Looking north down the lakefront from the Museum of Science and Industry, one has the sense that though the White City Chicago White City movie and how its special effects bring the White City
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Devil in white city #2
I think it's a sense of humility that makes one refer to hubris, not that the undertaking actually was arrogance. I don't believe that creative acts automatically engender a darker, destructive parallel, nor that Holmes was a natural darker side of the Fair's glory. Good exists. Bad exists. Perhaps they are in some kind of balance. Certainly they tend to exist side by side. To say that one causes the other (which the word "automatically" implies) would be to darken the light. One does not cause the other. It merely shows it for what it is. It’s good that at least the Museum of Science and Industry survives (as the Palace of Fine Arts it held some of the world’s most valuable art and was built extra strong and fireproof) because it gives a frame of reference for what the other buildings at the fair looked like. That, along with Hoag’s collection of photographs and her great descriptions, helped kick start my imagination as we strolled through Jackson Park. Over here the Agriculture Building…over there the gigantic Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building…a replica of the iconic statue of the fair, The Republic…. the Wooded Island where architect Frank Lloyd Wright took inspiration from the Japanese pavilion… Modern life creeps back in, though. Over there is the basketball court where Barack Obama used to shoot hoops with Michelle’s brother.
Devil in the Whit city #1
Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington , D.C. White City White City
The Devil in the White City draws the reader into a time of magic and majesty, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. In this book the smoke, romance, and mystery of the Gilded Age come alive as never before.
Erik Larson’s gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both.
The book's two most powerful figures, the great architect Daniel Burnham and the psychopathic killer, Henry H. Holmes, in many ways embody the opposing forces of the age. Burnham was responsible for building the White City White City , Henry H. Holmes set up his own World's Fair Hotel to take advantage of naive young single women arriving in Chicago
But The Devil in theWhite City
But The Devil in the
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Blog #2 New semester
Starting with the title, “A Modest Proposal”, is a bit of an understatement; it sets the tone for the whole satirical essay. The title makes his plan sound like a plausible or even beneficial course of action to rid Ireland of poor useless children and help the poor receive some income to live. He says that, “whoever could find out a…method…would deserve…to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation.” I find this funny in that he thinks anyone who can find a “fair, cheap and easy” way to help or get rid of the poor shall be hailed as a hero of the nation and will have statues in his honor. Swift is mocking that the government should be preserving its nation, but it is paying no attention to the poor that riddling the streets—although, it is not a problem to the wealthy because they do not have any interaction with the poor which is why there is no action being taken. Swift sells his satirical tone by saying he’s weigh several schemes and he’s calculated the options; it makes it sound like he has put a lot of serious thought into his proposal to “help” the poor.
In his proposal, his argument is for poor women to birth children, nurse them for a year—which would be compensated—and then sell them to be eaten be the rich. He says it will be beneficial in many different ways. It will prevent voluntary abortions to have babies eaten after a year of life; it will rid the land of young children that can’t work; young children are not very valuable to sell; this business venture will be a profitable plan; and the poor will die inevitably, so get some use out of them while you can. These all sound like they would benefit society by getting rid of poor children, but, of course, they are truly inhumane and outlandish requests that Swift is using to criticize the lack of action being taken. I was initially dumbfounded by Swift’s statements of eating babies and all, but once I remembered that it was a satirical essay, I was relieved. I find it funny that Swift could write or even think of this essay because it and its ideas are completely insane and I don’t see how anyone could write such a piece.
The most ludicrous part of the essay is at the end. First of all, he says, “I can think of no one objection, that will possibly be raised against this proposal.” Once again, I realize this is satirical, but I find it outrageous that he would not take into consideration the consequences, the inhumane nature, or the sheer atrocity of his proposal. Also, he says, “I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work…I have no children, by which I can propose to get a single penny….” I found this funny because he is stating that he has proposed a plan which shall help the people, but he himself will not be helped by it at all. He is criticizing the government here; if the government were to propose a plan, it would not be a particularly good one—one that would be impractical—because the government has no true knowledge of the poor and their children because they have zero interaction amongst them.
