Beats Free Write

This is a blog post in which we free write while keeping the Beats generation in mind. To be honest I have no idea what to write about. I bet everyone else doesn't know what to write either so Mrs. Batterton will be reading almost the same introduction. When I heard free write, I just thought of cats. I'm allergic to cats, but they are awesome. Dogs are a lot more energetic. Some people are thinking why we have to write about this? But the real question is, why do we have to write ANY type of paper? Maybe some people's jobs require to write a lot, but not everyone's job does. Teachers may say we write papers to prepare for writing papers in college... But why do we write in college? Our education system is a little messed up if you ask me. We spend the most in education in the world but we are like #22 when it comes to how smart our students are. That's kinda said don't you think? If we want to get back on track, instead of trying to change education to something new, we should just adopt the education system of the #1 country. Anyways I'm bored of ranting and dogs are awesome so Imma tell you about my dog snoopy. He dope as h***. He's always so chill and never too crazy. When I went to Poland I went to my great grandma's house and caught a chicken by its tail. That chicken reminds me of my dog because they both calm animals. I like all animals, but the calm ones are the best cuz they don't annoy you as much. It's crazy how much one can write off the top of their heads in such a short time. I just realized how much I have written and it usually takes me an hour or two to write this much on a different assignment. It's probably because I don't have to quote anyone in this paper, but just to prove myself wrong I'm gonna quote Mr. Bays when he said "Red bottom monkeys." I think that's what he said because I wasn't really listening. I was trying to write this assignment when he was talking. I've run out of things to say except for bananas. I started liking bananas recently again. Probably cuz they were aged right every time I tried them. Sean is talking over my shoulder and it's kinda creepy. He's making some sexual sounds behind me. I'm scared. He wants me to change it but I only write the truth and nothing but the truth. That's not entirely true, but in this case it is. That's a paradox isn't it? Damn it I think I just created a black hole in another universe which is possible even without me doing anything in this plane of existence. Ivan is trying to rap, but he should know by now that I spit the sickest flows. He mad that I'm better than him, but he got nothing on me and my multi verse theory and rapping skills. Tristan let me borrow a game from it and it's amazing, I don't know how many hours I put into it but it's a lot. Now the whole group is reading my blog so I'm gonna stop. But I'm about to post this on the internet for the other 7 billion humans to see so I guess it really doesn't matter. To be honest, I haven't been keepin the beats generation in mind while writing this. The only thing I know about their writing style is to not use correct grammar, use drugs, and use swears. Sounds like a great generation to me hahaha. My battery is at 5% so my time is running out on my life and on this iPad. That's pretty dark to think about but it's very true. I'll have to be going now so I'll talk to all of y'all later.

What if 9/11 never occured?

An assignment that we were assigned for our history class was to propose an event in history that, if it had gone another way, would have been impactful. We also had the option to choose an event that could have changed history in a huge way if it were to have never happened.

I chose to investigate what would be different if 9/11 never occured. It is quite obvious that our present would be drastically different than it is right now, but in what ways? One significant difference would be the laws passed in response to the acts of terrorism that acted during 9/11. Some people may believe that these laws invade their personal privacy. One law that is under this accusation is the USA Patriot Act. "In October 2001, Congress (...) passed the USA Patriot Act. The measure gave law enforcement officials sweeping new powers to conduct searches without warrants, monitor financial transactions and eavesdrop, and detain and deport, in secret, individuals suspected of committing terrorist acts." (Rowen) Even if they are only used against individuals suspected of committing terrorist acts, the United States government can manipulate the law into allowing it to be used in other cases. If 9/11 never happened, some people wouldn't feel this distress from their own country. Another significant difference would be the vulnerability of a worse terrorist attack. Giving law enforcement officials the power to do all the things that the USA Patriot Act and other laws allow them to do does seem like an attack on the average american's privacy, but with this power, the United States would be able to prevent future terrorist attacks if not already. If 9/11 never occurred, laws like the USA Patriot Act would have never been passed which would have left the United States vulnerable to even worse terrorist attacks on United States soil. It is quite unimaginable to think of an attack on American soil that was worse than 9/11, but it would have been more likely to happen if 9/11 never occurred.

Works Citied

Rowen, Beth. "Post-9/11 Changes By the U.S. Government." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Night Theme Assessment- Family

For our class assessment on the book Night by Elie Wiesel, we are to showcase a significant theme. One theme that is shown throughout the novel in many passages is family.

One passage that shows just how far Wiesel would go to keep his family together was when "The SS officers were doing selection: the weak, to the left; those who walked well, to the right. My father was sent left. I ran after him. An SS officer shouted at my back: 'Come back!' I inched my way through the crowd. Several SS men rushed to find me, creating such confusion that a number of people were able to switch over to the right--among them my father and I," (96, Wiesel). He could have effortlessly let his father fail selection, but he risked his life for a very small opportunity to save his father. Wiesel, at the time, must of had very little knowledge of how to execute such a rescue since no where in the book has this happened before. When he shouted to his father to come back, he had not planned on what was going to happen next. It was instinct. His love for his family out weighed any rational bone in his body to think twice on saving his father. That is the imporatance in family that Wiesel tried to show, even more so in those horrible times.

