WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF EVERYBODY WAS DEAD: A HORRIFYING CONCEPTION THAT CAME TRUE

Blog #10.

Were I shown the corpses and deaths of all of my friends, family, acquaintances, and even enemies, I would certainly do one of a few things. One option would be to just...hang on with some sort of a dogged persistence, constantly forcing myself to live and want to live. Clearly, this would be a very hard mindset to keep if this incident kept happening for a long time. Eventually, some part of you would just want to give in to the horrors. At some point, I believe that the human mindset is so fickle that too much trouble and awfulness would destroy any capability that it earlier had to hang on. It would take a very special few people to continue the way the Gottesfelds did in Love in a World of Sorrow. Another, much more probable option, is to just give in to the situation. Again, this is another extreme that is probably very uncommon. It would take the right amount of bravery and laziness to follow that path, because somewhere within everybody is the craving for life. The final option is one that resides somewhere in the middle, with characteristics of both. It would probably be the least satisfying, least safe or productive, and the most common choice to make. In this scenario, the victim would be so alone and sad that they would be confused, scared, and indecisive, but that survival mode would kick in. They would be too scared to do much at all to likely their deaths, and too confused to just give in. This person would band together with other victims, and by doing this, probably die. If it were me, I would want to be somebody who was committed to the first option, be terrified of the second option, and probably fall into the third category. Then again, it takes a very specific situation to test this theory.

image credit: en.wikipedia.org

A Human Sacrifice: Blog #9

If I had the opportunity to sacrifice my life for three of my family's, I most certainly would. Love is not something that is shallow, nor is it so deep that it can't be understood. Love is a condition where you hold more value for another person over yourself, and if three people that I loved were at risk, I would save them without hesitation. Of course, there is a lot of emotion that goes along with this decision in real life that may affect the decision, however, were I to choose at a calmer time, I have no doubt in my mind that I would choose to save my family members. Each and every one of my family members is special in some way or another, and truly it would take a heartless person to kill them instead of yourself. Though it is an interesting question, the answer is doubly clear. Save your loved ones.

Image Credit: joshualpappas.blogspot.com

My Family: My Greatest Allies

#8

If I were thrown into a situation like the Holocaust, I would most certainly be able to rely on my family; not only would I willingly, I would be forced to as well. In a like situation, without a family, it would be very hard to stay motivated and keep pressing on, while with a family, there would be cause to stay alive. This past week I went to South Carolina to visit my grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. This side of my family is a very southern, country group of people, and like many southerners, they are very religious. My grandfather is the head of a "Rescue Ministry" called the Help Out Guys, and on Thanksgiving Day, we delivered turkeys to families who were not going to have Thanksgiving. When we arrived at all of these houses, there were people sleeping on the floor, living in a pile of trash, and other awful and shocking things just so they could stay and live with the rest of their family. Through this, it is clear to me that I would rely on my family an extraordinary amount if I was thrown into an awful situation like the Holocaust.

image credit: westseattlefamilyzone.com

Love in a World of Sorrow Blog #1; #7

Terror: How does one Function?

The horror of an experience liken to the one the first chapter of the book conveys is not one that can be understood of conceived unless it was experienced previously. The terror of being hunted prey is sickening, but for this girl, and many others, it was a reality. If this was me, if I was the one hiding in a hole with 18 other people for days on end, I have no idea what I would do. I might get so anxious that I ran out of the hiding place early, condemning myself to death or worse. I may stay hidden with my family in the hole, but this is only a possibility. One terrifying possibility is that I may just leave and try to fight the Nazis, leading to my immediate death or torture. There is one thing that I do know; if I was given that awful experience of being the hunted prey, I would never be able to let that go for my entire life. The sheer sickening fear would forever linger somewhere small inside of me and I would never be able to be rid of that. 

sanfranciscosentinel.com (image credit)

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime: Blog 3

What were your thoughts about Christopher giving his parents both a second chance?

I thought that Chris made the opposite decision that he should have made. He was completely oblivious to the rational side of life when he was able to give his mother another chance very easily, but completely shut out his father. I think that this is unfair and unjust, because Chris' father was not the one at fault for everything unraveling. It was actually his mother's fault. Unfortunately, Christopher was unable to reason with evidence from the past; seeing only that his father lied to him and killed the dog, Wellington. This is very interesting--Chris is terrified by change, and he is terrified by other people, yet he for some reason wants to live with his mother. For this to be the case, Christopher must rely on trust very much in order to function normally. Clearly, without trust, Chris would "feel sick", as he describes so often in his book. Though it was poorly thought out and very rashly decided, I believe that Chris made the right decision in forgiving his mother, and eventually trying to forgive his father.

image credit: starscolor.com

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime: Blog Post 2

Was it the right decision for Christopher to leave?

