Farenheit 451

"Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality and what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores."

 

Faber states this towards the end of the book when he is talking to Montag. This quotes really stood out to me when I read it and also when it was brought up in our discussion. Faber then goes on saying that Montag isn't truly interested in the books or looking for the books. Although Faber believes Montag is looking for the meaning they contain. Montag has been caught off from thinking for himself he is constantly told what to believe and has no creative thoughts what so ever. Beatty plays a huge roll in this, he manipulates Montag a lot and tells Montag what he should and should not believe. Montag is craving knowledge, he wants to stop and ponder, and not constantly be going at a fast pace like everyone else around him. Montag is looking for the details of life that is authentic experience, he wants to experience what life was like when books were not banned. What the world was like with not all the technology surrounding him. He wants to think for himself, and be his own person. He doesn’t want anyone else telling him what to believe or how he should live his life anymore. Montag claims it was his hand that had been infected when he stole the books, he believes his action was automatic and that no thought was put into what he did. This demonstrates how far Montag will go to feed his craving of knowledge. His hand symbolize rebellion and the will to do something even though he knows it’s wrong and could get him in a lot of trouble, but he still does it anyway. His will to think and learn is the real reason Montag stole the books, whether Montag was aware of it himself.

Holocaust Blog 2

Sarah Cook

 

Maus by Art Spiegelman

Page: 32-33

 

Propaganda was used a lot during World War 2 to support Nazism and the war efforts. By using propaganda it was a way the Nazis could gain support. They used posters, cartoons, books and music to represent Nazism. They tended to target the children because Hitler believed that children were the future of Nazi Germany. The Poisonous Mushroom was a story book created during World War 2. The story targeted Jewish people as being horrible and bad people. This put ideas and thoughts into young children’s minds that the Jews were bad people and you should not respect them or appreciate them. In Maus on page 149 when Vladek was walking through town the young children started screaming “Help! Mommy! A Jew!!” (Spiegelman,149). This clearly demonstrates how kids thought Jews were terrible people. These young kids were terrified and thought Vladek was going to in danger them in some way. The kids did not stop yelling until Vladek said “Heil Hitler” (Spiegleman, 149). Once he said this the children weren’t afraid anymore and the mother even apologized for her children’s actions. She states “you know how children are” (Spiegleman, 149). Again you can clearly see how brain washed children were. They were taught only to believe what the Nazis said was true, and they were unable to learn anything that the Nazis didn’t approve of. Children learned the meaning of the swastika and what it stood for. The swastika was used on many propaganda posters and comics. On pages 32 and 33 in Maus, it was the beginning of 1938 and Vladek was on the train. Vladek looks out the train window only to see for the first time a swastika. Many people during the early years of the War did not know how bad it truly was or was going to be. On panel 3 on page 33 you see a Jew holding a sign that says “I’m a filthy Jew” (Spieglemen, 33). This panel portrays just the beginning of what was in store for the Jews.

Holocaust Blog

Sarah Cook

 

How can something like the Holocaust happen?

                The Holocaust was a horrific event that took millions of innocent lives and left the entire world scarred. After the holocaust took place the main goal people all over the world had in common was how do we prevent something like this ever happening again? Everyone wanted to forget what had happened. They wanted to move on with their lives but in order to do this they had to face what had taken place. The world needed to come together and figure out a way something this horrific would never happen again. There are mass killings that still take place in the world today. Innocent people are being murdered. It may not be as bad as the Holocaust but people are being killed for no reason at all. Modern genocide took place in Cambodia, when a communist ruler took power. He created work camps just like Hitler and many were worked and starved to death. Others were tortured to death by the communist group the Khmer Rouge whose leader was Pol Pot.  There is no explanation as to why people want to murder millions of innocent people, they just do. Many leaders of genocides use propaganda to gain supporters. Hitler used posters. Cartoons, children’s books, and even music to gain supporters for the Nazi party. Usually the leaders try and target a specific group of people. Hitler targeted young children others may target women or men to try and win their support. Propaganda can brain wash the minds of the people. The thoughts in their minds aren’t truly their thoughts, the leaders are putting ideas in their heads. For example Hitler’s main message and idea was ant-Semitism. He made it very clear that he did not like the Jews and he would do everything in his power to exterminate all of the Jews. Another way Hitler brain washed children was through Hitler Youth. Children were taught to love Nazism through school and extracurricular activities. Hitler created a camp that resembled a military camp. He believed the camp would toughen up the boys for their future roles as soldiers. Boys as young as 5 years old were sent to these camps. They would have youth rallies where they would march in the form of a swastika. Girls on the other hand did not undergo rough military training. Instead the girls learned house hold skills like sewing and cooking. There were many warning signs that Hitler was up to no good but the world just turned their back. In order to prevent something like the Holocaust or modern day genocide people have to stand up for what they believe in. They can’t allow themselves to become brain washed and believe in things they know aren’t right.

The World Today-What I Am Reading About Now

1. Sarah Cook

Urbanski, Dave. "They Just Announced Major Changes to the SAT…and There’s a Tie to Common Core." The Blaze. Glenn Beck, 05 Mar 2014. Web. 5 Mar. 2014. <http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/03/05/they-just-announced-major-changes-to-the-satand-theres-a-tie-to-common-core/>.

