This book was really hard to read for me. I had to force myself to really dive in the story. They say never judge a book by its cover, but I did. I also judged the title, "A Wizard of Earthsea", this seemed rather ominous from first glance. Though I think that is the point. After our discussion in class today it was clear I was not alone in my thinking. Succinctly put by little Sara, Ged is just not a likable character.
Though just because Ged was not likable does not mean he was not a hero. It is true that he was driven by his own pride; he was selfish and perhaps overly confident. However, I would argue that over the course of the novel and through the journey he overcomes his humanly flaws one by one. Thus, leading him to his ultimate quest of embracing the dark shadow.
This is an interesting novel because we think of children’s literature as typically being lighthearted and fun. Though, this novel did not possess those qualities. There was action guiding the book but it was driven by conflict and fear.
I thought Professor McMillan brought up a good point in class today that rather than the hero overcoming the darkness in the end of the novel he embraced it. Though difficult to get into at first, this book has a redeeming message in the end. There are evils of the world that we cannot necessarily run from. Though maybe by acknowledging the darkness we can balance out our own lives, making us wholly human.
P.S. Here is a good clip from the Earthsea series where Ged and Jasper have the duel and he raises the shadow. Click Here.
This is an interesting novel because we think of children’s literature as typically being lighthearted and fun. Though, this novel did not possess those qualities. There was action guiding the book but it was driven by conflict and fear.
I thought Professor McMillan brought up a good point in class today that rather than the hero overcoming the darkness in the end of the novel he embraced it. Though difficult to get into at first, this book has a redeeming message in the end. There are evils of the world that we cannot necessarily run from. Though maybe by acknowledging the darkness we can balance out our own lives, making us wholly human.
P.S. Here is a good clip from the Earthsea series where Ged and Jasper have the duel and he raises the shadow. Click Here.
I like that you bring up the idea about the action being driven by conflict and fear. While I still prefer Harry Potter to this book, I find it kind of refreshing to get a book that maybe isn't typical for children's literature. I think everyone has a dark side to them, a "shadow, and I like how this book says that you need to embrace that side of yourself in order to be whole.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Allison on the point you made about the difficulty of getting into the novel and enjoying it. It took me over a week of making myself sit down and force myself to read The Wizard of Earthsea. I also failed in not judging it by its cover and title. After discussing the novel in class, the literary importance became more clear.
ReplyDeleteI agree with childrenslitsteph about embracing your dark side to make you completely whole. I think this is a recurring theme in both Harry Potter as well as Earthsea. Both characters struggle with their inner darkness and ultimately overcome their issues.
ReplyDeleteI too was somewhat fooled by the cover - I expected more of a high-action fantasy book and was somewhat disappointed. Perhaps this initial disappointment was the reason I couldn't simply fall into the story like I would with Harry Potter.
ReplyDeleteYou made a good point about the end - which, though different than what I was expecting, was still necessary - and I think that Earthsea has a good message for children. However, I don't know if children would necessarily make it to the end because the book might not appeal to readers right away.
I agree with Allison and Andrea about reading this book. It took me a while till I was able to sit down and read The Wizard of Earthsea. Although, when I finished reading I had to ask myself if this would be a heroism novel to a child? As Sarah explained very well in her own words why she did not think Ged was a hero, it made me think a little harder about Ged.
ReplyDeleteI also agree. I found this book very hard to read. I was not driven by any means to finish it. I also like how you brought up Sara's opinion's. She told us that she did not like Ged and that she found him selfish and not really a hero at all. I find myself thinking that this book was not meant to prove Ged as a hero. Indeed it does talk of his greatness in the beginning but I believe that this was only the starter. A Wizard of Earthsea, in my opinion is suppost to show how human he is and then the sequel will begin to show his heroism. I agree with Sara and dont necessarly think he accomplished much in this book. He stopped what he started and thats it. Looking at this book through a childs eye the only moral I believe I would have gotten was to finish what you started, no matter how hard it may be.
ReplyDeleteI agree that he was far from a likable character, which made the book that much harder to get through. While it was also hard for me to see him as a hero, I think a good lesson is to be learned from reading A Wizard Of Earthsea. I believe that sometimes we all are our own worst enemies and the obstacles we face are usually there because of something we did, not someone else. Ged shows responsibility, especially responsibility for his own actions. While he makes some bad decisions, he works to make it right again, which I believe is deserving of praise.
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of Ursula K. Le Guin, so I had a lot of faith in the story from the beginning. But I recognize the stylistic and aesthetic difficulties that this story might have for young readers, or even older readers. There are moments in the text that remind me of Beowulf, one of my least favorite books in high school. Do you, members of the class, think children are better off reading stories with more likable characters and accessible language, like Harry Potter, or do you think it's also important to expose young readers to different genres and styles in literature? If you agree with the latter approach, how do we make these texts appealing to kids?
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