Behind the Bedroom Wall |Blog #5|

Summary:
Now finished with Behind the Bedroom Wall Korinna still debating whether to trust Rita, report her parent's and trust any other Nazi member and is facing the Jew problem also.  She starts to switch from a Loyal German to a person who has sympathy for Rachel's conditions behind the wall of Korinna's bedroom.  She learns all about Ruth, Rachel's older sister and Rachel's old house.  Instead of ignoring the little girl she starts to open her eyes wide and see what Jews are going through.  Then one day the Gestapo barge in the Rehme's house and destroy everything trying to find any Jews but leave anything involved with Hitler, like for example his portrait.  Not finding anything, Hans (Rita's older brother) is angry and nearly kicks Korinna's kitten for Korinna's confession on why there was a missing page on her journal.  After the Gestapo leave the Rehme's make a choice.  With that it ends.

I had a question on the part where the Gestapo did NOT break the portrait of Hitler.  This would be smart if the upstander actually had a hidden room behind the portrait.  If the Gestapo really do appreciate Hitler then there is a really good chance that the Rehme's would be able to keep the Krugmann's in a 60% chance of safe.  Also I asked myself, Couldn't they just break the portrait just to make sure the Rehme's aren't hiding anything behind, because if they are then that is a smart plan.  Especially to the fact that Hans and the rest did not touch the picture?  Of course the Rehme's couldn't think of that since they never have been untrusted by the Gestapo and the Gestapo ruining their home.

Reading Strategy:
While I was reading the book  Behind the Bedroom Wall I was really interested in the conflict.  There are some books that only one conflict but this book had around 3 or more.  First conflict was that Korinna had to face her parent's helping Jews, since Korinna is more of a loyal German.  Another is self conflict, she couldn't decided whether to report her parent's or not, or trust her friends and other Nazi members.  Then there was the fact that people were getting suspicious of her.  Her Jungmadel leaders were watching her especially the one who slapped her.  Then there was the ending.  It left with a cliff hanger.  The conflict was still there but a new one was rising.  There was so many of them I had a hard time trying to keep up.  Throughout half of the book Korinna was looking at her parents as enemies.  She was more entranced with the Nazi and Adolf Hitler that she didn't see how Jews were actually feeling and being treated.  She wanted to report her parents before anyone else does report her and her parents.  This meant she wanted to still be a loyal German than be mistaken as a traitor.  Then she wrote something in her black notebook that could have given some one a clue to what is happening.  Rita her best friend found this and who knows maybe even turned her back away from Korinna.  There's so much conflict in this book that just leads to, too many questions.

Another thing is.  If I were to compare the Jews on a tense situation on being found to the "today world" I would compare them to immigrants hiding in cars while crossing the border with the help of american citizens.  I mean if you think about it, a jew hiding in a little room and an immigrant hiding under the car seat or wherever they can hide and next thing you know the Nazi and the Border police check.  They are so near the Jew and immigrant that they start to become tense and uneasy.  A jew's heart would start pounding as if it is about to jump out of it's chest and an immigrant would be the same.  Course the immigrants goal is to cross to the country they want to live in without being caught, illegally.  A Jew's goal is to hide somewhere safe from the Nazi without also being caught and trying to get to another place safe untill they finally survive.  I just think that when the predator is near it's prey, you know the prey would start panicking thinking if they are about to get caught and their whole world would tumble into pieces.  I just think that in that situation of being caught is the same as an immigrant and a jew when the authority and Nazi are near.  That's just my connection.

Behind the Bedroom Wall

So far in the book Behind the Bedroom Wall a girl named Korinna Rehme who is a member of the Hitler Youth or the Jungmadel is taught to hate Jews and report them. But she then learns her mother and father are sheltering Jews and acting as if they are "true Germans". This all takes place in 1942. As Korinna is slowly progressing that Jews are in her home, her friend Rita and her Jungmadel leaders are starting to get suspicious for her especially for not attending 2 meetings for being "sick". Korinna is also in a tight situation and having a man vs. self conflict whether to report her parent's as enemies of Germany and whether to trust her best friend Rita and anyone else who is involved in the Nazi.

