The Harp By : Amber Dilsaver

Generally, when innocence is thought of, the first speculation recalled to one’s mind is the thought of pureness and the idea that the specific individual is free from moral wrong. On the other end of the spectrum is the term known as guilt. Guilt is the emotional notion in which one feels that they have compromised his or her own standards in a negative way. In the novel Sarah’s Key, Sarah frequently proves to struggle with both guilt and innocence. These specific themes are put on display when Sarah realizes she is not going back home, the scenario in which Sarah boards the cattle car to the camps, and the tragic event in which Sarah takes her own life.

In the book Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen, Susanna Kaysen was only 18 years old when she agreed to enter a medium security psychiatric facility in Boston, McLean hospital in April 1967, after a failed suicide attempt. She insisted that her over dose on aspirin was not a suicide attempt, but after a 20 minute interview the doctor decided she needed to be admitted to a hospital. During her prolonged two-year stay at the hospital Kaysen describes the issues that most of the patients in her ward have to deal with and how they all differently deal with the amount of time they must stay in the hospital for. While in the hospital Kaysen experienced a case of depersonalization where she tried to pull the skin of her hands to see if there were bones underneath, after a failed escape attempt. Soon, after going to therapy and analysis she was labeled as having recovered from borderline personality disorder. After her release she realizes that McLean Hospital provided patients with more freedom than the outside world, by being free responsibility of parental pressure, free from school and job responsibilities, and being free from the “social norms” that society comes up with. Ultimately, being in captivity gave the patients more freedom then in society and created a safe environment in which patients wanted to stay in.

Sanity is subjective. Every individual is insane to another; however it is the people who possess the greatest self-restraint that prosper in acting “normal”. This is achieved by thrusting the title of insanity onto others who may be unlike oneself, although in reality, are simply non-conforming, as opposed to insane. In Susanna Kaysen’s Girl, Interrupted, this fine line between sanity and insanity is explored to great lengths. Through the unveiling of Susanna’s past, the reasoning behind her commitment to McLean Hospital for the mentally ill, and varying definitions of the diagnosis that Susanna received, it is evident that social non-conformity is often confused with insanity.

The book I have read is Through the Woods by Emily Carroll. This is an Eliot Rosewater book for 2016-2017 so I decided to give it a try and I think you should too. It is a pretty scary read so If you are the least bit frightened by anything you might not want to read this… especially at night. I enjoy watching scary movies and reading scary books so I found it very hard to put this book down.

. Early on, she asks, “maybe this is the wrong thing?” (8) We wonder, what is she referring to? Slowly, more details are given when he “picked up an object wrapped in a plaid towel” and gives the toast “here’s looking at you kid.” Although not directly stated, the implication is that they drank something. Again indirectly, but toward the end we see the symbolic cranes “stepping delicately away from the commotion,” mirroring the couple’s separation from their life. After they kiss, their eyes close, and the cranes fly away into the sun. The implication, though never direct, is that our couple decided to end their lives together

On the 24th February 2000, Victoria was taken semi-conscious and suffering from; hypothermia, multiple organ failure and malnutrition, to a local church. The taxi driver that collected them from the church was so horrified at her condition, that he took them straight to A and E. Victoria died the following day.

The most interesting book I have read in the past year was “Still Alice,” written by Lisa Genova. This book narrated the life of Alice Howland, a successful Harvard psychology professor who loses herself to Alzheimer’s disease. Alice is an intelligent, ambitious woman with a loving husband, John, and their three children. Initially, Alice starts off forgetting minor details, such as words during her presentations or where she might place some of her belongings. Dismissing it, Alice goes for a run in her town square where she’s run for several years. She suddenly finds herself lost and panics because she could not figure out how to get home. Eventually, she finds out she’s diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimer’s and she is left to deal with her family and work life as well as do as much as she can each day before she loses herself completely.