I think that Swift is very successful in criticizing the government. The introduction to his essay states that there is an evident problem with the poor and their many needy children; the poor fill the streets and are nothing but bad news for the country. He also states that there is no action being taken, no plans being proposed, and, of course, no notice is being taken by the rich and the government. He dehumanizes the poor people by comparing them to cattle and pigs, the children are useless since they can’t work, and selling babies is just a means of trading goods. This shows how the government needs to do something, and the only plan proposed is Swift’s satirical plan. Swift’s dehumanization of the poor Papists is exactly how the government would approach the problem; they would view the people as pieces of meat instead of actual, living breathing human beings. Their plan would reflect their insensitivity for the human; although Swift’s plan sounds outrageous and is satirical in nature, the government wouldn’t propose a much better plan. Of course, it wouldn’t include eating babies, but it would not take into account the human element and it would not be effective because the government has no true experience with helping the poor.
In his proposal, his argument is for poor women to birth children, nurse them for a year—which would be compensated—and then sell them to be eaten be the rich. He says it will be beneficial in many different ways. It will prevent voluntary abortions to have babies eaten after a year of life; it will rid the land of young children that can’t work; young children are not very valuable to sell; this business venture will be a profitable plan; and the poor will die inevitably, so get some use out of them while you can. These all sound like they would benefit society by getting rid of poor children, but, of course, they are truly inhumane and outlandish requests that Swift is using to criticize the lack of action being taken. I was initially dumbfounded by Swift’s statements of eating babies and all, but once I remembered that it was a satirical essay, I was relieved. I find it funny that Swift could write or even think of this essay because it and its ideas are completely insane and I don’t see how anyone could write such a piece.
The most ludicrous part of the essay is at the end. First of all, he says, “I can think of no one objection, that will possibly be raised against this proposal.” Once again, I realize this is satirical, but I find it outrageous that he would not take into consideration the consequences, the inhumane nature, or the sheer atrocity of his proposal. Also, he says, “I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work…I have no children, by which I can propose to get a single penny….” I found this funny because he is stating that he has proposed a plan which shall help the people, but he himself will not be helped by it at all. He is criticizing the government here; if the government were to propose a plan, it would not be a particularly good one—one that would be impractical—because the government has no true knowledge of the poor and their children because they have zero interaction amongst them.
I think that Swift is very successful in criticizing the government. The introduction to his essay states that there is an evident problem with the poor and their many needy children; the poor fill the streets and are nothing but bad news for the country. He also states that there is no action being taken, no plans being proposed, and, of course, no notice is being taken by the rich and the government. He dehumanizes the poor people by comparing them to cattle and pigs, the children are useless since they can’t work, and selling babies is just a means of trading goods. This shows how the government needs to do something, and the only plan proposed is Swift’s satirical plan. Swift’s dehumanization of the poor Papists is exactly how the government would approach the problem; they would view the people as pieces of meat instead of actual, living breathing human beings. Their plan would reflect their insensitivity for the human; although Swift’s plan sounds outrageous and is satirical in nature, the government wouldn’t propose a much better plan. Of course, it wouldn’t include eating babies, but it would not take into account the human element and it would not be effective because the government has no true experience with helping the poor.
