The last part of the book Night was very different to that of the beginning. In this new stage of Eliezer you can see him with a lot of anger ad rage inside his heart. at the beginning of the book he was very religious and believed in God in every aspect. As time goes on and Eliezer sees more tragedies and accidents he starts to wonder ¿Where did God go? He begins to incite rage against him, and to not believe in him. He doesn't understand what is happening, from my point of view he hasn't made the "click" of what has happened to him and the society.
He becomes like a robot person he only works and eat, works and eats. Occasionally he talks with his father but short sentences with no meaning at all. I think this book is a demonstration of loyalty, honour courage, loyalty, but mainly the message that this book transmits us is love. In every single page f the book a sample of love is shown. It can be with a smile or a simple a piece of bread, but the truth is that this feeling is always shown.
This book made me realize many things like we have to be thankful for what we have and we don't always see that we are very fortunate. the last pages were really sad because it is when the father dies and Eliezer and his dad have to separate. I think that as the story goes on the boy gets colder and colder and like he said at the end of the book he is just a living skull. From my point of view this is a very depressing book and even at the end when they come and save all the Jews you don't feel happy as you should . Because it already happened and nobody can erase all that you saw, heard did, live and specially feel.
So when something like this happens to you your life will never be the same, you will stay with those images in your mind forever and no one will erase them. I think for the rest of his life Eliezer felt really guilty because at the end he just wanted his father dead and to get over with all of that that was happening to him. I think this book was very good and on a whole different level that we are used to reading. It is for a bigger age of mature and conscious people.
martes, 27 de noviembre de 2007
lunes, 26 de noviembre de 2007
Night Pages: 1-50
When I started reading "Night" by Elie Wiesel I thought it was going to be a common Holocaust book like others i have read. but as i kept reading i realized that it is actually very different, it might be because of the author and its perspective. i like this book so far because it gives a detailed description of what has happened to this boy ever since the nightmare started. i think this book is a bit cold if you could call it like that, because it tells everything with no "fear" or compassion. It tells the horrendous events that took place in the holocaust in Auschwitz. considering it is very detailed this book actually makes you feel the pain and fear that the same characters are actually feeling. One scene that particularly left me in schock was when they struck the father. The boy describes it like if he was watching it and had a pen in his hand. You can feel a shiver when they stuck the dad and the sadness when you know the child wants to do something but he barely can.
it is definitely a very depressing book, and most people don't like to read about depressing stuff, but in a way the author wants all to know what really happened. And even though it is really hard to accept it we have to do it. I also like how the kid describes every character, he gives a full description of their face, and he describes them so good you can imagine them exactly like it is said. He tells how he struggles to survive to stay at his fathers side.
A clear evolution is stated in this book, it is incredible how someone can change from one day to another just by the circumstances. You can see that one day he was a happy boy anxious to learn about everyting and at the next day he doesn't want to know about anything or anyone. He was also very picky , for example with food, and now he would eat whatever they would put him in front of him.
Lastly I love how the relationship of father and son is stated. They love each other so much that from my point of view the only way they can express it is being silent.
it is definitely a very depressing book, and most people don't like to read about depressing stuff, but in a way the author wants all to know what really happened. And even though it is really hard to accept it we have to do it. I also like how the kid describes every character, he gives a full description of their face, and he describes them so good you can imagine them exactly like it is said. He tells how he struggles to survive to stay at his fathers side.
A clear evolution is stated in this book, it is incredible how someone can change from one day to another just by the circumstances. You can see that one day he was a happy boy anxious to learn about everyting and at the next day he doesn't want to know about anything or anyone. He was also very picky , for example with food, and now he would eat whatever they would put him in front of him.
Lastly I love how the relationship of father and son is stated. They love each other so much that from my point of view the only way they can express it is being silent.
viernes, 23 de noviembre de 2007
The Annalects Final Entry
Overall I think the Annalects is a very good book. It guides to to become a better person and to live your life according to some rules. It is very different to any book we have ever read, I think some of the quotes of this book I will never forget they are very wise. I also got to know better what Confucians were because I didn't know before.
Another interesting aspect of the book is that it basically describes the steps that lead you up to having a healthy and honest live. It gives you tips and other sayings that you will remember for sure. They emphasise on important topics like respecting adults and yourself. It also talks about what happiness really is. I liked this book a lot and I hope we keep reading these type of books in the future.
