War Story/Poem

     War is cruel. No matter how hard a solider tries to forget, some memories are impossible to erase. Their are two pieces of writing where the writers strongly convey  how war makes them feel. The "Diameter of the Bomb" is written by Yehuda Amichai. It is a tragically beautiful poem talking about the after- effects of war. It references a circle quite alot and talks about loss. "the howl of orphans that reaches up to the throne of God and beyond, making a circle with no end and no God (Amichai, L13)." Not only can you the person questioning God, you can see how the circle is definitely a symbolism. So the circle is like an never ending, continuous process. War is like a circle, happening over and over again. It may start from different reasons but the results are always the same- death. War almost always result in death or the loss of something.

     "Another Way To Die" is written by Murakami Haruki. This short story has an interesting plot but it mostly revolves around fate and loss. All of us are fated to die one day, but we all will go differently when it is the right time. We all have different beliefs as well. Some of believe in God, others believe in the universe, and others in science. In the poem the veterinarian felt that "..I, as an individual am living under the control of some outside force (Haruki, L20)." So fate Is what the veterinarian thinks will control his life and steer him in the direction hes meant to be in.  The short story and the poem both portray their emotions and clearly show loss. Loss of life and loss of faith. Both the writing pieces are talking about war and how it changes a person, scaring them. 

References:

Amichai, Yehuda. "Chana Bloch." Chana Bloch ::Translations :: Yehuda Amichai, The Selected   Poetry. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.

Haruki, Murakami. "Another Way to Die." The Evening Redness In The West. N.p., 2009. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.

Terrorism

There are so many world conflicts that are affecting everyone today. Terrorism is nothing new to our country or the world, but it has been an issue we have been fighting for. It is horrible, and the people who partake in it are just sick. On Sunday  June 12th, 2016 in Orlando Gay Nightclub, a man shot and killed 49 people and he wounded 53 more people. According to CNN, the shooting decimated the gay nightclub. "It was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States and the nation's worst terror attack since 9/11 (CNN, 2016). It was not just a problem on them, it was an attack on the whole nation. There was also many attacks in Paris that took place on November 13th, 2015. There were 130 innocent people that were dead and thousands more people that were wounded. According to BBC News, "Gunman and suicide bombers hit a concert hall, restaurant and bar, almost at the same time (BBC, 2015)." Looking back and learning the gruesome details is so sad. The families of all those innocent dead people were so torn and devastated  to find out that their son/daughter, or wife/husband would not come home. One day I hope, our country and every country will slowly realize that the one thing killing us tremendously is ourselves. Violence is not the answer to anything, treat anything with love, and surely there will be a way out. There was a quote by Greg Mortenson that relates to this theme: "If you fight terrorism, it's based on fear. If you promote peace, it's based on hope."

YouTube videos: Explains more in detail about the Nightclub shooting as well as the Paris attacks.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qST2203TGIU&feature=youtu.be
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMfuNIe33t4&feature=youtu.be
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M4zormWsJA&feature=youtu.be

Reference:

• http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/12/us/orlando-nightclub-shooting/
• http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34818994

Venezuela Rising

After watching the Venezuela Rising video, it really opened my eyes to how much was really going on in the world around us. I saw many conflicts being shown in the video. The main idea that I saw conveyed over and over again was Loss. Every single day, many people in Venezuela fight for their freedom, their rights, and some even struggle for another day to live. The truth saddens me, knowing that the citizens of Venezuela are living their lives in fear. That they don’t even feel comfortable walking down their street. The people of Venezuela that once had high hopes and dreams for are now dead and lifeless on the ground. It’s a bloody war zone out there, and the government is sitting there watching, doing nothing to help the situation. Brotherhood is also expressed in the video. We can see that mostly the youth are the ones who are getting fighting back. They have the urge to protect their homes, their sisters, and families. Destruction brings people together. Even though the people are scared, they won’t stop fighting till their last breath. There was one particular scene in the video that really stood out to me. While the cops were throwing tear gas at the protesters, there was this one particular guy who said “i’m not afraid of you, I repeat, I was a National Guard. ..I prefer to be here, fighting for my country, while you shoot at me.” Wow, he is a true Soldier! There are many people like him who stand their guard and try their best to fight for their rights, and to stand up for what they believe in. Martin Luther King once said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” I hope one day people of all nations and countries can stop the hatred and fights going on, and just try to understand and love each other.

Reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwQcVx9-bpw

Blog #3

The book "Unbecoming" is so interesting. Jack and Mary were married, and since Mary had dementia, he always wrote little reminders for her in their old house. Now that she moved in with her daughter, she forgets all the time who she is and why she is there. "She hauled them out, but on each and every one was a Post- It Note: If it's dark, come to bed.....God, that was so sad! It must be Jack's writing. Jack keeping Mary safe, guiding her back to their bed in the night when she wandered off and thought it was time for breakfast (page 51)." While reading the story, I was thinking how different the book would have turned out if the elements were changed. I was thinking what if Jack never died? Mary would not have to wonder around aimlessly and not be so forgetful about things. I would have liked it better if Mary had her beloved Jack back. Could you imagine living everyday in lost memories? Without any idea who you are, where you live, and not being able to recognize anyone you know and love? That certainly was one scary experience for Mary.  The author really did a great job of connecting with the youth in this generation, everyone today is trying to figure themselves out. Another changing element that could have drastically changed the story was if Katie was straight instead of being gay. There is nothing wrong with loving someone but in the book Katie had to face alot of bullying and discrimination because she fell in love with a girl. I don't like it this way because yes she had her fair of problems with it, but then again if she was not honest about who she loved then she would have never discovered who her true friends were.

Blog #2

There are many archetypal symbols throughout the story "Unbecoming". One example is "the outcast". Katie is the outcast figure in this book, she has a lot of trouble fitting in with her friends. Her best friend banished her from the friend group because she found out that Katie was lesbian. "Katie was cold, really shivery cold. She'd actually thought for the briefest moment that today might be different. The world had seemed momentarily pleased with her. She'd been lulled by sunshine (pg. 68)." It is significant because it shows the emotions Katie was going through while she was passing by that friend group. Another archetype I found was the "Mother and daughter conflict". Katie's mom Caroline and her grandmother Mary had a lot of conflicts and misunderstandings between them, and it all started way back when Caroline was a baby. "what might happen if she went back to her own place to live by herself? Mum said. Whats the worst thing?....The doctor blinked at Mum as if he couldn't quite believe she'd asked. (pg.87)". That quote is vital because even the doctor can sense that both parties were uncomfortable and knew that there was tension between them.  The next archetypal symbol found in the book is the "platonic ideal". Do you have someone in your life who is your role model, the person who you admire alot and strive to become more like? Well for Katie, its her grandmother Mary. Katie sees Mary as someone who is invisible, fearless and confident in her actions. She is her inspiration to keep going in life.  "She didn't want to hide away like Pat. She wanted to risk her heart like Mary (pg. 64)." I absolutely love that quote, it is important because it explains and brings out how Mary is a fearless character and how much  Katie thrives to become like her. She is a women who oozes confidence in all aspects.

Blog #1

 

Hey Guys! What caught my eye was that the front cover of my book has an intriguing cover, three redheads with three completely different hairstyles. The book I am reading is called "Unbecoming" by Jenny Downham. This bestselling author also had written the book "Before I die", which is an amazing book as well.  When I started reading this book one thing I found really neat was that it is written in 3 different perspectives through different times in their lives. This is a story about family and the various trials and tribulations each of them goes through. The main characters are Mary Todd (grandmother), Caroline (mom), and Katie (the daughter).

The book beings with Mary in the hospital after her husband died. She suffers from Alzheimer's disease so she is confused when she is told she has to live with her daughter and her family. She spends most of the first chapters trying to figure out how she ended up there. We all have that person that tells us  stories like "when I was your age", we may not have appreciated it then but it is truly amazing how people got by with hard work. Mary also tells Katie, the granddaughter and her little brother many stories of when she was young. Her memory degrading has caused her to forget why she left her daughter many years ago. Being left is a horrible feeling, how would you feel if someone near and dear to you left?  I could definitely understand why her daughter would feel so angry. Caroline was very unhappy to find out that her mom was staying with them for a little while. Caroline, in the beginning even calls up many nursing homes, desperate to get her mom out of her life. So far, I don't know the real reason to why Mary left her daughter Caroline. I'm hoping that  the truth will be revealed later in the story. But Katie on the other hand, is a insecure teenager who gets bullied daily at her school. Her best friend ditched her to join the popular girls. Yikes!, some friend she got there :( Her life is pretty miserable... that is, until she met her grandmother. All three women have crazy pasts, and secrets that will be uncovered.  I believe the past, however dark or bad it might be shapes us into becoming who we are. Do you have anyone in your life that turned your world around and made you see things in a new light? What do you think?