Blog #1 new semester
In Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, Romero is viewed as a hero. In his bullfighting, he is very genuine compared to the other bullfighters; he truly works close to the bull when others only appear to work close. He is tackling his task head-on and comes out victorious in his fights even though he is younger than the other "great" fighters. He is victorious because of his truly genuine style; with his style he exhibits "grace under pressure". The aficionados--such as Jake and Montoya--recognize Romero's gift; Jake and Montoya do not want Romero's gift to go to waste by him being corrupted and going down the same path as many other bullfighters had. Many bullfighters--especially the good ones--were corrupted by their fame; they took advantage of their skill and fame to get stuff, they did not love the sport as much and as thoroughly as the competition and for that they left Spain for bigger things. But, like many heroes, Romero can create enemies. Because Jake loves Brett so much he betrays the sport he loves and the young fighter by setting them up together; this sets off a chain reaction that corrupts Romero and creates enemies. Romero is first corrupted by Brett who is only attracted to him because he is a new piece of meat and he is a rising bullfighter. He, like the other bullfighters, let his gift go to his head and he was using it for things other than bullfighting. Romero's first enemy was Cohn. Cohn thinks that he is Brett's one and only true love, but when he finds her and Romero together, he loses his calm and collective demeanor and beats Romero relentlessly. Romero, trying to retain his dignity, fought back but to no avail; he had already lost his values as a hero. No matter how strong Romero, like many heroes, gave into corruption, created enemies, and lost his heroic values..
Today's heroes are very much the same as those like Romero; they are tough and graceful in hard situations. There are many different types of heroes in our society today from local heroes like fire-fighters and volunteers to superheroes in comics like Batman, Spiderman, and Superman. There is a huge riff between the types of heroes in modern society, but the gap is bridged by their courage and and ability to confront dangerous situations. To juxtapose modern heroes to those like Romero, I will use Spiderman as an example. He receives a superhuman power and initially uses it for good. He helped the city and was encouraged by the citizens. But, he eventually created enemies like the Green Goblin. The Green Goblin attempted to corrupt Spiderman by trying to make him evil. The Goblin, unlike Brett, did not succeed in destroying the hero's values. Spiderman continued to save people and use his powers and bravery for good; if Romero had stood up to the pressure and recognized the corruption, he would have retained his heroic values.
Modern heroes have the same values and are looked up to very much like Romero. Romero was very good at what he did; for that, many looked up to him. The aficionados that watched him adored him for his graceful skill working the bull. Other fighters looked up to him even though he was only nineteen years old. This is very much like today; people look up to heroes. A child's hero could be a famous baseball player; the athlete is very good at what he does and the child looks up to him because he wants to be able to be just as good as the athlete one day. Another kid's hero could be their parents. The parents encourage him in school and in other aspects of his life; when he has children, he wants to encourage them and mold them into outstanding citizens just like his parents did for him. Basically, a hero is anyone that is good at what they do and people look up to them for that.
Today's heroes are very much the same as those like Romero; they are tough and graceful in hard situations. There are many different types of heroes in our society today from local heroes like fire-fighters and volunteers to superheroes in comics like Batman, Spiderman, and Superman. There is a huge riff between the types of heroes in modern society, but the gap is bridged by their courage and and ability to confront dangerous situations. To juxtapose modern heroes to those like Romero, I will use Spiderman as an example. He receives a superhuman power and initially uses it for good. He helped the city and was encouraged by the citizens. But, he eventually created enemies like the Green Goblin. The Green Goblin attempted to corrupt Spiderman by trying to make him evil. The Goblin, unlike Brett, did not succeed in destroying the hero's values. Spiderman continued to save people and use his powers and bravery for good; if Romero had stood up to the pressure and recognized the corruption, he would have retained his heroic values.
Modern heroes have the same values and are looked up to very much like Romero. Romero was very good at what he did; for that, many looked up to him. The aficionados that watched him adored him for his graceful skill working the bull. Other fighters looked up to him even though he was only nineteen years old. This is very much like today; people look up to heroes. A child's hero could be a famous baseball player; the athlete is very good at what he does and the child looks up to him because he wants to be able to be just as good as the athlete one day. Another kid's hero could be their parents. The parents encourage him in school and in other aspects of his life; when he has children, he wants to encourage them and mold them into outstanding citizens just like his parents did for him. Basically, a hero is anyone that is good at what they do and people look up to them for that.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Blog #16
Enrlich in the essay we read about what is a cowboy explains what the objectified profial of a cowboy is, and what he truly is. The author tells how most people veiw cowboys being rugged and tough and only tending to the farm, But Enrlich show how kind and caring and almost child like cowboys are. She states that "What is required of him is an odd mixture of physical vigor and maternalism", the true meaning of a tough cowboy. She looks almost down to city folk telling how wrong they are of how they picture a cowboy and how it may be true but the inside of a cowboy is different too.
