My top ten books

Dom Casmurro (Dom Casmurro), by Machado de Assis.

This is one of the most interesting books that I have read. It is extremely smart, and I often became stunned with the ingenuity and complexities presented in the story.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak.

Back to when I was reading this novel for the first time, I would think about

the characters and try to imagine what was going to happen even when I did not have the book in hands. After all, I believe that this is one of the most fascinating books that I have read in my life.

Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens.

This was the first book that I read after I started having classes in English. I must say that I did not find it very easy at first; however, as my English improved, I became amazed by how Dickens used so many techniques to make such a remarkable story.

Mister Pip, by Lloyd Jones.

This book is strongly connected to Great Expectations, and I love how it puts Dickens’s work in a completely different context as it would be expected. This is a great reading, and it really made me reflect about the conflicts and exploitation that happen around the world.

Olhai os Lírios do Campo (Look at the Lilies of the Field), by Erico Verissimo.

This book is about a man that gives up on everything to follow his dream career. At the end, he perceives that, to reach his objectives, he has hurt everyone that loved him, and that, now, he must renovate his life. For some reason, this book has an emotional meaning to me, and I really appreciate how it makes critics to many ideas are imposes on individuals by the society (e.g. we must be successful and rich, life is all about progress).

The Harry Potter Series, by J. K. Rowling.

This series has a greatly influenced my life when I was younger, and it definitely helped to increase my love for reading.

Rich Dad Poor Dad, by Robert T. Kiyosaki

This book has taught me a lot about how we should deal with our ambitions and dreams, and how we should never give up on our ultimate goals. In addition, it has an emotional meaning as it reminds me of my father, who gave this book to me, and who is one of my idols.

O Auto da Compadecida, by Ariano Suassuna

I simply love this play. Also, it had a major influence in the way that I see the Brazilian traditions and culture.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer.

This book gave me a completely different perspective on literature as an actual form of art. It is incredible how Safran Foer used many different techniques to make the story more interesting, complex, and meaningful.

Vidas Secas (Barren Lives), by Graciliano Ramos

Similarly to O Auto da Compadecida, this book gave me a new perspective about the Brazilian culture, poverty, and our goals in life.

Editorial - The Power of Pesticides

As a result of the increased use of pesticides in agriculture over the last years, there has been a significant rise in the quantity of toxic substances in the diets of people from all over the world. Besides the awful immediate problems that can be caused by these chemicals, in the long run, the ingestion of pesticides is also directly related to cancer and various mental disorders. In an attempt to control the utilization of these substances, governments have certainly created various regulations; however, as it tends to happen to anything that goes against the work of corporations, most of the laws are simply ignored.

In the mid-1990’s, the Consumers Union, a respected nonprofit US organization, found out that most of the pesticides used in agriculture were being employed in levels well above the safety limits for young children. As a consequence, innocent people have been exposed to dangerous substances, which are associated to serious diseases and deformations. In the case of children, the situation becomes even worse as kids are believed to consume 60 times more intoxicated fruits than adults in relation to their weight. In other words, the weakest and most precious people for our future are, essentially, being bombarded with toxic substances that can cause major problems even at minimal quantities.

At the same time, the excessive amounts of pesticides do not only cause gigantic problems to humans; in most cases, the substances also end up going to the ground and to the organisms of plants and animals, which affects entire food chains and may cause massive extinction in some areas. Due to the lower enforcement of regulatory laws in underdeveloped countries, important ecosystems are being threatened as farmers make use of pesticides that are often more powerful and dangerous. It has also been observed that the loss of crops to pests has increased by 5% from 1945 to 1987, which implies on adaptation of the unwanted organisms, and on the progressive need for stronger chemicals.

Pesticides have certainly played an important role in the food sector over the last years, and there is no doubt that we would not be able to feed the world population without them. Yet, we must pay attention to all of the risks generated by the excessive use of these substances, and to how they will affect us in the long run. With the increased awareness of people about all of the problems that might be caused by pesticides, solutions such as biological controls or more law enforcement have already been imposed in certain places. Nevertheless, it is necessary that action takes place in a global manner, so that safety and better life standards become a reality for people all over the world.

Book Review - Buyology by Martin Lindstrom

As the result of one of the greatest market experiments in history, and an authentic insight into our modern mass culture, Buyology can be of remarkable interest for pretty much anyone, from professional marketers to pathological consumers.

“Nowadays, most brands are almost the same as the keys of a hotel room; people forget where they put them even before getting to the room for the first time.” Every year, approximately 21000 new brands are created, of which around 52% fail. For individual products, the statistics get even worse, roughly reaching the 75% mark of failures in the first year.

