For my final blog, I chose to critique Victor's 3rd blog with his song connection found here
Personally, I think he chose a very good song with many deep and insightful connections. However, his transitions and technical and formal elements could be improved to make the blog easier to follow. He could have also had a more in depth conclusion that summarized his key points to close the blog in an effective manner.
However, his strengths lay in his excellent choice of song and the connections that he was able to make to the story with it. He was able to focus on many of the main themes of the short story, showing a true understanding and deep analytical skills. With the If we see the last day... he focused on the climax of the short story and the impact of that one day.
Following that, Victor focused on the two "worlds" and the differences between adults and children in their views, perspectives and judgement on society. He also managed to focus on the key conflict and theme of man vs. society .
Lastly, Victor ended it off with two nice and happy connections of how the girls, due to their purity and naivety, still tried to live in their own world and maintain their friendship. He continues with mentioning the perspective of the girls and their perseverance in trying to believe that nothing had changed. He then follows up and concludes it by connecting with I will still have you . It was a good, strong connection that gave the readers a bittersweet feeling and a shimmer of hope. His mention of a bond allows the reader to reflect on their own life and make personal connections after reading Victor's connections with Us against the world by Christina Milian.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Lord of the Flies-Short Story connection
There are many similarities between Lord of the Flies and the short story we read in class despite the different turn of events and settings of the two pieces of work.
First of all, both Lord of the Flies and the story story features a setting in which two wars are taking place - one relatively minor, and the other major and influential on a global level.
In the short story, the two girls fight with each other over Hadiya, and she is constantly seen as a rival between the main character and Salem. She and Salem even fight with each other because she believes that Salem talked to Hadiya and she was not supposed to. Meanwhile, a bigger war is taking place between the Christians and the Muslims, which would technically make the two girls enemies, as one is Christian and the other Muslim. This bigger war affects the girls and their relationship, just like in Lord of the Flies.
In Lord of the Flies, both Ralph and Jack were trying to befriend and take control of the other boys. As Ralph is the protagonist, Jack plays the part of Hadiya (in comparison to the short story), and constantly acts as an obstacle between Ralph and his friendships with the other boys. Just like the short story, the boys create their own war (though this is still more violent than physical than that of the three 6-year-old girls). Meanwhile, the cause of the smaller war is because of WW2, which is significantly bigger than that on the island. This is similar to how the war between the Christians and Muslims caused the girls to argue, especially when Hadiya tells Salem things that she should not do as a Muslim. Therefore, both stories share the connection of the connections between the two wars that almost interconnect.
Second, both stories carry the same themes -- loss of innocence and the struggle between right and wrong.
The main character and her best friend were innocent little girls who where aware of little beyond their small community and the world and language that they created together. However, exposure to the negatives and destruction of society forced them to realize what the world was really about and how terrible it was. At the beginning of the short story, it was said, The world was only big enough for the two of you, and your secret language was an endless giggle, which made the other kids jealous.
In Lord of the Flies, the boys also had the same thoughts when they arrived on the island. They were very excited to get started and thought that until the adults came to save them, they could have their own little world and be free from the controls of society. Eyes shining, mouths open, triumphant, they savoured the right of domination. They were lifted up: were friends."
This showed that at the beginning, the boys were excited and unaware of what was going to happen. However, with the turn of events, they started turning against each other and fighting. The loss of innocence came when they realized what damage people could really do and how violent everything was. Like the short story, the loss of innocence came as an influence (either direct of indirect) from the large-scale war that was going on. The fighting of World War 2 brought the boys to the island and helped them realize the nature of man, while the conflicts between Christians and Muslims in the short story caused the girls to see all the cruel and evil things that people in the world around them were doing.
In the short story, there was also a non-stop battle of good verse evil. The two girls believed that what society and the educated adults were doing were evil and wrong. They did not want to hate and fight each other just because of religion, yet they were uncertain about going beyond the boundaries (even though they were wrong ) that the adults set for them. Yet, in the end, they won the battle by disobeying the faulty rules that the war brought forth and continued loving each other.