Blog #17
I agree with what Mr. Albom says in the "Saga of O.j. Still Alters our Lives, "the O.J. trial is one of the most important events in the past two decades.
This started of most on the on air court cases and things like judge Judy. Of all the things the O.J. Simpson trial effected the most is media. Agreeing with what Mr. Albom " Film crews now regularly race to scenes of any disaster and camp out." THey tend to now over react with the news making every little thing huge. My example Was the murder case of a man named Scott Peterson who killed his wife. Who is Mr. Peterson?? Who ever he his he got famous because people in the U.S eat this stuff up.
This started of most on the on air court cases and things like judge Judy. Of all the things the O.J. Simpson trial effected the most is media. Agreeing with what Mr. Albom " Film crews now regularly race to scenes of any disaster and camp out." THey tend to now over react with the news making every little thing huge. My example Was the murder case of a man named Scott Peterson who killed his wife. Who is Mr. Peterson?? Who ever he his he got famous because people in the U.S eat this stuff up.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
blog#15
In "What Secrets Tell" by Luc Sante has the KGB, USSR, Internet, and American culture examples of secrets, and thing that hold secrets.
The USSR and KGB held and had. Example there spies space technology and ato,ic weapons ect.... They had documents that solved past mysteries and seperated the real from imaginary.
The internet prevents secrets for staying "quiet". Someone can post an image a note whatever ur secret may be and itt'll be around the world in seconds. Anything you put on the internet about you or another can be traced back to you and them.
American Culture has this feeling to share secrets in a varriety of ways. We teel these secrets to "audiences". In "What Secret Tells " Sante says secretsare told on televison trials and odd game shows like Jarry Springer.
Secrets can be told and kept but someone always knows about it.
The USSR and KGB held and had. Example there spies space technology and ato,ic weapons ect.... They had documents that solved past mysteries and seperated the real from imaginary.
The internet prevents secrets for staying "quiet". Someone can post an image a note whatever ur secret may be and itt'll be around the world in seconds. Anything you put on the internet about you or another can be traced back to you and them.
American Culture has this feeling to share secrets in a varriety of ways. We teel these secrets to "audiences". In "What Secret Tells " Sante says secretsare told on televison trials and odd game shows like Jarry Springer.
Secrets can be told and kept but someone always knows about it.
Blog#14
School should teach ethics and morals, it would help are youthbe more respectful to authority and to themselves. School should teach students how to introduce correctly not with the slap of the hands and say whats up bro. It should furn grip and shake. School s should teach you about how to act in a interview. Kids today have no moral values they don't think before they act thats why they get into so much trouble. Kids need to have a good moral compess to tell them right from wrong. These classes should be manditory and only need to be 30 minutes long if you did that every day or society would be way better than it is now. crime would go do more educated individuals etc.... The world needs these classes to better or youth.
blog#13
Ever sense the creation of the movie one of Americans favorite activities has been going out to catch good flick. People usually go to see a movie based on the mood or situation they are in at the time. I believe that there is a type of movie to fit almost any situation that someone could possibly be in. Over the past ten years their have been three genres of movies that have stuck out in my mind as the most played in theaters: comedy, romance and horror films.
