And Were Here....

As vacation comes to a close as does our novel and my blog posts. It has been a roller coaster of a ride. After reading and completely four blog posts and now finishing my fifth it brought up the question on whether or not the blog post assignment was truly worthy of the AP Literature curriculum.

Before starting this assignment over a month ago I was hesitant because I felt that I would not be able to analyze on my own, add any discussion to others, or feel this assignment had any worth to me. What I found, however, is that without the help of others to guide me in finding themes, motifs, setting details, etc. that I was able to work on my own and figure out the problems, which made finding what is between the lines that much more gratifying. What I think this blog assignment adds best is uniqueness. When I first started the year I was not able to add my voice to much of the work that we were doing in class. Essays were very serious and had to meet specific criteria, class discussions were less strict, but still had to be very detail oriented, but this assignment allowed me to spread my wings. I realized my voice was able to shine in this type of environment. My voice tends to be one of sarcasm and hints of humor. As said previously with most assessments this voice tends to be locked away due to the serious nature. The blog is assessment, which analyzes my knowledge of the book while also giving me the freedom to share my own opinion, crack a few sly jokes, and be myself.

The most important thing I gained from blogging was the fact that not everyone saw the book in the same light (no pun intended). I would post about the theme of entrapment and how it relates to relationships whereas someone else would see the same theme, but find it connected to another motif. Of course there will be overlap as someone will surely see similar symbols, character analysis, etc. I mean we do not have completely separate minds. However, this environment bred differentiation, we each saw the book in a different way. One person may not enjoy the book so he or she would see the book in a negative light leading them to find less meaning, whereas another may love this book and find much more meaning. For me I truly enjoyed All The Light We Cannot See, except for the sappy ending not a huge fan of that,  so it was not much of a chore for me to do the work I am just writing what I am thinking on a page.


One flaw, possibly two flaws I found with this assignment was the time periods and lack of face to face discussion. The book I read was roughly 530 pgs., that is a lot of pages to read each and every week. I found it quite difficult to read, enjoy, but also analyze at the same time. This may have been my lack of multitasking skills, although you can never truly multitask, but I think it may have also been the crunch for time. I found it hard to keep myself from just reading to read rather than find meaning behind the text. I think this came with the large page number, if it had been a book with a smaller quantity of pages the analysis would have come much easier. This is not to say I would enjoy reading a book like Handmaids Tale or Song of Solomon, both of those would have been a trek through hell. There has to be a happy medium between length, density, and period to read. If all of that could be sussed out I believe this assignment would be an ideal way to break up essays and seminars.

The other flaw is face to face to discussion. This could be argued both ways, but I feel this assignment lacks the direct contact.  With other assignments we are forced to give criticism and discuss in person, this allows for people to take criticism and also be able to defend your opinion without the wall of a computer or electronic device. As seniors in high school, about to be going off to college, it is very important to be able to take criticism.  This assignment would be much better if people were to give feedback via direct contact. This is not to say that the feedback would be bad, but it would allow for people to see truly how people felt. I think it is easy to say you liked or disliked a point on a computer, but much more difficult to say it in person.  Analysis is not just of the book, but of the person analyzing the book.  This view may be wrong, but I have found that face to face feedback goes far in the long run.

To close out my blog I would just like to say that I truly enjoyed this experience. It allowed for a much different environment than any of the other projects and essays we have done this year, a fresh twist you could say.  All The Light We Cannot See absolutely surpassed my expectations. For a subject, WWII, that is so over discussed I expected a novel that would give roughly the same point of view and historical knowledge. I was delighted to find that the novel gave fresh characters, protagonists that are children, two opposing views, one from Germany and the other from the Allies,  an exciting fictional aspect, the Sea of Flames, and the intersting note of having one page chapters. Overall I would highly recommend this book.

For the last time I am signing off!

Theme Park

I was wrong.  Previously I had noted that my novel lacked themes, I realize now that this assumption was false. After reading further in the novel and analyzing what I had already read, there were definitely some points where I did not catch on.  So, as I had assumed before hand it was all my fault that I portrayed the book so poorly.  This most likely came about by my own stupidity, but also my inherent bias towards themes as a whole.  Being in AP English has given me the perspective that there are a variety of themes that seem to repeat themselves, that is not to say that I did not know there were others, rather that I unconsciously chose to dismay them because of their "lack of worth". Once I recognized the bias I was able to overcome it, which led to my light bulb moment.

