A couple of weeks ago, I announced (by way of my Facebook status) that if I could choose any one fictional character to be, I would choose Scarlett O'Hara. I also posed the question "Who would you be?" Elizabeth Bennett and Jo from Little Women were the two most popular answers I got back, but I must say I also felt like I was being scolded and judged for my own choice as people felt obliged to point out to me that Scarlet "walked all over people." Now, I had stated in my status that I knew she was not the perfect role model, but I felt like people weren't looking at her and the same point of view that I was. I guess now I feel the need to justify myself, so that's exactly what I am going to do.
First of all, I have, through the years, fallen in love with the idea of "Southern life," so that was one of the more appealing things for me when looking at Scarlett's life. I also loved her growth as a person through-out the story. She may not have been the best wife or mother, but these things were forced upon her.
Her strength as a woman, especially against the views and beliefs of her time, really excited the feminist in me! People would tell her, "You can't buy a sawmill!" and she would respond "Watch me!" After she had bought it they told her "You certainly can't run it yourself!" and she proved them wrong again. They had all but given up on controlling her when she proved them wrong a third time by buying yet another sawmill to add to the first. After looking at this and the other ways Scarlett stood up against society and it's standards in gender roles, I'm pretty sure Scarlett O'Hara invented "girl power." Perhaps she was the original Spice Girl! Ha!
As much as I was angry with her for not giving in to Rhett and loving him back, I was angry with him in the end as well. Yes, she could have been a better mother, and there really should have been no excuse, but motherhood was never what she wanted and she never had a choice in the matter. Literally! She couldn't even say no to her husband. She tried to postpone it all as best she could, and when it happened, she dealt with it in the way that best suited her.
There are other characters I could have chosen, Heidi for instance, but Scarlett's hit home for me. Scarlett certainly had character flaws, but that made her human. She made mistakes, but that made her human too. Her life was hard at times, but that made it real. Who wants a "perfect" life? It would be so boring! She fought the norms of the time, especially those created by gender roles. To me, that makes her remarkable and sets an example I believe every young girl should have a chance to follow!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Nineteen Minutes
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Piccoult
I've read this one before, but no matter how many times I try to recall the ending, I just keep thinking that there was some twist at the end that I'm forgetting. Not that that part will matter to you (because I just can't spoil the ending), but that (and the fact that I remember loving the book the first time I read it) are the reasons I am re-reading it. :)
The story revolves around a school shooting. Peter is the shooter (a student at the school), and while everyone in the community is mourning those who were killed, Peter finds himself fighting to prove that he is the victim. Josey is the judges daughter. Her boyfriend, Matt, was killed in the shooting (one of the "popular guys" in school who used to pick on "geeks" like Peter), her mom is the judge on the case, and her and Peter have a history (even if it was elementary school). With all of these things mixing themselves together in Josey's life, she finds herself confused. She is rethinking her plan to commit suicide, she is rethinking her life and how she was living it, and she is rethinking her relationships with her friends as well as her mother (who has been her only parents growing up).
Also thrown into the mix of this story is Judge Alex Cormier's feelings (about her daughter and her position as a judge among other things), as well as the life and stories of the head investigator on the case and Peter's attorney, and Peter's parents. Each character brings a new aspect to the story. Each new twist makes you wonder if you should be hating Peter, or believing, as he does, that he is the victim in this horrible situation.
Emotions take on many roles in this story, and as a reader, my emotions have gone all over the map with this one. There is sadness intermixed with happy memories. There is heartbreak intermixed with love. There is a feeling of losing one's self intermixed with development and discovery of one's self.
Jodi Piccoult is one of my all time favorite authors, and this is one of my favorites or her books that I have read. Going from memory (since I haven't finished the book this time around) I would say...3.5 out of 5. Over all a good plot and a great read.
I've read this one before, but no matter how many times I try to recall the ending, I just keep thinking that there was some twist at the end that I'm forgetting. Not that that part will matter to you (because I just can't spoil the ending), but that (and the fact that I remember loving the book the first time I read it) are the reasons I am re-reading it. :)
The story revolves around a school shooting. Peter is the shooter (a student at the school), and while everyone in the community is mourning those who were killed, Peter finds himself fighting to prove that he is the victim. Josey is the judges daughter. Her boyfriend, Matt, was killed in the shooting (one of the "popular guys" in school who used to pick on "geeks" like Peter), her mom is the judge on the case, and her and Peter have a history (even if it was elementary school). With all of these things mixing themselves together in Josey's life, she finds herself confused. She is rethinking her plan to commit suicide, she is rethinking her life and how she was living it, and she is rethinking her relationships with her friends as well as her mother (who has been her only parents growing up).
Also thrown into the mix of this story is Judge Alex Cormier's feelings (about her daughter and her position as a judge among other things), as well as the life and stories of the head investigator on the case and Peter's attorney, and Peter's parents. Each character brings a new aspect to the story. Each new twist makes you wonder if you should be hating Peter, or believing, as he does, that he is the victim in this horrible situation.
Emotions take on many roles in this story, and as a reader, my emotions have gone all over the map with this one. There is sadness intermixed with happy memories. There is heartbreak intermixed with love. There is a feeling of losing one's self intermixed with development and discovery of one's self.
