Book Thief 3

I think the scene that impacted me the most was when Liesel saw Max in the line marching to the Death Camp. I could relate with her and it was terrible waiting to see if Max would actually be in the line. Half of me wanted him to be there so that him and Liesel could see eachother again, but the other half of me wanted him to not be there simply because he would be going to a Death Camp. I like this sentence: "It was how the face was acting-also studying the crowd." This goes to show how much BOTH Liesel and Max wanted to see eachother again. Once they reach eachother in the crowded line, they briefly talk. Although they are few words, they mean alot. Liesel also quotes the book that Max wrote for her. She says "Is it really you? Is it from your cheek that I took the seed?" This scene also shows the closeness that people can have. Even closeness between a Jew and a German. They display desperation as they try and fight off the soldiers trying to rip them apart. When Zusak writes "A great day to die. A great day to die, like this." it shows that no matter what happens, Liesel and Max will always be together and they will withstand all disasters.

Book Thief 2

Yes i agree that Liesel changes throughout the book. The other person that changes is Liesel's mama. My opinion of mama changes as well. At the beginning mama is very harsh and often swearing and desrespecting people like her neighbor, papa, and Liesel. Mama tells Liesel "Call me Mama when you talk to me." At this point mama is very stern and harsh with Liesel. Mama talks about the people she washes clothes for and complains every opportunity she has. She comes across as arrogant and rude. But when Max arrives mama becomes concerned for the people around her and has a greater appreciation for them since she senses the danger they are all in. Liesel says "What shocked Liesel most was the change in her mama." Mama even goes as far as to embrace Liesel and to stroke her hair. When papa leaves for the war, mama stays awake with his accordian across her chest. This shows that mama DOES have a soft side to her. Although at the beginning i didnt like mama, at the end i thought she was a good, considerate woman.

Book Thief

I really like this! At first, having Death be the narrator of the story freaked me out and I didnt enjoy reading it. But after awhile i started to find Death's perspective on death interesting. I think the most important passages on death is how people can see him, sense him, and even occasionally ESCAPE him almost as if Death is a person. He says, "That was the first time Hans Hubermann escaped me." This almost plays into the idea of fate as well. Being able to see, sense, and escape are all actions associated with people and objects, not death. Another time when Death can be seen is when Liesel is watching the German pilot die. Death says "I recognize you" and "she looked me in my face and she did not look away." Another interesting idea that Death says throughout the novel, are hints about Rudy Steiner's death. Death says "He didn't deserve to die the way he did." He also says "taking a boy like Rudy was robbery", showing that Death can have feelings and is even more human like. I think that if Death had not so human like and almost easy to relate to, the story would not have been as great.
April 20, 2010 7:05 PM

Modern Art

"Nightfall" by Agnes Abplanalp

In this picture, there appears to be a sunset. There are many colors like blue, gray, yellow, and white. There is also some sort of water, whether it be a river, ocean, lake, etc that is below the sunset. The painting is put together with color. The colors blend together and "hold" it. The artist does not use distinct lines in this painting. He/She creates lines by for example by putting the blue against the sky to create the water and the sky. The line to create the sky and the water is horizontal but to create the reflection of the sunset the lines make a "v" shape. The colors the artist uses are blue, gray, yellow and white. Most of these colors are blended together and are shades. Although the colors are not related, they are pleasing and flow together. The colors are used to emphasize the sunset and bring attention to it. Without lines, the person viewing the painting is unsure of where the main focus is. But since the artist created an object with colors, the viewer can imagine the view he/she is viewing. The artist does not use many shapes except for the circle to create the sun and the "v" to create the reflection. This painting seems to have dimension through each "blob" of paint. It seems to float off the page. The lighting for this painting comes from the sun. The lighting does contribute to the mood, its homey and warm. The artist pulls it together through color. I feel this painting is warm and welcoming. This mood is created through color.

Renaissance Art

"The Ancient of Days"

William Blake

Mark Antony

Mark Antony is very faithful to Julias Caesar and loves him dearly. Antony cries out, "That I did love thee, Caesar, O, 'tis true!" He does not question Caesar or doubt his motives. But when Brutus, Cassius, Cinna, and many of their followers murder Caesar, Antony falls to his knees and begs them to not kill him. Brutus says, "O Antony, beg not your death of us!" Antony then shakes hands of his enemies, Caesar's murderers, and calls them friends. Antony then speaks at Caesar's funeral and makes clear that his motive and goal is to revenge Caesar's unneccessary death. Antony tells the crowd surrounding him, "I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong". Antony supports the angry crowd with wanting to slaughter the murderers of Caesar and in some way, fuels their actions with his harsh words. Antony stands strong against Brutus' band until Brutus takes his own life. Antony then changes his views on Brutus, saying he was noble and gentle. Antony changes throughout the story of Julias Caesar because he changes his views on the hated murderers quickly and suddenly. This shows that Antony uses the strongest words and outlooks to achieve his goals. Even if he does not believe them himself or if they are not truelly the right thing to say.
Mark Antony was very interesting to me because he knew how to persuade the crowd. He used the right words at the right time to provoke a particular emotion. Mark Antony is very much a people person and this helps him to convince citizens of Rome that he is the one to follow, not Brutus. Mark Antony seemed real to me, much like the politicians of today.
Mark Antony seems to have the same personality traits as Barack Obama. Obama is most famous for his speeches, which Mark Antony is noted for as well. Obama knows how to get an audience nodding their heads in agreement. The PROPUBLICA (journalism in public interest) states, "Obama, on the other hand, won the presidency, in significant measure, on the power of his words". Mark Antony won over Rome with his words, as did Barack Obama won over America.

Plato's "Shadows"

The shadows that Plato tells us of are the illusions in life such as media, culture, religion, etc. Some examples of these shadows are: the illusion that everyone is thin and perfect as magazines portray, that drinking and smoking is the "cool" thing to do, that everyone is the same or should be, that one religion is right and dominate over others and many more. On the internet there are many of Plato's "shadows". For example, this website (http://qualitybooks.com/lose20.htm) tells how you can lose 20 pounds in 14 days. This seems very unreal to me, like an illusion. You would literally have to lose more than 1 pound per day to achieve this "expectation".
Plato's "shadows" are everywhere in our society. We grow up with them all around us and it makes us kind of wonder... what is truth? Plato's "shadows" impact society on how we live every moment by the decisions we make on our clothes, food, friends, school, just pretty much everything. It is very dangerous for us to believe that these "shadows", or illusions, are true because they are lies. Lies hide us from many things in life and believing these keep us from fully enjoying life. They also influence our decisions and sometimes for the worst. What if we could all throw back the curtain of Plato's "shadows"? What would life be like for us?