man who encounters an otherworldly and knowing raven with a vocabulary of only one word. Talking birds? Spooky.

Back to the Macbeth summary. An eerie fog is rolling in on the night-covered plain of Scotland, where three witches-or weird sisters, as the play calls them-are planning something mysterious to do with Macbeth, speaking in rhymes and using nutty words like "hurly-burly," "eye of newt" and "toe of frog."

In fact, the Macbeth quotes are what really drive the supernatural fun, originating the famous couplet "Double, double toil and trouble/Fire burn, and cauldron bubble." Coincidently, that was the name of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Halloween movie. Equally spooky.

Later in the play, when Macbeth stumbles across these lovely ladies following an epically violent battle in which Macbeth kicked major, they snare him in a strange prophecy. They call him the future king of Scotland, just to pique his egotistical and ambitious tendencies, and then vanish into thin air like all good evil witches do. The seed has been planted, and thus begins Macbeth on his bloodthirsty path to the Scottish throne.

It is important to note, however, that the witches do little in terms of action to aid Macbeth in this so-called prophecy, leaving readers to assume that what is at work here is not supernatural forces of fate, but rather supernatural elements preying upon the egos of man in a game of sport. Macbeth himself comes up with the whole murder-everyone-in-my-way plan, with a little goading from Lady Macbeth, of course.

Harry Potter fans may see some commonalities between Macbeth and Lord Voldemort, where a single prophecy about an infant adversary sets the dark wizard off on a years-long path of supernatural destruction, only to end up missing the larger picture and getting Avada Kedavra-ed to death in the end.

Such commonalities, though few, are prompted by supernatural elements and are efforts of both Shakespeare and J.K. Rowling who comment on the dangers of ambition and power being in the wrong hands. It's the classic good-versus-evil theme, amplified by creepy women who speak in rhymes and say enigmatic things like "fair is foul, and foul is fair." But that's usually the goal of most supernatural and fantastical literature: to reflect and comment on what brings out the worst or the best in humanity. Macbeth certainly positions itself as a cautionary tale about the uncontrollable ego, ambition, and evil inside man and how we can conquer it. And it takes only a few meddling witches to show us.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Macbeth summary, Macbeth quotes, and The Raven. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Joris-Karl Huysmans: Against Nature - A Review of the Literature

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Huysmans', Against Nature, is novel written in Decadent aesthetics and is inspired by many other Decadent authors, like Baudelaire. Huysmans develops a character called Des Esseintes whom has characteristics of a solitary nervous person that reflects on living alone in his house of artifacts. Against Nature is written with a beautifully descriptive setting. The beginning of the book expresses his surroundings from top to bottom; for example Huysmans takes the reader through a sensory pleasing journey through Des Esseintes home. The setting involves all of his decorating schemes and begins to inform the reader about his large library of his most treasured literature; Baudelaire, Edgar Allen Poe, Dickens, Petronius, and many more. Huysmans eventually explains Des Esseintes wide knowledge of literature, art, and trade interests, like perfume manufacturing. His thoughts are always conflicting; for example, he contemplates the importance of Christianity versus Paganism. Throughout the book, he is torn between his knowledge of many conflicting ideas, which mainly leads to his schooling with the Jesuit Priests. Although he is suffering from a nervous disease, he escapes from his illness by reading literature and conversing with his imagination rather than real people.

Des Esseintes is a very melancholy type of man, but little mental desires keep his soul alive during his sickness. One example of a short-lived desire, is his yearning for a tortoise; because of his eccentric imagination, he has the tortoise's shell covered in his favorable gemstones and he loves the contrast of the animal against his gold flooring. Of course the tortoise dies from a weighed shell and lack of nutrition, but he doesn't show any emotion towards the death because the tortoise has already grown old to his taste. Like most Decadent writers, the character Des Esseintes is very narcissistic.

His house is covered with expensive literature, fake flowers and art. Des Esseintes especially favors religious paintings by Gustave Moreau and he imagines Salome goddess as being in movement with the other figures in the painting. Salome seems to intimidate him, and he always reflects more towards the art and literature that are threatening. Huysmans also mentions Des Esseintes artwork entitled Religious Persecutions, "These pictures, replete with abominable imaginings, stinking of scorched flesh, oozing with blood, filled with shrieks of horror and curses, made his skin crawl, keeping him riveted to the spot, unable to breathe, when he entered that red room." (Huysman, J.K., 1884)

As mentioned before Des Esseintes has many short-lived desires that he quickly fulfills; then he begins his boredom conquest for something new. During his boring lifestyle, he conjures up old memories from Paris; one being about a young boy that he tries to mold into a murder. While he was living among society in Paris he meets a young boy, Auguste, which he calls, "the Little Judas." He introduces Auguste to a night of drinks and sex at a bordello, and he hopes to build the boys sexual frustration to the point of murder. Des Esseintes examines the newspaper for months, waiting to see the boy murder some un-necessary people on the streets, and he is disappointed that his devious plan didn't work.

Another memory is that of his former mistress; Urania, a ventriloquist that fills his sexual desires of committing adultery, in which she uses her many voices as an illusionary husband ready to knock down the door. As he experiments with aromatics and making perfume, he imagines a mistress that, "...would go into raptures over particular aromatics...a nervous woman who liked to have her nipples soaked in perfume." (Huysmans, J.K., 1884) during Des Esseintes experiment with aromatics, he faints, which begins the reality and intensity of his nervous illness.

