Book Title: Walden Two Author: B. F. Skinner Pages: 301 I. SETTING: A. Time: mid 1940’s (after the end of WWII) B. Place: Walden Two, R.
D. I, Canton C. Detailed description of the opening scene: Rogers and Steve just returning from war, and looking for a new beginning read an article on a man named Frazier who was planning to begin an experimental utopian society. They immediately become intrigued by the idea. Their interest brought them to the office of Professor Burris, one their former teachers to ask if he knew anything about Frazier, or about the new society Frazier is trying to build. Burris remembers Frazier as a classmate at his graduate school; he recalls his extremist ideas and his dislike for the institution.
He also recalls discussions the two had shared about this ‘Utopian society.’ Reluctantly Burris agrees to contact Frazier, and sends him a letter. Immediately and enthusiastically he replies inviting Burris’ and his friends to visit the new community he has developed. Burris meets with the two men to inform them of the invitation, and agrees to take time off, to accompany Rogers and Steve on a visit to ‘Walden Two,’ Frazier’s community. Rodger’s girlfriend Barbara, Steve’s girlfriend Mary, and Burris’s colleague Castle also accompany them on the visit. II. THEME: a one-sentence statement of the theme of your novel Walden Two was Skinner’s attempt to portray what would occur if behaviorism were used to curve our society, he depicted a solution to the problems of modern life that involved a new beginning, an flee from our current society, and a dismissal of our political and economic solutions.
The Essay on Effects Of Evolution On Human Society
Effects of Evolution on Human Society The basic law of Darwinist concept of evolution is that simpler forms of life evolve into organisms that are more complex. If we look at social progress, it will appear that it follows the same pattern - from slavery to feudalism and from feudalism to capitalism. Now we live at the beginning of post-industrial era. Therefore, we can say that biological and ...
III. CHARACTERS: Write a one or two sentence description of each major character. A. Main Character: Professor Burris is a professor of psychology, the central character of the novel, and the man through whose eyes we view the many aspects of Walden Two. He is very intelligent, and initially doubtful of the operations of Walden Two, but is more and more fanatical about it over the course of his visit. B.
Supporting Character: T. E. Frazier is a former classmate of Burris’ at his graduate school, and is one of the founding members of Walden Two. C. Supporting Character: Augustine Castle is a philosopher and a colleague of Burris at the university. He is equally as intelligent as Burris and a gifted debater, but he is rather closed-minded; he debates with Frazier his whole visit to Walden Two, trying to find some practical reason why it shouldn’t work.
D. Supporting Character: Rogers is a former classmate of Burris. After returning from World War II, he attempts to find a better life than the standard ‘American Dream’ by exploring Walden Two with Burris’ group. E. Supporting Character: Steve Jam nik and Rogers became friends during the war. He is a quiet man, like Rogers he is looking for a better life.
IV. PLOT STRUCTURE: (one or two sentences for each will be sufficient) A. Central Conflict or Main Problem: Castle finds Walden Two repulsive, and spends the greater part of the visit arguing with Frazier about the practicability and popularity of a community like Walden Two. He is extremely skeptical and his debates with Frazier are highlighted throughout the novel.
B. Important Incident: There were few ‘important’ incidents throughout this novel, there weren’t even any key incidents it was just a series of dialogue, and description. D. Climax of the Story The climax occurs toward the end of the novel, in the last few chapters where each visitor makes his or her decision to either stay or leave Walden Two, based on the opinions they have formed throughout their three-day stay. Not surprisingly Castle decides to leave this society, he is strongly opposed to it. Rogers and Steve decide that they like it, but Rogers doesn’t stay because his girlfriend Barbara disliked the whole idea.
The Essay on A character from a book, movie, or television program
“Then I shall die as one of them!” A line said by one of the most noble of characters in my favourite movies of all time. The Lord of the Rings is a story that is epically written by J.R.R Tolkien. It is a three part book that has been adapted into film with many characters that individually play important roles in the story. Aragorn son of Arathorn had caught my attention from his very first ...
Burris decides that he is fascinated by the whole idea, but plans to return to his job as a professor. E. Resolution or Outcome: Although Burris finds himself being skeptical that such a utopia could succeed, but he finds it gripping, and he cannot disregard the evidence of success in front of him. Burris’ fascination gets the better of him and at the last minute, while waiting to board the he train he decides to try life at Walden Two. V. BOOK REVIEW: Write a good two to four paragraph critique of the book on which you point out its strengths and its weaknesses, giving examples to support your evaluation.
If you are looking for a good novel, with a compelling plot, and subtle character development, or any character development, for that matter, go to the library and get another book. This book is more or less a series of dialogues, conveniently placed into a cohesive order. The main characters visiting the Utopian society of Walden Two engage in an abundance of dialogue, in order to discover the spirit and the principles behind this new community of Walden Two. Set speeches by main characters illustrate the points that Skinner wishes to make to the reader. Don’t get me wrong, the ideas are challenging and the reading is not painful; there is even some dramatic tension. The thought of a society like Walden Two is intriguing, and the detail used by Skinner gives the reader a clear picture of what this society may look like, and how it operates.
Overall the book was good, it was an enjoyable read, and wasn’t like other novels, it was individual. I would recommend this book to anyone who is open- minded, and is intrigued by the operations and possibility of alternate societies.
