Angels and Demons POV

Author's Note: This is the POV assignment for Angels and Demons. It's not done yet but yeah i had to post it because im writing it in blogger

Angels and Demons is told from the perspective of a guy name Robert Langdon. He's a guy who knows a lot about symbols and religious history and other things along those lines. He gets called to investigate a murder at CERN where the Illuminati symbol was left on the body. There are some things that he doesn't really know about. A lot of the stuff at CERN has to do with science so with that stuff he doesn't really know about it, but he knows a lot about religion and history.When the Illuminati symbol came up, he was probably a lot more worried than Kohler because he knew more about it.

The head of CERN is Mr. Kohler, who obviously knows a lot about science. We would probably get more information on science related aspects to the story, but not get as much related to history and religion. When the body was found and the Illuminati symbol was found, he probably wasn't as scared as Langdon was because he doesn't know much about the Illuminati. But when Vittoria Vetra was explaining about the stolen anti-matter, Kohler knew things were bad right away and Robert Langdon did not.

Here's the scene I wrote from the point of view as Mr. Kohler.

I could tell Mr. Langdon was getting nervous. I wasn't quite sure why. It could have just been a prank, but then again who would kill someone as a prank? That was what Langdon thought it was, a prank. He was having a hard time grasping the fact that it was probably the real Illuminati. Something about the Illuminati made this Langdon guy all worried. I have heard of them, but they don't exactly cause me to panic. At least he knows what he's talking about.

Maybe it was the body that was doing it to Langdon. He was trying not to look at it, and he had a sick look on his face. I didn't exactly like the look of the body, it was pretty gruesome, but it was what it was. I didn't have the energy anymore to worry about it.

I was losing patience with Mr. Langdon and his inability to accept the facts, but he was the only person I had. I knew going to anybody else would make this whole thing public, which was not what we needed at CERN right now. I would have to cope with things and get things done.

Angels and Demons Prediction

I think the story will end in the Vatican getting attacked. One reason I believe this is that there is a picture of the Vatican on the cover and the book, and is also titled Angels and Demons, angels being the religious people and demons being the illuminati. Also someone stole this anitmatter stuff that has a bunch of explosive power so it would make sense if the illuminati wanted to destroy a catholic thing with a science thing. I also think that the pope is going to get attacked. He is the leader of the Catholic church so it would make sense to be a target for the Illuminati, who are in favor of the abolition of Catholicism. I also think that the book will also be a race between the 'angels and demons' because the book seems a lot like National Treasure. In that movie there are lots of symbols and codes and stuff as with this book.

This is the scene from my book that I wrote down there.

A chill went down Langdon's spine as it occurred to him.

                                                                                                                               

"There going to kill the pope!"

------------

The Hassassin picked his way through the dense crowd. A smile was on his face. He was so excited because the he had been chosen for this. And he had already gotten the privilege of first blood. Now he was set on a different target, this one more important than the last.

He made his way to the front of the crowd, and looked up. Out walked the Pope, and the Hassassin cheered with the rest of the crowd to blend in. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man come running across, and stopped when he met the pope.

"Stop!" the man yelled. "The pope is going to be assassinated! You need to come with me!"

The Hassassin's grin turned into a frown. What was this man doing.

"Nonsense," said the pope, turning to the crowd and smiling, and glanced nervously toward the security guards and nodded. "Who would want to kill me?" he asked as the guards started coming across the stage.

"The Illuminati would," replied the man. The crowd fell silent, and the guards stopped. The Hassassin's frown turned into an even bigger scowl.

"The Illuminati," said the Pope, now serious. "Who are you exactly?"

"Yes the Illuminati. They're back," said the man.

How does he know? Asked the Hassassin to himself as he disappeared back into the crowd.

Insane in the Wallpaper: by Shaun Campbell

In my essay, I proved that the narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper" was insane. Using evidence like her creeping and biting the bed to back it up. She kind of goes downhill because she starts out hating the wallpaper but then starts to like it. The wallpaper also changes as she goes insane. It ends with her creeping in circles around the room, which is definitely insanity.

