Uglies #3

I actually finished the book "Uglies" in about three days, so I have moved onto "Pretties", the second book in the series that is also by Scott Westerfeld and came out in 2005. Because the books are both in the same series, I am going to count them as one book and blog about both.

In "Pretties," Tally, the main character, is finally turned pretty. We learned in "Uglies" that when someone gets the operation that turns people pretty, brain lesions that cloud thinking come along with it. Tally and her friends try out a cure, created by an ex-doctor that is part of the rebellion against pretty society, that hopefully erases the problematic brain scars. This book is so easy to read, maybe too easy. I found it in the Teen section at the book store, which usually has books centered towards younger teenagers, so the books are usually not that good. The plot is enticing but lacks depth, I think. The author should be emphasizing his story's plausibility for the future of our society. I think his books condemns our fixation on beauty and how that obsession can lead to a society where beauty is the only thing that matters, but it is kind of hard to tell. Instead of driving this point home, the author doesn't really mention it at all. Although he frequently refers to the "Rusties," a nickname for our current society, and how we nearly destroyed Earth with all of our pollutants, he never explains how society become the way it is in the book; how our obsession with beauty today sparked the creation of a society where beauty is the sole desire. It would have been a great opportunity to directly condemn our current society. I think it is because this books is aimed towards younger people, people who may not care so much about the societal implications of the book, and only want the juicy storyline. I wish this book was written as a more adult book; the whole story line is a great idea and is very imaginative, but I wish it had more implications about our present-day society.

Uglies #2

The main purpose of this book is to emphasize how American culture revolves around looks. In the book, the main goal of every person is to become beautiful, which, at age sixteen, everyone eventually becomes. Today, Americans go to similar lengths, though maybe not as drastic, in order to feel beautiful. The characters, termed "uglies", who have not yet had the operation that turns them beautiful, have no hope of ever feeling beautiful until after the operation; they have accepted themselves as naturally ugly only because society tells them so. All the people that we deem to be attractive now would be considered ugly in the book because they, for the most part, look similar to the way they were meant to look. The society depicted in "Uglies" is not so different than our society now in America, and perhaps, in a distant future, we could become even more similar. In the book, people have surgery to become beautiful, a surgery in which all of their skin in sanded away and plastic bones are put into their faces in order to reshape them. This is exactly what plastic surgery does, although the technology is more antiquated and the results are not as drastic. But in the future, if our technology keeps evolving at the rate that it is now, it is plausible to say that a procedure similar to the one in "Uglies" would be invented, one that will completely change the way someone looks. This book describes a possible future for American Society. And, honestly, one that doesn't sound so terrible. It is bad to have a society that revolves around looks, like America has right now. But in "Uglies," no one is left out when it comes to beauty, everyone is on the same playing field. As opposed to America now, where there are many different levels of beauty, the highest of which only some can obtain and others are criticised for not obtaining. The though of automatically being beautiful no matter what you looked like before the operation sounds kind of nice, even though it is a very superficial thing to say. It would be fair, and people would be happier. But then there are the people that do not want to be beautiful, like Tally's friend Shay, which is admirable; they want to be "themselves" and not what the surgeons decide to make them look like. I can understand that too.

Uglies (By Scott Westerfeld 2005)

I know that this was one of the options for our summer reading books, but I didn't read it so I think it's OK that I am blogging about it now.

So far, I really enjoy this book. I have been wanting to read it for a while because people keep telling me how good it is. It would have been a good book to read over the summer because it really connects with the themes that we were writing about at the beginning of the year, about utopias and distopias. "Uglies" kind of reminds me of a mixture of "1984" and "Brave New World". "1984" because they have similar technology, the telescreens are like the interface rings. Also, both protagonists in the two books go against societal norms; Tally doesn't become pretty, or so far at least, and Winston does not love Big Brother. One difference, though, is that in "1984," the people are forced to work long hours in harsh conditions. In "Uglies," the pretties just have parties all the time and focus on luxuries. The book is similar to "Brave New World" because both focus on superficial things; "Uglies" on beauty and "BNW" on just material items in general. It is interesting how in "BNW," society puts everyone into different social classes based on their predetermined physical and mental skill, but in "Uglies" society puts everyone in the same class with the same level of beauty. So in the end, really no one is pretty anymore unless they are compared to the young uglies.

