Dystopian Music

Pink Floyd "Animals"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft7QMuliH2M


   When searching for some dystopian music, i did come across a good deal of dark, depressing songs, then this little number came along. Of course dystopia is a dark dreary place, but the way they intrepreted it really interested me. In a doomed future, this is a song of hope and survival, yet manages to catch the underlining tones of the evils of this society, being the cries of dogs in the night, and the gluttonus squeals of the pigs. In both the fictional world, 'Animal Farm' for which the song is based and named , and 'The Ship Breaker' the power of corporations overwhelms and enslaves the common man.
   Now if you haven't read 'Animal Farm', and I suggest you do so, I'll give you a quick rundown. In the countryside of England some farm animals find new freedom as they overthrow their owner. Based on the ideals of a pig passed away, they set out to create their own society. They face a good deal of hardship, yet eventually make good process. Unfortunatly the pigs then give into the power given to them, rewriting the laws to their own gain, and in the end one wonders if this revolution was worth it in the first place.

Animoto- The Ship Breaker

Letters about Literature

Dear Paulo Bacigalupi,

I write to you after just having read 'The Ship Breaker' as preempted by the Read for a Lifetime program at our school. I must say that 'The Ship Breaker' was a very entertaining read, and the characters and relationships between said characters really made it shine for me. The bleak dystopian world that you portrayed as evidenced by the fallen skyscrapers and the multitudes of beached ships, drew me in, and the trials that Nailer had to undergo, while he being about the lowest rung of this future society, hooked me.

I feel that the book follows in the of many that successfully paint a picture of a world that could be our future that is not all sunshine and butterflies. I know that humanity is not the perfect society unlike others would make it out to be, and I feel it is important to show the young mind that, without those who constantly fight for good, where would we be today and where will we be tomorrow? This is why dystopian sci-fi interests me. The book manages to often remind you how different this world is, from the apparent poverty to fallen cities, and yet to prevent completely alienating the reader, there are these interesting characters we can connect to.

Nailer of course is a very intriguing case, as he seems to be a lucky one of the populace to have a heightened sense of morality, in a place where survival has overcome such thoughts. An important part of literature I find is the challenge of creating a varied character and having that character connect with the reader in some way, if you would pardon the pun Nailer pretty much hit that by the nail. Everyone else seen in this world is focused on their own survival, and occasionally the survival of friends and family. That Nailer was willing to rescue someone he didn't know, and risk giving up a very lucky 'strike' he had come across, and go on a grand adventure to return her home, abandoning all his friends in the process really speaks to me. Even with morality being as it is in the story, now compare this to real life, would you go out of your way to rescue someone you didn't know and risk leaving all you know behind? I doubt that I could. Yet what really fuels his desire, is it his selflessness, blind love, hope for a new future, or just fear spurned by his father? Nevertheless Nailer manages to make all the right decisions in tough situations, and is really a character that I said is very easy to relate to.

How I most connect to the book is really based on morality. I may not be the biggest samaritan in the world, yet I try my best to help those around me, friends, family, and strangers alike. I can see where Nailer is coming from when he deals with these issues, for once and awhile my view of morality can conflict with my friends, yet I always strive to do what's best. So in a final word, thank you Bacigalupi for this great read, it really touched me on multiple levels. Should I ever get into writing, I can call you one of my inspirations.

Sincerely,

Nick Moreno

The Modern English Classroom

    I personally feel quite privilegded to be living in a day and age where one can express their thoughts throughout the world by as simply as typing a series of words via a keyboard. My experiences with this before now have been quite limited, as I never really took a liking to the idea of sharing my thoughts to the world before now. This blogging assignment that we have undertaken these past quarters have really grown on me. I personally prefer writing these blog entries to long analytical essays, which usually bore me and I become very turned off by any books that I write analytical essays for. Blogging remains an interesting way to explore book concepts that works in an English class.

    Blogging forces one to take a closer look at the chosen novel, yet manages not to be a bore. By posting about book concepts, one can greater understand said concepts.

Life in Dystopia

Ship Breaker, a story about friendship surviving in a dystopian time.

Dystopia, aka the grim future that likely awaits us as the planet can no longer the amount of people living on it.

Nailer's dream is to venture upon the sea, unfortunatly he is stuck in a dead end job on the island he inhabits.