While he is continuing in a dreamlike state, possibly caused from early stages of dying, he takes an imaginary trip to London. The trip is full of eating, conversing, drinking, and observing. Huysmans wrote this imaginary trip with more description than a real vacation might entail. Des Esseintes says, "I would be insane to risk losing, by an ill-advised journey, these unforgettable impressions", Huysmans explains that his imaginary trip was worth much more than actually taking the trip; He actually felt the exhaustion from the mental vacation as if he would from a real one.

Des Esseintes begins to become bored of his literature, art, and his home. He explains his book collection as if he is supporting his intelligence as he grows weaker. He mentions Baudelaire many times, and he says, "[Baudelaire's writings]....eventually reaching those regions of the soul in which the nightmare growths of human thought flourish." Towards the end of the book, he realizes that he can longer take laudanum, opiates, or hashish to enhance his imaginary journeys because his body will reject anything he ingests. At this point of Des Esseintes illness, Huysmans explains Des Esseintes mirror image of himself, which is that of a malnourished man. He calls upon a doctor that prescribes him enemas of certain nutrients, which he is very excited to have, "...eliminated the tiresome, vulgar chore of eating." (Huysmans, J.K., 1848) The doctor orders him back to Paris, and society, rather than being confined in the walls of his home in Fontenay. Des Esseintes comes to the conclusion that he should reconcile with Catholicism along with his move to Paris, and he explains that he should give up his art of comparing all of the religious skepticism so his mind will be at peace.

In general, he uses his imagination to fulfill his need of pleasure and adventure. It seems that he moved to Fontenay to bring upon self reflection, but during his solitary lifestyle he begins a nervous illness. The reflection on his memories cause him to get caught up in comparison of the knowledge he has acquired in life; from his beginning years with the Jesuit Priests, to his adulthood in a Modern Paris society. Des Esseintes is an artist of critiquing art, literature and societal class. He is a master of religious teachings in comparison of a realistic scientific view. Because of his struggle with collecting his knowledge into truth, he almost dies because of neglecting his basic needs for survival.

A Digital Brave New World That Needs a Dose of Romeo and Juliet

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Aldous Huxley wrote a treatise in 1958 that explicated how his dystopian vision in Brave New World was coming true. If Huxley felt like that then, imagine what he would say about the world now. The hyper-mediation of computer technology has led to a digitized existence; iPads and iPhones have taken over communication, resulting in much less face-to-face interaction. In most cases, digital media is a huge blessing, as exemplified by educational websites like Shmoop, but there are dangers of where it could lead. While the digital revolution has not lead to the extreme mechanization of society that Huxley envisioned, it certainly raises fears of artificial intelligence and impersonal interaction. Huxley's fictional world in which human beings are genetically manufactured and soma users, a drug that transports them to a trippy universe removed from reality, could easily be compared to post-millennium existence, in which cyborgs and virtual reality have infiltrated society (think of the more and more real possibility of The Matrix).

In Huxley's world and perhaps in our own, the antidote is Shakespeare. Looking to classic literature that explores the depths of human nature certainly counteracts technology overload. So next time you want to turn on an episode of Bachelor Pad, try picking up Romeo and Juliet. While both don't exactly depict reality, since neither scheming singles in a far-from-reality TV show, nor star-crossed lovers who fall in love at first sight are exactly viable scenarios, at least the latter poetically explores the essence of human nature.

That is precisely what is missing in the imagined dystopia in Brave New World. Genetic engineering and the mechanization of mass production have eliminated individuality and emotion. Naming his dystopian society the World State, Huxley intuitively prophesized globalization, which has been rapidly amplified by the World Wide Web. The World State is maintained by the application of science and math to social control. In other words, don't underestimate the importance of AP Calculus. Applied Calculus is the basis of mechanics. For example, the Physics equation Force = Mass x Acceleration is rooted in Calculus. In addition, it is used in computer technology: digital imagery is composed of discrete values, usually integers, which are stored as a bitmap (pixel grids), making the image directly subject to computational manipulation. Images are no longer just captured, but also controlled. The next time that you think Calculus has no application to the real world, think again. A group of mad scientists, as demonstrated in Brave New World, could certainly use it to take over the world. Huxley is not necessarily condemning the advancement of science and technology, but warning against its negative power when used towards extinguishing humanity in the name of efficiency and control.

Much like Tobey Maguire convinces the citizens of Pleasantville in the film of the same name that real emotions are worth the pain, John, an outsider from the Reservation, introduces Shakespeare to the mind-controlled citizens in the World State. Helmholtz, a citizen who desires to regain his individuality, is particularly mesmerized by the beautiful lyricism of the plays, yet since he has been under the mind control of the World State his whole life, has difficulty understand their meaning. When John introduces him to Romeo and Juliet, he can't wrap his head around why Juliet would not just tell her family outright about her affair with Romeo. In a society with complete sexual freedom and no emotions, Helmholtz guffaws at the complexity of family rivalry and forbidden love. In the world he knows, intense passions such as these do not exist. Unfortunately John's passion is too intense for the apathetic "brave new world," and just as Juliet, he meets a mortal end. However, he would rather be dead than a much worse fate: to live a flatlining existence.

