Simran K

Reading The Works 4

Finally we see in the book some romance. Dagny’s childhood friend, Francisco, is re-introduced to the story in a flashback. He is an interesting character, one that I do not particularly like. He is cocky with his intelligence, in fact he likes putting people in there place, which for most, is beneath him. His aura is that of a *ahem, dick. Even to Dagny at some points, even though Francisco had feelings for her as well. The juxtaposition between Francisco and Dagny are far from similar in my opinion, they do not have the best chemistry. They do share one thing in common though, there drive. Dagny with her railroads and Francisco with his families mines, they have both proven that as well.

Coming back to the story, face value Francisco is in position of useless mines due to Mexico nationalizing them. He isn’t that stupid though, of course Dagny sees it as mental, why invest in something that will make you no money? Well Francisco doesn’t seem to think Dagny should know his true intentions, but for now, Francisco has stated he is working against Dagny.

This part of the story makes my head hurt a lot. The plot is thickening to a point where the layers are becoming more and more vague. I have to keep tabs on each chapter, but in a sense its really helping me keep the story together for me.

It seems like your book has a heavy concentration on power balance and distribution. I think your author added the aspect of romance in order to keep the readers interested. My book is kind of the opposite because instead of too many things going on, theres not enough. There’s literally only one main character and one story. I’m kinda jealous that your book has drama and conflict because that is more interesting to read.

Reading The Works 3

Continuing on to the next chapter, we see the National Alliance of Railroads propose the “Anti-dog-eat-dog Rule”. What that means is there will be no competition between rival companies, like a communist/socialist approach. Dagny, after hearing about the proposed law is furious, at the Alliance and at her brother James for being in favor of it. She quickly goes and visits one of her competitors, Dan Conway, to encourage him to fight. He declines, saying his exhaustion has got the best of him. Dagny doesn’t want to feel like a thief, because defeating your competition when your competition isn’t even competing is accomplishing at all. The only thing gained from that encounter was Dan warning Dagny to finish the Rio Norte Line asap, because Ellis Wyatt company depends on her railroads.

Ellis Wyatt is a character with authority, even throwing Dagny a bit off. He is an interesting character as he is the only one to make Dagny feel inferior. He means only business and is not worried about tearing people down with him. He stops by for a visit, just to iterate to Dagny about the importance of the Rio Norte for his company. After the converse for a bit, Ellis becomes shocked to see Dagny make no excuse for the railroads being built and promises in time (9 months) the tracks will be laid and ready for use. This is forwarded to Rearden, who accepts the time change of 3 months, and this is also where Rearden starts seeing Dagny as someone similar to himself.

Lowkey your book is giving me flashbacks to Mr. Henderson’s Honors U.S. History class. There seems to be a lot of power struggles in your book which even though its fiction, is probably pretty representative of the actual dynamic between powerful businessmen/women during this time period. Many of these tactics and principals are still prevalent in the corporate world today and in the economy.

Reading The Works 2

As pages barely turn and my mild sulking metamorphosizes into clinical depression, the book started to pick up speed. We are placed in the setting of a bar in which 4 men are discussing business. Orren Boyle is introduced (Rearden’s rival) and they are talking railroads, specifically the San Sebastian line through Mexico. Flash-forward James Taggart “successfully” completes the project, but notes that he rode in a superannuated locomotive. He confronts Dagny as to why there was such a dated machine there, friction between the siblings’ rises.

James learns from Dagny that she took all monetary value from that track out to minimize the inevitable fate of Mexico nationalizing there mines. James says a rather poor justification for his anger, he says he did it for the Mexican people. As the real HBIC of the company Dagny quickly snaps back and counters his argument by literally just saying “ the guy who owns the mines legit haven’t produced any copper yet pal :/” (those are obviously not words written by Ayn Rand). Dagny has no interest in helping people rather she is just a capitalist, which is mistaken for being a dick. In this dystopian, head of state instead of a president, non-bicameralism United States, money talks.

Although it may seem slow to you because you’re the one actually reading the book, it seems like there’s a lot going on. It seems like the characters in your book are extremely different from each other, and I think this is because the author is trying to use the characters to represent different political points of view and beliefs. Your book seems to be pretty insightful into the truth behind capitalism and the hunger for money. Morals come into play a lot in books like these, and as you read them it reveals a lot about your own beliefs.

