Feedback February 16-20 - World War III ???

Do you think there will be a World War III in your lifetime?

• If you don’t think WWIII will occur please explain why you feel this way. What structures are in place that will prevent WWIII from happening?
• If you do think WWIII will happen what will be the causes? Which nations will be on each side? Where will it be fought? What will be the net effect?

I think that WWIII is most unlikely to occur because people know how to negotiate and understand other people's point of views. Back in the beginning of 1900's, competition between powerful countries was intense, and the idea of war was viewed with less concern at that time. There were clearly two major conflicts between strong countries; democratic capitalism and communism. When ever there was a conflict between two big countries, they never tried to negotiate because war was thought to be the best solution to become more powerful even though lots and lots of people would suffer from it. High nationalism and greed made the people proud and selfish, thinking that there country is the best and the rest, uncivilized and unworthy.
But now, there are many organizations to prevent war and conflicts because most people know that war would only bring hatred and destruction. A lot of people now live abroad in a totally different environment, trying to learn and understand about others. More people now understand that difference does not mean the quality of one's value. If some country would start a fight, the more educated countries or richer countries would sometimes come in between and stop the war.

World War II: A Letter from the Battlefield

To: 124, 2nd Avenue,
West Reading,
Pennsylvania.
From:
365th STA HOSP
Normandy,France
US Army Base

August 14th, 1994

Dear Mom and Dad,
I hope you are well with Rose and Emily. I’m truly sorry if I had worried you by not being regular with my letters recently. In fact, our troop was very busy. Our troop had invaded Normandy on the 6th of June, and had attacked the German Army which had forcefully occupied France. It was very successful and I hope you are proud of the fact that I now will be a part of history. I will be able to write back some letters for a while, since I’m stuck here in this hospital. Fortunately, I was almost unscathed with only an arm broken and I assure you that it will heal quite fast, so don’t worry.

The war was brutal and bloody but it was worth it. We, the Allied Forces, finally got control over the German base and made a huge impact on the German Army. My troop was sent to the Omaha beach, out of the five other coastal land marks. About 32,450 of our troops were sent there along with my team. The night before, nobody could sleep and rest and in the dawn everyone got up to get ready for the battle. I bet everyone was excited like small children as I was, since the date of the battle had been delayed due to the bad weather and the Omaha Beach was going to be the largest assault area. But we never knew how the battle would truly be like until we got closer to the battle field.

It was a four-mile stretch of sand between Point du Hoc and the town of Ste-Honorine-des-Petres. As we approached towards the beach, I could feel the tense atmosphere surrounding and suffocating us. The wind and the weather weren’t fully at our side yet and the current was rough; I could barely see anything due to the cloudy weather. We were supposed to step out of the landing craft once it had gotten near the beach but as we finally did, the shooting began. The enemies were prepared with funneled mortars, machine guns, and artillery for they had been waiting for us.

The battle was not as easy and adventurous as we thought. Bullets were shot everywhere. A heavy load of bombs poured down at us and as they crashed on to the surface, they made thundering sounds of explosion. (Please do not freak out by my vivid descriptions). The smell of the gun powder was horrible and I used all my energy on trying to swim ashore alive. I just hoped that I wouldn’t be bombed but could not do anything to protect myself from it. We could not get much help from our tankers because only 5 out of 32 tankers could make it ashore. Garbage and useless pieces of our bombed armors floated here and there. At first, I almost gave up hope and was convinced that I couldn’t make it alive when I saw what was happening around me. It was a shocking and formidable sight and I’m quite sure that I shall not forget the scene for the rest of my life. As I dragged myself out on the beach and started shooting at the enemy side. I did not care where I was shooting; I just kept on pulling the trigger of my M1 "Garand" rifle and pointed towards the German Army. It was reckless and that’s how I got my arm broken. Despite this negative aspect, my companions and I fought like lions. Our commanders, Omar Bradley and Clarence R. Huebner were troubled by their plans and strategies as they did not work out as successfully as it did on the other beaches. However, they had kept our morale high, so that when we landed on the beach, I was ready to fight for my country and freedom.

After all, the battle ended in a success and the survivors returned back to the army and most, to the hospitals like me, in tremendous triumph. When we were back in the army, there was a great contrast of emotions in the building; many were somber and bitter in loss of a good friend or a great commander, while some were jubilant and glorious, busy celebrating the victory. I was in both the moods. While I was proud that I actually survived through the battle and that our side had won, but on the other hand, I couldn’t help feeling poignant for my new friend whom I’ve made during the war. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make it. His fellow friends and I are planning to pray for him tomorrow morning.

Love,
Johnny

p.s. I’m so sorry that I had to send you such a terribly depressing letter but I’m not much in a cheery mood at this moment; I hope you don’t worry too much about me. It’ll pass soon. Please remind Rose and Emily that I really miss them and love them. I hope I can see you soon. I love you.

