Blog #2 Quarter 4

Summary:

So far in the book Ed receives a Card of Ace that tells him certain places.  He later find out he has to be sort of their savior or Saint; ever since he stopped the man who was robbing the bank.  One id Edgar street where a mother and daughter live a life with an abusive man.  Another street is about an old woman who's husband died, the last is a girl who runs which is in her family but still loses.  After he saved each one making them have a hopeful happy life he is then sent another card.  One thing Ed does discover is that each card he completes the next will just get harder and harder.  The Stones of Homes have 3 written names for Ed to help.  As he tries to figure out what to do in the first name, Thomas O'Reilly who is a priest.  He is having trouble with his friends and his crush (Audrey).  'Course he does get mad after seeing Audrey make out with another man during work which isn't surprising since Ed says, she had sex with many other men.

Words of the Wiser

While I was Reading Ed was caught up with two men.  These two men tied him and told him about his progress of how's he doing on his work.  They tie him, make him bleed from the back of his head, the Doorman (his father's dog who stinks from a permanent smell) isn't a good guard dog, and they eat pie in front of him.  One of them two men says a phrase that stood out to me, "These are things we have to suffer for the greater good of mankind".  To me this reminded of Ed's job.  In the book Ed complains how he has to be chosen to do these jobs.  In page 81 it says, "This has gone too far now.  A gun, for God's sake.  I can't kill anyone.  For starters, I'm a coward.  Second, I'm weak.  Third, the day of the bank robbery was obviously a fluke-nobody's ever even showed me how to use a gun... I'm angry now.  Why have I been chosen for this?  I beg, despite knowing without question what I have to do.  You were happy with the other two, I castigate myself.  So now you have to do this one."  This piece of evidence shows how he complains for being picked for such a drastic task.  Yet, he does admit how he was fine with both Sophie and Milla, making him happy.  This quote shows that he suffers trying to keep those people happy but is something mankind who are suffering deserve happiness. 

Tolerance 3.26.15

Tolerance: The Ability or Willingness to allow the existence, occurrence, or practice of something, in particular the existence of opinions r behavior that one does not agree with.

I can be more tolerant by being friends with people that are different than me or even talk to them in a kind manner.  Tolerance means to me too accept someone even though I don't necessarily agree with it.  I can live a more tolerant life by just accepting people even though I don't accept what they do. For this current day I am friends with two gay people, and different religions.  I didn't know some of my friends were gay even though I don't like that I still decided to accept them.  To me they're just normal people who have a different sexuality that I'm not use to.  My new understanding on Tolerance will shape my life and actions by seeing that not everyone is the same and not everyone accept everything.

Blog #1 (3/14/15) Quarter 4

Summary:

I have started to read the book The Messenger and it's about a underage cabdriver boy named Ed Kennedy who has three friends and one of his friends is some one he loves.  It first starts out as Ed, Marv, Ritchie and Audrey are stuck in a bank swearing especially since a man is robbing the bank.  After the man tries to rob the bank but fails because Ed grabs his gun and fires at the Windshield of Marv's Falcon car and the man is arrested.  Ed then later talks about his life and his life living with his mother.  Eventually not having a very bright past.

Conflict:

Though I am still in the beginning of the book I keep thinking that since Ed's is past life is a conflict to him. In page 20 it says, "When Katherine got pregnant at Seventeen I cried.  I was twelve then.  She moved out of home soon after.  She wasn't booted out or anything like that.  She left and got married."  In the same page it says, "A year later, when Leigh left, there was no problems.  She wasn't pregnant"  And the last is in (P.g. 20), "Tommy's done especially well.  He's on his way to becoming a lawyer."  All these three pieces of evidence show that Ed didn't live a good and affected himself inside.  Then there is his father.  In page 19 it says, "Like I said, my father died about six months ago" and "I could say living with my ma wasn't easy…"  This piece of evidence tells about Ed's parent's, eventually he doesn't have a father no more and he also explains that living with his mother wasn't an easy thing to deal with.  With all these problems this could affect his inner self, he has a picture of his family on top of his table.  He says it's a show he loves to watch, remembering.  