Boo Radley

Boo Radley may seem to be a secondary character, seeing as he disappears in the middle part of the book, but he remains a powerful symbol in the story. He is shut up in his house all day long, and is portrayed as a creepy and dangerous man. But that is just the way that people make him out, not truly who he is. Although nobody knows how he really is, he saves Scout and Jem at the end of the book from being killed by Bob Ewell. Despite what people in the book may think, Boo Radley is a symbol for goodness that was damaged by evil.

Mockingbirds are a big symbol in the story, although there aren't many physical ones. Killing a mockingbird is said to be a sin because all mockingbirds do is sing, and do nothing to harm us. Going along with this, there are people in the book that are "mockingbirds". Tom Robinson is an obvious one, as he was completely innocent and probably never harmed anyone in his life, but he was killed. Boo Radley was also a mockingbird. He was innocent and never did anything that bad, but was damaged by his father and kept away from society. Because of this, people were never able to know who he really was, and made up images of him being some weird psycho.

There are many theories about Boo Radley that people have invented. Some say he is some weird religion that has to stay inside and pray all day. Some people think he is insane and chained up inside of the house, and others think he only goes out at night to kill animals and look in windows. But that is just because people don't understand, just like they don't understand racism. People are quick to hate things that are different, and believe that what is different doesn't belong. Lots of people hate black people, and lots of people assume bad things of Boo, with one similarity: they are different.

Boo Radley actually reflects the racism that is going on in the story. Tom Robinson is killed although he is innocent, and Boo Radley is said to be evil when he is not. Just because black people are different, people think they are inferior to whites when they are not; just because Boo is kept away from everyone, people think he is a psychopath when he is not. Boo Radley is a mockingbird and is symbolically "killed" by his father, who forces him away from civilization. He is as innocent as can be, yet is destroyed by evil.

Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are mockingbirds, and both are hurt by evil. Tom Robinson is put to death for a crime he didn't commit. Boo Radley is shut up inside all day for reasons not quite known. And the one similarity is that they are both different from everyone else. The crazy person is not who everyone think he is, but because of the evil in the world he is said to be. He is a symbol for innocence that was harmed by evil, like a mockingbird that was sinned upon and killed.

Tom Robinson

Author's Note: This is a piece from the perspective of Tom Robinson from To Kill a Mockingbird. 

I do what I'm am told to do, that's the way I was raised. So when young miss Mayella wanted my help, I obliged. I felt sorry for the lady, she didn't seem to have any friends. She was always alone when I passed by her house, with no help to do all those chores that needed to be done. So when I passed by her house this morning, she wanted my help as usual, and she invited me into her home to fix her door. I intended to do so, but the door seemed fine to me, so I got to wondering what was going on. She took me into the bedroom, and wanted me to get something down, and I tried, and the next thing I knew her arms were around me, babblin about something, and I tried to run but I didn't want to hurt the poor woman. I started to panic, not quite sure what was happening, when I saw Mr. Ewell in the window, and heard young miss Mayella scream. I booked it, not wanting to stay around any longer. Poor old Mayella, she'll probably in some hot water with her father.

To Kill a Mockingbird Scene Analysis

"If you shouldn't be defendin' him, then why are you doin' it?"

"For a number of reasons," said Atticus. "The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again." […]

"Atticus, are we going to win it?"

"No, honey."

"Then why-"

"Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win," Atticus said (84).

This quote takes place when Scout is not understanding why Atticus is defending a black man. Atticus tries to explain it to her that he couldn't respect himself enough to hold up his head or even tell Scout or Jem not to do something. He knows that he has to try, because it is the right thing to do no matter what anybody says. So when Scout asks him if he is going to win the case, he simply says no, because he knows it is hopeless, yet he has to try. He says we already got licked a hundred years ago, referring to slavery and the racial prejudices that have been going on for a long time. But that doesn't mean that it is right even if it has been going on for a hundred years, and he still needs to try to change it, even if he is ahead of his time and knows it is hopeless. I think this scene describes the hopelessness of the novel; knowing that Atticus is doing the right thing, and people seem blind to that fact. You as a reader know that Atticus is doing what is right and it is frustrating that he has no power to change anything.

Speak Symbolism

Author's Note: This is an essay about the symbolism in Speak. There is a ton of symbolism so I chose to just do trees and seasons. After reading this essay, your life will never be the same again.

