I have just barely started to read the book”Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer. Therefore I don’t have much to say about the book so far. I will thus write a little about the background for the book. But first, ”Into the Wild” is a bestselling non-fiction book about the adventures of Christopher McCandless. The predominant theme of Into the Wild is man’s role in nature. Chris McCandless believes that man’s ultimate joy can only be found in communion with nature.
After graduating in 1990, McCandless ceased communicating with his family, gave the entire balance of a $24,000 savings account to charity, abandoned his car and burned all the money he had in his wallet. In April 1992 Chris McCandless hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. From there he headed down the snow-covered trail to begin a new life for himself. Four month later his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter.
Into the Wild - author's note, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild
Rupert Brooke was born in England August 3rd 1887. He attended Rudby School and later King’s College University of Cambridge. Brooke had a troubled love life and fell heavily in love several times, in both women and men. Brooke left England to travel in France and Germany for several months before he returned to England again. In England he spent his time in both London and Cambridge. After experiencing a mental breakdown in 1913, Brooke traveled again, spending several months in America, Canada, and the South Seas. He returned to England at the outbreak of World War I and later died of blood poisoning from a mosquito bite in 1915.
Rupert Brooke’s poem “The Soldier” was written at the start of World War I. In this poem Brooke expresses his love for England and how he believes it is right to fight and die for his country. Brooke uses repetition of the word England in a very patriotic style, and he also uses personification to describe England as if it were a person, for example, “her sights and sounds, dreams happy as her day”. The poem deals with the two themes death and love which evoke feeling in people. The poem creates an image of a brave man who would do anything for his country. Before Brooke died in 1915 he got to fight in the war, therefore the poem has a very traditional viewpoint. The poem is also very idealistic. Brookes says in his forth line, "In that rich earth a richer dust concealed." This means that if he is to die in a country other than England that the soil would be made better because there would now be a piece of England within it. It also means that his country, England, is superior to any other country. His poem was used to inspire young men to enlist as well as to bring comfort to the families of the victims of war.
I believe that since this poem was written in the very early years of war, the poet has not experienced the truth of war and the extreme brutality that soldiers experience at the end of war, when they get tired and cannot bear to fight in the war any longer. Therefore I think he writes more than he can stand for. But I do believe that this is a very good poem.
The title of the film I just saw is “Crash”, and the genre of the film is crime and drama. The film is made to point out a part of a society in America. The foreigners came to The US in order to comply with a wish for a better life. They wanted the American Dream. This dream has for its object that any citizen, regardless of family, wealth or background, can become the President of The United States. Since America is a nation of immigrants they made this film to show how all the nations can “crash” together in an American society.
Several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of interconnected characters: A police detective with a drugged out mother and a thieving younger brother, two car thieves who are constantly theorizing on society and race, the white district attorney and his irritated and spoiled wife, a racist white veteran cop (caring for a sick father at home) who disgusts his more idealistic younger partner, a successful Hollywood director and his wife who must deal with the racist cop, a Persian-immigrant father who buys a gun to protect his shop, a Hispanic locksmith and his young daughter who is afraid of bullets, and more.
In the film we see prejudice – like when Jean (the spoiled wife) wants the locks changed again after Daniel (the locksmith) has been there. We see love, for instance between Cameron, the black Hollywood director, and his wife Christine. In the end also we see hope – like when John (the racist officer) rescues Christine from an explosion caused by a car-accident. We see hope again when the Iranian disposes of his gun, and when Anthony (one of the two black gangsters) sets free the working children. The main theme that we can perceive throughout the film is racism. Other themes we come upon are lack of confidence in others, misunderstanding, hate and fear.
I absolutely recommend this film. It makes you see what's really going on right outside your door. You see how each member live together in a society in the streets of Los Angeles. It's sad, but at the same time we distinguish that it is hope out there.
My dream destination is South Africa. South Africa is located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa. The capital is Pretoria. South Africa has eleven official languages, but the main languages are English and African. 17, 6 % of the adult’s population can't either read or write. Apartheid is the official concept on the racialist politic where the white minority suppresses the black majority of people through a line of racialist laws. African National Congress (ANC) is the largest party in South Africa. It was the first organized party for the black people in the country. The prison on Robben Island was one of the world’s most attracted prisons. The prisoners there were those who disagreed with apartheid. Nelson Mandela, one of the leaders in ANC, was in the prison on Robben Island for half of his lifetime. Today the island is a museum. Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 in South Africa. Mandela has since the release been an important key figure in the equalize politics between the races in South Africa. Because of his effort he got the Nobel Prize in 1993.
When it's summer in Europe, it is winter in South Africa. In South Africa the climate changes from region to region. The country is mountainous with changeable scenery with forest areas and cliffs, but it is also desert and nice seashores. South Africa’s highest mountain is called Njesuthi, and is 3446 meters above sea level. Africa has a versatile animal life. The Big Five are the most known animals in Africa. The Big Five includes leopard, buffalo, lion, rhinoceros and elephant. They got the name The Big Five because they were the five most sought animals for the hunters. You first became a true hunter after you shot all of them.
When a soldier who recently returned to the U.S. from the front lines of Iraq goes AWOL, his veteran father starts the search for his lost son. Mike’s father, Hank (Tommy Lee Jones), quickly recruits Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) to assist him in his search for the missing soldier. While searching for his son, Hank strikes upon the very heart of the American experience in the Iraqi conflict.
The movie”In the Valley of Elah” has a strong impact on young people because serving in a war may change who you are. In the movie we meet several young soldiers who values are changed because of their service in Iraq. As mentioned earlier, one of the soldiers goes AWOL and it turns out that his friends were the ones who killed him! Mike was a nice guy, and normally he would never hurt anyone. But after killing a child in Iraq by running the child down he is changed forever. In the movies from Mike’s cell phone we see Mike and his friends do inhumanly things towards innocent people. To ease the pain Mike feels inside he starts taking drugs.
The reason why they change so much has to do with all the lives they have to take. They have to serve their country by killing people; sometimes innocent people. Something no one wants to do, but someone has to.
I'm not sure what to think. I have both pros and cons for military drafting. But I do believe that everyone should be required do some sort of public service. If not as a career, then just to help and support their community/country. I understand that not everybody wants to serve in the military... On the one hand, I think it would be best if it was required at least two years service in the military. This way there is always someone to protect the country, if needed. Furthermore, a military draft will increase the military power which will result in frightening away other countries so that they won't attack.
In the near future I think we should only draft men. And then if something were to happen and a country is needy for more military working capacity, then the country should discuss wether or not to draft women.
On the other hand I don't think we should force somebody to serve in the military if they don't want to. First of all because I don't think that that person would pull one's weight. Specifically because he or she doesn't really want to be there (lack of motivation). It is a personal and difficult choice for most people and therefore a draft should not be forced on you.
I don't really have a conclution on this topic since I'm remaining neutral so feel free to comment:)
I have just barely started to read the book”Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer. Therefore I don’t have much to say about the book so far. I will thus write a little about the background for the book. But first, ”Into the Wild” is a bestselling non-fiction book about the adventures of Christopher McCandless. The predominant theme of Into the Wild is man’s role in nature. Chris McCandless believes that man’s ultimate joy can only be found in communion with nature.
