Anthem

This is probably one of my favorite books. I loved the way it was set and the Utopian society the author created. It made me realize how fortunate I really am to have the freedom of saying "I" and the freedom of being me, an individual. My favorite symbol is the most obvious one, the light bulb the narrator discovers and creates. With the discovery of that light bulb, he found knowledge, and the wisdom that he needed. With that discovery he fully broke away from his society of no ones and become himself, he became someone. The elders did not like his invention because he was the only one to create it and he was the only one who took part in it. He could not realize why they felt that way which meant we could no longer understand why they did anything, or rather, do nothing.



My favorite quote is on page 86 when the Golden One says, "We love you" to the narrator. She then realizes that she did not want to say we, she wanted to say love you to just the narrator from herself, not the we of society. And when she realizes this, she and the narrator are broken and hurt like the narrator said, "And we felt torn, torn for some word we could not find." This part makes me feel such pity and sorrow for them because I do not know what I would do if I could not say I love you to somebody when I really wanted to and mean it.
This quote also helped me realize that they did not even know what it was like to feel something for themselves. They have been trained since birth that everything was for everybody and no body was allowed to be different or feel different.

This novella was probably the best one I have ever read. I loved the development of the story and the development of the characters and the plot. It was written amazingly well and using such simple language made such a deep meaning and impact.

Fahrenheit 451

This novel's theme and topic of censorship I felt was well portrayed through out the novel and the author made it very clear threw his writing style and technique. I felt Clarisse was the best character in the novel. She was the fresh beginning to Montag's new views and obsession with books and breaking away from the norm of society. She is the character that, in my opinion, that is most important to the novel because with out her Montag would have continued his normal routine.

My favorite quote of this novel is on page 10 when Clarisse asked, "Are you happy?" This is my favorite quote because this one small sentence makes Montag realize that he is not happy but society is trying to tell him he is. He realizes that he has been told he was happy for so long he began to believe it himself. This one quote set Montag off and he starting thinking beyond the picture for the fist time. She made him question and think more than he's ever had to before.

I did not like this novel at all. It was difficult to follow and was even more difficult to get into. The only part of this book I remotely enjoyed were the parts that Clarisse was in because she was the one that made the most sense to me. I feel the author dragged things on too much that did not need to be and rushed the really important parts, like the ending of the novel when Montag burns his house then the hound and Beatty. The most climatic scene of the whole novel and it was done in two short pages.
It was also difficult to understand what the characters were talking about and doing because it was written so long ago, and yet when it was written it was a futuristic novel which is now our present. It was one confusing mess. Like the war that was going on, I wanted to know who was fighting us but it was never told. And I never fully understand the parlor walls either. This was probably my least favorite book ever.