Afterword 1984

The Afterword of 1984 serves as a warning for present day and the future to avoid this society that Winston and Julia are trapped and exposed to. The Afterword discusses how unless the world avoids history repeating itself, future life and people could potentially be transformed into these brainwashed individuals to this communist form of government. This portion of the book continues with describing presented examples as time progressed such as the views of Christianity and Thomas Moore's Utopia, encompassing perfection, as well as Hitler and Stalin. After all of these events and personas that had been presented in history already, Orwell displays how at this rate the desire for that perfect society will entirely destroy the world for the lack of individualism and extreme control over communities established.
Although Orwell displays an extreme situation, it provides a perfect warning for the future. "One can react to this picture in two ways: either by becoming more hopeless and resigned, or by feeling there is still time, and by responding with greater clarity and greater courage." (pg 266). Orwell creates these dehumanized, soulless, machines, a result and product of the controlling government overpowering every individual taking away every last thought in their mind.
"He wants to warn and to awaken us. He still hopes -- but in contrast to the writers of the utopias in the earlier phases of Western society, his hope is a desperate one. The hope can be realized only by recognizing, so 1984 teaches us, the danger with which all men are confronted today, the danger of a society of automatons who will have lost every trace of individuality, of love, of critical thought, and yet who will not be aware of it because of 'doublethink.'"(pg267). The Afterword of 1984, although not created by Orwell, may seem like the impossible; however it serves as a perfect way to complete Orwell's purpose proving that this society can occur at anytime without precaution.

Ayn Rand Lexicon

After reading Ayn Rands opinion of the very controversial topic of abortion, I realize her views have some relation to one another. Abortion is a huge debate presently, constantly focused in politics and special interest groups. The discussion between pro-life (babies right to live) and pro-choice (mothers choice to terminate the pregnancy) is constantly a heated topic faced everyday. Conservative, liberal, and religious views all play into this dicussion between how to enforce this touchy issue.
Ayn Rand discusses on her website how the embryo has no rights, that a child cannot acquire rights until it is born. Rand feels that abortion is a moral right to a woman, whom should be able to make choices of what to do with her own body. The lifelong responsibility of having a child, she feels should be under the mothers control for an unwanted pregnancy and difficult circumstances could hurt the situation even more for not only the mother but the child as well. It is obviously displayed that Ayn Rand is a pro-choice supporter.
Comparing the views presented in Ayn Rand's Anthem and her views on abortion, I feel these views without a doubt connect. A reoccurring theme constantly presented throughout Anthem is individuality. This novel depicts a world of the future, a society so collectivized that even the word “I” has vanished from the language. Numbers to identify individuals, phrasing every sentence with the use of "we", and the bland society of no choice and no creation of identity, overwhelms the main character of this novelette, Equality 72521. This journey that this individual makes throughout the course of the book formulates a discovery of who he is and a creation of his own identity. When fleeing this society with his loved one, the Golden One, he discovers the meaning of "I" promising himself to establish a world of individuality and the supremacy of the ego. "I am. I think. I will." presented in chapter 11, starts the beginning of a world of individualism for the two of them.
This theme of individuality relates to Ayn Rand's view on abortion. The idea of discovering your unique self and formulating your own ideas and choices relates to the pro-choice view that Rand supports for a woman to be able to choose whether or not to terminate a pregnancy, with control over her own body. The idea of doing things for yourself and not for a group as a whole, presented in Anthem, supports these views on abortion.

Final Response to A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

A Long Way Gone is an unbelievably powerful and horrific tale of the growing issue of young individuals serving in war. Ishmael Beah narrates us through the course of his journey from fleeing his home town to escape the rebels, with his brother Junior and his friends, struggling to survive and find food. They would flee from town to town unknowingly sometimes encountering these rebels coming very close to losing their lives. The young boys know that they must stick together, constantly be on the lookout for these rebels, and prepare themselves for negative news about their families and the course of this civil war. At one point they are separated with Ishmael on his own soon to encounter other young individuals familiar from school and his home town, after spending days terrified on his own in the forests of Sierra Leone. After weeks on end in search of their families, they are soon informed that their loved ones are most likely dead.
Sadness and anger built within Ishmael and the following town they arrive in they soon become victims of these rebels and become controlled by the army. The young boys are taught to fight, taught obedience, and most importantly how to kill. With revenge in all of their hearts to the individuals who killed their families, they are transformed from innocent children to bloodthirsty killers. They are sent on raids into the villages, killing everyone in sight, and getting their hands on every ounce of marijuana they can find.
Fortunately for the young soldiers the United Nations steps in to fight this tragic effect that this civil war has caused to the young boys of Sierra Leone. Th United Nations arrive to take the boys away and rehabilitate them back to civilian life. Although Ishmael and the others resist, they turn their lives back around only with a brave and determined staff of workers.
The overall purpose of this book was to do whatever necessary to eliminate the use of children in warfare. This transformation of these young children illustrated through the course of the book is overwhelming. Being influenced on their behavior from free spirited rap-loving young kids of Sierra Leone to addicts of killing, the book remains so powerful in it expression of this tragic happenings. After the rehabilitation process is completed Ishmael Beah is reunited with his long lost uncle, and slowly becomes the young boy he used to be.
I truly enjoyed Beah's recount of his story and found it extremely influencial and inspiring. For being such an inexperienced writer, he often surprised me in the powerful statements and recollection of horrific details that just added such power to this memoir. The only aspect that would have made the book a little stronger was the factor of suspense. I feel Ishmael lacked a little of the suspensful narrrative and the exciting effects. Overall I really enjoyed A Long Way Gone Memoirs of A Boy Soldier and I would without a doubt recommend anyone to read it.
Ishmael Beah has continued exposing his story traveling to NYC to speak of the children fighting in war and his new chapter of his life that he was about to begin.