In my opinion the most commonly played genre of movie in theaters is comedy films. I think comedy movies have been played so commonly because they are a lot of fun no matter what your mood may be. You could go see a comedy with a group of friends, family or even on a date. Examples of some very popular comedies in the past ten years are Wedding Crashers, Meet the Fockers and the American Pie trilogy. All these films have all the traits that make them the best. They have a hilarious story line with actors that greatly fit their character. Comedies are the best type of film to cheer up someone who is down.
I believe that the second most played movie genre is the romance film. These movies tell great stories incorporated with a romantic tale. Romance films have been most typically thought of as the best date movies, although romantic films are good movies for other occasions also. Two of the highest ranked romance films in the past decade are The Notebook and 10 Things I Hate About You. Though not all movies fit into a single classification, take 10 Things I Hate About You for example. It is both a romance and comedy film, which is probably one of the many reasons why it was so popular. The romance genre is usually preferred by female audiences but can easily be enjoyed by all.
In my opinion the most commonly played genre of movie in theaters is comedy films. I think comedy movies have been played so commonly because they are a lot of fun no matter what your mood may be. You could go see a comedy with a group of friends, family or even on a date. Examples of some very popular comedies in the past ten years are Wedding Crashers, Meet the Fockers and the American Pie trilogy. All these films have all the traits that make them the best. They have a hilarious story line with actors that greatly fit their character. Comedies are the best type of film to cheer up someone who is down.
I believe that the second most played movie genre is the romance film. These movies tell great stories incorporated with a romantic tale. Romance films have been most typically thought of as the best date movies, although romantic films are good movies for other occasions also. Two of the highest ranked romance films in the past decade are The Notebook and 10 Things I Hate About You. Though not all movies fit into a single classification, take 10 Things I Hate About You for example. It is both a romance and comedy film, which is probably one of the many reasons why it was so popular. The romance genre is usually preferred by female audiences but can easily be enjoyed by all.
Last Horror movies, they seems to be driven by yuppies and teens today. Almost every horror movie out there has a young girl running away from something or someone that is trying to kill her. It’s always the same, a group of young beautiful girls and handsome guys getting together for some adventure expecting to have a good time, instead they end up being mutilated one by one until there are just a couple left. Most watch these movies during halloween making them not as popular.
Blog #12
I don't know what were suppose to do it for. I'm guessing its for pink flamingo sooo here goes nothing.
- In my pink flamingo essay I analyzed but it was not uniform. It was like a Buck shot i had to may examples not enough concreate details.
- My audience would have a good understanding of what i was trying to get across but I don't think anyone would want to pick it up and read it.
- My subject is presented well but it drops off as you read along.
- I have a very clear thesis and all my paragraphs support it but not as good as it could have.
- My writing style was clear good Sentence structure and my mechanics were well used.
- I didn't use any personal thing in this essay, like opinions etc...
- I got mu point across but it was indeed sloppy.
Blog #11
- Culminating Writers Profile
- My expectations in this class has changed dramaticly. I have takken more pride in my essays, and hope to be a better writer by the end of the year.
- My strengths as a writer are making things up, and writing commentary.
- Where my writing is weak is in the concrete detail sentences, and concluding paragraph.The things I have done to strengthen my weaknesses is to read your hand out and follow them as I write my papers.
- Evaluating Your Writing Process
- If I had time for another draft I would just look for grammatical errors, because i don't want to blab on to much in my essay.
- The easiest element of writing I had was Analyzing syntax, my word choice, and sentence structure was better than i had ever done.
- My biggest problem I had in revising this essay was thinking of clear examples.
- Evaluating Your Success
- My success in this essay was my grasp on Anylizing syntax, and sentace structure. I was able to describe, narrate, and illistrate my idea of a habitat with clear word choice, and concrete details. I think the audiance will walk away enlightened on a view of a habitat.
- Being Honest with Myself
- I didn't have any intimidation comming into this essay because I tried my hardest and if it wasn't good enogh i could rewrite it again.
- When we looked at all the types of sentences in class, every time i do an essay now i look at them to make sure they're correct sentences.
