STUDENTS REPORT

Name of student: Fadhil Ramadhani Report # 1 Date: September 20, 2016

Title: To Kill a Mockingbird (Novel)

Author: Harper Lee
Number of pages: 376 pages
Summary of content:

The novel tells the story of Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their
widowed father, Atticus, a lawyer. Atticus agreed to defend a black man
named Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping a white woman. Atticus
provided clear evidence that the accusers, Mayella Ewell and her father, Bob,
were lying. It was Mayella who actually tried to seduce Tom Robinson, but
she was caught by her father and then accused Tom of rape to cover her
shame. However, despite all the facts, the all-white jury convicted Tom. Tom
later tried to escape from prison and was shot to death.

Students Comments:

First of all, I have to say that summarizing a novel into 50-100 words is a
surprisingly daunting thing to do. It is practically impossible for anyone to
get the whole gist of novels in such a short range, especially this novel
because it has many interwoven plotlines. Nevertheless, I actually did it by
only mentioning the main plotline, which is the one where Atticus defends a
black man in court. To Kill a Mockingbird is my most favorite novel. I first
read it in the Bahasa Indonesia translated version while I was in junior high
school. Now, I have it in the paperback English version that I bought online.
I even wrote a paper about this novels family types and traditions that I
presented in IC4 last year. What interests me about it in the first place is the
coming-of-age story of Scout. Throughout the course of the novel, her
character changes from a mischievous little girl into a precocious young
woman. Suffice it to say that the racial injustice theme also interests me a lot.
I strongly recommend this book to everyone. It truly is a must read.
Interesting words to remember:
Chiffarobe: a combination of wardrobe and chest of drawers
Varmint: a bad person

Interesting sentence: You never really understand a person until you consider things from
his point of view -- until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
 STUDENTS REPORT

Name of student: Fadhil Ramadhani Report #2 Date: October 1, 2016

Title: Gone Girl (Novel)

Author: Gillian Flynn
Number of pages: 583 pages
Summary of content:

On the fifth wedding anniversary of Nick and Amy Dunne, Amy

disappeared and Nick became a suspect in her disappearance. However, it
turns out that Nick was cheating on Amy and Amy was actually alive and in
hiding. She was trying to frame Nick for her death as revenge. Nick
discovered this, but he had no way to prove it. Amy eventually returned to
Nick after he pretended to apologize to her on the TV. Nick later intended to
leave Amy and expose her lies, but she blackmailed him into staying with her
after she got pregnant with his child.

Students Comments:

I love Amy Elliott Dunne. It seems very masochistic for me to say

that I adore a fictional female character who is psychopathic in every sense of
the word, but her characterization in this novel is just sublime. In my opinion,
Amy is the modern and much more violent version of Scarlett OHara from
Gone With the Wind, as both of them are narcissistic and they always get
their way with other people. Amy keeps up the act of a cool girl who is
beautiful, funny and smart, while she is actually a master manipulator and a
cold, calculating vilainess. As a revenge for her hubands infidelity, she is
willing to spend a whole year putting her plan to frame him for her own
death, not to mention a murder she actually committed ruthlessly in the latter
part of the book. If thats not dedication, I dont know what is. After all, she
is Amazing Amy. Gone Girl will make you wish that the titular girl remains
gone for good.
Interesting words to remember:
Malaise: a slight or general feeling of not being healthy or happy
Chagrin: distress of mind caused by failure or disappointment

Interesting sentences:
I would have done anything to feel real again.
There's a difference between really loving someone and loving the idea of her.
There's something disturbing about recalling an old memory and feeling utterly
cold.
 STUDENTS REPORT

Name of student: Fadhil Ramadhani Report #3 Date: October 12, 2016

Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Novel)

Author: Stieg Larsson
Number of pages: 463 pages
Summary of content:

Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, was contacted by Henrik Vanger, the

retired CEO of the Vanger Corporation, to discover what happened to
Vangers grandniece, Harriet, who disappeared in 1966. Blomkvist was later
helped by a hacker, Lisbeth Salander, in his investigation. Salander herself is
the titular girl with the dragon tattoo. She and Blomkvist became lovers
and they found out that Harriet fled the family to escape her brother, Martin,
who had violently raped her and murdered other women. They had a violent
altercation with Martin, resulting in his suicide. Afterward, they found
Harriet in Australia and reunited her with Henrik.

Students Comments:

I think that it is very safe now to say that I am very interested in

literary protagonists who are strong independent women. Lisbeth Salander is
another prime example of this trope, alongside Scout Finch in To Kill a
Mockingbird and Amy Elliott Dunne in Gone Girl. It is very refreshing and
rejuvenating to see novel heroines who bravely challenge the gender
stereotypes of women. Lisbeth or the girl with the dragon tattoo is a
sociopathic bisexual genius computer hacker. That description alone has
ensured her place as one of the most compelling characters in recent popular
fiction. Moreover, she is a feminist, who is motivated to exact revenge for
violent crimes against her fellow women. The novel itself is a very smartly
written detective story that has kept me in the edge of my seat while
reading it. Larsson has successfully managed to tell a story about humans
moral corruptibility with also an unflinching commentary on misogyny and
sexism.
Interesting words to remember:
Serf: A person in the past who belonged to a low social class and who lived and
worked on land owned by another person.
Jill-of-all-trades: A woman who is competent in many endeavors.

Interesting sentences:
What she had realized was that love was that moment when your heart was about to
burst.
Everyone has secrets. It's just a matter of finding out what they are.
 STUDENTS REPORT

Name of student: Fadhil Ramadhani Report #4 Date: November 24, 2016

Title: The Five People You Meet in Heaven (Novel)

Author: Mitch Albom
Number of pages: 114 pages
Summary of content:

Eddie is the maintenance head at Ruby Pier, an amusement park.

Eddie dies when he tries to save a girl in the park. The first person he met in
the afterlife is the blue man, whose death is caused by Eddie. The second
person is his former army captain. The third person is Ruby herself, who
teaches Eddie to let go of his anger. Marguerite, Eddies wife is the fourth
person, who tells him that love is not lost with death. The last person is Tala,
the girl Eddie killed during the war. In the end, Eddie descends to heaven.

Students Comments:

I dislike this novel. It is quite depressing for me to read a book that

spends much of its portion wallowing in the afterlife. Moreover, the
protagonist, Eddie, is so self-pitying that I lost the will to sympathize with his
condition. The very sentimental story is also written with no subtlety.
However, I do find that the moral value is really insightful. This books
teaches me that all acts in life is interrelated with each other in some way and
that it is important to make sacrifices for other people.

Interesting words to remember:

Taffy: a type of soft and chewy candy
Nimble: able to move quickly, easily, and lightly
Incandescent: strikingly bright or radiant

Interesting sentences:
All endings are also beginnings.
All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped.
The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone.