Open Space

So here's a little gift: an open forum. Use it to talk about the other summer reading books, to swap books when you're finished, to bemoan how that mean Ms. Clapp has robbed you of your summer...Remember, though, that this is a public space; don't say anything you wouldn't want your mom or me to see.

Go see the free Shakespeare on the Common - it's Taming of the Shrew this year and it runs July 22 to August 13.

The Gatekeepers

So, how are you all feeling about the college admissions process? Use this space to comment on the book. Pick out the most frightening bits of information. Find the things that give you hope. You can also engage in general discussions about colleges, the admissions process...it's pretty wide open.

For example, my tip of the week is to check out McGill University in Montreal. Top-notch school, a northern UC-Berkeley, in a great town (Montreal is tres cool), driving distance, and at about half the price of tuition at an equivalent school. Not a bad deal, if I do say so...

Things Fall Apart

Achebe's tragedy (yes, don't get your hope up - it doesn't end well) takes its title from a poem. The line reads: "Things fall apart; the center cannot hold." How do you see this reflected in the text? Why can't the center hold? It could be like one of those lollipops with the gum in them...

Sorry, I got distracted. Really, why can't it?

You might also consider the classic definition of a tragic hero: a man of high status, neither all good nor all bad, who causes his own downfall through a tragic flaw, an inability to recognize one of his own shortcomings before it's too late - but who recognizes it in the end, in all its weight and power. How does Achebe's hero fit this definition?

The Remains of the Day

So, as you travel with Stevens, I'd like you to think about England as well as about the man himself. Ishiguro's journey into the man is also a journey into the land itself. You might want to read a little modern British history, especially of the colonial period (essentially, the reign of Queen Victoria through WWII), and see how you might connect it to Stevens.

Are you annoyed with his syntax (style of speaking) yet? If not, I think it might not be improbable that, at some point in the future, you might possibly come to, perhaps, not be unannoyed...like, you know, right now. What do you think Ishiguro is doing by having Stevens speak this way? What does it say about him as a character?

Three posts each, please. And tea with lemon and sugar. Perhaps a scone....

One Hundred Years of Solitude

This is the space for commenting on Marquez's Nobel winning masterpiece. While you are welcome to comment on any aspect of the book that takes your fancy, you might want to consider the author's use of magical realism, a literary device honed in Latin American literature where the narrative suggests a purely realistic story - in this case, one about family and war - but, occasionally, fantastic "magical" events occur. What does this device suggest about how we experience life?

This book is also remarkable for its structure. It's non-linear (meaning events are not presented in chronological order) to the point of being circular, with repeating events and names; I've often felt the "tail of the pig" from the Buendia family legend is an excellent metaphor for the way in which the story is presented. What do you notice about this style? How are you coping with it?

So feel free to talk about whatever interests you; I am especially interested to see you respond to each other. Remember, three posts per book - and - dare I say it - there's no limit...