Maus-Night Blogging assignment

In both books, Maus and Night, one mutual pattern i noticed is that family and friends work as hard as they can as a team to survive the war.  I also spotted that there is a great deal of compassion between jewish prisoners helping each other become free from Nazi influence and the death camps.  For example, in the book Maus I and Maus II, Vladek trys his hardest to stay alive in the death camps because he desires no more but to see his wife again, and in the book, Night, the only thing that keeps Elizer alive is the desire to live with his father at home, and not in the concentration camps.  In both books, Vladek and Elizer's father both do their best to keep their children informed of how bad the nazis actually were.  In Maus I and Maus II, Vladek explains verbally to his son, Artie, about his times during the war and what it felt like to be a jew during the time.  In the book Night, Elizer and his father both live together during the tough times and struggle between life or death at all of the concentration camps that they venture to.  Then also in both books, they discuss certain details about the life in concentration camps.  They both explain how important food was, and in order to get some soup or stale bread for your food ration of the day, you have to either paass the prisoner exam, the lice exam, or maybe even both.  Vladek and Elizer explain the essence of food, and how hard it was to have such little food in a day, while working hard and doing tough manual labor all day.  All the prisoners crave food as a delight in the concentration camps because everyone is starving, and will do whatever it takes in order to get some scraps of food.  For example, in the book Night, Germans throw some stale bread or scraps of food onto the train car, and watch the jewish prisoners fight to the death for it.  They do this for enjoyment, to watch starving people try to seriously injure or even kill for some food, and it entertains them.  Elizer mentions that he feels completely like he is in a zoo and lives with a bunch of wild animals who fight eachother so they can survive.  Similar pranks to taunt the jews are committed by the Germans in the book Maus also.  For example, some German soldier once snagged a prisoners cap from him in a concentration camp, and threw it then he yelled at him to go and get it back.  The German nazi soldier then shoots and kills the poor innocent prisoner for the "attempt of an escape".  The German then is awarded many honorable war metals, and is granted a few days of vacation time.  Also, the Germans lie completely to the jews in the book Maus.  Once, the jews were marching to another death camp and they offered the Germans all of their gold and possesions if they could escape.  The Germans then agree and when the jews try to escape, the Germans all open fire on them and completely break their promise.  I recomend to future classes to read both books, Maus I and Maus II, and Night, because they are both so similar, but they show the different expierences that the people have to go through along with their views and opinions.  Personally, Maus I and Maus II were a very easy read, and it caught my attention so i was never bored with it or disliked it, because it incorporated a real life story along with a whole comic strip storyline.  Night was good too, because it was short and the book made sense.  Night also was very interesting because it is a book based on a true story of surviving during the holocaust.  I also feel that if you read one book, you might as well read the other one because they are both super easy, short, and enjoyable.  I am glad that I had the opportunity to read both books.

Restrepo Blogging Assignment

In the Book, Restrepo, and Fallen Angels, There are many similarities and perspectives one can tell during war.  For example, in both Restrepo and Fallen angels, it explains how terrible the feeling is when one of your friends passes away in combat, Jenkins in Fallen angels, and Restrepo in Restrepo.  Also, the soldiers explained their feelings towards the combat in the war with everyone during the nighttime in the base, while the soldiers in Restrepo do the same.  There are also some funny parts to the war, like in Fallen angels, how Perry and Peewee are in a spiderhole, and also in Restrepo, when the opening fights start, the soldiers have fun with each other fighting the enemy.  There was also some humorous parts in the book, like when a soldier tans in the sun, and in fallen angels, when peewee puts cream on his face, which makes it swelled.  Also, in  restrepo, when they work as a team in battle against the Taliban, in fallen angels, Peewee and Perry, and their squad do the same.  When the soldiers in the afghan war are scared in battle of their enemy, Perry and his squad feels the same because they are fighting on the enemy’s homeland, and use guerilla tactics.  The feeling is also mutual when the American soldiers in Afghanistan write home to their loved ones, American soldiers in Vietnam do the same because they are not for sure if they will live or not.  When the American soldiers let out a flair for Restrepo, the enemy spots their location, and same in fallen angels when they let out a flair for help. 

