Class Reflection

Taking Composition 105 paired with Professor Lunn’s LIBS class is possibly the best decision that I have made in my college career so far. I have learned that my experience, especially in Composition 105, is one that I would not trade for anything. This class explored writing in many different forms. We even took the leap into visual literacy and various course readings. If given the choice to choose, I would say that my three favorite things about this class were blogging, The Book Thief, and the visual literacy project.

When I first heard that we had to blog in this class, I have to admit that I was not overjoyed. In high school, I was required to do the same thing in an English class, and it’s safe to say that I did not enjoy it that much. Something must have happened between then and now because today, I actually kind of like it. I do not really remember what the exact instructions were for us in high school, but I remember that the blogs were extremely hard to write. In this class, the requirements were totally different. Of course we had a couple of assigned blogs, but the rest was up to us. I could pretty much write about whatever I wanted which was fun as well as a relief.

Secondly, The Book Thief is now one of my favorite books. I’m almost sorry to say that I am one of those people who do not want to read unless it is required of me. It is not that often that I have the chance to read a book that is extremely hard to put down. I got really excited while reading it and went through all of the emotions that I would if I was watching a movie. I was so sad to see it end and consciously read slow as I was nearing the end. Perhaps I will even read it again in my spare time (a shock to anyone who really knows me).

Third, I have to say that the inclusion of the visual literacy project as a course requirement was a genius move. I am really into film and music so I had the best time trying to pick the best song to go along with a perfect project topic. I was really scared that I did something wrong when it came to my concept. Then, I was surprised to find out that my project was actually liked by a couple of people. The class YouTube account, for everyone’s video, was also a nice touch.

Overall, this was a really good class for me. I can honestly say that I have come a long way from the girl who could not find the classroom on the first day. My writing has also come to a place where I see myself getting better and better at it. I have no choice when it comes to the decision of ever writing again, but I can say that I will be more confident going into it.

The Last Show

I'm kinda sad right now because the play that I was working on just had its last show today. I remember being nervous coming into it just to find out that everyone was cool. It was especially interesting because I found out that I had ties to a couple of the cast members. I'll miss clownin' with the fellas backstage. I had to come home to some homework instead of going out, but I hope to see everybody again. Perfect cast, crew, and good times. ;)

Worst Day of My Life

This has been the worst day ever!!!! My laptop, which carried my Comp 105 and LIBS class papers (not to mention all of my music, pictures, etc.), decided that today would be the day to quit on me. I've never wanted to harm an object so bad in my life. It wouldn't start up so I had to go take it and get it fixed only to find out that it will take days for a repair. Writing Professor Lunn's paper from scratch, again, is currently not my favorite thing in the world. Neither is losing all the work I did for the I-Search paper. Here's me hoping for my computers' speedy recovery... or else!

End of Semester Work Load

Things on my plate at the moment:

- Comp 105 final paper and porfolio

- Professor Lunn's 5-7 page paper

- Philosophy paper and quiz

- Sociology presentation/ book to complete

- 6-12 page paper for History and quiz tomorro

- Stage manager for play which starts performances this week

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*I wish I had a clone right about now.*

SNOW!!!!

Yea!!!! I finally saw snow this weekend. Yes, I am the crazy person who loves snow. I'm always the one to jump for joy because we are expected to receive six or more inches of this freezing goodness. Everyone else I know, except school kids trying to get the day off, looks at it as a death sentence---as if life doesn't start up again until March. I, on the other hand, will be loving every minute of driving through snow showers and having surprise "snow war" attacks with the neighborhood kids. Except for the loss of feeling in numerous body parts because of the freezing cold, winter can be fun right? I can sense the shaking of heads and the longing for spring colors.

Old Dogs

Contrary to my previous New Moon experience, I actually had a good one going to see Old Dogs. It is a Disney movie starring John Travolta and Robin Williams among others. It is rare for my mom to want to see a movie so when she begged me to go, I went. The movie was actually funny, but the funniest thing was watching my mom throughout the whole thing. She has this thing about laughing at things that no one else sees as funny. She was laughing from beginning to end and it was high-larious. When she started to turn red and tear up a little, we both broke out in hysterical laughter. I should have filmed it. Any other time she would have been sleep from the start of the previews all the way up to the end credits.

