Q3 Post: Book Thief

Liesel and Rudy's friendship has continued to grow. They still walk to school together everyday, and he sometimes comes with her when he does the washing. Liesel knows that Rudy wishes that there could be more to thier friendship, but Liesel claims she does not want anything more than friendship. The narrator describes a scene where it seems as if there could be more to it then just friendship "'Saukerl' she laughed, and as she held up her hand, she knew completely that he was simultaneously calling her a Saumensch. I think that's as close to love as eleven-year-olds can get" (145). Liesel and Rudy know each other so well, that they know what they each other is saying, even if they're miles apart. Their minds seem to think in the same way, which is probably why they became such close friends.
On one of her many trips to the mayor's wife's house, Liesel finds out that they had a son who died in WW1. The mayors wife (Isla) feels as if she should punish herself for what happened "...Isla Hermann had decided to make suffering her triumph. When it refused to let go of her, she succumbed to it. She embraced it" (146). Isla does thinks like leave the window open on a winter day, and have to endure the cold. She wants to be uncomfortable, and this makes Liesel pity the mayor's wife. The mayor's wife has so much more money and power than Liesel, and yet Liesel still feels sorry for her. That's just the type of person Liesel is.

Q3 Post: Book Thief

In the next few chapters, Liesel begins to become obsessed with books. Any book she can get her hand on, she instantly wants to read it with her Papa. At Hitler's birthday celebration, the town burned many books. Liesel returned to the blaze to pick up a half burned book called The Shoulder Shrug. There was nothing particularly special about this book, she simply felt obligated to pick it up. After retrieving it, she looks around and sees that the mayor's wife (who's chlothes she washes) had seen her pick it up! Liesel began to worry that the Mayor's wife would get her into trouble. It describes her worry as "every minute, every hour, there was worry, or more to the point, paranoia" (129). Liesel felt that everyone was watching her, and everyone knew. This wasn't true at all, although it was true that the mayor's wife had seen her take the book. Liesel worried about what would happen when she next went to pick up the washing.
When she rang the bell, they mayor's wife answered as usual. Only she didn't have the washing, she had a stack of books in her hand. She led Liesel back to the mayor's library. It had more books than Liesel had ever seen in her entire life. She spent a long time simply looking and touching the books "She ran the back of her hand along the first shelf, listening to the shuffle of her fingernails gliding across the spinal cord of each book" (135). This surreal experience made Liesel even more confused. Just when she thought the mayor's wife was going to turn her in, she shows Liesel a magical library filled with thousands of books. This sight encourages Liesel to read even more.

Q3 Post Book Thief

Most of the section I read focuses on the event of Hitler's birthday. The town has a big celebration where speeches are made, and unsuitable (mainly Jewish) books are burned. This is the first time that Liesel hears that Germans do not like communists. Liesel knows her real family had something to do with communism, but she didn't know it was something bad. Liesel asked her foster father "'Is my mother a communist?... They were always asking her things, before I came here" (115). Liesel misses her real family very much. When she hears that they were possibly doing things Germans were'nt supposed to, it changed her views completely. She had always invisionded her mother as just being sick, and that that was the reason why Liesel couldn't stay with her. But Liesel finds out that they took her mother away.

This information makes Liesel believe that all of the problems that are going on is Hitler's fault. She gets angry, and claims that she hates him. Her foster father Hans slaps her, saying "'Don't ever say tht!"' (116). He then goes on to explain to her that it is fine for her to privately feel that way (and hints that he does too), but for thier family's safety, they must pretend to love Hitler, especially out in public. Hans then makes her stand up, raise her arm, and say "Heil Hitler".

