George Orwell 1984

George Orwell in his book 1984 describes a society in which people's lives were controlled
every second of the day by cameras and microphones.

His protagonist is Winston Smith who lives in Oceania and dreams a better life in which governments, Big Brother and the Thought Police could not rob people of their natural feelings, so family and romantic love could exist,and people of Oceania shouldn't change their feelings into a love of Big Brother and hate for imagined enemies.

Winston and his love Julia commit a thought and a love crime,but they've been caught by the Police and tortured. Winston finally betrayed his love to Julia and at the same time himself in his try to survive in that awful society which obligated his inhabitants to live into the hate and the control of Big Brother.

In my opinion, George Orwell is a timeless writer because many goverments are slowly taking control over people and there are cameras almost everywhere and computers have information about almost all the people.

But I believe that the most difficult thing for the protagonist was to accept to live and be part of that society, helpless to resist to the power of the authorities. At the same time, I wonder if people are becoming more and more similar in their dreams and desires.....

This is what the government said to the people.

Oliver Twist

OliverTwist was a boy who was born in a house for poor people which was named workhouse,his mother died when she gave birth to him.From the age of nine Oliver had to work to earn a living.One day some of the boys who lived in the workhouse decided that Oliver should ask more food from the master of the workhouse.Oliver did that and the master got angry so he punished Oliver, he shut him up in a dark room for a whole week and he put on the gate of workhouse a notice which offered five pounds to anyone who would take Oliver.

Mr Bumble gave Oliver to Mr Sowerberry who prepared the coffins for the dead people.
Noah Claypole who lived with Mr Sowerberry made Oliver's life very unpleasant. After a fight that Oliver had with Noah and Mrs Sowerberry, he ran away.

Oliver was walking for seven days to reach into the little town of Barnet,a few miles from London.
In that town he met a boy named Jack Dawkins,near his age,he offered his help to Oliver and he told him that his friend Fagin will help him to go to London.Fagin was an old man who had some children and taught them how to steal so Oliver was among the thieves but he couldn't realize it yet.One day two children and Oliver went for a walk. To Oliver's surprise one of the boys took a handkerchief from a man and ran quickly with the other boy then Oliver understood what happened and full of fear began to run too, but the old gentleman named Brownlow (who had stolen) thought that Oliver did it and start running after Oliver and then someone hit the boy and Oliver fell on the ground.

A constable began to pull Oliver along the street when suddenly the book shopper appeared and told to the constable that the boy didn't do anything and then the old gentleman took Oliver at his house and put him in bed.

While Fagin was wondering where Oliver was Mr Sikes Fagin's friend got into the house,the two boys told Fagin that Oliver had been caught and Fagin was frightened that Oliver may tell the constable all about them,so he asked help from Nancy who was Mr Sikes friend.Nancy agreed to go to look for Oliver, she was pretenting to be Oliver's sister.When Nancy returned she told them that a gentleman has got Oliver but she couldn't find where he lived.

Oliver has found a better home,his new friends were very kind and they took care of him.
Oliver noticed a picture of a lady on the wall that her eyes looked so sad but the other day the picture was gone.One day a visitor named Mr Grimwig went to Mr Brownlow house he didn't really like Oliver he thought that child might deceived Mr Brownlow so he sent Oliver to the bookshop he also gave Oliver money.Mr Grimwig believed that Oliver won't come back.Oliver went to the bookshop but Nancy was there  and took him to Fagin's house.Fagin hit him and he kept Oliver shut up in the house for nearly a week,he told Oliver terrible stories and Oliver filled with fear as he listened to Fagin's words.Fagin gave Oliver to Sikes because he was planning to burgle a house,but when they went to that house Oliver tried to wake up the people of the house and unfortunately they injured him to his left arm and he fell down.When he woke up he saw a house and he asked for help,that house belonged to Mr Giles.Oliver was safe again to Giles house,he talked to Mr Giles and Mrs Maylie and Rose who lived in that house too,and told them everything about his life.

Spring passed and summer came but that summer Rose was sick and Mrs Maylie sent Oliver to the inn.In the inn Oliver saw a man who was very scared and when he returned he was doing his lessons ,suddenly he saw Fagin and that man in the inn outside of his window,and he started shouting.Everybody was searching for the strangers without success.

That stranger man named Monks went to Mr Bumble in the workhouse because he want to know everything about the old woman who looked after Oliver's mother but that woman was dead,then Mr Bumble told him that another old woman could give him the answers,so they met that woman and she told to Monks that Oliver's mother gave to the old woman Sally a little gold ornament,in which there weretwo pieces of hair and a plain gold wedding ring which has the word Agnes inside it and she wanted Sally to give it to the child but Sally never gave it,then Monks took the bag and threw it to the river,after he told them to keep quiet about all that.