- Honastly the student essays didn't help me. I went on google and looked up defintion essays to see how they were structured.
- In the peer edit of my essay, it gave me new examples of habitat.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Blog #10
"Nobodiness", it was used in Martin Luther King Jrs. "letter from Birmingham jail", about being black was to have a sense of being a "nobody". This feeling effects more people than just that. People subject to; bullieing and objectification, people treat them like they're a "nobody, an object, thing. the bullies act as if the person has no feelings and degrades them until the person feels "Nobodiness".
People that would also mabey feel like they don't exsist is a new kid at a school. He or she wouldn't know anyone nore would the other students know them because "nobody" knows the new person.Some people that have there identity stolen become a nobody, because no one knows who the real person is. "Nobodiness" is just a name though its up to you to make sure u don't become one in the end.
People that would also mabey feel like they don't exsist is a new kid at a school. He or she wouldn't know anyone nore would the other students know them because "nobody" knows the new person.Some people that have there identity stolen become a nobody, because no one knows who the real person is. "Nobodiness" is just a name though its up to you to make sure u don't become one in the end.
Blog #9
Albom and Morrie from the book "Tuesdays with Morrie" helped me realized that life isn't just a thing it has a perpose and you as a perpouse have a "moral job" to take on. Give what you can to people, and share compasion and love with others. Giving somthing doesnt have to necessarily be an object, but Knowlage experiance oppinions, its just a matter of how you take it in. Reading this book has made me speak out more on what I believe and how it may benifite other people. Also not being afraid to give my advise to someone on what to do. My dad says "A teacher knows not of their influence".
Blog #8
Many people will agree that joy is important to their life and to human existence; some will admit that they have experienced moments of great joy. Joy, however, is not a concept that frequently appears in day-to-day discourse. Very often happiness and pleasure are the concepts used in everyday language, even when people describe joyful experiences. In short, the difference between joy and happiness or pleasure is not clear cut in everyday usage.
This situation is reflected in the definition of joy given in The New Oxford Dictionary. Among other definitions are found: 1. Vivid emotion of pleasure arising from a sense of well-being or satisfaction; the feeling or state of being highly pleased or delighted; 2. Pleasurable state or condition; a state of happiness or felicity.
Joy is somthing that comes to us with a mixture of emotions both pleasurable and frighting, but joy is joy and its an emotion we all share.
This situation is reflected in the definition of joy given in The New Oxford Dictionary. Among other definitions are found: 1. Vivid emotion of pleasure arising from a sense of well-being or satisfaction; the feeling or state of being highly pleased or delighted; 2. Pleasurable state or condition; a state of happiness or felicity.
Joy is somthing that comes to us with a mixture of emotions both pleasurable and frighting, but joy is joy and its an emotion we all share.
blog #7
In the book "The Kite Runner" the author has an internal argument about not tell anyone what he say happen to Hissan after Hissan went to go get Amir the kite he had beatin. this is used to describe the internal argument if Amir should tell people about what he witnessed. I felt disapointed in Amirs' desicion on not to tell anyone and how he let that make Hissan and his father move due to how it would have caused a problem amongst the two. To me it wasn't right of Amir to fram Hissan for stealing his watch t force them to leave, He should have from the beginning stood up against the people in the ally and told His father and Hissans father about what had tookin place.
Blog #6
N!&&#* on national telivision, It is a word that can be affencive but what happen to freedom of speech. There are plenty more words that should and should be "bleeped out", if it's used in the wrong way. If you use it from a historical stand point it's ok because Negro was the name for African Amaricans in the Civil War and long before that. Yet if u use it in these music videos its perfectly ok with talking about how this nigga got shot this nigga is lame, no not cool. It all depends on the concesses of how it is used.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Blog #5
Is there such a thing as nonconformity?
Yes, the people who don't pay taxes aren't conforming to the federal IRS laws. Weather intentional or simple cannot afford to it is manditory.
