Soundtrack for "Insurgent"

          I'm reading "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth. Last year I read "Divergent"and thought it was pretty good. "Insurgent" the movie was also really satisfying. I was really disappointed by this movie's soundtrack, especially because "Divergent" had such a good soundtrack with many great artists like Ellie Goulding. In this post I'm going to create my own soundtrack based on themes and events in the book.

           1. Fighter- Christina Aguilera: Amazing. This song  really portrays Tris' refusal to give up and her willingness to fight for what she thinks is right. I also think it shows how even though Jeanine is trying to get Tris, she doesn't let Jeanine get to her. This song would also work if you're describing Tobias. His dad beating him only made him stronger. Instead of being the coward he used to be, in "Insurgent" he isn't afraid to stand up to his dad and let's him know how it felt.  
Fighter: Christina Aguilera

            2.  Angel With A Shotgun- The Cab: I think this song shows just how much Tris and Four are wiling to risk for each other. Together they run away from Dauntless rebels, together they fight Jeanine,  together they find out life changing secrets and escape from the city. Both Tris and Tobias (aka Four) are willing to risk their lives so that the other goes unharmed. They're "Angels" because they are fighting for what's right not what others believe. One part of the book that fits this song the most is when Tris and Tobias are riding in a train into the city. While in the car they encounter the Factionless and the Factionless are ready to attack. Tris and Four prepare to fight, not to defend themself but to defend one another. Four didn't even have to get involved in the war but he started fighting for Tris without question.
Angel With A Shotgun: The Cab

           3. Big Girls Cry- Sia: Flawless. Not only is this a great song, it also effortlessly describes Tris. While Tris acts tough and okay, she's actually heartbroken over her parents and the fact that she killed not only her best friend's boyfriend but also her own friend. With a war brewing she doesn't really have time to grieve over the people she lost, so she tries to avoid the topic and doesn't want to tell anyone what happened. The truth comes out while she's on Truth Serum in Candor. Candor leader, Jack Kang, has her and Tobias put on it to prove their innocence, in front of the entire Candor and remaining Dauntless population. After Tris' secret is revealed she feels so alone because her best friend can't even look at her and Four can't relate to what she's going through.
Big Girls Cry: Sia

             4. Haunt- Bastille: Tris' brother Caleb was sided with Erudite, the faction that is responsible for starting the war. However at the beginning of the book Caleb is allied with Tris and Tobias and Tris and Caleb are finally getting back to the relationship they'd had before they switched factions. When Tris and Four go to Candor, Caleb reunites with the Erudite. The ironic part of the story is that Caleb is part of the team that is in charge of executing Tris.  When she finally does turn herself into Erudite she is nothing less that flabbergasted at the sight of Caleb. Even though she shouldn't feel anything for her brother, because after all he's in charge of killing her, he still haunts her. She can't figure out why Caleb would side with the group of people that their parents have always hated. When she's left alone in a cell there's nothing stopping her from thinking about Caleb and the choices he made.
Haunt: Bastille

              5. Let Her Go- Passenger: Tobias knew from the moment Tris jumped from the net that he's cared for her. He stood by her even in her darkest times. It was never a question of if Tobias loved Tris; everyone knew he did, even himself. What he didn't realize was how unimportant his life would be without her. When she snuck out to sacrifice herself to Jeanine Tobias was distraught. Life wasn't even worth living to him if she wasn't there with him. It was unimaginable. I love this song because it talks about how you don't know how much love someone until they're gone.  I think that while Tobias had always known he loved Tris he didn't realize exactly how much he loved her until she was gone. Tobias storms into Erudite determined to get Tris out. With a little help from an enemy and paralysis serum Four manages to get Tris out without Jeanine knowing that she was gone, let alone alive. This part of "Insurgent" really shows Four's dedication to Tris and strengthens the already strong-although sometimes unstable-relationship they have, which I think is what Passenger is implying in this song.
Let Her Go: Passenger