Image citation: http://www.mikelavella.com/portfolio/wd/Dreamweaver/Media/dday4.jpg

Resources: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/may/28/secondworldwar.features111

http://www.britannica.com/dday/article-9389941

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1749.html

http://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=2

http://www.war-letters.com/

Feedback February 9-13 _Anne Frank Discussion Reflection

In her diary Anne opined: “…if you’re wondering if it’s harder for the adults here than for the children, the answer is no…Older people have an opinion about everything and are sure of themselves and their actions. It’s twice as hard for us young people to hold on to our opinions at a time when ideals are being shattered…” (July 15, 1944.) Do you agree or disagree with this quote? When was the last time that you experienced the “shattering” of an ideal?
Most people think that adults have to deal with harder problems than children do because they have more responsibilities over things. But that is not always true. Adults and children shouldn't be compared to what kind of problems they face, but how the problems affect their lives. Of course, some problems are different according to the age of the individual. For example, if you were a child, you'd be worried about getting your presents for Christmas. If you were a teenager, you'd be worried about your grades, your friends and so on. To adults, these problems would seem like nothing serious but to the people facing these problems at that certain age, these problems could seem horrible.
The last time I experienced the "shattering" of an ideal was when I realized that Santa was not real. I bet that everyone had experienced this kind of things. As I grew older, I realised that some things that were told to me and that I've believed in were actually not true.

Recipe for World War II

The Bitter Taste of World War II

First, for the bottom layer,
grab a handful of Versailles Treaty.
Then mix it with an abundant amount of reparation
and a pinch of guilt and appeasement.
Swirl and mix the ingredients until
they ooze thick with revenge.

Secondly, for the second layer,
scoop out from
the League of Nations thoroughly and then mince it
into tiny fragments.
On top of the thin layer of the League of Nations,
pour another layer of the fear of communism,
just in case.

Thirdly, for the third layer,
pour a cupful of enmity with a spoonful of greed and revenge
with a few fascists: Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and Hirohito.
Make sure to sugar coat them with prejudice and dictatorship.
Don't forget to add the German aggression sauce and Japanese agression sauce;
mix them till they blend in united liquid.

Lastly, for the icing and the decoration,
cover with whipped creme and sprinkle some sweet ideas
of a strong government, power and conquering the world.
Now you have a WWII!
But be careful; it will explode as soon as the temperature reaches 1939
and there will be a chaotic mess in the kitchen.
All it would leave are destruction and bitterness in the heart.

http://kids.lovetoknow.com/wiki/images/Kids/thumb/d/d3/Baking_cake.jpg/200px-Baking_cake.jpg

Critique of Animal Farm (The Movie)

The movie Animal Farm was actually quite different from what I thought it would be. I thought that the movie showed the emotions and the background theme well, although some details from the book were missing. Surprisingly, I didn't really find the missing parts disturbing. It was actually quite subtle and if I hadn't read the book, I wouldn't have noticed at all. What I most found surprising was how the movie showed the emotions of the characters and their thoughts vividly while there was barely any word spoken by the animals. And I found the animation quite depressing and it left a bigger impact on me than the book did. I thought that the movie would be really cute with pretty animals and a light tone in the background but it rather made me absorbed into the movie. However, I still think that movie wasn't quite as satisfying as the book did. After all, the movie did take out some details and actually showed what would happen to the pigs at the end.
Some of the examples of the missing parts are the characters. In the movie, several characters such as Mollie, the white mare, was not mentioned. In some characters, it did not fully develope the characters in their personality. For example, I thought that the donkey, Benjamin, was supposed to be more cyninical and be negative about everything. However, in the movie, it didn't quite show it. While there were parts that were missing, there were some extra parts too. I found it really wierd how the movie showed what would actually happen at the end, rather than to foreshadow it. In that way, it kind of showed what level of understanding was viewed from the movie.

Feedback January 26-30 _Which character in Animal Farm are you?

With which character in Animal Farm to you most closely identify? Using examples from the novel justify your comparison.
I think I'm like Mollie and Boxer, some of each animal's characteristics mixed together. Mollie and Boxer are both horses but they both have two very different personalities. Mollie is a pretty white mare, who loves sugar and plaiting her hair with colorful ribbons. She's kind of lazy and loves freedom. On the other hand, Boxer is a strong horse who is very diligent as well as hardworking. His motto is "I'll work harder" and 'Napoleon is always right". He is very loyal and played an important role in building the windmill.
The reason why I think that I'm a part Mollie because I do prefer some things that she likes. Such as sugar, ribbons and I could be lazy sometimes when I'm not interested in the topic. I can also girly when I want to be and wear pretty clothes. And I also like freedom. I don't usually like long instructions when I'm doing something. Who doesn't want freedom?
But when I'm really into something such as school projects or group projects, I always try to do the best, like Boxer because after all, the grade that my group gets would go into my grade too. But I'm not really loyal to one individual and do whatever that person tells me too. I make my own decisions.