I believe that reading an epistolary novel is a good experience. It is very different than a normal novel, but I believe that it is different in a good way. I did not think I would enjoy this novel very much because the last book that I read that was an epistolary novel was Dracula by Bram Stoker. Instead, this book has been very interesting to read and what makes it even better is that, even though it is a fiction book it has many references to things that happened in the past that it forces you to look closely. You must also scrutinize the book carefully to be able to pick up on what happens to all the characters. A simple news article or mail between “The Green Hornet” and “The Shadow” could have a large impact on the novel, or it could just be a funny side comment such as Ms. Aubaugh actually turning out to be a Nazi spy.
You had to pay close attention to many things throughout the novel in order to pick up on all the small details that were revealed, such as Joey Margolis mailing Hazel MacKay about Charlie Banks’ brother and saying something along the lines of “he probably feels guilty.” Though this is a very small comment, it is very important to the book because it reveals that Harlan Bank’s death might have been a result of something irresponsible that Charlie Banks did. These small details are sometimes hard to catch, but it makes the novel much more interesting than a normal novel, which would generally come out in some other way or just blatantly announce in some fashion that Harlan’s death was possible due to something that Charlie Banks did.
I believe that the book has been enhanced due to its epistolary style, because you have a wonderful plotline that is full of intricacies that you must be able to see and whenever you see something that hints at a joke or a fact that would come back later in the book you will either get a laugh or start to wonder about how this little detail will affect the characters later on. I think that the epistolary style also makes connecting with the characters of the novel easier because you get to see their true emotions expressed within the letters that they write. You are not told by the author “Joey felt sad,” but rather you see Joey write a letter in which he expresses the grief he feels.
I really enjoy reading this book, and I feel that the epistolary style is one of the reasons I enjoy it so much. The characters seem so much more real and you are able to connect much easier than with other novels and I’m happy that the author chose this style of writing.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Monday, November 24, 2008
Blackhawk Down Blog
The book that I decided to read for the independent reading project was Blackhawk Down by Mark Bowden. This book has been very interesting to me since I am interested in military events (at least the ones that have occurred World War II and after). It has been very interesting so far, and I have also watched the movie, which was very good but considered by many to downsize parts of the true events of the day. The book details the events of the first Battle of Mogadishu (which went under the code name Gothic Serpent). They entered the Bakara and anticipated a quick one hour mission which would end in the capture of two tier one aides of Mohammad Farrah Aidid with very few injuries to American forces. Local spies had reported where the two personalities would be meeting and the Army had soon set up a plan. Members of the Army Rangers would set up positions on corners of the block where the building was to prevent anyone from entering. Elite Delta force troopers would then enter the building using flash bang grenades, stunning the people and getting them on the grounds before they could react, as they had been taught to do.
This would be most easily done using helicopters, which normal pilots would be hard pressed to navigate in the narrow allies of the Bakara market. However, the army had the 160th division (also known as the Night Stalkers) which was an elite force of pilots who had even trained themselves to fly during the night. The Rangers would be brought in on MH-60 Blackhawk helicopters while the Delta force flew in on the smaller MH-6 Little Birds (which would be armed with mini guns and 2.75 inch rockets). At the same time a ground force would leave for the base and meet up at the house where the prisoners would be loaded on and taken back to base. All of this went terribly wrong when two the Blackhawks got shot down by Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG’s). The army started talking massive casualties as they fought to the crash sights while all of the market continued to rise against them. Eventually they got to the crash sights after suffering casualties to find many of the pilots dead. After all that they had to set up posts for the night where they had to defend themselves from the constant Somali attacks, eventually being rescued by the UN peace keepers also in a peaceful part of Somalia. At the end many of the Rangers and Delta forces couldn’t fit in the cars and had to run the distance to the stadium, while being shot at, after a night of constant fighting. This magnificent run became known as the Mogadishu Mile. I was greatly disturbed by the fact that people called US forces out for accidentally hitting women and children, when in fact, these women and children were running towards the fighting, running towards the Americans and thus blocking the Somali fighters from being hit. They involved themselves in the fight, when kids sit on top of a Somali shooter to protect him they involved themselves and made themselves combatants.