If you happen to be in a dark room all day playing too much World of Warcraft, and look a little pale and feel slightly dead inside, it would be helpful to review Romeo and Juliet quotes to renew your vitality. Juliet eloquently asserts, "Conceit, more rich in matter than in words, brags of his substance, not of ornament: they are but beggars that can count their worth; But my true love is grown to such excess I cannot sum up sum of half my wealth" (2.6.2). In other words, love and ornament, aka passion and art, are much more valuable than conceit and wealth. In relation to Brave New World, just as the World State is obsessed with the output and consumption of products, meaning that the individual is subservient to the conceit of the state, Juliet is victim of her family's conceit. The Montagues and Capulets are so obsessed with the reputations of their families, that they too have forgotten about what really matters: love, family, and community. Maybe Juliet's passionate words will inspire you to approach your crush at school. Wealth, reputation, nor virtual reality can substitute for the spine tingling, heart stopping ecstasy of love.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include AP Calculus, Brave New World, and ACT Prep. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

The Best Five Historical Novels Ever Written

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What are the best five historical novels ever written? It's incredibly difficult to pick just five, and every reader will have their own opinion. For readers who are new to historical fiction then it's perhaps difficult to know where to start, but for sheer excitement combined with rich historical settings the five novels below are a good starting point, and in my view represent the best five works of historical fiction ever written. I have left out alternate history and historical fantasy on purpose, as I think it's difficult to compare books between genres.

1. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

The classic medieval mystery. A series of murders in an Italian monastery set against a background of political intrigue. Eco does a remarkable job of showing off his knowledge of the period without being boring and creating a clever mystery as well.

2. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

One of my favourite adventure stories, this is told at a rattling pace and features some excellent historical characters such as the Cardinal and the King, as well as memorable fictional ones as well. All for one, and one for all!

3. Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian

Patrick O'Brian's series of novels about the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars has an ardent following. Like Eco, O'Brian does not shy away from a wealth of detail in his setting, which I think really enhances the story he has to tell, yet doesn't slow down the pace of the narrative.

4. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

One of my all time favourite novels. Written about 60 years after the events it describes, it's perhaps easy to not think of this as historical fiction in some ways - one might imagine that Tolstoy is relating a story that is nearly contemporary. However, the events of 1812 in particular, were symbolically essential to the idea of Russian nationality, and Tolstoy writing on the nature of history and great men is essential reading. But the heart of War and Peace is a very human story.

5. The Last English King by Julian Rathbone

This tells the story of 1066 from the viewpoint of the English, with King Harold as the last truly English King. This is an excellent interpretation of the events of the Norman invasion and makes you wonder how history might have worked out differently if the Normans hadn't been successful.

Historical Fiction is a genre with something for everyone, and this is just a glimpse of some of the fine novels available to read in the genre.

Mark Lord is Editor of Alt Hist: The Magazine of Historical Fiction and Alternate History, which publishes new short stories by aspiring writers within the genres of historical fiction, alternate history and historical fantasy.

You can find out more about Alt Hist at http://althistfiction.com/

Classics Like Romeo and Juliet Adapted for the Screen and the New Great Gatsby Movie and Its Setting

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Chose a classic and chances are it has been adapted into a movie or television show. Some of the adaptations may be exactly as the original version was and others may take liberties, but it seems as though a classic untouched by Hollywood is about as common as a movie version of the SAT. Why are these classics churned in Hollywood again and again? From straight "remakes" to "inspired by," Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet has seen countless adaptations and is among the most frequently adapted classics. What is it about stories like Romeo and Juliet that inspire someone to make a movie that so many want to see? For some classics, like Romeo and Juliet, it seems like it's the story or concept. For others it's the interesting or likeable characters. Some classics may be attractive to Hollywood simply for the unique "world" or location where the story takes place. In the case of The Great Gatsby, it's all of these things.

The Great Gatsby has been adapted into several major motion pictures and there is a new one in the works right now. Writer/director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge, Australia, Romeo and Juliet) is shooting his version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel. Yes, there have been other Gatsby movies, but this one will be different because it is Baz Luhrmann, and because it will be... in 3D! So you will be able to go to the movie theater and see Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, and Daisy in all their three-dimensional glory. So, why do we see Hollywood making another Great Gatsby movie? (Especially considering the fact that the 1974 film won many academy awards.) The story, characters, and setting are all extremely appealing.

The story is Nick Carraway's and we sympathize, relate, and root for him. We enjoy Nick's journey in this world and we appreciate how he has changed by the end. He has all the ingredients of a memorable character. Jay Gatsby and the lengths he goes to for his extreme love-slash-obsession with the ethereal Daisy Buchanan is both enthralling and entertaining. We are also taken by the world in which the story is set. The rich and unique setting, New York and the north shore of Long Island during the 1920s, is intriguing and exciting.