Shipbreaking, a very real occupation, and the type of labor Nailer is forced into at a young age.

Ship breaking is a back breaking labor.

In this future it is common for genetic monstrocities based on human DNA to be kept as slaves.

The land is dominated by broken down, and scrapped cities.

In these broken down cities, the law doesn't exist.

In the future, corporate fat cats still manage to take advantage of others for their own profit.

Without a group to call your own, you are pretty much dead. Loyalty is an important theme in the book, for there are plenty of examples of those without it, and they all end up in terrible situations.

Nailer has a form of almost blind loyalty, he finds this girl broken and washed up, and is willing to risk his life and everything he knows for her.

The fellow ship breakers have a tight relationship.

State of the Blog Address, Quarter 2

      With the first quarter blog and The Green Glass Sea out of the way, we now can look to the future, with The Ship Breaker. Before we move on though I can't right out and say that the blog was fine, I personally felt that while much effort went into certain areas, some other places were lacking. For example, certain blog entries had been overlooked in favor for others. My goal for this blog is to learn about the subject matter, of blogging, and provide an interesting and opinionated view on what I am reviewing. So for this quarter in blogging I plan to spend more time developing my blog.

     Now while blogging still feels a tad bit like work, I have begun to take a liking to it, I for one tire of all the analytical reviews of the past.

    So with all the cheesy guff out of the way lets move on to my new book for this quarter, Ship Breaker. Now I've only managed to get a quick peak at the book, but it looks rather interesting, as far as I can tell it's the story of a boy living in a dystopian society that happens to be on an island. Now no offense to Ellen Klages, but the book I read last quarter isn't something I'd read over summer, personally I feel books should hold ones attention via good plot interspersed with action and suspense with down to earth and interesting characters. I felt that The Green Glass Sea was lacking in the action and suspense departments, while Ship Breaker looks to be very dependant on those.

Peer Review

1.) Around the World in 20 pictures.. get it? HaHa
Heya Brandon, twas checking out your blog and this instantly caught my eye. The obvious humor is obvious as are the many memes. Now I've never read 'Around the World in 80 Days' and before this point never cared to, yet your clever choice of pictures has really got me intrigued. I also like how you provided a nice little plot synopsis via the pictures, and I dare say that I'd much rather read the book as depicted by your pictures and captions. Bravo man, consider me hooked.

Animoto- Green Glass Sea

This is my second time of uploading this, and I have noticed that a few pictures were cut off. The end result still carries the point across, but I can't help but wish for a better media editor.

Classical Connections

Link to 'Big Elegy to John Cage'



Whilst listening to this piece, the emotions conveyed by the music hit me instantly. The song attempts to be light hearted but is held back by a longing sadness. These are the same emotions I imagined Dewey Kerrigan to be experiencing in quite a few portions of the book. Now many people can relate to some of the problems Dewey goes through, such as bullying and loneliness, then things take a turn for the worst with her father's death. Thankfully, by her side is her new friend Suze. While the future for Dewey is uncertain with no family to take her in, yet hope always remains.

A picture is a thousand words, this blog post contains over 20,000 words

The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages

The book's title has a literal meaning to it.

WWII, the bloodiest conflict mankind has ever known.

 

Advertisements like these were everywhere, and played a large role in getting public support.

Most of these characters should be recognizable.

Comics like these were very common at the time.

The threat of war lingered everywhere.

Propaganda existed on both sides.

Los Alamos, the main center of the Manhattan Project

The project was rather secretive.

The inventors of the atomic bomb included men just like these.

Production of the 'Gadget', the first nuclear bomb developed.

Project Trinity, the test of the Gadget

What the effects of an atomic bomb look like from the atmosphere, this bomb being the one dropped on Hiroshima.

The sight of something this powerful inspired both awe and apprehension.

The nuclear bomb, the symbol of doom and destruction.

 

Vlog to the Blog

    In this episode Nick talks about the 'Green Glass Sea', and how it reminds him of other books set in the same time period.

Understanding 'The Green Glass Sea'

Official Website

This page is a good place to start if you are interested in reading 'The Green Glass Sea'. It is maintained by Ellen Klages, the book's author. On the site you can find a brief book description and a variety of links pertaining to the book.


