Literature review

[Mike_6002]

Can this be sticked please!!!!

Well this thread is about reviewing various piece of literature it can be the good, the bad, or even the ugly.

The critques should be based on these points

Plot, Charchter development, symoblism...ect

And it's rated out of 25 overall

People one person per review, but comments are welcome

Well I going to start this thread with a very brief review of Lord of the flies

Plot- Very good, lots of bible refernces and allusions, and it slowly builds up's to the climax in very good manner from when they first crash on the island to the final chase between Jack's tribe and Ralph.

Charchter devoplement- Excellent building of the major charchters, and there fates, from Jack's power struggle with Ralph, to Simon's apothesis with the beast on the evils of humanity, to Piggy's rationalty to the end in the amid of total chaos.

Symbolism- Lots of it, including bible allusions such as the Island being the Garden of Eden, to Simon as Jesus, the conche as a sign of civilzation, and Piggy's glasses as the symoble of rational tought, to the "beast" as Belbueeze (Can't spell it right)

Ending- Very good ending for Dues Ex Machina, with the boys being picked up by the Royal Navy just before they were going to kill Ralph. With the boys going from there little war into the big war, and this show the loss of innocents. And this book can give one the creeps if you look at the bigger picture

The bad points- The first six chapters were a bit slow in plot devlopment, Dues Ex Machina ending, but otherwise no other major faults

Rating 23/25

[Dalton]

Can this be sticked please!!!!

No. Not anymore on these kinds of posts.

[Master of Ossus]

I've already explained the ending of the book to you. Are you trying to purposely misrepresent the book, or do you simply not understand the ending of it? Deus ex machina must, by definition, be unforeshadowed. Because the ending of LotF was foreshadowed, the ending was not deus ex machina. You don't have to like the ending, but to mis-classify it is to abuse the power of the critic.

[Mike_6002]

I've already explained the ending of the book to you. Are you trying to purposely misrepresent the book, or do you simply not understand the ending of it? Deus ex machina must, by definition, be unforeshadowed. Because the ending of LotF was foreshadowed, the ending was not deus ex machina. You don't have to like the ending, but to mis-classify it is to abuse the power of the critic.

My English teacher said it was Dues Ex Machina, then again you have few more years of experince on her, I think I have misunderstood the ending, damn conflicting information

[Master of Ossus]

I've already explained the ending of the book to you. Are you trying to purposely misrepresent the book, or do you simply not understand the ending of it? Deus ex machina must, by definition, be unforeshadowed. Because the ending of LotF was foreshadowed, the ending was not deus ex machina. You don't have to like the ending, but to mis-classify it is to abuse the power of the critic.

My English teacher said it was Dues Ex Machina, then again you have few more years of experince on her, I think I have misunderstood the ending, damn conflicting information

Your English teacher is wrong (though I doubt it's because she's inexperienced. No one fully understands the book, and your teacher can hardly be faulted for doing no better than a generation of others before her). Almost all HS teachers (I assume you are in HS, since that's usually when the book is taught) are woefully underqualified to be teaching the book. Even some college professors are not qualified. I readily admit that I do not fully understand the book, but I do understand this aspect of it.

Here's what you tell your teacher (watch, she'll respond with some excuse to either evade your point, say that she'll look it up, or disregard it entirely and continue teaching the same thing, but it'll be fun for you): the ending was not deus ex machina because the Island was intended to be the Garden of Eden. We know that, in the end, people are kicked out of the Garden of Eden after they destroy it (along with their purity), so the book's ending was clearly foreshadowed by allusion. We further know that God, the Devil, and Man are all the same. It therefore makes perfect sense that an adult "rescue" the children by moving them from the Island and kicking them off. After the children took the forbidden fruit (killed men), having been lured to do so by women (the conch, pigs, etc.), it is perfectly natural that the book end with an adult coming to remove them from the island that they have so shamelessly defiled with their sins.

Most people see the ending as being optimistic (another necessary component of deus ex machina--for the book to have a deus ex machina ending something good MUST happen), which is one of the first indications that they are totally lost by the book. The kids have totally destroyed the Island, just as the adults have totally destroyed the world. The adults are not rescuing the children, but moving them into another level of hypocrisy and dilluting the message. The adult world is actually worse than the one the children lived on, and it is actually better to die as Simon did then live on the Island itself. Thus, the ending of the book is meant to showcase the similarities between children and adults, and the world of Treasure Island with Biblical stories of creation.

[phongn]

I've already explained the ending of the book to you. Are you trying to purposely misrepresent the book, or do you simply not understand the ending of it? Deus ex machina must, by definition, be unforeshadowed. Because the ending of LotF was foreshadowed, the ending was not deus ex machina. You don't have to like the ending, but to mis-classify it is to abuse the power of the critic.

My English teacher said it was Dues Ex Machina, then again you have few more years of experince on her, I think I have misunderstood the ending, damn conflicting information

Mike, please don't use an appeal to authority. At the very least, could you explain or show why she considers it a Deus Ex Machina?

[Mike_6002]

Boy LOTF is a hard book to understand and interpted and our teacher never taught us the garden of eden point thanks again MoO

You have any books to review?

[Mike_6002]

I've already explained the ending of the book to you. Are you trying to purposely misrepresent the book, or do you simply not understand the ending of it? Deus ex machina must, by definition, be unforeshadowed. Because the ending of LotF was foreshadowed, the ending was not deus ex machina. You don't have to like the ending, but to mis-classify it is to abuse the power of the critic.

My English teacher said it was Dues Ex Machina, then again you have few more years of experince on her, I think I have misunderstood the ending, damn conflicting information

Mike, please don't use an appeal to authority. At the very least, could you explain or show why she considers it a Deus Ex Machina?

Well from I what I understand, she thought the sudden apperance of the RN officer at the oh so convient moment was enough for DEM (well my memory is a bit hazy) that what I remeber

[Master of Ossus]

Boy LOTF is a hard book to understand and interpted and our teacher never taught us the garden of eden point thanks again MoO

You noticed. Incidentally, most critics who argue that the symbolism is too shallow are not understanding the book, fully.

Well from I what I understand, she thought the sudden apperance of the RN officer at the oh so convient moment was enough for DEM (well my memory is a bit hazy) that what I remeber

That's usually the argument.

Mike, please don't use an appeal to authority.

I sometimes wonder if my name were changed to "Professor Master of Ossus" how much more respect I would gain. Appealing to authority is surprisingly effective against a vast number of people, and I'm sure that many Trekkies, creationists, etc. would just assume that I had a professorship in something relevent to the debate, instead of in English Literature.

You have any books to review?

Sure. How about To Kill a Mockingbird?

Arguably the best character-driven story ever written, Lee presents an extraordinary vision of Southern society during the origins of the Civil Rights movement. Lee's skillful use of dialogue and atmosphere make TKMB perhaps the epitomy of American story telling, and one of the instant classics that has graced 20th century American literature. While written in such a way as to be easy to understand, the book presents surprisingly important and deep messages about growing up, race, and social class. It analyzes deep faults in American society, and is rightfully regarded as one of the most profoundly touching reading experiences in the English speaking world. Readers and critics alike consider the novel to be one of the most memorable books of all time.

The story is somewhat loose, but it never loses coherency. Lee's ability to alternate humor with the more serious emotions presents a phenomenal tale of growing up, making it the best bildingsroman tales since Catcher in the Rye. A great read for all age groups, To Kill a Mockingbird will likely be one of the many books from the 20th century to be taught in schools during the 22nd.