Denise Giardina, the author of, “Storming Heaven” does an exquisite job of using the point of view from four different narrators’ point of view to portray the story of the lives of the miners’. The use of the different point of views from Cincinnatus a socialist, Rondal a union organizer, Carrie a nurse, and Rosa an Italian immigrant is a brilliant idea to show the different impacts among several individuals and give different moods and views throughout the different narration. The story takes place in a mining community in a rural town in southwestern West Virginia. She uses the five senses to paint a picture and make it feel as if the readers are one of the many individuals within the story. Giardina does a superb job of using the abuses of the miners and stooges to show how his or her lives were and what caused the uprising in 1921. She uses the oppression of the workers’ to create a sympathetic mood amongst the readers. The way Denise Giardina portrays the atrocities that occur during the events within the story, shows how the coal companies treat the coal miners and how the companies don’t care about whether their workers or their children die.

At first glance and after reading through Amazing Grace, it seems that Jonathan Kozol is going to take us on a journey through the lives of the underprivileged, but similar to the ones you read about, or hear in the news. However, this is not the case; the real underlying theme seems to be how the life and society they live in is very alike to a life in a prison, not because it talks explicitly about prison conditions in this area, but also because their lives are portrayed as being a prison. Kozol uses the views of children and adults throughout this book to emphasize this theme through their living conditions and personal lives, background and struggles.

Activism, culture and value have always had a tremendous influence in society. When it comes to the Appalachian region of the United States, people tend to see our culture and values differently. The individuals of the Appalachian region have been stereotyped for far too long, people forget that West Virginia has played a huge role in building this country. Our coal miners have put their lives in danger time and time again, some losing them, for worker’s rights. The Battle of Blair Mountain was the largest labor rebellion in the history of the United States. This was the foundation of the movement for eight hour work days and minimum wages. The novel Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina is a fictionalized tale of the conflict that took place in these coal fields of West Virginia. The novel brings to light the stereotypes, race and religion of the Appalachian people.

Holding Onto the Air an autobiography by Suzanne Farrell takes the reader backstage in the dramatic life of the world-renowned Balanchine ballerina. From her childhood in Cincinnati to her retirement from ballet in 1989, Farrell's story is truly a remarkable one. The book describes at length her time with the New York City Ballet as well as her complex relationship with the legendary Balanchine. Although Mrs. Farrell goes a bit too far into the ballet descriptions, her beautiful imagery allows reader to experience the joy of performing on stage.

In the book “Unbearable lightness: a story of loss and gain”, author Portia De Rossi takes her audience through her life explaining how she dealt with Anorexia and Bulimia while trying to achieve her dreams in the public eye. She takes you into her mind and lets you know her thoughts and goals. She shares what herself and thousands of other people struggle through everyday. She explains how her constant need for perfection almost ruined her life.

Is living forever a good thing, or a bad thing? I think Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt, has many messages in it, and can definitely influence people. However, could a book influence decisions in life? How about your life? This book can change the way you think about some things. Decisions for school, life, your family, etc. Winnie was faced with a difficult decision, many, actually. The biggest one would probably be whether to drink the springwater or not. Would you drink something like that, even if it meant that you could never die, and you had to live forever?

Now into full action packed climax, almost thinking it would start getting more simplistic, Charlotte completely full out failed the plan of taking muskets from captains quarters with Zachariah and Mr. Keetch, having the whole crew rebel against the captain. Mr. Keetch had told captain all along. Later on being nearly chased to death by Captain Jaggery, he slips, he falls, he dies. Instead of being scared for life, instead of keeping cooped up in a room, instead of having nightmares about what Charlotte had just seen, she was placed Captain, yes a 13-year-old girl was made captain the rest of the voyage, no doubt, no fear, nothing but pure boldness was filled within

The women of the late sixties, although some are older than others, in Alice Walker’s fiction that exhibit the qualities of the developing, emergent model are greatly influenced through the era of the Civil Rights Movement. Motherhood is a major theme in modern women’s literature, which examines as a sacred, powerful, and spiritual component of the woman’s life. Alice Walker does not choose Southern black women to be her major protagonists only because she is one, but because she had discovered in the tradition and history they collectively experience an understanding of oppression that has been drawn from them a willingness to reject the principle and to hold what is difficult. Walker’s most developed character, Meridian, is a person