The Conflict Between Control and Freedom
The Conflict Between Control and Freedom
Daniel Song
Recently, I felt the urge to read more of a dystopian novel. I found this book and decided that it was a good match for me. The book I found was Insurgent, a dystopian thriller written by Veronica Roth. The premise of this book takes place in a futuristic society in which society is divided into five factions based on virtues. Insurgent, the second book in the divergent trilogy, starts after the events in the previous book. The main characters, Tris and Tobias, are seeking refuge amidst the ongoing conflict between factions. The idea of freedom is something heavily emphasized in this novel, as it is slowly being taken away throughout the course of this story. The ever changing levels of freedom make a significant impact on the disposition of the characters, as well as affecting character development.
Freedom is something often taken for granted in modern day societies. Most of us go about life not having to worry about having this taken away from us. The idea of not being free may even sound foreign to most of us. This, however, is not the case for Tris, Tobias, or anyone in the book. As the Erudite faction presses for control, the characters not only become more reserved, but also more questioning and doubtful of others. From being more wary of others, to even temporarily cutting ties with close friends, the impact of losing freedom is quite evident.
Freedom is a huge factor in a majority of decisions made by characters in this book. Choice is something valued by Tris, which is made apparent by this quote: "By the time the fight dies down, my clothes are more paint-colored than black. I decide to keep the shirt to remind me why I chose Dauntless in the first place: not because they are perfect, but because they are alive. Because they are free". The faction you choose dictates a majority of your life in this society, and by choosing one faction over the others with freedom in mind shows that Tris values freedom to the extent of letting it dictate major decisions in her life.
The book as a whole accentuates the importance of freedom through recurring instances of it being a major factor in decision making. This book puts freedom in a whole new perspective, one unbeknownst to me prior to reading this book. Would recommend this to anyone willing to take time to read and truly understand the uniqueness of this novel.
Freedom is a huge factor in a majority of decisions made by characters in this book. Choice is something valued by Tris, which is made apparent by this quote: "By the time the fight dies down, my clothes are more paint-colored than black. I decide to keep the shirt to remind me why I chose Dauntless in the first place: not because they are perfect, but because they are alive. Because they are free". The faction you choose dictates a majority of your life in this society, and by choosing one faction over the others with freedom in mind shows that Tris values freedom to the extent of letting it dictate major decisions in her life.
The book as a whole accentuates the importance of freedom through recurring instances of it being a major factor in decision making. This book puts freedom in a whole new perspective, one unbeknownst to me prior to reading this book. Would recommend this to anyone willing to take time to read and truly understand the uniqueness of this novel.
I like how you gave a short summary at the beginning of your blog post and then delved into discussing freedom in the book. I also liked how you involved the readers in this discussion by talking how our lives differ vastly from those in the book. I've read Divergent and Insurgent, and I think you did a good job at making an interesting blog post about the book which isn't too long.
ReplyDeleteFrom the perspective of someone who has read Insurgent before, I believe you wonderfully presented the main points of the novel and explained the plot in a concise manner. I agree with your point on freedom being something we take for granted, and the way in which you summarized the events that take place within the book put things into perspective for readers. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI thought the way you examined the way freedom was portrayed in Insurgent was well done. The comparisons to the real world were effective, and the quotes were good examples. I have read the Divergent series before, including Insurgent, and I agree that freedom was an important part of the main idea. I enjoyed your blog post.
ReplyDeleteGood post! I think you did a great job highlighting the emphasis of freedom in this book. I have read the divergent series before and I also noticed how freedom is taken for granted in our society. The quote you include shows how strongly the characters feel freedom is important too. Overall, you did a great job writing this post.
ReplyDeleteI think the level of vocabulary you used was nice and I also liked how you focused on one specific topic in the book. Doing so makes the essay feel more coherent and you were able to further argue one part about the book. I especially liked the quote you used as it perfectly shows how Tris values freedom. Overall, I think this is a great post.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really interesting how being uncertain of their freedom caused the characters to be more reserved and skeptical of others. At first, I was surprised that the characters valued freedom so much, but I have never had to even consider mine being taken away. I agree with your point that most of us take our freedom for granted, and cannot imagine living life without being able to do, say, or think whatever we want.
ReplyDeleteThis is a well written blog post! I like how you start out with a brief overview of the book and that overview is just enough to understand the rest of the post. After the overview, you then use the information you told the reader to make a statement and from there you supported that thesis statement with evidence. You have done a great job not just describing what happens in the book but also relating it to real life and taking one subject and delving into detail about that subject.
ReplyDeleteI've read this book before, but your blog post made me view this book in a whole new way. When I first read the book I was in 5th to 6th grade so I didn't entirely understand the underlying themes. But your blog post makes me really analyze the book in a way I hadn't before. Good review!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on this, Daniel! You did a very good job giving an overview of the plot of the book. You do a good job of highlighting how freedom is a central concept in the book, and how we often take it for granted. You also did a great job of explaining how the characters all relate to this concept.
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