Sunday, December 9, 2012
Lit Analysis #3: The Last Lecture
GENERAL
1. The plot of the novel The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, is about a man who is battling pancreatic cancer, and talks about how he spends the last months of his life preparing his last lecture and the way to live a happy life. He explains scenes from his past that have made his life they way it is, whether it be good or bad, it made him the man he was.
2. I believe the theme of the book is that no dream is too big. Pausch's dream was to work in Disney Land as an imagineer, and he followed Walt Disney's motto of "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." Following your dream is probably the biggest message of the novel, Pausch explains how he made a list of the main goals he wished to accomplish, and in one way or another he found a way to conquer his dreams
3. The authors tone throughout the novel is hopeful, and basically alive. Even though he only has months to live, he wants to acknowledge that he's still alive in the moment, and live each second to the fullest. He explains in the first couple pages, "I lecture about the joy of life about how much I appreciate life, even with so little of my own left." He points out that even though he knows his time will come sooner than planned, he wants people to know that his life so far had been a miracle for him.
4.
CHARACTERIZATION
1. An example of indirect characterization would be when Pausch describes his wife Jai. He explains how she has always been his cheerleader, motivating him every step of the way, and loving him every second of the day. He doesn't really explain her physically, but he describes her personality as a supportive, educated, strong woman, and mom.
Other than his wife, he doesn't really explain any characters, because he mainly talks about his life and what he has done, rather that others.
2. The syntax or diction doesn't change at all through the novel, because he's pretty much explaining to the reader about him self. The way he write the novel though is very casual, and easy to read, although it's obvious to see that he is a well-educated man, with his detailed explanation of things.
3. The protagonist is dynamic through the story, always explaining how he has change due to things he has experienced growing up. At one point in the story he explains how when he was in college he wasn't the type of person who enjoyed working in groups because he like working his own way. Then one day his teacher told him that some students didn't want to work with him because they thought he was a jerk. From that point on he realized that he had to change the way he worked with groups because he was going to be working with others for the rest of his life.
4. After reading this book, I definitely felt that I had learned a new life lesson from someone who knew the answer to living a happy life. Of course, no life is perfect, especially for him being diagnose with cancer, but he felt that for the life that he had lived that it came pretty close to perfect. By reading this book I feel that I have gotten to know Randy Pausch on a new level, because he shared so many precious parts of his life that it put the reader in the seat to see where they have take their own life. Have we wasted it on money, material things, wasted dreams? It lets the reader know that tomorrow isn't promised, and we have to live in the moment we have.
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