This weekend we rented The Good Earth on our Netflix. The movie came out in 1937 (the book was published in 1931), and Luise Rainer won an Oscar for her performance as O-Lan. Interestingly enough, Rainer is currently the oldest living Oscar winner (98, I think, unless she has died recently and I don't know it), and she was the first actress to win back-to-back Oscars.
Back to the movie--I did like it. Yes, there were some differences between the book and the movie; aren't there always? But I did not have too much trouble with most of the differences. The viewer does not know that the baby who dies was actually killed by O-Lan, but that fact is made clear in the book. The twins, boy and girl, are left out of the movie; Wang Lung has only three children rather than the five he has in the book. Although the uncle is not a good person in the movie, he is not painted nearly as evil as he was in the book. I guess there was just no way to get it all in. I really did not mind most of these differences; however, there was one major one that I thought should not have been left out of the movie.
In the book, Wang Lung tells his sons as he is dying in the end to never sell the land. The sons agree, but look over his head and smile at each other. So you know that they are going to do whatever they want once Wang Lung is dead. On the other hand, the movie ends with Wang Lung alone after O-Lan's death standing in his field making a soliloquy about the land, how it has indeed been "the good earth."
When I told my husband about how the book ended, he could not believe that the two endings were so different. The movie ending is not only absolutely nothing like the book, but is not even in the same spirit or vein as the book. The ending absolutely changed the perception of what would happen to Wang Lung's family in future generations and was totally not in keeping with the one of the themes of the book, the constant rise and fall, feast and famine.
Still, I'm glad I saw the movie, even though the ending spoiled it for me.
Monday, September 22, 2008
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
I finished the fourth novel in this series, Forever in Blue. I was reading these books before I decided whether or not to put them on the shelves for the kids to read. I have decided that they are fine for teenage reading, and I have put them on the shelves to be checked out. To be sure, there are some things that I am not crazy about in the books, like Bridget losing her virginity in the first one. However, it is written in a way that is very tasteful, not explicit, and much more time is spent on her feelings of regret afterwards, so the message is there. I like the development of all of these characters, and even though the books are written for the teen audience, I did like them and can see other adults liking them also. All four of the books, especially the last one, have some really good lessons that the girls learn about families, friendship, and, most of all, themselves. Overall, good books for teens.
I have now taken that series off my currently reading list and will be deciding soon what to read next, so keep checking back.
I have now taken that series off my currently reading list and will be deciding soon what to read next, so keep checking back.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Isaiah 40:31
When I was thinking about my blog, I first thought that I might do a regular devotional, like maybe weekly or every other week. Then I decided that committing to write a devotion might constrain the freedom that I have to write whatever is on my mind. If I don't feel like writing a devotion on a certain day, I need to have the option to write whatever I want. But I do want anyone who stumbles upon this blog to know my point of view and that I look at the world through the eyes of a Christian.
Then I thought about favorite Bible verses. I'm sure that, like most people, I can come up with a different favorite Bible verse any time that I am asked!
Then I thought about one of my plans for the blog, to write about the books that I am currently reading. Well, don't I currently read the Bible, and isn't that a book? Of course!
So I have decided to occasionally (no set time; I don't want to box myself in) to select a favorite Bible verse and expound on it somewhat. Please add your comments as I always welcome input.
Is. 40:31 has been a favorite verse for quite some time. But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (RSV)
My son the Hebrew scholar (he made an A in Hebrew both semesters--OK, moms can brag) tells me that the original Hebrew word for wait here means not waiting, as if you are waiting on a bus, but waiting as if you are waiting on a table. Yes, it is talking about SERVANTHOOD, waiting on the Lord, serving Him. If we wait on the Lord, He will hold us up no matter how weak we feel, no matter how tired we are, no matter how much we think that we are about to faint. Anyone who has ever served any kind of mission project at all can attest to that! No matter how worn out, how much you think that you can no longer put one foot in front of the other, you get it done and the Lord holds you up. He will continually renew your strength when you are serving Him! What a concept!