As I backtracked through the book after leaping over my stupidity a glaring theme popped out at me, entrapment.  You may be wondering what led me to this conclusion, the answer is not quite as complicated as you may think.  Starting with the main characters, Werner and Marie, what are they trapped by? Marie is obvious, she lacks sight which would make her trapped inside her own mind. She must conceptualize all of her surroundings, making her mind her setting.  This traps her because the mind can only visualize what it has already seen and heard, without others to guide her she is lost. As when Marie and her father cross into Saint-Malo, "he narrates what he sees: a portcullis, defensive walls called ramparts, granite mansions, a steeple above roof-tops." (pg.118) The question arises on what does the author want to tell us from the entrapment and does it bring about escape.  For Marie what entrapment does is bring the worst  upon her. Hope and love is what keeps her going when she is lost and scared.  The memories of her father, the ocean, and the ones she has lost tell her that there is hope for her, she must keep going. I think the entrapment is a way to bring out the light from the dark.

Where Marie's is based off of blindness, Werner's is with the Nazi Youth and literally being trapped under ground. Although you could relate Marie and Werner's entrapment by the fact that Marie was also literally trapped in the wardrobe hideout. However, back to the point so why would Werner's time spent as student at the Nazi Youth program and as a soldier. In Nazi Youth he is unable to make any of his own decisions, you would think as a young German boy in 1940's this would be his ideal world, one where he could best support the Fuhrer. Furthermore it is the chance to leave Zollverein and escape the mines. What we come to find out is this setting is the direct opposite of what he had assumed. There is death, torture, ruthless competition, and more of all no compassion.  Werner finally sees this is not the place for himself and attempts to leave, but the Nazi Youth have already trapped him, he is theirs.  The Nazi officer tells Werner,  "You are eighteen years old. Not sixteen, as you have claimed. Werner puzzles. The absurdity is plain: he remains smaller than most of the fourteen-year-olds." (pg.286) Werner is unable to leave, trapped you could say.  His morals have shown one side of him, but the physical force of the Nazis keep him a "chained" man. Like Marie, the entrapment is based upon love and hope for better. Werner stays in the Nazi Youth because his sister, Jutta, is trapped in the town he came from. Becoming a scientist and joining the Nazi army may allow for him to gain wealth and better her life. The thought of Jutta keeps him going when things are at its worst. The thematic idea of entrapment is complimented by the motif of love and relationships.

Finally, another thematic idea that presents itself throughout the book is the radio. Throughout the book the radio comes up with Werner and Marie. For both it has different significance.  In the beginning the radio symbolizes excitement and progression as with the radio Werner made, but it also leads him to the Nazis. This can be shown with the French broadcasts,  "What do we call visible light? We call it color. But the electromagnetic spectrum runs to zero in one direction and infinity in the other, so really, children, mathematically, all of light is invisible."(pg.63) This leads Werner on the track to the being a scientist and ultimately joining the Nazis. When he meets with Heir Siedler, the Nazi officer in his town, the knowledge of the radio changes his view of his role in the Reich.  This is shown with a quote from Siedler, "You know the greatest lesson of history? It’s that history is whatever the victors say it is. That’s the lesson. Whoever wins, that’s who decides the history. We act in our own self-interest. Of course we do. Name me a person or a nation who does not. The trick is figuring out where your interests are." This statement by Siedler post fixing of the radio is what leads him to accept his role and work for the Reich. As we go on through the novel the radio represents stability in both Werner and Marie's lives where stability is not really present. Furthermore the radio identifies a key theme about interconnections. The radio bring Werner and Marie together when they seem so far apart. In addition the radio connects their lives because the broadcasts that Werner was listening to were actually broadcasted by Marie's grandfather, Daniel LeBlanc. An interesting point is that Werner and Marie are two completely different characters by the way they are described and their attitudes, the common link is the radio. 

Maybe some AP merit?

As a novel that won the Pulitzer Prize you would think that automatically it would stand out as a book meant for an AP class.  However, in my own opinion, I am not feeling this novel is worthy of being introduced into our AP class.  This is not to say that it is not acceptable for our class, but I feel there are other books which would enlighten our minds just a bit more. Now when the book first started I had high hopes, maybe more of dread, that the book would be littered with symbols, allusions, complex plot, the whole nine yards. I was pleasantly surprised to find the reading very manageable, possibly even easy.  This could have come about with a relative ease due to my background knowledge of European history and interest in World War II stories. I am hesitant to account my new found proficiency with those skills because I have never found an AP book anywhere near the realm of painless before. When I make these notes about easy this is not to say it is like a pop-up book for an illiterate child, the book is dense with knowledge, customs, and thick story-line. What I am referring to is the fact that I have yet to feel the need to re-read chapters for clarification or found myself genuinely confused.

