W ogłoszonym przez naszą bibliotekę konkursie zdecydowałyśmy się przyznać dwie równorzędne pierwsze nagrody. W obu wyróżnionych pracach wyraźnie widać nie tylko biegłość w posługiwaniu się językiem angielskim, ale również duże zdolności literackie, lekkie pióro i ciekawe przemyślenia.
Recenzja książki Milana Kundery „Nieznośna lekkość bytu” autorstwa Zuzanny Janigi, uczennicy klasy 3c utrzymana jest w nostalgicznym, melancholijnym tonie, korespondującym ze słodko-gorzką konwencją powieści. To głęboko przemyślana, napisana literackim językiem praca, przypominająca trochę stylistyką wyważone, pełne intelektualnych odniesień recenzje z „The New York Times”.
Drugi nagrodzony tekst, Nicolasa Plodzika z klasy 2m, utrzymany jest w bardziej nieformalnym stylu, z dużą dawką humoru i „puszczeniem oka” do czytelnika. Widać dużą biegłość w posługiwaniu się językiem angielskim, a ciekawy, soczysty i wyrazisty styl pisania autora robi wrażenie i zapada w pamięć.
Autorom recenzji gratulujemy, a czytelników naszego bloga zachęcamy do zapoznania się z opublikowanymi poniżej tekstami recenzji, bo zdecydowanie warto!
ZUZANNA JANIGA - MILAN KUNDERA “THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING”
Should the burden that each of us bears on our shoulders be thrown off? Is the purpose of our lives to get rid of what reminds us how weak we are? Maybe we should come to terms with what pulls us down, doesn`t allow us to fly too high and to forget who we are - creatures for whom the problems of everyday life are like gravity, keeping them alive.
Together with Milan Kundera, we travel through various aspects of our lives. The author presents his thoughts on the philosophy of chance, love and the functioning of the individual in society. On the scaffolding of the relationship between Teresa and Tomasz, he builds theses, discovers truths that we have never before devoted even a moment of attention to.
Reaching for this book, an open-minded reader will have the opportunity to confront the motive of having one and only one life, which is overwhelming for some. Einmal ist keinmal, a German proverb says. What we create by going to work, getting married, building a house is just a sketch. A sketch where paint will never land if we only have one life. We will not get the opportunity to use the knowledge we have gained by making life mistakes. There won`t be a second chance. Does such an unfinished painting have any value? Or maybe designing life with a pencil, its lightness, uniqueness, maybe this is its advantage? Maybe this lightness is beautiful? Milan Kundera is here to help you answer this question.
Psychology enthusiasts will surely be interested in the main characters who, under the influence of their upbringing, the prevailing political situation and the relationships they made, have grown into interesting, but quite controversial personalities. In the book we will deal with the problem of the duality of soul and body, the inability to love in a healthy way and the escape from the burden that a loving another person can become.
Thanks to the interweaving of a fairly simple story with interesting thoughts, the book is easy to read, and the author draws our attention to the central issues without making the novel a complicated philosophical lecture. This makes it possible for everyone to reach for this work without fear of being overwhelmed. Additionally, the work is rich in metaphors, so it reads a bit like poetry. Connoisseurs of good literature should prepare highlighters, because they will have a lot to mark and interpret!
I recommend Kundera`s work to everyone who is not afraid to reach for books that will surprise them and open their minds to new thoughts that may upset or even terrify them. I believe that you can get to know a good writer by the ability to arouse such emotions. Thanks to his erudition and references to culture, Kundera broadens the horizons of those who embark on his journey full of thoughts about man and his life.
NICOLAS PLODZIK – J.K. ROWLING “HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX”
"Twas, the night before Christmas". I was sitting comfortably (in my festive slippers of course), in front of the fireplace, drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows, with a Christmas tree in the room, waiting for Saint Nick to leave some presents, as I was outstandingly well behaved that year. But why is my family preparing our Christmas Eve dinner so long!? It’s only twelve meals and a few hours have already gone by. Hungry and bored, I couldn’t take it anymore! “That is it!” I said out loud. I had to do something to kill the time. And so, I decided to grab a book. Not any book but one full of magic. Not Christmas magic present in books like "A Christmas Carol" written by Charles Dickens or in "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" written by Dr. Seuss, but a different kind of magic. Magic taught at schools. Magic from the Harry Potter universe.