Now to throw a monkey wrench into this--I read my husband's NIV, and it says they who HOPE for the Lord will renew their strength. Is the meaning still the same as when we use WAIT? I am still pondering that, and would appreciate your input.
Then I thought about favorite Bible verses. I'm sure that, like most people, I can come up with a different favorite Bible verse any time that I am asked!
Then I thought about one of my plans for the blog, to write about the books that I am currently reading. Well, don't I currently read the Bible, and isn't that a book? Of course!
So I have decided to occasionally (no set time; I don't want to box myself in) to select a favorite Bible verse and expound on it somewhat. Please add your comments as I always welcome input.
Is. 40:31 has been a favorite verse for quite some time. But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (RSV)
My son the Hebrew scholar (he made an A in Hebrew both semesters--OK, moms can brag) tells me that the original Hebrew word for wait here means not waiting, as if you are waiting on a bus, but waiting as if you are waiting on a table. Yes, it is talking about SERVANTHOOD, waiting on the Lord, serving Him. If we wait on the Lord, He will hold us up no matter how weak we feel, no matter how tired we are, no matter how much we think that we are about to faint. Anyone who has ever served any kind of mission project at all can attest to that! No matter how worn out, how much you think that you can no longer put one foot in front of the other, you get it done and the Lord holds you up. He will continually renew your strength when you are serving Him! What a concept!
Now to throw a monkey wrench into this--I read my husband's NIV, and it says they who HOPE for the Lord will renew their strength. Is the meaning still the same as when we use WAIT? I am still pondering that, and would appreciate your input.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Meat Loaf Again
OK, I'm guilty. I love rocknroll music. However, I never was much into Meat Loaf (except as Eddie in Rocky Horror), but I LOVE the Go Phone commercial! He has cut the hair, lost the weight and the black nail polish, and stepped into the middle-aged Dad role perfectly. I even admit that I think he looks pretty cute (reminds me of my husband).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5YMVO7-8ns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5YMVO7-8ns
The Good Earth
I finished The Good Earth, so I deleted it from the Books I am Currently Reading list. I also looked up some of the criticism of it. It is hard to believe that the book was such an international sensation when it was first published! It is just difficult for me to fathom how the story of Wang Lung found such international appeal in 1931.
I did like the book. I did not love it, but I was intrigued, and read through it fairly quickly. I was very interested and wanted to know how it all would turn out. Wang Lung was both someone to admire and someone to pity, a paradox of a man. His growth from a poor peasant farmer just hoping for an ugly wife to give him sons to a wealthy landowner with concubines was paralleled by the downfall of the wealthy landowner Hwang. At the end of the book, one has to wonder if the same thing would happen to Wang Lung's sons that happened to the house of Hwang. It seemed to foreshadow that it would.
The criticism that I scanned said that the elements of the book are factual with the Chinese culture of that time, such as treatment of women, ignorance of modern inventions (the "firewagon") by the peasant farmers, and even the constant cycle of plenty and starvation that the farmers experienced. I did have to wonder, however, if Wang's rise from poverty to wealth was really something that could have happened. I have studied that in most societies with a clear lower and upper class that there really was no way to move out of your class; you were stuck where you were. But that is not so with Wang.
One reviewer wrote that Pearl Buck was very critical of Chinese treatment of women, but she did include those things, like the selling of young girls into slavery and the taking of young women as concubines by the wealthy, purposely to make the story realistic. However, Wang Lung desperately loves his retarded daughter and does not allow her to be sold. Also, he does take concubines, but regrets his treatment of O-Lan later. He even realizes that he loved O-lan all those years. These feelings of Wang's, not typical of the Chinese man at that time, show Pearl Buck's disdain for the Chinese regard of women as property. I even read that Buck was an ardent feminist! I was very impressed by that.
Overall, it was a good book. It was a classic that I have never read, and now I have read it. What shall I read next? Hmmmmm......