Jodi Piccoult is one of my all time favorite authors, and this is one of my favorites or her books that I have read. Going from memory (since I haven't finished the book this time around) I would say...3.5 out of 5. Over all a good plot and a great read.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
How to Win Friends and Influence People
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
I recently finished reading this book for my MayTerm class in college. The class is one about education, but each of our four groups was assigned a book that was not necessarily about education that we were to read and relate back to our class as well as to teaching in general.
This book was a self-help book, and it made some great points. I didn't necessarily teach me anything "new," but it made me more conscious of some of the things I already knew about handling people.
The four sections included: 3 ways to , 6 ways to , 12 ways to , and 9 ways to .
Most of them were fairly self-explanatory, and whether they were or not there were plenty of examples. I liked that not all of the examples were centered around the business world (even though the courses Mr. Carnegie taught in New York in conjunction with this book were centered around the business world). He included examples of how to apply these principles as an educator, as a parent, and in life in general. Sometimes he used examples that were better understood by an adult, and sometimes he used examples that even I child would have understood. Two "child" examples stick out in my mind, so I would like to share them with you. The first was under a principle entitled "Arouse in the other person a want." Carnegie's example was that if you go fishing, you have to make the fish want the bait you are using. As the fisherman, you may love strawberries and cream, and so if someone were trying to lure you in that could be something they would use. A fish, on the other hand, does not want strawberries and cream, they want a worm, and so when you are fishing, you have to use what the fish wants in order to lure him in, not what you want! Another example was an Aesop fable that went with the principle "Smile." Smiling is a great way to make friends, and here is how the story goes (in my own wording because I don't have the book in front of me). The sun and the wind were talking up in the sky and the wind challenged the sun saying, "See that old man down there? I bet I can get his jacket off of him quicker than you can!" The sun accepted the challenge and went behind a cloud so that the wind might go first. The wind blew as strong and as hard as he could, and while the old man's coat blew in the wind, the harder the wind blew, the tighter the old man wrapped the coat around him. Finally the wind gave up and let the sun have a turn. The sun came out from behind the cloud and smiled at the old man. Gently giving of it's light and warmth. The old man, wiped the sweat from his brow and took his jacket off, draping it over his arm and smiling up at the sun. And the sun told the wind that it was much easier to get what you want with gentleness and kindness, and than with force.
Anyway, point being, this was a great book, and even if you're not into self-help books (I never have been) it is still a good read and it goes fairly quickly. There were a few too many stories at times, but I had the opportunity to read it. Not only do I see it's lessons helping me in my teaching, but also in my relationships with other people in my life. Some of these principles can even be used with strangers on the street, or with a next door neighbor, or with a spouse/significant other or children.
I recently finished reading this book for my MayTerm class in college. The class is one about education, but each of our four groups was assigned a book that was not necessarily about education that we were to read and relate back to our class as well as to teaching in general.
This book was a self-help book, and it made some great points. I didn't necessarily teach me anything "new," but it made me more conscious of some of the things I already knew about handling people.
The four sections included: 3 ways to , 6 ways to , 12 ways to , and 9 ways to .
Most of them were fairly self-explanatory, and whether they were or not there were plenty of examples. I liked that not all of the examples were centered around the business world (even though the courses Mr. Carnegie taught in New York in conjunction with this book were centered around the business world). He included examples of how to apply these principles as an educator, as a parent, and in life in general. Sometimes he used examples that were better understood by an adult, and sometimes he used examples that even I child would have understood. Two "child" examples stick out in my mind, so I would like to share them with you. The first was under a principle entitled "Arouse in the other person a want." Carnegie's example was that if you go fishing, you have to make the fish want the bait you are using. As the fisherman, you may love strawberries and cream, and so if someone were trying to lure you in that could be something they would use. A fish, on the other hand, does not want strawberries and cream, they want a worm, and so when you are fishing, you have to use what the fish wants in order to lure him in, not what you want! Another example was an Aesop fable that went with the principle "Smile." Smiling is a great way to make friends, and here is how the story goes (in my own wording because I don't have the book in front of me). The sun and the wind were talking up in the sky and the wind challenged the sun saying, "See that old man down there? I bet I can get his jacket off of him quicker than you can!" The sun accepted the challenge and went behind a cloud so that the wind might go first. The wind blew as strong and as hard as he could, and while the old man's coat blew in the wind, the harder the wind blew, the tighter the old man wrapped the coat around him. Finally the wind gave up and let the sun have a turn. The sun came out from behind the cloud and smiled at the old man. Gently giving of it's light and warmth. The old man, wiped the sweat from his brow and took his jacket off, draping it over his arm and smiling up at the sun. And the sun told the wind that it was much easier to get what you want with gentleness and kindness, and than with force.
Anyway, point being, this was a great book, and even if you're not into self-help books (I never have been) it is still a good read and it goes fairly quickly. There were a few too many stories at times, but I had the opportunity to read it. Not only do I see it's lessons helping me in my teaching, but also in my relationships with other people in my life. Some of these principles can even be used with strangers on the street, or with a next door neighbor, or with a spouse/significant other or children.
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