Q3 Post: The Book Thief

It seems like Liesel Mueller is finally getting used to her new life. Although not great at school, she is improving with the help of her foster father. She plays soccer with all the other neighborhood kids. Most importantly, she has met her best friend, Rudy Steiner. The narrator says that "she loved and hated her best friend, Rudy Steiner, which was perfectly normal" (85). They walk to school together everyday, and they get closer and closer every time. Rudy keeps wanting to kiss Liesel, but Liesel thinks this is the most ridiculous idea in the world.
She is also used to her foster parents. It says in the novel "She loved her Papa, Hans Hubberman, and even her foster mother, despite the abuses and verbal assaults" (85). She has different bonds with each foster parent. Liesel is closed to Hans, most likely because he is the kindest to her. He comes into her room every time she has a nightmare, and is even helping her learn to read even though he himself is not very good. Liesel's foster mother loves Liesel too, but has a strange way of showing it. Although Rosa calls Liesel names, Rosa loves Liesel in a way that is attempting to teach Liesel to be strong. Rosa is the type of person who believes that punishment is the best way for someone to learn. Despite their different ways of loving, both Hans and Rosa love Liesel.

Q3 Post 2:Book Thief

Liesel Mueller's foster mother is not described as being very nice or as being the best parent for Liesel. Mrs. Hubberman is verbally abusive to Lisel. She tells Liesel "'You filthy pig! Why won't you get undressed?' She was good at being furious. In fact, you could say that Rosa Hubermann had a face decorated with constant fury" (32-33). Calling someone, let alone your new foster daughter, is never a good way to start a solid relationship. I'm guessing that the two of them will not get along throughout the book.
On the complete other side of the spectrum is Liesel's foster father Hans. Many people think he is quiet, but Liesel notices even more about him "Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver. Like soft silver, melting. Liesel, upon seeing those eyes, understood that Hans Hubermann was worth a lot" (34). Hans doesn't push Liesel around like Rosa does. Although he won't necessarily tell his wife to back off, Hans does seem to be there for Liesel. I see their relationship growing throughout the book, and I see Liesel leaning into him for support.

Q3: The Book Thief

This quarter, I chose to read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It takes place just before WWII in Germany, and follows the character Liesel Meminger's life of stealing books after her brother dies. Liesel is not the one who narrates, though. The narrator is someone who has been watching her at different points in her life "I saw the book thief (Liesel) three times" (5). The reader is not supposed to know who the narrator is yet, but they say that they will reveal themselves later in the novel. I don't know why Zusak would choose to have such a mysterious narrator, but I'm sure it will make for a good view point on Liesel's life.
We do know a few things about the narrator. Although we don't know if it is male or female, he/she does talk about some of their character traits. They seem to have a negative view on most things, such as death, but they also claim that "I most definitely can be cheerful. I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable. And that's only the A's" (3). These separate ideas about the character makes me wonder which part of him/her will dominate throughout the book: the negative or cheerful part. Seeing that the novel takes place during a sad and depressing time, my prediction is that it will most likely be the negative side of the narrator that comes through most strongly.

Outside reading post 6: Golden Girl

The end of my biography ends with what everyone is doing after the Olympics. While some are already focusing on the next big meet, Natalie is thinking differently. She said "I don't really have the time constraints that I did before the last Olympics, and since I've already gotten that gold, I don't have that hanging over my head" (283). Natalie was very excited to have some time to relax. She could now focus more on her studies, and a lot of pressure had been taken off her shoulders, since she had won the gold she had been working for all her life. Natalie's coach Teri Mckeever had similar thoughts. She told Michael Silver that "On the flight home from Athens, I told myself that first and foremost, I'm going to get a life" (276). Teri was ready to relax too. She wanted to catch up with her family, who mostly lives out of state. Athens also inspired Teri to do some more traveling, and focus less on swimming, and more on the people who inspire her daily.

Q2 Outside Reading Post 4

The section I read in my book was about the Olympic trials. Everyone from all over the US were getting ready, and getting nervous. Days before the trials, Natalie's coach Teri Mckeever said "Obviously I'm nervous. It's such a tense atmosphere around here" (229). Everyone in the trials all had the same goal: make the Olympic team. Only few could make it, though, which probably was the reason for all the nervousness. Swimmers were feeling the nerves too. Mckeever said that "most people are going slower than you'd expect, and that's because this meet is so emotionally overwhelming" (229). Not only were the swimmers anxious for the meet, but sometime the nerves would end up affecting their performance. When there is a meet as big as the Olympic trials, there are bound to be a lot of nerves.
The meet is also an emotional one. Some ecstatic, some devastated. A former swimmer Amanda Hall said "you should see the warm-down pool. It's half chlorine, half tears" (236). Most of these tears were disappointed ones. Many swimmers childhood dreams of going to the Olympics had just been lost, and the were very upset. On the other hand, some were very excited. When Coughlin made it in her event. Coughlin was "dancing around in her black sweats like a prizefighter, all smiles" (242). She accomplished what she meant to do, and was now fulfilling her dream of going to the Olympics.

