Kafka on the shore review. Last Blog!

Kafka on the Shore was indeed an interesting novel. When I read the book summary on the back of the book, I completely missed the part that said the main character had an Oedipal complex (maybe because it wasn't capitalized) and when I started the book, it started to soon get weird. Kafka on the Shore was a fantasy novel with many odd and dream sequences that I myself had a hard time understanding until the very end. I was very intrigued by the whole Oedipal complex and how it controlled Kafkas actions, even though he was trying to run away from the prophecy, it eventually came back and got him, eventually being fulfilled by the end of the story. I wasn't particularly a fan of the novel in general, and many parts weirded me out, mainly the sleeping with his mother and sister and killing his dad. Also the parts where it described blood in deathly and the dream sequences were very weird and I am not a fan of those scenes, I get a little squeamish sometimes. Overall, it was a very interesting read, but I wasn't that much of a fan.

Kafka on the Shore...... A time where I was lost

One time where I can distinctly remember being lost was as a child in the supermarket at the local Jewel Osco. I was with my mom and I suddenly turned around, and she was gone. She had probably assumed  I was still walking beside her, but I had become enamored with the Transformer toys in the toys and games section of the store. After looking at Optimus Prime for a few minutes, I turned around and of course, she was nowhere to be seen. I definitely was scared as I became disoriented and suddenly everything in the store looked foreign. This was probably the first time that I had been separated from my family without knowing where they were. As a child, all you know is your family and you are constantly with them. Suddenly, everything I knew was gone and seemingly lost simply because I got distracted. This is kind of like what Kafka was going through, except he chose to get lost instead of having it happen to him. Eventually, I found my mother, just like Kafka finds his family throughout the book, and eventually returns home, just as I returned home with my mother. Now here's a great song by the Clash about being lost in a supermarket.

Open Letter to Parents

This is an open letter to every single parent in existence. This subject applies to every single parent, and I know every single parent has to deal with this, and every single kid has to deal with their parents doing this. I call it the "what are you up to" epidemic. Every parent suffers from this disease. All y'all need to eventually let go and chill about your "little babies" around the time of freshman year. Ain't nobody wanna have their parents nagging them constantly and daily about where they are, what they are doing, who they are with. High school is a time to branch out and learn about oneself and leave the nest of ones home. If parents are badgering their children all the time and bothering them, all it will do is irritate the child and cause friction within the household. Although a parent should make sure to watch for certain signs that could lead to problems like depression or other problems like getting involved with the wrong crowds and doing bad things, I think most kids generally just want to do their own thing without the worry of involvement from parents.

Civic Duty: All People Should.....

.....Close the freakin' door after they leave a room that someone is already in. Nothing irritates me more than when anyone in my house comes into my room to say something or talk to me, and when they leave, they leave the previously closed door wide open. Really people, it's just common courtesy that you should close a door after you leave a room, as the person in there before had it closed for a reason, and you should respect the wishes of others. Another thing that I have noticed is that most males have completely lost any sense of chivalry or respect towards women. I have seen countless times a man walking with a woman and just opening the door for himself and letting it slam in her face. Be a real man and open the door for her, and also open car doors for her, help her with her coat on. I also hate it when ultra feminists get mad for doing things like that, saying "I can open my own door" and "you're just a backward think male who thinks that women can't do anything for themselves. Like seriously lady, a guy is just trying to be nice and probably making your life easier, so shut up. Also, people these days have no respect or patience for the elderly. They are still people and we shouldn't just forget about them and disrespect them. Help them with their groceries and help them cross the street. Older people helped build society to where it is today, and most people don't recognize that. In all, I think society is getting kind of worse in the sense of civics, as most people are more self centered and personalized than before because of all this social media.

Is Poverty a Choice?

I believe that in many cases, poverty is indeed a choice, and is something that with hard work, one can get out of. Now, I'm not saying that this is true in every single case of poverty, as there are many variables to how one gets impoverished. I think that if one is currently impoverished, they can take many steps to get out of that poverty. First, they can collect employment while also actively searching for a job to get back on their feet. This doesn't just mean applying to one job, a person should try and apply to tons, as it is still hard to find work nowadays. Once a person can get a stable job with reasonable pay, then they cans start trying to do things with their money, like investing it, and not spending it on things like drugs, or gambling, or cigarettes. I think that if someone is really smart/mature, then they can get out of poverty and lift themselves up. I also think a big problem about poverty is that people waste money on trivial things that personally gratify them, like fancy clothes or unneeded technology that dwindle their savings and further lead them into poverty. Some people choose to stay poor because they can keep a routine, and the government doesn't want anyone to die because of poverty, so they will be supported by the government, and essentially just abuse the system to their own advantage and not do anything to get out of poverty. So either way, one can choose to stay poor and rely on others to help them, or do something about it themselves and get out of poverty by taking action.

Integration

In theory and in the books, integration is a beneficial thing for everyone. People get to interact with people who are different than them, get to see different walks of life, how others live, and can potentially eliminate prejudice. In theory, communism also looks pretty nice. Soviet Russia has proved that to be very, very wrong. I dont want you to get an impression that I am very anti-integration, I am not. I just think that something people should consider is whether the recipients of integration, two races, ethnicities, religions, etc really want it, and does it actually make people better? Now, I am 100% for integration in the sense of civil and equal rights; everyone, man, woman, black, white, orange, purple, should get equal pay and opportunity if they are doing the same work etc. But in the case of Brother Rice high school, and their decision to segregate their prom, I have no problems with that. These are students who have all learned, interacted, and known each other for 4 years, and decided they wanted separate proms, which the school allowed. It is an equal decision for each party, and isn't doing anything really wrong, it's just some people feel comfortable with certain people, and wanted to have their last senior fling with those certain people. As long as people are equal and have the same rights, can we really force people to do something they really don't want to? Only time can tell

My Thoughts on the first 12 Chapters

I am a big fan of the Malcolm X autobiography. He was never really a civil rights activist that was touched upon in history books or in history class. It was always just Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks who were focused on as the big civil rights leaders. Malcolm X was always given a little snippet, but always portrayed in a negative light, and as violent. It was nice for once to read about a different civil rights leader, and also a leader and figure who didn't always propose peaceful protesting. When learning about civil rights, I never really understood how so many people could just peacefully protest, as it was such a volatile time, and at least someone must have been extremely angry. Also, MLK and Rosa Parks were always seen in a positive kind of goody two shoes light, whereas Malcolm X had a violent and criminal background, and for him wanting some type of equal rights is kind of a redemption for him, as he completely changed his lifestyle to become an activist for equality. The most interesting parts of the book was learning about his upcoming, and when he was the same age as me, he was hustling the streets with drugs, and engaged in criminal activities that could have led to his death. His transformation in prison also shows a very different type of prison as it is portrayed as now. For Malcolm X, prison actually reformed him, and put out a better man than who came in. Nowadays, some people like being in prison because they know how to work the ropes, and it doesn't really reform people. In all, this was a great book, and it was a shame Malcolm X was assassinated.