Fallen angels and Restrepo both showed many similarities and differences during wartime, specifically the Afghan war and the Vietnam war.  Both watching the movie Restrepo and reading the book Fallen angels has taught and showed me many of the reality events that happen during the war.  Such as in Fallen Angels, when Perry loses his close friend, Jenkins, at the beginning of the book, and when one of the soldiers loses his close friend, Restrepo, in the movie Restrepo.  War is not pretty, and it is never like that of what they advertise of television.  To realize what war truly is about and to experience what it feels like to be a soldier, you have to go to the war yourself and experience it hands on, by yourself.

 

Slaughterhouse Blogging Prewriting

Please list 10 ways you can improve your essay scores

1.Take my time                        6.end with a good conclusion that sums up my ideas
2 find legitimate quotes                       7make sure i read the directions
3.include more transition words                8.come up with ideas that can be backed up by evidence
4.use complete sentences                        9.ask for help when i am confused
5.Start off with a good intro that explains why im writing                        10.do prewriting beforehand to lay out what im about to write


Please write any 15 thoughts about the book Slaughterhouse-5.  For each thought, please refer to a specific part of the book that generated this thought (for instance, “It was funny” receives no credit; “It was funny when he described the Tralfamadorians” receives full credit).

1.i thought that it was funny how weary would make fun of billy

2.it was funny when billy described the aliens, and the aliens describing him

3.it was very deep when thinking that there is a 4th dimension

4.it made me think real hard when the aliens say that there are a total of 7 sexes, but we can only see 2

5.it was depressing when billy would see death everywhere in the war

6.it made me think if there was actually a planet called tralfamadore where aliens roamed their planet

7.i was confused when billy would constantly time travel from place to place

8.i was confused on how billy and a few others survived the bombing, while nobody else did

9.i didn't completely understand why the book was called slaughterhouse 5

10.i found myself often lost when billy would jump from time to time throughout his life, seeing him as a soldier and a dad and a animal on another planet

11.i thought that it was kinda dumb how billy described the aliens, and how they look like...a shaft with an eye and a human like hand that surrounds it

12.i thought that it was really annoying when billy would say, no, i have to die, this is my destiny, it will happen sooner or later

13.it really confused me how billy was all calm about his 3 lives, he never seemed worried at all or nervous what will happen to him at any given time

14.i noticed a pattern throughout the book, that whenever billy drifts off to sleep, he time travels to somewhere else, and wakes up someplace else in a completely different world.  like a bad dream

15.i thought that it was kind of funny but at the same time predictable and repentant when billy would always time travel back to his bedroom, making live to his wife.  it was very easy to spot where he would go next after he was just in tralfamadore, or in the war in Germany, as a prisoner or a soldier.


State 5 possible themes for the book Slaughterhouse-5.
1.learn to accept the things you cannot change, for it is called destiny.

2.do not fear death, death is a natural part of life, and eventually everyone will experience it sooner or later

3.life as a soldier should be valued, for you set your life on the line everyday in battle

4.be kind and use your manners, because it may just alter the enemie's decision to kill you

5.try hard and never give up, because if you don't give up, you have faith and you will eventually find peace and happiness


