I can no longer take this,
I must choose a side,
Between the lies and the bliss.
How can I decide?
You are the root
Of my benediction,
You are the root
Of my affliction.
You’ve torn my soul
As you’re tearing my heart.
You make me whole
Yet you tear me apart.
I can’t live without you,
You can’t live without me.
I can’t live with you,
You can’t live with me.
You kill to eat,
You eat to make beautiful.
Strip away this meat
That I give you, Hannibal.
You are brighter than all moons,
Your clothes as black as the runes
Decorating your skin – clear as the pale night.
I am able to find my way, guided by your witchlight.
Oh the people you’ve saved, the things you’ve destroyed.
You saved me from myself and filled up the void
Growing in my empty heart. By the angel,
I owe you my life, son of Raziel.
Your touch makes the power of your stele dim.
I am yours as you are mine, dear Nephilim.
Before, we were a book without a word.
As my magic drew you in,
Your runes put a spell on me.
Now, we are as limitless as the world.
For this, my dear, is my favourite combination:
Your hair; as black as the night sky,
Your eyes; as blue as the sea.
And you, my dear, are the epitome of perfection.
Where we now stand, you stood.
I was lonely, when you found me,
You were lost, when I found you.
We are one, Alec Lightwood.
I find it rather ironic that Jay Gatsby has the ability to read people perfectly, yet the notion of opening a book and then going on to read it is seemingly preposterous to him. What ever did we do to make him so distant?
My cousin The Picture of Dorian Gray on the shelf below me doesn’t think we are to blame, and I would tend to agree with him. I don’t think Jay dislikes reading, I just don’t think he enjoys it either. He has so many other things to do in his busy billionaire life. None of which involve picking me off a shelf, of course.
He often walks into the library and just stands in the middle of the room, as though he were admiring his impressive collection. Yet when I look into his eyes, all I am able to detect is a vague emptiness. It has occurred, occasionally, that he take one of us in his hands and look at the cover, perhaps even daring to open the front page and skim over the first few words before tiring his eyes. I’ve never had the honour. Sometimes, I wonder if he is purposefully ignoring me. I think, though, that I might feel insulted if he made the effort of picking me up but didn’t bother carrying on to actually read me.
I remember once, not so long ago in fact, a drunk owl-eyed man from one of Jay’s parties stumbled into this very library. I’m rather proud to say he took quite a liking to me. Not only that, but he gently tipped me backwards to get a better look at my spine, and slid me out of my place. The touch of human hands on my cover, and the sound of my pages carefully being turned, one by one. Seeing things from a new angle was quite disconcerting in and of itself. I felt dazed when the owl-eyed man gently put me back in my spot. I distinctly remember hearing the owl-eyed man mentioning something about my cousins and I being “real books, with pages and everything”, a look of awe written across his face. I think he was expecting fake cardboard books.
Jay wants people to believe he is a well-educated Oxford man, but we all know he only spent four months there after the war. A handful of my cousins were brought here from Oxford, but he never read them. I get the impression he brought them here as a reminder to himself that he did, in fact, partially attend Oxford University. To convince others, one must first convince oneself.
What I love about being one of Jay’s books is that I get to hear so many different opinions regarding such an infinitely wide range of subjects varying from religion to unicorns. Another thing I love about belonging to him is the amount of things I hear from other humans who wander in here, trying to act ‘intellectual’ when they’re really too drunk off their own ego to notice our open ears, devouring every word they utter. They manage to come up with the most absurd rumours you could imagine about how Jay became who he is. However the facts remain unexamined, quite like my cousins and I.
I think it a tragedy that a mind as intricate as his be wasted on the wild imaginings of a man in love with impossibility. What has love ever done for humanity? It has caused wars, deaths, grief… Don’t tell The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling that. He’ll simply say love is what we owe our existence to.
I suppose I rather like my owner, however hypocritical he may be. Although in his defence, he is ‘in love’, as The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling would phrase it, and I wouldn’t be here if he weren’t.
Why would Jay Gatsby feel the need to own a book entitled Out Of Love if not to remind him love isn’t an amount like his money, but an emotion who’s persistence keeps one going?
Books have always been an important part of my life. I learnt how to read before going to school, and even then I was an avid reader. The pile of books in my room grew rapidly, but I kept them tidy and well organised so that I could find the one I wanted easily. Perhaps that is why I am constantly rearranging things around the house to be in a more orderly fashion.
Books really have always been a way to escape reality. I can simply open a book and all of my worries will float away for a while. And even as I close the book, the story shadows my thoughts and dreams, easing my way through life. It’s rather strange how these little black swirls and dots on a page can change one’s life. When authors write a book, they are giving their opinion on a subject. And when you read a lot of books, you discover all these different points of view; giving me a new perspective on things and helping me forge my own outlook on life today.
A couple of years ago, I met Nicky Singer, author of Feather Boy, with whom I exchanged ideas in a writing workshop. Actually talking with the person who wrote this book was an amazing experience and reinforced my wish to continue writing.
I create many alternative universes which is probably what motivated me to start a website, where I publish some of my writings. I have met people around me who like the same books as I do, and have made interesting friends who recommend even more books.