            The new form of the SAT test will be released in 2016. This new version of the SAT’s will change drastically from the way high school students all over the country are have ever known about this standardized test. You will no longer have to submit a writing piece and students will not be penalized for putting wrong answers. Also a major change to the test is you can only use your calculator for part of the math section. The vocabulary words that students had to become familiar with have also changed. Students will be tested on words that are often used in college courses. It will be very interesting to see if these changes will benefit and improve test scores or if they will worsen the test scores.

2. Sarah Cook

LEBON, CHERYLYN HARLEY . "IDs needed to take the SATs, but not to vote?." The Blaze. Glenn Beck, 19 Apr 2012. Web. 5 Mar. 2014. <http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/ids-needed-to-take-the-sats-but-not-to-vote/>.

            Its very interesting that you need an ID when taking a standardized test but not voting on who will represent our country. After cheating on the SAT’s occurred in Great Neck, New York this rule was put in place. People were being hired or paid to take the SAT’s for students, which is also very similar to voter ID requirements in many states. Although the SAT’s ID is a lot stricter than the voters ID requirements, which is odd because voter fraud is far more important than cheating. Voter fraud is more important or severe because you are voting for people to protect and represent the country with out proving your identity. This could lead to unfair elections and which was not how our elections in the US should be. The voter ID requirements are very controversial and many people believe you should not have to show ID when you are voting.

3. Sarah Cook

Associated , Press. "Vladimir Putin Talks Tough on Ukraine, Vows to Use ‘All Means at Our Disposal’ to Protect Ethnic Russians in the Country." The Blaze. Glenn Beck, 04 Mar 2014. Web. 4 Mar. 2014. <http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/03/04/vladimir-putin-talks-tough-on-ukraine-vows-to-use-all-means-at-our-disposal-to-protect-ethnic-russians-in-the-country/>.

            Vladimir Putin explains how he has no intension on invading Ukraine or fighting the Ukrainian people. Putin did however say that he does have the right to use force to protect the Russian people who live in the Ukraine. The Ukrainian troops marched toward the border with out any weapons and were faced with about a dozen Russian troops who were armed. They fired warning shots in the air and the Russian’s threatened to shoot the Ukrainian soldiers if they proceeded on. The Ukrainian troops made it very clear that they will not back down. Russia also fired a missile in the ground that reached the target they were hoping to aim. There is a lot that is going on in Russia that has the world on edge especially Ukraine. Ukraine hopes that they can come to some kind of agreement with Russia with out fighting.

4. Sarah Cook

Granger, Montgomery J. "Barack vs. Vladimir: An Unfair Match." The Blaze. Glenn Beck, 10 Mar 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. <http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/barack-vs-vladimir-an-unfair-match/>.

            Barack Obama warned Vladimir Putin not to invade Ukraine but not long after Russia invaded the Ukraine. After the Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych left Ukraine Putin felt it was his duty to help the Ukrainian’s and expand Russia’s influence and resources. There is a lot of talk that Putin does not feel threatened by Obama. There isn’t much the US can do at this time but wait. Although by waiting Putin will continue to take over Ukraine because no one is going to stop him not even other European countries.

5. Sarah Cook

Seidl, Jonathon M. . "Major Updates in Malaysia Airlines Mystery: New Information Could Change Everything." The Blaze. Glenn Beck, 11 Mar 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. <http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/03/11/major-updates-in-malaysia-airlines-mystery-new-information-could-change-everything/>.

            On Saturday a Boeing 777 jetliner went missing. There is not much evidence of what actually happened to the jetliner but there are many theories. One thing that intelligence has figured out is the plane changed course and started heading towards the Malacca Strait instead of Beijing. They also know the plane was traveling at a very low altitude. There are many questions as to why the transponder and tracking devices were turned off. There is absolutely no trace of the plane, 10 planes and ships from many different nations have searched the area and have found no evidence of the plane. Many people are hard at work to figure out what happened to this plane.

6. Sarah Cook

Schwartz, Sharona . "New Report Suggests That Malaysian Airline May Have Flown on for Hours Longer After Last Contact." The Blaze. Glenn Beck, 12 Mar 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. <http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/03/13/malaysia-no-debris-where-china-satellite-pointed-new-report-suggests-mh370-may-have-flown-on-for-hours-longer/>.

            Investigators now believe that flight 370 was flying for an additional 4 hours after the plane lost connection with air traffic controllers. Malaysia’s civil aviation chief sent planes to check the location where Chinese satellite images showed signs of possible debris parts. The planes found nothing at all and are now back at square one. There are many theories of what happened to the plane but investigators are still not sure what actually happened. They are finding out more evidence a little at a time and hopefully the world will have an answer soon.

7. Sarah Cook

Shawn, Eric . "One-time hostage of Iranian militants urges denial of visa to new Iran envoy involved in siege." Fox News. N.p., 31 Mar 2014. Web. 31 Mar 2014. <http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/03/31/obama-administration-urged-to-deny-visa-to-former-iranian-student-involved-in/

            Barry Rosen was held for a year at the Us Embassy in Tehran by student extremists.  Iran has plans to send Hamid Aboutalebi to New York as its new UN ambassador. This man was a member of a hard line Muslim student group that in 1979 held American diplomats at the US Embassy in Tehran hostage for 444 days.

There is much controversy whether or not the US should accept his visa and allow him to be the Iranian Ambassador to the UN.