Trumbo, Dalton. Johnny Got His Gun. New York. Carol Publishing Group: 1994.
I am going to be honest, here. I heard about this book because of a Metallica song. One day, I wanted to know what the song "One" was about so I looked it up on Wikipedia. The lyrics are based on and said in the perspective of te main character Joe in Johnny Got His Gun. That led to me get interested in reading the book because I started researching it and the plot seemed really interesting and the book is a classic anti-war book. So, I went to the library and checked it out. The novel takes place during World War I and in a hospital.
The story is told completely through the thoughts of Joe Bonham. It starts out with him hearing a ringing noise in his ears. This sound provokes a memory of the day he got a telephone call that he got from his mother that told him his father had died. The novel does this throughout; Joe will be reminded by certain things and they will provoke memories from his past. Joe wakes up to find he can't see because he is covered in bandages. He also realizes he is deaf. He goes in and out of cinciousness and wakes up again to find the doctors are cutting off his arm. And then after a memory of the girl he loves, Kareen, he finds the doctors are cutting off his other arm and he goes into a panic. A memory of drowing prompts him to move his legs. When he can't, he realizes both legs have been amputated as well. Joe panics and tries to call out but he realizes he has no mouth,tongue, or palate. He tries to hold his breath but he can't, because his lungs are sucking in air from somewhere below his throat (probably a machine?). He moves his face muscles to see what else is wrong with him and he feels that there is a huge hole in his face. His eyes, mouth, nose, and ears are gone. He goes into anoher great panic insid of his head. Time passes and Joe thinkas about the past and how he must teach himself to differentiate sleeping and waking. Joe starts thinking deeply about war and the true meanings of liberty. He questions what people say when they're fighting for liberty. This part of the book is definitly my favorite. It is pages and pages of excellent points and thought-provoking questions. Joe tries to entertain his mind and he thinks about hw he wants to start to keep time. The reader finds out Joe got like this. There was a howling noise and he dove into a dugout and there was an explosion. So, it's obvious he was hit with a shell. Joe decides to try to keep time by keeping track of when a nurse visits him and the temperature. He successfully does this, and gets happy when he feels the sun rise. A year passes. He has memories of the war before he was hit. Two more years pass. Joe feels himself being prepared for visitors and when they come, they pin something on his chest and he feels a kiss on his forehead. He realizes he is being awarded a medal by generals. Joe gets furious since they have never even been injured in battle and they place a medal on him. He thrashes around in hope of exposing his mangled self. He feels them leave and he realizes he is able to feel vibrations to tell when someone is there. Joe then starts tapping "SOS" in Morse Code with his head on his pillow. His nurse doesn't understand so she just pushes her hand on his forhead to calm him. He then loses track of time because he keeps tapping. A doctor injects him and his mind goes foggy and he gets numb. He then has strange visions in his mind. Joe awakens and finds he has a new nurse. She is much more kind and she actually traces out the letters of "Merry Chirstmas" on Joe's chest with her finger. Joe understands andhe gets happy. Joe starts tapping SOS again and the nurse responds by tapping his forehead. She leaves and comes back with a man who taps "What do you want?" Joe tinks for a while and taps out an explanation. He talks about how he wants to be part of an exhibit that would warn people of how awful war really is. The man laves and comes back. He taps, "What you ask is against regulations. Who are you?" Joe gets very upset and holess. Out of desperation he repeatedly taps, "why?" He then realizes they are injecting him again and he realizes they will not let him speak. They do not want people to know about the true horrors of war. Joe imagines an uprising where he and his fellow peace-lovers use the guns they get from the ruling forces against them.
Joe pretty much is the plot. Everything is told through his thoughts. He just an innocent man that was thrown into a war and he ended up like he did. You can see how he changes from just simply not knowing why he was going to war to passionately being against it.
I really enjoyed this book. It was very powerful and had many great points about war and the true meaning of liberty. The main point of it obviously, was to protest war. I recommend this book because it can really open someone's eyes who hasn't really thought about how awful war is.
The author did a great job of getting inside the head of the main character. In paritcular, the parts where he realizes all the things physically wrong with him, he goes into a very realistic panic. It is written in the way a human would actually hear their thoughts. So, if I was in Joe's position I would also go through those panics caused by loss and claustrophobia. The book also ended realistically. When Joe said he wanted to show the terrors of war, they shut him down because they would be less likely to be able to recruit people in the future. Also, the fact that it ended this way leaves moreof an effect on people. So, I wouldn;t want the book to end any other way.
The author, Dalton Trumbo, ws not known to me before reading. I do not know any of his other works and it kind of looks like this book was a one-hit-wonder for him. So, I do not plan on reading anything else from him even though this book was realy great and powerful.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
FBI
Thomas Jefferson
· Brief History: Born April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, Goochland (now Albemarle) County, VA; died July 4, 1826, in Monticello, VA; son of Peter and Jane Randolph Jefferson; married Martha Wayles Skelton, January 1, 1772; children: Martha, Jane Randolph, an unnamed son, Mary (or Maria), Lucy Elizabeth, Lucy Elizabeth. Attended private schools; William and Mary College, 1760-1762; read law with George Wythe, 1762-1767.
· Known contacts: John Adams, Ben Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, Roger Sherman (for the rest see Brief History)
· Height: 6'0''
· Weight: 135 lbs
· Favorite drink: tea
· Favorite food: Chinese food
Essay Outline:
Intro - who is he?, background info.
Body 1 - Early political career (House of Burg., Declaration, Governor of Virginia)
Body 2 - later political career (minister to France, Vice Pres., Pres.)