This book really brought to light the massive sacrifices our armed forces make for us. Many suffered debilitating wounds such as having their finger shot off, or suffered through unendurable pain while they slowly died after trying to save one of their friends. Not only has this book been very interesting, but it has made me respect those who serve our country much more than before.
This would be most easily done using helicopters, which normal pilots would be hard pressed to navigate in the narrow allies of the Bakara market. However, the army had the 160th division (also known as the Night Stalkers) which was an elite force of pilots who had even trained themselves to fly during the night. The Rangers would be brought in on MH-60 Blackhawk helicopters while the Delta force flew in on the smaller MH-6 Little Birds (which would be armed with mini guns and 2.75 inch rockets). At the same time a ground force would leave for the base and meet up at the house where the prisoners would be loaded on and taken back to base. All of this went terribly wrong when two the Blackhawks got shot down by Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG’s). The army started talking massive casualties as they fought to the crash sights while all of the market continued to rise against them. Eventually they got to the crash sights after suffering casualties to find many of the pilots dead. After all that they had to set up posts for the night where they had to defend themselves from the constant Somali attacks, eventually being rescued by the UN peace keepers also in a peaceful part of Somalia. At the end many of the Rangers and Delta forces couldn’t fit in the cars and had to run the distance to the stadium, while being shot at, after a night of constant fighting. This magnificent run became known as the Mogadishu Mile. I was greatly disturbed by the fact that people called US forces out for accidentally hitting women and children, when in fact, these women and children were running towards the fighting, running towards the Americans and thus blocking the Somali fighters from being hit. They involved themselves in the fight, when kids sit on top of a Somali shooter to protect him they involved themselves and made themselves combatants.
This book really brought to light the massive sacrifices our armed forces make for us. Many suffered debilitating wounds such as having their finger shot off, or suffered through unendurable pain while they slowly died after trying to save one of their friends. Not only has this book been very interesting, but it has made me respect those who serve our country much more than before.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Pursuit of Knowledge
Schools are very important in a person’s desire to obtain knowledge. While it is true that some people are born with an innate hunger for knowledge, many others get inspired to learn from what their teachers tell them, or what they read in books. This is why many schools now seek ways to inspire kids, not just to do well in school but to also continue their education afterwards, whether by reading books or going to universities.
Private schools are very good at inspiring kids because they have more resources available to them and, because they are a smaller school, can do more things that reflect what their students’ desire. If they are currently studying a certain subject, in say, History and it reminds a student of something else or it parallels to something else then they can possibly take the time to look at that idea or assign homework or extra credit for that particular subject.
The problem with public schools is that they lack the money and resources that private schools do. They also have a far larger class size and thus cannot vary their schedule as much. That would cause a school class to get further ahead or behind the other classes. Also, the teachers won’t be as willing to divert the class for the interest of a few students. The other thing is that the teachers lack the same kind of enthusiasm that private school teachers have because they had already been paid. The money of the taxpayer pays the public school teachers and faculty workers. Since they are assured their pay, no matter how their class does, they don’t have a desire to make sure that class does well or is interested in the learning. This is one of the vital problems with our public school systems. Private school teachers, however, can get easily fired for not living up to standards, have higher standards to live up to, and don’t get paid by taxpayers. Instead, they get paid by the students or the students parents so if the parents or students realize that the teachers aren’t doing well then they can choose to leave that school, thus influencing the teachers pay.
Those teachers that are so dedicated to their students that they will help to excite the students do so by taking time to do the things that the students want to do. The parents join the teachers in this by telling the student how much the education they receive means and how important it is to continue that education in order to have a good life.