Also speeding, people who drive beyond the speed limit. They may be late for work or simply feel they are above the law. It is still illegal to exceed the speed limit.
Last example of nonconformity I have is, doing homework. weather you choose not to do it or simply forget there are consequences for not turning in.
Yes, the people who don't pay taxes aren't conforming to the federal IRS laws. Weather intentional or simple cannot afford to it is manditory.
Also speeding, people who drive beyond the speed limit. They may be late for work or simply feel they are above the law. It is still illegal to exceed the speed limit.
Last example of nonconformity I have is, doing homework. weather you choose not to do it or simply forget there are consequences for not turning in.
Blog #4
- A jet engine and a combustion engine, on planes.
Diffrent parts same concept.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Blog #3
The Kite Runner
The Kite Runner takes place in both Afghanistan and California. It's told from the perspective of Amir, first as a little boy and later on as a man. Amir grows up a privileged boy in Afghanistan. His best friend is Hassan, the son of the family servant. Amir is Pashtun, Hassan is Hazara. Amir is Sunni, Hassan is Shi'a. Their differences don't change the fact that these boys were breastfed together, learned to crawl together and are basically inseparable. Then everything changes. Amir witnesses a horror done to Hassan and cannot forgive himself for not stepping in to help him and to do what is right. In 1975 Afghanistan is in turmoil and Amir, then 12 years old, and his father move to San Francisco. Amir grows up feeling guilt and self-hatred over the issue with Hassan and the subsequent results. Then one day, twenty five years after Amir has left Afghanistan, he receives a phone call summoning him back to the place he had hoped to forget. The caller tells Amir "there is a way to be good again."
The Kite Runner has for it's hero a very flawed human being.....but that's what makes him so believable. Amir the boy does a very cowardly, dastardly deed but Amir the man stands up to the Taliban and even more importantly, he stands up for what is right. This book has forgiveness, redemption and courage for it's main themes. We see how strong the ties of friendship and loyalty can become through the eyes of Amir and a broken little Afghan boy. The setting in Kabul and the culture of the Afghan people make for an interesting backdrop to an unforgettable novel.
The Kite Runner takes place in both Afghanistan and California. It's told from the perspective of Amir, first as a little boy and later on as a man. Amir grows up a privileged boy in Afghanistan. His best friend is Hassan, the son of the family servant. Amir is Pashtun, Hassan is Hazara. Amir is Sunni, Hassan is Shi'a. Their differences don't change the fact that these boys were breastfed together, learned to crawl together and are basically inseparable. Then everything changes. Amir witnesses a horror done to Hassan and cannot forgive himself for not stepping in to help him and to do what is right. In 1975 Afghanistan is in turmoil and Amir, then 12 years old, and his father move to San Francisco. Amir grows up feeling guilt and self-hatred over the issue with Hassan and the subsequent results. Then one day, twenty five years after Amir has left Afghanistan, he receives a phone call summoning him back to the place he had hoped to forget. The caller tells Amir "there is a way to be good again."
The Kite Runner has for it's hero a very flawed human being.....but that's what makes him so believable. Amir the boy does a very cowardly, dastardly deed but Amir the man stands up to the Taliban and even more importantly, he stands up for what is right. This book has forgiveness, redemption and courage for it's main themes. We see how strong the ties of friendship and loyalty can become through the eyes of Amir and a broken little Afghan boy. The setting in Kabul and the culture of the Afghan people make for an interesting backdrop to an unforgettable novel.
Blog #2
- Rape of Nanking
- Calculated risk
- The rape of Nanking, the little village in Manchuria was attacked by the Japanese to expand there empire to get raw materials. They killed many Chinese?Manchurian people in this process. This was a key point to the lead up to WWII with Japan.
- "If we should have to fight, we should be prepared to so so from the neck up instead of from the neck down.”: Jimmy Doolittle.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)