So what does taking a piece of great literature and turning it into a movie mean as far as experiencing the story? Writers of novels intend for them to be a personal, quiet, experience for a reader. As a movie, the story is being presented in a movie theater, with an audience. It is no longer the author speaking to one person. Seeing the actors play characters on a screen and watching the story unfold rather than reading it, completely changes the experience. We cannot experience it at our own pace, stopping to consider a moment in the book or going back to see if we missed something. We are in the hands of the filmmakers, allowing them to show us how they see the novel. Perhaps this is why so many people say, "The book is always better than the movie." When we sit down to read a book we are a bigger part of the experience, we are making the movie inside our own minds as we sit, with the author, and imagine what he or she is telling us.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include SAT, Romeo and Juliet, and ACT Prep. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

To Kill a Mockingbird: The Effect of Racist Influences on the Young

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America has a long history of racism. Unless you've spent your entire life with your head under a watermelon, you should be well aware of the negative stereotypes that African Americans have long had to endure, and the discrimination with which they continue to be faced. Believe it or not, there once was a time when they weren't even allowed to take the SAT!

Because of this country's long history of slavery, the struggles of African Americans have often been reflected in our nation's literature. Many works centering on race or racism have won Pulitzers and National Book Awards and are frequently listed as some of the greatest American novels - books such as Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and Richard Wright's Native Son and Black Boy among them. However, none has stuck with us quite so strongly nor had quite such a profound effect on the makeup of the American literary canon as Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.

So the question is, why? What makes this book so special? You don't need to read an entire To Kill a Mockingbird Summary to figure it out - all you need to notice is something about a few of the main characters.

Whereas most novels dealing with the issue of racism tend to focus on adults of at least 17 or 18 years old, To Kill a Mockingbird explores the subject from the point of view of children who are quite a bit younger. The reason this is consequential is that the seeds of racism are planted when we are young. It is much more moving and powerful to see the ways in which children transform (or don't transform, depending on the quality of their outside influences) as they progress through their formative years. In To Kill a Mockingbird, we have the opportunity to observe just such a thing.

We'll leave you with a few To Kill a Mockingbird Quotes that draw attention to the differences between the ways that children and adults view and deal with racism:

"Atticus-" said Jem bleakly. He turned in the doorway. "What, son?" "How could they do it, how could they?" "I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it - seems that only children weep. Good night." (22.14-17)

"Don't talk like that, Dill," said Aunt Alexandra. "It's not becoming to a child. It's - cynical.""I ain't cynical, Miss Alexandra. Tellin' the truth's not cynical, is it?" "The way you tell it, it is." (22.32-34)

The adults in Maycomb never discussed the case with Jem and me; it seemed that they discussed it with their children, and their attitude must have been that neither of us could help having Atticus for a parent, so their children must be nice to us in spite of him. The children would never have thought that up for themselves: had our classmates been left to their own devices, Jem and I would have had several swift, satisfying fist-fights apiece and ended the matter for good. As it was, we were compelled to hold our heads high and be, respectively, a gentleman and a lady. (26.10)

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include SAT, To Kill a Mockingbird, and PSAT. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Love Stories From Romeo and Juliet to the Catcher in the Rye

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It's pretty easy to name famous works of literature that center around a love story. Troilus and Criseyde, Romeo and Juliet, not to mention the complete works of Jane Austen. The Bible has Adam and Eve, The Iliad and the Odyssey even have a love triangle, consisting of Menelaus, Helen and Paris. Readers have long been intrigued by love stories; one only needs to look at the extensive "romance" section of their local bookstore to see how successful such novels are.

It's harder to come up with a list of books NOT centered around a love story. Even books that at first glance seem like they're not going to have a love story in them often do, even if the love story is not a conventional one.

When someone begins to read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, she may think that she's going to read a story about a wholesome Midwestern boy who moves to an elite suburb of New York City after the war and discovers that rich people are hideous. And while that could be considered a reasonable summary of the events of The Great Gatsby, it ignores that the story involves n ill-fated romance whose unfortunate circumstances and tragic results almost rival those of Romeo and Juliet.

Nick's own minor affair with Jordan is almost completely inconsequential compared to Jay Gatsby's long-standing infatuation with Daisy Buchanan. The reader learns that Gatsby's obsession with Daisy has motivated just about everything he has done, since the day he met her, a revelation that seems equal parts romantic and pathetic. Daisy fails to appreciate (or chooses to ignore) the efforts Gatsby has gone to in order to become "worthy" of her and, as anyone who's read The Great Gastby knows, the results are disastrous for all involved.

One may argue that there's no discernible love story in The Catcher in the Rye. J.D. Salinger's protagonist, young Holden Caulfield, can't even bring himself to utilize the services of a prostitute, let alone maintain a real relationship with a woman. But the love story at the heart of Catcher in the Rye is not between a man and a woman, it's been Holden and the memory of his deceased brother Allie.

His grief over Allie's death, and his connection to his memory, is what motivates him to do or not do all of the things he does in the novel. His obsession with the memory of his departed brother is quite akin to Gatsby's determination to win back his lost Daisy, only that Holden's quest is sadly even more futile than Gatsby's.

Great novels don't need romance to be great, but they may need passion: whether it's for a person, a dog, an ideal or a memory, where there is love, there is a quest, and those are always worth writing about.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Great Gatsby, Romeo and Juliet, and Catcher in the Rye. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Boys Will Be Boys: Tales of Mischief in Tom Sawyer and Lord of the Flies

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Everyone loves a good bad boy. Our media-driven society is obsessed with them, those rebels without causes, those paragons of the uber-masculine and virile. Think Charlie Sheen, George Clooney or Russell Crowe. They challenge society with a sly, charismatic smile. We're drawn to them. In Restoration drama (late 1600s England), they would be called lovable rogues or rakes, good old troublemakers with the power to charm. Today, the appeal of the bad boy comes from the tempting possibility for danger, adventure and intrigue. Especially if they have the standard bad boy garb like rolled-up T-shirts or tight blue jeans like Patrick Swayze in The Outsiders. Swoon.

