For the average person, this may not be the easiest novel to connect with.  However, this novel can be connected to many movies like The Perfect Storm and Titanic, in the sense that they both have to do with being isolated in the middle of the sea, and have to do with the ship sinking. Furthermore, this novel could connect with other stories like The Cay, or Apollo 13 in the sense that they both explore isolation.  But it would be difficult for someone to personally connect with this story.

             Overall In the Heart of the sea story is an interesting story. The plotline is somewhat bland, and after an enraged sperm whale rams the Whale ship Essex, the storyline soon falls apart. However, there are some interesting parts, for example        “With barley a pound of crackers left, the crew dared to speak of something that had been on everyone’s mind, weather they should eat, in stead of bury the body.” This quote is a good example of how Philbrick shows how desperate the crewmembers were after their ship sunk about 1400 miles away from South America.  It is an interesting read, especially at times like this.  There were many exiting parts. For example when the ship was rammed, this go the slow story going.  Before the Essex sunk, the story was quite boring, but soon people started eating dead bodies. Overall the first half of the book is quite boring and bland, but after the climax, the book starts getting tip-of-your-seat, heart-pounding interesting.

            The Heart of the Sea contains many literary devices that make it worthy of literary recognition. Many colorful similes, metaphors, and personifications are used. For example: “ as darkness approached on the first day, the wind built steadily, kicking up a steep, irregular chop.”  In this one sentence, there are three creative personifications that add some pizzazz to the text. There are however, some parts of the story that are flat and bland. Unfortunately this takes away from the novel. At points of interest the story is able to come to life with a plethora of similes, metaphors, personifications, ironies and much more.

            In the Heart of the Sea challenges the thinking of readers.  It makes one think, “What would I do in a situation like this?” it makes them question their actions, and expands their minds. For example: (see quote paragraph 2) it makes one wonder “would I rather eat a dead human, or die of starvation?” this novel puts the structure of the human mind to the test.  The countless taboos that the crew performs are only part of the novel. This novel makes people see life in a new way, and thank that whaling was illegalized. This novel wasn’t only a source of entertainment; it was an experience as well.

All in all In the Heart of the Sea is a well-crafted novel that is known to many as “worthy of literary merit.”

What the book is about:

Lauren, aged 14 is trying to write an essay about "Who am I?" when she gets thinking about how she is adopted. On her computer she looks on a missing children website. She finds a girl who looks like Lauren did when she was a baby. Lauren compares the picture on the website and a picture in one of her baby albums. They are very similar. A while later Lauren sets out on an adventure to america where her real parents are supposed to be. As soon as she landed she stepped into a world of lies and danger. A must read++!

When Wang Lung and O-lan get married in the beginning of the novel, it quickly becomes apparent how useful she is. "... and they ate heartily of the good fare, heartily and in silence, and this one praised the own sauce on the fish and that one the well-done pork..." (Pg. 17). According to Wang Lung's guests, O-lan cooks wonderfully, not to mention her ability to make clothes, shoes, mend walls, and still work the fields. O-lans abilities affect the (future) family positively because she can do almost all types of work, even more than Wang Lung. By taking care of things such as housekeeping, she allows Wang Lung the strength and time he needs to succeed. Almost immediately after she marries Wang Lung, they begin having better harvests, and Wang Lung himself has a more leisurely life. In contrast, Wang Lung shows his impracticality and self-indulgence. "‘I will buy it!' he cried in a lordly voice. ‘I will buy it from the great House of Hwang!'" (Pg. 37). Wang Lung is more interested in his pride and contentment than the well being of his own family. Instead of being conservative in his relative poverty, he decides that he will buy the land from the great house, just so he can say he is rich enough to do so. These two examples of O-lan and Wang Lung's early life together show how practical O-lan is, and how impractical Wang Lung is.

Near the middle of O-lan and Wang Lung's relationship, a famine sweeps the land, so Wang Lung and his family travel south to a city, where O-lan shows how useful she is, while Wang Lung shows his impracticality. "The little boys stared at her, and Wang Lung also. Where had she learned to cry thus? How much there was of this woman he did not know!" (Pg. 71). O-lan shows her usefulness by teaching her family how to beg. Now that they are utterly impoverished, O-lan is nothing but useful. Wang has learned that there is a lot more to the woman he married than what he saw at first glance. In addition, she knows how to make a mat house, and how to cook in it. This helps her family by giving them food and shelter, which are necessities of life. Meanwhile, Wang Lung is worried about his self-esteem, and has no idea where to work. "But the notion of holding up a bowl and begging of anyone who passed continued to distress him. It was very well for the old man and for the children and even for the women, but he had his two hands." (Pg. 67). Not only does he worry about begging, but he, lacking the practical knowledge O-lan has, does not know where to work. Sadly, if he had not found a job, he would not resort to begging, showing once again how his impracticality and self-esteem gets in the way of his family's well-being. These two examples prove once again how practical O-lan is, and how impractical Wang Lung is.