Behind the Bedroom Wall has so many parts that what to make you shake and nearly scream from the suspense. One of the interesting parts is once Rita reads a statement Korinna wrote about her parent's. Rita ask Korinna why she was writing it. Korinna only responds that it was because she was angry. Rita only replies saying she won't tell no one and her secret is kept with her but looks at the wardrobe for a long time, where the Jews are hiding (behind the wardrobe and behind Korinna's bedroom wall). I had a twisting feeling that Rita was only saying that to escape and tell some one especially her brother Hans who is a Gestapo officer. Another is while Korinna was sleeping the Gestapo police started to barge in her house searching for the Jews and not finding any. Hans was also involved in it making me think that Rita must've told her brother about what she read. What surprised me a lot in the plot is how everything is building up and getting it more complicated for Korinna to handle with the Jew situation. I think we're almost there in the climax making the book more exciting to read.

Holocaust Blog 12/3/14

After reading about bystanders and upstanders I believe many people stood by and watched the holocaust take place was because of fear.  Not everyone was brainwashed for hating Jews but they knew if they betrayed the Nazi and Hitler there would be a consequence.  Of course there was others who did sheltered Jews and when they were caught they would be killed or put in camps.  That made others fear of their lives being taken away and facing a group that has military weapons.  Other Germans took the risk to actually save Jews and I think the reason why is because they knew they were being killed and mistreated.  Unlike others who were brainwashed to say hurtful names to Jews they took the risk to shelter Jews knowing their life could be taken away.  What I would think I would have done is maybe take the risk of helping the Jews.  Even though there is much fear like being placed in camps and killed also being called a Jew lover or something like that.  Also if I was an upstander then I would take the non violent route.  I would listen to forbidden allied broadcast radios, and read or produce clandestine anti-Nazi newspaper.  Though I will of course need to act normal like all Germans so no one knows that I am hiding something from everyone.  Staying away from killing high ranking informers and trying to assassinate Adolf Hitler would at least help me be disguised as an Nazi follower.

Bad Boy blog

Summary

So far in the book a boy named Walter Dean Myers who lives in Harlem.  Has a twist of family from biological parent's to adopted parents.  To his father marrying one woman then to another.  Also being a negro boy and going to a school with whites and other blacks he's more of a student who is feared and teachers despise of him.  He comes home with bad marks and in conduct "Needs Improvement".  Another thing Walter faces is the Wicked Witch.  Also he has trouble speaking fluently.  Walter who is the author of this book wrote this as a memoir of his childhood.

Note and Notice (signpost)

While reading Bad Boy I noticed something different from Walter.  In school he would beat up a boy if they offended Walter.  Walter would mostly read comic books and sometimes disobeyed his mother by asking for money and buys comics or icy pops, punch boys if they made fun of Walter.  He kept getting in trouble in school.  Until one day when they all had to write a poem he read his aloud.  Mrs.Conway complimented on his story she liked it very much until a kid named Sidney Aronofsky said he was pretty sure Walter didn't make it.  Walter was angry that he punched Sidney in the face and Mrs.Conway yelling Walter she was getting tired of his acts.  He was told to not participate in any class events like reading out loud until he brought his mother with him.  While being in the back he was reading a comic book and was caught and Mrs.Conway gave him a novel called East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, he started to like it.  I asked myself why he would like such a book when he's more into comics?  I was more into the book, he said he kept a secret from everyone else that he loves reading books and writing poetry.  He said he loved how reading books was like entering a different language not like entering a different world.  This would be Contrast and Contradiction because he went from being tough and reading comics into books and writing poems when all the boys are tough and into fighting than writing poems and reading.

- X.S.

Sweatshop assessment

In the article "Fight for fair treatment of workers: Don't buy Nike" is that workers in the Nike sweatshops are being abused.  If a worker did a mistake they were either slapped, hit with shoes, kicked and being forced to stand under the hot sun.  They are also being payed $1.25 a day.  Nike can also have a profit from athletes.  For example Lebron James made a supportive deal to Nike worth $90 million.  Tiger woods also a deal worth $100 million.  What I think of this issue is unacceptable.  Abusing your employees and getting huge profits from famous athletes like Lebron and Woods is violating human rights.  Nike isn't giving a second thought on their workers but they're trying to make a big profit.  Of course there are other sweatshops like that, but disrespecting your workers is more like controlling their lives.  What I found most upsetting is that if they wanted to buy hygiene they had to give up paying for food because they're payed $1.25 a day  I didn't know it was that complicated for them to live like this.

