Sunday, 6 October 2013

my reaction to pages 201-267

This set of pages is a real eye opener in terms of what has actually happened. The way that Atwood describes the simplistic take over of the United States is quite an eye opener, it can show how easy it is for dangerous people or organizations to take power under these circumstances. Also an enduring love is developing gradually between the Commander and Offred despite her best efforts to view him as her enemy, over time she becomes accustomed to him and begins to like him. One main part that shocked me the most was when the Commander took Offred to the nightclub, in a society as constricting an totalitarian as Gilead it was very surprising to be introduced to this place.

Also it was saddening later on to actually discover Moira at the nightclub, she had lost all of her spirit and was giving up and she had accepted that this was her life now and there was no way out of this at all. This shocks and dissapoints Offred because she has always viewed Moira as a fighter and now she has seemed to  give up.

Tuesday, 24 September 2013

My favourite Book/Film


My favorite book which is also a film is the Godfather by Mario Puzo. Having recently been introduced to Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece by my dad I became entranced by the elusive, secretive world of the Mafia and became fascinated eager to find out more. I then watched the following films in the trilogy with the second film as good as the second (maybe better) and the third being below my expectations. In my opinion, the finest part of it was Marlon Brando's Mesmerizing performance of Don Vito Corleone. having watched the films, I then discovered that there was a book version written by Mario Puzo ( an unknown author to me).

The Book did not disappoint me and I was glued to it for many months. The story twisted and turned always backed by violence and crime, One of the most harrowing parts in my opinion is when Vito Corleone's eldest son gets brutally murdered by a surprise shooting during the 'war of the five families' (a territorial conflict between the Corleone's and the other five fictional Mafia Families in New York. Set Just after the Second World War, the story depicts the life of the Corleone family, one of the most powerful families in America. After a deal goes sour with a drug baron, a failed assassination against the Don sparks of a bloody vicious war between the Corleone's and the other five families in New york. The story follows the twists and turns of the fighting until the Corleone's become crippled by the loss of Sonny Corleone ( Vito's eldest son) in a surprise shooting while queuing at a toll booth whilst on his way to murder his sisters husband after he had savagely attacked her. After a truce is declared between the families, a few years of tense peace commence. After the shock death of Vito (suffering a major heart attack) his son Michael takes control and plans revenge for the atrocities that the other families had committed. He then  authorizes the killing of all of the heads of the families whilst he is at his sisters child's christening. By doing this he has brought the Corleone's back to their rightful position where they have not been for a while.

The Godfather is one of the most encapsulating and addictive novels I have ever read and I would recommend it to anyone even if Violence and crime wasn't interesting to them.