But the term "bad boys" is a misnomer. George Clooney and Russell Crowe, though playfully deviant in their own ways, are not boys; they are men. Naturally, "bad boys" sounds less menacing than "bad men," but classic literature is full of literal bad boys who are actually young enough to be called boys. Reading about their mischief and exploits is as entertaining-if not more so-than reading the latest gossip magazine.

The quintessential bad boy is Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer The rambunctious twelve-year-old orphan not only has a way with the little ladies-gallantly taking a punishing beating for a cutie name Becky-but he knows how to get what he wants. He's mostly remembered for his sly manipulation of the neighborhood kids, convincing them that whitewashing a huge fence is actually an exclusive and entertaining way to spend your youth-so much so that it's worth a pretty penny to do so. He also thwarts a murderer, finds golden treasure and has the unique opportunity to go to his own funeral. We can only imagine what kind of life this tween will have once he hits puberty. In fact, Twain, a sort of bad boy of wit himself, is said to have based Tom Sawyer's antics on his own childhood. Perhaps adventurous, conniving bad boys grow up to be renowned authors of wit and humor.

Of course, not all bad boys have a sweet, charming side. Some bad boys are just plain old bad, and it takes the absence of adult supervision to bring it out. Enter William Lord of the Flies, a novel about a group of British boys marooned on an island following a plane crash that killed all the adults. The boys are left to their own devices for survival, spiraling into factions and behaving like a bunch of armed savage tweens all hopped up on sugar and pig murder. Reading this novel about humanity's inherent capacity for evil and destruction is certainly not the romp-filled joy ride that Tom Sawyer is. These bad boys kill their peers if they don't like them! It is more likely that they will end up in juvenile detention facility before they swindle the neighborhood kids in a home beautification project. But therein lies the dichotomy of the "bad boy" convention. You've got the good bad and the bad bad, the George Clooneys and the Charlie Sheens, the Tom Sawyers and the British bunch of barbarians. They are both compelling to watch, even if it is a frightening train wreck at times.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Tom Sawyer, Lord of the Flies, and The Outsiders. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

From Adulteress to Bombshell: The Continuing Relevance of The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter

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It bears repeating that history repeats itself. Although Arthur Miller's The Crucible is about the Salem Witch Trials in 17th century New England, it is also a biting satire of McCarthyism in the 1950s. Just as colonists tried to save their own skin by accusing community members of witchcraft, American citizens, who were blacklisted as Communists in the late 40s and 50s, accused others in order to save their own reputations.

This ugly pattern is the result of a human defense mechanism known as projection, or the attribution of one's undesirable thoughts or emotions to another, which often is expressed in the form of jealousy or prejudice. In layman's terms, this is known as hypocrisy. And extended to sex and gender, it can take the shape of castration anxiety. Also set in 17th century Puritan New England, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter examines the story of another unfortunate scapegoat. The novel explicitly encapsulates the supposed threat of a powerful woman to paternalistic society, which pushes forth that political or religious order resides in domestic control, making adultery an overblown sin. Since these two classics cover a wide range of topics, including history, psychology and literature, they are prime study material for the AP Exams.

When paranoia strikes, it spreads like wildfire throughout a community. In The Crucible, one small rumor grows into a giant web of accusations of witchcraft, in which individuals who want to hide their indiscretions place the blame on others. Rigid religious and social laws do not allow for any kind of spontaneity; we may take our liberties for granted, but then, a simple act of joy like dancing in the woods could be twisted into sin. What is the chief reason for all of this hearsay? The most potent drive of human nature: sex. Abigail's affair with John Proctor is the fuel to the flame. No matter what the social climate, human desire is difficult to repress; it is the reason for the perpetuation of the human race. Despite its simple origins, the complexity of desire is a double-edged sword; it can fuel an epic love story or be the source of destructive manipulation.

In Hester's case in The Scarlet Letter, it is the latter. Hester is also a strong woman who is a force to be reckoned with in a time when Puritan religion was so pure that it was evil. The rigidity of society hypocritically makes cruelty towards Hester acceptable. Although forced to wear a letter A and shamed by the community, Hester remains stalwart, and does not reveal her lover, who is the ultimate hypocrite: a Reverend who committed adultery. The men are cowards, and the woman takes the blame so that paternal order can be maintained.

As proven time and time again throughout history, paranoia often spreads to all facets of society, which in the 50s included what to wear and what to cook for dinner. More than anyone else at the time, the housewife was the emblem of anticommunism. This may seem odd, but let's examine a term that was coined in the 1950s: bombshell. It indicates that women were an explosive sexual threat, and makes a complicated point: a woman's sexuality was contained within an ideal domestic sphere as a means of quelling anxieties over nuclear war, creating a set of national principles that connected civic virtue to domesticity, and conversely, atomic energy to promiscuity. As the heavy connotations of adulteress and bombshell demonstrate, sex is a powerful force, and in earlier times, but still even now, it is seen as a hazard to sociopolitical stability. Just look at how much commotion was caused by President Clinton's sexual indiscretions. All of the chaotic emotions surrounding sexual desire are a threat to order, and therefore transgressions can lead to unjust punishment, and in extreme cases, war.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, and ACT Prep. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Losing Innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird and Reflections From Catcher in the Rye

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Why do we love stories about pure, hopeful characters getting stripped of their innocence? One needn't take an "AP Psychology" course to know. The loss of innocence is a relatable theme. Who hasn't had their equilibrium memorably thrown off balance through a rude awakening to some terrible truth? It is part of growing up or coming of age. Perhaps the most painful aspect of this experience is the fact that there is no going back. Once innocence is gone, it's gone for good.