Though the boys strayed away from good and fell to evil in Lord of the Flies, Ralph, Simon and Piggy all fought the urge (to some degree) to be evil. Piggy questioned Jack's motives and wondered why he was always so evil towards him. Meanwhile, Ralph tried to understand why the boys stopped listening and what went wrong as they descended into savagery. Meanwhile, Simon battled the idea of the beast and how it was just the fear and evil within the boys.
Finally, just like Lord of the Flies, there was an example of insight in the short story. The main character had a dream about Salem and her running off with Hadiya, while she was left all alone. She dreamed that Hadiya inherited all of her good qualities and that Salem began to like her more, while the main character became ugly and twisted like the old coffee trees of Jimma.
You felt so bad you sobbed, and Hadiya came to hug you. She told you that it wasn't Salem's fault, that her parents wanted her to avoid you because you weren't one of them."
In Lord of the Flies, the "Lord of the Flies" talks to Simon about the nature of man and how he was all alone and should be evil like the other boys. Just like in the short story, the insight tried to tell Simon what was going on and what was the cause of the problem, but in a way that destroyed his hope and drained him of all his energy.
"There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast... You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are?"
In both cases, the insight tried to tell the character what was really going on in a negative manner. It told of the cause of all the problems, but only when there was no solution, which left the character in despair, but unable to do anything. In both cases, the situation ended up happier and more realistic than what the insight told, but it still helped to further despair and negativity in the climax of the story.
To summarize, the main connection from the two stories was the fight of wrong and right, and to find out for oneself what the right answer truly was.
First of all, both Lord of the Flies and the story story features a setting in which two wars are taking place - one relatively minor, and the other major and influential on a global level.
In the short story, the two girls fight with each other over Hadiya, and she is constantly seen as a rival between the main character and Salem. She and Salem even fight with each other because she believes that Salem talked to Hadiya and she was not supposed to. Meanwhile, a bigger war is taking place between the Christians and the Muslims, which would technically make the two girls enemies, as one is Christian and the other Muslim. This bigger war affects the girls and their relationship, just like in Lord of the Flies.
In Lord of the Flies, both Ralph and Jack were trying to befriend and take control of the other boys. As Ralph is the protagonist, Jack plays the part of Hadiya (in comparison to the short story), and constantly acts as an obstacle between Ralph and his friendships with the other boys. Just like the short story, the boys create their own war (though this is still more violent than physical than that of the three 6-year-old girls). Meanwhile, the cause of the smaller war is because of WW2, which is significantly bigger than that on the island. This is similar to how the war between the Christians and Muslims caused the girls to argue, especially when Hadiya tells Salem things that she should not do as a Muslim. Therefore, both stories share the connection of the connections between the two wars that almost interconnect.
Second, both stories carry the same themes -- loss of innocence and the struggle between right and wrong.
The main character and her best friend were innocent little girls who where aware of little beyond their small community and the world and language that they created together. However, exposure to the negatives and destruction of society forced them to realize what the world was really about and how terrible it was. At the beginning of the short story, it was said, The world was only big enough for the two of you, and your secret language was an endless giggle, which made the other kids jealous.
In Lord of the Flies, the boys also had the same thoughts when they arrived on the island. They were very excited to get started and thought that until the adults came to save them, they could have their own little world and be free from the controls of society. Eyes shining, mouths open, triumphant, they savoured the right of domination. They were lifted up: were friends."
This showed that at the beginning, the boys were excited and unaware of what was going to happen. However, with the turn of events, they started turning against each other and fighting. The loss of innocence came when they realized what damage people could really do and how violent everything was. Like the short story, the loss of innocence came as an influence (either direct of indirect) from the large-scale war that was going on. The fighting of World War 2 brought the boys to the island and helped them realize the nature of man, while the conflicts between Christians and Muslims in the short story caused the girls to see all the cruel and evil things that people in the world around them were doing.
In the short story, there was also a non-stop battle of good verse evil. The two girls believed that what society and the educated adults were doing were evil and wrong. They did not want to hate and fight each other just because of religion, yet they were uncertain about going beyond the boundaries (even though they were wrong ) that the adults set for them. Yet, in the end, they won the battle by disobeying the faulty rules that the war brought forth and continued loving each other.