Another interesting aspect of the book is that it basically describes the steps that lead you up to having a healthy and honest live. It gives you tips and other sayings that you will remember for sure. They emphasise on important topics like respecting adults and yourself. It also talks about what happiness really is. I liked this book a lot and I hope we keep reading these type of books in the future.
miércoles, 21 de noviembre de 2007
The Annalects CH: 16 (Non read Chpater)
When I read chapter 16 some of the differences I saw regarding the other chapters we have read is that it is more "personal" benefit. The other chapter talk more about your relationship with others and how you should interact with them. Instead this talk more about one-self and your qualities etc. It talks about benefits and how you should take advantage of them. He mainly talks about men and their different temptations. Lastly it talks about joyfulness and friendship and how acquiring this things will make you a better person.
martes, 20 de noviembre de 2007
The Annalects CH: 15, 17, & 18
While reading these chapters i thought that compared to other books we've been reading The Annalects is more similar to "Ishmael". this is because they tell you a lot of tips if you could call the like that for living. they mentions a lot of interesting quotes they will later on be useful to you. Also it is basically about two men; Conficious and Ishmael that are very wise and know a lot of things. they are like teachers or masters of life. People learn a lot from them and have a great respect towards them. So far I am liking the Annalects more because it doesn't get to much off topic and it is very precise. Also I love the quotes that they say. I think they they come from a very wise and knowledgeable person. They have students who learn from them and later apply their concepts to life. In this case the readers would be the students.
domingo, 18 de noviembre de 2007
The Analects CH: 12-15
In chapter 12 through 15 they talk about several things, I like that at the beginning of each chapter they always mention what they are going to talk about. I liked a thing that they mention in chapter 12 and this is it: “Life and death are governed by fate; wealth and honor are determined by heaven” I totally agree with this let’s call it quote because it is certainly true. The truth is that you never know when you are going to die it is a mystery. You could be her one day and the other second BUM a car runs you over and it is all over. So that is called faith you never know what is going to happen. Also life is governed by faith because I have never know own if the destiny is already written or if it’s just meant to be. According to this quote it is all about faith.
The second part of the quote states that wealth and honor are determined by heaven, I think this is also true because god decides the things he is going to give you while you live. Obviously when they talk about heaven they are talking about t god and saying that he is the only person who will decide what is next for you and also what to give you.
The second part of the quote states that wealth and honor are determined by heaven, I think this is also true because god decides the things he is going to give you while you live. Obviously when they talk about heaven they are talking about t god and saying that he is the only person who will decide what is next for you and also what to give you.
jueves, 15 de noviembre de 2007
Paraphrasing Excersise
1. "The Antarctic is the vast source of cold on our planet, just as the sun is the source of our heat, and it exerts tremendous control on our climate," [Jacques] Cousteau told the camera. "The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwellings help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened by human activity." From "Captain Cousteau," Audubon (May 1990):17.
Paraphrase: The Antarctic provides basically all the cold from our planet, it has a major control in our climate. Jacques Cousteau said that the water from around Antarctica goes up north to mix with warm eater from the tropics. Also the upper flows help maintain cool the water and atmosphere. ." From "Captain Cousteau," Audubon (May 1990):17.
2. The twenties were the years when drinking was against the law, and the law was a bad joke because everyone knew of a local bar where liquor could be had. They were the years when organized crime ruled the cities, and the police seemed powerless to do anything against it. Classical music was forgotten while jazz spread throughout the land, and men like Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie became the heroes of the young. The flapper was born in the twenties, and with her bobbed hair and short skirts, she symbolized, perhaps more than anyone or anything else, America's break with the past. From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989): 25.
Paraphrase: the twenties was a decade where things like drinking weren’t accepted. The law couldn’t do anything about it because they didn’t have the enough power and respect. So basically everyone broke the rules and they new the bars were liquor was sold. Classical music became a thing of the `past and jazz became the ¨hit¨ music. Young people began to be influenced by people like Louis Armstrong etc. ¨Flapper¨ movement was originated girls started to use very short skirts and sponged hair. From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989): 25.
3. Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head. From "Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers," Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348.
Paraphrase: a study made stated that each year they are approximately 1000 bicycle death a year caused by bumps in the head. It said that using you r helmet would reduce an 85% of the chances that you get an injury in your head. Most of this 1000 people are school children, but this could be prevented using your helmet, considering the helmet cushions your head from the ¨schock¨. From "Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers," Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348.
