Final Thoughts

First off: If you are reading this you may want to start at the beginning (The bottom of the page.)

I think in my first "thought" post I called the book boring, which I must say it was for the first maybe 2 chapters, at least to me. I did have a hard time getting into it for awhile but we went on a four hour road-trip and I made myself read. Kim definitely picks up after the first chapters. He starts meeting people and going on his journey and the story really starts.

Overall I liked the book, I'm not sure if I will read it again but, I would definitely consider it. I thought it would be one of those lame school books that Id just skimmed through and write a little paper about but, it wasn't. I even started researching it when I wasn't doing homework!

Id definitely suggest reading it because it is a classic and it is very well written. Id also say read it because I think there are a lot of misconceptions about it that you should form opinions on for yourself.

I don't know if I could pick out a favorite part, I just liked how all the characters are so different and written about so well. I loved "meeting" them or reading about Kim meeting them. All the characters are so different and yet Rudyard writes about them so seamlessly that it all flows together and it doesn't sound fake I guess. There are definitely some memorable quotes in the book, as just yesterday I quoted a part of the book to my friend. I think that it would appeal to teenagers specifically because it is a soul-searching, path-finding book.

I had fun with reading Kim and fun with writing this blog.

Who should read Kim?

Honestly, it may sound cheesy, but everyone should. I enjoyed reading it and I found it to be entertaining.

I think that boys would like the book more then girls, in general. Kim is not a love story..and doesn't even mention many females.. its a story of a boy growing up and becoming a man. Its the story of a spies and thieves and seems to targeted towards a male reader. But, like I said I read it and liked it and got a lot out of reading it.

I think that if you are interested in history you will like the book. It has a lot of history poured into it here and there. I think I have said it before but, I had just been studying the religions and customs of India when I started reading the book so that definitely helped in the understanding of some of the words used.

Most of the copies of "Kim" come with a glossary in the back. My advise to you would be: USE IT! You will definitively understand the book better if you understand what they are saying! :)

Read it if you like: thrillers, history, Rudyard Kipling, or stories of overcoming boundaries.

British History in Kim

First off, I was surprised on how much of a hold the British had on India, I think that reading about someone who lives their and runs into British soldiers really puts that into perspective. It is clear that the British saw them as almost "second class citizens" and that they didn't think that they had the right to revolt. India alone was a huge part of Britain and a large part of Britain's wealth.

I also found it interesting that Rudyard was born in British India and lived there for only six years. Reading this book, you would think he had lived there his entire life since he has such an understanding of India. He must either have a really good memory or be a very convincing writer. (I am sure he is both)

Something that happened to Rudyard Kipling in history is winning the Nobel Prize in 1907 which was a turning point for English Writers.

Reviews of Kiplings Kim

I had a hard time at first finding some well written reviews so here are some that I came across in my research.

http://writeronwriter.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/kim-rudyard-kipling/

She has good points, both positive and negative in this review.


Below is a very informative review:

http://www.lsj.org/web/literature/kipling.php

My favorite quote

"I am Kim. I am Kim. And what is Kim? His soul repeated it again and again . . . tears trickled down his nose and with an almost audible click he felt the wheels of his being lock up anew on the world without."

This is said in the final chapter of the book, he is still searching and I think realizes that who he is will always be changing, he will always be learning and growing and becoming a better person.

Do you have a favorite quote from this book?

The Importance of Mentors

I found the roles of Kim's mentors to be huge!

He didn't have the stability of a father or guidance of a mother to help him discover who he was and where he belonged. But, he found this in mentors throughout the book.

Teshoo Lama
Colonel Creighton
Mahbub Ali
Lurgan Sahib
Father Victor
Mookerjee

They all have a hand in teaching Kim many things, from trying to get Kim educated to teaching him to spy.

You can be a mentor to anyone and anyone can be a mentor to you. Life is full of mentors and opportunity to learn, you just have to be willing to listen.

Everyone has had a mentor and whether you like it or not someone is looking up to you as a mentor.

Racism

I was shocked to see this on a website while I was researching for my blog:
9 Racist Books for Children
Native American's picture
Submitted by Native American on March 10, 2011 - 00:15

Culture

9 Racist Books for Children

Little Black Sambo
Little Blue and Little Yellow ?
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Three Golliwogs
Kim by Rudyard Kipling
Tintin in Congo
The Story of Babar: the Little Elephant
The Story of Doctor Dolittle
The Little House on the Prairie

I mean really? The Chronicles of Narnia? Little House on The Prairie?

