Q2 Outside Reading Post 3: Miriam's Kitchen

 In the reading I did this week, there was a very big conflict where someone had to chose on what was ethically right.  Miriam told a story about how she knew that their christian neighbors were hiding a Jewish family from the Nazis during the Holocaust.  In this situation, the neighbors thought it was ethically right to not tattle on the family and tell the Nazis that the family was Jewish.  If the family would've ratted them out, the family most likely would've been killed.  This was a very brave step that the Christian family took and if anyone found out, they could have been banned from the city they lived in, lost all their friends or even worse, get killed.

If I were in the Christian family's place, I would've done the same thing.  My grandparents were in the Holocaust and so I have heard some pretty disturbing stories on how they were always trying to find a place to hide.  If hiding someone in my house meant saving their lives, I would do it.  Even if it would bring threats to me, it would be worth it because I would know that deep down I am doing the right thing and that it would pay off in the end.

On the Waterfront Post

In the film On the Waterfront, we find out about how characters feel about being tattle tales.  The biggest example in the film is when Terry rats out his "friends" in the mob.  The mob were a group of men who were very dangerous.  Whenever they found out someone was going to stand up to them or tell their secrets, they would kill them in a very sneaky way.  Terry was not afraid of them and realized that they were hurting society so much that it was worth it to tattle on them.  In the end, the mob is very angry and Johnny Friendly, the leader of the mob, beats Terry to the point of death.  Even though Terry got very hurt, he showed that if one has secrets that are hurting, or in this case killing, others, than it is better to tattle on them than to have society get more hurt.  Who knows, if Terry wouldn't of stood up to the mob, so many more people could have gotten killed.

In my personal opinion, I think it is okay if one tattles on someone else if it is hurting society or someone else.  Here is one example that many teenage girls deal with.  There friend confesses to them that they're anorexic, but makes you SWEAR not to tell anyone or else your friendship will end.  Although it could risk you friendship, if you tell someone about her problem, you will be saving her life.  If someone has a secret that doesn't hurt society, someone, or something, then there is no reason why one should rat them out.

All My Sons Post

In the play, All my Sons, we see many examples where characters chose which is more important, fulfilling the needs of their society or the needs of their family.  There seems to be so much drama that gets to the characters heads.  All the drama makes them realize what really is important in their life and forces them to make decisions on very rough subjects.  In the Keller family there is a lot of drama.  Larry, one of the sons, has died in the war and Kate, the mother, won't come to realization that he is dead.  Chris, another of the sons, plans on marrying Larry's lover, Ann.  Joe, the father, is found guilty of lying about a huge crisis.  "I'm askin' you.  What am I, a stranger?  I thought I had a family here.  What happened to my family?" (Miller 75).  This shows that the Keller family hasn't been focusing on what the needs of the family were.  They've been more worried about what society thinks and have almost forgotten that they have a family to take care to.  George, Ann's brother, in the play, put his view of his families needs first.  He hated the Kellers because he was convinced that Joe Keller was involved with the scandal that left George and Ann's father in jail.  "You're not going to marry him" (Miller 53).  George obviously loves his family so much that he is willing to take away Ann from her love, Chris, because he hates the Kellers so much.  He is putting what he thinks are his families needs first in this situation.  As you can see, there are many different scenarios where society comes first or family comes first.

In my opinion, I think it is more important to put the needs of your family first.  Your family are the ones you love and the ones who you are supposed to be there for.  If they are in trouble, you should always try to do everything you can so they can be better off.  The only situation where you would have to put society first is if your family committed some kind of crime or did something that hurt society.  Even if your families beliefs are different than those in society, you should always stick by your family.

Q2 Outside Reading Post 2: Miriam's Kitchen

This week I read pages 62-120.  In the beginning we learn about Miriam's style of baking.  Before this, we knew that she loved to bake but in these pages we learn her style.  "There is no food processor, apple corer, mixing bowl, measuring spoon, basting brush, egg beater, wine coaster, or tomato knife.  Miriam, in general, does not aquire kitchen equipment... She knows exactly what she has and what she needs, because Miriam's repertoire is a dependable selection.  It is Bach, Brahms, and Beethoven, with a little Chopin, Dvorak and Irving Berlin added in over"(63).  This shows that Miriam doesn't use fancy utensils to bake.  This also shows that she isn't a perfectionist when it comes to measuring but thinks that the taste of something matters more.  We also learn more about how Miriam likes to add what she thinks would be right in a recipe.  "My instinct is to improvise" (64).  This shows that she likes to change up some of her recipes to make it her own.  

In these pages we also learn a little bit about Miriam's childhood.  She was a jewish girl, who was growing up in Germany area.  We learn that she loved where she lived.  "Her mother's youngest sister, spared at Auschwitz, was raising a family next door.  Down the road were friends from the old village.  There was dazzling warmth and sunlight..." (67).  This is a good description of what the town was like and really shows why Miriam loved Germany so much.  Unfortunatley, she was forced to move because of the war.  Her family, along with many others, wanted to go to America for the same reason; freedom and a better life.  "But her mother and her husband wanted America, they wanted prosperity, and Miriam packed up to begin again" (68).  We see that if Miriam, had a choice, she wouldn't of necesarily wanted to move because she loved her home town so much.  This quote also shows that she seems to have been moving around a lot.  Overall, in the pages we get more information about Miriam.