First Response to A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

Instantly I am drawn into this extremely powerful and emotional tale by Ishmael Beah. The strength and courage displayed by these young and innocent souls demonstrates such character, exhibiting something truly to look up to. Beah presents such a unique way of illustrating his experience, facing the terrror of civil war to his community and country as well as the arming of children, through flashbacks, nightmares, and narration of daily occurances. "These days I live in three worlds: my dreams, and the experiences of my new life, which trigger memories from the past."(pg20)
A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, pulls you into the experiences of this young 12 year old boy facing evils of the world. From actually feeling his fear of life and death, lonliness and incapability to trust anyone, and strength to keep going fighting hunger and fatigue, continuously you are drawn to this persisting force exerted by this character. You become emotionally attached to this individual who is truly a role model to life today. Through Ishmael Beah's Memoir he demonstrates and helps individuals realize how fortunate people are today and the terrors many individuals face in these foreign countries daily. This mezmerizing war story presents changes that occur to these individuals faced with these fears. For example, when Ishmael Beah is separated from his brother and friends and comes across a family he comes to the conclusion, "I was glad to see other faces and at the same time disappointed that the war had destroyed the enjoyment of the very experience of meeting people. Even a 12 year old couldn't be trusted anymore."(pg48)
With the thought of his fathers presence and remembering what he used to always say, motivates Beah to endure and perservere the struggle of life. "If you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of the person, he or she will die."(pg54,Ishmael's father) Ishmael Beah displays such bravery and courage through the first 8 chapters and he does an incredible job presenting the true life experiences and hardships of this war. I am really interested to find out what he will prevail next.

Writing Vietnam-Tim O'Brien Lecture at Brown

In Tim O'Brien's powerful, honest, and entertaining lecture at Brown he explains some key elements behind the ingenious novel he has constructed. He begins speaking of how simple an individual he is, that he is no genius, historian, or philospher, just the fact that he is a great fictional story teller. O'Brien mentions how monotonous and painful writing might be, yet the pleasure and satisfaction he recieves from it.
Throughout the course of the lecture he goes into facts about his most famous novel The Things They Carried, discussing some of the key moments and themes of the book. Here he supplies some clarity to aspects of the novel and explains some of the more confusing areas of The Things They Carried. A common issue of the novel was reasoning behind the war, why blood was being shed, and what position many individuals held towards support or opposition to the war. O'Brien in the book as well as in the lecture specifically shows he is in opposition to the draft and Vietnam. O'Brien continues to tell his story of how he fled the country, relating to our past issue, commenting about how he felt like a coward for going to war. "What I was crying about, you see, was - was not self-pity. I was crying with the knowledge that I'd be going to Vietnam, that I was essentially a coward, that I couldn't do the right thing, I couldn't go to Canada. Given what I believed, anyway, the right thing would have been to follow your conscience, and I couldn't do it."
Through this explaination of his story he eventually comes to tell us that everything he just said is false. Clarifying that not all war stories are specifically about war."War stories, like any good story, is finally about the human heart. About the choices we make, or fail to make. The forfeitures in our lives. Stories are to console and to inspire and to help us heal." Speaking about the invented story prior to the war, O'Brien makes a great point stating that honestly that is what fiction is for, to spice up aspects of the novel. He could have told the literal truth, however how exciting would it have been."It's for getting at the truth when the truth isn't sufficient for the truth."
Tim O'Brien's lecture at Brown was not only entertaining and held my attention, yet he really help clarify some aspects which contributed to the uniqueness of The Things They Carried.

On the Rainy River

On the rainy river discusses O'Brien's issue with going to war. In this chapter O'Brien recieves his draft notice faced with the fear of whether to go to war or not. With the pressure of the community and their expectations of wanting their own individuals to represent their nation at war, O'Brien worries of the embarrassment he will inflict on his family and the loss of respect that he will gain as an individual if he was to avoid these circumstances. "I was drafted to fight a war I hated. I was 21 years old. Young, yes, and politically naive, but even so the American war in Vietnem seemed to me wrong. Certain blood was being shed for uncertain reasons. I saw no unity of purpose, no consensus on matters of philosophy or history or law." (pg40.) As you can see through this quote O'Brien much like many other young men of this time period, are in disagreement with the war. From there O'Brien does what he feels he will truely regret, fleeing the nation for Canada to escape the war. He goes up north making due with working with Elroy a proprietor, shortly realizing he would go to war because he was embarrassed not to. "All those eyes on me-the town, the whole universe-and I couldn't risk the embarassment....I couldn't endure the mockery, or the disgrace or the political ridicule....I could make myself be brave. It had nothing to do with morality. Embarrassment, that's all it was." (pg59).

"I was a coward. I went to war." As displayed through the examples in the book and the scenario that O'Brien faced this quote is explained. He felt he was a coward, not in terms of his bravery to go to war, but because he gave up his morals against war so he wouldn't have to face the disgrace delivered by the community.