New Moon

Seeing the new edition to the Twilight saga, New Moon, was actually one of the worst experiences that I have ever had in a movie theater. My sister and a friend decided to buy me a ticket to the midnight opening of the film. I had never been to a sold out first showing of a movie, so I thought that it would be fun. I was wrong. It was so crowded, twenty minutes before the movie was about to start, that we all had to sit apart. Because of the kind of showing that it was, there were like thirty minutes of extra commercials. When the movie did finally start, people started screaming and giving high fives. The noise didn't just end there though. Every time a shirt was taken off or something else happened, there was that same noise again. I found myself trying to block out the noise for the bulk of the time instead of paying great attention to the film. So, I have no other choice than to see it again, but I'm gonna wait until the buzz mellows out.

Thanksgiving Day

As usual, Thanksgiving at my house was full of chaos. Twenty plus people came that day, which was actually less than usual. My day went a little something like this:

~work, store run, work, babysit, work, sing happy b-day to my grandma, work, eat, watch glee, babysit, cleanup, attempt to sleep.~

Everyone did not leave my house until about 3:30am, so sleepy time wasn't happening until 4. Looking back at my day, I really did have a lot of fun. There were youngsters running around, card games being played, my sister's love life unravelling, teenagers playing video games, etc. I have to say that it didn't completely suck, but let's wait until next year for another trial.

Another Schindler's List Review

My favorite character, by far, had to be Amon Goeth. The acting done by Ralph Fiennes was great. While watching the film, I got the impression that Goeth wanted to be just like Oskar Schindler, and perhaps looked at him with a touch of jealousy. My first piece of evidence comes from the scene where Schindler is telling Goeth what power really is. After their discussion, Goeth takes his advice into consideration when dealing with the Jews. This worked for a little while until his eagerness to kill finally swam to the surface again. The second piece of evidence comes from Goeth's reaction when Schindler kisses the Jewish girls at his birthday party. Goeth, secretly in some weird love/fascination daze, wanted so badly to be able to do this with his maid. Instead, his lack of courage turned into rage and violence against her. What struck me was when Goeth told Schindler that he cannot have her because he wants to take her with him to Vienna and grow old with her, knowing that he can't. It's sad that it was hard for him to see her as more than just a rat, because maybe then he wouldn't have been such a miserable human being. Overall, Amon Goeth's character kept me guessing and analyzing all the way to the end. Great job Ralph Fiennes!

Schindler's List Scene Analysis

A couple of days ago I finally picked up the movie and watched it with my mom and sister. I can honestly say that this was one of the best movies that I have seen in a long time. That is talent when you can make people feel that they are actually inside the film rather than just watching it. There are a lot of scenes that stood out to me, but I have to say that the liquidation of the ghetto is what I remember the most. When the German soldiers came to the ghetto to round up the Jews for relocation, there was complete chaos mixed with the incredible presence of fear. Packed bags were to be left behind, valuables were swallowed, and hiding places were filled. The soldiers shot anyone that they wanted to without remorse. Knowing this, the hospital staff carefully gave its patients a drink that would let them die without suffering. As it was believed to happen, the soldiers made their way up the stairs to murder all the ill who were still alive. This part had me wondering what I would want done in that situation. As a nurse, or doctor, would I have done the same thing?

During the liquidation of the ghetto, we also see that Oskar Schindler and his mistress were portrayed to be present on top of Lasota Hill. Riding horseback, Schindler watches the enormous tragedy and focuses in on a little girl in red that wanders around in the street looking for a place to hide. I found this part to be interesting because it somewhat contradicts the reading. Currently, we do not have enough evidence to say that either Schindler or his mistress were on the hill that day. In the film, Schindler looks surprised to see the soldiers terrorizing the people of the ghetto. In the reading, we discover that Schindler was in fact well informed about the liquidation and even suggested that his workers stay on factory grounds until after it was over. As for the little girl in red, used as a "Rosebud" reference, a lot of things are unclear about her too. Interestingly, a Polish woman has claimed that she was the little girl. This is a serious contradiction considering that the little girl is burned near the end of the film.

Overall, this was an extraordinary film. Now I understand why my friend's jaw dropped when I mentioned that I had never seen it. I can also see why it is still so popular after a decade and a half. Rarely has the Holocaust felt so close and real to me. I can honestly say that some of the images from this film have made their way into my brain to stay. If watching this movie can haunt me, I cannot even imagine how the real thing still haunts the survivors. Even though not all of the facts in this film seem to be true, it still remains that many claim that they owe their lives to Oskar Schindler and that is enough for me.