Experiencing Jem's heartbreaking loss of innocence in "To Kill a Mockingbird" may be a pivotal reason we return to this classic again and again. We feel Jem's childish hopefulness and pride as he watches Atticus absolutely prove Tom Robinson's innocence. Jem is certain that Tom will go free. We want the world of Maycomb, Alabama to be a better place for Jem, but we are not surprised to find that it is not. The shock and disappointment Jem feels when Tom is found guilty is palpable. The world Jem thought he knew so well does not exist. Instead, he faces a hearty dose of what adults like to call "reality."

It is this reality that Holden Caufield finds deplorable. Catcher in the Rye plays on the theme of innocence from the inside out. Holden has had his rude awakening and finds what he sees to be ugly and depressing. He yearns for youth and innocence and thinks it's all a damn shame that people turn out the way they do. Even though he knows it cannot be, he wishes things would remain the same.

"Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that's impossible, but it's too bad anyway."

Holden bemoans the "filth" of the world and equates it with adulthood. He yearns to contain youth in a jar. The way he sees it, growing up only turns you into a "phony" or a "bastard."

If everyone loses their innocence as they age and mature, a question to ponder is: what does one do with this newfound knowledge? How does a person's personality and view of the world adjust after seeing things in a different light? Jem is torn up when the jury convicts Tom. However, with the great support and guidance of super-dad, Atticus, he remains hopeful. We are confident that Jem will grow gracefully into adulthood and, like his father, become a moral and optimistic man. At the other end of the spectrum is Holden. He sees the filth of the world and can't seem to see beyond it. He has lost hope and respect for the world he has to live in. Which character do you identify with? Do you see the world around you for what it is and remain hopeful or do you resent your awakenings and long for more innocent times? One thing to keep in mind: one of these characters ended up in a padded room.

Paul Thomson is an writer and frequent online contributor who is passionate about improving college readiness. He frequently writes about the AP Psychology, To Kill a Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye Quotes. In his spare time, he loves to promote the joy of reading to youth in his community.

The Quest for Love in the Great Gatsby and Great Expectations

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When done just right, reading about a character's pursuit of love is a favorite ingredient in some of the most beloved tales. Generally, we enjoy seeing passionate characters going after something they want. It can really get us going when what they want is seemingly unattainable. Characters in love certainly can go to extremes in their pursuits for the desired companion. We enjoy seeing how far they will go and whether or not they win the love they seek. In the end, are we satisfied if the love is ultimately unrequited? Or must we get our happy ending and see the lovesick character get what he wants?

In The Great Gatsby, the title character, Jay Gatsby, is in love with the elegant and married Daisy Buchanan and has been for a long time. As the jazz standard would say, Gatsby's "got it bad and that ain't good." He is so head over heels in love with Daisy that he has built his entire life around doing what he thinks it will take to win her over: busting into the upper class by making loads of cash. The idea is not so outlandish, it being the 1920s when folks seemed pretty comfortable with choosing friends and lovers based on the size of their bank accounts. Poor Gatsby, coming from a penniless, uneducated background, definitely had his work cut out for him. It does not really seem to matter how Gatsby managed to make all that money and buy that mansion. (He does manage to hide it pretty well.) The fact is he did it. And it worked. With a little nudge and help from Nick, Gatsby gets the girl - sort of. Of course, in the end though, he ultimately loses. Like F. Scott Fitzgerald's experience watching the American Dream dissolve into The Great Depression, Gatsby and Daisy's affair is a fleeting moment that ends darkly.

Pip, of Great Expectations, has no easy task in setting his sights on Estella. The girl is way out of his league. The Victorian class system was even more rigid than America in the 1920s and poor Pip, the broke-as-a-joke orphan, seems to be fighting a losing battle. We stick with Pip and cheer him on as he tries and tries to reinvent himself. Pip gets lucky with some unexpected cash and is able to pursue becoming a "gentleman." The ending, as we know it, shows Pip and Estella finally ending up together. It is not a wedding or a pregnancy like a romantic blockbuster movie, but we are left feeling hopeful. The original ending that Charles Dickens wrote did not end so happily. Pip and Estella do not end up together and actually never see each other again. The ending we all know, where Pip and Estella end up together, is certainly more satisfying and less depressing. Is there something we see in Pip's love for Estella that we don't see in Gatsby's for Daisy? Why are we okay with Gatsby losing everything in the end? Is it more fulfilling to see him dead than to see him ultimately live without Daisy? Is a satisfying love story really more about our main character and his pursuit and less about the actual ending?