Another passage that shows the significance of family in this novel is when Wiesel's father was "speaking so rapidly, he wanted to tell me so many things. His speech became confused, his voice choked. he knew that i had to leave in a few moments. He was going to remain alone, so alone... 'Here, take this knife,' he said, 'I won't need it anymore. You may find it useful. Also take this spoon. Don't sell it. Quickly! Go ahead, take what I'm giving you!' 'Don't talk like that, Father.' I was on the verge of breaking into sobs. 'I don't want you to say such things. Keep the spoon and knife. You will need them as much as I. We'll see each other tonight, after work.'" (75, Wiesel) Wiesel's father learned just a few moments ago that there is a high chance of him dying since his number was written down during selection. The first thought in his head was to rush over to his son, the only family he had left, to give him items that he could use to make his life better. It's very apparent how much Wiesel's father values family by having his first thought be going to his son to give his son items. The reason why Wiesel's father did not want Wiesel to sell the knife or spoon was because he wanted his son to have something he could remember him by. If his father were to die in this place in the book, Wiesel's would have had something to keep by him to knew that his father is always with him wherever he goes. Wiesel did not accept the items or want his father to talk about it because he could not believe his father were to be murdered anytime soon. His love for his father blinded him from the reality that at any moment his father could disappear from this world. This important conversation between father and son shows the importance of family that Wiesel demonstrates throughout this novel.

The last passage which represented the theme of family in an important way was when Wiesel's father "had never served in the military and could not March in step. But here, whenever we moved from one place to another, it was in step. That presented Franek with the opportunity to torment him and, on a daily basis, to thrash him savagely. (...) I decided to give my father lessons in marching in step, in keeping time. (...) But my father did not make sufficient progress, and the blows continued to rain on him. (...) This went on for two weeks. It was untenable. We had to give in. That day, Franek burst into savage laughter: 'I knew it, I knew that I would win, kid. Better late then never. And because you made me wait, it will also cost you a ration of beard. A ration of beard for one of my pals, a famous dentist from Warsaw. To pay him for pulling out your crown.'" (55-56, Wiesel) To avoid giving his crown to Franek, Wiesel decided to make a bet with Franek that if he could teach his dad how to march, he'd back off on taking his crown. His father tried his best and went through weeks of torment just so Wiesel could keep his crown in his mouth. Sacrificing one's self to pain and torment just for their family to be able to live just a little better shows that that person really cares about his family. The father could of just made his son give up the crown, but instead he put himself through torment for the small chance that his son could keep his crown. Even if he were to learn how to march, there was still a possibility that Franek would disregard the whole bet and make Wiesel let the dentist take the crown out. Wiesel and his father most likely knew that using common sense, but there was a small chance that Franek would stick to his word. That small chance was enough for Wiesel's father to go through that type of torment for his family. That is the type of family values that Wiesel tried to illustrate in this novel.

This novel has taught me the importance of family. At any moment something may happen to me and/or my family like it did for Wiesel and his family so I should value my family as much as I can while we are still together. I thought I already knew the value of family, but this novel really opened my eyes to just how important family is. This novel has many other themes, but the value of family really stuck out to me a lot more than any other theme. 

Night- Chapter 1

     In our American Studies class, we are reading the book "Night" written by Ellie Wissel. Each few chapters, we recognize an important passage and explain the significance it provides in the story. 

    The passage that we found significant to the theme and setting of the story was "Night fell. Some twenty people had gathered in our courtyard. My father was sharing some anecdotes and holding forth on his opinion of the situation. He was a good storyteller. Suddenly, the gate opened, and Stern, a former shopkeeper who now was a policeman,entered and took my father aside. (......)  The story he had interrupted would remain unfinished." (Wiesel, 12). Within this passage, it connects to the setting by illustrating a dark imagine of how many lives were being interrupted as reality of World War II slowly become a real part of their lives. The setting demonstrates the inequality and brutality the Jewish people went through. This passage also connects to the theme of the story by relating the "unfinished stories" to the lives of millions of Jews that Hitler killed. The theme of the story represents the dark life that the author and millions of other Jewish people went through. 

Night- Chapter 2 & 3

"He got up and asked politely, in German " Excuse me..... Could you tell me where the toilets are located".  The gypsies there to him for a long time, from head to toe. As if he wished to ascertain that the person addressing him was actually a creature of flesh and bone, a human being with a body in a belly. Then, as if walking from the deep sleep, he slapped my father was such force that he fell down and then crawled back to his place on all fours" (Wiesel 39). 