Trees are very commonly used as symbols in many different forms of literature. They can be used to symbolized both life and death, and many other things as well. In the book Speak, trees are also used as symbols very often throughout the story. In my opinion, I think they symbolize Melinda throughout a hard time in her life. Trees also fit hand in hand with the seasons in their symbolism. Seasons are also ofted used as symbolism to reflect the mood of the story.The seasons and the trees symbolize Melinda's emotions.

When the school year starts, Melinda is pretty much a social outcast. She is assigned a project in art to draw a tree and make it meaningful. She can't draw a tree, and in my opinion this symbolizes her inability to talk to anyone or cope with what is happening in her life. Then all of the trees she draws look dead to her. She is going through a time of depression, and the dead trees are a tragic symbol. But then she sort of learns how to bring life to her trees, at the same time she starts pulling out of her depression.  At one point in the book, there is a tree in her front yard that is half dead, and they cut of the dead branches so the tree can live. This is similar how Melinda was able kind of get over what happened and come 'back to life.'

Just like the trees, the seasons follow Melinda's feelings. Towards fall is when Melinda gets assaulted by Andy Evans. Autumn is the ironic season, and everything in Melinda's life starts going downhill. In winter, she is in her state of depression, and winter is the tragic time of year in symbolism. Then in spring, she starts to feel better, and pulls out of her depression. She even starts talking again. Spring is the romance season, and her life starts getting better. The book ends before summer, but summer is the comedy season, and comedy is just sort of normality. So at the end of the book when summer comes, she will likely return to her normal life. The story pretty closely follows a backwards version of the circle of literature.

In the end, Melinda is able to overcome her past experience. But along the way, she has a time in the fall where everything seems like a nightmare, and she can't draw a tree. Then comes a winter and a time of tragedy, where her trees are all dead. You could say that her tragic flaw was not telling anyone about what happened, and the tragic fall was her depression. But then things start to look up again, and that is kind of like the romance part, and she figures out how to make her trees seem alive. And hopefully, her life will return back to normal in the summer. I think that the trees and the seasons are reflections of Melinda and her feelings.

Speak Scene Analysis

Author's note: For an assignment we were supposed to choose a scene from the book Speak that changed the book. I chose the scene where Melinda is at her first day of high school and at a presentation about the year to come.

In one scene, we find Melinda in the auditorium on the first day of school for a first day presentation. None of her old friends talk to her, because of what she did. She called the cops at a party where there was drinking, and now all her friends hate her. They whisper mean things about her behind her back, and completely ignore her. I believe this is a major scene in the book; it is the point that Melinda becomes an outcast. The whole book up to the point I am at, it mostly remains this way. This scene pretty much sums up how rejected Melinda is by her former friends and piers.

Fahrenheit 451 Quote Response

 Author's Note: This was an assignment where we had to choose a quote with figurative language and analyze it. So I did.

"One of them slid down into your stomach like a black cobra down an echoing well looking for all the old water and the old time gathered there"  Pg. 14

This quote takes place when Guy's wife, Mildred, takes to many sleeping pills, and has to get her stomach pumped and blood replaced. They used a machine to execute this task. But the tone of this simile is definitely dark. The personification from the machine to a snake gives a kind of hopeless feel, seeing as the snake is an ironic symbol. As for going down a well, it is like descending into blackness and gloominess. The old water at the bottom of the well is like the insides that they are pumping out. The whole quote feels dark and dismal.

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

 Author's Note: This is a themes essay discussing the themes of Fahrenheit 451, and it's similarities to 1984. The theme I chose to write about was government corruption, because both books have a lot of it.

What would it be like if you had no free will? The government tells you what to think and you have to listen, or you will die. The thought of not being able to think freely and express your opinion is a scary one, but this is a theme that occurs in Fahrenheit 451, along with 1984. Both books are dystopian views of our world, and both have predominant government corruption.