Body 3 - legacy
Conclusion
Monday, December 17, 2007
Photography Museum Picture
The picture I chose was the close up of the mast and the sails of a ship.
The story: The crew of the British Naval ship, the S.S. Oceania saw it in the distance--it was a pirate ship. The captain ordered the crew let down sails, head towards them and prepare for battle. Meanwhile, on the Momosa, the rugged pirate crew saw the white sails of the British ship on the horizon and finished their rum before rolling out the cannons. The ships propelled towards each other, one was doing its duty to rid the seas of pirates, the other was fighting for its right to survive. The ships finally met and the Oceania fired upon the Momosa without mercy. The pirates didn't fire though, and the British were too focused on the battle to notice. The bulk of the crew swung on ropes to the Oceania while the weaker pirates stayed behind and fired rifles at British crewmembers across the water. The pirates didn't fire cannons for a reason--they were to take the Oceania. While the Brits took their time trying to sink the Momosa, the excellent pirate swordsmen conquered their enemies on their own ship. As the Momosa sank, the rest of the crew swung to the Oceania and outnumbered the ship's crew. The pirates made them jump overboard, with nothing but the sinking peices of the once glorious Momosa. The cunning pirates renamed had a new Momosa now. They exchanged the white sails for black ones and they sailed off into the horizon singing a victory song.
The story: The crew of the British Naval ship, the S.S. Oceania saw it in the distance--it was a pirate ship. The captain ordered the crew let down sails, head towards them and prepare for battle. Meanwhile, on the Momosa, the rugged pirate crew saw the white sails of the British ship on the horizon and finished their rum before rolling out the cannons. The ships propelled towards each other, one was doing its duty to rid the seas of pirates, the other was fighting for its right to survive. The ships finally met and the Oceania fired upon the Momosa without mercy. The pirates didn't fire though, and the British were too focused on the battle to notice. The bulk of the crew swung on ropes to the Oceania while the weaker pirates stayed behind and fired rifles at British crewmembers across the water. The pirates didn't fire cannons for a reason--they were to take the Oceania. While the Brits took their time trying to sink the Momosa, the excellent pirate swordsmen conquered their enemies on their own ship. As the Momosa sank, the rest of the crew swung to the Oceania and outnumbered the ship's crew. The pirates made them jump overboard, with nothing but the sinking peices of the once glorious Momosa. The cunning pirates renamed had a new Momosa now. They exchanged the white sails for black ones and they sailed off into the horizon singing a victory song.
Book Report 2 - 1984
Orwell, George. 1984. (Elika if you're reading this, I need help with the copyright info. It's confusing in this edition of the book. I'll show you tomorrow)
I chose this book because I have been wanting to read it for a while now and I decided this was my chance. I don't really know how to classify the book besides fiction. It wasn't exactly an action book, but it was still very interesting and fun to read and it kept me entertained anyway. It takes place in 1984 (which was the not-so-distant-future from when the book was written) in a place called Airstrip One, which used to be London.
A lot happens in this book, so I'll recap on the main events. Airstrip One, part of the bigger state of Oceania, is ruled by the Party. The Party is a totalitarian regime that has official slogans like, "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." I thought this was a crack up because the government has the citizens of Oceania so fearful and ignorant, they are able to have slogans like these that provide evidence that they are corrupt and opressive. Evry citizen is watched through devices called telescreens that are like tv's but they are always on and they spew propaganda. Workers for the Party monitor citizens through them as well. Winston Smith's (the main character) job is even to look through historical records, and change them so they are to the Party's liking. It is quite obvious in the beginning of the book that Winston is against the Party, and Big Brother (the leader of the Party) and wants change. He does illegal things like keep a diary and write about sex and rebellion. The Party doesn't like the idea of sex being for pleasure and make it illegal if it is not marrital and for making babies. Rebelleion and the thought of rebellion is illegal for obvious reasons. That's right, people are not even allowed to have certain thoughts.
Later on he meets a girl named Julia. At first he thought she was an agent for the Party following him to monitor him but later, she does something strange to prove this theory wrong. One day, Winston sees her fall and helps her up. When he helps her she hands him a note that says, "I love you," on it. After a few days they start talking and decide to meet somewhere. They make love in a place in the country and their relationship blossoms from there. They organize more meetings so they can spend time with each other but they have to be careful where they meet so they don't get caught by agents of the Party. Eventually, Winston rents a dusty old room above a second-hand store so they can spend time together safely. The store is in the proletarian district of the city where it is very poor and not monitored as much.
Later, Winston meets a man named O'Brien who he had been wanting to meet for a long time because Winston assumed he had the same ideas of rebellion he did. They organize a meeting at O'Brien's house and Winston and Julia go. To talk, O'Brien turns off his telescreen--an act nobody knew that someone could do. Winston and Julia say how they want to join the secret rebel group known as the Brotherhood. The two are still unsure of its existence, but to change that O'Brien tells them it's real and asks them a series of questions to see if they would be right for the group. They leave and a couple days later, O'Brien gives Winston a book by the leader of the Brotherhood that reveals the truth about the Party.
One night, Winston and Julia read a little from the book. Winston is more interested in it than Julia since he is just more passionate about what is happening and what needs to be done. The next morning they hear a telescreen talk to them directly from behind a painting in the room. They are captured and find out the owner of the shop works for the Party.