Q2 Outside Reading Post 1: Miriam's Kitchen

For this quarters outside reading, I am reading the memoir Miriam's Kitchen by Elizabeth Ehrlich.  In the memoir, Elizabeth is talking about her childhood.  She grew up in New York like any Jewish family.  Went to synagogue, kept a kosher house and had a grandmother who was always cooking.  We learn that Miriam loves to cook.  "They cooked twenty-one meals a week, fifty-two weeks a year, all their adult lives" (17).  This really gives you a good idea on how much Miriam really did cook.  Like most Jewish grandmothers, they are always cooking meals for their family.  Also, every chapter would be named a different type of dish.  Then, in that chapter she would describe the time when Miriam made the food.  "One autumn in Brooklyn as we visited for the holidays, I watched my grandmother in her kitchen day after day... she made a cabbage borsht or soup that season, sweet-and sour" (59).  This chapter was called stuffed cabbage.  As you can see, Elizabeth is describing the setting of where she was when this dish was made.  Then she describes the taste.  By doing this, you really get information about the flavors in the dish.  Once in awhile, there will be a recipe following the chapter.  I think this is a good addition to the book because it makes the book seem real, and you get a better understanding of what the dish is, since a lot of the foods she makes have Yiddish names.  On page 27 there is a recipe for cholent which is a type of meat.  This follows the chapter "Cholent" which is when Elizabeth meets the man she will one day marry.

In the pages, we also learn about Elizabeth's family and their religious views.  They are conservant Jews so they keep a kosher home, where milks and meats don't mix, and go to services often.  There is a chapter about the Jewish Holiday Yom Kippur.  That is when God judges the Jewish people on how they acted the past year and the people reflect on how they acted.  People go to services to pray for the day and also fast.  "The repetitions of prayer and emotion echo and rise in every place of Jewish worship:  We will die, we are sinful, we are not worthy of the privilege of life" (11).  This is what a temple would usually sound like.  People are telling God that they messed up in the past year and didn't act how they should've.  

The Voice (Blog #5)

The Voice by Shel Silverstein

There is a voice inside of you,

That whispers all day long,

"I fell that this is right for me,

I know that this is wrong."

No, teacher, preacher, parent, friend

Or wise man can decide

What's right for you- just listen to

The voice that speaks inside.

I think this poem has to do with the overall theme of many things that we have studied in class.  One example is in The Iliad.  Many of the characters have to think to themselves on what would be the best decision.  The same goes for The Odyssey.  Odysseus was faced with many decisions throughout the book where he had to think what was best.  For example, he had to think about whether or not he was going to stay loyal to his wife Penelope.  Unfortunately, he didn't and cheated on her with Cirus.  Also, in the novel Siddhartha, Siddhartha has to think if the self torture is best for him.  He thought to himself, and realized that self-torture wasn't getting close to Nirvana, so he had to find another way.  In the movie O Brother, Where Are Thou?  Everett's wife Penny has to think about whether or not she wants to be with Everett.  At first, she says she never will go back to him, but by the end she starts falling for him.  She listens to her voice within and realizes that it would be best to go back to Everett.

Work Cited

Silverstein, Shel.  Falling Up.  New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1996.

Picture Analysis

Movie Review: The Secret Life of Bees

This past weekend, I saw the movie Secret Life of Bees and I loved it.  For eighth grade summer reading we had to read the book, so I had kind of high standards.  Overall, they got all the main parts of the book.  Also, the actors who played the characters were phenomenal.  Dakota Fanning played Lily and she portrayed the character just like how Lily was portrayed in the book.  She had the same fun, smart and loving attitude.  The African American maid, Rosaleen, is played by Jennifer Hudson.  Jennifer Hudson had the same stern but friendly attitude that Rosaleen had in the book and did a great job playing that part.  Alicia Keys along with Queen Latifah, Sophie Okonedo, and Paul Bettanymore played there characters just like the book described.  I would give this movie a 4.5 out of 5 because even though the movie was incredible and was just like the book, it was a little bit to long.

Work Cited

"Movefone".  AOL.  October 23, 2008 .

Buddhism might be dying out Japan (Blog #4)

In Japan, Buddhism has been dying out.  It used to be a monopoly over all other religions but slowly and slowly more people are dropping out.  "But that expression also describes a religion that, by appearing to cater more for the needs of the dead than to those of the living, is loosing its standing in Japanese society".  This quote shows that the Japanese feel like the religion is more based on dying then ones own spiritual beliefs.  A lot of people like Islam and Christianity because there priests have sermons based on spiritual beliefs.  Many Buddhist priests do not do that.  "If Japanese Buddhism doesn't act now, it will die out," said Mr. Mori, the 21st head priest at the temple.  This quote really shows how serious of a problem this is becoming and really how many people are loosing interest in this religion.  Even Buddhists are choosing not to follow the rules of funerals of Buddhism and are going to funeral homes or not even having a funeral instead.  "But considering the future, pressing a young person to take over the temple could be cruel," said Mr. Takahashi.  He had been training his 23 year old son to become the next priest at the temple, but at this rate the temple might not even exist by the time he becomes priest.

