Assumptions and Me as a Reader.

After re-reading my response on why The Hunger Games and The Wizard of Oz are why they are similar and considered to be “American Fairytales”, my assumptions before and after are pretty much the same. I talked about how The Hunger Games is a more realistic and logical version of The Wizard of Oz, and even though some might disagree, the storyline and parts of the story are strangely similar even when they’re in completely different sides of the genre spectrum. The story of The Wizard of Oz is more straightforward, where everything happens after the next, whilst The Hunger Games involves more of internal feelings and emotions because of the reality of it.

I tend to look more to the side of stories that delve deep into insane psychological experiences. A good example would be between The Wizard of Oz and The Hunger Games. I’d choose The Hunger Games over the other simply because it’s not so straightforward. It makes me question more of the storyline itself rather than expecting what will definitely happen. Aside from that, reading for me when I can find a good book, feels more personal. It doesn’t matter how many people have read that book, or how popular it is, but there’s a sense of feeling where you’re completely submerged into the story itself.

Week 2: The Great Gatsby

Why is The Great Gatsby a literary work?

Most people grew up reading The Great Gatsby. It’s one of the most well-known novels out there that describes the scene and the people in the 1900s. The plot itself is very intensely put together, showing the good times and the troubles all the characters go through regardless of it being such a wonderful time-period.

Of course, I see how The Great Gatsby can be a literary work, and I strongly believe that it is a very well executed one- because this novel jumps right into it so fast. At this time in history, everybody is trying to achieve the American Dream. Especially when it takes place in New York city, it’s a definite place where we can see people coming from different parts of the nation- like Nick from Missouri, for example- to see the new side of business, and how these great people make a living.

Of course, most of the characters in the novel are filthy rich, living the wonderful life, and having all the money and things they want- but there are darker sides to it all. There are affairs, lies and deceit. It shows themes of decadence, idealism and resistance to change. I feel like this novel really expresses and shows the era of that time extremely well. The atmosphere that is created is very precise, so it gives you a strong feeling that you’re in the time period. It ranges from the ranks of people in society, to the clothes on their backs. So not only does the culture show, but even the little things tie it all together.

Week 1: The Wizard of Oz

Writing Assignment: Write a blog post (350-500 words) that discusses the proposition that the Hunger Games is like the Wizard of Oz. Consider the question whether or not all American fairy tales are like the Wizard of Oz.

I have never read or watched any of the Oz series in my life. I’ve heard many good reviews on the storyline, so I gave it a go at reading and audiobooks. I have to say that from all that I’ve read, the story is a very classic, very wonderfully written piece of work. It’s considered cliché, but that’s what I love about it, because no matter how cliché it may be, the story itself will never get old. Only because this is also an American Classic.

As we discussed in class about how the Hunger Games was a more modern version of the Wizard of Oz, I slightly see the similarities on how they relate. Looking at it from afar, the Hunger Games often is described as a survival story. Clearly it is, but it isn’t just that. There’s a lot more than that once it’s looked at and compared, especially to the Wizard of Oz.

I know that the characters are taken away from their comforts of their home; In Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is taken away from her home in Kansas into the Land of Oz, and The Hunger Games when Katniss instead of having the option to stay safe in her home place, bravely sacrifices herself as a replacement for her sister Primrose. Even though The Hunger Games is a lot more modern in comparison to The Wizard of Oz, they still roll on the same line of a main character thrown into a different society by themselves. Having aid from the right people, and trying to avoid the wrong. They both find helpful friends along the way, but in The Hunger Games, it’s a lot more different because there’s more logic and reality involved. Death is a lot more prominent because it is a reality in The Hunger Games rather than the Wizard of Oz. Instead of being like Katniss fighting for her own life in this horrifying game that she is placed in so she can return home, Dorothy has a handful of friends that she meets along the way, and for her, it’s pretty much a journey to find the Great Wizard Oz so she can find her way home to Kansas.

These stories are different and similar in their own ways, but I feel like not all American Fairytales are like the Wizard of Oz is because of contemporary ideals and views. Especially through media, people would be more likely to see a hardcore version of The Wizard of Oz rather than an original, mainly because that’s what strikes people more nowadays is the intense, “WOW!” effect most movies show.