The two are put in separate cells. Winston endures torture and hunger and he later is met by O'Brien in his cell. O'Brien identifies himself as a member of the Inner Party (the highest group of the Party that deal with all the big stuff) and Winston says he knew all along. O'Brien oversees Winston's tortures and through weeks of it, he brainwashes Winston into believing all of the lies of the Party. O'Brien also admits he helped write the book he gave Winston. For a while, when he is moved into a more comfortable room and tortured a little less, he starts to rekindle his hatred for the Party and tells O'Brien how he hates it. O'Brien sends him to Room 101 because of this. Room 101 is the place where the worst torture sessions happen.
When he is there, Winston is strapped to a chair and his head is clamped as well. Knowing his fear of rats, O'Brien has a cage of them and he brings it close to Winton's face and tells him they will feed on his face. As O'Brien moves closer, Winston finally screams and tells him to give the torture to Julia instead. Knowing he had finally gotten inside his head completely, they let Winston go.
When he is out, he is like everyone else and obeys whatever the Party tells him and has a love for Big Brother. He is now out of the Party. He sees Julia one day and she admits she betrayed him as well.
The character Winston gave me high hopes throughout the novel. I was convinced he was going to lead a rebellion somehow and defeat the Party. He doesn't and he actually does the opposite. If he would have taken down the Party though, the book wouldn't have made as much of an impact and had as good of a message so I'm happy.
I really liked this novel. I've always been intersted in the concept of a government going to these extremes and how (or if) the people react to it. The book had some deep quotes in it and some witty moments. George Orwell did an amazing job creating this corrupt environment and principles for the evil regime that is the Party. It really shows that people in power will want more power, and they will take advantage of the people. The book sheds light on tendencies that are present in the governments of the world today. It can get to the point to where it is ridiculous, and the author, even thoguh the book is fiction, really showed this. By setting the book in a not-so-distant-future from when the time the book was written, he showed what a government is capable of in such short time. This, and all the other factors of this great book can inform people to think twice about what their governments are doing and hopefully persuade them to act out if they aren't being treated fairly. So yes, I recommend this book.
If I was in Winston's place I don't think I would have cracked. I'm not even sure what my greatest fear is so the odds are the Party wouldn't have known either. And even if they did find something to scare me, I still don;t think I would have cracked if I was in love with the person I was to betray.
George Orwell also wrote Animal Farm and I read it last year. I really enjoyed this book too. It was very clever in being an allegory for the Russian Revolution. Every thing on the farm in the story represents something from the Russian Revolution. It's very interesting. I have never read a book like 1984 before but I did notice the movie V For Vendetta is a lot like it and probably based on it. They're similar to the point that they're both even set in London.
I chose this book because I have been wanting to read it for a while now and I decided this was my chance. I don't really know how to classify the book besides fiction. It wasn't exactly an action book, but it was still very interesting and fun to read and it kept me entertained anyway. It takes place in 1984 (which was the not-so-distant-future from when the book was written) in a place called Airstrip One, which used to be London.
A lot happens in this book, so I'll recap on the main events. Airstrip One, part of the bigger state of Oceania, is ruled by the Party. The Party is a totalitarian regime that has official slogans like, "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." I thought this was a crack up because the government has the citizens of Oceania so fearful and ignorant, they are able to have slogans like these that provide evidence that they are corrupt and opressive. Evry citizen is watched through devices called telescreens that are like tv's but they are always on and they spew propaganda. Workers for the Party monitor citizens through them as well. Winston Smith's (the main character) job is even to look through historical records, and change them so they are to the Party's liking. It is quite obvious in the beginning of the book that Winston is against the Party, and Big Brother (the leader of the Party) and wants change. He does illegal things like keep a diary and write about sex and rebellion. The Party doesn't like the idea of sex being for pleasure and make it illegal if it is not marrital and for making babies. Rebelleion and the thought of rebellion is illegal for obvious reasons. That's right, people are not even allowed to have certain thoughts.
Later on he meets a girl named Julia. At first he thought she was an agent for the Party following him to monitor him but later, she does something strange to prove this theory wrong. One day, Winston sees her fall and helps her up. When he helps her she hands him a note that says, "I love you," on it. After a few days they start talking and decide to meet somewhere. They make love in a place in the country and their relationship blossoms from there. They organize more meetings so they can spend time with each other but they have to be careful where they meet so they don't get caught by agents of the Party. Eventually, Winston rents a dusty old room above a second-hand store so they can spend time together safely. The store is in the proletarian district of the city where it is very poor and not monitored as much.
Later, Winston meets a man named O'Brien who he had been wanting to meet for a long time because Winston assumed he had the same ideas of rebellion he did. They organize a meeting at O'Brien's house and Winston and Julia go. To talk, O'Brien turns off his telescreen--an act nobody knew that someone could do. Winston and Julia say how they want to join the secret rebel group known as the Brotherhood. The two are still unsure of its existence, but to change that O'Brien tells them it's real and asks them a series of questions to see if they would be right for the group. They leave and a couple days later, O'Brien gives Winston a book by the leader of the Brotherhood that reveals the truth about the Party.
One night, Winston and Julia read a little from the book. Winston is more interested in it than Julia since he is just more passionate about what is happening and what needs to be done. The next morning they hear a telescreen talk to them directly from behind a painting in the room. They are captured and find out the owner of the shop works for the Party.
The two are put in separate cells. Winston endures torture and hunger and he later is met by O'Brien in his cell. O'Brien identifies himself as a member of the Inner Party (the highest group of the Party that deal with all the big stuff) and Winston says he knew all along. O'Brien oversees Winston's tortures and through weeks of it, he brainwashes Winston into believing all of the lies of the Party. O'Brien also admits he helped write the book he gave Winston. For a while, when he is moved into a more comfortable room and tortured a little less, he starts to rekindle his hatred for the Party and tells O'Brien how he hates it. O'Brien sends him to Room 101 because of this. Room 101 is the place where the worst torture sessions happen.