In Fahrenheit 451, books are outlawed and people are tricked into thinking they're smart. All people really want to do all day is watch their giant TV's, and firemen start fires rather than put them out. But the government also prevented creativity. Their television programs are pointless, similar to kids' shows like Dora the Explorer, where there are pauses to let you "interact" with it. They are only taught pointless facts in school, nothing useful. People participate in contests where they are rewarded for saying the capitols, and winning makes them feel smart. So reading becomes pointless without any understanding of text, and books become evil, so they are burned. Without any sort of fiction, there is no way a person could do something original and imaginative. In a way people are not allowed to be creative.

A similar theme happens in 1984. Books are also banned, and the ownership of one is punishable by death. People are told that whatever they do is a duty to the government, and everyone has to follow the rules. The government controls every single thing, including history, which was re-written to the way the government wanted it. In fact, the main character's job is to rewrite events that happened. Like when the leader, Big Brother, gives a speech, he edits it to make whatever he said true. Propaganda is so bad that nothing in the news is true, but people don't even notice this, and they believe what they hear. Also, people cannot express opinions or think anti-governmental thoughts, otherwise they are killed. As with Fahrenheit 451, people are pretty much told what to think, and creativity is non-existent.

These books may be very similar, but there are a few differences. One, is that in 1984, books are outlawed by the government and by law. In Fahrenheit 451, the people themselves banned the books, the government had no part in starting this. Another difference is that 1984 is set in the year 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 is set in an unnamed futuristic time period. Fahrenheit 451 is very similar to our society today, with the giant TVs and the fast cars. 1984 is quite different, with a lot of things exaggerated, like the level of propaganda and punishment. But despite these somewhat minor differences, they are both quite similar.

In both books, the governments are corrupted. Books are banned, as with creativity. People can't express their opinions, yet they are too brainwashed to know that their rights are gone. People are told that being normal is the only thing, and if you think bad thoughts or are different, you are likely to be killed. But what is scary about it is both books seem to be coming true. People have giant TVs and drive fast in cars, and propaganda does exist. It's not that hard to imagine our world becoming what it is like in both of these books, becoming a world we need to fear.

Shaun The Conqueror (aka Shaun The Great)

Author's note: we were given a choice of prompt to write on. The one I chose was 'Her breath caught as she saw him standing there, sunlight dancing in his eyes.' We also had to choose a goal and mine was to get a 10 for voice.

Her breath caught as she saw him standing there, sunlight dancing in his eyes.  'Twas Shaun the Conqueror, also known as Shaun the Great. Only a few people in the universe knew his real name, and although I am one who knows, I am not allowed to say it. But I will anyways, his name was Shaun Campbell.

Mary ran over to where he was standing, a look of glory on his face. But before I continue with the epic tale that ensues, I should give you some background history of Shaun The Conqueror. He grew up in a small town in Wyoming. But even as a child, he knew that he was destined for greatness.

He always wanted to visit New York. So one day, he hopped a train. But he got on the wrong train, and ended up in China. But it was there that he met his trainer, a man that had no name. Well, he actually most likely had a name but it got lost in translation from the ancient Chinese scrolls on which the prophecy was written, but we'll call him The Ninja Master.

If your wondering what the prophecy was, it was that a man would come to China and order a hamburger with no burger, just ketchup and mustard. Then, he would fall into a sewer. After he got out of the sewer, a ninja would kidnap him and train him to be a ninja. This man would become the conqueror of the aliens when they invaded.

So, when he got to China, Shaun Campbell was hungry, so he ordered a hamburger from a hamburger stand. But he never really liked Chinese hamburgers, so he ordered one without the burger. But he really liked ketchup and mustard, so he told the dude at the stand to put those on. He ate the burger with no burger, and walked off to find another train.

The Ninja Master, not yet The Ninja Master, just a normal person, saw this happen. He had heard stories of the prophecy, and this got his attention. When Shaun Campbell got hit by a car and fell into a sewer, he knew that the prophecy was coming true.

Shaun Campbell climbed out of the sewer, and The Ninja Master that was still just a normal person waited for a ninja to come and kidnap him. But nobody seemed to notice what had happened. Then, it dawned on him. He was the one destined to be The Ninja Master, so he put on a ninja mask and grabbed a sack.

He went over and stuffed Shaun Campbell into the sack. The Ninja Master didn't really have a dojo or anything, so he just took him back to his apartment. When they got there, he let Shaun Campbell out of the sack.

"Where am I?" asked Shaun Campbell.