4. Matisse is the best painter ever at putting the viewer at the scene. He's the most realistic of all modern artists, if you admit the feel of the breeze as necessary to a landscape and the smell of oranges as essential to a still life. "The Casbah Gate" depicts the well-known gateway Bab el Aassa, which pierces the southern wall of the city near the sultan's palace. With scrubby coats of ivory, aqua, blue, and rose delicately fenced by the liveliest gray outline in art history, Matisse gets the essence of a Tangier afternoon, including the subtle presence of the bowaab, the sentry who sits and surveys those who pass through the gate. From Peter Plagens, "Bright Lights." Newsweek (26 March 1990): 50.
Paraphrased: The painter Matisse is one of the most recognized modern artists. He is characterized by making every picture seem very real and also including the viewer in the painting. A very famous painting he made is "The Casbah Gate". Which is about a wall near the sultans palace. He uses matisse to get his sepcial touch or effect. From Peter Plagens, "Bright Lights." Newsweek (26 March 1990): 50.
5. While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-story building. From Ron Bachman, "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 1990): 15.
Paraphrased: Sears Tower is definetely the tallest skyscraper in the world until now. But there is one architect whose name is William LeMessurier who designed a one-half mile tall skyscraper. This could be classified twice as big as the Sears Tower. But there is another architect whose name is Robert Sobel who claims that "technology now a days could be ccpcabale of producing a 500-storybiulding". From Ron Bachman, "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 1990): 15.
Paraphrase: The Antarctic provides basically all the cold from our planet, it has a major control in our climate. Jacques Cousteau said that the water from around Antarctica goes up north to mix with warm eater from the tropics. Also the upper flows help maintain cool the water and atmosphere. ." From "Captain Cousteau," Audubon (May 1990):17.
2. The twenties were the years when drinking was against the law, and the law was a bad joke because everyone knew of a local bar where liquor could be had. They were the years when organized crime ruled the cities, and the police seemed powerless to do anything against it. Classical music was forgotten while jazz spread throughout the land, and men like Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie became the heroes of the young. The flapper was born in the twenties, and with her bobbed hair and short skirts, she symbolized, perhaps more than anyone or anything else, America's break with the past. From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989): 25.
Paraphrase: the twenties was a decade where things like drinking weren’t accepted. The law couldn’t do anything about it because they didn’t have the enough power and respect. So basically everyone broke the rules and they new the bars were liquor was sold. Classical music became a thing of the `past and jazz became the ¨hit¨ music. Young people began to be influenced by people like Louis Armstrong etc. ¨Flapper¨ movement was originated girls started to use very short skirts and sponged hair. From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989): 25.
3. Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head. From "Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers," Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348.
Paraphrase: a study made stated that each year they are approximately 1000 bicycle death a year caused by bumps in the head. It said that using you r helmet would reduce an 85% of the chances that you get an injury in your head. Most of this 1000 people are school children, but this could be prevented using your helmet, considering the helmet cushions your head from the ¨schock¨. From "Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers," Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348.
4. Matisse is the best painter ever at putting the viewer at the scene. He's the most realistic of all modern artists, if you admit the feel of the breeze as necessary to a landscape and the smell of oranges as essential to a still life. "The Casbah Gate" depicts the well-known gateway Bab el Aassa, which pierces the southern wall of the city near the sultan's palace. With scrubby coats of ivory, aqua, blue, and rose delicately fenced by the liveliest gray outline in art history, Matisse gets the essence of a Tangier afternoon, including the subtle presence of the bowaab, the sentry who sits and surveys those who pass through the gate. From Peter Plagens, "Bright Lights." Newsweek (26 March 1990): 50.
Paraphrased: The painter Matisse is one of the most recognized modern artists. He is characterized by making every picture seem very real and also including the viewer in the painting. A very famous painting he made is "The Casbah Gate". Which is about a wall near the sultans palace. He uses matisse to get his sepcial touch or effect. From Peter Plagens, "Bright Lights." Newsweek (26 March 1990): 50.
5. While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-story building. From Ron Bachman, "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 1990): 15.
Paraphrased: Sears Tower is definetely the tallest skyscraper in the world until now. But there is one architect whose name is William LeMessurier who designed a one-half mile tall skyscraper. This could be classified twice as big as the Sears Tower. But there is another architect whose name is Robert Sobel who claims that "technology now a days could be ccpcabale of producing a 500-storybiulding". From Ron Bachman, "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 1990): 15.
miércoles, 14 de noviembre de 2007
The Analects CH: : 7, 8 & 11
In these three chapters of the analects I saw a lot of wise quotes, but there was one of them that really caught my attention: “If wealth were something worth pursuing, then I would pursue it, even if that meant serving as an officer holding a whip at the entrance to the marketplace. Since it is not worth pursuing, however, I prefer to follow that which I love.”
