Part 1: Writings
Why we all should read this book?
Inspired by the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s, Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, focuses on the inconsistencies of the Salem witch trials and the extreme behavior that can result from dark desires and hidden agendas.Reading about these events is important because readers can learn from mistakes made in the past and know better for the future.During the Salem witch trials, occurring between the years 1692 and 1693, more than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft the Devil's magic and 20 of those were executed . People turned their backs on and refused to help each other out in the fear that they themselves would be accused of being a witch. They did not know who to believe anymore; friends, family, and neighbors were being convicted. Even community leaders were questioned, found guilty, and hanged. The book revolves around the stories of a couple teenage girls, led by Abigail Williams.They are found dancing in a forest and accused of witchcraft. Abigail forces her friends to deny the fact that they danced, but there is still suspicion. There is something about the potent cocktail of fear, anxiety, passion, and jealousy in The Crucible that we find disturbingly familiar.We've seen this episode in history over and over again. The Crucible drives home just how sickeningly often history repeats itself. In the 1980's, a similar a witch-hunt developed over the issue of child molestation . Stalin's Great Purge was eerily similar to a witch-hunt in its erratic and demented nature. Today in Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific, there are still witch-hunts taking place ... and yes, they're hunting actual witches. And in America, parallels are being drawn between the events of McCarthyism, the Salem Witch Trials, and measures being taken to guard against "the threat of homegrown Islamist terrorism." I thought his book is an excellent way for people to learn about the horrors of the trials and how fear can turn people against each other.
Perspective changes
"Room"-390words
For five year old kid, this book’s main narrator, Jack, his room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; its where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.
Hearing the story of a young woman's kidnapping and confinement through the filter of a 5-year-old gives the story a new depth and constantly throws you into a new, unusual perspective.
Room is home to Jack, but to for Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years after raped her.
Ma tries her best to teach outside of world to her son, Jack, but she noticed it is not enough for him when he became older. When Jack begins to outgrow the confines of Room, Ma breaks down, tells him the story of her kidnapping and “unlies” the truth of Outside. But for him who spent his whole life in an 11'x11′ room, its too hard to understand.
Then, she devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck.
The second half of the book focuses on Ma and Jack adjusting to life in Outside. After het out their room, Jack met his grandparents and, through he’s very real child's perspective, get a glimpse of how the fringe characters had adjusted to Ma's disappearance.
While the events in this story are horrifying to think about: kidnapping, repeated rape, a child growing up in a tiny, 11'x11′ space, they are told with a contrasting attitude of normalcy and a perspective that will keep you turning pages. Jack's voice and point of view keep the story light and straightforward.
What really stood out to me in this story is the bond between Jack and Ma, the courage and creativity she used to create as normal of a life as was possible for her little boy in their confined space, and the fierce protectiveness Jack and Ma feel toward each other. Rather than being a depressing Debbie Downer, Room was full of hope and life. After read this book, I realized again how mother’s love for kid is deep and how mother is strong.