When he is there, Winston is strapped to a chair and his head is clamped as well. Knowing his fear of rats, O'Brien has a cage of them and he brings it close to Winton's face and tells him they will feed on his face. As O'Brien moves closer, Winston finally screams and tells him to give the torture to Julia instead. Knowing he had finally gotten inside his head completely, they let Winston go.
When he is out, he is like everyone else and obeys whatever the Party tells him and has a love for Big Brother. He is now out of the Party. He sees Julia one day and she admits she betrayed him as well.
The character Winston gave me high hopes throughout the novel. I was convinced he was going to lead a rebellion somehow and defeat the Party. He doesn't and he actually does the opposite. If he would have taken down the Party though, the book wouldn't have made as much of an impact and had as good of a message so I'm happy.
I really liked this novel. I've always been intersted in the concept of a government going to these extremes and how (or if) the people react to it. The book had some deep quotes in it and some witty moments. George Orwell did an amazing job creating this corrupt environment and principles for the evil regime that is the Party. It really shows that people in power will want more power, and they will take advantage of the people. The book sheds light on tendencies that are present in the governments of the world today. It can get to the point to where it is ridiculous, and the author, even thoguh the book is fiction, really showed this. By setting the book in a not-so-distant-future from when the time the book was written, he showed what a government is capable of in such short time. This, and all the other factors of this great book can inform people to think twice about what their governments are doing and hopefully persuade them to act out if they aren't being treated fairly. So yes, I recommend this book.
If I was in Winston's place I don't think I would have cracked. I'm not even sure what my greatest fear is so the odds are the Party wouldn't have known either. And even if they did find something to scare me, I still don;t think I would have cracked if I was in love with the person I was to betray.
George Orwell also wrote Animal Farm and I read it last year. I really enjoyed this book too. It was very clever in being an allegory for the Russian Revolution. Every thing on the farm in the story represents something from the Russian Revolution. It's very interesting. I have never read a book like 1984 before but I did notice the movie V For Vendetta is a lot like it and probably based on it. They're similar to the point that they're both even set in London.
Opression
This dog is opressed. If you are going to OB and you know you are not going to walk your dog and have fun with it, do not bring your dog. The poor little dog was stuck inside a car alone with the window barely cracked. The owners got it all excited but let it down when they left it in the car.
I know it's a bar, but I think adults can be just as irresponsible drunk as the younger crowd. I think if parents let their kids drink and all that stuff, it's their personal choice an there shouldn't be a law about it. Leave it up to them.
Both of these people are oppressed. The guy driving the red car is getting a parking ticket, but the guy giving it has to spend valuable time out of his day to write a ticket for something that someone did that was stupid. How much common sense do you need to not park in a red zone? But at the same time, he's getting fined for when he probably was in a hurry and would only be gone for a few minutes. What are the odds of a fire happening during then? Circle of life.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Thomson's Violin
Even if this violinist did need his life to be saved, the music company did not have a right to kidnap a person in the first place. The decision is completely up to nobody but the person who is kidnapped (the decision-maker). They are the ones who choose whether or not they save this man. Everybody has a choice and nobody has the right to take that away.
If I was the one that was kidnapped, it depends on who needed saving. A complete stranger is not my responsibility so it is not wrong at all if I didn't choose to save him. Of course, I would probably feel guilty afterwards, but that is just me. Either way, it is not in any way my responsibility to save this guy's life. If it were someone I actually cared about, then of course I would sit through those nine months to save them.
If I was the one that was kidnapped, it depends on who needed saving. A complete stranger is not my responsibility so it is not wrong at all if I didn't choose to save him. Of course, I would probably feel guilty afterwards, but that is just me. Either way, it is not in any way my responsibility to save this guy's life. If it were someone I actually cared about, then of course I would sit through those nine months to save them.
Turban Dog Story
I'de like to start off by saying, I'm in a creative slump so my story isn;t as good as it could be. I tried though. Once upon a time, a boy and his dog could fly around to wherever tey wanted to in their universe. Things were like they were in fairy tales or Disney movies. But one day, when they were flying, they entered a worm hole and came into our universe. They appeared above New York City and began to fall. Their magical powers didn't work in this new place. They fell onto a street and survived the fall. A car came and hit them, and they died. Some sicko saw the accident and took a picture of it thinking that taking the picture of the massacre would be art. It was a sad day.
Vocab 13
Zealous
zealous - devoted or diligent
Nobody is more zealous than Buzz Lightyear. He is always devoted and will stop at nothing to save the galaxy and keep peace.
Subtle
subtle - cunning, wily, or crafty
Ok, look at this picture. Now that's what I call subtle. Indiana Jones goes into the temple and sees the statue. Knowing there's going to be some trap, he switches the statue with a bag of sand when he takes it. Of course, the trap STILL goes off, but it was still a crafty plan.
Flout
flout - a disdainful, scornful, or contemptuous remark or act; insult; gibe
The Dead Kennedys were once invited to play an awards show in fornt of big people in the music industry in the '80's to gain "new wave" credibility. In response, they didn't play the song they said they would, and on top of this they wore shirts with "S" painted on them and pulled black ties down from the back of their necks making a dollar sign, to insult and mock huge record companies and mainstream music. The song they played was "Pull My Strings" which is an attack on the mainstream music industry.