I think this quote is very knowledgeable and enlightened considering we are al very materialistic now a days. We are all constantly searching for fame and recognition. But the master is saying that that is not the important thing in life, what is important is following what you love and internal and spiritual things. He also mentions that if you are seeking for wealth you are probably6 going to obtain it but the truth is that it is not worth it. He says people can do anything and overpass all the limits to obtain wealth, but at the end it will not make you happy, what makes you happy is to follow your heart.
I think this quote is very knowledgeable and enlightened considering we are al very materialistic now a days. We are all constantly searching for fame and recognition. But the master is saying that that is not the important thing in life, what is important is following what you love and internal and spiritual things. He also mentions that if you are seeking for wealth you are probably6 going to obtain it but the truth is that it is not worth it. He says people can do anything and overpass all the limits to obtain wealth, but at the end it will not make you happy, what makes you happy is to follow your heart.
martes, 13 de noviembre de 2007
The Analects CH: 4-7
When I finished reading the chapters assigned I personally always end like overwhelmed! There is a lot of wise things mentioned I not his book that you begin to wonder and think about “life”. It says a lot of things that I am sure will be kept in my mind for quite a long time.
One of the quotes I liked was: “While your parents are alive, you should not travel far, and when you do travel you must keep to a fixed itinerary”.
This is telling us more or less that life is never assureds or guaranteed and that we have to enjoy our parents while we have them by our side.
They also talk about what “Goodness” is and means. It mentions being good is not just a matter of fact of being nice, but it goes far off beyond that point. It means doing good to other people without expecting nothing in exchange. It means not only caring about your interests but also about the others interest. It analyzes what being good really is.
Lastly a quote that really impacted me was the following: “I have never met a person whose strength was insufficient for his task”.
I like this quote a lot because it basically states that God will never put you upon a challenge that you can’t handle. And if you have a good attitude and a positive face towards life you will be able to accomplish everything. Also it explains that not one single person cannot do a thing they propose. It reminds me of a thing my parents have always told me about math: “Math is 99% attitude and 1%aptitude”. But in this case I think it would be: “Life is 99% attitude and 1% aptitude!!!!!
One of the quotes I liked was: “While your parents are alive, you should not travel far, and when you do travel you must keep to a fixed itinerary”.
This is telling us more or less that life is never assureds or guaranteed and that we have to enjoy our parents while we have them by our side.
They also talk about what “Goodness” is and means. It mentions being good is not just a matter of fact of being nice, but it goes far off beyond that point. It means doing good to other people without expecting nothing in exchange. It means not only caring about your interests but also about the others interest. It analyzes what being good really is.
Lastly a quote that really impacted me was the following: “I have never met a person whose strength was insufficient for his task”.
I like this quote a lot because it basically states that God will never put you upon a challenge that you can’t handle. And if you have a good attitude and a positive face towards life you will be able to accomplish everything. Also it explains that not one single person cannot do a thing they propose. It reminds me of a thing my parents have always told me about math: “Math is 99% attitude and 1%aptitude”. But in this case I think it would be: “Life is 99% attitude and 1% aptitude!!!!!
viernes, 9 de noviembre de 2007
The Analects CH: 1-4
The analects is a very different book regarding what I have read so far in my academic transition. It is a book similar to the bible in the away that it is set up. For example it is divided with chapters and verses, just like the bible is. It deals a lot with moral values and stresses them a lot. It talks about how we should act when we are with our parents and in public. I also noticed that it emphasizes how we should treat old people. It says we should respect them and give them in a way privileges.
In respect of the book itself I think it might be a little confusing because you really don’t know who is talking and to whom. I like that at the beginning of each chapter it more or less tells what it is going to talk about. It has words like in another language in parenthesis and I don’t understand why. I think so far this book is very interesting because it doesn’t’ involve a story but a moral.
In respect of the book itself I think it might be a little confusing because you really don’t know who is talking and to whom. I like that at the beginning of each chapter it more or less tells what it is going to talk about. It has words like in another language in parenthesis and I don’t understand why. I think so far this book is very interesting because it doesn’t’ involve a story but a moral.
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