"Speaking of Courage"

               The chapter "Speaking of Courage" is about Norman Bowkers feelings and thoughts after the war. It is the 4th of July and he is driving around a lake and he remembers the time when Kiowa died. When I first read the chapter I was confused on why the title of the chapter was called "Speaking of Courage" instead of "Speaking of Cowardice". Norman Bowker did a very cowardly thing, he didn't save Kiowa. But later I realized that it must take a great deal of courage to talk about an event like that. Norman states that he had nobody to talk to about his experience. That is why it took a lot of courage to talk about that. Although the characters display both courage and cowardice.
               In the beginning of the novel the characters have to carry the fear of being ashamed or dishonored. This fear shows cowardice in the minds of the soldiers. Also in the chapter, "On the Rainy River", Tim O'Brien shows us cowardice by going to the war. He didn't do the courageous thing of following his heart, he was scared of being shunned so he was a coward and decided to go to the war. Also, Lee Strunk was a coward because he begged to not be killed after his leg got blown off.
               I believe that in war soldiers have more courage than cowardice. The sheer fact that they are putting their lives at risk is very courageous. They are pretty much scared of being killed 24/7. War puts people in positions that they never thought they would be in and positions in which no human being deserves to be in. There is a lot of guilt involved in war. Sometimes there is nothing you can do, you can't always be the hero. The soldiers are really hard on themselves and they feel responsible efor things that they had no control over, like Kiowa's death.

A Day To Remember

            The memoir “A Day To Remember” is written by a 12 year old from Illinois, named Ivory B. Out of the ones I read, this one appealed to me the most because I like roller coasters however, let me just say that this blog will not be a heartfelt encomium for the little youngster here. This memoir was very boring when it comes to writing style.

         When I read it from a reader’s point of view I kind of understood what he was talking about and I could relate to it because I too really enjoy the amusement park. I could also agree with his pejorative remark that waiting in long lines was no fun at all. However, this memoir was so general that a day like this happened to me as well.

         When I read the memoir from a writer’s point of view I would probably sort this into a “story” rather than a “memoir”. He is lacking the essentials to a memoir. First off, the story in itself was boring and the character showed no development throughout the story. The reason for this was most likely because there was no dialogue in it.

         Another reason why it isn’t a well-written memoir because although Ivory tells the reader how he was feeling at the time and what happened, he doesn’t reflect on it in any way. While I was reading the memoir I knew that the story wasn’t going anywhere. There was no moral to the story, I kind of just ended.

         If I were proof reading this memoir I bet for every paragraph I would make a note to “Show, don’t tell”. For example, in the last paragraph he tells us that he is “sad” he is leaving. He could have used a variety of words like brokenhearted, gloomy, low-spirited, or melancholy.

The Vietnam War

               The Vietnam War started on November 1, 1955 and ended on April 30, 1975. The war was a communist against anti-communist war.  Communist allies like the Cuba, China, supported Northern Vietnam (Viet Kong). Southern Vietnam was supported by the United States of America, Korea, and the Kingdom of Laos. The North Vietnam army had a great advantage over the US army because of their home turf. They new their lands well and used a guerrilla warfare technique against the US army. The guerrilla warfare tactic required much celerity from soldiers to ambush and raid the U.S army. However, the South Vietnamese greatly relied on air forces. Along with the air forces that dropped airstrikes and artillery, ground forces had "search and destroy" missions. 

               U.S president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the government saw the intervention in the war an easy way to stop the communist takeover of South Vietnam. This was part of their plan of a wider strategy of containment. The war in Vietnam was originally fought by the French and by the beginning of the 1950s, U.S backed France. In 1968, American involvement peaked, partially because of the new "Tet Offensive". This type of warfare was a surprise air attack on a city at a time where it was least likely to happen. Both North and South Vietnam had covert operations but the American army tended to be more overt than the North because of the guerrilla warfare the Viet Kong used.

              Although the American army killed more people, they lost the war. Their purpose for the involvement was to stop the communist expansion and the objective was not reached. About 266,000 ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) soldiers were killed while 1,100,000 North Vietnamese soldiers died in the war. Was it worth it?


Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War
http://history1900s.about.com/od/vietnamwar/a/vietnamwar.htm
http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/vietnam/index.cfm

Gatsby Scene

I sometimes just like to watch my guests and tend to eschew from them. I don’t even know most of these people and yet they are here, at my house, enjoying life. This is all part of a larger scheme though and I hope that it will all come together very soon. But today I have two very important guests to me, Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker.

            After a while I spot Nick and I come up to him. He seems like a really nice guy, but then he really surprises me by telling me that he still hasn’t met the host. I dont think he was trying to be invidious but, I told him that I was Jay Gatsby and he apologized to me but really I should be the one apologizing. What kind of a host am I when my guests don’t even know what my face looks like.  Well anyways, I think that Nick is a good guy but I need him to like me.