Write a conversation between yourself and Billy Pilgrim in which he tries to teach you a lesson based on his own experiences.  You must explain IN DEPTH at least 3 specific events and details from the book in order to receive full credit.  This conversation should go on as long as it takes to demonstrate YOUR UNDERSTANDING of Billy’s experiences.
EXAMPLE:
Billy: Hello, Matt
Matt: Hey Billy
Billy: have you ever heard of time travel?
Matt: of course i have
Billy: Have you ever experienced it before?
Matt: No. have you?
Billy: yes, i have been time traveling for as long as i can remember
Matt: you must be crazy, there is no such thing as time travel
Billy: oh yes there is such thing as time travel.  When i was a new recruit as a soldier in the war, that is when they took me
Matt: who took you?
Billy: The little native aliens of the planet Tralfamadore, they live millions of lightyears away from planet earth.
Matt: so i take it that you were abducted by the aliens? just like all of the other alien movies?
Billy: yes i was, but i was also living three lives at once, and i had no idea it was possible.
Matt: When did you start to time travel?
Billy: first there were some flashes of my life, then it began to get rough. on the planet of tralfamadore, 6 earthling months in just a few seconds in real life.
Matt: so is it safe to say that it would feel like you have been gone for years, and then when they travel you back in time to earth, you have only been gone for a few seconds?
Billy: yes you are completely correct except that over time i found a reaccuring pattern within my life time traveling from place to place
Matt:...so, what is it then? you choose when and where you want to go?
Billy: i found out over time, that i time travel whenever i go to sleep or take a nap.  i have no control over it and it is quite depressing.
Matt: wait, you told me something about you being in the war.
Billy: yes i was fighting in the was as a new recruit against the germans, and then where i was located in, dresden, germany, got completely bombed and looked like a ghost town. me and a few other soldiers were hit by a miracle to see that we were still alive.  When i would time travel, i would usually go back and forth between my real life at home, my life on the planet of tralfamadore, and my life as a soldier in the war.  In my life i got very confused on which way to go and even what to do.  The aliens have manipulated my life, and i wish the flashes would stop and i could be finally free from being unstuck in time.
Matt: that is very deep, billy.  your life sounds very stressful and full of obstacles you need to dodge in order to survive.
Billy: yes, and i wish i was back home now with my wife, for i am soon going to be taveling through time to the war again.
Matt: is there anything i can do to help you billy
Billy: no there is not. there is no cure or help you can assist me of the get me back into my beloved family life.  Even if i die or get killed in the war, i will then wake up from a nightmare inside my cage in tralfamadore.
Matt: so you are technically invincible? did the aliens keep you as a zoo animal on theyre planet?
Billy: yes you could say that, and i am a filthy animal rotting away in an old rusty cage on that long lost planet.  The aliens have such a different way of looking at life, and they think that i am beautiful.  i am locked up in a cage and am nearly humiliated to death when those creatures point laugh or watch me as if i am some kind of stubborn brute.
Matt: i am sorry billy that your life has been too complicated.
Billy: i am getting tired now matt, i think it is time for me to go back to the frontline of the war and defeat germany, just like i have done in the past many times before.
Matt: okay billy, it was nice talking to you and i hope to see you again.
Billy: farewell my friend, be sure to say hi to mr.cheng for me
Matt: ok bye

Siddhartha Blogging Assignment

          Siddhartha learns many valuable lessons about himself and the people he meets throughout his lifetime.  Siddhartha has moved from place to place learning these lessons, and i think that Siddhartha learns the most from the people he meets when he least expects it.  I believe that throughout the book, Siddhartha learns the most from his friend, Govinda.  Siddhartha learns with Govinda that you should do what you feel is the right choice for you, even if your closest family or friends say you are wrong or disagree with you.  For instance, "Siddhartha placed his hand on Govinda's shoulder.  'You have heard my blessing, Govinda.  I repeat it.  May you travel this path to the end.  May you find salvation!'"(30).  This shows that Siddhartha has found what he was looking for by himself, with nobody else's concern.  Now he tells Govinda that he should do the same and look for something to satisfy what he seeks.  An example in my life or other peoples would be that if your parents don't want you to stay up late doing homework, but you have homework that you didn't finish and is worth lots of points, you ignore what they say, and finish the homework.  Overall, you could be tired the next day, but it was worth it because you got the assignment done and completed.

