Stuy Shelf

My Vicarious Journey

Posted on the June 19th, 2010 under Recommendations by davidzeng92

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

This was a novel I read for my Senior English class. The story is told from the perspective of an Englishman, Charles Marlow who has survived a terrible ordeal during his time in Africa. He is assigned to be the captain of a boat in the Congo and to retrieve a valuable asset to the imperial organization, Mr. Kurtz. The novel really opened my eyes to the injustices faced by less advanced civilizations. Conrad depicts the atrocities commited by the Europeans upon the African people, who are never mentioned by name in the novel. Although the novel is relatively short, it is very densely packed with insight.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

This was another novel that I read for my English class. Like Heart of Darkness, imperialism is a big theme in this novel. It starts off with the African Ibo society in seemingly perfect condition. It should be noted, however, that Ibo society has its shortcomings, which are pointed out by Achebe. The protagonist Okonkwo is at the top of his game, with a high status in his village. However, as the title implies, things quickly fall apart as the white missionaries start pouring into Africa. They completely change the ways of life in Ibo society. This novel made me realize that even though the Africans were at peace before the Europeans came, their culture was far from desirable because of some very despicable practices such as killing twins at birth.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

This novel deals with imperialism, or rather post-imperialism. It chronicles the lives of an Indian family living in post-colonial India. Ammu and her fraternal twins live in a hierarchy based society where love is forbidden between the “untouchable” caste and the regular class. The story tells of the senseless violence against “untouchable” caste members as well as the struggles faced by divorced women. It tells of the general feeling of despair in India after British colonization.

Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarentino

I saw this movie late at night on television one evening. I was immediately intrigued when I saw John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson on screen together. I would recommend this movie to anybody who enjoys humor. The movie follows several different characters who share screentime pretty equally. It tells of mob hitmen, a professional boxer on the run, and a pair of stick up robbers. All of their stories are connected and their fates intertwined. This movie has violence, philosophy and comedy.

Avatar by James Cameron

This blockbuster film lives up to the hype it generates with its fancy imagery and immensely huge budget. It is about a crippled man who controls the body of an alien native on a different planet. This movie is connected to imperialism as well because the humans are trying to exploit the planet for its resources. In order to mine the resource, the humans need to destroy the habitat of the aliens, who are far inferior technologically. The movie tells of the crippled man’s exploits and his eventual change of heart.

Saving Private Ryan by Stephen Spielberg

This Oscar award winning movie is one of the greatest films I have ever seen. It is deeply moving and emotional. The WWII battle scenes are terrific and you feel as if you’re actually there on the frontlines. The movie is about a squad of soldiers that are assigned to retrieve Pvt. Ryan from the field because all 4 of his brothers have been killed in action. The film raises the question about whether it is worth risking an entire squad for one soldier. However, they find that Pvt. Ryan is well worth it because of his valor and his loyalty to his comrades.

The Great Dictator by Charlie Chaplin

This classic film pokes fun of Adolf Hitler’s regime before the second world war started. It exposed the Nazi regime and Hitler to the American public. This movie is beyond funny and even though it is technologically not up to par, it is quite amusing.