Osama Bin Laden’s Death

The first time I heard of Bin Ladens death was actually this morning when my father told me. At first I thought he was kidding because this powerful man that supported and created 9-11 is finally caught. I believe that Bin Laden death will reunite the U.S. In a way Americans now are uncertain that this accomplishment will lead to other revolts and terrorist attacks from any of Bin Laden followers or warn the Muslims that are pro Bin Laden to stay away from the U.S. To hear the chant “U.S.A” is evil in a way and liberating in the other. Americans feared this man for 10 plus years and now that he is finally dead should we cheer the fact or mourn his death and fear for the worst to come. We could have ticked off the Muslim terrorists or warned them like I said. I personally believe that his death will reunite the U.S.A and we will also have to be on guard for the worst to come. 9-11 could have been merely just a distraction for the U.S. so Bin Laden’s followers can create something massive. The war with Afghanistan and Packistan is not over because Bin Laden is dead. If the troops and president withstand their guard, terrorists could up rise in effect of Bin Laden’s death. I was in the first grade when Bin ladden planed and accomplished his terrorist attack on the twin towers. I had no idea what was happening but just knew something bad had happened. We wrote to soldiers and saw the devastating attack on the news. In some ways it is good to reunite America and share the accomplishment of bringing a ruthless leader of terrorists Osama bin Laden. I think just because Bin Laddens is dead that terroristic threats and attacks will never happen. I sort have have a hunch that this not  the end and Obama still has still to be on gaurd and has more to come.

Maus-Night Blogging Assignment

Night and the Maus books is a great companion. The book Night was based on Elie who survived the camps in the Second World War. The comparison is almost identical except for the main characters. In Maus one and two Vladek compares to Elie because of their fight and determination through the war. Art Spiegelman does an amazing job at creating two powerful graphic novels that tell of his father’s horror in the war. Elie and Vladek both lose their family and struggle starvation and death as it tries to overtake them.

            Elie looses faith and become more distant toward his father. In Maus Mr.Spiegelman does not have strong faith and love towards his father from the start. One thing that can be pulled from the observations, is that war makes both Elie distant from his father and Vladek distant from his son. Vladek and Elie strive for one thing in the war and that is life. When in the war Elie has no family and that does not matter any more than their survival.

In Night Elie becomes distant towards his father and at his fathers moment of death Elie thinks after a night alone "'Don't let me find him! If only I could get rid of the dead weight, so I could use all my strength to struggle for my own survival, and only worry about myself'".(101) The concentration camps had made Ellie so numb and even towards his own father and regrets the things he has thought of. In Maus Vladek and Mr. Spiegelman get into a fight. Vladek can not even dream of wasting food and explains how he wands Artie to take his Special K and he refuses. “Then just save the damn Special K in case Hitler ever comes back” (78).

This should be read together in the future classes to come. The books give very different perspectives of that horrible war and are focusing on the same emotional devastation that occurred. This is pretty much all that can be said about the books. They were very well written and give great angles of the war and what horrible torture happened to the jews.  

 

Slaughter House Five Assingnment

Please list 10 ways you can improve your essay scores


1.  Understand the PIE writing style              6. Give Examples that go with the thesis
2   Make a strong thesis statement                7 Have an effective restatement (not copy) of the thesis 
3.  Use quotes that go well with the thesis     8.  Don't go to far off track with quotes or examples
4.  Express the Point more effectively          9.   Make sure that examples are true real life examples
5.  Illustrate the (I) more effectively              10. Make sure that all grammar and punctuation is correct


