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[ahouse1010-blog]

Just in case any of you were wondering how perfect my baby boy is <3

[ahouse1010-blog]

Well, this is my final post! So much has happened this semester. I got to meet my gorgeous baby boy but also learned a lot. From motherhood to school to work, it's not easy. Actually, I couldn't wait to have some quiet time to read the books assigned for class. So to me reading the book meant that I had some time for me. Overall, I liked the books we read for class. Most of them are horrendous, but interesting. Especially with having a baby during this time. It was the worst time to read about baby eating in multiple stories. What is everybody doing for the summer? I'm going to take 2 classes and be a full time mommy! I'm taking scuba, which sounds pretty awesome. And I'm taking a social problems class. Any comments on those classes? It was great to meet all of you, and I wish you the best!

[innertheoristglitter-blog]

the road

I finally got to the end of the book today and i was kinda disappointed in the ending. It kinda left you wondering what in the world is going to happen to the little boy and the new family he will be with. It is sad that the dad died though. It is heartbreaking to imagine leaving your child undefended in the world in which they lived. Like we said in class Wednesday, i feel that there are a lot of religious connections throughout the book. Overall i feel it was a well wrote book and i look forward to watching the movie in class!

[ahouse1010-blog]

I felt like the book didn't have a climax. I kept waiting for something big to happen, but it didn't until the very end. The dad should have died in the middle of the book and the rest should have been the boy with his new family. I was surprised that the family he found were presented as good guys and there was a little boy! Overall, it was a good book. I think the author wants us to imagine good things about the boy because although the father died, it had a happy ending

[juliestudent0809-blog]

Not that far off

I find it very interesting (and kind of scary) how all these stories we have been reading such really are not that far off from how society is working today. Yes of course these stories are more far fetched than how we work today, but we have them. These authors wrote these stories many decades ago before any of these things even existed,…. but now they do. We have the things of “sea shells, parlor walls, test tube babies, and more. How strange is that!!! It makes me wonder what other things authors have wrote about that may also be predictions. How long will it be before Hunger Games or The Lottery become reality? Even the concepts in those two stories are not too far off from how the world really is. If every one really paid close attention to what is being written in books, I wonder how many negative events we could prevent from happening. Seriously, its like the books are telling the future. 

[contemporary-syd-blog]

I wonder how the authors of these novels must feel. That their dystopian fiction is becoming our reality. Their (at the time) far fetched ideas about society have slowly transformed into predictions of our future. Parts of everything we have read so far holds little bits of truth in society today. I’ve really enjoyed that about our reading selections. It provokes a much deeper thought process in me than normal. Society is actively demanding more equality and less individualism. Though we are not yet handicapped like the men and women from Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” I can’t help but wonder how close we are to something similar. How soon it will be until kids in school are discouraged from excelling, and passing their peers academically? How soon will it be until society demands complete and total equality?

[ahouse1010-blog]

It's interesting to me as well. I have thought this since the beginning. For example, the hound in Fahrenheit 451 symbolizes robots and the technology we have today. I know in sports now, everyone recieves a reward just for playing. This takes the fun out of competing and reaching personal goals. Society as a whole has always become lazy. Yes, some people work hard. But others rely on the government so they can have nice things as well. To me, its the same thing. Why try your best when you will be rewarded either way? In sports, kids will learn to slack off and this will stay with them through adulthood and they will need help with billd because they learned as a child that they don't have to work hard.

[kplace100-blog]

The Father

In “The Road” the fathers only motivation for living is his son. Everything he does is for his protection. When the father goes out hunting for food he leaves the boy with the gun, his only weapon, even though he knows he probably won’t use it. He try’s to teach him life lessons, like swimming, that a father would have taught his son in the old world. The father struggles with the idea of having to kill his son if they get caught. He wonders if he could do it, but he knows it is better than what they would do to him alive. He cares deeply about his son and although he finds his compassion for everyone, including the thief, annoying he often listens to him because he loves him.

[currently-with-camera]

I totally agree, this father truly loves his son unconditionally. The father thinks of nothing, but his son. I didn’t notice this, but when reading some passages over again, the man would always let the boy eat first or save me some food that would sustain the boy. The man always looked after the boy before himself. Even when the boy would second guess almost ever my decision he made, he would always listen and not jump down his throat. The boy is not only the fathers son, but he’s also his best friend.

[christopherthewinsomer-blog]

It seems that the ultimate premise of the father is to preserve as much of boy’s innocence that he can. Where there are instances that the child has no other option but to mature (see the end of the book), the father tries to ensure that his son remains a child, even during a melancholic time such as post-apocalyptic.

He even goes as far as saying that the child is, in his own way, holy/Saint-like. There rings some truth. The youth we have now are the ones who have the capability of taking what we know now and transforming it into something better. They yield the knowledge of today and have the capability of producing the knowledge of tomorrow.