"The prophecy has come true. I must train you to be a ninja so you can defeat the aliens when they come," said The Ninja Master.

"Well, lets get cracking then," said Shaun Campbell.

"Well, I'm not really a ninja, but I do have Fruit Ninja for kinect," said The Ninja Master.

"I guess that will have to work," said Shaun Campbell.

And so they trained, into the wee hours of the night. They trained for weeks, then weeks became months, and months became years. Finally, the news came.

A messenger came into the apartment, and said: "Shaun Campbell, you are needed at the white house. We were spying on the alien planet and they're all getting on giant ship things with guns and stuff. We are positive they are meant for us. There isn't time to spare!"

So they boarded a bus and rode all the way to the white house. Once there, they went into the oval office. There was a screen with a view of the aliens. And sure enough, what the messenger said was true.

"What shall we do?" asked the president.

"Allow me to think," said Shaun Campbell.

"We don't have time to think!" said the president.

"Hey, that's no way to treat the chosen one. But okay. Where do you keep all the nukes?" replied Shaun Campbell.

"There's a button right here, but you're gonna have to aim 'em. There still all aimed at Russia from the Cold War. Oh and some of them are aimed at Iraq or Iran or Afghanistan, I get em all mixed up. But here's the aimy thingy, you just use this here controller." said the president."Oh yeah, some are aimed at the moon."

"Why do you have nukes aimed at the moon?" questioned Shaun Campbell.

"Um, uh, well, um, why do you have nukes aimed at the moon?" replied the president.

"Oh real mature. And I don't even have any nukes," said Shaun Campbell.

"Oh, sure, that's what they all say. Just look at Iraq! Well, it turns out they were telling the truth, but still!" said the president.

"I don't have time for this. I have a world to save," said Shaun Campbell dramatically.

The president handed Shaun Campbell a TV with a controller that looked suspiciously like an Xbox controller attached to it. On the screen was an X that he could move with the controller. He zoomed way out, and aimed over to the alien's planet.

"Okay, they're all aimed," said Shaun Campbell. "Where's the launch button?"

"Right here in the middle of my desk. You have no idea how many times I've almost launched 'em all." replied the president.

Shaun Campbell ran over and pressed the button. They all turned to look at the screen. After about a ten minute delay (the planet was pretty far away), the nukes hit. They rapid fired into the planet one after another. The nuking lasted a couple hours, and the planet was obliterated.

"Jeez, how many nukes do you have?" asked Shaun Campbell.

"I dunno, we lost track at around 17,000. But I guess we have pretty many! And that was just half, the others are buried under the white house. But Mr. Shaun Campbell, you have just saved the world, just like the prophecy said. I now call you Shaun The Conqueror." said the president.

"I kinda like Shaun The Great," said Shaun The Conqueror.

"Well, it can be both then," said the president.

And that was how the legend was born. And now for the epic story I was telling you about. I might have to finish later because some men with black suits just came in and they don't look like they're here for tea. They're all babbling about how I'm not supposed to say Shaun The Conqueror's real name or something, so this is the end, for now.

Harrison Bergeron Retelling

Author's Note: We read the short story Harrison Bergeron and I had to write a retelling of it so I did. 

Harrison Bergeron takes place in the future when everyone is equalized by some sort of handicap. Two people see their son Harrison escape from prison. He takes over a TV station, rips off his handicaps, defies gravity, and tells everyone he's the new Emperor. But then the he gets killed by the government, and his parents, who witnessed the event on TV, soon forget what happened.

A Christmas Carol Assignment

Author's Note: This was an assignment where we had to take a quote from A Christmas Carol and analyze it. 

Quote:

"I don't know what to do!" cried Scrooge, laughing and crying in the same breath; and making a perfect Lacoon of himself with his stockings. "I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy. I am as giddy as a drunken man, A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world! Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo!" (pg 81)

A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens

This quote is from Scrooge, when he gets back from his journey with the third ghost, and wakes up on Christmas morning. This passage represents the change that happened to Scrooge. He is no longer the grumpy old man, and now is filled with joy and happiness. The tone of this quote is obviously happy, because some of the symbols; like similes such as happy as angel, lights as a feather, and merry as a school boy. This just shows how happy Scrooge is, giddy with happiness, and a new man.