            I have decided that I am going to talk to Jordan about my plan and ask her to tell Nick. I pulled a lovely lady, Jordan Baker, over and I told her that Daisy and I are long lost lovers but she has not yet come to one of my parties as I had planned. I begged her to ask Nick if he could invite Daisy for some tea and he would accidentally run into her. I asked Jordan to not tell Nick right away, but to wait a while.  I think that my conversation with Jordan went well and I hope that Nick will be kind enough to set up the meeting.

            I need Nick to like me so that he agrees but I tend to get really nervous around Nick. I hope he doesn’t realize it and everything goes well.

The American Dream

               I found an Article on CNN Politics of Obama's speech, that he made on November 7, 2007, titled "American Dream". I would first like to start off by saying that I agree with this speech completely and that I also like how the President gave examples of his family and how they relate to the 'American Dream.'
               Here is a quote from Mr.Obama's speech, "But as I've traveled around Iowa and the rest of the country these last nine months, I haven't been struck by our differences - I've been impressed by the values and hopes that we share. In big cities and small towns; among men and women; young and old; black, white, and brown - Americans share a faith in simple dreams. A job with wages that can support a family. Health care that we can count on and afford. A retirement that is dignified and secure. Education and opportunity for our kids. Common hopes. American dreams."
               I think the first sentence of that is so accurate. I don't view other people on my differences with them, but on our hopes and dreams that we share. Now I am not saying that us 16 year olds have the same dreams as the President listed, but I think the definition of the American Dream is very similar for our youth today. To have friends and family that love you, to be given opportunities, and to be treated fairly. 
               Going back to the quote, Obama tells us that the American Dream is a job with good wages, health care, a secure retirement, and the opportunity of an education. In The Great Gatsby, there is a common 'American Dream' among the people, that is, wealth and success. The job wages that can support your family means that you are wealthy right. And you dream of being wealthy so that you can live an easier life and have a good life after you retire. These things I think are the majority of the 'American Dream' in the novel so far.
               

Music Review

               I love techno music, don't hate. Whenever I listen to techno music I enter whole new world and it just makes me smile. The beats are amazing but my favorite DJ is by far DJ Tiesto.
               He was born in the Netherlands and his birthday is on January 17 (same birthday as me...how cool is that). The song that I am going to review is called, Adagio for Strings from the album Parade of the Athletes which was released in 2004. Adagio for Strings translates into Music for Strings, and I think the title of this song makes no sense but it is very difficult to give a song a title that has no lyrics.
               The song starts off with a simple base and about every 15 seconds a new beat is added to it. Dj Tiesto really understands trance music and knows what kind of sounds to add to the song. Whenever I listen to this song, my heart beats to the rhythm and the base of the music. I can just close my eyes and just listen and focus on any aspect of the music. That is what I love most about Dj Tiesto and his Trance, its just fills me inside and I become a new person.
               Later in the song, everything gets silent but there is still this base that just makes your ears throb but from there it gets good. All I can say is that if you are not a fan of trance or alternative music, please give this song a chance and all I ask of you is to just listen at least 3 minutes of the song. One more piece of advice, listen to this song on full volume, you won't regret it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIdTT9RdbEc

Be True to the Snow

The sweet smell of hot chocolate wakes me up in the morning,

Goosebumps run down my spine while I pull clothes over my body,

Weakness fills my arms as I drag the heavy equipment into the trunk of the car,

My dad is almost finished with the sandwiches for lunch, so I help him,

The warmth of the hot chocolate gives me a tingly feeling in my fingers as I walk to the car.

Out of instinct my hands reach for the CD player where I put in my favorite disc,

My head leans back, my eyes close and my ears open to the beauty of my techno CD,

A dream leads me into another world of peace, harmony and relaxation,

The gravel road wakes me from my sleep and we are almost there,

My head shifts towards the window and my eyes are delighted to see snowflakes.

My body stretches as I get out of the car and put my coat on,

Once I get all suited up, I put my ticket on my jacket, and I push away,

Excitement surges through my body as I wait on my dad to join me,

Up and up and up we go until my dad signs us up at the booth,

My dad leads me as we take our practice run to try to memorize it.

“3, 2, 1, Go, Go, Go, Go, Go.” My dad leaps forward and is instantly out of sight,

My perception blinds me as the cowbells start to clank,

“C’mon Filip, beat your dad, you can do it! Ready when you are!” shouted a man in the booth.

Here it is, my destiny, my moment of glory, my time to shine,

Anxiety and nervousness fill my body as I dive into my glory.

While frantically pushing off, the cowbells suddenly fade away,

Snowflakes land on my face as I start to accelerate,

My eyes widen to the sight of a 90 degree drop,

Adrenaline keeps me going as I focus on the turns,

As I cross the finish line I see a smile on my dads face, and I look at my time, I did it!