Reading Kim I never once thought of it as racist. But, I guess if you thought that the caste system was something that just came out of nowhere then you might?! I really don't get it.

I think that all books have to be viewed in the time period they were written in (or when the story being written takes place)I used to watch little house on the prairie with my sisters and mom, and I their is an African American lady who is the cook. Is that racist? I don't think so.

In the book Kim race and caste play a big part, just like it did in India at the time. To me Rudyard seems to respect the religions and races throughout the book. In parts of the books Kim may mock a race but, Rudyard has also wrote to defend it every time.

If there is "racism" it is not the racism we are used to.

Kim- The Movie

Kim by Rudyard Kipling was made into a movie in 1950.

The plot summary listed on the "Internet Movie Database" describes the movie: Kim, a young boy living on his own on the streets of India, is actually the son of a British officer. He meets a lama, a holy man, and devotes himself to his tending. But when British administrators discover his birthright, he is placed in a British school. His nature, however, is opposed to the regimentation expected for the son of a British soldier, and he rebels. His familiarity with Indian life and his ability to pass as an Indian child allows him to function as a spy for the British as they attempt to thwart revolution and invasion of India. Rejoining his holy man, Kim (with the help of daring adventurer Mahbub Ali) takes on a dangerous mission

Cast:
Errol Flynn . Mahbub Ali, the Red Beard
Dean Stockwell ... Kim
Paul Lukas ....... Lama
Robert Douglas ... Colonel Creighton

The Tagline for the movie was: Famed Spectacular Adventure Story Filmed Against Authentic Backgrounds in Mystic India The Greatest Spy Thriller of Them All!

I think that what was a "spy thriller" has changed alot since then.

It was filmed on location in India and also in California.

Interesting filming mistakes:

When Kim is being pulled back up from the cliff ledge, safety wire is visible.

Continuity: Near the end, Kim's string of beads alternates between being tucked
inside his jacket in full shots and hanging outside the coat, draped over his lapels, in close-ups

Continuity: Kim shouts for the driver to stop and the cart comes to a skidding halt. The camera cuts away for dialogue between Kim and his schoolmate and then back to the cart stopped on the street. The horse manure that was beneath the cart when they stopped is suddenly gone and the street is clean.

Below are bits and pieces of the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5hqKsMyPsk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uVKSK818bI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jswl5eElLf4

A video

I will be the first to say that this video seems a little weird, but he does have a few good points. So here is a video for all of you who like listening, instead of reading :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp3dmtA1xLk

He has good insight on how Kim relates back to English history

More on Kipling

Rudyard Kipling- Here is where you can learn more about the author:

http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/kipling/kipling_ind

http://www.google.com/search?q=Rudyard+Kipling&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=Fq4&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivnsbo&tbs=tl:1&tbo=u&ei=TsDpTe6lCYPUtQOAu4n6DQ&sa=X&oi=timeline_result&ct=title&resnum=18&ved=0CJABEOcCMBE

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/kipling/rkbio2.html

http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ki-Lo/Kipling-Rudyard.html

About the Author

Rudyard Kipling, he really needs no introduction. Rudyard is a writing genius whose work has captivated thousands.
His most famous writing comes in the form of a bear named Baloo, and a little boy named Mowgli. The Jungle Book, his most famous work, has fans from the age of 2 to 92. The Jungle Book is written on the subject that most of his writings are about, a child (more often male) and the outdoors.

Writing was Kipling's escape. He wrote to escape a bad living situation. From what I have learned this term, trouble, sickness, and loneliness are often what starts an author writing. Writing is a way to escape the world you are living in for a few minutes, or hours and go to a whole new world, a whole new frame of thought. It is said that Kipling wrote about the hot jungle where Mowgli (The Jungle Book) lived when he was snowed in, longing for warmth.

The height of his writing career came in 1907 when he was awarded a Nobel Prize, Kipling being the first ever English author to do so.

Kipling found much inspiration from his childhood home, India. He wrote often about it, including the book Kim. Like I said earlier, he found inspiration in the outdoors, and you can clearly see that in his writings, he writes of England, India, and Africa. (all of which he traveled to)

Kipling wrote up until the 1930s.

Kipling died of an ulcer on January 18th 1936. He was cremated and buried at Westminster abbey in Poets Corner.