“Harry Potter” is a fantasy novel series written by British author J.K. Rowling. It was originally published by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom and Scholastic Press in the United States of America. The first novel “Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone” was published in 1997 and the last novel “Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows” came out in 2007. The series was an instant success, with many people rushing to their local bookshop, to be the first to read the next installment. Now after having read most of the series, I can see why. There are just so many cliffhangers. And so the “Harry Potter phenomenon” was born, with more than 500 million copies having been sold in more than 60 languages and 8 films being produced, making the series the best-selling and possibly even the most influential series of all time, restructuring the classical teenager book scheme. These numbers sound like a lot right? That’s because they are and I have only started with them. When narrowing the series down, there are a total of: 7 books, 199 chapters, 3,363 pages and wait for it … 1,090,739 words. Phew! That surely is a lot. But the series doesn’t only consist of all this. What most frequently differentiates this series from any other is the diverse range of themes and genres present. The longest novel in the series is “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”, originally consisting of around 766 pages and 38 chapters, which took me a long time to read, finishing just before Easter. As this is the longest and most complex book of the series, there is probably no surprise that it includes something for just about everybody, of all ages and genders.
“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” follows Harry Potter's struggles throughout his fifth and possibly toughest year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After Lord Voldemort was resurrected in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”, Harry and the titular “Order of the Phoenix'' need to hunt him down, before he can inflict any more deaths and start an inevitable Third Wizarding War. But Harry also has a lot on his mind including: passing his Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) exams, (which decide whether a student may continue taking a certain subject in subsequent years and which determine what kind of job a student could have after graduating Hogwarts) and dealing with the uncooperative Ministry of Magic in the face of the Dark Lord’s return.
What I really liked when reading “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” was the large range of genres and themes included. Wait. Isn’t it just the fight between good and evil? Isn’t it just a story of friendship? Doesn’t it only show the power of love? Some people may think so, which only shows that they haven’t dove into the text deep enough. All of these are present but only make up a percentage. Thirty eight percent, to be precise. You may be wondering, right now, what makes up the other sixty two percent. Let me tell you …
When taking into consideration the genre of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” many would say that it is a combination of fantasy and adventure. This is true but there is a lot more such as romance, and thriller to name a few.
It’s probably no surprise that in a teenage series, dedicated to teens, the topic of romance would eventually come up. This is probably the most beautiful time of life, when pairs form and some even go on to get married later. Most of us, in our teenage years, have had or just started having a strong attraction towards someone else, making it easy to sympathize with the main characters and remind ourselves of what it is like. In fact, at this very moment, I have reminded myself of one particular girl. One with nice blue eyes, long light brown hair and a pretty smile. The award for the most romantic pair in this book goes to Harry, the “chosen one” himself and Cho Chang, a girl whose boyfriend Cedric Diggory had passed away the year prior. They're both very anxious and don’t know how to react towards each other. Just read through this short passage:
“They looked at each other for a long moment. Harry felt a burning desire to run from the room and, at the same time, a complete inability to move his feet. … His brain seemed to have been Stunned. … Cho made a funny noise halfway between a sob and a laugh. She was even nearer to him now. … ‘I really like you, Harry.’ He could not think. A tingling sensation was spreading through him, paralysing his arms, legs and brain.”
This book also
fits into the thriller genre. This can be especially seen at the end, when the
main characters break into the Ministry of Magic and when the titular Order
inevitably fights the Death Eaters, who as the name would suggest, aren’t that
friendly. But the most thrilling part is that they have to save Harry's
godfather in time. This scene is so compelling and makes you anxious. It’s just
so suspenseful, especially since the stakes here are high. Harry does this!
Bellatrix Lestrange yells this! Spells are flying all over the place!
Mysterious artifacts are getting knocked over! It’s total chaos! You keep
asking yourself, what will happen next? Will they all come out alive? The
passage below is a good representation of this and even feels as if taken
straight out of a War book:
“‘Harry,
take the prophecy, grab Neville and run!’ Sirius yelled, dashing to meet
Bellatrix. Harry did not see what happened next: Kingsley swayed across his
field of vision, … another jet of green light flew over Harry’s head as he
launched himself towards Neville.”
