Ray Bradbury

     Ray Bradbury is an amazing writer in my opinion. Some writers will take an already thought up idea and make a novel or short story on it but Bradbury did the opposite. He took ideas that had not yet planted themselves in Americas mind and wrote Fahrenheit 451. I think Ray Bradbury had an idea of where the world was headed and almost wanted to warn us. Like for instance the "families". The family in Fahrenheit 451 is the television. He did help predict this technology but also he predicted the affects of it. The television in the book and today takes the place of real family and books. We might not burn books like in Fahrenheit 451, but do we read them as often as we should? No, we rely on television for information and stories.
     Fahrenheit 451 was published in 1953 and his predictions were very accurate so far. We now have televisions as big as a wall and small devices like ipods. Things we don't have that are in the book, are the mile long billboards so drivers can see them, no speed limit, laws against pedestrians or burning of books. I don't think our world will ever result in burning books or laws against pedestrians, but the long billboards could be in our future because of the high speed of cars.
     I don't think his fiction was made reality because of his writing but because it was ment to be. Televisions don't take away from our family and books because Ray Bradbury said they would, but because they would no matter what. If Bradbury didn't write Fahrenheit 451 i don't know if we'd be where we are today, but if we were I think our technology would have the same effect on us with or without Ray Bradbury saying so.

Star Trek

     This episode was aired on television in 1966 and yet it was filled with present day technology. The setting for Star Trek is in outer space... In 1966 we hadn't even been to the moon yet. Roddenberry was thinking ahead in all his work and probably gave scientists the ideas of some of today's technology. In Star Trek they use small communication devices to talk to one another no matter how far away the person is. This is allot like our blue tooth and cell phones today. Without Roddenberry's extravagant imagination who knows how long it would have taken to think up the idea of cell phones. I wonder if Roddenberry knew his TV show was predicting the future or if it was just a crazy idea that just so happened to spark a world of high end technology.
     Another thing that stood out to me in the episode was the city that lived on the clouds. The people in the city were save but the people on the ground were being greatly effected by the gas in the air (today known as pollution) Someone should have taken this idea and thought ahead to completely eliminate pollution. You never know maybe this is in our future... I believe Roddenberry's creativity has a heavy effect on our world and has assisted in making it what it is today.

A Separate Peace

             A Separate Peace for me was a fairly enjoyable book, that was relateable to our age group. We all have that person who just always comes out ahead. Whether it be in sports, academics or other activities. As humans we can't help but have a jealous fire inside us. Where Gene goes wrong is how he handles this burning feeling inside. Instead of trying harder to be better than Finny, he overreacts and shakes the tree branch that Finny was about to jump from. The result from this is a shattered leg. Earlier in the book it tells us that Gene took a wrong step and fell from the tree, but Finny caught him. Why did Finny save Gene?
 Gene didn't save him but was the reason Finny fell and can know longer play sports... Later in the book Finny dies from bone marrow. Would this have happened in the tree branch was left alone? No! Not only did Gene keep Finny from being superior in sports but ended his life all because of a simple concept called JEALOUSY.

           Finny on the other hand had a completely different take on life. Through out the book he never shows jealousy let alone angry. He is always calm about every situation. Finny goes through life happy and friendly always able to hold a conversation. Even when Gene comes to Finny's house and tells him your injury is my fault he denies it. I wonder if Finny truthfully didn't think Gene had anything to do with it? Or was just saving Gene the guilt trip?

        

Jealous: feeling resentment against someone because of that person's rivalry, success, or advantages

The Crucible

       The Crucible was actually a very interesting book that I enjoyed reading. One small accusation spirrolled out of control and friends could no longer be trusted in Salem, Massachusetts. Friends turned on each other, and neighbors accused neighbors of horrible crimes. Witchcraft is what spread through Salem and made everyone panic and crazy. Witchcraft was something that was strongly looked down upon and those who were said to practice this were punished severely sometimes ending in death.
      My opinion is that people wanted answers to some of the strange happenings in their lives. They didn't really believe all these people used witchcraft but blamed in on this for lack of a reason why weird things were happening. Salem was a fairly small town and the people knew each other well, panic struck so people blamed it on others just so they were not to blame. This is very wrong, if everyone would have been calm and not pointed fingers at others, lives would have been saved. For example when Rebecca is accused of using witchcraft to kill Ann's babies I don't think this is true. I think that Ann simply wanted answers to why her babies always died within their first days of life therefore she blamed Rebecca for some kind of peace knowing it wasn't her own fault.
         "A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now. I beg you, sir, i beg you - see her what what she is. My wife, my dear good wife, took this girl soon after, sir, and put her out on the highroad. And being what she is, a lump of vanity, sir -. Excellency, forgive me, forgive me. She thinks to dance with me on my wife's grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore's vengeance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands. I know you must see it now."
     All of this confusion in Salem is hysteria. The town panicked and therefore people were punished for things they never did.

The Scarlet Letter

        I had mixed feeling about The Scarlet Letter part of me enjoyed the book and part didn't.  It was a
 difficult book to fully comprehend and at times hard to keep up with everything going on within it.
           My favorite character of the book was definitely Hester. As I was reading I couldn't imagine having all eyes on me all the time and never getting a break from their sharp stares. Toward the beginning of the book
when Hester and Pearl were placed in the public eye on the stand for hours on end it made me mad. Hester  did make a mistake but it was not all her fault... The other men definitely had a role in this and should have
been punished. Instead Hester took all the blame and punishment. She seems so tough and brave and I
never once remember her complaining, but took on the challenge and raised her baby Pearl. I respect her for her bravery and never giving up even though times were often rough for her and Pear.
           Pearl's character I felt sorry for... She was punished into a life of living in a spotlight and never had a
say in any of it. Towns people made rumors that her father was the devil. This poor little girl was hated and
made fun of over something she had no control over. Another part of me was glad Pearl was mixed up in all
the drama. Without her I think Hester would have gone crazy not knowing what to do with herself. Pearl was
what got her mind off of the fact the her chest was glowing with a bright "A" that she could never escape
from.
         I think Dimmesdale should have confessed his sin. This would have made him happy inside even though
he would be looked down upon in the public eye. Also I think Hester would have been able to live a happier
life if Demmesdale would have confessed because not all the pressure would be on her.