[ahouse1010-blog]

I love the relationship between the father and son! Once you become a parent, your child is your whole world. Your job is to teach them and protect them. Their conversations are bland, as if they have nothing to say. They are probably severly depressed. The father grew up in a different world, so it is probably worse to him. The boy only knows how to live on the road. The father is so compassionate for his son, like any parent. He always lets his son eat first and leaves the weapon with him. The father even lets the boy feed a man they came across on the road.

[ahouse1010-blog]

In this class I learned a lot about different kinds of novels. Before, I had no knowledge about dystopian or utopian. I think professor Clark choose some good novels for us to read. However, some of the novels and short stories were horrifying. I mean eating babies? Who does that? I would take my own life before eating an innocent child. I love how we discussed the books in great detail in class. Overall, professor Clark is awesome and teaches great classes. I had her for 1102 as well so I know she is passionate about her career. My favorite book was Fahrenheit 451. It kept my attention the best.

[gabyjones2013-blog]

Last week Post

Yes I’m just now posting but it’s very hard for me to stay on top of things with tumblr. It’s not a bad social media but i feel like it’s more for people with open discussion on things and that’s far from something I like to do. I really be forgetting to post but I do eventually read the books. The road was a book I was a little skittish about reading but I’m glad I did because I love the bond that is portrayed between the man and his son. What I do think is strange is they’re conversations. It is very bland and such a bore but yet they still really care about eachother. I couldn’t imagine living in this world that they live in. It’s very dangerous considering there are cannibals everywhere, plus at times be very tight on food. I love this plot, trying to survive a old world but on the journey to a new one. They’re were some parts that my mouth dropped open on and one part was when the baby was found over the fire!!!! How cruel can you get McCarthy?! There’s already man eating cannibals why have the audience picturing a baby over a fire like it’s some pig. I mean I get why it was on the fire. But that’s just hurtful. #4-8-16

[lolollit-blog]

I agree that it is boring conversations between the dad and son, but maybe that’s exactly why McCarthy added the grimy details of things like cooking a baby over the fire. But yeah, I’m with you on not wanting that shown in the movie. That would be utterly disgusting and I couldn’t look. But I am excited to see the relations and contradictions between the book and the movie. I know I wouldn’t last in a world like that. I guess that’s why everyone, for the most part, is dead. It pains me to picture people needing their medications, the father especially, and slowly dying by the deprivation.

[gabyjones2013-blog]

Yes you are very right. I think it was you who I agreed with in class about their convos. Like why not have a good discussion on a journey such as this. Especially with someone who you know. It was strange. It’s like we know they were close even if they weren’t talking as much. What sucks to me is that father seemed so close at the end but ended up dying because he was sick. That was depressing. But hopefully the movie be really good just like the book!

[lolollit-blog]

Yeah, the lack of curiosity out of the boy was very odd. He was like the perfect child in a fictional story, never whining or throwing tantrums or just being annoying. He seemed beyond his age, but McCarthy probably did that on purpose to demonstrate the indirect effects of surviving in a post-apocalyptic world and growing up in a life of solitude. Additionally, were earthquakes ever mentioned in the book? Because I don’t remember reading about them, but I could be wrong. On a different note, I’m really confident about my paper and I’m excited to get those back!

[ahouse1010-blog]

It's like you can feel that their love for one another is so strong but their conversations are small and bland. I also wasn't enthusiastic about reading this particular book, but I ended up liking it. I was horrified about the cannibalism and when they were eating the baby. Considering I have a 7 week old baby makes it worse! I don't think I would have the will to survive a world like that. It would be miserable! The boy mentions multiple times that he wishes he was dead. The father even showed him how to kill himself! Some parts of the book really held my attention though :)

[notericclapton-blog]

The Road: Book vs. Film

I thoroughly enjoyed both the book and the movie adaptation of the “The Road”. I feel like the director did an excellent job with interpreting the book into film. There are of course added and deleted scenes and certain distinctions that can be made between the two, but overall I feel the movie complements the book very well. The only thing I wish the director would have added was the final conversation between the man and the boy before the man died. 

[ahouse1010-blog]

It was hard for me to get into the book. But while I was reading it, I felt like I was there with them. The author spent so much time describing everything! Thats why I could imagine myself with them. I pictured the actual road to look different. I interpreted it as a 2 lane highway like we have today. I agree the movie complements the book well, but I like the details in the book. Which is weird because I don't read for pleasure! Lol

[ahouse1010-blog]

Is there anybody that would like to get together for a study session? We could go over the books and what we need to know for our final. We could meet in the library and bring food? I think it will be beneficial for us all.

[currently-with-camera]

Movie: The Road

The film did a really good job at sticking to the book. For some reason I imagined the boy to be much younger, but I guess the director wanted to go with a older boy for obvious reasons. The world I pictured when reading the book was exactly a match when watching the movie. The movie didn’t show the man that was struck by lightning and they added a part in the movie where a crowd of people killed the mom and child on the ice. The thief scene was really a tear jerker and the director did a nice job at sticking to what the book said. For most part the movie was really good and the director did a good job at choosing the actors.