I believe that this was a very, very hard decision for Chris to make, even though he did it instantly and without hesitation. He had lived in that house for his entire life, and he was terrified at the thought of leaving it; however, he was also terrified of the notion of staying since he could no longer trust his dad, at least in his mind. Christopher had the right to leave. He was deeply wronged by his father, and beaten by him the night before. On the other hand, I understand the father's predicament. His son is severely autistic, and does not respond to normal human behavior. His mother leaves him, and dad does not know how to tell his son, so he decides to lie. This is the reasoning behind this. This decision was a very challenging and meaningful one, but Chris definitely was right to leave.

Image Credit: markhaddon.com

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime: Blog #1

Blog Topic: How do others feel for Christopher in The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Nighttime ?

Christopher is a very interesting character. He has Asperger's, and a severe case of it too. He does not understand people or their emotions, and cannot comprehend that they have minds of their own. This makes for interesting interactions, and for people like his father, a very challenging setting to live in. Christopher cannot lie or break rules. He breaks down when anybody touches him, and cannot understand what is wrong in the world. I think that other, normal people, start out very nervous around him, and as they get to know him, begin to pity him. When he comes to expect something of them, however, there is usually an incident wherein Christopher gets angry, upset or freaks out and then they begin to have trouble even pitying him.

A Spring Awakening: Not the Musical

For years and years, the onset of spring has symbolized the beginning of happy times, out of the freezing cold, and into the season where crops are grown and warmth begins to come back. Speak uses spring as a similar symbol. Melinda is getting better. This is very clear to readers of Speak, especially in comparison to her a few months ago. Laurie Halse Anderson symbolizes the beginning of her change by beginning the fourth marking period, a benchmark date that many students think of as the beginning of the end of the school year, and the first signs of spring. Spring is also a very positive season, and as Melinda gets better, it becomes spring. She has gone through school so far getting more and more hurt, and now is her chance to salvage some sanity and live through this awful time. With spring, for Melinda, comes hope and the beginning of a new chance.

To a reader, Melinda is still depressed. In comparison to the self-hurting, suicidal character from a mere 50 pages ago, however, she is a completely different person. She has human interactions with multiple people, including her mother and her old friend Ivy. She even has enough courage to send a letter of warning to her ex-best friend, now enemy Rachelle/Rachel. Melinda is returning to the kind of caring, social person she was before she was raped, and this happens at the same time spring begins.

Not only is spring a symbol of hope, it also brings about change. Melinda must change to become normal again, and it is clear that she starts this. She has begun to build a base of a few key friends who will help her to rapidly gain trust in people once again. Prominent in this group are Ivy, David Petrarkis, and Mr. Freeman. These three represent the most positive interactions Melinda has, and they are very responsible and kind people. They go to great lengths to help Melinda, and even though she does not mean to, she responds to this quite well. In the latest twenty page installment we read, she makes two jokes, one to herself, and one out loud to David. This is a metamorphosis of great proportions.

In the weeks that separate the end of winter from the festive beginning of spring, Melinda morphs from a depressed, introverted, terrified human being to a typical person recovering from a seriously traumatic experience in their lives. This transformation is elevating for all readers, but the individuals who can put themselves into Melinda's shoes can feel a very powerful burden being lifted from their shoulders. For Melinda, the beginning of spring marks the beginning of a miraculous and fantastic recovery from a very dark and sinister time in her life.

CHARACTERS POST 2

The summer reading character and star wars character who resemble each other most are Luke Skywalker and Haroun Khalifa. They both have very similar personalities, and they both go on very similar adventures. In the beginning of both stories, they are both completely clueless as to the amazing worlds they live in. Luke is unaware of his close connection to the rebellion and Jedi Knights, while Haroun knows nothing of the story world that gives his father his incredible ability. With little persuasion, each wanders into an adventure that not many people had ever experienced, and is completely foreign to both of them. The two of them have very adventurous souls, and they both are very brave. At the end of their subsequent stories, they also save the day and become the hero.

My favorite book growing up was definitely Harry Potter Book 1, The Sorcerer's Stone. It is the ultimate children's book; containing mystery, adventure, and intrigue. I remember being five years old when I first read the book. I was only five, so eventually my mom had to take over and read much of the book to me. However, as soon as I could, I read The Sorcerer's Stone over and over again. In fact, I loved the book so much that I read it seventeen times in one year. All I cared about was reading that one book over and over and over again! I read it in two hours, nine hours, a week, whatever it took to read that book. Of course I read the other books that were out at a similar quantity and rate, but The Sorcerer's Stone is the one that I remember most because it is the first in the series.

             I enjoyed this book so much because I wanted to be Harry. I wanted to be Harry so badly that I sent myself letters on July 31st claiming my acceptance to Hogwarts for at least 3 years in a row. He is such a perfect character, a massive underdog who all of a sudden becomes the most famous person in the world. He gets into adventures and never showed fear. He saves lives and killed monsters, all while learning complicated magic at the coolest school ever imagined. In years to come, I would want to be Harry still, but the desire has diminished asymptotically.