In the other side Fagin was talking with Sikes and he was planning his another attempt to get Oliver back by Nancy's help,but Sikes had been ill for several weeks and ask some money to Fagin,so he went to his house followed by Nancy to give her the money but that time Monks got into the Fagin's house,he want to speak private with Fagin but Nancy heard them,so the next day while Sikes was sleeping Nancy went to Mrs Maylie and told her that Monks intends to pay Fagin to get Oliver back and turn him into a thief again,she also said that Monks called Oliver his young brother.

Oliver had the idea to meet his old friend Mr Brownlow so Mrs Maylie visited him and told him all about Oliver and Nancy's visit,together they decided to learn more about Monks by Nancy's help.
They met Nancy and she started to describe Monks but Charley Bates followed her and heard it all so he ran to Fagin's house to tell him.Fagin told it to Sikes and he murdered her then Sikes left the house.

Mr Brownlow caught Monks and took him to his house,he knew everything about Monks because Mr Brownlow was the oldest friend of Monks' father.He told him that Oliver is his half brother and he knew it but he tried every evil plan to destroy Oliver also Mr Brownlow told Monks that he couldn't tell anything to the police if he gave Oliver's share of the money.Monks agreed.

Then Mr Brownlow called Mr Bunble and told him that he is not a trustworthy person because he had helped Monks so he lost the position to be master of the workhouse.Fagin caught and sat in prison.Monks went to America he wasted all his money and died in prison.

Mr Browlow took Oliver to live with him and they moved to a house about a mile away from Mrs Maylie and Rose's house.It was a great joy for young Oliver to have his good friends so near him.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

There was a boy called Tom. He had an aunt , her name was Polly. Polly looked for Tom because she lost him. She found him but he tried to escape because he took some jam from the cupboard and he knew that it was bad. Polly gave to Tom a punishment. He had to paint the fence into the garden but he wanted to play with his friends. Finally Tom's friends came into the garden to help Tom and all together did the work very quickly.

 

Tom went to find his friends. Then he saw some people. He asked someone for this. There was a new family in the town. He looked at their house and saw a girl sitting at the window. Tom fell in love with the girl. He learned her name and after he walked along the street, then he found his friend called Huck. Huck had a dead cat in his hands.

 

On the same night , they went to the cemetery and buried the cat. They heard something and then hid in the tall grass. They saw a man to kill someone. They were scared and they didn't speak to anyone about this. A few days later , they went on a raft to an island. When they arrived there, they were very happy but five days later they were bored with their games.Tom returned to his house and hid. He understood that everybody in the town thought the boys were dead. He went back to his friend and he told him.

 

The boys went back to the town and hid into the church. Soon people started to come into the church. They were going to have a funeral for the boys. Suddenly , the people saw the boys. They weren't dead. A week later Potter's trial started. All people and the judge thought that Potter was guilty but Potter wasn't. Fortunately the boys knew the truth and they said into the trial the real history. Finally Potter was innocent , the boys rescued his life. (You did not explain here who Potter was.)

 

After that the boys decided to look for a treasure. On the first day , they didn't find anything. On the second day the two friends went to the haunted house. The boys found the thieves' hiding place. Then the thieves dig a hole and found an another treasure. It was gold. The thieves took the treasure and left away.

 

A few days later, Becky and Tom went to Dougla's Island. They went into the cave with candles. After that , they were lost in the cave. Then they found the thief who took the treasure. They found the hiding place. A search party looked for the children because they lost them. Finally Tom found a way out . Then the children went away from the search party and closed the entrance of the cave. The thief died after some days. After a week, Tom and Huck went to the cave again to find and take the treasure. Tom and Huck are rich now.

 

The nightmare before Christmas

The book describes the Halloween celebration .In this story every year the dead people on 31 October celebrate the Halloween in Halloween-Town. All witches, vampires and skeletons are doing scary things that day ,but Jack who is the scariest of all he doesn 't like scaring the people any more and he is unhappy. So one day he decides to leave from the Halloween-Town for a better future .After he leaves, he discovers the Christmas-Town . In this city the people are happy and they wait for the Santa Claus to bring them presents.Suddenly he feels happy and he decides to do the same thing in Halloween-Town. He returns in his Town and he asks from the people to help him.And they do it.They kidnap the Santa Claus and they take him in scary town and Jack undertakes his position .But the nightmare before Christmas is beginning. When Jack (took-> use present simple or past simple only!) takes the sleigh and he starts to share the presents in Christmas town they are all afraid and they start to scream,because the presents which are made by witches and vampires are frightening .When Jack understands his mistake he goes back and he sets free the old man..And then the Santa Claus goes back to his place.The nightmare before Christmas ends happily for everybody. The two stars become friends and often they visit each other and they talk about their adventures, In this book the writer combines the Halloween celebration with the Christmas celebration very successfully ...