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include The Great Gatsby, Great Expectations and The Great Depression. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

To Kill the Duke, By: Sam Moffie - Book Review

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At first, Sam Moffie's To Kill the Duke seems like a story about the Russian Communist assassination of John (Duke) Wayne, however the twists and turns of the plot leave the reader shocked and contemplating the truth about the American Government during the Cold War.

The story is driven by the communists' plan to assassinate the Duke, but in the end, the plan changes when the communists become aware of America's self destruction due to the nuclear fallout. Moffie skillfully splits the story line between Howard Hughes and the production of his latest movie, drawing attention to his movie production company, including Dick Powell and John Wayne, and a group of Russian assassins, Ivan Viznapu, Boris Gila, and Alexei Aleksandra, commanded by Joseph Stalin, and later, Mr. Zavert, to murder actor John Wayne-the ultimate American icon. The portrayal of the "picture" production age in the 1950's is impeccable, inviting readers to completely immerse themselves in the characters and the conflicts they encounter as movie makers. Moffie depicts the Russian Communist era with equal precision. He manages to mesh the two worlds when Viznapu and Aleksandra come to America as spies and start a movie business in order to develop a plan to assassinate John Wayne. It is interesting to see them adapt to American culture, and begin to desire money above anything else. Moffie delivers the plot with humor, making the reader not only want to keep reading to come to know the destiny of the main characters, but also laugh. The characters' dialogue is witty, and it is enjoyable to listen in on their conversations throughout the book. The plot is driven by the irony of the communists' desire to attack America and the fact that America is attacking itself by testing nuclear weapons on American soil.

One of the most memorable scenes of the book is when communist soldier Ivan Viznapu, who is assigned as the movie projectionist for the Russian commanders, runs into Joseph Stalin. Moffie pulls the reader in close: so close that we are pulled into a restroom with Stalin. A moment so private, I was immediately drawn in. I almost felt like a spy myself and it made me nervous about what Stalin would do to Viznapu, but also made me laugh out loud because of the situation and their conversation. That scene could have been a flop, but Moffie handles it with precise dialogue. It is a very unique scene and I will not soon forget it.

Moffie's handles dialogue with precision but he is a bit repetitive. There are a few places in the book that made me stop and wonder why he informs the reader about something again, either through dialogue or exposition, even though the reader is already aware of the information presented. For example, on page 221:

"How did he 'figure out' something was happening?" questioned Ivan.

"I didn't take time out to ask him," Alexei said sarcastically.

"Boy, are you getting sarcastic," noted Ivan.

I wasn't sure if Moffie was trying to add humor to the tone of the scene, but I came upon this type of repetitive language a few times throughout the text, and wished the language had been altered to be more unique in the way it was presented.

To Kill the Duke was a pleasure to read, and is for those who are interested in both history and humor. It is a perfect blend of the two. It is extremely apparent that Moffie's imagination is in tact, because he is able to produce such an inventive take on what has occurred in the past. He not only makes the reader laugh, but calls to attention issues that seem to be pushed under the rug, such as the effect of the nuclear fallout on American citizens and the impression it has given others about America.

Reviewed by: Nicole Sorkin, Pacific Book Review

http://www.pacificbookreview.com/

Is The Great Gatsby the Great American Novel?

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The concept of the "Great American Novel" is so pervasive that it has become something of a clich?. Burned out businessman and frustrated housewives and everyone in between has said that they'll take time out to write it, but what if it's already been written? What it it's a book that almost every American high school student reads at some point, even if he or she doesn't want to? What if it's a book that some critics viewed as frivolous and sordid when it debuted, but also one whose author's contemporaries found revolutionary and practically? What if it's The Great Gatsby?

Why The Great Gatsby? F. Scott Fitzgerald's magnum opus is a love story, an allegory and a piece of American history. It has a narrator from the Midwest, an anti-hero who is also a war hero, a unhappily married couple, lavish parties, fancy shirts and flashy cars. Nick Carraway, the book's narrator, is at first intrigued by Jay Gatsby's lifestyle: the music, the women, all of the trappings of a life of wealth and (relative) social standing.

But as Nick gets more and more familiar with Gatsby's life and backstory, he becomes more and more disenchanted with Gatsby's world. As he learns that Gatsby is motivated primarily by his desire for Nick's (married) cousin Daisy, he realizes that the world he's entered is a shallow one, full of "careless people" who do not care whose lives they destroy so long as they get what they want. And while some argue that Nick Carraway is not as pure of heart as he may want readers to believe that he is, he at least tries to treat other people with consideration and respect.

Many people probably would not consider The Great Gatsby to be the Great American Novel, if only because they associate it with other mandates from their high school years: gym class, awkward dances and the SAT. But it's a novel worth revisiting. Despite the accessibility of Fitzgerald's writing, it's a highly complex novel that certainly warrants multiple exposures. It is it entirely earnest or slightly tongue-in-cheek? Could its story work in any time period and location or is it only suited for a post-World War I America? What would happen to the story if Nick or Gatsby was a woman?