              6. Breathe- Taylor Swift (Feat. Colbie Caillat): Even though Tris and Tobias love each other they still have fights and end up practically breaking up a few times. Tris almost breaks up with him because she found out that Tobias has known about his mom being alive for a year, but didn't mention it to Tris once until she met Evelyn. Four almost breaks up with Tris because he can't keep dating someone who is so willing to put their life in danger. He doesn't want to risk being in love if the person is just going to die. Taylor Swift's song is talking about how even though a couple is broken up, they still care about each other a lot and are struggling to let each other go. I think the reason Tris and Tobias never broke up was because while they get angry at each other they can't stand being without each other. They can't live without the other. They're the rock that keeps the other one grounded.
Breathe: Taylor Swift (feat Colbie Calliet)

               7. The Weight of Living Part 1- Bastille: (another one sorry) One of the main reasons Tris freely goes to Erudite is because she wants to die. She can't deal with all of her burdens. The weight of living had blinded her from how life still has things worth living for. Once in her death room she realizes that she's not ready to die. She still has things she wants to live for and things she wants to accomplish. She needs to live for her friends and for her faction and for her divergence and most importantly for Tobias. By the time that she's rescued she's come to terms with her parents and Will's death and she is ready to accept them. By getting rid of that albatross she is able to enjoy life more than she had previously been before. She can now fight whole heartedly for what she believes in.
The Weight of Living Part 1: Bastille

               These are just some of the songs I've enjoyed listening to while reading "Insurgent". I think that music has a really big impact on the tone and overall messages of a book. I feel like these songs touch on some of the common trends found in the book. I think that these songs fit better than some of the songs on the actual soundtrack, because as I said I was distraught over the music on the "Insurgent" soundtrack. I believe that these songs have a great impact on the book, especially while reading.

Thematic statement for "The Help"

           One life changing story. Throughout the book, "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett, you experience loyalty and betrayal and truths and lies and tears and smiles and conflict and resolutions. There are many ideas you can pick up from this book because it is such an epiphany and hits really adjacent to home. Some people say it's about friendship, some people say it's about revenge, some people say it's about education, and some people even say it's about working together to accomplish a colossal goal. In my opinion, I think that the theme statement behind this book is that the color of your skin and your background don't matter. Everyone has the right to equality.

          There are a few quotes in this novel that I find very pivotal. One of them is towards the end of the book and it's talking about how Skeeter's help has a white daughter. When Skeeter's mom finds out she's actually a Negro's daughter trying to act like a white lady she gets mad. On page 427 it states: "when I thought she was white, I treated her fine and dandy."  I feel like this says a lot about our communities and how they used to behave. When Mrs. Phelan thought she was white, there was no problems at all between the two of them, but as soon as the truth came out Mrs. Phelan now hates Lulabelle even though she's done nothing to earn that hate. She's still the same person that she was before people perceived that she was indeed a Negro.
       
           Another quote I find memorable is at a part in the novel where Skeeter's book has already been published with every help's stories. "Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I thought"(page 492). Skeeter's reflection of her book is really self-explanatory and does a really good job of capturing the overall theme of the book. I believe that it's this revelation that makes us as humans seem so appalling. It's horrifying to realize that our ancestors thought that just because a person was a different skin color they should be treated awfully. Thankfully now people have come to accept the difference in skin color.

           A must read. If you glance at nothing else this should be the one book you make an effort to read. "The Help" has a tenacious and compelling message about the treatment of others. It will make you feel remorseful that people just like you treated others that way. At the same time it will make you feel jubilant because this book proves that there were people out there trying to do the right thing even though it was very costly. Historic figures like Martin Luther King, who by the way is mentioned in the book, were extremely dauntless and willing to die for what they believed in. I find this very inspirational and apparently so did Kathryn Stockett as "The Help" portrays cleverly.

As you can see most people refuse to be involved with the help, while Skeeter isn't afraid to interact with them.