Let me be more concise is what I am getting at.  So, All The Light We Cannot See is not shy to complex emotions and foils. Werner and Marie are superb examples of this, the author is able to show visuals even when Marie is blind, and create Werner as a protagonist even though he is a Nazi.  What I feel the novel is lacking is complexity that many of the other stories we have read had. As with Song of Solomon the story depicted an interesting story line that followed numerous characters as All The Light We Cannot See does. What Song of Solomon adds is complex motives and symbols as well as deeper meaning within in the book.  As with the bobcat scene, Milkman is dissecting a bobcat, but each layer he cuts has a feeling and motive behind it. In addition the flight motif, the novel went full circle f to show how Milkman had grown over his life. I may not have enjoyed the struggle of trying to understand what was happening, but I fully grasped why the book was in this class. I feel when I am reading All The Light We Cannot See I am getting all of the information from the pages there is no context between the lines. This could be my fault entirely, I may not have the brain capacity and knowledge to fully understand the deeper meaning.

I could argue there is more than what is on the pages. I have been playing with the idea of motifs throughout the book and found weather, light/dark, and senses to be key in understanding each character and situations.  It portrayed many dark things are light, but light things as dark which could lead me to hypothesize a anti-norm approach as he has also done with Werner. What I found is I am not struggling as much as I feel I should be. The motifs seem easy to grasp, character analysis is straight forward, and setting is direct to the point.  I know exactly where Marie is at every moment in the book, I am essentially given a drawn out step-by-step list of each time she moves.  What I am trying to get across is the book is great detail, which is fantastic for a slow learner such as myself, but it gives everything out in the open, no need for discussion with others or clarification on a meaning of a sentence.  

Possibly the most important aspect that jumps out at me is the fact that a theme has not started to blossom yet. It begs the question if one will ever come? As an future contender for AP Literature I would argue without a major theme it can not even be put in the running. When it comes to the AP test at the end of the year if this book lacked a theme you would not be able to accurately answer a multitude of essay questions using this novel.  The counter-argument could be made that there are themes such as family and relationships as well as science as a means for progression.  I do see the family connection with Werner and his relationship to his sister as well as the orphan mother. Furthermore the relationship between Marie and her father symbolize an expanse of love. Both characters experience loss and hardship, not quite the same as one is actual present loss and the other is morality as well as past loss. However, is this has not played a huge role moving up to this point this could change as the Nazis grow stronger and their intentions worse. Furthermore as the Nazis become more entrenched in France, where Marie is, family could play a much larger role for strength. If this were to happen my view about its AP worthiness would drastically be shifted.  I am going off what has happened up to this point which puts me on the edge just due to the fact that there is not much complex substance in terms of theme.

Finally the last point I would like to contribute to this is whether or not this author is WORTHY of being read, not just this book, in AP Literature. Now I could be absolutely wrong with the information said above this blog is purely opinion based and what I feel is correct. From others and analylists Anthony Doerr is absolutely acceptable for any AP class. He has won numerous awards including the Pulitzer Prize, runner-up in Dayton Literary Peace Prize, New York Times bestseller, and tens of others.  This alone would call for the good ol check mark from Mrs. Laclair, but his writing also is not limited to lengthy novels he has written short stories, news articles, and all types of genres. This gives him a huge depth in writing style and view. 

Once again I will be signing off, I bid a good day.

Showing some style

When we left off Marie and Werner were in the first stages of their development. The beginnings of their personalities were shining through, but nothing that would show what is to come.  A bit like middle school, not really quite sure where you fit in, a growth period you could call it. Marie is just starting to feel doubt about her father's true whereabouts and Werner is hesitant to the direction in which the Reich will take him. We also gain a few more minor characters in this portion of the book which include Frederick, Volkheimer, and Von Rumpel. I am particularly interested to see how the Nazi flower that is Von Rumpel will blossom, he has the ferocity and grit that makes for a devious character combined with him being a Nazi makes for a lethal antagonist. However, characters are not the main discussion of today's tasting. I am here to delve into the stylistic components that truly make this a fantastical European masterpiece.

