Ishmael
Daniel Quinn
My blog is visually boring. I know this. The only way I can think of overcoming the blah is by adding some pics. If I overdo it, as I have a tendency to do sometimes, please let me know.
Anyway.
I borrowed Ishmael from a friend in college, and ever since returning it, I have felt I needed to own it. All week, I've been eagerly awaiting it from Amazon, yet a part of me was afraid that I would find the book has lost its meaning. I remember the book as life-changing, and a part of me feared that I would no longer find the book as momentous as I found it in my more idealistic years. Thankfully, my fears were baseless.
Ishmael is a simply told book; its purpose is to educate first and foremost, and style is sacrificed to the import of the book's message. This is actually okay with me, because a heavy style would obscure the message of the book, and that would be too great a loss to bear. The message is simple: namely, that our entire mythology (not Christian mythology or even American mythology--rather, the mythology of every "civilized" nation in the world) is not only entirely wrong, but causing our very destruction.
Daniel Quinn
My blog is visually boring. I know this. The only way I can think of overcoming the blah is by adding some pics. If I overdo it, as I have a tendency to do sometimes, please let me know.Anyway.
I borrowed Ishmael from a friend in college, and ever since returning it, I have felt I needed to own it. All week, I've been eagerly awaiting it from Amazon, yet a part of me was afraid that I would find the book has lost its meaning. I remember the book as life-changing, and a part of me feared that I would no longer find the book as momentous as I found it in my more idealistic years. Thankfully, my fears were baseless.
Ishmael is a simply told book; its purpose is to educate first and foremost, and style is sacrificed to the import of the book's message. This is actually okay with me, because a heavy style would obscure the message of the book, and that would be too great a loss to bear. The message is simple: namely, that our entire mythology (not Christian mythology or even American mythology--rather, the mythology of every "civilized" nation in the world) is not only entirely wrong, but causing our very destruction.
The story begins with our nameless narrator finding an ad in the paper: TEACHER SEEKS PUPIL. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person.
He goes, and is astonished to find his teacher, the one person who might be able to help him find the answers he has always lacked is none other than a gorilla. But this is no ordinary gorilla, for Ishamel has been educated and can communicate, and his objective stance allows him to observe humanity and understand the beliefs that control us without our even being aware of them.Our narrator learns the source of his uneasiness and comes to answer many questions through his conversations with Ishmael. For example, why do "civilized" nations experience such high numbers of suicide, crime, drug abuse, and "primitive" cultures do not? Why are civilized people so unhappy, so unfulfilled, despite the technology which is supposed to make life easy? The quick answer is that the problem with our civilization is found in our beliefs. It would be easy for me to summarize these beliefs here, but that would ruin the fun of discovering them through the reading of the book. Go read it.
Illumination Factor: High, for illumination is all there is to Ishmael. Its purpose is to educate, nothing more. True, it is entertaining, but only to a point; after that, it becomes troubling. Still, I believe that this is a book that must be read by every individual.
In a nutshell: Stylistically simple, Ishmael's message is of supreme importance here. It will make you understand human history in way that cannot be found in any classroom or textbook. You will never think the same way again.
Bibliolatry Scale: 5.5 out of 6 stars
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