Forte
forte - a strong point, as of a person; that in which one excels
Tom Morello's forte is guitar playing. He is very skilled at it but on top of that he is very inventive and creative. He can come up with unconventional effects, methods, and styles of guitar playing on top of traditional styles
Monday, December 3, 2007
Trial Relfection
In the trial I was a witness for the prosecution. I would say I was prepared. I knew all of my parts, the story behind my character, his relationship with the defendant, and everything else. I remained in my role but did not wear a costume. We only had one week to get them so it didn't happen.
The issues behind the case were the suspicions of people using witchcraft in Salem. The Puritans believed in predestination. This mean once you are born, you are predestined for either heaven or ell. The Puritans looked for hints to one's predestination. So, when Puritans saw strange behavior, they immediately started to think it was the work of the devil or other evil. So, this led to a huge scare and things got out of hand.
In our trial, the jury decided George Burroughs was not guilty. This is sensible because the evidence provided in the case was not even close to being valid. The assumptions made and the stories told were ridiculous. Still though, back then these stories weren't as ridiculous as they seem to us now. This is one of the reasons George Burroughs was executed in the real trial. Like our mock trial, he was accused of crimes by personal enemies who had grudges against him. After he was convicted, when he was about to be hanged, he successfully recited the prayer, which is supposedly something a witch could not do. However, he was hanged anyway because he was sentenced to it by a court of law.
The issues behind the case were the suspicions of people using witchcraft in Salem. The Puritans believed in predestination. This mean once you are born, you are predestined for either heaven or ell. The Puritans looked for hints to one's predestination. So, when Puritans saw strange behavior, they immediately started to think it was the work of the devil or other evil. So, this led to a huge scare and things got out of hand.
In our trial, the jury decided George Burroughs was not guilty. This is sensible because the evidence provided in the case was not even close to being valid. The assumptions made and the stories told were ridiculous. Still though, back then these stories weren't as ridiculous as they seem to us now. This is one of the reasons George Burroughs was executed in the real trial. Like our mock trial, he was accused of crimes by personal enemies who had grudges against him. After he was convicted, when he was about to be hanged, he successfully recited the prayer, which is supposedly something a witch could not do. However, he was hanged anyway because he was sentenced to it by a court of law.
Current Event
Title: For German beer lovers, a wurst-case scenario
Author: Craig Whitlock
Source: The Union Tribune
Summary: Germans, for some reason, have always wondered if beer was invented first or bratwurst. Now they know. A medieval document was found from, 1432, that stated a bratwurst purity law. It said in Thuringia, now a central German state, be made only from pure fresh pork. This is really significant to the people of Germany because it is just a big part of the culture. Also, food purity is important to them because spoiled meat scandals happen frequently there. So, this finding is such a big deal, they are going to make a shrine for the law with a replica of it.
Reaction: This is on our front page. Why is this on our front page? I thought the writers of the Union Tribune were messing with me. It just goes to show thatthis is really important to the German people and I respect that. They have things in their culture that aren't as important to us, but they are proud and wanting to show they're proud of it.
Author: Craig Whitlock
Source: The Union Tribune
Summary: Germans, for some reason, have always wondered if beer was invented first or bratwurst. Now they know. A medieval document was found from, 1432, that stated a bratwurst purity law. It said in Thuringia, now a central German state, be made only from pure fresh pork. This is really significant to the people of Germany because it is just a big part of the culture. Also, food purity is important to them because spoiled meat scandals happen frequently there. So, this finding is such a big deal, they are going to make a shrine for the law with a replica of it.
Reaction: This is on our front page. Why is this on our front page? I thought the writers of the Union Tribune were messing with me. It just goes to show thatthis is really important to the German people and I respect that. They have things in their culture that aren't as important to us, but they are proud and wanting to show they're proud of it.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Book Report - Dune
Herbert, Frank. Dune. New York, New York. Ace Books: 1987
I chose this book because Zoli said it was going to be really cool. He gave me a very quick and vague description of it and I got interested. I like science fiction, and that’s what this book is. It is set on the desert planet of Arrakis, and the time period isn’t said. The strange and revolutionary technology used in the book makes the reader assume it’s in the future.
The book is about the House of Atreides. It is one of the noble families that rules over planets in the universe. At the beginning of the book, they rule the planet Caladan, which is a lush planet. Baron Harkonnen (the Harkonnens are the mortal enemies of the Atredies) agrees to trade Caladan for the desert planet of Arrakis. Arrakis is rich with a drug spice called melange that millions of people in the galaxy are addicted to. The Baron agreed to go through with the trade because he plans to kill Duke Leto and his family once they are on Arrakis by using one of their own people to betray them. This way, the Harkonnens can gain a lot of control because they plan to destroy both the Atreides and the production of melange on Arrakis. This would cause the prices of it to go way higher. So, the Harkonnens will have a lot of control and the Atreides will be blamed for the high prices. The family arrives on Arrakis, and robotic probe attempts to kill Paul Atreides, the son of Duke Leto and the other main character, Jessica. This is when the Atreides find out there’s a traitor afoot. The reader already knows it’s the character Dr. Yeuh who is the traitor. Later, Yeuh shuts down the Atreides castle’s generators, making it vulnerable to attack. He confronts Duke Leto and places a fake tooth in his mouth. When bitten down on, the tooth releases a poisonous gas. Yeuh feels bad for betraying the duke so he tells the duke to bite down on the tooth when he is brought to Baron Harkonnen to kill him too. Jessica and Paul are kidnapped by Harkonnens and flown in a small ship, called an orthinopter, out in the desert to be killed. Jessica seduces the two guards until they fight over her and one kills the other. Jessica distracts the remaining one long enough for Paul to kill him. They free themselves after getting provisions, but see another orthinopter coming. The duke is brought before the baron and he bites down on the tooth. It kills him and the guards but the baron escapes. Jessica and Paul are in a tent hiding from the orthinopter but they find out the ship is being piloted by an Atreides man to save them. He was instructed to do so by Yeuh, who out of guilt arranged for Jessica and Paul to be saved. Once they are dropped off and hid, Paul develops mind powers that allow his intelligence to greatly increase, and have the ability to see the future. In a dream he sees the future. He then tells Jessica that she will have a baby girl even though she hasn’t told anyone she’s pregnant. Paul also reveals that they are both Harkonnens and the baron is Jessica’s father.