          Also, Siddhartha learns from his friend, Govinda, to look at the world in a different way other than Govinda might see it to be, in order to become a happy person and achieve enlightenment.  What I mean, is that Siddhartha imagines what the world looks like in Govinda's perspective, and thinks what life would be like if people with goods and valuable possesions are doomed, and the only way to achieve enlightenment is through nirvana.  After experiencing what the world looked like to Govinda, Siddhartha tries to look at the world in a different way, and enjoys it very much and becomes happy.  For example, "He bowed low, right down to the ground, in front of the man sitting there motionless, whose smile reminded him of everything that he had ever loved in his life, of everything that had ever been of value and holy in his life."(151-152).  This quote shows that Siddhartha and Govinda remember every little thought of good and happiness from their lives.  Therefore, they both have achieved enlightenment together.  They thought and meditated together in order to get there, in a happy and peaceful state of mind.  In my life and for other people too, sometimes you have to convince your friends to do something different, or look at it in a different way.  This can sometimes relieve stress or make them happy in some cases.  For example, if there is a project due in 1 day and you want to hang out with friends over the weekend, split the project up and get it done piece by piece rather than in one sitting, which makes the project look simpler to do.

"Be a Man" Macbeth assignment

1. Act 4 scene 3 lines 67-69 : "Not in the legions of horrid hell can come a devil more damned in evils to top Macbeth."  While Malcom and Macduff are in discussion about Macbeth and how he is king, they also talk about how such a horrible man he is, and how not even a devil is more evil than him, because he is so manly, that he shows no mercy.  They describe him as a murderous monster that took over as king over greed.

2. Act 4 scene 3 lines 252-254 : "Be comforted.  Let's make us med'cines of our great revenge to cure this deadly grief."  After Ross tells Macduff that his whole family and house has been slaughtered, Malcom suggests that they get revenge on Macbeth.  Macduff would really like to get revenge on Macbeth now, that he has taken everything away from him.  Macduff needs to pull himself together and be a man and fight back and get revenge on Macbeth for his family.

3. Act 4 scene 3 lines268-269 : "Be this the whetstone of your sword.  Let grief convert to anger.  Blunt not the heart; enrage it."  In this quote, Malcom is encouraging Macduff to use his grief and transform it into anger so he gets motivated to kill Macbeth.  Macduff takes his manly advice and quickly turns his sadness into anger and becomes furious at Macbeth and wants no more but to get payback on Macbeth.

4. Act 5 scene 2 lines 1-5 : "The english power is near, led on by Malcom...revenges will burn in them, for their dear causes would to the bleeding and the grim alarm excite the mortified man."  Mentieth speaks to Angus, Lennox, and Caithness about how Malcom, Macduff and their army are coming to get their revenge on Macbeth and his actions.  She tells in detail how much Malcom and Macduff want revenge and want to see blood in Macbeth's kingdom, which will excite them to see that they can defeat Macbeth.  This shows how manly they are, being excited to see people die for revenge on a bad person who killed innocent people.

5. Act 5 scene 3 lines 17-20 : "...What soldiers, patch?  Death of thy soul!...What soldiers, whey-face?"
In this quote, Macbeth talks to his servant how she and he think how the battle will turn out.  Macbeth  has a gut-feeling that he is already a dead man, he knows that he is not a coward and will not run, and he will fight till his last breath, like a man on the battle field, defending his throne from Macduff and Malcom.

The Odyssey analysis writing assignment

Life needs to be valued, and you should never give up

In first place, life should be valued.  Every person is unique and nobody is worthless. Although they might think they are nothing they are still living on earth, therefore they are something.  To illustrate my point, this quote tells how much Achilles wished he was alive. “But you , Achilles, there’s not a man in the world more blest then you- there never has been, never will be one….’I’d rather slave on earth for another man- some dirt-poor tenant farmer who scrapes to keep alive-‘…”(p.265, 547-560).  In the quote, even a bad life, living on earth is sweeter and more valuable than a great life in the underworld.  Living as a poor old peasant on Earth is of much greater value than being the king of the underworld, because life is such an experience to go through. You learn so much throughout a lifetime and the memories last forever.

