Last Post (Sigh)

Ah third marking period. A joyously independent semester, but a fulfilling one nevertheless. I've learned many things during the past couple of months; some about myself and others about the subjects I have studied. First, I have learned that my senioritis is in FULL effect. It has taken over my entire way of thinking, and I am thankful there are only a few months of school left. I have decided that blogging is a rather fun experience and I may continue to update my blog as I age. It is a great way to share my thoughts on the novels I have been reading and just my general thoughts on life. One problem with my blogs is that I haven't been analytical enough. If I only delved deeper into the underlying meanings of The Sunflower and Herland, this blog would've been the best in the land. Sadly, I didn't...and it wasn't. My only regret about these blogs is that I never had the chance to write one regarding Ceremony, the wonderful novel about a Native American who returns from being a prisoner of war during World War II. I have yet to start it, but I was truly looking forward to dissecting it and seeing what is actually about. I also wish I could have posted more interesting links...such as this. If you're on any type of hallucinogenic drug, watch that and you'll be GUARANTEED to trip. Overall, I deeply cherished and thoroughly enjoyed the third marking period. I am thankful I got to try something new (blogging) and won't soon forget the great times I had throughout.

Back of The Book Criticism from The Sunflower

Last week I slightly brushed on the topic of the criticism and responses in the back of The Sunflower. I'll be honest though; I hadn't really read them. Now, after a week of mulling many of them over, I have to say that I am impressed. I am about to completely contradict myself, for last week I said that the Dalai Lama's response was wrong and in poor taste. Boy, was I wrong. The Dalai Lama's answer to the thought-provoking question of, "Would you forgive a dying Nazi?" is that one should forgive, but must NEVER forget. Throughout the entire time I was reading the novel, I never once thought of this as an answer. The responses in the back truly do offer good insight on the question. After reading the Dalai Lama's, I figured there HAD to be more solutions to this query. Thus, I went about thinking of answers, but none were very realistic. Simon could have put him out of his misery if he was truly vindictive. He could have struck a deal with him that if he forgave the dying man, the Nazi would put in an order to let him go. These resolutions though, are ludicrous. The Dalai Lama, a guide to many, has truly thought of the perfect answer. It combines being forgiving to someone who wants absolution before he dies with always paying tribute to those who lost their lives in the worst genocide in the history of the world. This is why, though, the Dalai Lama is refered to as "His Holiness" and I am simply known as Doug E Fresh. Maybe one day I will be able to come up with perfect solutions to challenging questions like the Dalai Lama can, but for now I can merely rap Will Smith.
I'm stuck on the Sunflower for now because I have decided to do TWO projects on it, but I am very excited to begin my third and final book, Ceremony. It is about a Native American who faced horrors in World War 2 and had to return to deal with life on the home front. I find that this is a perfect book to compare to the Sunflower, for one is about a soldier who becomes a prisoner, and one is about a Jew who also becomes a prisoner, but under different circumstances.

Sunflower Completed

I have now completed The Sunflower, and, for as moving a subject as it is, I was a little disappointed. First of all, the book is very deceiving. It is not as long as one makes it out to be, for there is a ton of criticism after the 98 page novel. The criticism and insights are helpful and thought-provoking, but it does not and cannot salvage the book. I was hoping for a dramatic novel about the horrors of concentration camps and a unique experience between a dying SS soldier and a Jew. Instead, I got a few pages of dialogue between the two of them, and the rest is complaints or worries from the Jewish man. The SS man literally dies after one meeting with Simon. They didn't even have enough time for a meaningful conversation. It's as if Mr. Wiesenthal took a brilliant idea and spent maybe three pages concentrating on it. I was deeply let down. The criticism and insights in the back of the book differ in the question of "What would you do?" The Dali Lama's, for example, is much different than my own. I would never forgive a Nazi if I was in a concentration camp. Hell, I wouldn't forgive one now and I was never even in one. Yet the Dali Lama says we all must forgive, which I find to be in poor taste. If someone has made a decision as extremely horrific as that in their life, they must live with that. They must not and should not be forgiven. Overall, I sincerely wish The Sunflower had been better. You let me down Simon Wiesenthal...you let me down.

Simon Wiesenthal Has a Lust...For Hunting Nazis!

Simon Wiesenthal is a hero. His endurance and ability to survive the horrors of a concentration camp in Nazi Germany are well documented in his book, The Sunflower. One thing about the novel confuses me though. After doing some research on Mr. Wiesenthal, I discovered that this 91 year old man has spent half his life searching for ex-Nazi soldiers in order to bring them to justice. Now, I haven't finished the book yet, but what I can gather from the back description is that Simon neither forgave nor refused to forgive the dying Nazi who asked him for absolution. If he spent nearly 45 years of his life "hunting for Nazis", why then, would he not have refused to forgive the Nazi who expressed sincere regret for his actions. It's clear that he still harbors an extreme grudge against all Nazis, and that is perfectly understandable, but if he had the chance to say "no" to this dying Nazi, to deny him his absolution once and for all, to tell him how he truly feels about the Holocaust and Hitler, why wouldn't he? If I had been in his shoes, I would have put that dispicable Nazi in his place. Maybe I will gain insight into Wiesenthal's psyche as the book progresses, but right now I am very disappointed in Simon.

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