When you read many books, you do not simply have a better literary culture, but you also learn many random facts. For instance thanks to the Hunger Games (Collins), I know now that mockingbirds mimic the sounds of other birds and insects. Percy Jackson (Riordan) taught me about Greek and Roman mythology, Dracula (Stoker) confirmed my suspicions that vampires do not glitter in the sunlight, as they do according to Twilight (Meyer), and Divergent (Roth) reminded me of five important words that define us as human beings (amity, abnegation, dauntless, erudite and candor). The Book Thief (Zusak) showed me that there are two sides to everything, the Perks of Being a Wallflower (Chbosky) gave me hope, Looking for Alaska (Green) told me that some things are best left unknown and the Count of Monte Cristo (Dumas) made me understand that life is not a fairy tale.
All of these characters have such different lives, such different personalities. When I am in a difficult position, I ask myself what my favourite character would do in this particular situation. When I meet someone, I subconsciously compare them to a character from a story. Now whether or not that is a good thing, I couldn’t tell you, but it certainly is a part of who I am.
I have always relied on books to help me on this thrilling journey we call life. All of these stories have such a great influence on me and the decisions I make. Books truly define who I am today.
Is being human physical, psychological or both? If an android could feel emotions such as happiness and sadness as a human can, would it make said android human? For example, would pressing the off switch be considered murder if they can experience fear and therefore fear of death?
“Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”
We are human,
We breathe, think and feel.
We all experience confusion,
Who decides if it is all real?
What if someone invents
An android, an automaton
That can feel emotions and sentiments,
Is that not a human phenomenon?
They look the same outside,
Perfectly constructed,
Feel the same inside,
So well invented,
Experience joy and pain,
Laugh and grieve,
Their tears lost in rain.
It would be hard to perceive
Such a small difference
Between birth and creation;
Is it not our experience
That makes us human?
Here my favourite quotes from the book “The Outsiders” by S.E.Hinton:
“Johnny, you don’t know what a few months in jail can do to you, man. You get mean in jail, I just don’t wanna see that happen to you like it happened to me, man. Understand?” -Dallas Winston
“They grew up on the outside of society. They weren’t looking for a fight. They were looking to belong.” -Ponyboy Curtis
“You can’t win. You know that, don’t you? It doesn’t matter if you whip us, you’ll still be where you were before, at the bottom. And we’ll still be the lucky ones at the top with all the breaks. It doesn’t matter. Greasers will still be Greasers and Socs will still be Socs. It doesn’t matter.”-Randy
“Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold.” -Johnny Cade
“You get tough like me and you don’t get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothin’ can touch you…” -Dally
“Sixteen years on the streets and you can learn a lot. But all the wrong things, not the things you want to learn. Sixteen years on the streets and you see a lot. But all the wrong sights, not the things you want to see.” -Ponyboy
“They grew up on the outside of society. They weren’t looking for a fight. They were looking to belong.” -Ponyboy
“I am a greaser. I am a JD and a hood. I blacken the name of our fair city. I beat up people. I rob gas stations. I am a menace to society. Man do I have fun!” -Sodapop
“Greaser…greaser…greaser… O victim of environment, underprivileged, rotten, no-count hood!”-Steve
“Things are rough all over.” -Cherry
“He died violent and young and desperate, just like we all knew he’d die someday.” -Ponyboy
“Useless… fighting’s no good…” -Johnny
“You know a guy a long time, and I mean really know him, you don’t get used to the idea that he’s dead just overnight.” -Ponyboy
“I knew he would be dead, because Dally Winston wanted to be dead and he always got what he wanted.” -Ponyboy
“Let’s do it for Johnny, man. We’ll do it for Johnny!”-Dally
“Tough and tuff are two different words. Tough is the same as rough; tuff means cool, sharp–like a tuff-looking Mustang or a tuff record.”-Ponyboy
“Tonight we could be proud of it. Greasers may not have much, but they have a rep. That and long hair.”-Ponyboy
“I hope I never see Dallas Winston again. If I do I’d… probably fall in love with him.”-Cherry
“Don’t you know a rumble ain’t a rumble without me?”-Dally
“Johnny’s dead. Told him about beating the socs, I don’t know. He just died. Told me to stay gold. Dally’s gone. He couldn’t take it, he’s going to blow!”-Ponyboy
“If it hadn’t been for the gang, Johnny would never have known what love and affection are.” -Ponyboy
“Listen, I don’t mind dying now. It’s worth it. It’s worth saving those kids. Their lives are worth more than mine, they have more to live for.” -Johnny
“Get outa there! That roof’s gonna cave in any minute. Forget those blasted kids!” -Dally
First of all, I wish you guys a very Happy New Year!!! <3 But I really posted this to make a list of my top 10 favourite movies from 2013. They’re my own personal choices, so you’re welcome to disagree in the comments below. 🙂
10) The Bling Ring
9) Monsters University
8) Warm Bodies
7) Time of the Doctor
6) Frozen
5) Day of the Doctor
4) The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
3) Sea of Monsters
2) City of Bones
1) Catching Fire
I know technically, numbers 7 and 5 aren’t actually movies, but episodes of Doctor Who, but they’re the right length and they are amazing!!!!! 🙂