Blog #8

Summary:

So far in the book Irene has finally been able to hide her Jewish Friends.  Ever since the Major has bought the Villa, Irene has been hiding her friends in the basement. Successfully putting them in there and not having to be locked up in the grating of the Major's bathroom being cramped.  Once the major leaves for work she usually locks the door telling the major only for safety purposes.  While at work Irene let's her friends out to eat and do whatever they want without getting caught.  One thing she's being doing is closing the curtains also.  One day the major came home early with SS men telling him that they suspected Jews around his house.  The major does not believe the SS men and tells Irene to show them every room they want to prove to them that there are no jews.  Major puts all his trust towards Irene making her a bit uncomfortable and guilty for her decisions she's been making.

Character Analysis

Irene's character traits are determined.  She's determined that her friends will be able to hide in the Villa without getting caught even though her friends do not agree with it.  In page 174 it states, "'Irene' Ida whispered 'You must turn us in.  This is too dangerous for you.' 'No! Just wait.  I'll let you have a break when I know the SS are gone.  Don't do anything until I get back!'' This piece of evidence shows that Irene is determined to keep hiding her friends even though they disagree and tell her to turn them in.  She is also brave for a 19 year old.  In page 158 it states, "'I'm sure of it,' I said. 'Once the work is completed, I'll find a way to smuggle you into it. It will be a week or two before the house is ready, though.  That will give us enough time to plan."  This piece of evidence shows that Irene is brave enough to make a plan for her friends to be safe and away from Rokita's plan, from making Ternopol Jewish free.

Blog #7

Summary:

Irene now knowing her family is alive then becomes separate.  Tatuś (the father of Irene) is taken away to a factory from the German's, Irene's mother takes the 3 younger girls with her to find her husband but leaves Irene and Janina only because they have more of German features and doesn't want nothing to happen to them.  Months passed and the family hasn't been reunited who Irene finds out her little sisters are put into a factory.  As Irene is walking home from her work she is taken in a truck with other Poles and is force to work in a factory like her father was.  She was then hired as an assisted to a man named Schulz who they both are servants to Herr Major.  She also makes friends to Jews who work in a laundry.  A man named Rokita plans on exterminating the Jews at the end of the month before the Soviet Union gets to them, which leads to Irene an uneasy feeling on how to save her Jewish friends.

Connections:

While I was reading the book I made a connection with the famous Anne Frank.  Irene who is a Pole not a Jew works for the Nazi but she is on the side of Jews.  She's conflicting on which side she should be on, the Jew or the German.  That is until while she was cleaning a table that was filled food from the Nazi eating dinner there, she heard Rokita say by the end of the month they will pick up all the Jews and exterminate them.  "'Why is that?' he asked Rokita, a bit tiredly.  Rokita grinned.  'Because, my dear major, by the twenty-second of this month, Ternopol will be judenrein.  Won't that be wonderful?'" This piece of evidence shows that Rokita has now have an exact date for Ternopol to become Jew free, making Irene panic.  I thought back of when Anne Frank had to hide in the attic I believe in a store, while Irene hid her friends in a grating in the Major's bathroom.  The grating can be hidden if the sunlight isn't directing towards it to much which made me think of the bookcase that actually hid the stairs to where the Franks were hidden.  In page 169, "Then I noticed, high on the wall above the toilet, a grating.  I had never taken note of it before, but the play of the light had drawn my eyes there." This evidence shows that the light was able to make the grating appear more but without much light the grating seems invisible.  A good hiding place for the Jews.  Another connection is when the Franks had to stay quiet while hiding so no one suspects anything.  In this case while Irene was in the Major bathroom a soldier accidentally came in at the same time which had to make the Jews quiet throughout out the time, especially since it's the Major's bathroom.  In page 174 it states, "Looking quite sheepish, he turned and let himself out.  Obviously, he did not expect to find Jews hiding in the major's bathroom.  If he has taken even a moment to look around, he would have spotted the vent.  And he would have seen the shadowy form of Ida Haller, sitting cross-legged behind the screen."  This piece of evidence shows that they had to be careful since the Nazi soldiers are in that Villa and will suspect and kill a Jew.  This reminded me of Anne Frank of when they had to be dead silent until 12 or so.