Paul and Jessica walk through the desert and plant a thumper device. A thumper is a device that makes a rhythmic thumping noise to distract the huge creatures known as sandworms. They come across a rock zone where they are met by the Fremen, natives of the desert planet. At first they don’t trust the two but later they decide to let them stay. Two years pass and Paul rides a sandworm for the first time, like the Fremen do. The Fremen recognize him as a religious prophet so he is now a political and religious leader. Jessica has given birth to Alia who has heightened awareness and intelligence because her mother used the spice drug when she was in the womb. She can talk in complete sentences and walk as well. Paul has a son with a girl he met, Chani, two years ago. Paul has a vision of a fleet of Harkonnen ships over Arrakis. This really happens. The emperor and Baron Harkonnen with many troops come. The ships land on the shield wall of the planet and Paul and the Fremen have a plan. When a sandstorm hits, the Fremen blow up the shield wall with atomic weapons and destroy the ships’ noses so they can’t take off. But, they find out Alia has been captured and Paul’s son has been killed. Paul is in the castle, and the emperor (who came into the story kind of suddenly) and his entourage appear. The baron’s nephew and a skilled fighter, Feyd-Rautha challenges Paul to a duel to the death and Paul wins. The emperor gets other people to try to kill him but they refuse. Paul negotiates that he marry the emperor’s daughter so he can get the throne. The emperor reluctantly agrees. Chani agrees as well because Paul assures her that she will be his real love and the emperor’s daughter will just be the royal concubine.
Character: Paul is the main character. He has special mind abilities that let him see visions of the future and really high intelligence and advanced thinking. He goes from just a regular guy to a very important leader and he brings the people of Arrakis to victory. I chose him because he is the most important character in the book and it is clear he will be in the sequels as well.
Evaluation: Overall, I didn’t like the book. It dropped a lot of names and terms that you easily forget. When they are brought up, you sometimes forget who is who and what does what. There were some interesting parts in it like the final battles but that’s about it. It ends abruptly and you are confused and unsatisfied. The book introduces the emperor into the story suddenly and after reading I’m still not even that clear on what he is doing in the story. Besides the main plot that I described earlier in this paper, there are a lot of other small events going on as well but they were not important to the plot. The book made no points about life so I didn’t learn anything. It is just another science fiction book completely made from imagination. There’s nothing wrong with that by any means, but I just didn’t like this book. I don’t recommend it. It’s just not a book that needs to be read. I would say how I would rather have it end, but I honestly don’t know because the book didn’t really seem to have anything going for it at the start anyway. I guess one would have to read the sequels to better understand it, but I do not plan on doing so.
Author: Frank Herbert wrote an entire series of Dune books that continue from each other and this one is the first one. This book does a good job inventing a completely new sci-fi universe, I’ll give it that. It reminded me of Star Wars but a little more advanced and slightly more realistic. I do not plan on reading any other books by this author.
I chose this book because Zoli said it was going to be really cool. He gave me a very quick and vague description of it and I got interested. I like science fiction, and that’s what this book is. It is set on the desert planet of Arrakis, and the time period isn’t said. The strange and revolutionary technology used in the book makes the reader assume it’s in the future.
The book is about the House of Atreides. It is one of the noble families that rules over planets in the universe. At the beginning of the book, they rule the planet Caladan, which is a lush planet. Baron Harkonnen (the Harkonnens are the mortal enemies of the Atredies) agrees to trade Caladan for the desert planet of Arrakis. Arrakis is rich with a drug spice called melange that millions of people in the galaxy are addicted to. The Baron agreed to go through with the trade because he plans to kill Duke Leto and his family once they are on Arrakis by using one of their own people to betray them. This way, the Harkonnens can gain a lot of control because they plan to destroy both the Atreides and the production of melange on Arrakis. This would cause the prices of it to go way higher. So, the Harkonnens will have a lot of control and the Atreides will be blamed for the high prices. The family arrives on Arrakis, and robotic probe attempts to kill Paul Atreides, the son of Duke Leto and the other main character, Jessica. This is when the Atreides find out there’s a traitor afoot. The reader already knows it’s the character Dr. Yeuh who is the traitor. Later, Yeuh shuts down the Atreides castle’s generators, making it vulnerable to attack. He confronts Duke Leto and places a fake tooth in his mouth. When bitten down on, the tooth releases a poisonous gas. Yeuh feels bad for betraying the duke so he tells the duke to bite down on the tooth when he is brought to Baron Harkonnen to kill him too. Jessica and Paul are kidnapped by Harkonnens and flown in a small ship, called an orthinopter, out in the desert to be killed. Jessica seduces the two guards until they fight over her and one kills the other. Jessica distracts the remaining one long enough for Paul to kill him. They free themselves after getting provisions, but see another orthinopter coming. The duke is brought before the baron and he bites down on the tooth. It kills him and the guards but the baron escapes. Jessica and Paul are in a tent hiding from the orthinopter but they find out the ship is being piloted by an Atreides man to save them. He was instructed to do so by Yeuh, who out of guilt arranged for Jessica and Paul to be saved. Once they are dropped off and hid, Paul develops mind powers that allow his intelligence to greatly increase, and have the ability to see the future. In a dream he sees the future. He then tells Jessica that she will have a baby girl even though she hasn’t told anyone she’s pregnant. Paul also reveals that they are both Harkonnens and the baron is Jessica’s father.