After observing figures like these, the author of Buyology, Martin Lindstrom, decided to investigate what was the difference between a total fiasco and a successful market campaign. Differently from what had been previously done, however, Lindstrom perceived that not all marketing theories worked as expected. Consequently, he decided that he would go directly to the main source of our desires and choices; he would go directly to our brains.

As a result of this rather extraordinary task, one of the greatest and broadest market experiments was performed. Costing seven million dollars, and taking three years, the investigation concerned the use of brain scanners to observe how our brains respond to different marketing strategies. The outcome of this extended research project led to the creation of Buyology, which presents the conclusions that were taken from the experiment, together with plenty of examples of past market campaigns that confirm what is said.

“We may think we know why we do the things we do – but a much closer look into the brain tells us otherwise”. With this simple sentence, it is already possible to perceive the principal idea that is expressed throughout the entire book. By comparing the findings of the experiment with what people said about their opinions, it was observed that, in most cases, people say exactly the opposite to what their subconscious minds think. This, therefore, explains the failure of so many marketing strategies, as these are mostly based on tests that go for people’s opinion, and not for their brain’s.

Structurally, the book is divided into eleven chapters, which have the objective of exploring different aspects of marketing. From the various interesting facts and thoughts that are discussed, there are, for example, the popular myths of the use of subliminal messages and the effectiveness of sex in advertisements.

After all, the book truly justifies the nomination of Lindstrom as one of the 100 most influential people in 2009. Instead of just following the traditional practices that are taught around the world, Lindstrom decided to do his own research and study the most fundamental origins of our buying behaviors. At the end, together with the revolutionary results that were observed, Buyology also exposed the existence of a mass culture society, in which it is impossible to escape from things such as branding and marketing.

Commentary on OFOCN_p.169-172 [Without conclusion]

The book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest written by Ken Kesey, talks about the story of two men who were committed to living in a mental hospital under condition of extreme control and oppression. The passage that is being analyzed talks about the moment at which one of the main characters, McMurphy, finally decides to react against the Big Nurse after a long period of obedience and resignation. With the discovery that it was the Big Nurse who controlled how much time he would spend in the ward together with the fact that most of the patients in the hospital were not committed, McMurphy felt betrayed and saw all of his plans being destroyed. Consequently, the man entered in a state of complete acceptance of the nurse’s actions, which gave impressions that everything was over and that the nurse had finally gained control over him. The fragment shows the exact moment where McMurphy comes back to his old character and reacts against the nurse and all of her plans. After this happening in the story, McMurphy begins to care much more about the situation of the other patients, who start to see him as a martyr. From this point, it becomes really clear that McMurphy has permanently taken control of the ward and of the Big Nurse.

The key themes that are expressed in this passage are Gambling, Power and Manipulation and Be a man. In addition, there is the use of many motifs and symbols such as Big and small, Machinery, the Glass window, and the Black Boys. To demonstrate and explain how the themes and motifs are developed in the passage, we will study the use of imagery created by the narrator, and the language used by the nurse.

Throughout the entire passage, it is possible to observe a clear predominance of the theme ‘Gambling’. This theme refers not only to the basic idea of gambling just for the sake of it, but it also to the way McMurphy behaves and thinks. In the segment, proofs of the existence and importance of the theme are given by the Chief’s descriptions and thoughts about the situations. “His eyes were blue stripped under those white eye-brown, and they shot back and forth just the way he watched cards turning up around a poker table”. This quotation was made by Chief Broomden as he portrayed how McMurphy was acting during the meeting. By simply observing the imagery and comparison that was used to describe McMurphy, it is already possible to perceive a strong relationship between the man’s actions and the idea of Gambling. Furthermore, the fact that McMurphy was calculating and reflecting about what he was going to do shows us how he always conducted himself as if he was in a poker game. McMurphy was thinking about his strengths and weaknesses, and in how the nurse was taking control over him and everyone else. In addition, he was trying to understand what the nurse had in her mind so that he could still use his ace and play his game. “I eased up…beginning to think I’d been wrong [that McMurphy would react]”. As it is expressed by the Chief, everyone was starting to lose confidence on McMurphy. Nevertheless, as it is done in a poker game, after giving hope to the opponents that they can still win the game, a good player comes back with a major strike that ends up with the hopes of their enemies.

