3rd Quater Reflections

    In my 40 book challenge, there is not a lot. I think I'm on my 10 book already, but since I have my homework, test studies, sports, taking care of my siblings, cleaning my room. There is just not enough time for me to be reading. I do read to my sister and brother sometimes, but it's always at night when I feel sleepy. But I'm on a book that is really good, it called "Life As We Knew It" by Susan Beth Pfeffer. This book is really good and entertaining, it's one of my favorite books as of right now. Sometimes music in the background make the reading more dramatic. I do love reading, but sometimes there is just not enough time for me to do that.

   The most challenging part of 3rd quarter, was teachers pushing us a lot more than they did in 1st quarter. There was a lot more homework, test, essays, blogs, and tight schedules. What I should work on is staying on task more and more so the work can be done. But not just done, it has to be acceptable to turn in for a good grade. I sometimes would set times when do I have to do homework and reminders to turn in stuff. I'm also working on getting the work done and ready at school so I don't have to do it for homework.

   Strategies that helped me were helpful was the reminder app that reminded me about homework, when something was due, sports, go to sleep early, and waking up early for school. Also in order for me to turn in stuff early, it depends on how long I work on it or if something randomly comes up. I always try to strive for perfection and try to get things done. I suddenly found out that  perfection isn't always a goal. The goal is to do good, be good, and try/do successful. I always try, but sometimes I give up, that is something I need to work on extremely. Mostly 98% I do my homework and turn in stuff early, the other 2% is maybe because I have other things to do or I forget. But that is why I have the reminder app now.

   Some stuff I learned about mostly was the Holocaust topic. That has been the most part of school were I've shown lots of attention, and it was because I was really interested. It was sad that many innocent people were killed because they were not like other people. When I met a real life survivor of the holocaust and went into a real train where the Jews were, the mood of me changed dramatically. I was so palpable, I couldn't actually believe I was hearing and seeing these things. Something else I learned was the vocabulary, which had some what a big impact on the way I write, think, and speak. When I was taking the placement test at Trinity High School, one of the words I had to identify was advocate. Immediately I knew that it was a person showing support for another person. These were some things that I improved and what I needed to work on. Hopefully I will do better in 4th quarter.

"Life is Beautiful"

  Some connections with "Life is Beautiful" and the book "Night" is how both families were captured or forced to go to the concentration camps. The only difference between that, is the mother Dora from "Life is Beautiful", wanted to be with the father and son, she didn't want to let them leave without her. Another connection is how the families were separated, the females in one side and the males on the other. In the movie, it was more humorous and made the horrific times seem more comical. Then in the book, it was more of a dark mood like depressing and disconsolate. One more thing is that both fathers died in the book and movie, and in the end. Ellie never saw his mother or sister again, but Josh in the movie saw his mother when the war was over. Both characters Ellie and Giodo did everything they can to survive and to help the ones they love to survive. They both didn't give up, but the fact that both characters felt like they had to do all they can to reach freedom or until the war was over. Giodo sacrificed himself for his son to live, and Ellie was gonna sacrifice his father in order for him to live. Both characters lots everything of theirs but still gave it all to to live.

    The similar moods the pieces had between each other was how Jewish people were happy and were living life as regular people did. Soon then when Jews had to be set to Concentration Camps, everything about them changed, it was as if they were living in a nightmare. All though in the movie, Giodo made humor out of the bad times that was happening around him. He tried to make it a game to his son so that he could stay safe. In the book, Ellie kind of accepted that this was reality and had to live through it. In the begging the movie was more cheerful and full of laughs, so was the ending of the movie, but it brought out the strong side of Giodo. Ellie was very strong in the begging and end, he tried to survive in what felt life hell to him.

   Giodo had tried to make humor out of everything because it seemed like that was the kind of person  he was. At the concentration camp towards the end, he didn't really seemed like he cared about being killed, he was trying to help his son to survive. He wanted him to stay calm and not worry about what the actual truth why he was there. Ellie/book didn't really have humor, it was more serious and talking about the reality of the Holocaust.