A Mayan Life #6

In the beginning passage of the book, Gaspar describes the rituals that take place for birth of a baby, in this case Lwin. According to Mayan custom, the parents must go find godparents for their child and have many parties celebrating the child's birth. Also, the mother must participate in a ceremonial sweat bath after the child is born and the child's umbilical chord must be buried in a special place. The author's descriptions in the beginning of the book lead the reader to anticipate a similar situation at its end, except one that has to do with death instead of birth. It is fitting for a book that begins with life to end with death. This is evident in Gaspar's book. It begins with the birth of Lwin, and ends with his death. As he lies in the same bed that he was born in, withered with age and ready to die, Lwin's many grandchildren stand over him. He looks over to the patch of earth where is umbilical chord was buried so many years ago. He begins to flash back to his childhood, seeing his cruel school teacher in front of him. Lwin begs her not to beat him with her ruler as he slips further and further into delirium. Finally, he dies and the book is ended. Gaspar's book had so much to do with the hardships of the life of a Maya that really, the only fitting ending would be the death of a Maya. A Maya who had a long, hard life, who fought against racial oppression, and got an education even when others said it was impossible. Although Lwin never fully separated himself from Mayan culture like I predicted, he did separate himself from the other Mayans by the fact that he was aware of the oppression that the Hispanics forced upon them; he was aware of his own intelligence and capabilities when other Mayans were not.

A Mayan Life #5

The defining moment for Lwin is when he, in the eighth grade, walks home from school in a torrential downpour with his friend. The walk is four miles long and neither of the boys have proper raincoats are shoes. Their school work gets soaked and they wade through ankle high mud just to get home. As Lwin and his friend talk, they discuss their schooling and their mean, outrageous teacher. Lwin has a short monologue in which he brilliantly states how it is completely unfair for the Mayan students; they have to walk eight miles a day in any sort of weather, can barely understand the lessons in school, have the burdens of helping their family make money to keep from starving, and are in poor health because of all the physical labour they have to do, which affects their astuteness in school. Lwin's monologue is exactly the opposite sort of thing that one would expect, based on the stereotypes enforced by the Hispanics, a Mayan to say. Lwin's understanding of the situation is astounding; he is very intelligent, yet his teachers and classmates are not able to see that because of the language barrier and predetermined stereotypes. This moment is defining for Lwin because he shows his true colors, his true intelligence and intellectual capabilities, even though the world tells him that he's stupid and worthless. Lwin may now realize his potential and go on through school to earn diplomas and degrees. I really hope he does; he's already come so far. He is only the second Mayan to have ever graduated from the eight grade.

A Mayan Life #4

How is Lwin like the boy in "A Bilingual Childhood"?

Many instances throughout the book, Gaspar inserts quotes from different characters in the book. These quotes are from older versions of the characters as they look back on the situations that the book describes. For example, Gaspar writes, "'For me,' Lwin said, 'school and family were two worlds, two life styles and two self-concepts.' " This statement by Lwin brings to mind the passage we read in class, "A Bilingual Childhood;" Lwin is going through the near exact same thing as the child in that story did. Lwin goes to a school where they speak a language that he doesn't know, Spanish. His parnts wanted him to get an education, for they just lost alot of land becasue they signed a contract that outlined things they cuold not read. At school, all the kids think Lwin is strange because he never speaks, the teachers think he is stupid because he never understands what is going on because of the language barrier, and everyone makes derogatory comments to Lwin because of his heritage. Lwin's family life is very different from his school life; at home, he abides by Mayan customs and speaks freely and confidently, but at school, he is ashamed of his Mayan ancestry and rarely speaks. Lwin is Still having trouble with learning the Spanish language, but he is picking up simple words very quickly. Much like in "Bilingual Childhood," Lwin is becoming a different boy, one who is educated and influenced by Spanish, rather than Mayan, society. I suspect that soon, Lwin will begin to break the close bonds he has with his family, and, like the boy in "Bilingual Childhood," become a more permanent member of Spanish society, doing things that other Mayans would never do, like go on to college and get a good paying job.

A Mayan Life #3

The author's relationship with the book's material is hard to pin down. He obviously has pride for his people and country; he describes the landscapes as beautiful and the people as polite and hardworking. But, as Mekel works in the fincas, a place where there are hard working conditions, little food, and death everywhere, the author's diction is loaded with words that imply hatred and disgust; he uses words like "vile" and "infested." The conditions in the fincas are so bad that Malaria sweeps amongst the people like the common cold; so many people have the disease that the one doctor present hardly tries to cure it any more. Gaspar must also feel sadness towards his book's material; so much pain and suffering is inflicted on his people and homeland. Mekel witnesses the deaths of small children, with their parents sobbing over their small bodies. The Mayans are so impoverished that starvation and disease are daily occurrences. While Mekel is off doing his work in the fincas, trying to earn his family some money, his wife and son are back home, harvesting crops. Mekel's son, Lwin, is described with much affection by the author. Gaspar chronicles Lwin's growth from a small child to a man, all the while boasting of Lwin's strength, wit, and intelligence. The author's attitude toward Mekel's family is very loving; his descriptions of Mekel's wife, Lotahx, paint her as a hard working woman willing to sacrifice her comfort and time for the sake of her family. Gaspar's emotion towards his book's material is loving towards the people of Mekel's hometown and family, but hateful towards the fincas.