Due to the lack of motivation in our public schools, our students of today are facing problems with lack of motivation. With a few changes this could be remedied, though the change would not be immediate. These schools have a profound effect on the students desire to learn, and should be reminded of that more often. That might inspire them to work harder to inspire their kids and help our future.
Private schools are very good at inspiring kids because they have more resources available to them and, because they are a smaller school, can do more things that reflect what their students’ desire. If they are currently studying a certain subject, in say, History and it reminds a student of something else or it parallels to something else then they can possibly take the time to look at that idea or assign homework or extra credit for that particular subject.
The problem with public schools is that they lack the money and resources that private schools do. They also have a far larger class size and thus cannot vary their schedule as much. That would cause a school class to get further ahead or behind the other classes. Also, the teachers won’t be as willing to divert the class for the interest of a few students. The other thing is that the teachers lack the same kind of enthusiasm that private school teachers have because they had already been paid. The money of the taxpayer pays the public school teachers and faculty workers. Since they are assured their pay, no matter how their class does, they don’t have a desire to make sure that class does well or is interested in the learning. This is one of the vital problems with our public school systems. Private school teachers, however, can get easily fired for not living up to standards, have higher standards to live up to, and don’t get paid by taxpayers. Instead, they get paid by the students or the students parents so if the parents or students realize that the teachers aren’t doing well then they can choose to leave that school, thus influencing the teachers pay.
Those teachers that are so dedicated to their students that they will help to excite the students do so by taking time to do the things that the students want to do. The parents join the teachers in this by telling the student how much the education they receive means and how important it is to continue that education in order to have a good life.
Due to the lack of motivation in our public schools, our students of today are facing problems with lack of motivation. With a few changes this could be remedied, though the change would not be immediate. These schools have a profound effect on the students desire to learn, and should be reminded of that more often. That might inspire them to work harder to inspire their kids and help our future.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
US Government Blog
1) My US Senators are: Evan Bayh (Democrat) and Richard Lugar (Republican)
2) My US Congressman, based on where i live is: Andre Carson (Democrat)
3) My State Senator, based on where i live is: Mike Delph (Republican)
4) My State Congresswoman, based on where i live is: Vanessa Summers (Democrat)
5) Mitch Daniels is up for reelection as Governor.
Andre Carson is up for reelection as Congressman.
Vanessa Summers is up for reelection as State Congresswoman.
6) Answered in questions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 (in the parenthesis by their names)
7) Mitch Daniels (Republican), Jill Long Thompson (Democrat) and Andy Horning (LIbertarian)
2) My US Congressman, based on where i live is: Andre Carson (Democrat)
3) My State Senator, based on where i live is: Mike Delph (Republican)
4) My State Congresswoman, based on where i live is: Vanessa Summers (Democrat)
5) Mitch Daniels is up for reelection as Governor.
Andre Carson is up for reelection as Congressman.
Vanessa Summers is up for reelection as State Congresswoman.
6) Answered in questions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 (in the parenthesis by their names)
7) Mitch Daniels (Republican), Jill Long Thompson (Democrat) and Andy Horning (LIbertarian)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
American Freedoms Blog
The Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights gave American citizens many rights. These included but were not limited to the right to free speech, the right to freedom of religion and the right to pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Not everyone is equal in this country financial, however, with regards to Constitutional rights, everyone is equal. Every now and then there are legal battles where people feel their rights were infringed upon (such as Ferguson vs. The City of Charleston) but these get ironed out and such cases can then be called upon in the future to further everyone’s equal rights.
These equal rights are what allow people to be free and choose what they want to do. This freedom should not be taken away because people might then be forced to do things that they would not enjoy, and since you only live once, why do something you This right to freedom is considered inherent in America, which is why it is considered such a great nation and a bastion for those wishing to escape prejudice and slavery. People who are constantly oppressed are also more likely to rise up and overthrow their masters, whereas people who are free can pursue their dreams and become what they want. Freedom should be inherent in every nation, but regrettably it’s not and that is why the thirteen colonies broke off from the British Empire.