   Some parts that actually seemed beautiful in the movie "Life is Beautiful" is how the wife Dora, wanted to go on the train with her husband and son. She would rather be there with them and probably knew she was gonna die, then let them die and stay behind. It shows how much love she shows to her husband and son, this shows me how life is actually beautiful. Another example is how Giodo made everything a joke and made everyone smile. His humor always had found the ways to people's hearts and smiles. His humor and tricks caught the heart of his wife, those school children, serving as a waiter, trying to open a book store, and playing a "game" with his son at the concentration camps. All that shows how he mostly did these things to help others, fall in love, make others laugh, and survive.
   
   

Night

   Ellie changed as a person from believing in God to not. Ellie talks about his religion/studies, what he believes in, and god. Then towards the end, then at the concentration camps, that started to fade away. That specifically changed him as a person because he has been studied and doing lots of stuff that involved Orthodox Jewish religion. Then during the process of Ellie's father, mother, sister, and himself going to the concentration camps, he witnessed lots of horrible images.

   In the book on page 5 (online book) it tells us that Ellie did believe in God and that he really wanted to learn about the Kabbalah, but he couldn't find a master to help him with that. Ellie said "One evening, I told him how unhappy I was not to be able to find in Sight a master to teach me the Zohar, the Kabbalistic works, the secret of Jewish mysticism."

   This quote explains how Ellie himself wanted to learn about the Zohar, the Kabbalistic works, and the secret of Jewish mysticism, but couldn't find in Sight a master. He was really unhappy about it, which proves he did believe in God. If Ellie was Unhappy about this, then that meant that cared about it and he wanted to learn about it, nobody forced him to. Then sooner in to the book when Ellie was at the concentration camps, he didn't believe anymore.

    In the book on page 31 it says how Ellie didn't want to believe in God anymore. Ellie says "Why should I bless his name? The Eternal Lord of the universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for?"

   This shows how Ellie didnt believe in God no More. It was mostly because God didn't help him when he was at the concentration camps. He didn't believe because God wasn't there to help him when the the Nazis was hurting Ellie and other people.

   The second way Ellie changed was the relationship with him and his father. In the beginning of the book Ellie was very much close to his dad and had wanted to be around him. Then in the concentration camps he still did, but it was somewhat diffrent kind of way of being close to him. Ellie cared for him less because he was sick and tired of trying to take care of him, he just didn't want to do it anymore.

   In the book on page 27, it explains how much Ellie wanted to be around his dad, and that it showed that he cared for him a lot. Ellie says "My hand shifted on my father's arm. I had one thought - not to loose him. Not to be left alone"

   This book explains how Ellie did want to be around his dad and loved him. If he didn't love him at all then Ellie would have never thought of not loosing him and not wanting to be alone. This shows how in the beginning Ellie had love for his father, then towards the end that changes because what Ellie thinks and says.

   In the book on page 101 it shows hatred towards his father and how much he doesn't want him alive. Ellie says "I went to look for him. But at the same moment this thought came into mind: "Don't let me find him! If only I could get rid of this dead weight, so that I could use all my strength to struggle for my own survival, and worry about myself."

   This quote shows that Ellie did kind of care about his father, but it was hatred and that he didn't care about him, he only cared about himself. Ellie wanted his father to be gone already so that he can live and worry about his own health and survival. Ellie doesn't want to talk care of his dad no more. This is how Ellie's relationship with his father changed, and his beliefs too.
Wiesel, Elie. Night. N.p.: Bantam , 1982. Print.

Butterfly Project

          
"An Evening In Terezin"

The sun goes down
and everything is silent,
 only at the guard's post
are heavy footfalls heard

 That's the guard who watches his Jews      
to make sure they don't run away from the ghetto.
Or that an Aryan aunt or uncle
doesn't try to get in.

 Ten o'clock strikes suddenly,
 and the windows of Dresden's barracks darken.
 The women have a lot to talk about;
they remember their homes,
and dinners they made.

 Then some of them argue.
Others try to quiet them down.
Finally, one by one, they grow silent;
they toss and turn, and in the end,
 they fall asleep.

 How many more evenings
 will we have to live like this?
We do it know,
 only God knows.

I commented on Tammi's blog
I commented on Ingrid's blog
I commented on Jessie's blog
I commented on Isaiah's blog
I commented on Clement's blog