 

Download and read 'Benjamin Button'

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Book summary

(1)Captain Crossbones and his pirates sail the South Seas in his ship, The Adventurer. They capture other ships and take the treasures from them. The crew don't like Captain Crossbones. Brownbeard, the First Officer, wants to be the captain. The other pirates on the ship are Dirty Duncan, Ferocious Fred and Mixer Max. Dirty Duncan is the Second Officer and he's called Dirty because he doesn't wash himself. Ferocious Fred cleans the cabins and he's very timid. Captain Crossbones usually jokes with his name. Mixer Max is the cook. He's not a good cook because he takes all the all food and he mixes it together.
 
(2)The pirates haven't got work to do for a long time so they play cards when they're bored. Captain Crossbones has also a parrot which is named Parrot. Parrot is intelligent and he can speak. Sometimes the pirates want to steal the key of Captain's treasure boxes or to attack him when he's sleeping, but Parrot shouts immediately.

(3)One day they look at the horizon and they see a Spanish ship. They want to steal the treasures from it. The ship is called The Intrepid. The sailors on The Intrepid see the pirates' daggers and pistols. But it is too late for them.

 (4)The pirates fight the Spanish sailors. Now they tie the sailors' hands and they they have take all the treasure and the food from the ship. But Captain Crossbones wants some new clothes. So he has opens the cupboard. He is very surprised. There is a boy inside. His name is Luis. He says that he is the cabin boy, but he wants to be a pirate. Captain Crossbones takes him to his crew as a cabin boy too. So Ferocious Fred is the Third Officer and he is very happy.

(5)The pirates celebrate. Luis wants to be Parrot's friend so he gives him some food. Captain Duque says to his son Luis that in Coconut Island he hid a treasure and he gives him a map.The other day the pirates had put Duque and his crew in a boat only with some water and they say that they are lucky because they don't want to kill them. Now Luis wants to punish Captain Crossbones and his pirates. But he has a problem. He is too young and also he has no ship to travel to the island.

(6)Many years pass. Now Luis is big and strong. He works hard and the pirates like him. Parrot is Luis' friend, but Luis is still thinking about his father and the treasure. One day they see Coconut Island on the horizon and a ship next to it. Captain Crossbones wants more treasure and rum so they have to wait until night to surprise them.

(7) At the night pirates attack ed to The Sea Dragon, they take the Spanish sailors and tie them. Captain Crossbones order Luis to stay on the Adventurer with the sailors until they find their treasure. Then Luis brings some water to the sailors and tells them his story. The sailors say that his father is alive so he asks them to take him there. But first, he says, they must take his father's treasure.Then Luis unties the sailors and they make a plan.

(8) When the pirates come back they celebrate. They are very drunk and Captain Crossbones falls asleep. Parrot is sleeping to. So now Luis calls the sailors to tie the sleeping pirates. Luis takes Captain Crossbones's key from his pocket and they go to the cabin and take back all their treasure and return to the ship. The sailors do not want to kill the pirates, but they want the reward about Captain Crossbones and his crew. But first of all they must find the treasure on Coconut Island.

(9)In the morning of the other day Parrot wakes up Captain Crossbones. He cannot move and then he understands everything. He is furious. Parrot helps the pirates to untie and now they want to kill the sailors and punish Luis.

(10) Captain Crossbones waits until Luis and the sailors leave the ship and go to the Coconut Island. He is going to sink The Sea Dragon. But then Brownbeard gets into a boat with Ferocious Fred  Dirty Duncan and Mixer Max. He wants the ship for himself. He wants to be a captain. Then the pirates sail away on The Sea Dragon. Now the pirates like their new captain and they do not want to see Crossbones again.

(11) Captain Crossbones sees them, but he thinks that they went there to take some food. So he is taking a boat and goes to the island. There he sees Luis and the sailors with an old treasure box. They open it and they find gold and jewels. When the sailors go back, the ship is gone and they are surpised and hungry. They do not know what to do.

(12)Captain Crossbones goes back to the Adventurer. He thinks that if they wait for a few days, then they will be able to take the treasure from the weak and hungry pirates. Now the ship is empty and he understands that his pirates betrayed him. He has a big problem. He cannot sail the ship alone. Now Captain Crossbones has only one option. He must ask for help from the sailors giving them food and water. They all sail to the New Providence to Luis' father. The sailors decide not to give Crossbones to the British Army because he saved their lives. Then Luis and Captain Crossbones had stay in New Providence and the sailors return to their country.

(13)Luis' father is poor and sad and he lives in a small house.He dreams about his son and his life at sea. Then they  meet each other and they are very happy. They buy a new ship named The Silver Sea and they sail with their crew back to Spain. Captain Crossbones and Parrot stay to New Providence and they sit in taverns and drink lots of rum. He tells stories about his life at the sea and the people like him. For the first time Captain Crossbones has got real friends and he is not a pirate any more.