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The Wizard of Earthsea
I completely agree with how difficult it was trying to relate to the character of Ged and the setting of Earthsea. In Harry Potter, it is so well described that I feel like I am another student at Hogwarts just hanging out with Hermione, Harry and Ron. I will say that as I got further into the novel (past the first three chapters) it really did help captivate me enough to finish the book.
ReplyDeleteI second what Callie said as far as not being able to relate to Ged. As Ged made more contacts, especially after he loosed the shadow and learned some humanity, I came to like him better. I thought it was sad that Vetch gave away his sister's name to Ged when she was not there. I think that sharing names would be a strictly personal exchange; she should have told him if she wanted him to know.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about how important naming was. I mean I knew it was important and I heard everyone talk about it in class, but until just now I didn't really realize HOW important the true names of things are.
ReplyDeleteI think you made a good point about naming things, especially when you said, "The true name of a person is connected to the very essence of that individual." If this is something I would have thought more about while reading, I think I would have seen the deeper connection between Vetch and Ged, which would have made my reading more enjoyable.
I agree with the importance of naming. By allowing people to know your true name you are allowing people to know you entirely. I think that the reason we, as readers were not able to connect to the characters is because we have nothing like this. There is nothing in our society that can be said to let someone in completely. We can tell someone one of our secrets, however; it is still nothing like giving someone the privilege of the "true name." I think that because I could not competely understand naming, I was not able to connect with the characters.
ReplyDeleteI think this novel was a difficult read because there was no strong emotional attachment to the characters. It was well into the book that we started to see any redeeming qualities from Ged. The wizards seemed to be reserved people and it focused on abilities and powers.
ReplyDeleteI also think naming was very significant because it gave them a human-like characteristic that we could relate to more. That even though it was not overt, there was a intimate bond in sharing a part of yourself with another that was not known to all.