Paul and Jessica walk through the desert and plant a thumper device. A thumper is a device that makes a rhythmic thumping noise to distract the huge creatures known as sandworms. They come across a rock zone where they are met by the Fremen, natives of the desert planet. At first they don’t trust the two but later they decide to let them stay. Two years pass and Paul rides a sandworm for the first time, like the Fremen do. The Fremen recognize him as a religious prophet so he is now a political and religious leader. Jessica has given birth to Alia who has heightened awareness and intelligence because her mother used the spice drug when she was in the womb. She can talk in complete sentences and walk as well. Paul has a son with a girl he met, Chani, two years ago. Paul has a vision of a fleet of Harkonnen ships over Arrakis. This really happens. The emperor and Baron Harkonnen with many troops come. The ships land on the shield wall of the planet and Paul and the Fremen have a plan. When a sandstorm hits, the Fremen blow up the shield wall with atomic weapons and destroy the ships’ noses so they can’t take off. But, they find out Alia has been captured and Paul’s son has been killed. Paul is in the castle, and the emperor (who came into the story kind of suddenly) and his entourage appear. The baron’s nephew and a skilled fighter, Feyd-Rautha challenges Paul to a duel to the death and Paul wins. The emperor gets other people to try to kill him but they refuse. Paul negotiates that he marry the emperor’s daughter so he can get the throne. The emperor reluctantly agrees. Chani agrees as well because Paul assures her that she will be his real love and the emperor’s daughter will just be the royal concubine.
Character: Paul is the main character. He has special mind abilities that let him see visions of the future and really high intelligence and advanced thinking. He goes from just a regular guy to a very important leader and he brings the people of Arrakis to victory. I chose him because he is the most important character in the book and it is clear he will be in the sequels as well.
Evaluation: Overall, I didn’t like the book. It dropped a lot of names and terms that you easily forget. When they are brought up, you sometimes forget who is who and what does what. There were some interesting parts in it like the final battles but that’s about it. It ends abruptly and you are confused and unsatisfied. The book introduces the emperor into the story suddenly and after reading I’m still not even that clear on what he is doing in the story. Besides the main plot that I described earlier in this paper, there are a lot of other small events going on as well but they were not important to the plot. The book made no points about life so I didn’t learn anything. It is just another science fiction book completely made from imagination. There’s nothing wrong with that by any means, but I just didn’t like this book. I don’t recommend it. It’s just not a book that needs to be read. I would say how I would rather have it end, but I honestly don’t know because the book didn’t really seem to have anything going for it at the start anyway. I guess one would have to read the sequels to better understand it, but I do not plan on doing so.
Author: Frank Herbert wrote an entire series of Dune books that continue from each other and this one is the first one. This book does a good job inventing a completely new sci-fi universe, I’ll give it that. It reminded me of Star Wars but a little more advanced and slightly more realistic. I do not plan on reading any other books by this author.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Current Event
Title of Article: Black Friday starts earlier than normal
Source: Union Tribune
Author: Jennifer Davies
Summary: Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving is a huge shopping day. This year, people went to stores and malls before midnight to wait in line for stores that would open their doors at 5 a.m. Parking lots were filled before midnight.
Reaction: I didn't even know this Black Friday existed. It's the biggest shopping day of the year apparently. I find it amazing what people will do for money. They are actually willing to gather and wait in ridiculous lines all the way through the night just to save a few bucks. I also want to know why it's on this specific date every year. Who decided to make the day after Thanksgiving the biggest shopping day of the year? It just seems kind of random to me.
Source: Union Tribune
Author: Jennifer Davies
Summary: Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving is a huge shopping day. This year, people went to stores and malls before midnight to wait in line for stores that would open their doors at 5 a.m. Parking lots were filled before midnight.
Reaction: I didn't even know this Black Friday existed. It's the biggest shopping day of the year apparently. I find it amazing what people will do for money. They are actually willing to gather and wait in ridiculous lines all the way through the night just to save a few bucks. I also want to know why it's on this specific date every year. Who decided to make the day after Thanksgiving the biggest shopping day of the year? It just seems kind of random to me.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Vocab. Week 11
Fatuous
fatuous - unreal; illusory.
I chose this image from Alice In Wonderland because the main character visits an unreal, illusory pace called Wonderland. This one is pretty self-explanatory, I know.
Reparation
reparation - the making of amends for wrong done
I chose this image from the TV show, My Name Is Earl, because it is a great example of reparation. Earl looks back on the things he does when he learns about karma, thus causing him to create a list of people he has wronged in the past. He then goes people doing things for them to make up for it.
Apathy
apathy - lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.
You're probably wondering why I posted this picture of the hit serioes 24. Well, I'll tell you. People always tell me its so great. I have never seen it and it's too late for me to start watching it now. Also, I feel absolutely no desire or need to start watching it. Maybe it is a great show, but I won't find out any time soon, because I am APATHETIC towards it.
