Parkville High, Nicely Done by Ashley

Parkville High, Nicely Done by Ashley - July 2013 Scholarship Essay

Okay Varsity Tutors, so you want to know what the best book I have ever read for school is? Sure, of course I will tell you. The best book I have ever read for school is an Anthony Burgess novel called A Clockwork Orange. I read the novel in high school and it was unlike anything I have ever read for school before or read in general. The story told in A Clockwork Orange is one that contains violence, explicit language and imagery that made the experiences more real and relatable. Also, the slang Burgess created for Alex, the protagonist, made the book much more unique despite the fact it made understanding the book more difficult. Besides the uniqueness of this book, in its content and style, it really stands as the best because of the themes the author chose to discuss. One theme that particularly stood out to me was the concept of free will. Burgess does not simply talk about free will but rather makes you think as a reader about how important it is to Alex, yourself and everyone else as human beings. To challenge the reader by taking away Alex’s free will was really powerful for me when I was reading because although he is a criminal, he still is a person. As a result, I found myself feeling sorry for him as I did for his victims because now the tides have turned. Overall, A Clockwork Orange was a very cathartic experience for me and it showed me that no matter what wrong people have done in their life they still should be treated like a human being; which is a lesson that I can apply to my life. So in a nutshell that is why A Clockwork Orange is the best book I have ever read for school. Thank you for reading my essay and your consideration.