Assignment #1

I think that in Milkweed that Misha will escape the camp. Right now he is able to escape but he keeps coming back because his friends are there. I think eventually they will leave the ghetto for the concentration camps because that is what happened to the Jews during World War 2. But Misha will play dead and escape, because the same thing happened in the book Elephant run. In Elephant Run this kid's dad was trapped in a camp by the Japanese, but he pretended to die and got out. So I think the same thing will happen in Milkweed.

A Narwhal Christmas

 Author's Note: The purpose of this piece was to inform people of my Christmas. It isn't really good,  actually it's pretty bad. It's just kind of random but it's funny so read it and don't fight the awesomeness, embrace it.

I woke from my deep slumber, and was at once wide awake. 'Twas Christmas morning, and the new snow glittered magically as I looked out my window. I ran down the stairs, and took in all the presents that sat under the tree. One of them caught my eye. There was a big tank of water, with a floating ball of wrapping paper. The paper was in the shape of a giant fish, except there was a horn on the front. Oh, well, I would find out what it was soon enough.

That was the first present I chose to open. I plunged my hands into the tank, and tore off the wrapping paper. When I was done, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a Narwhal! The only name that seemed fitting jumped to my mind as I instantly proclaimed his name as…. Rainbow! Rainbow became my new best friend. He lived in our swimming pool in our backyard. He was about 25 feet long, counting his horn.

One day, we decided to go on an adventure. We were bored of our boring lives of doing nothing but playing video games all day. So we went to find the legendary Bacon Mountain. But first I had to train him to fly, because there was no way to travel by water all the way to Bacon Mountain. We started with basic jumping drills, getting him out of the water. Then we built up the strength of his tail so he could propel himself through the air. After hours of training, we finally got him to fly.

So one day, I packed up a lunch for both of us, a peanut butter sandwich for me and marmalade for the narwhal. Then we took off. We soared through the air at ten thousand feet, keeping a sharp eye out for Bacon Mountain. Then, Rainbow spotted it. He dove sharply downward, and I held on for dear life. He evened out his flight path as we neared bacon mountain. I threw a lasso around it and hooked it, and we flew back home.

Back home, we munched on the wonderful tasting bacon. But little did we know the Bacon Mountain was property of the US government. The FBI had security cameras placed around the mountain, and they caught us stealing it on camera. Luckily, my face was hidden from view, so they only pegged Rainbow. He because number one on the FBI's most wanted list. He was now a fugitive from the law.

Rainbow had to start his life of crime, running from the law. He put a ski mask over his face, and grabbed his belongings and a supply of marmalade. We said our goodbyes, and he flew off into the sunset. He said he would try to visit every now and then, but I was still sad. As I watched him fly off, a tear trickled down my 

 cheek. 

Rainbow's wanted poster

Milkweed Themes Essay

 Author's Note: This is an essay discussing the themes in "Milkweed". More specifically loss of innocence. I compared it to "Life of Pi".

People are dying in the streets. Dead bodies litter the ground, and poor souls  barely clinging to life stumble over the rubble. People are willing to eat anything that is digestible, anything to stay alive. But young Misha, unsure of his age, name, or past, seems oblivious to all this. Even though the Nazis are slowly torturing his friends, he loves them for their big black boots. That is, until the moment he finally figures out what is going on.

Misha is completely innocent,  he just doesn't seem to notice hat is happening in the ghetto. People are dying around him, and he doesn't even care. He was never able to live a normal life. And he realizes this when he is an adult and immigrates to America. He just babbles on street corners about his past, because he finally realizes what he really witnessed. The childhood moments with death and torture are stamped into his mind, and he will never be able to forget them. The effects of witnessing such horrible events have made it so it is impossible to live a normal life.

The same thing sort of happens in Life of Pi. When Pi is starving in the lifeboat, he does some things nobody would do in a normal situation. He resorts to cannibalism, and eats a part of the dead cook. He is a strict vegetarian, and he eats fish and other animals. All these events, especially the cannibalism, will cause his to not live a normal life. He will always have this on his conscience, the fact that he ate another human being. In a way, he lost his innocence when he resorted to cannibalism.

