Teresa
In The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization, Bryan Ward-Perkins argues that the current "peaceful transformation" theory of the Roman Empire into the Medieval period is wrong. For the author it is a time of decline, dislocation, and fear that destroyed Rome as it was known and set back the West's standard of living. He attacks current popular theories with archaeological evidence and explores the consequences of Rome's decline on the lives of everyday people that once lived under the Roman umbrella. He explains the fear of the barbarian invasions and occupation, as well as the after effects on the economy, agriculture, political system, architecture, writing, industry, and household materials. All of which declined or collapsed.
Many scholars today don't want to put forth the idea of civilization decline. They point to the Eastern Roman Empire (aka the Byzantium Empire) as the example that Rome (the Western Empire) simply transformed and did not fall. They mostly ignore the idea that by the time of the fall both West and East were for all intense and purposes different entities by the time of Rome's fall. Mr. Ward-Perkins fells that the biases of other scholars and academics play a large role in these views they put forth.
All in all this was a very interesting book to read. The author put forth evidence for his argument. Read this book and see if you agree with him or not.
In The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization, Bryan Ward-Perkins argues that the current "peaceful transformation" theory of the Roman Empire into the Medieval period is wrong. For the author it is a time of decline, dislocation, and fear that destroyed Rome as it was known and set back the West's standard of living. He attacks current popular theories with archaeological evidence and explores the consequences of Rome's decline on the lives of everyday people that once lived under the Roman umbrella. He explains the fear of the barbarian invasions and occupation, as well as the after effects on the economy, agriculture, political system, architecture, writing, industry, and household materials. All of which declined or collapsed.
Many scholars today don't want to put forth the idea of civilization decline. They point to the Eastern Roman Empire (aka the Byzantium Empire) as the example that Rome (the Western Empire) simply transformed and did not fall. They mostly ignore the idea that by the time of the fall both West and East were for all intense and purposes different entities by the time of Rome's fall. Mr. Ward-Perkins fells that the biases of other scholars and academics play a large role in these views they put forth.
All in all this was a very interesting book to read. The author put forth evidence for his argument. Read this book and see if you agree with him or not.
Silas Marner
Silas Marner by George Eliot, aka Mary Ann Evan (1819 - 1880), is a story in which the love of gold is replaced by the love of a child. Marner is a weaver from a community of people who were dominated by strict religion. He is framed for a crime and leaves. He lives his life in isolation from his new community in Raveloe keeping company only with the gold he has collected. One day his gold is stolen. He thinks his life is pretty much over until a blond child who has just been orphaned walks through his door. He thinks his gold has been replaced by this "golden haired" child and takes care of her. As he takes care of her he learns that there is more to life than his previous hoard of money, there is love and family, the true treasure. Through his new daughter, he once again connects to a community and gains friends and ties that he once thought were gone forever. He is once more a person connected to the world around him and not an isolated hermit.
This is an excellent novel about the recovery of purpose (Marner's purpose of raising his new found daughter) and reconnection to a community. I highly recommend.
Silas Marner by George Eliot, aka Mary Ann Evan (1819 - 1880), is a story in which the love of gold is replaced by the love of a child. Marner is a weaver from a community of people who were dominated by strict religion. He is framed for a crime and leaves. He lives his life in isolation from his new community in Raveloe keeping company only with the gold he has collected. One day his gold is stolen. He thinks his life is pretty much over until a blond child who has just been orphaned walks through his door. He thinks his gold has been replaced by this "golden haired" child and takes care of her. As he takes care of her he learns that there is more to life than his previous hoard of money, there is love and family, the true treasure. Through his new daughter, he once again connects to a community and gains friends and ties that he once thought were gone forever. He is once more a person connected to the world around him and not an isolated hermit.
This is an excellent novel about the recovery of purpose (Marner's purpose of raising his new found daughter) and reconnection to a community. I highly recommend.
