Book Review of Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

Running Head: Jonathan Livingston Seagull Book Review of Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach Student Name School Instructor Course The book Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach discusses how a seagull learns about life. Jonathan Livingston Seagull is an extraordinary seagull who learns how to flythrough his own efforts. Later, teachers other seagulls flying skills. This book was written in 1972 and remains highly influential to date. It teaches the reader that, through determination, self-sacrifice and endurance, one can overcome all obstacles to achieve a goal. In the book, Jonathan dislikes the lifestyle of other gulls and sets up a goal. The goal is to learn how to fly and improve his lifestyle rather than living and eating only. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach is a 127 pages book is written in a precise manner. The language used is straightforward, and it is easy to understand. The book is divided into three parts. Each part explains Jonathan`s different stages of life. There have been theories linking the book to the bible. Jonathan is said to behave like Jesus. This is because though he is born similarly to other gulls, he discovers his hidden talent. At some time, he is expelled from the flock. He overcomes many obstacles and eventually perfects his skills. He later returns as a hero and teaches other gulls. Among the most fundamental principle that guides Jonathan is determination and hard work. After evaluating the life of the other gulls, he finds life uninteresting. The most frustrating issue is the gulls lifestyle that revolves around scrambling for limited food. Jonathan sets an objective to learn how to fly. Determined to learn how to fly, Jonathan is expelled from the flock by the elders. There is an inner voice that has always deterred him from achieving his objective. At one point, the voices tell Jonathan that "Seagulls never fly in the dark! (Bach, 2006, P. 24). Upon his mother inquiring about Jonathan unique behavior, Jonathan informs the mother about his determination. His determination about learning about what he can do in the air. Jonathan hard work is evidenced by the number of times he tries to fly. He is injured several times. He makes several mistakes and is even informed that he does not have wings like those of falcons. He intends to exploit his full potential and not to be extraordinary. He realizes that other gull`s live a shorter life. Therefore, he decides to teach himself other methods through which he can get food. Jonathan mission is to learn how to fly. Through flying, he intends to make life a more exciting life. He anticipates enjoying other delicacies that other gulls do not enjoy. His determination and hard work make Jonathan unique. His efforts make him be expelled for "violating the dignity and tradition of the Gull Family" (ibid, p. 34). It is through those principles that Jonathan learns how to...