Post #10

Today I decided to read more of the Odyssey that we are not going to read in class. I read books 12, 13, and 14. They were very interesting, and hopefully will make more sense after I have read the books that lead up to these. The story continues Odysseus' journey, and he finally ends up in Ithaca. After reading these books, I have met my quota of 250 pages this quarter.

Post #9

This week I chose to read some of The Odyssey that we aren't going to be reading in class. I read books 7 and 8, and they were both very interesting. In the beginning of the seventh book, Odysseus is going to the palace of Alcinous, where there are a people called the Phaeacians. He also meets a girl, that says she can help him. But what Odysseus doesn't know is that the girl is really Athena in disguise. Having Athena guide him, she is able to hide him from the Phaeacians, whom, had he not been disguised, he would have been harassed by them. Odysseus then goes to the palace, where the King and Queen agree to help him get home, but first he tells them his situation. The King of the Kingdom likes Odysseus so much, that he says that Odysseus can marry his daughter if he wants to.

Post #8

This week I decided to read another political article from the New York Times, titled In Bush Stronghold, Obama pulls even with McCain by Catherine Seelye. This article discusses how Obama is beginning to force John McCain to defend states that he should be automatically winning, based on the numbers from the last election. This prevents him from being able to campaign in battleground swing states that he needs to win to win the election. The author of this article believes that the cause of this extreme change in heart comes from the concern with the current economic condition, which leads many people to support Barack Obama. Other factors are McCain's negative campaign, and Obama's massive amounts of money and television ads. An example of this is the thirty minute block of time that Obama bought during prime time a week before the election will take place, and no one knows what he's going to do with it.

Movie Hero Artifacts

The ways that I classified my artifacts are people who are heroes through good, and people who are heroes through evil. An example of someone who is a hero through evil, is Don Corleone, because he is able to provide for his family and the people he cares about, but he does it through killing, and running a family of the mob. Someone who is a hero through good is Han Solo, because he sacrifices what he thought was his life, for the fact of the mission of helping the Rebels. Some qualities of a hero are:

• Willingness to scarifice
• Compassion
• Caring
• Performing acts of Heroism
• Helping other people
  

I believe that Captain Miller is a hero, because he gives his life, so that Private Ryan can return home, because his mother had already lost three sons in the war. He led his squad far and wide searching for Private Ryan, then when they found him, he is shot and killed protecting Private Ryan.

I believe that James Bond is a hero, because he sacrifices his life, so that he can stop evil people from destroying the world. He always is hurt and maimed when he is on a mission.

http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/pages/movie-pages/movie_hero.html
This list of heroes is here, because it has a good indicator of how many good movie heroes there are.


These movies are here, because Han Solo and Don Corleone are both heroes, who make many sacrifices so that they can protect those that they love.


Atticus Finch is here, because he sacrifices his reputation and his popularity with the townspeople, so that he can support what he believes is right. He also helps a man with no one else that would be his lawyer. Atticus receives a lot of persecution for his representing of a black man, but he stands up for his beliefs.

While studying movie heroes, I discovered that there are two types of heroes, people who are heroic through good, and those who are heroic through evil. But both of these groups of people have the same characteristics of caring for others, being compassionate, caring, and willing to make sacrifices, even if it involves their life. All of these people are heroes for these reasons, and should be revered as so.

Post #7 (LATE BECAUSE OUT OF TOWN)

This week I decided to read another article in the New York Times titled Endorsement Puts Spotlight on a Legacy by Elisabeth Bumiller. This article is discussing the endorsement of Barack Obama by Colin Powell. This happened on Meet the Press today, and it shows how Powell believes Obama is a better candidate than McCain. Powell says that Obama is the candidate that offers more change, and will put the country in a better direction than McCain would. The endorsement by Powell will dispell many of the negative comments about Obama "palling around with terrorists" because a man of Powell's military staure supports him. It also can help Obama prove he has enough experience and leadership ability to be the next president. So far this quarter I have read about 150 pages, in books and my favorite type of reading, newspaper articles.

Post #6 (LATE BECAUSE OUT OF TOWN)

I have now finished Night. I think that it was a fantastic book, because it was an extremely detailed story of Elie's survival at Auschwitz. But with all of the attentiveness to detail, comes a lot of depressing moments in the book. One of the saddest parts of the whole book is when his father and him are being separated into male and female lines, and does not know at the time that that is the last time he will ever see his mother and sister Tzipora again. Another part of the book that depressed me was the fact that Elie was only fifteen years old. I tried to imagine myself in that situation, and I couldn't, because it is just so horrific. If I was separated from my family, realizing that that was the last time I would see them, I would be so distraught. Overall, this is an excellent novel, and I recommend it to everyone.

Post #5 (LATE BECAUSE OUT OF TOWN)

I am still reading Night, and I am enjoying it a lot. The quote, "Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky.
Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever.
Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never" is extremely meaningful in the book. This is because it tells how lasting the impressions of this Hell are. It is able to try and describe to people how bad the concentration camp was. I think that is a large part of the purpose of this book, to try and have people create a mental image of the camp, and how bad it is. This way, people can capture the emotion of the author and his troubles.

Post #4

I am currently reading Night by Elie Wiesel. The book is about a man's remembering of his experiences during the Holocaust. He is 15, when he brought into the concentration camp. One interesting thing I have noticed so far is how they would lie about their age. When Elie and his father were first admitted into the camp, they were told by a mysterious person to say that they are 18 and 40, when in reality they are 15 and 50. This was to ensure that they would not be sent to the gas chambers, because if their inability to work. I also am intrigued by the fact that all of the Jews in Auschwitz are so tightly unified, and friendly despite their dismal situation. Many of the other Jews would aid Elie and his father, by telling them good work groups, and what to do and what not to do, all of these things increased their chances of being able to survive.

Post #3

For my post today, I chose another New York Times article to read titled "In Poverty and Strife, Women Test Limits" by Carlotta Gall. This article discusses how many women are beginning to gain more rights in Afghanistan for the first time, one has even taken the role as a governor in the country, the first one ever. The Shiite Muslims are a much less conservative sect, and are more open to the idea of women working in places other than the home, making it much easier for them. But, this is a huge step for all of the women, because it is a step of progression, and hope for all of the other women in the country, that they too can have some of their repression lifted. Some things as small as driving a car are huge to women in Afghanistan, and other countries like it. Hopefully in time, all women in all countries will have the same rights and privileges as the men do in those countries.