Graduation!

If I were giving a graduation speech I would probably start off with a quote I memorized by marianne williamson. You probably have heard it before...It starts out "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." I have had the memorized for many years and it has been a huge part of who I am. After this, I would probably talk about the things I've learned, such as the quadratic formula or the calvin cycle or the great depression or supply and demand, etc. But then I would say that I've learned much more than that. I've learned that true friends are always there for you whether you've been locked in a locker by accident or you forgot your lunch, or you forgot your project...they're there...and that's what matters. Another important thing is to never distance yourself with your parent as you move forward, call them everyday...just to even say hi. Make new friends. This is your chance to be new...but remember...to always be you. That is the most important of all...be YOU!

Prompt #2

I just recently read up to the point where the mom has hung herself. This is unbelievably surprising and leads me to believe this book is not gonna be a happy one. The style of writing really contributed to the dramatization of this scene as well as the sadness and depression the reader felt. Though it was incredibly sad, it somehow made me want to read more as if I thought it would all just eventually go away or it would all get better. Unfortunately it was about 12 midnight so I had to go to bed but I wished I could have stayed up to read more. 

When I think of atonement, or “a way to be good again,” I think of redemption. As we have seen already, Amir is haunted throughout this book, and probably will continue to be haunted by the guilt he feels for just watching Hassan be raped and just letting him take the blame and sacrifice himself for Amir. The word sacrifice is extremely important here. Hassan is portrayed as a “Jesus” like character through the sacrifices he makes and how his one last sacrifice to take away Amir’s sin sends him off, leaving Amir and Baba. This makes a lot of sense because the word atonement and redemption are very religious words depicting the sacrifice Jesus made for out sins and how Christians spend their entire lives trying to atone for their sins and receive redemption. It is clear that Amir wishes to achieve atonement but does not have the strength or maturity to go through with it. Only when Amir admits his guilt and his sin can he achieve atonement and redemption. I think as the story progresses, Amir will find a way to atone for his sins as he matures and hopes to “find a way to be good again.”

I think Amir seeks atonement for just sitting there while his friend, who had his back every second of every hour, gets raped. I think Amir needs atonement for setting up Hassan with stealing the watch. I think, most importantly, Amir needs atonement for just allowing Hassan to be so good to him his entire life and treating him with such disrespect and immaturity. I a not sure how Amir can make up for these sins but I hope, as time goes on, he matures and when the opportunity comes, he makes amends with not much Hassan or his father, but himself. 

I loved Kite Runner! The writing style of Khaled Hosseini is just amazing and the setting of the novel is in such a different world than the one I see everyday. Since this novel takes place in the same type of world, I think I will really like the novel. My family has read both Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns and they all say this book is better than Kite Runner. I cannot wait to just be able to sit down and read this book. I have heard this is even sadder and more controversial than The Kite Runner so it will be interesting to see how I feel after reading it. My parents and sister both said that the novel leaves you anti-man so we'll see how I feel after reading this.

Tell Me A Story...

We had just woken up from a rainy stormy night and let's just say the tents we slept, or tried to sleep in, weren't as strong as our mind and body. Luke was making breakfast while I sat sipping the bitter coffee we were provided while listening to John tell a story about the time he faced a bear in the woods. Just as the bear got on two feet and john described his facial expression and the wetness of his pants as he saw his life flash before him, the sound of a mortar hitting 20 feet from our camp grounds stopped the now very interesting story. My coffee, though no Dunkin Donuts, was the little thing I savored every morning, and as it spilled to the ground and my tin cup crashed to the dirt floor, I realized I wasn't getting breakfast that morning. I hurried to grab my helmet leaving what other possessions I had behind. There was no time for organization, it was everyman for himself. Though I do not know for certain cause I have not seen either of my men since, the sound of Luke screaming leads me to believe he burned himself on the fire when startled by the explosion. I could not look back, everything was ahead of me, my family, my friends, Chico my dog, and my beautiful wife, all waiting for me just a plane ride away. As I ran, watching my every step as a occasionally slipped on a moss covered wet rock, I began to truly take in the beauty of Brazil. It's jungles, it's wildlife, something I would miss 3 days later as I headed home with only one leg and the love and support of those waiting for me to hold me up for the rest of my life. As I ran for seven straight miles I thought of those at home more than anything else. I never looked back, not at my past life, not at the mortar slowly but surely following my trail. Everything was ahead of me. Once I felt safe, I radioed the base to come pick me up. For two days I would wait as smoke signal after smoke signal was destroyed by the pelting rains of the Brazilian rain forests. No food, no companionship, just the wandering mind of a soldier praying for his life. It was during these hours and days that I gained back a long lost relationship with God. After eight years of war and battle, I had lost faith, convincing myself that a man, or woman, so powerful would never let events such as those that I had witnessed occur. But with life and hope slowly drifting away, faith and religion seemed the only option. 

As I sit here now, sipping that Dunkin Donuts coffee I had longed for for eight years, I sit incomplete silence but serenity as I have the privilege to see the young man my first born has become as he watches over and plays hide and seek with my wife's three month 13 month old little girl whom I have not even heard speak. With my arm around my wife, I begin to remember her scent, and the aroma of our home which I left eight years ago to defend the country I love so much. I then am taken out of this trance as I hear my baby girl whom I have not for only three hours say "daddy" for the first time as she hands me her stuffed teddy bear which I set her from Brazil just five short months ago. Here, on our living room couch, Dunkin Donuts coffee in hand, arm around my wife, listening to the happy sounds of my children playing. This, this is what I longed for, and this is what I dreamt of every night as I drowned out the cries of fallen soldiers and the blasts of mortar surrounding me. I cannot say I did not enjoy those eight years. They are a part of who I am, but what I can say is that now I am home, and no one, I mean no one, can take moments like this away from me. I have paid my dues and fought for my freedom and the country I love, and now, now I savor every moment of my reward.

‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’ (or words to that effect)

http://tartarus.org/~martin/essays/burkequote.html

The above webpage goes into great detail to describe and reveal the many quotes all centered around this very quote. It is interesting that such a famous quote could be rewritten so many different ways. In the essay written on it, the author describes that the quote is meant to be political and to push government to have a larger role in our lives. By saying this I believe he means that if the government just sits back, all chaos will break loose and evil will prevail but if government, in this case, "good" government, steps in, evil can be restrained. 

In part I agree. I think that good is needed to stop evil but I am not sure that if good is not present that evil is: one the only option, and two will triumph. I am not sure why if there is no good, it must mean evil will triumph. This quote really brings out the discrepancy in the definition of the words good and evil. I believe this quote could probably mean a different thing to every person that reads it. We all have a different interpretation of these two words and therefore a different understanding of the quote. 

The 3 F's...(family friends and faith)

I think there are many factors that affect people's decisions that have stayed true for centuries. Such factors would include the decisions affect on family and friends, or possibly use religion and family morals to see how the decision should be made, or just weighing the pro's and con's for the decision. Now, as technology is booming and with such an economic crisis and a large decrease seen in attendance to certain religious practices, our decision making has become more selfish, and we have abandoned or looked less heavily upon the affects it may have on others, and begun to care less about morals or our faith as we make decisions. I think we have also become somewhat lazy and therefor many of our decisions are based on which is easiest. For me, my faith and family morals still play a large role on my decision making and I try to consider its affects on others as much as possible without stressing too much but at times, I seem to lean towards the more fun are easy approach. As senior year approaches, we begin to encounter more and more temptations which I try my best to avoid and use family, friends and faith to guide me, the 3 F's. Though college is a big decision, I see this as more of a decision that I make myself and weigh out the pro's and con's for but as a legacy student, family did play a role. Obviously I thought about who I want to become and want I want to do as well. Since I have hopes of becoming a doctor and studying biology and medicine, a school with a good science program and high rate of acceptance into med school was preferred. At Franklin and Marshall, I found that and that is why next year I will be a Diplomat. In most decision making, I usually stick with the 3 F's to make my decision but there are circumstances where a scale is maybe better. 

My Little Cook Book

1 cup major crossroads

2 cups brutal civil war

A dash of European influence

A dash of Empire

A dash of Kingdom

A dash of Republic

3 cups Muslim

2 tablespoons of petroleum

Just throw this into a pot and heat it up...

A whole lot of nothing...

I pretty much did a lot of nothing. I'm not just saying that cause I'm to lazy or tired to write I really did just sit around most of break. I guess if there is anything to write about it would be the time I got to spend with my family for easter. A bunch of my family came down for 3 days or so and we just spent time together. No agenda, nothing to get done, just talked, played games, and dyed easter eggs. Overall a pretty chill break with some much needed relaxation and family time..

IRP: I'll Admit It...I Cried... (Ch. 227-Appendix, prompt # 8/18)

(the above is a famous image from Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of Silver Blaze"

So yeah the ending was pretty awesome. Christopher does well in math and seems to have a hopeful future and though it took awhile, eventually began to trust his dad again which I was definitely worried about.

But for the prompt...For this post, I am going to do a mix of 8 and 18. I am going to answer 8 but to do that I have to answer 18.

So I was trying to find a deeper meaning or message or theme for the story and had some trouble. Then I thought about the whole mystery concept. I thought about possibly something with the whole Wellington thing. Then I realized that the book is supposed to be about Wellington and the whole mystery about his mother is completely unknown. Though I did figure it out early on, to most other readers, they probably thought she was dead the whole time. So for them, she was never a problem and any mention of her didn't really mean much. Even Christopher doesn't know he is solving this mystery. He has accepted the fact that his mother is dead and has no intention of proving otherwise. But I didn't think this was a good enough theme so I began to work on the title post...

I searched the title and of course a bunch of Mark Haddon book review sites and such came up but surprisingly, Sherlock Holmes also came up. I searched a little more about Sherlock Holmes literature and any connection between him and Haddon and found that the title of the novel is actually a reference to Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of Silver Blaze," a book mentioned in Christophers book. In this Holmes mystery, a silence of a dog was accepted as normal.

Here lies the connection. Not only is it about dogs, but the mistaken acceptance of something not true. While Christopher and the reader focus on the mystery of who killed Wellington, and Holmes focuses on his mystery, we all accept something else for real turning our heads and missing the true mystery, the mystery of Christophers mother and the dog in the Holmes mystery.

This is the true theme of the novel...

The reader fails to see the importance of what isn't there. Now obviously this relates to not just this novel but real life. As we focus on other aspects of life, and compensate by accepting other things, therefor no longer noticing them, we realize that it is the absence we should have been focusing on all along.

This true play on the reader is quite comical but also frustrating, though it does bring out a great novel and a modern masterpiece which I recommend to anyone who has the time to read it. That's it for these posts and I hope you have enjoyed the book.

Let me know your final thoughts on the novel and if you would recommend it or not...


This is just a little video to enjoy. If you've never witnessed a Sherlock Holmes movie you're really missing out. This it from "The Adventure of Silver Blaze." There's nothing really relevant in the clip but just thought I would add it to give you some enjoyment.