Thanksgiving Eve

The last day before Thanksgiving is never fun for me. It has been especially a bummer ever since I started driving. The whole day was filled with running errands to and from different cities and stores. The best part was when I stood in a 45 minute line for honey baked ham. So fun. At home, it has always been tradition to give me the worst jobs to do. Enough complaining.... it's Thanksgiving tomorrow!.....and then the cleaning portion of my week will begin. Yey.

Overdue Presentation Response....Again

In addition to a response to Dr. Bolkosky's presentation, I also wanted to talk about our visual literacy projects. This was, by far, the best assignment that we have been given in this class all semester. It was actually kind of fun coming up with a topic, finding visual evidence, and finding the perfect song to convey your point. In class, everyone's presentation was awesome. Because we don't really read each other's papers in class, we had a chance to climb into each person's head to observe their thoughts. When it came to finally writing the paper, I found that it was harder to convey the same feeling that my project did on its own . Pictures are powerful, and I didn't know if I could do them justice. As always, I have my fingers crossed.

Overdue Presentation Response

While trying to figure out what I should blog about next, I just realized that I never wrote a response to Dr. Sid Bolkosky's presentation. Epic FAIL!! Anyways, this is tragic because I really enjoyed the lecture that he gave us about the Holocaust. One of the most interesting points that he made was about the many ordinary people that were involved. When I think about the villains of the Holocaust, I automatically refer to the Nazi soldiers and the like. What Dr. Bolkosky did was take something as important as the railroad system and brake it down to give us another point of view. He talked about the conditions that the Holocaust victims had to endure being transported to the various concentration camps. He also gave me a new realization of how many people it took to make everything run smoothly. From the smallest to the most hands on, a lot of people were involved, and many were ordinary citizens. How could these occurrences have happened without the ordinary citizens, many of whom could smell the smoke, raising questions or giving any opposition? Overall, Dr. Bolkosky's lecture was very informative, and as a result, I've learned a lot from him.

Resistance... Even With The Obstacles

"Somebody, after all, had to make a start. What we wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just don't care to express themselves as we did."

--Sophie Scholl

On February 22, 1943, three members of the White Rose resistance were put on trial. Their crime was publishing anti-Nazi Germany essays and leaflets. They also created anti-Hitler graffiti all over Munich while spreading their message to other parts of the country. During their trial, Sophie Scholl surprised everyone with the quote mentioned above. These three college students were from good families and had been a part of the Hitler youth, but they still defied the nationalism that was expected of them. I believe this quote to be completely true and I am sure that there were other stories just like this one during Nazi Germany's reign.

These few individuals were brave and gave others just like them a voice to thrive on. The question that I have for myself is whether or not I would be able to do the same. It is hard to imagine what Germans, whether they were Jewish or not, had to go through during this time period. If something as horrible as the Holocaust happened in our country today, would you be able to stand up? I think that we all would like to believe that we would resist something like this and speak for those that do not have a voice, but would we really? There are people right now, like in Darfur, who are suffering from the oppression of a government who aims to squeeze them out. How many of us have done anything about it? If something like this happened here, how many people in other countries would speak up for us? What the members of the White Rose did was not only brave, but it was also heroic. Not everyone can be so strong while staring directly into the face of death.

The Amero

So, I'm sitting in my kitchen yesterday and two of my family members start talking about something called an "amero." As nosy as I am, I listened in on their conversation and attempted to chime in myself. I know that nothing is put into place yet, but this type of currency would be something like the "euro." The United States, Canada, and Mexico would then share a common currency. Does this seem wierd to anybody else? I've never been to the UK, but I don't know how exactly this would work out. I just don't see the United States wanting to ever team up with Mexico economically. How would our taxes change? I can see the United States and Canada maybe teaming up, but to me, the United States seems to arrogant to want to share a currency with Mexico. What do you think?