This article connects to what we are doing in class because we are reading the book Siddhartha.  In Siddhartha, Buddhism is a huge religion in the book.  One way it contrasts it though, is that Buddhism doesn't seem to be dying out yet, but maybe in the future of the book it could.

Work Cited:  Onishi, Norimitsu.  "In Japan, Buddhism may be dying out".  The New York Times.  July 14th, 2008 . 

Answer to blog question 2

Even though Odysseus might be considered a hero in acient times, I don't think he would be considered a Hero in modern times.  One reason why he wouldn't be considered a hero is because he kills so many people.  We see this in book 22.  Odysseus has just completed Penelope's task of shooting an arrow through 12 axes.  Then, he reveals his true identity to the suitors.  The suitors are terrified and scatter all over, even though there is no escape.  Odysseus goes on a mad killing spree and kills all of them except for a couple who he let get away.  If that wasn't bad enough, after he ordered the maids to clean up the bloody mess, he decided to kill them all by hanging them.  If someone did this in modern times, they would not be considered a hero whatsoever, but might be clasified as a murderor.

Odysseus also lied throughout basically the whole epic poem about his true identity.  He even lied to his own wife throughout book 19 and 20.  He also lies to his father in the begining of 24.  Should hero's really lie to there people about who they are?  I don't think so.  If someone I looked up to had been lying to me about who they really are, I would not look up to them anymore.  Even though no one was mad at Odysseus when they told him the truth, he still lied for many books in the epic poem.  Odysseus also goes to Circe's and sleeps with her.  This is unfaithful to his wife Penelope.  Penelope had been staying true to Odysseus while he was gone away at war missing him terribly but Odysseus could not seem to do the same.  If this happened today, it would be all over the news.  Sleeping with other women while you're married isn't classy and for sure is not Heroic.

When Odysseus goes to visit the dead in Hades, he demonstrates some unheroic things.  While he was there he got to visit his mother and friends.  Then when more and more people began to hear that he was there, they wanted to talk to him.  Odysseus got overwhelmed and just left.  This is very unheroic.  Think of it in terms of the president.  If the president went to visit a group of people and said hi to a few, but more and more people were coming to talk to him so he just left.  People would feel betrayed and would not think that he would be a good leader because he didn't give a chance to everyone to talk to him.  A good leader in my mind, is not considered heroic.

Blog #3

I found this article online and found it to be very interesting.  In Kuala Lumper, Malaysia, a group of relatives beat a malaysian couple to death.  The relatives claimed that it was a ritual to persuade someone from not smoking.  The couple had many head injuries because they were beaten by sticks and other objects.  The couples children were also hurt.  When the relatives told the man to stop, he didn't because he didn't think he could.  The relative started to babble on how bad smoking is for you.  There has been no findings on who exactly performed the beating "rituals" but  police are still searching.

Source Cited: "Relatives beat Malaysian couple to death in stop-smoking ritual".  The Star Tribune Online.  October 3, 2008.  .

Boy forced to take off makeup at school

I watched a video clip on CNN.com about a boy who was forced to take off his makeup at school.  Matt Allsup is a 13 year old boy from Hamilton, Ohio.  On a normal daily basis, Allsup wore his "goth" makeup to school.  "I'm not like most southern people" Matt says, and that was shown when he went to school and was told him to remove his makeup.  Allsup's makeup is a way that he expresses himself but the school saw it as violating the dress code of "extreme/distracting makeup".  Mindy Ball, Allsup's mother, says, "He is being sexually discriminated against".  She feels this way the school never tells girls that they have makeup that is extreme or distracting.  There are also no rules that say boy's can't wear makeup so Ball and Allsup are very confused and angry.  Ball brought up a good point by describing how they wear badges to school with different words on them, one of them being acceptance.  On the back, there is a question corresponding to acceptance saying "Do you value the uniqueness of others?".  This question seems to go against how the school is making Matt take off his makeup, which could be considered unique.

Work Cited

Davis, Larry.  "School Makeup Battle".  Online Video Clip.  CNN.  September 25, 2008.   September 25, 2008  . 

Sara's First Blog!

Hey! I'm Sara A. and I will be keeping a blog on this site! I will be posting blogs about different types of reading material throughout the year. Sometimes I will be writing about novels and other times I will be writing about short articles from newspapers, magazines, the internet etc. I will have a post coming very soon. Make sure you check back frequently to see what I am currently reading. Also, try to respond to what I post... I am very interested in your thoughts!

Sara A.