Though the boys strayed away from good and fell to evil in Lord of the Flies, Ralph, Simon and Piggy all fought the urge (to some degree) to be evil. Piggy questioned Jack's motives and wondered why he was always so evil towards him. Meanwhile, Ralph tried to understand why the boys stopped listening and what went wrong as they descended into savagery. Meanwhile, Simon battled the idea of the beast and how it was just the fear and evil within the boys.
Finally, just like Lord of the Flies, there was an example of insight in the short story. The main character had a dream about Salem and her running off with Hadiya, while she was left all alone. She dreamed that Hadiya inherited all of her good qualities and that Salem began to like her more, while the main character became ugly and twisted like the old coffee trees of Jimma.
You felt so bad you sobbed, and Hadiya came to hug you. She told you that it wasn't Salem's fault, that her parents wanted her to avoid you because you weren't one of them."
In Lord of the Flies, the "Lord of the Flies" talks to Simon about the nature of man and how he was all alone and should be evil like the other boys. Just like in the short story, the insight tried to tell Simon what was going on and what was the cause of the problem, but in a way that destroyed his hope and drained him of all his energy.
"There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast... You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are?"
In both cases, the insight tried to tell the character what was really going on in a negative manner. It told of the cause of all the problems, but only when there was no solution, which left the character in despair, but unable to do anything. In both cases, the situation ended up happier and more realistic than what the insight told, but it still helped to further despair and negativity in the climax of the story.
To summarize, the main connection from the two stories was the fight of wrong and right, and to find out for oneself what the right answer truly was.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Song-Story-Connection
I felt that the story connected strongly with the song "Waving Flag" by K'naan
The lyrics and be accessed here and you can watch the YouTube video here
The short story featured two girls of different faiths who displayed acts of heroism and surpassed the boundaries that their society and families set for them to continue being friends in times that declared them as enemies. Their love for each other allowed them to conquer the challenges that their societies, which they don't fully understand, set aside for them.
In Waving flag, it starts off with When I get older, I will be stronger, they'll call me freedom, just like a waving flag.
In the story, the two young girls are trapped within boundaries of who they can befriend and associate with. The main character is not allowed to play with or even see Salem because she is Muslim and the main character is Christian. Yet, she, at a young age, manages to find ways to talk to Salem, for she smiled because she had discovered a new language. This suggests that when she gets older and stronger (physically, mentally and more powerful in her society), she will definitely stand for what she believes in (she is already doing it right now by disobeying her parents and following her heart). She is already showing signs of fighting for the freedom to be with her friends, relating to they'll call me freedom, just like a waving flag.
The song was followed by But Violent prone, poor people zone,
But it’s my home, all I have known,
Where I got grown, streets we would roam
In the story, it is said that "I part of her[Salem]'s building was burned, but not Selam's flat. The building was now red and black because of the fire. Some of the burned flats looked like empty black shells...."
This directly relates to the song lyrics, Violent prone, poor people zone because it was a display of violence and with the destruction, comes the poverty of those that lost their homes. Parts of Salem's building were burned too and her dad's Peugeot had been vandalized. Finally, it is said in the story that "The world was only big enough for the two of you [Salem and her best friend], and your secret language was an endless giggle." The two girls would also watch Salem's brothers, go out to lunch, church, and to get their hair braided. In their world, these would be the streets we would roam . Like in the song, their streets and homes were destroyed by the violence that also brought forth poverty.
The lines following are: But out of the darkness, I came the farthest,
Among the hardest survival,
Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Except no defeat, surrender retreat,
This relates to the main character's fight and how she was unwilling to accept defeat, surrender or retreat despite how bleak the situation seemed. In the afternoon, she pretended to be reading in her room so that she could watch Selam's flat and even though she was sure that she would not come onto the balcony, she kept vigil.
After that, the lines are: So we struggling, fighting to eat and,
We wondering when we’ll be free,
So we patiently wait, for that fateful day,
These lines represent how the girls' lives have changed and how they were struggling to survive. There was constant destruction and they couldn't go to school because it was no longer safe. Yet, the main character asked about when she would be able to go back to school, symbolizing that she wanted her old life back and she was waiting for that happy day where life would return to normal.
On a more literal term, she was unable to eat at dinner time because of the situation.
At dinner Mommy and Daddy told you to cheer up. They told you not to nibble your food."