Q2 Outside Reading post 4: Golden Girl

Many times in a swimmers life they feel like they want to quit. Sometimes, Natalie Coughlin used to want to tell swimmers to give up "Get out, now, before this sport devours your body and spirit. Trust me. I know" (126). The toll swimming takes on your mind, body, and spirit, can be overwhelming. Some people would quit just to get away from it all. One of Natalie's teammates, Lauren Medina, used to think the same thing. She said "So many times I just wanted to quit. I felt like I was beginning to burn out. People who I used to beat were now beating me, I swam lousy in meets and my parents started getting down on me: 'You just don't want it bad enough' At least twice a day I would think about quitting" (136). When you aren't dropping a lot of time, one may have these same thoughts. Pressure from your parents doesn't help either.
Often what helps someone not quit is a good coach. Medina said "Teri was so supportive...She said everybody makes mistakes. You're not the first person this has happened to... I felt really comforted by that" (137). Teri ended up keeping her in the sport and helped her improve. Another time Lauren thought she couldn't breathe and wanted to stop in the middle of the set. Teri said "Lauren, you're having a panic attack. It's OK; you're going to be fine. Trust me" (134). Her helpful words calmed Lauren down and she continued swimming.

Q2 Outside reading post: Golden Girl

In her fourth year of college swimming, Natalie Coughlin participated in a big meet even though she was sick. Because her body wasn’t up to it, she swam awful. Many people wondered if this was the best she would ever get. Natalie was offered endorsement deals, and was tempted to take them, even though it meant that she could no longer swim collegiately. Many coaches thought she would take it, and one expert said “Few college athletes, let alone athletes who compete in nonrevenue sports, would think twice about leaving for such a bounty” (9). Natalie had a choice to make. She could either give in and take the deal, or she could do the right thing and keep swimming collegiately and then have a better chance of representing her country at the Olympics. She chose the right thing, and thought of what America would have wanted her to do, so she turned down the deals. Had she had taken the money before, people would have thought of her as someone who was just in the sport for the money, like some Olympians did “As much as she stood out in the water and embraced her role as a star, she worried about being cast as an ordained Olympic hero before her time” (10). She wanted to go into the Olympics with a good reputation, which is what the Country would have wanted from someone going into the Olympics.

Q2: On the Waterfront

This week in class we watched the film On the Waterfront. The film goes along with our quarter two topic, which is ethical choices. Many characters make decisions based on ethics, and others do it for loyalty, even if it isn’t right. Terry, the main character, changes his mind about the things he believes in the movie. In the beginning, he believes that staying loyal to your friends (even though those men were not real friends), was more important than doing the right or ethical thing. But near the end of the movie, he realizes that doing the right thing is the most important thing to do. He stands up to the mob, even though is old friends consider him to be a traitor, or as some people call it, a “stool pigeon”.
I believe that what Terry did at the end of the movie was the right thing. Even though I think staying loyal to your friends is a good and honorable trait to have, in cases like the one in On the Waterfront, you must first think of what is best for the community. Sometimes doing so can get you into trouble with people who would want to keep things the way they are, but it is a risk you have to take in order to do what is best for society.

Q2 Question

In the play “All My Sons” by Arthur Miller, many choices are made by the characters that are considered ethical and unethical. Two characters who seem to have different opinions on ethics are Joe Keller and Chris Keller. Joe believes that if you make a choice that is unethical, it can be excused if you did it for your family. This is shown when he says “Chris, I did it for you, it was a chance and I took it for you” (70). He knowingly shipped out parts for planes that would not work, and he did it so his business would not be shut down. He wanted his son Chris to take over the business. On the other hand, Chris could care less about the business. He wanted what was best for society, and that meant turning in his father for what his father had done. Chris said to his mother “I’m taking him” (84). Even though it was his father, Chris planned on turned his father into prison for what he had done to those pilots. The fact that Joe was doing it for Chris had no impact on Chris; Chris believed he had to do what was right.
I believe that what Joe did was wrong. I’m all for supporting your family and taking care of them. But there are definitely circumstances where family does not come first. If it hurts the society, then you should make choices that would help society. You have to think of not just your family, but of your friends and neighbors and coworkers. Sometimes it is more important to put them first.