My rights are all that are listed in the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, the Amendments and more. They include freedom of speech, religion and assembly as well as the right to bear arms and resist self- incrimination. These are the reasons that I enjoy being an American so much and love the country I am in. My rights have never truly been infringed upon or taken away but I have felt that people have not respected my opinions on what my rights are. Whether it is my stance on gun control or gay rights people will always argue. This irritates me that they go to the extent to try and convince me that I am wrong without fully checking out their own ideas, but it is their right to do so based on the First Amendment.
Due to their rights within the First Amendment it is sometimes hard to convince people that they are wrong or that the way they are putting their ideas out there are wrong. This is because there is no way to stop them from saying it. They can say whatever they want and when you argue or tell them not to say it they can simply respond with “It’s my First Amendment right,” which also tends to lead to the problem that people do not think about what they are saying before they say it. Because they have the protection of the First Amendment they can say whatever they want without thinking about it and eventually get used to it, saying whatever comes to mind without fully examining the idea because they really don’t have to.
People have always had the ability to overthrow their government, as long as they do so in large enough numbers. This isn’t something that should be done on a whim, however, only being done when the government is completely and truly oppressing either all of its citizens or a large portion of them. This revoking of human’s rights is a viable reason to revolt because humans should never have to live without their inherent rights.
These equal rights are what allow people to be free and choose what they want to do. This freedom should not be taken away because people might then be forced to do things that they would not enjoy, and since you only live once, why do something you This right to freedom is considered inherent in America, which is why it is considered such a great nation and a bastion for those wishing to escape prejudice and slavery. People who are constantly oppressed are also more likely to rise up and overthrow their masters, whereas people who are free can pursue their dreams and become what they want. Freedom should be inherent in every nation, but regrettably it’s not and that is why the thirteen colonies broke off from the British Empire.
My rights are all that are listed in the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, the Amendments and more. They include freedom of speech, religion and assembly as well as the right to bear arms and resist self- incrimination. These are the reasons that I enjoy being an American so much and love the country I am in. My rights have never truly been infringed upon or taken away but I have felt that people have not respected my opinions on what my rights are. Whether it is my stance on gun control or gay rights people will always argue. This irritates me that they go to the extent to try and convince me that I am wrong without fully checking out their own ideas, but it is their right to do so based on the First Amendment.
Due to their rights within the First Amendment it is sometimes hard to convince people that they are wrong or that the way they are putting their ideas out there are wrong. This is because there is no way to stop them from saying it. They can say whatever they want and when you argue or tell them not to say it they can simply respond with “It’s my First Amendment right,” which also tends to lead to the problem that people do not think about what they are saying before they say it. Because they have the protection of the First Amendment they can say whatever they want without thinking about it and eventually get used to it, saying whatever comes to mind without fully examining the idea because they really don’t have to.
People have always had the ability to overthrow their government, as long as they do so in large enough numbers. This isn’t something that should be done on a whim, however, only being done when the government is completely and truly oppressing either all of its citizens or a large portion of them. This revoking of human’s rights is a viable reason to revolt because humans should never have to live without their inherent rights.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Supersize Me Response
After watching "Supersize Me" I felt slightly disgusted about our fast food industry. Once I started researching more though, I realized that the feeling of disgust wasn’t really with the food industry, but rather, was with the people in the United States of America (USA).