In the poem "The Sweatshop poem" the argument is that workers in SweatShops workers sometimes considered themselves slaves.  One piece of evidence is "My self is destroyed I become a machine" this shows that this person thinks that they have become a machine from working in long hours.  Second piece of evidence is "I lose my mind, forget who I am" showing that they get so focus on work and they don't even remember who they really they are only having work in their minds.  Reading the sweatshop poem was different from reading the article is by the point of view.  In the article the only point of view is a report or journalist.  In The Sweatshop it has a worker's perspective of how they feel while working their point of view.  This form of reading affected my understanding of the poem by seeing how even though workers are living a complicated life they write poems to express themselves.  Or have some else write ir for them, or show the public how sweatshops take care of them.

Allegiant #4

Summary

So Far in the book Tris and Tobias are entering the lab with Matthew about to take a genetics test to see why they aren't showing much of a Divergence behavior.  While testing they all found out something very shocking leaving Tobias.  He finds out he's genetically damaged but is able to be aware during simulations and acts like a Divergent.  Also Tobias was also arrested because he joined a group that was involved in genes.

The Genre of the book is mostly action/romance.  What I like about this book is that it gives a lot of new turns sort of like a sharp turn.  For Example in the first two books I thought Tobias was genetically healed but they discovered he wasn't in the third book.  That was something I didn't expect.  Also the action.  Veronica gives a lot of details when they are either attacked or they are attacking, giving you was that person's feeling.  Like that time they were attacked by the factionless since the Dauntless and Caleb were going to go to the Allegiant but were attacked, she gave enough detail of what Tris was fearing her emotions and reactions.  What I like about the book is Veronica explains in this last book of how all the factions were made and the war, the genes and all that.  I was pretty surprised myself of this.  This is what I like about Allegiant.

- X.S.

Allegiant #3

So far in the book Allegiant Tris and the others have arrived at the Allegiant called the Bureau of Genetic Welfare.  The Bureau is placed in Chicago's national airport, O'Hare.  Tris agreed to follow Zoe and Amar to know about her mother who was in the picture with David the leader of Bureau.  Another thing is Tobias finds out something surprising about his old friend in the Dauntless.  While staying in Bureau David gives Tris files of her mother's secret life and why is so important and seen in the picture.

My thoughts about the book was "Why was her mother living a secret life?"  I was thinking at why would they try to heal the genes of humans and why in ONLY Chicago the genes work fine while other cities are mostly screwed up.

The conflicts of the book is Tris trying to accept and react about her ACTUAL mother.  She eventually her mother (Natalie) isn't the Natalie she was always living with.  She heard that her mother only went to Chicago to investigate if the experiment actually worked and had nothing to do with living a new place or born as Dauntless.  The conflicts haven't been telling me the theme just yet.  There are a number of conflicts but I might be close.

- X.S.

Do Sports Fans Go To Far?

Summary

In the article "Do Sports Fans Go To Far?" is written about how people can go to far than expected.  There have been reports of fans roaming in the streets breaking windows and stores because of their team losing.  They say that people would sometimes skip school or work for being depressed about their team losing, suicides have occurred.  Though they also say the being a sports fan can have a positive side also.  Like meeting new people.  Being a sports fan means you can get a bit to far but meet people.

Thoughts, Connections

My thoughts about reading this article was "yes they are going to far".  My father saw the Super Bowl 2014 and I got to watch only half of it (because I was having fun walking around the kitchen.) and when his team lost he was mad and did't go back tot eh TV but he wasn't going insane.  About an hour later he was fine and he took us to eat.  Though one thing that caught my attention was maybe the history for all the insanity sports fans are taking.  Another is the statistics of people following Lebron James is more than Dalai Lama's followers in twitter.  Lebron has 13.9 million followers and Dalai has 9.2 million followers.  Also the number of people that saw the 2014 Super Bowl (111.5 million) compared to the first 2012 presidential debate (67.2 million).  I remember hearing in the radio that this man committed suicide because his favorite team lost a game.  My mother thought that was stupid for him to do that, she told me his team would probably win the next game.  Also I heard people Los Angeles were breaking and roaming their city because the Lakers lost against another team in basketball.  I'm a sports fan and I remember my father and I were jumping like crazy  when the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup against the Bruins.  We ate pizza and hot chicken wings.  Then the coach signed a contract about the next year play offs.  When I saw that they lost we were sad but got over it.  I never would imagine myself being swallowed by angry people who their team lost.

