Thursday, February 24, 2011

Burning

Compare: These are alike because both of them Had a huge impact on the public area that they were conducted. They also had huge impacts internationally. They were both famous for burning themselves in the middle of the road. Both happened during or right before a civil war. Both were meant to prove points.
Contrast: They happened in different places. One happened against the public and one happened against government. Thich Quang Duc did it because he wanted Buddhists to stop being persecuted against, while Bouazizi did it because he wanted the government to change.

My thoughts on burning man, are actually positive, I think it was great that Quang Duc didn't want to take being persecuted against, so he went to extremes and  burned himself. I definitely think that he was a hero and influenced many Buddhists to do the same.

The great cause that I fight for
The cause that I've always lived for
10 years of my life dedicated to you
All the defending I've done of you

After everything I've done
The hard work I've done
You discard me
You won't listen to me

It's a scandal you cry
I'm inlove I cry
You're sacked and not welcome
If I win my seat, I'll be welcome

The hypocrisy of it all disgusts me
The way you treat me
Well I won't give her up
I'd rather give you up

Hitting the streets day after day
I'm entitled to a private life at the end of the day
Leafleting, canvassing and the abuse I take
But never I thought, abuse from you I'd take

You're an ungrateful cause I've dedicated my life to
Now you discard me because my heart, to her, it goes to
I've done nothing wrong except fall in love
Perhaps you really are the party of hate, and not love

My job, you've taken from me
To the police, you've reported me
At one point I would have died for the cause
But no longer, not for an ungrateful cause.



Do you think there could have been an better way for Thich Quang Duc to express his emotions?

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Option #1/Literary Analysis of WWI

First Balkan War

The First Balkan War, a part of three wars, featured the Balkan Empire( see map at bottom of page) and Ottoman Empire. This war started because the Balkan countries, who were being controlled by the Ottoman Empire, wanted to free themselves from Turkish control. The countries that formed and alliance were: Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, and Bulgaria. On October 8, 1912, Montenegro declared war on the Turks (Ottoman Empire) and was joined by their allies. Eventually, Turkey was driven back and the Balkans took over much of the Ottoman Empire’s land for their own, thus ending the war and Turkish control on the Balkan Empire.  

http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/easteurope/firstbalkan.html
Balkan Winter
by Susan Ioannou
Ten years old,
inside the snow-crusted window, watching
over your neighbours’ red-tiled roofs
you hear it
zing-zing
flashing in frost-bright air

Beyond the emptied laneways, the mountain
rises, ice-hung vineyards thinning
higher and higher
—white quickens
black, as the slopes swarm.

black, as the slopes swarm.
and drop like that
black, as the slopes swarm.
these echoing pops and cracks
dot the snow red.

Frozen into the window, watching
you will not flatten against the wall
but count the flashes of tracer fire
zing-zing
shattering tiles on your neighbours’ roofs.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/susanio/balkan.pdf

This poem relates to the Balkans War, because it is describing the hardships and difficulties of living in this particular war. For example, When Ioannou states in the beginning, “watching over your neighbours’ red-tiled roofs” and then at the end she says, “Frozen into the window, watching shattering tiles on your neighbours’ roofs.” By this she means that war can change everything in an instant and what seems like a beautiful neighborhood can be reduced to rubble in the course of a few hours. Relates to the First Balkan War, because it shows how the war caused so much destruction.  Another example of the hardships during this war is when Ioannou is saying, “Beyond the emptied laneways, the mountain  rises, ice-hung vineyards thinning higher and higher.”  I think that by saying this she is foreshadowing that something bad is going to happen and everything around realized it. One reason this relates to the war is because the war, fought mostly in the winter of 1912 and 1913, was very mysterious and snuck up on you very quickly. This poem relates to the First Balkans war, because of its mysterious connotation and its way of getting right to the point.

The White Man's Burden & Imperialism

1. I think he means that they now have to take up the white man’s way of life because they have been taken from their home country or are now ruled by someone else. He could have also been sarcastic by meaning that the white man have no burden and they have it so good.“Take up the White Man's burden-
The savage wars of peace-
Fill full the mouth of Famine,
And bid the sickness cease;”


2.  No, because he makes many references throughout the poem that they are being taken over and away from their home country like when it says: "Why brought ye us from bondage, our loved Egyptian night.”

3.  Because he is saying that white men ( Europeans) are taking innocent people’s homes and forcing them upon something they have no interest in doing which is wrong, because everybody should have a right to freedom and white men are denying them of their freedom. (Same quote as #2.)

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Self reflection: Reconstruction debate


1.How did I feel during planning this presentation? Why did I feel this way?
A. I didn’t really think it was going to be all that hard and I spent very little time on this project, because I kind of took it as a small project, instead of a big one. So I guess careless. 
2.How did I feel prior to presenting? Why did I feel this way?
A. Nervous, mostly because I did not prepare as much as I should have.
3. How did I feel while I was presenting? Why did I feel this way?
A. just kind of hoping to get this over with, so I could move on with more important projects, part of the reason I did so badly.
4. What did I personally do well?
A. I think I helped the group generate answers for their questions they had very well.
5. What did not go as desired in this presentation?
A. I forgot my part and just kind of tried to improvise, which didn’t turn out well.
6. On a scale from 1-10, how well do I think I understood the content? Explain.
A. 8 I think I did understand it very well, but I just didn’t show it in my presentation.
7. How do I think my group members perceived me? Why do I think this?
A. I think they perceived me as kind of and underachiever o this project, because I didn’t really pay much attention and put much time into this project.
8. How do I think the 8th graders perceived me? Why do I think this?
A. a horrible public speaker, because I studdered and didn’t talk very well.
9. Knowing that I can only control how I act and react, if I could do this presentation again, what would I change about my actions to make it a more ideal experience?
A. put more thought and time into this project, so that I could do more help than hurt on this project.
10. What are my strengths in groups?
A. I am great at content and ideas for projects, but not very good at public speaking, and presenting.
11. What areas do I need improvement?
A. public speaking and presenting.
12. What is the most important thing I learned about myself? Why is this so important?
A. that I need to start being more serious about school and smaller projects.
13. Are there any other things that I need to express?
a. I overall didn’t like this