Q2: Post 2 Golden Girl

Although the autobiography i am reading is about Natalie Coughlin, it also tells a lot about the people around her. You learn about her college coach, Teri Mckeever, her parents and siblings, and also teammates. The author includes these people in the "story" because they are a part of Natalie's life. Her decisions affect them; their decisions affect her. One constant theme throughout the book is that even though one may make a decision with yourself in mind, it affects others as well.
One of the biggest decisions in someone's life is where they want to go to college. For Natalie, one of the main factors that affected her decision was swimming. She decided she wanted to go to Cal, because of the coach and team there, even though her parents wanted her to go to Stanford. Natalie's parents said that "Oh god she (Natalie) hated us. That whole situation was really ugly, and it took about two years to live it down" (61). For weeks the Coughlins fought over where Natalie wanted to go to school. The disagreement caused tension within the family for weeks. The decision Natalie made to go to Cal caused a lot of anger within the Coughlin family.
Another big decision in Natalie's life was not made by herself. It was made by Haley Cope, her good friend and teammate. Haley decided to switch schools because she didn't like Teri Mckeever as a coach. Natalie was devastated, and was quoted saying "I need her" (99). The loss of Cope affected Natalie at practices, because she was a great person to race against. It also hurt the friendship between the two girls, because it felt to Natalie as if Cope was betraying her. It shows how much decisions can affect people.

Quarter 2: Post 1

I am reading Golden Girl, by Michael Silver, which is the biography of Natalie Coughlin. Natalie Coughlin is an Olympic gold medalist swimmer, and her biography tells the story of how she got so far in the sport. One theme that has already been shown in the book is how a negative attitude can lead to unfortunate consequences. In her teenage years, she swam with a swim team she ended up not liking very much. The coach of the team was verbally abusive to the girls on the team, sometimes telling them “You girls are fat… you need to watch what you are eating” (Silver 31). This negatively affected the swimmers. Many girls got eating disorders, or simply quit the sport they loved because of it. Natalie hated the criticism, and it made her move teams.
Another example of how negative criticism affected her was when an older swimmer, Staciana Stitts on her college team tried to get inside Natalie’s head. The swimmer, who older than Natalie, and jealous of her swimming abilities said to her “You’re not a team player” (Silver 20). The criticism affected Natalie greatly. Natalie began hating to go to swim practice because of Stitts. It also affected Natalie’s swimming, and made her go slower times.

Silver, Michael. Golden Girl. Rodale Inc. Michael Silver. 2006.

Outside Reading #4: Want to live over your airplane?

I read an article on CNN.com this week, because we were able to read about whatever we wanted. I was looking through articles, and found one about people who have chosen to live on top of their airplane! Not exactly, but close enough. These pilots built their house on top of their airplane's hanger, and live their with their families. I believe they did this for a couple of reasons. I'm sure it is a lot more convienet, because you are living right above your work. It also must make them safer to know where there plane is at all times; if you need to go check on it, it's right downstairs. The article shows how some people are getting a little paranoid these days about their possesions. Like they say, "desperate times call for desperate measures".

"Want to Live Over Your Airplane?". CNN.com October 30th, 2008. <http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/homestyle/10/27/condo.airport.ap/index.html>

Outside Reading: Film Review

I read a film review of High School Musical 3, the latest of the High School Musical Movies. Owen Gleiberman, and I thought he did a great job. He gave background information on the first two movies, so one who had not seen them would not be confused. He then went on to talk about the actors and choreographers and their performances in the new flick, and a generally unbiased opinion on the entire movie. He gave great insight to dance numbers and climaxes, without giving away the ending. It's worth the read!-Andrea L

Gleiberman, Owen. "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" Entertainment Weekly.Com October 23, 2008. <http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20234985,00.html>

Photo Analysis: Time is Fleeting

“Time is Passing”

Composition: The picture is of an hour glass. It is the only thing you can see in the picture, and it is the main focus. There is sand in the hour glass, mainly at the top which represents time, specifically the beginning of someone’s life.