[notericclapton-blog]

I feel the same exact way, I think the director did a great job as well. I thought that the boy was a little younger than the movie portrayed him to be, but like you said, I think it was done for some obvious reasons like just being more realistic. I wonder how the director(s) interpreted the other movies we read in class. I know 1984 had a film adaptation, but I’m unsure about the others. I may have to check them out over the summer. 

[ahouse1010-blog]

I agree as well! The director did good, but I felt like the movie started in the middle of the book. Personally, I wouldn't have liked the movie if I hadn't read the book. In the book, they had long hair. Obviously if a person is living in the wild they would have long hair. But when they did the haircuts, I expected them to cut their hair shorter. The reason is because in the book the boy said 'won't you be cold papa?' It was interesting to see how the director interpreted the movie differently and the same as I percieved them.

[ahouse1010-blog]

Although it made the book confusing, I liked that the author choose to not name the boy or the father. I think it would just be a distraction from the bigger picture. It is weird though that they ask the old man they find his name when their names aren't even introduced. I love how the little boy wants to help everyone, even though they have to save themselves.

[ahouse1010-blog]

In the book, the mother chooses to die. I can't imagine being in this position. I actually think it is selfish of her. Her son needs her. However, I believe she took her life so her son and husband could have more. Her son grieves for her throughout the book, even staying 'i wish I was with my mother' knowing that she was dead. If I was in their situation, I would sacrifice my life before I turned to cannibalism. I hated in the film when people were crawling on the ground in the basement missing limbs because people were eating them.

[ahouse1010-blog]

When I think of living in gray, I think of a person who is severly depressed and his only hope is his son. They reference that they 'carry the fire'. One could.interpret this as a fire inside the heart. A believe that the author is saying that love is an essential part of live. It is as important as food and shelter. There are many times that they should have died. For example, the man probably would have died a lot sooner if he didn't think that the boy.

[ahouse1010-blog]

I expected the film to be much different. The book expressed so much detail in every apact. I expected the bunker to be much different though. In the book, he had to dig through the 'stores' and I imagined it to be slightly bigger. The bathroom soon was different than I expected. I just imagined the bathroom different than it was presented. For some reason I didn't expect them to have that much hair when they were cutting their hair. The book described everything so well. I even had to read some parts twice to get the picture.

[jeffery-williams]

Just why?

We spoke in class about how in the book the “Handmaids Tale” how the women are not allowed anything during child birth because they are supposed to suffer.  Why is this such a common theme?  Thinking about it I guess it all stems from religion, from Adam and Eve?  Anyways, this is not the first time I’ve heard the idea that Women are meant to suffer, but I just cannot understand why.  I believe women have it rough, having to go through their womanly cycles, the judgement of society, child baring, and you want to deny them pain medication during child birth? As a guy, which it is funny to me that most of the time whole idea of women suffering being a good thing stems from men, we have it easy. All we have to do is provide, care, and not be a jerk….. I just cannot imagine why anyone would deny a woman anything to ease pain when they already go through so much, but then again I guess it comes down to blindly following traditions without question.

[lolollit-blog]

In my opinion, religion is more so trying to give an ethical explanation for why nature has created us as seemingly unequal. You know, men are strong and women weak, and so on. If you asked me, I’d say religion is an attempt at science without the means. As human beings, we naturally fiend reason. Adam and Eve of the Bible, like any other religion, instructs us to follow WITHOUT proof. That’s where faith comes in to play. And maybe faith wouldn’t be so hard for me if there weren’t several religions per continent or culture, with mostly the same basic ethical principles repeated. Disclaimer: I’m no religion expert.

[ahouse1010-blog]

I agree that most of that rooted from religion. After just having a baby, I could not imagine doing it without pain medication. Especially during a c section. I think it's part instinct and part that men have always been considered superior over women. I think society is just getting over that. For example, women still make less than men, and some jobs are still considered 'men's work''. Personally, I woukd rather work and have someone else do the 'women's work'' Housework, shopping, etc.

[trapdaddytrev-blog]

After just getting an Apple Watch the sound of it was cool, basically a phone but on your wrist. If you take a step back and look at it the Apple Watch and any of theses fitness trackers are really invasive. These companies such as Apple have information from where you are where you go all the way down to your heart rate and BMI. I’m guessing anyone with a computer could hack in to theses thing and know more about you then you do. We give up our privacy so that a watch on our arm can count how many steps we take. Kinda like after 9/11 when we gave up some of our privacy to be safer i.e. More invasive airport security. Tying it all up relating fascism to fitness trackers.

[ahouse1010-blog]

Technology is crazy! People carry wireless computers of many forms everywhere they go. When you think about it, there could even be hidden spy equipment in any product we buy. For example, an air freshener could have a hidden microphone or a picture that gets hung on the wall could be a camera. A pair of shoes could have gps. It's crazy when you think about it. People are crazy, and although measures must be taken for our safety, I think they are extreme.

[ahouse1010-blog]

I don't do much reading for entertainment, leaving me to have a hard time getting into the style of books that we have been assigned. It's not that they are bad literature, I just don't favor them. I do enjoy how they make me think into different societies and how much could be different. Overall, I'm just not a reader which means I'm bored with books.