During the latter part of O-lan and Wang Lung's relationship, Wang Lung encounters some mysterious issues with his son which O-lan knows how to fix, while Wang Lung beats down and destroys his son physically and emotionally. "And she said, ‘It is useless for you to beat the lad as you do. I have seen this thing come upon the young lords in the courts of the great house, and it came on them melancholy, and when it came the Old Lord found slaves for them if they had not found any for themselves and the thing passed easily'." (Pg. 158). O-lan proves here usefulness to Wang Lung and his family. Being a slave in a great house, she understands the desires of rich young men, which Wang Lung could never understand, having been raised a farmer. Even though Wang Lung does not heed her advice, her statement is found to be truthful when the eldest son enters into a relationship with Lotus, and calms down almost immediately thereafter. In contrast, Wang Lung has no idea what is wrong with his son, but he continues to beat him anyway. "Now the strange thing was that whereas the boy might burst into weeping at a chance rebuke, he stood these beatings under the bamboo without a sound, his face carven and pale as an image. And Wang Lung could make nothing of it, although he thought of it night and day. (Pg. 159). Here, Wang Lung only makes his son, who is already emotionally distressed, worse. Without O-lan's suggestion, the boy could have stayed in that state for a long time. After considering O-lan's advice, though, Wang Lung decides he will marry his son soon. Once again, O-lan positively influences her family, while Wang Lung deteriorates it.

Throughout the book, Wang Lung's self-indulgence, impracticality, and self-esteem issues lead to the degradation of his family, while O-lan's practicality and hard work leads to the building up and strengthening of her family. Moments of contrast are seen throughout Wang Lung and O-lan's relationship. A family's success is only as much as the amount of effort its members put into it. Without crucial members like O-lan, the Wang family would succumb to the numerous impracticalities and self-indulgences of Wang Lung.

“But I must never love again.”(Goldman 56) Buttercup says in chapter one, (after she gets news of Westley being killed by dread pirate Roberts) is a perfect example of how “Life isn't fair” However, not too much later, in chapter five, William Goldman states that both Buttercup and Westley, once they are reunited, (after Buttercup found out Westley wasn't dead) admitted that, “Without any qualifications whatsoever, they were a little more than glad to see each other.”(Goldman 154) Which disproves William Goldman's statement that “Life isn't fair” Therefore I believe that the remark “Life isn't fair” in an inconclusive statement for this book.

In the book The Princess Bride there are a lot of events that make it seem like life is going to be perfect and Buttercup and Westley are going to live happily ever after. For instance when Buttercup finally realizes that she loves Westley and then Westley tells her that he had loved her sense the day he had meet her. On the other hand, William Goldman makes it seem like life cannot go on when buttercup is in the prince room trying to decide which knife to kill herself with “She pulled it from the wall and put it to her heart.”(Goldman 272) This consequently shows that William Goldman's book is just like the ups and downs, or the tide, of real life.

In the end of the book(where Inigo, Fezzik, Buttercup, And Westley are being chased by prince humperdink, and prince hupmerdink is a lot closer than they thought he was) When you fist read it, it seems to lean more towards proving life's not fair. Though if you really just take a minute to think about it. It happens to be a great example of the fairness and unfairness, ups and downs, of life. “They were, admittedly, startled, but there was no reason to worry…However, this was before Inigo's wound reopened; and Westley relapsed again; and Fezzik took the wrong turn; and Buttercup's horse threw a shoe.”(Goldman 282) Therefore I do not believe The Princess Bride adequately shows that “Life isn't fair.”

Wang starts to get carried away since he is rich now. But then a severe drought comes and the villagers are starving. Some people were forced to eat dogs and there was a rumor that some ate children. Since there was no food, Wang and his family move south to the city.

The South is a little bit better but not much. The only thing that was better about it was that there was food. Now that he is in the city and not close to “the good earth” things start to get worse. A war starts in the city and most of the families leave. Wang and his family return to their farm.

Now that the family is back at the good earth life starts to get better. Wang and O-lan have more children. A flood damages Wang's farm but he is still wealthy among the other farmers. Even though the good earth was in trouble, he still has good fortune when he comes back from the city.