Allegiant blog #2

Summary:

While I am reading the book "Allegiant" and so far I have learned that the Allegiant and the Dauntless are on the move of getting out of the Chicago city.  Caleb who was going to be punished for being an ally for Jeanine was saved by Tobias.  Now the rest of the group (Dauntless) are following orders of the Allegiant in order to get out.  About to leave Chicago, Tori was attacked by a factionless woman leaving the others frighten and ready to attack.  Now that the others are safe from the attack The group find two people Amar and Zoe.  Zoe gives Tris a picture and mentions Edith and showing Tris a picture.

Point of View

The point of view in my book is first person.  While reading the author uses "I" for either Tris or Tobias point of views.
"All right,"  I say, but my voice is hoarse, so the words barely escape. - Tris
I enjoy reading "Allegiant" in this point of view because it gives me a clear image of what Tris is seeing or feeling.  Also it feels like I'm Tris and whenever it says "I" its like I'm the on who says it not the character.  I would rather read first person than another point of view, giving me a more personal image than an open image.

Allegiant blog

Allegiant

Summary - 

So far in the book Jeanine is finally defeated by the faction less and dauntless.  They then discover a woman named Edith Prior who Tris is skeptical who she is.  While Evelyn, a relative of Tobias is trying to make the city of Chicago without any factions she is against Tris and tries to keep every plan and secret away from her.  Also Evelyn makes Tobias trust her and be an opponent to Tris.  While being in the Erudite headquarters a group called Allegiant ask Tris to come to where she confessed.  Now they need to know who are Allegiant and what they want with all the Dauntless including Tris.

Character Analysis - 

Beatrice Prior more of a fearless type of person.  Though she doesn't like killing people she goes to Erudite's headquarters since Jeanine want's a Divergent.  Tris can also be more determined on her choices.  In the book she is determine that turning her self in for the Erudite and Jeanine she will save at least the faction less and the rest of the Divergent people.  Tobias is a serious, firm, strong guy in the dauntless.  His personality is usually a strong guy with a firm expression.  He doesn't like the idea of Tris being in danger, nor does he have such a connection to his parents.  These two characters are more willing on situations, fighting along each other.  Winning nearly every battle.  Tris has more separate ways of thinking.  She can think of suck an advance way.  She then has a way of how to fight and be daring.  Along also being helpful.

Treasure of Lemon Brown

While reading Treasure of Lemon Brown my reaction to this story was more of surprised and connected.  I couldn't help but feel that Greg's father is my father and Greg is I, Lemon more of homeless people around our world facing hunger but had a family that they supported or they support them (the homeless person).  This story connected to homelessness by showing that there are some poor people who live in abandoned buildings or shelters in order to survive.  Some homeless people can be in danger from near by thugs, homeless people sometimes will have a lesson for you even if it doesn't connect to being poor but about life.  I was surprised to find out that Lemon was a blues artist but was later backed down or gives up.  I know that there are some artists that can become homeless because they are given up; but I thought Lemon was more a man who helped many people.  Another was how Greg's lectures him about his job and grades.  My father does the same thing to me; lecturing how great his work is as a wedding photographer.  He can take forever also if I do one little mistake like not giving him a hug he lectures me that it's important how family stays together.  Also giving a kiss on his cheek when I go to sleep because I have to show him how much I love him.  I get irritated on how dramatic he is and how he always gives me a lecture for every little mistake I do.  I found that surprising how Greg's father is similar to my own father and how Greg is similar to me.  Another thing I was surprised was that Lemon's treasure was a newspaper talking about him and a harmonica because it reminds him of his son.  I thought it was just about him reminding who he was before he became homeless but after hearing his son died during war I understood why he kept it.  What interested me was why didn't Lemon tell and show to the thugs that his treasure wasn't money but memories.  Another thing that interested me was how Lemon later became homeless after being given down, like maybe going for a job.  Greg change throughout the story by realizing the his father does care about Greg and he's only helping him out to make better academic grades in Science.

Summary of Insurgent

So far in the book Tris turned herself in the Erudite headquarters before Jeanine can kill any other of Dauntless.  While being in the headquarters Tris laters find out that Tobias also turn himself only to try and get more information on Jeanine's plan on the next simulation attack.  While the Erudite were experimenting on Tris, Jeanine injects Tobias with another type of truth serum, so he can tell her where the faction less house is.  The house that contains the other Divergents.  He spills out where they are that's when Tris refuses to do any more experiments attacking Jeanine.  About a day later Tris's execution day comes only about weeks early.  About to be injected with death serum she is only paralyzed and Jeanine along with other Erudite's are tricked.  Peter saves both Tris and Tobias and they head back home to Abnegation quarters, the two talk about the attack and what to do.