            In our American studies class we are reading the book"Night" written by Ellie Wiesel. Each few chapters we recognize and important passage and explain the importance of it. This passage from the book "Night" gives a deeper meaning to the narrators father. As it reveals more about the the Jews new life and their environment that they will be living in. It connects to theme by showing how all Jews were being looked down to and being mistreated.

Significant Passage from Night

The passage that we found significant to the theme and setting of the story was "Night fell. Some twenty people had gathered in our courtyard. My father was sharing some anecdotes and holding forth on his opinion of the situation. He was a good storyteller. Suddenly, the gate opened, and Stern, a former shopkeeper who now was a policeman,entered and took my father aside. (......)  The story he had interrupted would remain unfinished." (Wiesel, 12)

It connects to the setting by illustrating a dark imagine of how many lives were being interrupted as reality of world war 2 slowly become a real part of their lives. It also connects to the theme of the story by relating the unfinished stories to the lifes of millions of Jews that Hitler killed. The theme of the story is the dark life that the author went through which easily could of ended.

Holocaust Question Hypothesis- How did some of Hitler's soldiers disagree with him and what did they do about it?

I chose this question because not a lot of people know or think of the opinions of the Nazi soldiers. They were just displayed as horrible people, but not a lot of people thought about putting themselves in their shoes.

The Nazi soldiers that didn't want to follow Hitler's ideals diffidently had an internal struggle between wanting to serve and following Hitler's orders. They wanted Germany to be victorious against the other European powers, but not through the way that Hitler was doing it. Some maybe didn't like murdering Jews to win the war while others didn't like their fascist government made by Hitler. Either way, they wanted to take him down in some form of way.

There were planned attacks against Hitler within his own army. One example of this is when Hitler was in a meeting, this was a bomb planted underneath the table that went off during the meeting. Hitler obviously survived, but with minor injuries. It was later known that a high ranked soldier did it.

The Great Gasby

If I would be able to go back to change one thing, it would be to talk to my passed away relatives more. There are a lot of things that I don't know about them that I would rather hear it from thier point of view instead of a retelling from another relative. There are many unanswered questions I could of asked my grandfather and my great grandmother. I could of asked them how life was like during their childhoods. I could of also asked my grandfather or great grandmother their experience of communist Poland. Other than just historical events, I could of asked them of just important moments of their life's and get to know them better.

My grandfather was the first one from my family to come to America. I never really talked to him about his experiences in America. I obviously heard stories from my other relatives, but it isn't quite the same as hearing the story from the original source. I would of loved to know how he adapted to the different life style having to know little of the language. 

My great grandmother was born shortly after World War One and grew up in World War Two. I could of asked her the experiences she had during World War Two. She never came to America, but I visited her in Poland. I was a child when I went to Poland so talking about wars wasn't something that interested me or was even in my mind to ask. At that point I didn't even consider that it might be my last time talking to her. Though I may still happy with the memories I have made.

World War I Propaganda in America

The purpose of propaganda is to change a population's viewpoint of a certain topic or cause. During World War One, America was filled with propaganda from the Committee of Public Information and other media outlets. One example is the propaganda poster from New York American Magazine promoting Liberty Bonds.

This poster tries to convince the Americna people to buy liberty bonds to help out the war effort. It uses the logic that if you can't enlist, invest. It tries to guilt the public that didn't enlist into buying liberty bonds to help their country since the people won't fight. It also uses nationalism by saying "defend your country with you dollars." By buying these liberty bonds, the public is defending its country. The huge white soldier is representing America while his shield and sword is representing the power of Liberty bonds for America to fight different problems. These problems include devastation, starvation, war, pestilence, and death which are all represented but the foes that the soldier is facing.

Another example is from James Montgomery Flagg is promoting the navy.

This propaganda poster tries to convince the American public to join the navy to make history instead of reading it. It's targeting an average male American to join the navy since it shows an average American talking to a navy soldier. The angel in the background that is covered in American like flag wear is repreasenting the good cause of joining the navy. The navy soldier represents an experienced navy soldier showing the way to the average American to the way. He is also the one telling him to make history instead of reading it.

These posters were most likely very effective in 1914 through 1918 because they both show strong nationalism in the posters which is what most Americans felt about their young country at the time. If posters were released now if WW1 was happening now the posters would most likely include a more diverse sent of people instead of just all white males. 

DWW Essay

DWW Essay

By Jacob Wojtasik

    Dances with Wolves by Kevin Coster was an accurate representation of what was going on in the west of America at the time. It did a great job of replicating the struggle of the Native Americans. It also did a good job of presenting the culture of the Native Americans.

    In the movie, the Souix tribe was afraid of white people invading thier homeland. This was also true to the past where Native American tribes were also troubled by how they were going to deal with the white people. Both in the movie and real life, the Native Americans had difficulties trying to protect thier homeland.