I did like the book. I did not love it, but I was intrigued, and read through it fairly quickly. I was very interested and wanted to know how it all would turn out. Wang Lung was both someone to admire and someone to pity, a paradox of a man. His growth from a poor peasant farmer just hoping for an ugly wife to give him sons to a wealthy landowner with concubines was paralleled by the downfall of the wealthy landowner Hwang. At the end of the book, one has to wonder if the same thing would happen to Wang Lung's sons that happened to the house of Hwang. It seemed to foreshadow that it would.
The criticism that I scanned said that the elements of the book are factual with the Chinese culture of that time, such as treatment of women, ignorance of modern inventions (the "firewagon") by the peasant farmers, and even the constant cycle of plenty and starvation that the farmers experienced. I did have to wonder, however, if Wang's rise from poverty to wealth was really something that could have happened. I have studied that in most societies with a clear lower and upper class that there really was no way to move out of your class; you were stuck where you were. But that is not so with Wang.
One reviewer wrote that Pearl Buck was very critical of Chinese treatment of women, but she did include those things, like the selling of young girls into slavery and the taking of young women as concubines by the wealthy, purposely to make the story realistic. However, Wang Lung desperately loves his retarded daughter and does not allow her to be sold. Also, he does take concubines, but regrets his treatment of O-Lan later. He even realizes that he loved O-lan all those years. These feelings of Wang's, not typical of the Chinese man at that time, show Pearl Buck's disdain for the Chinese regard of women as property. I even read that Buck was an ardent feminist! I was very impressed by that.
Overall, it was a good book. It was a classic that I have never read, and now I have read it. What shall I read next? Hmmmmm......
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Caring
What does it mean to care about others? I've been pondering that question these last few months, maybe even longer. As the body of Christ, we need to outwardly show that we care about others. I spent eight years keeping the church nursery, so I was never in Sunday School or worship. During those eight years, it was like I had dropped off the face of the earth to not only my Sunday School class, but also my church family. During those eight years, I experienced some deaths in the family and some serious illnesses of family members. Not a word did I hear out of anyone inquiring about how our family members were doing or how we were doing. (Incidently, I had a pretty rough bout with depression after my cousin's unexpected death.)
Now, I want to be honest here; I never inquired about anyone's families and how they were either. The fault certainly lies on both sides. But the flip side to that is communication. How could I ask how someone's mom, dad, brother, sister, etc. was doing if I did not know anything was wrong to ask?
When I voiced my opinion to my friend she disagreed saying that she did not want to be in anyone's business and felt like we did care about each other. I vehemently and respectfully disagree. It is not "being in your business" to ask after anyone's health or say that I missed you in church last Sunday. It is not "being in your business" to say "Hey, I'm glad you're here," or "Did you have a good trip last week?" It is not "being in your business" to say, "I'm glad that you're here today," or "I hope you're feeling better."
I feel so strongly about this issue that I left my last Sunday School class over it (the one that had not asked how we were in eight years). I started attending another Sunday School class when I quit the nursery, just knowing that things would be different. Were they? No! I've missed a number of Sundays, for various reasons, and no one has bothered to ask me anything; no one has inquired after the health of my mother-in-law; no one has even acknowledged that I have joined the class. OK, I know I sound like a petty, whining child, and I don't mean to. I will reiterate once again that I am certainly at fault also.
But here is the difference. I have recently started taking steps to correct my wrongdoing in the lack of caring that I outwardly show. I visited a sick friend, gave "happies" to a couple of kids, sent cards to some grieving families, and wrote a note to a friend who did us a favor. I know that it's not much, but it's a start! I am making a concerted effort to go out of my comfort zone and ask people how they are, let people know that I appreciate them, and ask them if I can do anything for them. It's a beginning for me, and I need to held accountable; I need someone to make sure that I am sticking to my resolution to be a more outwardly caring person. Who is going to hold me accountable? Well, certainly not this new Sunday School class! I guess that I will report to my husband, and I know that he will have good suggestions for me.