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 the image describing the bestiality between the woman and the pony was funny.
2. I thought that the time traveling Billy went through could be the flash backs of his life.
3. The Tralfamadorians description was in good detail.
4. Hearing the sexual acts of Billy and Valencia on the audio was awkward and funny at the same time.
5. Kurt did a phenomenal job describing Billy's travels while actually writing in the "Fourth Dimension".
6. This book is a good book that defiantly makes you thing.
7. The question that this book brought to mind is what is the present?
8. In the book Billy doesn't live in the present but actually lives in the past and future.
9. What I did not like about the book was the confusion it would bring when the tralfamidorians would describe their life compared to Billy's and how they lived in the fourth dimension and new everything.
10. Billy does not have any emotion in the book and it is hard to tell how he feels.
11. I thought it was funny how Billy described his wife.
12. Billy would have all these near death experiences like the gunshots and the plane crash. This is not important to me when they tell us how he dies in the middle of the book by an assassination
13. It makes me think. Is Billy crazy from the plane crash like his daughter says of if his abductions existed?
14. I think it is amazing how Kurt made a war book funny.
15. This is the first war book that I have read dealing with time traveling.
State 5 possible themes for the book Slaughterhouse-5.
1. The world has no Love.
2. Life is all lived in the fourth dimension.
3. There is only death and pain in the world we live in.
4. War changes people.
5.  Billy's life on earth is not as important as life in a bubble on Tralfamadore.
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, Mr. Cheng
Mr. Cheng: Hi Billy
Billy: Have you heard about Tralfamadore?
Mr. Cheng: No, what’s that?
Billy: It’s a planet where they... etc.


Christian A: Hello, Billy
Billy: Hey
Christian A: How are you?
Billy: Fine. I really like the creatures I am encountering.
Christian A: What do you mean by that?
Billy: I visit these aliens that love me very much.
Christian A: When do these strange visits to tralfamadore happen?
Billy: They just happen.
Christian A: What do you mean by "They just happen"?
Billy: They are new moments in life that happen spontaneously.
Christian A: When did this all start?
Billy: It all started with the plane crash. When I was the only one alive in the wreckage, I was abducted that night by the tralfamadorians.
Christian A: Do they speak English?
Billy: Yes, but in a telepathic way. Their thoughts are in English and then projected at me through a radio.
Christian A: What do they look like?
Billy: They have small green bodies and have one hand sticking out of the top of them for heads. These hands have one large eye in their palm.
Christian A: Does this image scare you?
Billy: No, Not really because they are about peace and I feel more at home when with the tralfamadorians.
Christian A: How do they live that makes you feel at home?
Billy: Their time is much faster. A couple years on tralfamadore are like a few seconds on earth, so when I am abducted and captured I do not worry.
Christian A: How do they live?
Billy: Have you heard of the fourth dimension.
Christian A: Do you mean as in shapes?
Billy: No I mean the fourth dimension in time. It is when the present is not clear and you live you whole life knowing what is going to happen next. For example, the tralfamadorians would know how this universe ends and are at peace anyway.
Christian A: How does our universe end?
Billy: They said it was because of a fueling problem with their ship that will destroy everything.

Christian A: doesn’t that worry you.

Billy: No, I do not care much for the things that have happened in my life. It has all been pain that I can not escape. I like it better in the “Zoo” on tralfamadore.

Christian A: What do you mean by Zoo?

Billy: The Tralfamadorians captured me and put me in a bubble and made me a display in their Zoo.

Christian A: Does that bother you?

Billy: No, they think I am a beautiful creature and are the only things in the universe that have that admiration and respect.

Christian A: Well, thank you for letting me talk with you about your visits.

Billy: No problem. You are the only person who thinks I am not crazy.

Siddhartha Blogging Assignment

In the book Siddhartha is trying to reach  nirvana. He also is so consumed in finding enlightenment he looses his way and even his friends. He learns everything he can from the elders but believes there is more to learn that is not being taught to him. When Siddhartha is talking to Gotama the illustrious one, he explains why he is leaving. “That is why I am going on my way, not to seek another and better doctrine, for I know there is none, but to leave all doctrines and all teachers and to reach my goal alone---or die (34) When saying this he wants to pursue his Nirvana with self experience and determination. If he does not find his enlightenment he says he will die. I believe that too much determination will through you off track on your own path. searching and searching can make you loose your way toward your goal.

This has also been a struggle not only for Siddhartha but people in every day life. Siddhartha wants to find his way alone with his own experiences and struggles. I believe your parents cant be there to help you forever, which is most likely true. Your own decisions lead your way. Finding your own way may also be better than following the way of someone else. For example when a young teenager joins a gang and follows their ways he will never reach his Nirvana because those decisions are not his own. Also in that gang he joins ,comparing to the end of the quote, he could end up dead in the end. now this is exaggerated but it could possibly happen.