So many wars, settling scores
Bringing us promises, leaving us poor
I heard them say, love is the way
Love is the answer, that’s what they say
This directly relates to the wars that the Christians and Muslims are fighting, because of their disagreements. Once again, poverty is mentioned as property gets destroyed and some families lose everything. Everyone was fighting for love and what they believed to be right, but their actions showed their hypocrisy as they went about promoting the opposite of love through violence. Therefore, the lines Love is the answer, that's what they SAY is a very accurate representation of the situation.
The following lines in the song repeat the first few verses, adding to the emphasis of the message.
In conclusion, the story focused on two girls and their struggle to fight against society, for what they believed was right -unity, friendship and the lack of discrimination. However, they are too young, and not yet powerful enough to make a stand and correct the wrongs. However, their effort and the fight shows their perseverance, which is implied in
When I get older, I will be stronger...
The lyrics and be accessed here and you can watch the YouTube video here
The short story featured two girls of different faiths who displayed acts of heroism and surpassed the boundaries that their society and families set for them to continue being friends in times that declared them as enemies. Their love for each other allowed them to conquer the challenges that their societies, which they don't fully understand, set aside for them.
In Waving flag, it starts off with When I get older, I will be stronger, they'll call me freedom, just like a waving flag.
In the story, the two young girls are trapped within boundaries of who they can befriend and associate with. The main character is not allowed to play with or even see Salem because she is Muslim and the main character is Christian. Yet, she, at a young age, manages to find ways to talk to Salem, for she smiled because she had discovered a new language. This suggests that when she gets older and stronger (physically, mentally and more powerful in her society), she will definitely stand for what she believes in (she is already doing it right now by disobeying her parents and following her heart). She is already showing signs of fighting for the freedom to be with her friends, relating to they'll call me freedom, just like a waving flag.
The song was followed by But Violent prone, poor people zone,
But it’s my home, all I have known,
Where I got grown, streets we would roam
In the story, it is said that "I part of her[Salem]'s building was burned, but not Selam's flat. The building was now red and black because of the fire. Some of the burned flats looked like empty black shells...."
This directly relates to the song lyrics, Violent prone, poor people zone because it was a display of violence and with the destruction, comes the poverty of those that lost their homes. Parts of Salem's building were burned too and her dad's Peugeot had been vandalized. Finally, it is said in the story that "The world was only big enough for the two of you [Salem and her best friend], and your secret language was an endless giggle." The two girls would also watch Salem's brothers, go out to lunch, church, and to get their hair braided. In their world, these would be the streets we would roam . Like in the song, their streets and homes were destroyed by the violence that also brought forth poverty.
The lines following are: But out of the darkness, I came the farthest,
Among the hardest survival,
Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Except no defeat, surrender retreat,
This relates to the main character's fight and how she was unwilling to accept defeat, surrender or retreat despite how bleak the situation seemed. In the afternoon, she pretended to be reading in her room so that she could watch Selam's flat and even though she was sure that she would not come onto the balcony, she kept vigil.
After that, the lines are: So we struggling, fighting to eat and,
We wondering when we’ll be free,
So we patiently wait, for that fateful day,
These lines represent how the girls' lives have changed and how they were struggling to survive. There was constant destruction and they couldn't go to school because it was no longer safe. Yet, the main character asked about when she would be able to go back to school, symbolizing that she wanted her old life back and she was waiting for that happy day where life would return to normal.
On a more literal term, she was unable to eat at dinner time because of the situation.
At dinner Mommy and Daddy told you to cheer up. They told you not to nibble your food."
So many wars, settling scores
Bringing us promises, leaving us poor
I heard them say, love is the way
Love is the answer, that’s what they say
This directly relates to the wars that the Christians and Muslims are fighting, because of their disagreements. Once again, poverty is mentioned as property gets destroyed and some families lose everything. Everyone was fighting for love and what they believed to be right, but their actions showed their hypocrisy as they went about promoting the opposite of love through violence. Therefore, the lines Love is the answer, that's what they SAY is a very accurate representation of the situation.
The following lines in the song repeat the first few verses, adding to the emphasis of the message.
