Thoughts on The Sound and the Fury (IR)

(Warning, the following may contain spoilers for The Sound in the Fury. Read at your own discretion)

So, I have just recently finished reading my independent novel The Sound in the Fury and I have to say I am glad I'm done with it. Mainly because it was a little big and its now one less thing to worry about. Now, here are my thoughts on the novel.

If you choose to read this book, be warned that it is very hard to follow at times. The book is broken up into four sections and the first section has no concept of time, making it hard to figure out what's happening. You'll be reading one part then it will flash do another with no indication a switch has been made. The other sections are easier to read, but still have a hard time making a distinction memories and the actual events. It also didn't help that the dialogue is written in a southern accent which makes sense as it takes place in the deep south during the 1930s, but it can be hard to read, either from not knowing what's being said or not enjoying seeing an apostrophe over every word.

I will say though that when you finally do figure out what's happening, it is a very interesting and engaging read. It tells the story of the Compson Family and the narration is done through three of its members. It also helped to create the "stream of consciousness" narrative where you read about a person's thoughts and reactions to events. The fact that this was the novel that created it does give it some credibility.

As for the characters, some are enjoyable, others are awful and you should hate them for it. I didn't really connect a lot with them mainly because 1. I didn't share any of their views (except Quentin) and 2. I had no idea who anyone was when I first read it.

In conclusion, did I like this book? No, it made little sense when I read it. I only finally understood it when I read the Spark notes for it and by then it had little impact on me. Would I recommend it to you "literary scholars?" Probably. Even though I didn't like it and don't see how anyone could, I do see why. It presents a very interesting story with dynamic characters. The fact that it also created a new type of narration is also great so I do recommend it. I will say this though, if you read it, read it carefully and make sure to have a spark notes book nearby to use if you get lost. It may be a good read, but it is very dense and confusing at times.

More Apple Stuff (IR)

So today (if Ian didn't already tell you) was the unveiling of the IPhone 6 and the IPhone 6 plus, making everyone's other Apple stuff seem obsolete. However, during the event, Apple also announced a new product as well to add to its extensive collection, the Apple Watch.

Since I was in school and busy when the announcement aired, I found this article explaining the Watch.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/apple-watch-announced-at-apple-2014-event/

Many people think of it as an IPhone on your wrist, but according to Tim Cook, "It is much more than that." It retains many of the basic features of an IPhone (IE Apps, touch screen, etc.) Some new features on this include the new GPS which uses something they call "Taptic Touch" which causes the watch to nudge in the direction you should go, which sounds pretty interesting to me. There is also a health and fitness app on it which can monitor your vitals, which can be very helpful to people.

I myself am not much of an Apple nut, but I have to admit that this watch sounds pretty amazing. I don't know if it will join Apple in its lineup as smartwatches are pretty rare now. However, taking into consideration everything this watch can do, I really hope that it becomes a hit and that I will be able to buy it in the future (once the price goes down, its set at $350).

 

 

Mr. Pirzada and Pi Patel (CC)

So, during our Labor Day break, I decided to get a jump start on my AP Lit homework. I started with one of the stories in Interpreter of Maladies titled "Mr. Pirzada Comes to Dine." The story was basically about this man, Mr. Pirzada, who comes to eat and stay at the protagonists house while he is in the U.S. The story itself is pretty interesting and sad, and it was during one of these sad parts that I made a connection to Pi from the novel Life of Pi.

If you don't know the story, it is about a boy named Pi who is forced to survive stranded at sea in a boat with a tiger. It is a very entertaining book and I recommend reading it. Anyway, back to the point, the novel explains some background on Pi and reveals that he follows three religions; Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. When he wanted to convert to Islam, his father was against this, stating that Islams and Hindu's don't get along well. The same thing happened to Mr. Pirzada when it was revealed to the family that he lives in East Pakistan. They then began to regard him in a different because he was a Muslim. It was during this section that I made the connection to Life of Pi.

After this, I wanted to learn more about the issue between the Hindus and Muslims. While many people argue about the motives, there is major evidence that these major riots began back in 1947 following the partition from Pakistan. This has led to many incidents, the most famous being the Nellie Massacre where around 5000 lives were taken and almost all of them were Muslim. It's really sad to see how these people who used to be from the same country can suddenly turn on each other and kill. Interpreter of Maladies has really helped me open my eyes to a lot of issues in the world surrounding India and is overall a really good, albeit sad, novel.