Silas Marner
Silas Marner by George Eliot, aka Mary Ann Evan (1819 - 1880), is a story in which the love of gold is replaced by the love of a child. Marner is a weaver from a community of people who were dominated by strict religion. He is framed for a crime and leaves. He lives his life in isolation from his new community in Raveloe keeping company only with the gold he has collected. One day his gold is stolen. He thinks his life is pretty much over until a blond child who has just been orphaned walks through his door. He thinks his gold has been replaced by this "golden haired" child and takes care of her. As he takes care of her he learns that there is more to life than his previous hoard of money, there is love and family, the true treasure. Through his new daughter, he once again connects to a community and gains friends and ties that he once thought were gone forever. He is once more a person connected to the world around him and not an isolated hermit.
This is an excellent novel about the recovery of purpose (Marner's purpose of raising his new found daughter) and reconnection to a community. I highly recommend.
Silas Marner by George Eliot, aka Mary Ann Evan (1819 - 1880), is a story in which the love of gold is replaced by the love of a child. Marner is a weaver from a community of people who were dominated by strict religion. He is framed for a crime and leaves. He lives his life in isolation from his new community in Raveloe keeping company only with the gold he has collected. One day his gold is stolen. He thinks his life is pretty much over until a blond child who has just been orphaned walks through his door. He thinks his gold has been replaced by this "golden haired" child and takes care of her. As he takes care of her he learns that there is more to life than his previous hoard of money, there is love and family, the true treasure. Through his new daughter, he once again connects to a community and gains friends and ties that he once thought were gone forever. He is once more a person connected to the world around him and not an isolated hermit.
This is an excellent novel about the recovery of purpose (Marner's purpose of raising his new found daughter) and reconnection to a community. I highly recommend.
Animal Farm by George Orwell is a satirical dystopian tale about a farm that experiences a revolution to overthrow the human owner to set up a society run by and for the animals. It does not go well. Their idealistic revolution quickly turns into another corrupt totalitarian society with one group (the pigs) ruling over all the other animals.
This story is used to discuss politics and power grabs that happened at the Russian Revolution. The characters can be paired up with their human counterparts who shaped Russian history (Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, Tsar Nicholas II). The story comes to an end with the realization that nothing has changed. The wheel has simply come full circle (corrupt power to idealistic revolution to corrupt power). The only thing that has changed is who holds the whip.
Animal Farm touches on many themes we as a society must face, corruption of power and ideals, the abuse of language written and spoken, the tendency of class stratification and exploitation, as well as the dangers of blindly following those in power.
This is a banned book in many countries (examples: Cuba, North Korea, UAE).
Animal Farm by George Orwell is a satirical dystopian tale about a farm that experiences a revolution to overthrow the human owner to set up a society run by and for the animals. It does not go well. Their idealistic revolution quickly turns into another corrupt totalitarian society with one group (the pigs) ruling over all the other animals.
This story is used to discuss politics and power grabs that happened at the Russian Revolution. The characters can be paired up with their human counterparts who shaped Russian history (Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, Tsar Nicholas II). The story comes to an end with the realization that nothing has changed. The wheel has simply come full circle (corrupt power to idealistic revolution to corrupt power). The only thing that has changed is who holds the whip.
Animal Farm touches on many themes we as a society must face, corruption of power and ideals, the abuse of language written and spoken, the tendency of class stratification and exploitation, as well as the dangers of blindly following those in power.
This is a banned book in many countries (examples: Cuba, North Korea, UAE).
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a young adult/children's book set during the American Civil War and the years after. It concerns four girls as that grow to adulthood and face the struggles between family duty and their own growth, the necessity of work and duty, as well as the important trait of being a genuine person.
I had high hopes for this book. I had always heard great things about it. I was disappointed. Unfortunately, the writing seemed choppy and lacked flow from one chapter to another. Each chapter seems to be its own self-contained mini-story. The author also wanted to capture the readers attention on herself and not let the characters tell their story themselves.
This book is not high on my book list and I don't plan on recommending it. There are better ya/children classics to read.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a young adult/children's book set during the American Civil War and the years after. It concerns four girls as that grow to adulthood and face the struggles between family duty and their own growth, the necessity of work and duty, as well as the important trait of being a genuine person.
I had high hopes for this book. I had always heard great things about it. I was disappointed. Unfortunately, the writing seemed choppy and lacked flow from one chapter to another. Each chapter seems to be its own self-contained mini-story. The author also wanted to capture the readers attention on herself and not let the characters tell their story themselves.
This book is not high on my book list and I don't plan on recommending it. There are better ya/children classics to read.