Tied to the idea of enemies and games (battles) for power, there is also the theme Power and Manipulation. In the passage, as well as in the rest of the book, there is a constant battle for power and control over the ward. On one side, there is the Big Nurse and her methods of oppression and diminishment of the patients’ strengths, and on the other side, there is McMurphy with his ideals of freedom and individuality. Some examples of the battle for power can be: “It is entirely for your own good that we enforce discipline and order” and “This was supposed to be her final victory over him…here he comes as big as a house”. The first quotation was taken from the announcement that the nurse made to the patients at the end of the meeting. These words clearly expose how she tried to make the people around her feel guilty and sorry for their actions even if they did not do anything. This way of acting appears throughout the entire book and it is the main source of the Big Nurse’s control over ward. The second quotation is another description made by the chief as McMurphy approached the glass window. By analyzing the Chief’s words, we can see the existence of a battle for power between the nurse and McMurphy. With the fact that the nurse was expecting to have ‘her final victory’ and with McMurphy’s reaction, the readers are able to recognize all of the tension that existed between the two characters. Moreover, with the power that McMurphy gained after this moment, we can observe how decisive these battles were to define who would end up ‘taking control’ of the ward. In this quotation, there is also the use of a major reoccurring symbol in the book, which is related to being Big or Little and that figuratively shows the power of the characters over their opponents.

Outline for OFOCN - pg 169 - 172

Intro

· Intro

The book One flew over the cuckoo’s nest, written by Ken Kesey in 1962, talks about the story of mental hospital after the arrival of a rather different and revolutionary patient. In a deeper sense, the book refers to the situation of the US society in the 1960’s, and to how ideas of individualism and freedom were being suppressed by the ones that were in positions of greater power.

· What is the importance of the passage

In the passage, it is possible to see many themes and symbols that are extremely relevant to the rest of the book. The most apparent themes from the passage are Gambling, Power Manipulation, and Be a man. All of those are strongly intertwined with each other and to certain motifs such as “Big and Small”, ”Machinery”, the glass window and the black boys.

· How is it going to be shown (Examples)

To demonstrate how the themes and motifs are exposed, we are going to use a series of quotations from the passage together with some other important ideas that are presented throughout the book.

Context

· Where in story

The fragment that is being analyzed happens right after McMurphy discovers that it is the nurse who controls how much time he will spend in the ward. With this discovery, McMurphy has his first shock, followed by a sudden change in the way he acted and behaved. McMurphy changes the way he thinks of everything in the hospital, and stops going against the nurse and trying to make the others stronger as he previously did. The passage shows the moment at which McMurphy comes back to his normal behavior. With his reaction, the nurse is left with no words, and all of the other patients start to see him as a martyr – the person who gave up on is own self-interests to help the others.

Pragraph 1 – Gambling

· Intro

The entire passage is strongly connected with the theme of Gambling. The theme appears mainly in McMurphy’s actions, which are described and implemented by the narrator, Chief Broomden. The idea of gambling is associated to the characteristics of McMurphy, who is a Risk-taker and that knows how to play with people to get anything he wants

· Examples

“His eyes were blue striped under those white eye-browns, and they shot back and forth just the way he watched cards turning up around a poker table”

“I eased up…beginning to think I’d been wrong”

· Explanation

The first quotation demonstrates how McMurphy was calculating his actions since the beginning, and it gives a clue to the whole idea of gambling playing with people.

The second quotation shows how McMurphy could even make the Chief think that nothing was going to happen. After pretending he had lost to the big nurse, he unexpectedly reacted and gained control of the whole situation again.

Paragraph 2 – Power Manipulation

· Intro

The idea of control is also extremely important to the passage. It appears in the way the nurse tries to control the patients (weaknesses), and in the battle that occurred between McMurphy and her.

· Examples

“It is entirely for your own good that we enforce discipline and order’

“This was supposed to be her final victory over him…here he comes and he is as big as a house”

· Explanation

The nurse gained power by making the people think that they needed help and that they were nothing without her. She tried to expose the patient’s weaknesses and to make them think that all of their problems were their own fault.

Secondly, the ‘battle’ shows the struggle for power that was occurring between the nurse and McMurphy.

Paragraph 3 – Be a man

· Intro

The principal strategy that the nurse uses to make the patients weaker is by attacking their masculinity.

· Examples

“We have decided that there would be a certain justice in taking away the privilege of the tub room that you men have been using for your card games during the day”

· Explanation

Smoking, Playing cards and freedom are all symbols of masculinity that are discussed in the story. By prohibiting the Acutes of using the tub room for their card games, the nurse was once more trying to ‘cut the men’s balls’ as a way to make them weaker.

Similarly to the rest of the story, McMurphy was trying to help the men and to stop the nurse of following her plans.