I thought The Good Earth was different from other books that I have read. It taught me about the Chinese culture in the 1800's. I learned that in 19th century China, you didn't love someone to marry them. People could get a second wife, or a concubine. I did not like The Good Earth very much because it was too detailed and boring. I wish the story was a little bit more interesting and exciting.

What I liked most about The Good Earth was the way they showed the relationship between Wang Lung and O-lan. Buck wrote about the feelings Wang had for O-lan. He didn't really love her. He just respected her as his wife and the same thing for O-lan. She respected him as a husband. You can easily understand that in that point in China you weren't in love with your husband or wife just because you were married.

Although many civilization's legacies are carved deep within the government and politics, China was more decentralized and the government was much less a part of daily life. When there was a drought in Wang Lung's home town and all the food died and there was nothing to eat, the national government didn't send any help or food, the town's citizens helped each other survive. There were a few laws that would help govern the people, doctors could not charge a patient without guaranteeing his well-being as in the coming of the death of O-Lan. If he was to try to help her, he wanted more pay to balance the risk he would be taking.

China had an interesting economy, in some areas, the economy was local but in others it was national. In the small villages the people were either self sufficient by growing their own food or selling their produce. In Wang Lung's village there was one rich family in the great house who made the rules. This was because they were so wealthy. The wealthiest family in the local villages often controlled the economy of that village because they grew the most food or produced the most products to be sold within the village. It was uncommon for the products to be sold elsewhere. The urbanized center of commerce that Wang Lung moved to during the famine in his town however was more international; they were doing real business and making money. They had poor people and beggars living on the streets and rich people too doing business and making even more money. Their economy in the big cities was much like our modern economy in the United States.

Religion was a great part of daily Chinese life as portrayed in The Good Earth; the people actively participated in their religion everyday. The main religion portrayed in this book was Confucianism but Buddhism was also present in the form of the little Buddha which was to be put on Wang Lung's first born son's head. There were statues of the gods that they worshipped for rain and to save them from famine and for good luck and sons. They believed the gods had complete control over all of these things and that famine, lack of rain or birth of daughters were signs that the gods were angry with the people. This is also evidence of a somewhat indigenous polytheistic belief.

There is also a reference to Confucianism when Wang Lung is instructed to bring a man to the Confucian Temple for pay. Confucianism is also evident in Wang Lung's following concepts of filial piety, a Confucian teaching. Even though Wang Lung hated his uncle's arrogance in asking for money which he knew that his uncle would simply spend on gambling, he was required to respect him and his uncle knew that. When Wang Lung was ready to stop funding his uncle's well-being, his uncle threatened to tell the entire village that Wang Lung didn't care for him and made up lies jeopardizing Wang Lung's integrity and reputation. The concept of religion held together the people of China.

In Pre-Revolutionary China there was a very strict social structure. The concept that men are superior to women was evident in all classes and taken advantage of. This is clear in that women prayed for their baby to be a son. Having sons was used as bargaining and O-Lan beseeched Wang Lung not to take another wife because she had already gave birth to sons. When in famine, families often killed a newborn girl if they could not support her and often ate the dead child. The slaves were almost all female and often the young lords of the house would have sex with them. The women were submissive and even the wives of wealthy men were treated as faithful servants who would work for their husband as society often told them to do. Within a village, there was often one wealthy family who controlled most of the economy. In the beginning, this was the House of Hwang but soon that house became poor and no longer the great house but would be replaced by Wang Lung's house. He became the village leader because of his wealth. China's social structure was well known and followed by everyone.

Most of the intellectual achievements in China before the Chinese Revolution were toward agriculture and farming so the people could survive. Wang Lung used many inventions in agriculture during that time such as the ox drawn plow. He used other intellectual achievements such as the train and pulled people in the rickshaw for transportation. In the part of China where he first lived, there were few inventions put to use unlike the industrious southern towns where he moved during the famine. The few achievements that they had were for survival.

There were very few artistic achievements described in The Good Earth because the people where Wang Lung lived had little time to worry about art. There were a few examples of art however in his town. Like most religions, there are statues to God or the gods; Wang Lung's is no exception. It is often described that the people of his old village went to the statues of the gods and burned incense in times of hardship. Also art is shown in the pictures of the women at the tea house. Although not as big an aspect of Chinese life, it is still easy to identify as an important component to development.