While the fast food may be very unhealthy, (specifically things like the Baconator, the Big Mac and the Quarter Pounder) it is the choice of the consumer to eat the food. They could have gone to McDonalds and gotten a salad instead of the Big Mac, but instead they ordered the unhealthy item. The amount of obese people in America was also very surprising to me and disgusted me. The fact that so many people disregard their health was surprising and made me feel ashamed about the nation. What made me feel even worse was that some people were attempting to pass the blame off on the fast food industry. This attempt to pass the buck amazed me because, only here could people actually consider something like that valid. It is also only considered valid because it is against a “big bad corporation.” That corporation was just filling the need some people had, it’s the person’s fault they couldn’t exercise enough self-restraint to not eat the burger. If it is supposedly McDonalds that makes people fat and not people themselves then do guns kill people? Do pencils misspell words? No, the people do, it is the people who can’t show enough self- restraint then attempt to blame someone or something else. In a way, I find it degrading to humans that they would resort to such low acts. Saying, “Oh, but it’s the food or corporations fault that I’m fat” is not only stupid, it is degrading to that person. The idea that the corporation or food has more control over your actions than you yourself do is making yourself out to be less of a person than you truly are.
Not only that, but the corporations have nutrition facts, whether at the restaurants or online. If you are eating there and are concerned about your weight, it is your responsibility to see if what you are eating is bad. It is not as if the corporations are hiding the nutrition facts from you in a global plot to make all Americans obese. The other thing that irritated me in the movie was how he just ate unhealthy food like the Big Macs. This is again showing what customers with no self-restraint would do, which again, is no fault of McDonalds. It is not their job to sit next to you and rap your knuckles with a ruler every time you try to order a Big Mac. The final thing that I disliked about the movie was the vegan girl friend in the back continually talking about the pros of being a vegan. Though this really has nothing to do with the message of the movie it just really annoyed me. I wanted to tell her to shut up, I choose to eat meat because it tastes good and is good for me. If she wants to be a vegan that’s fine but shut up and stop trying to convince me otherwise.
Overall, it was a good movie to watch, but I believe that it’s message was horrible and the conclusion was really skewed.
While the fast food may be very unhealthy, (specifically things like the Baconator, the Big Mac and the Quarter Pounder) it is the choice of the consumer to eat the food. They could have gone to McDonalds and gotten a salad instead of the Big Mac, but instead they ordered the unhealthy item. The amount of obese people in America was also very surprising to me and disgusted me. The fact that so many people disregard their health was surprising and made me feel ashamed about the nation. What made me feel even worse was that some people were attempting to pass the blame off on the fast food industry. This attempt to pass the buck amazed me because, only here could people actually consider something like that valid. It is also only considered valid because it is against a “big bad corporation.” That corporation was just filling the need some people had, it’s the person’s fault they couldn’t exercise enough self-restraint to not eat the burger. If it is supposedly McDonalds that makes people fat and not people themselves then do guns kill people? Do pencils misspell words? No, the people do, it is the people who can’t show enough self- restraint then attempt to blame someone or something else. In a way, I find it degrading to humans that they would resort to such low acts. Saying, “Oh, but it’s the food or corporations fault that I’m fat” is not only stupid, it is degrading to that person. The idea that the corporation or food has more control over your actions than you yourself do is making yourself out to be less of a person than you truly are.
Not only that, but the corporations have nutrition facts, whether at the restaurants or online. If you are eating there and are concerned about your weight, it is your responsibility to see if what you are eating is bad. It is not as if the corporations are hiding the nutrition facts from you in a global plot to make all Americans obese. The other thing that irritated me in the movie was how he just ate unhealthy food like the Big Macs. This is again showing what customers with no self-restraint would do, which again, is no fault of McDonalds. It is not their job to sit next to you and rap your knuckles with a ruler every time you try to order a Big Mac. The final thing that I disliked about the movie was the vegan girl friend in the back continually talking about the pros of being a vegan. Though this really has nothing to do with the message of the movie it just really annoyed me. I wanted to tell her to shut up, I choose to eat meat because it tastes good and is good for me. If she wants to be a vegan that’s fine but shut up and stop trying to convince me otherwise.
Overall, it was a good movie to watch, but I believe that it’s message was horrible and the conclusion was really skewed.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Americans Question 1
1) Is American society too competitive?