Just like Pi, Misha lost his innocence. He witnessed things that no person should ever witness, and as a result paid for it later on. He no longer was able to live a normal life with his memories imprinted in his mind. He was completely unaware of the fact that the Jews were being left alone to die inside the ghetto, until the moment he finally understands. From that moment on, he is tortured by his memories.

Assignment #3

Author's Note: This is an assignment about a character in our book. We had to analyze a character and their motives and if they were dynamic or static. 

The main character in Milkweed is Misha, an orphan boy who's age is not known, and is not smart. Misha just wants to survive, and help his friends survive in the ghetto. When he sees his friend dangling by his neck from a street light, he barely notices. He does this by stealing food from the outside and bringing it back in. The character is dynamic, because he changes the lives of others. The Milgroms probably wouldn't have survived without Misha. Misha is pretty much their only source of food, like when he gives them eggs. He is kind of like Pi, because his only motive is to survive. He doesn't really understand enough to have any other motive.

Assignment #2

Author's Note: This is the assignment about how the point of view of our book is important. I thought the point of view was really important because the main character had no clue what was happening. 

The point of view in Milkweed is extremely important. It is told from the point of the orphan kid, who's age is not know, but has no clue what is going on. When the Nazis come, he likes them because if their big, shiny, black boots. Some times he describes events vividly and they turn out to be the least important. Then he'll sum a large event in a page or two, like when he was on the farm, he talked about it for a couple pages. It turns out he was on the farm for three years. Disturbing images are described by him so blandly, like how dead bodies of Jews littered the streets, he seems completely unaffected by it. There is one event that comes to mind that I didn't understand at all. Misha finds his friend and the leader of the band of boys, Uri, in a hotel for the Nazi soldiers working as a busboy. At the end, he shoots off Misha's ear. I think this was so they thought he was dead and wouldn't put him on the train to the concentration camp, but the reader is never sure. Both these events are examples of what I am trying to say. He just doesn't notice what is going on around him, and can't describe the things he does understand. This changes how the story is viewed.

The story would completely different if it was told from a different perspective or third person. If it were told through the eyes of an adult, the reader would have a different take on the story. It would be so much about a kid not knowing that he is in a desperate fight for survival, and into just another historical fiction novel about the holocaust. If it were told from third person but still followed Misha, it would also be different. The reader would get more details and have a solid view of what is happening. With Misha's poor descriptions, the reader never has a concrete idea of what is happening.

Milkweed Perspective

Author's note: In Milkweed the perspective is from the point of view of a kid who doesn't understand what is happening. I changed it to his "uncle" Uncle Shepsel, who is trying to convert from a Jew to a Lutheran so he can get out of the ghetto where they keep all the Jews. 

I realized that was no way out of the ghetto, at least if I remained a Jew. So I decided to become a Lutheran. It started when I got a book about Lutheranism. I read the book front to back a thousand times, memorizing all the words. I taught myself how to be Lutheran, and I was no longer a Jew. I was free, free at last. It made me happy just thinking about the prospect of going home and living a normal life again. But it didn't last all that long. When they started the deportation, I was confident I would not have to go, because after all, I was not a Jew. But they didn’t listen to me. They took me anyways, despite my pleads that I was no longer a Filthy Son of Abram. Why didn’t they listen?

Conveniently Blind

What are the chances that two tiny lifeboats, in the middle of the ocean, each with a blind man in control, would meet? You might say the odds are pretty low, and you would be right. However,  in Life of Pi, the author creates this very scenario.  It seems so unbelievable that it must be symbolism. When Pi encounters the blind man, it symbolizes guilt.

When Pi first meets up with the blind man, he believes he is talking to Richard Parker. so he asks him, "I'm curious, tell me - have you ever killed a man?" After talking a bit, the voice, whoever it is, answers the question with a yes. He says he has killed "a man and a woman", and later saying "the man first the woman second." Well, the end of the book Pi tells a short version without the animals, where the cook killed the sailor and Pi's mom. That's a man and a woman, so this leads me to believe he is talking to the cook.

