Strains on the body and mind.

School lately has been quite taxing. There never seems time to relax anymore and all the teachers are strung out trying to make us pass ap tests. Really teachers we dont care just let us be through with highschool.

#6

"On the Rainy River"

- Tim O'Brien only goes to the war because he doesn't want to embarass himself or bring shame onto his family. He is prepared to dodge the draft, but can't make the plunge because his ego gets in the way.

- O'Brien seems very young in this story, a youthful innocence is exuberated by him. A college graduate with a new opinion of the world and now its about to get turned upside down.

-Tim can't make the important decisions by himself or at least without someone pushing him towards a decision. The old man makes Tim make a decision by bringing him closer to the Canadien border. Tim has be pointed in a direction by someone other than himself.

"The Ghost Soldiers"

-Vietnam settles him down into the person that he should naturally be if he had believed in his own decision making at home. Being in this place made him grow up very quickly.

-O'Brien seems to become numb to all emotions. He isnt scared or proud or anything. He is just plodding through an existence he did not choose.

-Tim O'Brien has become acclimated to the warzone and the death and destruction that human beings cause. He also experiences the bonds of brotherhood with his platoon. War brings friends closer and enemies further apart.

Second semester of my senior year

Im slightly perturbed because my teachers seem to be piling the work on now when it doesnt matter anymore. Our grades dont matter for anything but hope at this point and we have already proved we can do the work so why not lighten up and let us enjoy our final days with no responsibilities.

#7

I have learned that the truth is in the eye of the beholder and depending on your life experiences, personality, economic status, etc... you will have a different view on the truth. I believe based on the authors criteria this story is a true war story, based on other peoples criteria it might not be, but everything is biased towards each individual. I would recommend this novel because it is an easy read and really makes you think and ponder the facts of truth and life.

#5

I agree with O'Brien in this aspect, sometimes the facts just have to be written down. The process is like removing a large weight. The story truth is a solid entity it doesn't change, once a story is written down it is there for good, the happening truth is biased based on who is experiencing it and it is constantly changing. "The Lives of the Dead" tries to express the sickness of the human condition after it experiences the trauma of war and also to express the fact that people are inherently mean and evil. The story of Linda illustrates the fact that death is horrible and unfair and it shows how people turn a hard heart towards death as a way of coping. Linda is the symbol of all that is innocent and good in this world and how people kill or destroy all the positives in the world without meaning too.

#4

My favorite story was "Love" because everyone can relate to it and it gives the story as a whole a softer side. My least favorite story was "Speaking of Courage" because its really depressing to see what the veterans had to deal with and for life to almost be better for them back in Vietnam. I most identify with Jimmy Cross, he is thrown into something he is not prepared for and lacks the love of the woman he most wants in the world. Im about to start a new chapter in my life and its a big step that I'm not sure if I'm ready for. I despised Azar, he was a sick person who dealt with his problems by preying on others pain and killing innocent animals. Everyone copes differently, but his methods were just unacceptable.

#1

In the movie "Braveheart" William Wallace is attempting to wrest Scotland from English rule. Wallace rises as a an unlikely leader among his people and wins several key victories against the English. I thought the movie was a great representation of the struggle the Scots went through. It was a very entertaining movie from a viewing pleasure and historical standpoint. The words based on a true story enhanced the viewing because it showed what these people really endured and how they really fought against oppression.

Addendum for Essay #1

I felt that I did fairly well at my first attempt. It seemed to meet the criteria very well and hopefully my grade will reflect this. I think I covered all my points well, I had all the information that needed to be in the paper in the paper. I struggled with the present tense of the paper because I kept getting confused and second guessing myself. My greatest problem was mechanices.

Semester 2, senior year.

It seems like all I do is physical exercise in school now. I have a required weight lifting class and a team sports class which I dont mind, but im playing so much soccer also it gets tiring. Overall I have a very easy semester ahead of me and I look forward to it.

THE HEART IN CONFLICT

The book that shows the heart in the story to me is Prey by Michael Crichton. The protagonist is torn between killing his wife who has been taken over by a swarm of nanoparticles and leaving her alive, but dooming the human excistence. He kills his wife, but she is so warped by the particles that she isn't the woman he married anymore and he refuses to doom the world for one warped woman. It is heartbreaking because of his love for her and the protagonist is broken inside.

STORY vs. ESSAY

The movie that comes to mind is Braveheart. An oppressed people are fighting for their sovereignty from a brutal king. The truth revealed is that controlling other people is wrong and in the end will come back around. The Scottish are being held in check by the English when all the Scots want is to live their lives. The truth comes out when William Wallace is drawn and quartered by the English, who hope to crush the rebellion by killing the leader. This however makes the people fight more fiercely and show that you can't control a free peoples way of live and their culture for your own selfish motives or for any other reason. Freedom prevails as the Scottish win their freedom and preserve their way of life.

lately I have been...

I have been reading incessantly. Crichton and Payne who is the author of youth in revolt which is awesome. It's all about getting a good mix of easy reading and reading that makes you think in new ways.

Things Carried

I carry the bare necessities of my life as of now. The wallet that was a gift from my parents which contains pivtures of my girlfriend, hunting license, drivers license, the basics. A pen and/or pencil when I'm at school because I have to write things down to remember them. My truck key and house key are both on a key chain that commemorates pearl harbor that my great grandfather gave me, he is a combat veteran of th Pacific theater. Also I have a USB drive on the key ring because in todays world everything is digital. In my right pocket my cellphone is ever present as it is my connection to the outside world and makes everything more simple and yet complicates some things as you run out of things to talk about with your friends. On the whole the contents of my pockets are dull and seem commonplace. From an outside point of view I travel light like many teenagers, especially males, and I dont carry anything extraordinary, but upon closer examination there are some items unique to me. I carry a keychain with a relief of a flying American plane of the World War Two era and it stands for a time that I love to learn about and it means more to me because my grandfather gave it to me and it connects me to him. If someone was to look into my wallet they would assume first off that I had dated my girlfriend for some time as I have many different pictures of her and different mementos of our relationship and secondly they would assume that I was a hunter. All of these items are similar to the items carried by many of the students around me, but the devil is in the details and that is where I differentiate myself from the rest. Everyone has an identity it just depends on how long it takes a person to tell yours by the things you carry and just because you carry more items than another doesnt mean that you are more knowing of your persoanl identity. In the area of identity it's quantity over quality every time.

New Year

my first blog of the new year. Had an awesome christmas break and new years was pretty sweet also. I havent done much but play soccer and hang out, but thats how I prefer it. Hopefully this semester wil go by as smoothly as the last.