These questions do not just exist within the confines of a college English paper or an AP English Literature essay. They're the kinds of questions any serious reader should be asking herself. Even if we decide that Nick is a reliable narrator, we have to wonder: is Fitzgerald a reliable author? What's his agenda? By classifying Gatsby as a hero or villain, is the reader forming his own interpretation of the text or falling right into the author's trap? It's too late to get any answers from the writer, of course, so it's up to readers (and countless literary scholars) to form their own opinions.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Great Gatsby, SAT and AP English Literature. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Emily Bronte: Wuthering Heights

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Emily Bronte in her first novel, the Wuthering Heights brought a new sensation to the world of the 18th century. It was a world of divided living, where fine lines were drawn among all the social classes, and material possessions defined the status of the people. In this classified society Emily Bronte managed to draw the image of two people who had confined themselves to the constrict society, but had created a shared world of their own. And this shared world, yielded strong passions, of love, desire and revenge.

Cathy and Heathcliff though came to live together from their early childhood but their social differences made them come into direct conflict with the society. Catherine Earnshaw belonged to the family of aristocrats, and Heathcliff was no other but a gypsy, who was brought to the house, as an act of kindness. Yet very soon Catherine develops a liking for the quiet Heathcliff, as she finds him in harmony with her own self. Whether its playing, eating, singing, or lesson of bible, she finds a tendency to be like Heathcliff more than herself. Growing together in the moors, Cathy and Heathcliff, come together as they learn to share the same perspective towards life. They live in freedom and high spirit in the vast spread lands.

Unconsciously they develop a bond, a connection of love, so strongly that don't even know themselves.

The conflict arises when Catherine is introduced to Edgar Linton. Catherine and Heathcliff are aware from the beginning that the future holds difficulties for them, but they keep themselves busy in their own happiness until Edgar Linton comes into the picture. Heathcliff becomes agitated and raged by his frequent visits and finds him to be a threat to his dignity while Catherine sees no enemy in Edgar Linton and she soon becomes well acquainted with his way of life. As new realities open to Catherine, she sees a larger world beyond what she had seen with Heathcliff at Wuthering heights.

Catherine is torn between the society and her own world. Edgar Linton seems the right person to marry, as he has wealth, status, and honor. But with Heathcliff she has something beyond all material possessions. She says "Whatever our soul are made of, his and mine are the same." This was an epiphany for Catherine as for the first time she realized that there was something distinct about her feelings for Heathcliff. She could not separate herself from him in any way, because deep inside she felt that they were no separate beings, but a single soul that occupied two bodies. She says "-he's more myself than I am." This was an intense emotional realization. And the forward movement was shaped by it, as Cathy started to think of ways in which she could be with Heathcliff not only emotionally but also in the societal world they lived in.

In an attempt to make relationship with Heathcliff survive the conflict with the orthodox society, Catharine thinks of marriage with Edgar Linton. She wants to quieten the world outside that had started to disturb the quiet simple world she shared with Heathcliff. She wanted to marry Linton so that not only could she make Heathcliff rich, but also to regain the secret connection with Heathcliff, without anyone noticing or interfering with it. However Heathcliff is not of the same idea, he finds it against his pride for Catherine to marry someone else. He agonized by the thought that a relation like marriage would tear them apart forever, and in despair and utter helplessness he decide to take an exile. Heathcliff's absence makes Catherine upset, she wants him back. And then she marries Linton. She had had hasten this act so has to make her accepted socially, and in her heart she waited for Heathcliff.

Heathcliff does return, but seeing his beloved Catherine living with Edgar Linton enrages him. This is the time when things start to turn the way Catherine could not have imagined. Catherine wants Heathcliff to remain as he was, and she fails to comprehend his furious anger. Heathcliff felt isolated and left out, and at the same time he felt a connection with Catherine which pulled him to the step of Thrushcross grange often.

Following events turn out to be even worse, Catherine is taken by serious illness, and Heathcliff could not find peace and he makes desperate attempts to make Catherine realize her faults. Edgar Linton finds himself sincere to Cathy and tries to nurture her, keeping her away from the temptation of Heathcliff.

The composite character that Catherine and Heathcliff share becomes evident to the readers on the day when they meet for the last time. The moment holds emotions of love, anger, guilt, and fear for both of them. Catherine wants Heathcliff to know that even death can't separate them both. She tells him that if any of her words would torment him, she would be in distress too. She cries and holds onto o him for life, and says "that is not my Heathcliff. I shall love mine yet; and take him with me: he is in my soul." She knows that what she shares with Heathcliff is unique, and she was sure to treasure it with her and take it to her grave. Heathcliff is ablaze with passion too, he knows that he is about to lose Catherine and without her his life would be empty. He blames her for leaving him and putting an end to his life too but more he hates himself, for he cannot save her for he can never have her again like before. Heathcliff's intense emotions are clear when he says "I love my murderer - but yours! How can I?" Heathcliff is inconsolable and helpless.

Catherine dies, and Heathcliff is left to grieve. He is tormented and in desperation he calls out Catherine, he curses her to never be in peace till he was alive. Heathcliff realizes his own death, in the demise of Cathy. He yells and begs her "you said I killed you - haunt me, then!" "-I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul."

These moments are important as they make us realize as Catherine and Heathcliff shared a bond prior to essence. They had created their own world where they had each other. Catherine and Heathcliff had isolated their beings from the traditional norms of the society, and they lived to their content. They had always been in harmony with each other and even by trying they could not differentiate between each other as they felt one. They had shared all feelings, all moments and all torments together; they had become one against a world that conspired against them. It was with this composite strength that they had grown and flourished, but had remained one in all odds.

great literary classics

great literary classics