After watching Around the World in 80 Days starring Jackie Chan with my children I thought it would be interesting to read the book. The book by Jules Verne is a whirlwind trip across the globe.
In this book Verne chronicles the journey of Phileas Fogg and his servant Passepartout across the world from London and back again. The story is entertaining even though it is outlandish at times.
When learning that Fogg is about to try and travel around the world in 80 days Passpartout “mechanically set about making the preparations for departure. Around the world in eighty days! Was his master a fool? No. Was this a joke, then? They were going to Dover; good! To Calais; good again!”
To add an element of complexity to the story Verne introduced the character of Mr. Fix who is a British Detective trying to arrest Fogg who has been described as a suspected bank robber.
The book does not provide much detail about Fogg at the beginning and I expected to learn more of his backstory as the book progressed but never really got the details I was hoping for. The interactions between Fogg and Aouda are also lacking. My favorite interactions were between Passpartout and Fix.
Overall the book missed an opportunity to allow the reader to connect with Fogg and his relationship with Aouda. The book was probably about 50 pages too short to build up the main characters in more depth. As a result it is just a quick whimsical read. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.
Thomas Aquinas is credited as one of the greatest proponents of natural law. During his time in Cologne he was taught by Albertus Magnus. Magnus used the teachings of Aristotle in his mentorship of Thomas Aquinas.
Samuel Adams believed in American Independence from Great Britain. He is one of the most well know Son's of Liberty. On August 1, 1776 he gave a speech to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
Hefei, China Thursday 6:00AM
The rising sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon. The darkness of night was about to give way to the light of day. The sleeping city would soon be bustling with activity completely unaware of what had occurred while it slept.
Zhao Kai stood outside a small warehouse looking building. For all of the modernization that had been occurring in China this building had been skipped. At least on the outside. It appeared old and nearly abandoned but the inside told a different story. Before Kai entered the building he glanced at the rising sun. This was his favorite moment of the day. The blinding light of the sun was a weapon that he used literally.
On numerous occasions he would take a prisoner to a spot where there was an unobstructed view of the rising sun. Then he would bind them in such a way that they had to stare directly into the sun. If he did his job right they would not be able to close their eyes and would return to their prison cells blinded for life. If he didn’t just kill them. That punishment would not be on the table today but perhaps tomorrow. He liked ...