In conclusion, the story focused on two girls and their struggle to fight against society, for what they believed was right -unity, friendship and the lack of discrimination. However, they are too young, and not yet powerful enough to make a stand and correct the wrongs. However, their effort and the fight shows their perseverance, which is implied in
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Journal Entry
The short story about two friends of different faiths and their personal battles to remain friends after conflicts stir up in regards to their faiths is very cute but also deep and packed with insight. I immediately fell in love with the young girls and their naive nature, especially when they fought over things that were most important to them as children. In this case, it was whether or not Selam, the Muslim girl, talked to Hadiya, who was also Muslim, but was disliked by the narrator, who is Selam's best friend. Overall, the story focused on the conflicts of the best friends, and how the the turn of events in the adult society indirectly affected their friendship and lives. Theoretically speaking, adults, because of their advanced education, should have been able to make better decisions. However, in this case, as I compare the conflicts and their effects, it really forced me to ask myself if adults were truly better than children in treating others and judging right and wrong.
The really big theme in this story was the choices of adults verses the choices of children and the question of whether or not education and influence affects people in a positive way.
Instincts and naivety, along with indifference (towards religion and other factors that separate people) were shown throughout the story by the two young girls. Neither understood why they were not allowed to play together, nor did they understand the reason for destruction. The differences in religion, which they did not understand in the first place, made them enemies, but their naivety and lack of understanding also allowed them to carry forth with their friendship. This friendship proved to be more beneficial and happy than the war between the Muslims and Christians, which caused damage, destruction and unhappiness. It allowed the reader to ponder whether or not the adults, who were intelligent and educated were truly more logical and wise than the uneducated kids that were not taught to differentiate and judge by anything other than personality.
Some really cute and insightful quotes I found were:
"I told you not to talk to Hadiya!" you said, dropping your fork. "She's not our friend."
~Though the main character had conflicts with Hadiya, it was because she didn't like her for personal reasons, not because of her religion (which was Muslim when the main character was Christian). Unlike the educated adults in her community, she only disliked one person because of personality, not a large group of people that they did not know because they claimed to be of a different religion.
"Not 'us' as in "us," Daddy said.
"It's not personal," Mommy said. "You know they're Muslims?"
This shows how the leaders' decisions were impersonal and judgmental, and how it affected personal relationships. This was all caused by decisions made by a small group of people that had no direct or personal relationships with the majority of their "enemies".
"You smiled because you had discovered a new language."
This was part of a very nice conclusion to the story because it showed that naive, loving children uninfluenced by the biases and judgement of adults were able, through love, to break the barriers and maintain their friendship in times or hardship and hatred.
I hope the rest of you enjoyed the story.
The really big theme in this story was the choices of adults verses the choices of children and the question of whether or not education and influence affects people in a positive way.
Instincts and naivety, along with indifference (towards religion and other factors that separate people) were shown throughout the story by the two young girls. Neither understood why they were not allowed to play together, nor did they understand the reason for destruction. The differences in religion, which they did not understand in the first place, made them enemies, but their naivety and lack of understanding also allowed them to carry forth with their friendship. This friendship proved to be more beneficial and happy than the war between the Muslims and Christians, which caused damage, destruction and unhappiness. It allowed the reader to ponder whether or not the adults, who were intelligent and educated were truly more logical and wise than the uneducated kids that were not taught to differentiate and judge by anything other than personality.
Some really cute and insightful quotes I found were:
"I told you not to talk to Hadiya!" you said, dropping your fork. "She's not our friend."
~Though the main character had conflicts with Hadiya, it was because she didn't like her for personal reasons, not because of her religion (which was Muslim when the main character was Christian). Unlike the educated adults in her community, she only disliked one person because of personality, not a large group of people that they did not know because they claimed to be of a different religion.
"Not 'us' as in "us," Daddy said.
"It's not personal," Mommy said. "You know they're Muslims?"
This shows how the leaders' decisions were impersonal and judgmental, and how it affected personal relationships. This was all caused by decisions made by a small group of people that had no direct or personal relationships with the majority of their "enemies".
"You smiled because you had discovered a new language."
This was part of a very nice conclusion to the story because it showed that naive, loving children uninfluenced by the biases and judgement of adults were able, through love, to break the barriers and maintain their friendship in times or hardship and hatred.
I hope the rest of you enjoyed the story.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)