But Pi killed the cook, as seen when he confesses: "Then we fought and I killed him." It's plain and simple; the cook died. So how is Pi talking to the cook if he is dead? Remember that Pi is blind. So he doesn't actually see the other man, who is blind as well. It sure is convenient to go blind, right? Well, that could be symbolism, too. Your eyes symbolize your soul, so Pi going blind could symbolize that he had some regret or guilt that he thought was troubling his soul. Maybe the blind man was blind too because he was feeling guilt. Although when Pi asks him "Any regrets?" he answers with "It was them or me", and tries to close the subject. I think the blind man (or Pi himself) really was regretful about what he had done, and just tried not to show it.

I don't think the blind man was real; it was just Pi's imagination, his guilt for killing the cook. The blind man tries to kill Pi, which would have been Pi being overcome by guilt. But Richard Parker kills the blind man, which could be Pi's survival instinct kicking in. The point is, the blind man was symbolizing Pi's guilt for killing the cook.

Life of Pi response

Author's Note: We had to respond to what we thought this meant: "The idea of a religious boy in a lifeboat with a wild animal struck me as a perfect metaphor for the human condition. Humans aspire to really high things, right, like religion, justice, democracy. At the same time, we're rooted in our human, animal condition. And so, all of those brought together in a lifeboat struck me as being... as a perfect metaphor." It's the author talking about his book. So here is what I thought.

I think that what Yann Martel meant was that it his story symbolized humans. What I think he meant that humans are always worrying and thinking about things that are really out of our control and humans worry about things that we really can't change. We're constantly thinking about religion and justice like the author said. But really we're just animals trying to survive.

Are you proud of your country?

I guess I am proud of my country. We did after all win our freedom against like the strongest army. Also we are a free country which is good. But sometimes I don't agree with things our country does and all the corporate stuff and all that junk. But I would have to say that overall I am proud of our country.

Shaggy

Scooby-Doo is one of the most famous and recognizable cartoons of all time. The mild scares and goofy  characters are great for amusing little kids. The simple and repeating plots backed up with cheesy scares  have been entertaining young children for practically fifty years. So it may come as a surprise to know  one of the main characters, Shaggy, is a pothead. The talking-dog thing, the interesting-speech-patterns  thing, the constant-hunger thing, all point to one conclusion. The iconic kids show character Shaggy is a  drug addict.

First of all, Shaggy has a talking dog, Scooby, of course. But it might be more than just a normal talking  dog as you would see on a kids show. Scooby talks kind of funny, even for a talking dog. There could be  other reasons that he talks the way he does, and even talks at all. If Shaggy is on drugs, he could be  hallucinating Scooby talking. Or maybe poor Scooby is being given drugs by Shaggy, therefore  encouraging him to speak. Either way, I believe Scooby is more than just a talking dog.

Have you ever noticed that Shaggy also talks kind of funny? "Hey Scoob dude, want some Scooby snacks,  man?" This could be a result of all the drugs he is potentially doing. I don't know about you, but it does  seem a little weird the way he talks, especially in contrast against the other characters. He talks like a  hippie, when the 1960's were infamous for drugs.

That brings me to another subject: Shaggy and Scooby's constant desire for food. Sometimes after  smoking marijuana, the subject gets the munchies. That would explain why Scooby and Shaggy are  constantly eating huge portions of food. They're always chowing down giant hamburgers and ice cream  and huge subs. How else would you explain this constant and raging hunger other than the munchies?  This all is just more evidence against them.

Maybe the Scooby Snacks that Shaggy and Scooby love could symbolize drugs. Shaggy and Scooby will  do almost anything for Scooby Snacks; they just can't resist the temptation. If someone asks them to say  go into a haunted house full of ghost to investigate, they would resist. Do it for a Scooby Snack, it's no  question. Maybe Scooby Snacks are portrayed as just dog treats, but are meant to be something else.  

I really think that Shaggy, and even maybe Scooby, are drug addicts. There are just too many things that  lead towards it. Shaggy has conversations with his talking dog, absolutely loves to eat dog treats, talks  like a hippie from the sixties, and always has the munchies. Maybe the creators of the show meant  this,  and symbolized drugs through Scooby Snacks. The show was after all created in the sixties, one of the  most prominent drug eras of the USA. The fact he does drugs is possible, likely, and obvious.