Secondly, if you find yourself failing at most tasks very often, you should keep trying and never give up.  Patience is the key to life and you shouldn’t rush things if you know that it would fail.  Taking life one step at a time will make your life much less stressful and you will have a good idea on where you’re headed.  To show my point, this quote tells how Odysseus has been very patient on his quest to reach home, and when he takes his time, he will have a plan in advance on what to do next.  “’First I will transform you-no one must know you….I’ll dim the fire in your eyes, so shining at once- until you seem appalling to all those suitors”’(p.299, 454-459).  In this quote, Athena had disguised Odysseus into an old man.  At first, Odysseus is mad at her because he does not know why, but later on he notices that it is all part of his plan to get revenge on the suitors.  Since Odysseus has been so patient in such obstacles such as losing his men, and getting stuck in the middle of Poseidon’s wrath, he has been through much and has been very patient every step of the time.  Now Odysseus has been granted a great plan to regain his throne and kill the suitors.  If you are patient and live your life one step at a time, a great reward will eventually come to you, such as a plan that will guide you when you are lost, which will make your journey much less stressful.

Lastly, always trust your elders and be never give up on them.  Even though you have doubt in their ideas and plans, you should be patient, and see how the situation turns out.  Most of the time they are right, and sometimes you just have to deal with it, and not give up all hope.  To illustrate my point, this quote shows how Telemachus has no faith in his father’s plan and how Odysseus reassures his son to trust him and that it will work.  “’How on earth could two men fight so many and so strong?’…’Trust me’ his seasoned father reassured him,’”(p.346-347, 271-298).  In the quote, Odysseus explained his thought of how to kill the suitors and Telemachus had great doubt that it would be successful.  Odysseus then convinces Telemachus that his plan would work out and asks Telemachus to trust him.  Telemachus decides to trust his elder, and contribute to his father’s plan, even though he does not have a good feeling about it.  Now that they are both in agreement on a specific plan, they both have trust for each other, they are not giving up, and are committed to getting revenge on the suitors.  Trust between the father and son is the most important thing in order to live, and it requires patience at times to get there.

Telemachus and Odysseus

3. I do believe that Telemachus is a hero based off of the elements of the hero's journey and within the events that happened in books I and II.  Telemachus was a hero in my eyes because he was willing to leave his house to go on the quest to find his father, Odysseus.  He could have stayed home at his house and lived with his family and his servants, but he was on the search for the truth.  Telemachus had the choice to go or stay and live his own life without his father.  He chose to find his father because he felt that that was the right thing to do.  Telemachus also had the guts to stand up for his own house and his life.  When the suitors were somewhat pusing Telemachus around and acting all bossy over him, just because he was a boy, Telemachus spoke up and explained that they had no right to do that.  He will fight for justice and will not quit until he gets the answer that he is searching for.

4. I also do believe that Odysseus is a hero based off of the elements of the hero's journey and within the events that happened in books I and II.  Odysseus was a herp to me, because  Odysseus knew that he was far from home, and that he needed to go home to see his son and wife, and bring back order and honor to his throne as king.  When Calyipso offers Odysseus to become immortal if he stays with her and marrys her, Odysseus refuses because he knows that that is not the right path to take in his life.  Although Odysseus would like to marry Calyipso and become her husband, he refuses because he has a wife of his own, and he cannot betray her.  Odysseus is also a hero because no matter what comes in his path, he keeps on fighting to get home.  For Example, when Poseidon strikes Odysseus with a great big sea storm, Odysseus spends 18 days at sea, and never gives up, no matter what, because he knows that he needs to go home, and restore order.  Odysseus always does what is the rightful choice, and never gives up, because he is eager to finally meet up again with his son and wife.