As I read this novel I find it to be unique in comparison to many other books I have read over the course of my life, many of which are fantasy based and solely for purpose of feeding my illogical imagination. The stylistic tidbit that jumps out at me at first is the constant back and forth between characters. Mostly the character shifts are between the two main characters, however, there are juicy tangents which show us details regarding the stories of minor characters such as Von Rumpel, Volkheimer, and Daniel (Marie's father). While this can make reading rather difficult, it makes for a much more exciting plot. In addition to changes in few points, the author makes the sections not in chronological order.  For instance the novel starts out with Werner stuck in the bottom of a building, end section zero. Then the next section begins with the main characters childhoods. I would not call this jumping of time flashbacks because the character(s) are not thinking back in time. Another minor detail I noticed when looking at the way the chapters and points of view were organized was that the page lengths as well as the amount of time spent on a specific character was not symmetrical. Marie may have a riveting section of a page and a half rather Werner may drone on for pages at a time, not to say Werner's passages are not interesting.

In addition to shifting of characters throughout each chapter, the narrator remains the same. The book is told through third person omniscient, so we are able to see their thoughts and emotions just not directly through first person. This point of view is necessary because it allows for a plethora of characters to be developed, and as we know there are quite a few of those. As opposed to third person limited or first person which would only follow the emotions, perspective, and bias of one character. What we get with this POV is a distinct flavor from each character, favorites are picked, we hope for one character to "fade away" whereas the other flourish. With All The Light We Cannot See the POV allows for the two different characters, Werner and Marie, to be juxtaposed.  We are able to feel the tactile nature of Werner's actions and thoughts, but also see a more emotional side with Marie. With the past section Werner was shown building a transceiver and constructing, things associated with tactility. Whereas Marie's sections were focused on the senses as with the snails in the underground cavern scene, "hundreds of tiny, squirming hydrualic feet beneath a horny, ridged top:a sea star" (pg. 260) It makes for an interesting contrast of personalities, but keeps out the bias that comes with single point of view or single story, cue the smug look as I have added in a note from previous learning throughout the year.

Now to throw out a completely new stylistic element. As a novel describing the lives of a French girl and German boy throughout World War II you would assume it would be mostly fact driven events, something that is realistic enough to conjure up.  However, what I have noticed is the book feels more like science fiction than historical fiction. To be frank most historical fiction novels tend to bore me so it could be general bias that fuels my new found hypothesis. None the less I feel that it is important to note that the author attempts to make the stone, Sea of Flames, more interesting than any other war related notion of the book. It creates a book that has an exciting story line, and makes it a bit sour. This is not to take away how lip smacking the historical sequences are, but to point out that the plot seems fiction driven rather than history. This brings the question of whether or not the book is realistic? Now, this also is driven by the stone. If the stone turns out to have some voodoo like powers than no this is not realistic, but if it plays out that it just another useless rock then yes it would be realistic. In my opinion the book accurately describes the historical events, attitudes, and actions of the World War II period. As with Werner, a young boy of his age living in Nazi Germany would absolutely find the Youth program to be exactly where he needed to be. Before all of the bloodshed and deaths piled up the Nazi's agenda was to restore Germany back to its former glory. What is better as a kid than to feel like you are making a difference for your country.  Most children and young adults during this era were in the same position as Werner, not the slightest idea they were helping monsters. Furthering that notion of children during the era, as time went on and they realized what was happening they questioned whether or not it was truly acceptable. Werner hints at this with the persecution of Frederick and the killing of the Jew via frozen water. This can be highlighted by his thoughts about the murder, " the cheers lose their gusto and a pure longing to flee floods Werner. Run. Run." (pg. 228) In addition throughout pages 150 to 260 there have been numerous points where Werner shows his initial approval of all the activities is being dismayed.  On page 227 this new found "dread has been blooming inside Werner's chest...writing letters to Jutta...everything is fine." He realizes everything is not quite fine, he just does not understand how to contend with it yet. Not fact driven, but by myself being a teenager I would also probably not have been able to see good and bad at first with the Nazis. 

Once again I must say goodbye. Until next time my dear readers.

Although we cannot see the light, we must illuminate the characters

As I dive into the novel that is "All The Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr I find myself being optimistic.  A good World War II novel has not passed under my nose for some time, and I am looking forward to the pleasant aroma, the nostalgic scent of well-crafted European history.

Enough with the nonsense what you are looking for is to gain the insight, investigate the lines, and know the true meaning of the novel. The bestseller starts rather oddly, beginning with the future rather than the past or present. This left me a bit confused at first, although most books normally do, as I had absolutely no knowledge of the characters, setting, or plot to work off from. As I trudged through the maze of words I found myself getting progressively more...lost. What were these odd one paragraph chapters, who was Werner and why was he stuck underground, and who would spend that much time building a miniature model of Paris. I realized how many people in their midlife crisis felt at this moment, I had no direction, but forward. However, my salvage soon came, the header of part one, a fresh beginning.

