Linked Thoughts (Reading Assignment II)

Chapter 5

Intertextuality is the connection between two separate pieces of writing that uses already used ideas or previous works to add to the meaning of the more recent writing.

The controlling of a person's life and position in the world are both parts of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and Anthem by Ayn Rand. Both of these worlds contain a government that controls the job and status of a person, which they must continue to be part of for the rest of their life. The world places characters that are part of this world in social structures that try to disconnect the character from a certain group in the story.

The use of intertextuality can also be found between Anthem and The Giver by Lois Lowry. Both of these stories contain a person who has come of age in the society of the book. The main characters both gradually begin to believe that their society restricts the people from some of the joys in life. The main characters dream of a world that has regained the pain and enjoyment of the world today.

Chapter 7

In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Lennie and George's dream of a farm where they can "live off the fat of the land" relates directly to the Garden of Eden. This connection gives their farm a greater relation to what the two men want. The dream of the farm represents the desire for a true paradise where neither have to worry about their own survival and can be happy for the rest of their lives.

Reading Assignment I

The Enterprise of Death

1) The quester: an ex-slave Moorish female necromancer, Awa, who escapes all of her masters and captors but may die after ten years. The necromancer finds herself in western Europe after the Reconquista.

2) A place to go: the hiding place of the book used by Awa's tutor and last master who taught her necromancy. The book may be hidden anywhere the necromancer could convince the wind to carry within a few days.

3) A stated reason to go there: a curse placed on Awa will cause the necromancer to steal her body while destroying the girl's spirit. The book may hold the key to saving Awa before the necromancer kills her.

4) Challenges and trials: the Inquisition causes European commoners to afraid of the heretics and witches supposedly hiding in their world. Awa must also hide her Moorish appearance from the people. The training that made Awa into a necromancer and her history of slavery caused her to become disconnected from average people. The necromancer must also find her master's book before ten years when her body will be stolen.

5) The real reason to go: Awa finds friends and a family within the world that hates both her Moorish appearance and necromancy. The ex-slave becomes a part of the world rather than only befriending the dead.