An Interesting Question

A good novel will make you think. I myself have been known to put down a book after reading an especially thought-provoking paragraph in order to reflect on what I have just read. The Sunflower, written by Simon Wiesenthal, presents the reader with an interesting choice. Pretend you are a prisoner in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. A dying SS member calls you to his bedside and wants to obtain absolution from you. What would you do? As soon as I saw this question, I immediately started weighing the pros and cons. On one hand this man is expressing deep regret and remorse for the horrific atrocities he has committed. He is seeking salvation, and knows that the orders he has followed through on are wrong. Are not all men entitled to redemption? On the other hand, he's a Nazi. Flat out, he is part of the most disgusting, dispicable groups ever to walk this Earth. He has probably killed hundreds of innocent people by himself and had fun while doing it too. He has caused you, your family, and millions of others pain and sorrow. I did a survey to see others' opinions. Every member of my family including my father (a Catholic), my mother (a Jew), my sister, my grandpa (who fought against the Nazis in World War Two), and his wife/my grandma all said that forgiving him would be unthinkable. Along with those five testimonies, I also received two no's from Darren Bleckner and Steven Cohan. My initial reaction is obviously no, but I am going to wait until I have finished the book to make my decision final.

Blog in The Voice of Terry, a Character in Herland

Dear lord, I feel like it's been an eternity on this island. I came here with high hopes of finding women just waiting, in fact ACHING to be taken. On the contrary, dear friend, these women are only interested in our culture, and seem to lack any libido whatsoever. I use the word "women" VERY loosely though, for a less feminine lot I have never seen. In fact, they shall henceforth be known by me as woMEN. These females, for how motherly they are, show no attractive traits whatsoever. There is also barely anything to do, for they do not know of the one thing that keeps our great nation going: competition. There's something funny about all of them too. I once read an article about the strange occurrences that happen when women live together. It's quite odd. Van and Jeff seem to miraculously love it here. Ridiculous. Jeff's a dirty traitor, and I can see his alliances shifting by the minute. He's starting to criticize mankind and society as we know it. Dispicable. Van too seems to enjoy his captivity. I would be fine if they would just let us see the girls! I know there are girls here! I've seen them! But for some reason, these old hags don't trust us with them. Damnations! Our escape attempt failed miserably, and now I can't envision any other way of leaving this wretched island, save for committing suicide. I can't and won't give up hope though. Soon enough, we'll set sail for America and I'll be back to all the girls I can get ahold of.

-Terry

A Pleasant Surprise

"Herland", a novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is the first book I am reading in the third marking period. Through four chapters, I am actually, surprisingly enough, enjoying it. Gilman's writing style is not what one would expect from a woman from the early 1900's. It is very easy to understand, and I often find myself longing to find out what will happen next. So far, three men, Terry O. Nicholson, Jeff Margrave, and Vandyck Jennings, have been on an island inhabited entirely by women. The women are very interested in the culture of the outside world, but teach the men about their own history as well. The men are so amazed at the women's society that they feel that their MUST be men there. In this, Gilman is making a wonderful social commentary on male-female roles. I am very excited to see how this novel progresses, and what other social commentary Gilman has in store for her readers.

For more on the unique writing style of Gilman, visit these sites:
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng384/marty.htm
http://www.lsus.edu/la/journals/ideology/contents/utopianfeministpedagogy.htm