American society is a very competitive culture where the worth of a person is not measured by their morals or beliefs, but instead by how much money the have. Politicians don’t talk about working together; they talk about who is at fault to give them an advantage in the election. Businesses don’t work together to make better products or advancements in technology that would help the people and environment, instead the focus on shipping jobs overseas for cheaper production, undercut the competition and make products as cheap as possibly (even if they have to sacrifice quality) all to beat out the competition.
This amount of competition, however, does not just apply to the American culture, but instead applies to cultures all over the world. The world just tends to see America as more competitive because it is a larger nation and seen as a world leader. This competition also extends beyond just a culture to the whole world, as people (and nations) constantly compete against each other for dominance and the claim of most powerful nation on Earth. A great example of this worldwide competitiveness is the Cold War that the US and Soviet Union were involved in. These two great nations were constantly striving against each other to be the best nation in the world, which meant creating more and more nuclear weapons, so many that we now have a surplus, and which eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Specifically within the US, however, there is still a lot of competitiveness, though that is what makes America what it is. The constant struggle companies have against each other allows Americans to buy goods cheaper than they would otherwise be. There are downsides to the constant struggle though, such as the shipping of jobs overseas and the monopolizing of businesses. Neighbor to neighbor Americans do not seem to be as competitive, though that is just from my experience which is severely limited since I only have one neighbor who is an elderly lady. From what I have seen though neighbors don’t seem to be as competitive, and seem to want to help each other out with their problems unlike the politicians and big businesses who are constantly fighting for control of the economy and country.
So I believe that the major controlling powers in America (the government and the big businesses) are too competitive, overly so to some extent. These politicians should be working together instead of competing, the businesses, however, should be competing, but not to the extent they are (sending jobs overseas away from Americans and lowering the quality of items for a lower production price and sale price). The common American does not seem competitive with his or her neighbor (though I think people will be competitive to a smaller extent, especially kids on subjects such as grades and videogames). This whole world, not just America, is competitive, it always has been and always will be and it is something we will have to get used to, whether we like it or not.
American society is a very competitive culture where the worth of a person is not measured by their morals or beliefs, but instead by how much money the have. Politicians don’t talk about working together; they talk about who is at fault to give them an advantage in the election. Businesses don’t work together to make better products or advancements in technology that would help the people and environment, instead the focus on shipping jobs overseas for cheaper production, undercut the competition and make products as cheap as possibly (even if they have to sacrifice quality) all to beat out the competition.
This amount of competition, however, does not just apply to the American culture, but instead applies to cultures all over the world. The world just tends to see America as more competitive because it is a larger nation and seen as a world leader. This competition also extends beyond just a culture to the whole world, as people (and nations) constantly compete against each other for dominance and the claim of most powerful nation on Earth. A great example of this worldwide competitiveness is the Cold War that the US and Soviet Union were involved in. These two great nations were constantly striving against each other to be the best nation in the world, which meant creating more and more nuclear weapons, so many that we now have a surplus, and which eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Specifically within the US, however, there is still a lot of competitiveness, though that is what makes America what it is. The constant struggle companies have against each other allows Americans to buy goods cheaper than they would otherwise be. There are downsides to the constant struggle though, such as the shipping of jobs overseas and the monopolizing of businesses. Neighbor to neighbor Americans do not seem to be as competitive, though that is just from my experience which is severely limited since I only have one neighbor who is an elderly lady. From what I have seen though neighbors don’t seem to be as competitive, and seem to want to help each other out with their problems unlike the politicians and big businesses who are constantly fighting for control of the economy and country.
So I believe that the major controlling powers in America (the government and the big businesses) are too competitive, overly so to some extent. These politicians should be working together instead of competing, the businesses, however, should be competing, but not to the extent they are (sending jobs overseas away from Americans and lowering the quality of items for a lower production price and sale price). The common American does not seem competitive with his or her neighbor (though I think people will be competitive to a smaller extent, especially kids on subjects such as grades and videogames). This whole world, not just America, is competitive, it always has been and always will be and it is something we will have to get used to, whether we like it or not.
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