Reading The Works 1

I’m in the first couple of chapters and the book isn’t actually cancer like I thought it to be. So far, the only characters that have been introduced are Dagny, James, and Reardan. The audience is taken back to the twentieth century when babies were booming and railroads were growing. James and Dagny Taggart are brother and sister raised in the family of Taggart Transcontinental. Taggart Transcontinental is a railroad company whose president is James. The main characters character development happens relatively fast, and with that Hank Rearden is my favorite character. He is displayed as introverted but hard working with his eyes glued to his creation of Rearden Metal. Family life for him is rather lack-luster with a wife he doesn’t really love and a family whos support is not in him. Dagny, the Operating Vice President, is an entrepreneurial bad-ass who wears the pants in the family company. Her character is very easy to like but at the same time super easy to hate. Shes cocky (with purpose), objective (which comes off as rude), and well not to sound sexist but a female at corporate level employment. She sets the tone of the whole book, well her persona at least. Her objectiveness runs Taggart Transcontinental, it’s just business.

I feel you on the aspect of how the characters are introduced really fast in the beginning of the book. My book is the same way, but sometimes I wish there were more characters like yours seems to have. Mine basically revolves around one character (and its pretty easy to get tired of him). I think many authors in complicated and long stories like yours dive really quickly into the characters so later in the book they can focus on the plot because the readers are already accustomed to the characters and their personalities.

Picking The Work 1

Coming into the semester I had no clue what book that I wanted to read. So my dad through up the suggestion of “Atlas Shrugged”. After seeing the ridiculously long book with words the size of food crumbs, I immediately tossed that idea to the side. As the first week of school started up again though, I became desperate. I decided to go with my dads 1 ton book and accepted the challenge that would await me in future endeavors.

To pick my spirits up after my dad dropped this extensive stack of pages in my hands, he broke the book down for me. From what I understood, Atlas Shrugged is about objectivism in the business world. As much as I hate to admit, the ideology behind the book is interesting. The topic of entrepreneurship in this book actually intrigued me into reading it (as I consider myself as an entrepreneur). I am interested in becoming more successful in life, and this book has the content necessary to help inform me of how to. Choices drive outcome, making the hard decisions. Money drives our world, and you can’t let your feelings get in the way of your success, sometimes the hard decisions are the right decisions.

I think it is a good idea to read a book that connects to your actual life and includes something that interests you. This makes it easier to read the book and makes it seem like less of a chore. By reading this book, you’ll be gaining actual insight on entrepreneurship that could help you further in life.

Reading the Work #5

Well, I finished the book. I’ve been staring at a wall contemplating life for 10 minutes. This is a similar outcome to after I watched the movie Life of Pi. (Major Spoiler Alert) In the end, the book gives you two options, two stories; and it’s up to you which one you choose to believe. The first story is the one Martel spends the first 200 pages developing, the one with Pi stranded on a life boat with a zebra, hyena, orangutan, and a tiger. The story plays out well and displays the power of faith, hopefulness, and a strong mind. The second story, however, is offered as an alternative by Pi towards the end when questioned by reporters. He retells the story, but instead of animals, he is accompanied by a Taiwanese sailor, his mother, and a cook. This story plays out horrifically and they tear each other to shreds. The reader is presented with these two stories, and it's up to you to choose which one you believe. I think that the one you choose to believe says a lot about you and your beliefs. I think the first story is for the hopefuls and those who believe that it is more important which "reality" leads to a happier life; It doesn't matter what is "true", only what leads to greater happiness. The second ending is for the realists who don’t care how tragic or sad the story is, as long as it’s true. I find myself conflicted between the two. I don’t understand why Martel spent 95% of the book on the first ending, and barely 7 pages on the second. The realist in me believes that the second story is actually true and the first was devised by Pi as a coping method, but the truth is we’ll never truly know.

This is an alternate ending created by someone on YouTube. It creates a fake lasting connection between Richard Parker (the tiger) and Pi, which supports the idea that first story is actually true.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQoJEwpsGjw

Reading the Work #4

I find this book extremely captivating. There is certainly no lack of action. It keeps my attention because there’s so many things going on at all times that I have no choice but to keep reading in order to fully grasp what is going on and not miss anything. That being said, I’m also finding myself annoyed. The narrator is going back and forth and back and forth between confidence and defeat. He has really high points and truly believes he can survive, and then within sentences he’s bawling his eyes out about how he’s going to die. I don’t remember this back-and-forth aspect in the movie (though I haven’t watched it in a while) but I really don’t understand why the author would choose to write in this way. All it does in my opinion is make the book seem less realistic. Of course in cases of life or death, there are highs and lows, but there is no way a boy can survive on a mediocre sized boat with a tiger in the middle of ocean with THAT much self doubt. At one point the two opposite levels of confidence are almost contradictory. I will say though that many of the “life lessons” woven in the story include alot of wisdom. It makes sense that the author offers these since the story is reflective, not in the moment. Sometimes, however, the way it’s written and the fluctuation of emotions makes you forget that it’s a reflection.