Angle: You are looking up at the hourglass. The angle gives it power over us, because we are looking up to it. It has total control over us, just like time does.

Distance: This shot is a close up. You can see the entire hourglass, and you can see little details like the sand inside, and the simplicity of it. Your focus is completely on the hour glass.

Lighting/Shadow: The lighting is very dark. The darkness makes one feel more anxious about time, and adds to the mystery of it. The dimness represents how little one knows about the importance of time at a young age.

Outside Reading Post 3: The Path Poem

This week I decided to do things differently. I looked around online, and found a poem called "The Path". The poem talks about the many aspects of Buddhism, and basically sumarizes it in a poetic form. It talks about thr four truths, the eightfold path, desire, nirvana, the Buddha, and many more important topics in Buddhism. It also explains each of these things and how they relate to the religion. It was really interesting reading about this, since we are researching Buddhism in class. I would suggest this poem to someone who doesn't know much about Buddhism, because it is a great summary of the religion, and is presented in an interesting way. It was definetly worth the read! -Andrea L.

“The Path”. Poet Seers. October 9, 2008.
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Question: 2. 2. Is Odysseus a hero for modern times?

I do not think that Odysseus should be considered a hero for modern times. He may be a war hero, but I consider a hero to be someone who sets a good example or goes out of their way to do something tough. Odysseus shows his lack of heroism when he stays with Circe for a year. He was unfaithful to his loving wife Penelope, and was setting a bad example to his crew. Circe had turned some of his men into pigs, and the next thing you know Odysseus is her lover. What type of protagonist almost kills his enemy and then becomes her lover? It is shows how easily Odysseus can be swayed in his beliefs. His morals must not have been very likable. It also shows how disloyal he was to his wife, and disloyalty is not a characteristic of a hero. Another time Odysseus didn’t act like a hero was when Odysseus visits the dead in Hades. At first Odysseus met with his mother and war friends, but when more people wanted to talk with him he became alarmed and went back to the other world. This shows a cowardly and impatient side to Odysseus. He just raced back up to the ship and was on his way, without helping the people. Odysseus could have stayed and talked with people, and maybe they would have helped him on his journey, but he just ran away.
Odysseus also was unable to resist a duel. In book eighteen, a beggar insults Odysseus and challenges him to a duel. Odysseus accepts and fights the beggar and almost kills him. I think this was an overreaction. Odysseus could have ignored the beggar and kept peace, but he refused to be insulted and had to defend his “honor”. I think it would have been more honorable to ignore the man, which would have perhaps even given Odysseus respect from the suitors. Odysseus was also unable to control his anger in a situation with the suitors. When the time came for Odysseus to defeat the suitors, he murdered them all, not leaving one man alive. I think this was very rash and foolish. He could have just ordered them out of their house or even just threatened them, and they probably would have left, but he killed them all. This was a bad decision, because most of the men lived in the community. Time after time Odysseus made many mistakes. He was disloyal, dishonorable, and just didn’t think things through all the way. Odysseus may have conquered people by strength, but that does not make him a hero in my opinion.

Reading Post 2: Pet Custody

This week I read a story that may seem a little weird to some people. The article talked about how after an unmarried couple splits up, who gets the pet? Many people have been going through custody battles to try to get their dog or cat. A survey was taken, and 25% of matrimonial lawyers said that they have been getting more and more cases on pet custody. Some cases have to go to court, because both sides want their pet so badly. The article says that courts are still trying to decide how to handle these cases, but they are getting close to standardizing it. This article reminded me of the book My Sister's Keeper, because the character also goes through an unusual custody battle. I think that this article was definitely worth the read!
Andrea L.

Seligson, Hannah. "Couple splits up- Pet custody battle begins". CNN.com. <http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/10/02/lw.pet.custody/index.html>