Monday, October 22, 2007
The Adventures of Huckleberry Reflection
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is widely regarded by many as a classic in literature. However, there are also many people who believe it is racist. People believe Mark Twain spoke through the character Huck in the text to get his racist beliefs out. The truth is Huck and Twain’s point of views are completely different, and Mark Twain did not mean for it to seem as though he was speaking through him.
Through the years this book was criticized as people thought it and its author were racist. But, Mark Twain chose the narrator, a child, for a reason. A child is innocent and does not know any better if he says something "right" or "wrong." This point gets stronger when you put that child in the time that the story was written. Back then, people were racist and did not even really know it. It is obvious Huck’s young mind was influenced by the people around him at the time as well. So, Mark Twain chose this character as a narrator to really give an inside look on how people thought back then and how easily influenced a child was then and is today.
Another prime example in the story that shows Mark Twain is not racist or speaking through Huck is when Huck decides to save Jim. Throughout the story Huck debates with himself whether or not he should save Jim. These times really show how the parts of Huck that had not yet been influenced come out and triumph over the parts that had. This part of the book really shows who Huck truly is. This character development was very well done to show how a child’s mind works. Some one who is racist and wants to speak through character in the book could not have done this. Even if Twain spoke through Huck, if he was racist, he would not have resolved the conflict to save Jim.
Finally, Mark Twain’s goal was not to speak through Huck. He simply wanted to show how people actually thought back then and how an innocent child was influenced by it. People who disagree simply did not think deeply enough to get meaning from this classic piece of literature. It is sad that people do not want to see what this book was all about instead of actually accusing it of being racist. Hopefully someday people will be more accepting and realize that they were wrong about the book and children everywhere will be able to read it in school with no questions asked.
Through the years this book was criticized as people thought it and its author were racist. But, Mark Twain chose the narrator, a child, for a reason. A child is innocent and does not know any better if he says something "right" or "wrong." This point gets stronger when you put that child in the time that the story was written. Back then, people were racist and did not even really know it. It is obvious Huck’s young mind was influenced by the people around him at the time as well. So, Mark Twain chose this character as a narrator to really give an inside look on how people thought back then and how easily influenced a child was then and is today.
Another prime example in the story that shows Mark Twain is not racist or speaking through Huck is when Huck decides to save Jim. Throughout the story Huck debates with himself whether or not he should save Jim. These times really show how the parts of Huck that had not yet been influenced come out and triumph over the parts that had. This part of the book really shows who Huck truly is. This character development was very well done to show how a child’s mind works. Some one who is racist and wants to speak through character in the book could not have done this. Even if Twain spoke through Huck, if he was racist, he would not have resolved the conflict to save Jim.
Finally, Mark Twain’s goal was not to speak through Huck. He simply wanted to show how people actually thought back then and how an innocent child was influenced by it. People who disagree simply did not think deeply enough to get meaning from this classic piece of literature. It is sad that people do not want to see what this book was all about instead of actually accusing it of being racist. Hopefully someday people will be more accepting and realize that they were wrong about the book and children everywhere will be able to read it in school with no questions asked.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Vocab. 9
Accord
accord - a harmonious union of sounds, colors, etc.
I chose this picture of the band Alice In Chains for the word accord for a very specific reason. They were one of the first heavy metal bands to have harmonizing vocals. The guitarist and lead singer would harmonize their singing in most of their songs to make a really cool sound.
Bias
bias - a particular tendency or inclination, esp. one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question; prejudice.
I chose this picture because Fox News shows a strong bias on political issues presented on the program, even though news SHOULD be unbiased.
Objectivity
objectivity - external reality.
I chose this picture because objectivity is everything around us. It is the things that are outside of our mind and what we live in.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Vocabulary 8
Renegade
Renegade - An outlaw; a rebel.
I chose this picture for the word renegade for a simple reason: Jack Sparrow is a true renegade. He rejects the "rules" and does what ever will benefit himself, and will commit many crimes in order to do so.
Tranquility
Tranquility - quality or state of being tranquil; calmness; peacefulness; quiet; serenity.
This is a picture of a hiker at the top of Mount Fuji at sunrise. When I grow up, I hope to climb mountains across the world and watch a sunrise at the top of one. To me, this would be one of the few tranquil moments I could experience. You feel like you ar floating on top of everything else, and it is the most calm part of the day--sunrise.
Stereotype
Stereotype - a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group.
There are many stereotypes people have towards groups of people. The example I chose to use was the American stereotype. Many people from outside the United States believe all Americans are rednecks. This is why I chose this redneck cat picture. It sickens me that people outside of the country associate every citizen with the redneck stereotype. What is worse is that there are many worse stereotypes people actually have in this day in age towards races, cultures, and religions.
Writing In Reverse
The guy I chose is wearing a Tool T-shirt (far left). So, it is quite obvious he is a fan of the band. Or is he? The truth is, he is wearing that T-shirt to cover up his true music tastes. The whole reason he is going on the subway is to see a concert. But, it is not a concert you think a fan of Tool would go to. This young man is in fact attending a Hannah Montana concert. He has been a huge fan of the pop princess since he first saw her show on the Disney Channel. He knows that if his very few amount of friends found out about this, they would leave him. But, there is even more truth to be told. His friends are also secret Hannah Montana fans, and they will all be attending the same concert, attempting to hide it from each other. It's very likely that the three friends will run into each other at this concert revealing the truth about all of them. This event will teach them a valuable lesson about being themselves in front of each other instead of hiding what's inside.
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