Commonplace Book

I think the most valuable book on the syllabus for me was the Hunger Games, because it allowed us to talk about the value of many different things: book vs movie, family, love, fame, and narrative. Katniss was also a relatable narrator even if her situation wasn’t and relatability is valuable. 

Note: Hi Professor Dugan! I wrote this up back in September and I had it in a separate document and not in my commonplace book. I wanted to post it now, so you saw it. Thank you!

I definitely enjoyed the books that included stories of love and family, the most. I find these stories the most relatable. This didn’t change much from the beginning of the semester, when I said I enjoyed more creative and personal stories. There is nothing more personal than love and family. 

#wealth, #value of family, and #love all generated the most entries. I was not surprised by these results, because most of the books we read had to do with wealth or lack thereof. Also, the value of family and love are both prevalent themes across the board in literature, so that isn’t surprising either. 

I chose this quote, because it shows both the value of family and the value of a strong character arc. Scrooge used all of the money that he had to help Tiny Tim and his family. Scrooge gained a new family by helping these people; this shows family isn’t always biological. This also shows that anyone can change, because of experiences they have.

I think it is interesting that America has a long history of giving and The National Museum of American History highlights that extremely well with both historical and modern examples. I especially loved the boots worn by Earl Shaffer on his Appalachian Trail Hike, because they represent the hard work and cooperation of both private and public partners. 

This quote also shows that they condition each caste to think a certain way and without this conditioning, the society would be much different. 

I think the new world is shown in such a disjointed manner, because the world is disjointed. There are no families or exclusive relationships, so no one has anyone they can really rely on. Everyone’s life is always changing. There is no stability even though that’s what the leaders wanted when creating the new world. 

I chose this quote, because it accurately depicts how women were treated in the times of The Great Gatsby. Women were no more than objects to men. Daisy knows this better than anything, Tom only married her to fulfill a societal expectation. He doesn’t really love her. Daisy knows it is better to be clueless about a husband’s affairs and happy, than to know everything happening and unhappy. 

Narrative is incredibly important when telling a life-story, because the narration carries the whole story. Gatsby’s life story is incredibly diverse and he finds himself in many different places throughout his life. Nick Carraway is Gatsby’s narrator and this helps, because he can be somewhat objective when talking about Gatsby’s life. Nick even says in the beginning of the book, "I'm inclined to reserve all judgements, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me.” He is nonjudgemental when relaying his story to the reader. However, he can be unreliable, because he does not know everything about Gatsby and sometimes his reliability can be compromised, because he’s so infatuated with Gatsby’s wealth, such as when he’s in the yellow car with Gatsby. 

I chose this quote, because usually when a heroine first hears of a man she has interest in, she is immediately drawn to him. Portia keeps herself calm and composed when talking about Bassanio. She does not become giddy with excitement. I appreciate that Portia is a strong female character, because in Shakespeare’s time women weren’t often seen as strong and powerful. 

I would not lend Bassanio money, because he was foolish enough to lose my money in the first place. I would not take a second chance on him, because he would do exactly the same thing with my money that he did the first time: lose it. 

This quote shows that Elinor has complex ideas on the difference between love and like, which I share as well. She knows she has to get to know someone in a more emotional way, before she can use the word love. She knows it is not a word you can use frivolously, unlike her mother. It is also interesting that her mother, who should be old and wiser, does not share this idea of a separation between like and love. 

I think one can be sentimental about money when it has to do with family. Let’s say someone gains a large sum of money from their dead father’s will. They may not be willing to spend it, because they were close to their father and feel that spending this money will not give him the honor he deserves. 

This is one of the most iconic lines of both the book and movie, but it didn’t stand out to me for that reason. An underrated theme in this book is the value of family. Katniss obviously cares very much for her sister Prim, as she takes care of her, while their mother is depressed. And then obviously volunteers as tribute. Also, even though Katniss shows disdain towards her mother, you know she cares for her too. Katniss hunts for food, does the trading, takes care of the house, and goes hungry if need be. This shows that she values family and that she would do anything for them. In a dystopian society, the value of family is important, because they could be taken away from you at any moment. 

3. The Hunger Games has helped Liongate to become known among the industry. The Hunger Games already has a huge following and for a small company like Lionsgate that is important, because they know the audience will come to see the movie no matter what.

This quote spoke to me, because I also share a love for the books I buy. And for Reardon, he may have to give them to finance his life and that would be like giving away friends. It shows how different things have different value for everyone. And to Reardon those books are as valuable as gold.