Daily Life during WW2

The website features plenty of pictures and advertisements to help explain what went on in the lives of those not directly involved in the war. It also provides plenty of links to relevant topics. This site is very handy when wanting to learn about WWII.


Music during WW2

You want to learn about the kind of music that was popular during the time, well here you go. Apparently to keep national spirits up, jazz became very popular for its uplifting tunes.




Childhood during WW2

If life during WW2 wasn't tough enough, childhood during the time certainly took the cake. This site describes how difficult life was for children in other countries.


Propaganda during WW2

When you're in war your best bet to win it is to make sure everyone is on your side. In a democratic society like ours this is especially important, both soldiers and civilians should be focused on winning the war. To achieve this, fear and anger towards the enemy was created via propaganda- featured in posters and comics. To get a full comprehension, take a look at the site.


Life during WW2

For the many who weren't openly involved with the fighting, life went on. In the America that was just recently stricken with a Great Depression, there was a great sense of national pride, created by the propaganda. For once one didn't do good things just to be a good smaritan, but because everyone expected you to.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

He was president at a vunerable time in our nation's history, with the country still dealing with the affects of the depression and war at hand.

Roosevelt's Death in Office

Roosevelt was loved, and his death hit many. With the end of the war in sight, his death was an unexpected turn for the worse.

Holocaust

WW2 had the most deaths of every war mankind has experienced, unlike many wars before it, most deaths were civilian. To fully understand why, and how WW2 is regarded as the bloodiest conflict of all time just take a look.

Manhattan Project

This is the site to see if you want to learn more about the Manhattan Project. The site is short and sweet, detailing main points, providing links to related sites, and explains some of the controversy behind dropping the bombs in Japan.

Different Designs of the Atomic Bomb

The atomic bomb was the solution to the war, whoever built it first won the war. It was a very important if secretive topic during the time. As well the base where Dewey resides happens to be the one to create it.


Just about everything about the Atomic Bomb

If you want more information about the atomic bomb, this is the place to go. With plenty of links, and modern info on who currently has access to them. Here is the ultimate guide to the bomb.


Project Trinity

This site describes some of the backstory and the process involved in project Trinity, the first test of a nuclear bomb. Also provided are plenty of pictures of the construction and later detonation of the bomb.

The First Atomic Bomb Blast

This site also describes Project Trinity, yet in a more professional format. There is a lot of detail on the people involved in the project, and some rather famous quotes.

Trinitite, the result of Project Trinity

This is just a flavor site pertaining to the odder side of Project Trinity. The effects of the detonation melted all the sand in the area it was tested in, and created an odd greenish glass.

What is Nuclear Fission?

I've told you about the bombs, and how powerful they are. Now this site explains the science behind how a nuclear bomb works.

This is a Blog, the introduction

     It's pretty amazing that society has developed to the point that one person has the ability to share with the world all of their experiences, yet in my case I could care less. Before the point at which I'm now typing this out, my only use of social networking sites has been to organize and find parties friends are throwing and find out who is dating what. So naturally this is a whole new experience for me, yet unlike every other time I tried something new, instead of a feeling of wonder and amazement, I can't help but hope I don't end up addicted to writing these. So with that out of the way, hello fellow reader(s) and welcome to my first blog. My friends call me Nick and in some circles napalm. At the moment I'm 16 and a Junior at Carbondale Community High School. I spend my free time with friends, family, and playing video games. I used to be involved in French Club and the Video Gaming Club, but I'm not really into sports. Recently I've gotten into Crossfit, and I would encourage you to join as well, its a good work out and quite a challenge too. That pretty sums me up.

     Now to put it bluntly this blog was mainly created because our English class was assigned to do so. I assume that there will be a good amount of book reports and English guff in here. What we're currently involved in is the Read for a Lifetime program, which picks out a bunch of good books so people can get hooked on reading, yet as I've already been hooked on reading and then it was forced out of my system by a good many book reports, I just regard it as more work. The first book I chose was Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages. From my brief look it at, WWII and the Manhattan Project were pretty relevant.

     In the future I would like to see some creative blog topics. Now at the moment I don't have any concrete ideas, but the goal of the blog should be to both engage us as students and introduce us to the blogging world. Perhaps later on in the year we could open an online discussion between students on certain books and what they liked or disliked about them.