FDR and the "Four Freedoms" Speech

During the time that this speech was given (January 6, 1941), the United States was on the brink of entering World War II. I believe that the thesis of this address to Congress was to prove that it was the United States' duty to enter the Second World War. This is a good thesis because it leaves room for people to be able to debate it. Many Americans probably just looked at the war with a vague idea of why America should be even considering it as an option. With the Great Depression still affecting the nation, I can imagine that I would feel the exact same way. FDR took it upon himself to give reasons supporting his claim with the hope that he would tug on a few skeptical heart strings in the process. However, if this were a paper, I don't think that we would regard it as greatly developed. In that instance, the thesis and the way the supporting evidence is given, as it relates to the paper, would not be so good.

Elie Wiesel

It can be sometimes hard to face what happened during the Holocaust. Just hearing about it can bring up so many emotions and fears in all of us. These emotions are especially surfaced when you listen to someone like Elie Wiesel talk because there is such wisdom in his words. While listening to his speech on the Universal Lessons of the Holocaust, I was completely still, throwing myself in the middle of what was being said. You can read all of the history books that you want, but when a Holocaust survivor talks to you themselves, it is a whole different ball game. While reading Night, also by Eli Wiesel, it is very hard to not at least try to dismiss the story as fiction. It is continuously difficult to believe what people went through during World War II. It is even harder to go a little deeper and think about what children younger than I am had to endure. In this primary source of what it meant to "belong" to a concentration camp, I tried my hardest to put myself in this fifteen year old's shoes....I couldn't do it. The interesting thing is that the world still seems that it has not learned any lessons from the legacy of the Holocaust. We still have countless numbers of murders, genocides, terrorist attacks, etc. If we can not learn from something as horrible as a genocide, what will it take for our world to change? Let's just hope we don't have to find out.

Midterm Evaluation

Coming into this class, I thought that I was already an ok writer, but little did I know that college writing was on another level. Since I was in about sixth grade, I have been taught to write using the five paragraph strategy. I remember being graded on outlines for papers and if I did not use the five paragraph way, I was marked down. Learning a new way of writing is always a challenge, but I am very happy with the way that this class has presented a way to get better at it. I won't know exactly what state I am in until I get my first real paper back, so I am hoping for the best. I guess what I need out of this class now is just practice so that I can go onto the next level without any problems. Overall, taking this class plus the seminar is perhaps the best decision that I have made so far in college. I have learned alot about World War II whether it is dealing with the Holocaust or from the students who lived through this time period. The movies don't hurt either.

Hoax of the Century

So, I came home today to hear all about the "balloon boy." My grandparents described how cameras followed a balloon that supposedly was holding a six year old boy hostage. When it was found out that the boy was actually in the attic, many wondered how this could have happened. When being interviewed by CNN, the boy accidentally gave away that the whole thing was for "show." I couldn't believe that the parents would actually go through with something like this until I looked it up for myself. I'm almost sad to say, but inside hysterically laughing, that this whole thing is real! I guess some people will do anything for attention.

The Book Thief Ending

So, I'm kind of mad at the ending of The Book Thief. More specifically, I'm upset that there was not more to the story when Liesel and Max saw each other again. His coming back was a shock in itself, but it left me wanting more. So now, I've just been coming up with possible scenarios for the two of them. Even though he is older than her, maybe they got married and had those kids that Death was talking about. That's how I like to see it anyway. What do you think happened to Max and Liesel?

American Landmark

I know that I already wrote on Ossian Sweet and Arc of Justice, but I also just found out that the house which the story centers on was made an historical landmark. To me, this is kind of sweet considering I just spent a lengthy amount of time reading about it. Since 1925 was such a long time ago, I would have thought that the house may have been taken down by now and replaced. I also learned that the house is actually not that far from where I live. Now I am tempted to go and check out the area. If you haven't already guessed, I like history. Here is a link to the house: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/hal_mhc_shpo_feature_0401_100021_7.pdf

American Hatred

I just got done reading a book for another class called Arc of Justice. It is about racism in the north, but primarily in Detroit during the 1920's. It follows the life of Ossian Sweet and his family. In 1925, blacks were primarily living in "Black Bottom" and were not welcome in the so-called white neighborhoods. When Ossian decided to go against the grain, there were hundreds of angry people outside of his house. Himself, his wife, and ten other men (friends and family) were stuck in the house while people outside were throwing rocks and breaking windows. One of the men, Ossian's brother, shot a gun and ended up killing one of the people outside, and they were taken to jail soon after. The rest of the story dealt with the nationally covered case "The People v. Sweet." It continually amazes me when I learn about the amount of hatred that existed and still exist in this country. Overall, it was a pretty good book with the exception of some dry spots (expected from a history book).