Caring about others is not being in their business. It's about being in the business of being the body of Christ.
Now, I want to be honest here; I never inquired about anyone's families and how they were either. The fault certainly lies on both sides. But the flip side to that is communication. How could I ask how someone's mom, dad, brother, sister, etc. was doing if I did not know anything was wrong to ask?
When I voiced my opinion to my friend she disagreed saying that she did not want to be in anyone's business and felt like we did care about each other. I vehemently and respectfully disagree. It is not "being in your business" to ask after anyone's health or say that I missed you in church last Sunday. It is not "being in your business" to say "Hey, I'm glad you're here," or "Did you have a good trip last week?" It is not "being in your business" to say, "I'm glad that you're here today," or "I hope you're feeling better."
I feel so strongly about this issue that I left my last Sunday School class over it (the one that had not asked how we were in eight years). I started attending another Sunday School class when I quit the nursery, just knowing that things would be different. Were they? No! I've missed a number of Sundays, for various reasons, and no one has bothered to ask me anything; no one has inquired after the health of my mother-in-law; no one has even acknowledged that I have joined the class. OK, I know I sound like a petty, whining child, and I don't mean to. I will reiterate once again that I am certainly at fault also.
But here is the difference. I have recently started taking steps to correct my wrongdoing in the lack of caring that I outwardly show. I visited a sick friend, gave "happies" to a couple of kids, sent cards to some grieving families, and wrote a note to a friend who did us a favor. I know that it's not much, but it's a start! I am making a concerted effort to go out of my comfort zone and ask people how they are, let people know that I appreciate them, and ask them if I can do anything for them. It's a beginning for me, and I need to held accountable; I need someone to make sure that I am sticking to my resolution to be a more outwardly caring person. Who is going to hold me accountable? Well, certainly not this new Sunday School class! I guess that I will report to my husband, and I know that he will have good suggestions for me.
Caring about others is not being in their business. It's about being in the business of being the body of Christ.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Randomness
I've thought for a long time about creating a blog. What exactly IS a blog anyway? OK, I know it's weblog. But who wants to read my random thoughts? Probably no one. But having a blog may satisfy my need for writing and letting my thoughts flow onto the page.
How does a blog start? Do I write my autobiography? BORING!! I may do that some later, but for now here are some basic facts.
Happily married to David
One son Russell
No pets
Love the empty nest
Librarian at a high school where many of the kids call me "that liberry teacher"
Love to read
Christian
Cursillista
United Methodist
Bladder Exstrophy
Ureterosigmoidostomy
Colon cancer survivor
Engish teacher (20 years pre librarian job)
Strictly "middle of the road"--I've been known to vote both Democrat and Republican in past presidential elections and still have not decided about this one. Really don't like either candidate too much.
Camping, nature, fishing, boating, TN state parks, MS state parks
First United Methodist Church
Mississippi State University graduate and fan
Wood Jr. College graduate
Kosciusko High School graduate and teacher
Contemplating retirement in 8-10 years
As I think of more to say, I will post it. After all, that is what a blog is all about, right?
How does a blog start? Do I write my autobiography? BORING!! I may do that some later, but for now here are some basic facts.
Happily married to David
One son Russell
No pets
Love the empty nest
Librarian at a high school where many of the kids call me "that liberry teacher"
Love to read
Christian
Cursillista
United Methodist
Bladder Exstrophy
Ureterosigmoidostomy
Colon cancer survivor
Engish teacher (20 years pre librarian job)
Strictly "middle of the road"--I've been known to vote both Democrat and Republican in past presidential elections and still have not decided about this one. Really don't like either candidate too much.
Camping, nature, fishing, boating, TN state parks, MS state parks
First United Methodist Church
Mississippi State University graduate and fan
Wood Jr. College graduate
Kosciusko High School graduate and teacher
Contemplating retirement in 8-10 years
As I think of more to say, I will post it. After all, that is what a blog is all about, right?
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