At
the very beginning there is a chapter (“The Hearing”) related to law. Harry is
accused of having used magic in front of a muggle (his cousin Dudley), even
though he was only protecting himself from magical beasts called Dementors. Later
on, there are also some humor elements, when Fred and George Weasley are
playing pranks on the teachers. That was cool, if only I was such a natural
born prankster.
Silence
caused by trauma, the loss of a loved one, and the purpose of education are all
very important themes present in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”.
In
the previous book Harry loses a good friend of his, Cedric Diggory (mentioned
previously), in the famous “Triwizard Tournament”, where three magical schools
compete, being killed by a Death Eater when Lord Voldemort was being
resurrected. Our main character has to cope with this, if not for him his
friend may still have been alive. But all of this is even worsened when the
Ministry of Magic denies the Dark Lord’s return and probably worst of all
discreditates Harry and Dumbledore’s story. A story which was entirely true.
Some of Harry’s friends turn their backs on him, making him even more
frustrated. But his friends (Hermione and Ron) convince him to tell the real
story by blackmailing Rita Skeeter, a journalist. When the truth gets out his
old friends apologize to him. The actions of the Ministry of Magic are a prime
example of how corruption of a governing body can create a split in the society
and speech is presented as something very important. I was so furious at
Cornelius Fudge, the minister. I thought he was a man who wanted all the best
for the wizarding community. But he turned out to be nothing more than a
coward. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. Nic. Nichego.
What
I believe, J.K. Rowling has done expertly in this part of the series is
conveying the emotions of the main characters, the psychological aspects. This
can be seen in how Harry responds to his godfather Sirius’s demise at the hands
of Bellatrix Lestrange: “Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin would
not let go … ’HE-IS-NOT-DEAD!’ roared Harry. ‘SIRIUS!’.” Harry is clearly
devastated at this moment. He acts as if he has lost his sanity. Sirius, the
only loving family he had left - killed. He could have learned much more
interesting stories from him, they could have laughed together - all gone. It
has vanished, disappeared. There’s no going back. Harry is emotionally
devastated and so was I. We as readers have known Padfoot for a few chapters, even
books up to this point. He was presented as a father figure Harry so longed
for. A person who had a lot of wisdom, a handsome young man, who wanted the
best for his godson and ultimately a man with an untimely demise. He is
actually my favorite character of the entire series and his death just SHOCKED
me. As if I was mourning with Harry, right there, at that very moment.
With the appointment of Dolores Jane Umbridge to
Hogwarts, as the new DADA professor and later as the Hogwarts High Inquisitor,
giving her almost unlimited power, Harry is faced with complex questions. He
ponders the purpose of education and how the education system can be
manipulated to promote a government agenda. In this case it’s discrediting
Harry and Dumbledore's eyewitness testimony that Voldemort is back. Harry is
furious at Dolores and I can see why. She made my blood boil so much. Ugh! She
makes him scar himself, with a pen, for telling the truth, for “Merlin’s
beard!”. I think that she is a perfectly written character, as a representation
of corruption. When she is taken away by vicious centaurs she finally gets what
she deserved. Yes! Take that you “large pale toad”! “What goes around comes around!”
I really liked “Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix'' for its numerous themes, genres and most importantly how
it makes the reader reflect on his/her own life but also to be there with
Harry, to feel what he is going through. His first relationship, losing a loved
one and being recognized as public enemy number one even though he is the one
true hero, “The Chosen One”.
Even though it may be a tough read for some, I
totally recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something that has to
do with the law, the impacts of a governing body being corrupt, the internal
conflicts and emotions of characters. If you like “Romeo and Juliet” by William
Shakespeare then this book might be for you. The same if you like thriller
books. Have you read “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan? Have you found it
interesting? If yes then there are some similar aspects, in regards to the
fantasy genre. In general, this book is suitable for
all genders and ages, even for an eighty year old grandma. But the only risk
would be that her dentures would fall out when the main characters are riding
on broomsticks. I totally recommend this book and now if you will excuse me,
I'd like to start reading the next one: “Harry Potter and the Half - Blood
Prince”...
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