The Professor and the Madman-by Simon Winchester-Dropped Book

After I read halfway through The Professor and the Madman, by Simon Winchester, I found the book to be boring because I was not really interested with the history of the Oxford English Dictionary. I picked up the book and read it because I felt that it was a classic and I would like it. However, the book did not taint my perception of reading classics. As mentioned in the previous blog I wrote, I do enjoy classics, but not this particular book because it was too factual.

The Bluest Eye-My Reaction

I enjoyed reading this challenging, enriching book. I usually read contemporary nonfiction and historical fiction; I do not read many classics. I aim to read more classics because I would like to further my critical thinking skills. I used to think that classics sounded boring to read but after reading The Bluest Eye, I feel like reading more classics because I had advanced intellectually by conquering the Bluest Eye. 

The Bluest Eye with The Awakening

The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison, was an extremely dense book, but I forged through it and have emerged a stronger reader and comprehender. The book was filled with vivid images and turning points of the protagonist, Pecola Breedlove, an African American girl. I chose this book because it related to two themes: hope for a better life and conformity. The first theme, hope, connects very well to The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. Pecola hopes for her eyes to turn blue so she can be recognized in the world. Fueling her desire is the presence of white, prosperous, joyous families enjoying their lives. Pecola’s ultimate goal is the hope to become white and prosperous, instead of feeling miserable and impoverished because she is black. In The Awakening, the protagonist, Edna Pontellier, hopes to free herself from the restraints placed on her by her husband and by men in society. Even though the two settings of both books are total contrasts, the idea of hope is central to both texts. However, the second theme, conformity, contrasts between the two books. Pecola wants to fit in and live like a white person in society and not feel ostracized because of her race, whereas Edna wants to non-conform and create her own path in life without assistance from any men.


I can’t wait to explore the connections and contrasts between these two classics.