Clearly the author heard my prayers as both of the main characters, Werner and Marie, were now children rather than adults, which made it much easier to understand. As said before the two main characters are Werner Pfennig and Marie-Laure Leblanc, or Marie for short. The book portrays them as two simultaneous stories, so every chapter the scene will swap and one character will shift over to the next.  The characters, from what I've read so far, are opposites of each other in society as well as personality. First and foremost there is Werner, a young German orphan living Zollverein, Germany with his sister Jutta as well as tens of other children. Werner is quite crafty with his hands and mind, he is what we would call a genius. Werner has a knack for the sciences as he is able to fix every radio in the town, to do calculus at age ten, and even create his own long-distance frequency radio.  Even with his gifts,  given his current circumstances as a German orphan living in the power source of Germany, a large coal mining and steel factory city, he is destined to be in the mines as every other male who turns fifteen is as well. Obviously this does not happen because what kind of suspense would that give this novel, absolutely none. As most stories do the main character catches a "lucky" break, he happens to be asked to fix a high-standing Nazi officer's radio. Clearly impressed by his work the officer gives him the opportunity to study for the National Institute, a highly regarded Nazi education center for the young. We see Werner as very conflicted as his life goal is to be a scientist, however, it would mean the abandonment of his only living family, his sister. Basically as we all predicted, Werner goes to the school.

What is interesting about Werner is that I see him as a protagonist, but being a Nazi I should see him as more of a antagonist given what the Nazi's did in history. To add to Werner's typical German roots he also embodies the stereotypical Aryan appearance, bleach blond hair, sky blue eyes, but then all of the ridiculous Nazi stereotypes "perfect nose, chin, etc." I think what accounts for this is his spark for innovation, but not for the Nazi values.  Yes, I realize that he is working directly with the Nazis ,and I have no idea what he will do in the future, but up to given point it appears that he is only there for scientific enlightenment, not war.  However, as the story for Werner goes on I could definitely see a conflict of interests between his morality and the Nazi's wants. Along with this notion I think that there will be a journey that Werner will embark where emotional sentiment and countries interests collide as shown with the comment by Herr Seidler, “You know the greatest lesson of history? It’s that history is whatever the victors say it is. That’s the lesson. Whoever wins, that’s who decides the history. We act in our own self-interest. Of course we do. Name me a person or a nation who does not. The trick is figuring out where your interests are.”(pg. 84) See after this conversation he destroys the radio he built, feels a connection to the Reich. Will this feeling remain constant? This inner conflict is what makes Werner a likable character, it gives a reason to root for him.

At this point you are salivating like a stray dog for food, and I'm supplying the juicy morsels of knowledge.  I will not hold you back any longer.  Onto the other main character in the novel, Marie-Laure Leblanc. Just by the name you are probably able to hypothesize that this character is from France. If not then I will tell you she is indeed from France, to be specific Paris, add in the butchered French accent and it will sound better. Marie is a girl who is born in Paris with her father, a locksmith who works for the Museum of Natural History, but mostly with the gems (this will be VERY IMPORTANT later).  She lives a very typical childish life except for the fact that she is blind.  Now, this comes about at a young age for unknown reasons. Growing up in a big city like Paris for a young blind girl can be very difficult. However, her father is fairly handy and builds a miniature version of the entire city complete with benches, flowers, and almost all of the most minute details.  In contrast to Werner, Marie relies on her senses rather than Werner more tactile view. She uses smells, tastes, hearing, etc to make places, through her point of view we should not be able to distinguish, feel like she can actually see. Also in comparison to Werner, Marie is a very typical protagonist. She is a part of the underdog, in terms of war, France. While also being a person with a lack of sight it makes me constantly favor her because she already has a disadvantage. Other than the obvious blindness, some problems that I could see occurring are with the Germans who take over Saint-Malo (the location where she moves post-Paris bombing), as well as the fabled diamond, Sea of Flames.  Opposite to Werner who has conflicting views of morality, Marie is generally of kind heart and mind. She does not seek out violence or want it ever. During a time of such harsh war, and the brutality that occurs in Werner's passages the addition of Marie adds some light tones.

For now I will be signing off. Paste in some cliche French sounding goodbye.