"The Book Thief"---The Character of a Great Man

Is it just me, or did the book get that much more exciting during the scene where the Nazi soldiers marched the Jews to Dachau? I completely forgot that I was reading a book and started to visualize everything. In my mind I could see the street, German on-lookers, the children, Hans, and the faces of the Jewish people as they reluctantly did as they were told. Beyond that, it really showed a lot about Hans, and his character, that he would even be brave enough to walk through the crowd and offer up a piece of bread to a struggling man. I was awestruck. Part of me was happy that he decided to do this, but the other part of me was extremely afraid for him. After the whipping, I was concerned that they would take him or even find Max. Thankfully that did not happen, but I cannot help but wonder what the the events to follow would be like if things did not go across so well. Also, I want to know how many more Germans were just like Hans. How many people, even in the smallest gesture, tried to stand up for what was right? Now those would be some interesting stories to hear.

Possible First Paper Topic

Today in class we started an exercise called the "Five Finger Exercise." From "The Book Thief" I chose to do mine on the scene where the Jews are marched to Dachau and Hans tries to help a man by offering him bread. By trying to be extremely detailed, I thought that maybe you could take the scene from Liesel's eyes and stretch it into a paper or even a short story. It might sound kind of weird, but I took up a good chunk of the page just describing the scenery before the children actually saw the Jews. I don't know how the rubric would be set up, yet I still think it would be kind of interesting (or even fun) to do.

Exile or Mercy? Phase II

This weekend we are supposed to argue the flip side of our personal opinion regarding the article: "Exile or Mercy for old Nazi Guards." This is kind of hard for me to do because I strongly believe that these men should have to suffer the consequences and there is no getting around that. According to Wikipedia (I know...not the best source) and as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, crimes against humanity "are particularly odious offences in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings." When you do something like this, how can you not pay the consequences?

I mean, I guess that you could say that they are really old and fragile so we should just forget about it. You could say that they did not have a choice and that it was either obey or have your own life taken away. You can even say that the accusations in these three cases are not proven to be true. Who knows....maybe they could have even been set up, but still I'm not buying it.

Exile or Mercy?

While I was reading the article Exile or mercy for old Nazi guards, I could not help but wonder how I would feel, reading this today, if I had lived through this time period. As a Holocaust survivor, I believe that I would feel appalled that people would even have to ask this question. How could you show mercy to those who were even a small part of the greatest genocide of our time? Yes, they are old and fragile now, but does that mean that they are not responsible for their actions because of age? I believe they still are. The only soft spot that I have toward these men is wondering if choosing not to be a part of the Nazi's would have meant giving up their lives instead. I can't even imagine having to decide between my life or the extermination of so many others. We all would like to assume the best in ourselves, but really, which would you choose?

Words by Winston Churchill

"I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this Government, I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many long months of toil and struggle.... You ask what is our policy. I will say, it is to wage war with all our might, with all the strength that God can give us, to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime.... You ask what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory. Victory at all costs. Victory in spite of all terror. Victory however long and hard the road may be. For without victory there is no survival."----Winston Churchill

This is an excerpt from Winston Churchill's first speech as prime minister. He gave this speech at the House of Commons on May 13,1940. World War II began in 1939, and the United Kingdom was a big part of it. After World War I, I can imagine that Churchill's audience was very skeptical about jumping into a new one. For this reason, Churchill's words come across to me as very powerful and inspiring. He lets the people know exactly what their country had to do and why it is so important for them to do so. He also gives them hope for victory without a doubt. I cannot speak for those listening to this speech that day, but I believe that I would feel more at ease and more inspired than before.

First full week of school!!!!

First blog!... well at least for this class.This is officially the first full week of school guys! As a freshman i am still in the process of figuring out the school (the clubs/student organiations, my way around campus, crazy parking, etc). Personally, i was surprised at how much homework i recieved from being in school just two days last week. Hopefully i will be able to keep up with four books at one time because alot of people love to read and i'm not one of them...jk. If a teacher asks me to talk about a book, hopefully i will pick the right one to explain. How has the first week treated you guys?