Chinese geography was easy to identify as a solid element in Chinese life. In China there was good fertile farm land shown in the book as part of Wang Lung's daily life. The land paid for his meals, it gave him food, it was an investment and it was his life blood and he felt a part of it. At the end of the book, although many of his values as a poor man changed, he still very much valued his land and when his sons were talking of selling the land, Wang Lung said “If you sell the land, it is the end.”(360) A symbiotic relationship between man and the land he lived on was felt by all Chinese farmers like Wang Lung during that time.

The glimpse into Pre-Revolutionary China by an author who experienced life there and wrote about it in The Good Earth was very valuable to global history. It described life during a period of change from past to present for Chinese citizens. China was judged based on each of its characteristics in the 7 categories during that time and it was prosperous.

The story takes place in a remote part of Central California. The area is a fertile valley with a huge amount of farmland. The time setting is in the 1930’s. The time and setting add to the sense of the novel.

One of the main characters, George, is a farm hand who has some common sense. He is middle aged and is a hard worker. Lennie Small is George’s best friend. He rather is a large man, which is not very bright. Lennie has the mind of a small child and can be a great hard worker. He likes to feel things which will later get him into trouble later in the story. Lennie and George have moved across the country from ranch to ranch getting jobs. Usually Lennie does something to get them in trouble. George befriended Lennie when Lennie was a small boy. When Lennie’s Aunt Clara died, George decided to take care of Lennie. These two friends set out to earn some money to reach the ultimate goal of theirs, which is to buy their own shack and farm some land. One thing that Lennie wants to do at this farm is to have some rabbits to watch and tend.

When George and Lennie reach the ranch, that the story takes place, they meet some different individuals. The leader of the ranch hands, a man named Slim, is friendly towards the two and shows his leadership later in the novel. Slim is a very thin man, who has a sense of humor. The son of the owner of the ranch, Curly, is a small man who is always looking for a fight. He used to be a boxer so he a good fighter. Curly does not like big guy so gives Lennie a time.

He will regret he ever did. Curly’s wife is very attractive and is always looking for Curly. Curly is always looking for her as well. The person who runs the stable is a middle aged African American named Crooks. He got his name when he was kicked in the back by a horse. Now he is hunched over when he walks. Another worker is a man named Carlson, who is rather large and can be very assertive. Candy is an older man, who is in charge of the cabins, where the workers stay. Candy has an old dog that smells a great deal. This dog means the world to Candy, which later changes. All of these characters influence the plot and change the outcome of the novel.

After George and Lennie reach the ranch, the story takes off. Lennie teaches Curly a lesson and accidentally tells Candy of their plans to have a farm but it doesn’t matter, because when all the men except for Lennie go to town, the unthinkable happens. Sometimes friends have to make tough descions to help the others they love.

I really enjoyed Of Mice and Men. Even though the story took of very slow, it was exciting the rest of the way. The plot is somewhat complex and easy to follow with few characters. The language the characters use reflects the time period and people invoved. Overall I would encouge people to read Of Mice and Men. It is a great, short read, that is full of questions.

1. Nightmare by Joan Lowery Nixon
2. Salamander by Thomas Wharton
3. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
4. Second Star to the Right by Deborah Hautzig
5. Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr., and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
6. Uglies by Scott Westerfield
7. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
8. Dr. Franklin's Island by Ann Halam
9. Where the heart is by Billie Letts
10. A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin
11. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Desson
12. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
13. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
14. Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
15. Among the Imposters by Margaret Peterson Haddix
16. Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson Haddix
17. Among the Barons by Margaret Peterson Haddix
18. Among the Brave by Margaret Peterson Haddix
19. Among the Enemy by Margaret Peterson Haddix
20. Sweet Sixteen Princesses by Meg Cabot
21. Size Twelve is not Fat by Meg Cabot
22. Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot
23. Avalon High by Meg Cabot
24. Dangerous Girls by R.L. Stine
25. Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen
26. A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin
27. Here Today by Ann M. Martin
28. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

I think that lord of the flies is a microcosm of the world in that wars were started by people who were willing to do anything for power and they are the people like jack. But I also think that it is a microcosm of the Garden of Eden because they are civilized at first and even roger doesn't try to hurt other people. Then the beast, a representation of the devil, comes in the equation and everything starts to get hectic until Simon walks up the mountain and finds out that the beast doesn't really exist and goes to tell every body else and gets killed.

In the morning when they all deny Simons death you know that the innocent little boys playing games that you start with have turned in to the very thing they were trying to hide from and kill as the beast. In all I think the lord of the flies is more then just an adventure novel but a microcosm of human nature.