"The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail" is so far one of my favourite books I've read all year. It's funny, but serious, and it really makes you think. At first, I didn't get what was going on, simply because of the flashbacks. I started the book after three hours of sleep, and thought I was dreaming/not remembering at first, but then I finally figured it out.
This book reminds me of John Lennon's "Imagine." Henry is not the average young fellow for that time era, and is definitely a dreamer. And I also like how he doesn't hesitate to stand up for his beliefs, like in the schoolroom. Henry won't conform to others ways of thinking, especially concerning religion and politics. I feel like people like him are hard to come by, and we never even take advantage of him until they croak. As it is, we really haven't listened to him anyhow. Imagine though, if we had, and how different the world would be today...
Also, I wanna hug Henry for being so kind to Ellen. Many (sexist) men in that time period would have laughed and turned her away, but Henry welcomes her openly just like he would a male, even without the traditional money for tuition. And that girl had GUTS, I mean, she goes out to the meadow where these two men are and asks for an education, a huge thing back then, if you get my point.
As for Deacon Bell, he makes me so mad.I think this may be because of my own... conflicting religious beliefs, but even if they didn't, I think he'd still bug me. He claims to be so "Christian" and elite, yet won't accept others and their ideas, which is what God wanted/wants. What is wrong with the man?
ALSO, VOTE ON THE POLL, DARN IT!
Deacon Bell drives me crazy, too. He exemplifies so much of what is wrong about the way we go about education (still!) in this country. I would have loved to be Thoreau's student.
ReplyDeleteI tried to vote in the poll. It says I have to be signed in to vote. But I AM signed in!