Reading the Work #3

As I read through the first 20ish pages of Pi being on the life boat and trying to survive the outlandish circumstances, I found myself quite puzzled. His life is being turned upside down, he’s lost all his loved ones, and he is probably going to die: why isn’t he praying or remembering god?? The first whole part of the book is so concentrated on his devotion to spirituality and all kinds of religion, so where did that whole aspect go? As I thought about it deeper, I realized that by writing the book this way, Martel made an implicit statement about religion. I think the point he was trying to get across was that religion is not something to be remembered when needed, but that it’s a way of life. This made me gain respect for the narrator, but I still question what is the point of religion then? Not to be disrespectful, but what is its purpose if not to come in use in times like this? These are questions I hope the book will answer as I read on further. On this same topic, an ideal I found interesting was when the narrator said he respects atheists, but not agnostics (people who are undecided on whether there is a higher being). I never thought much about this, but it makes sense. Either you believe, or you don’t. I don’t really understand how there can be an in between.

Reading the Work #2

On my 16 hour long car ride, I have really doven into this book. I find myself identifying with the narrator on many levels. He is a boy heavily concerned with morality and observant of his surroundings. Also, I noticed a huge switch in the tone of the book when the main event happened (the sinking of the boat). Everything that occurred beforehand was dragged out and explained to the fullest, even borderline unimportant details. But once the boat sunk, literally everything happened at once. It was almost overwhelming to read. Within a couple chapters, Pi (the main character) was pushed off a sinking ship, lost his whole family, and became stranded on a boat with a tiger, zebra, and an orangutang. The writing style became chaotic almost, which makes sense in relation to the events occuring. The emotions going through Pi’s head as he tries to survive seem extremely realistic because I feel like they are similar to what mine would be in a situation like that. The aspect of hope comes up again and again, and I find myself developing a new perspective on it with each new chapter. This story heavily reminds me of a recent movie called “Adrift”. (Spoiler Alert) In the movie, a young couple is shipwrecked for months and face several hurdles. In the end, however, it is revealed that just the girl has been living on the boat, and the boy died in the beginning (so she was hallucinating him the whole time). Although he wasn’t actually there or able to help her in any way, the idea of him and the hope behind it was enough to motivate her to survive. This movie was based on a true story, and while Life of Pi is not a true story, it borrows from this idea of false hope and the reality that it can be the difference between life and death.

Reading the Work #1

So, I finally stopped procrastinating and hauled my self to Starbucks to sit down and read this book. I usually skip over the author’s note, but my main purpose in reading this book was to understand the author’s mentality so I read it. It immediately caught my attention because the author referenced his youth in India multiple times. Athough this is expected because he is, in fact, Indian, I still found myself feeling connected to many of his anecdotes and excited when he referenced places and people I had prior knowledge of. For me, the most challenging part of reading a book is the frustration when I don’t catch references or allusions and I have to constantly look them up and remind myself of their meaning. With this book, there are still many references I don’t understand or know, but I’m intrigued to look them up because they link directly to my culture and heritage. For example, Martel constantly alludes to gods and goddesses of the Hindu religion that I’ve never even heard of, and when I research them I can link them back to my prior knowledge and have a deeper understanding. Religion is a major part of why I chose this book, and as I read it I find that it’s what I close read and analyze the most. I’m probably going to make a whole blog post dedicated to religion in this book, but we will save that for later;) I’m about 50 pages in so far and my favorite things so far about Martel’s writing style is the odd and seemingly unnecessary details. He writes in a way where his sentences are paths that lead you round and round just to end in a place you never thought they would. For example, when the narrator tells the story of how he was named, the story begins with his uncle in India and his deep passion for swimming. Then, the story wanders to Paris and describes multiple different pools and his feelings about each of them. Finally, the narrator reveals that he was named after one of these pools, which came as a completely random shock to me. I believe this type of technique will allow the book to stay interesting even though the majority of it technically takes place in one setting.