English 10

What literature has taught me about the human condition

Posted on by kennedyg2016

 

Image result for symbolic images about racism

Humanity has been struggling for years to understand that people are all equal, and for some reason, humanity just can’t figure out how to accept everyone. People are judged and mistreated for their race, beliefs, who they love, and even what they wear or who they hang out with. I bet every day so much discussion and racism occurs and many people feel unworthy or ashamed of who they are. Why can’t everyone be who they want, love who they wish, and love themselves? People are afraid of change so to accept something new, they treat “change” different than others and horribly. In Indian Horse, Saul had joined a professional hockey team and was the only First Nations boy on the team. The team treated him awful and less than other members. They feared change but by using racism and cruelty they caused Saul to change as a person. When in preschool we are told to treat others the way we wish to be treated, yet not everyone seems to listen. When we had watched the book thief families were taken from their homes, forced to leave everything and were killed. Liesel was just a little girl who had to conceal her identity to survive. Racism can lead to so many horrible things, for example in Indian Horse, Saul had become an alcoholic and it took him years to recover from the residential schools. It is cruel and unfair to judge someone just for their race and culture. Racism has affected many for years and unfortunately still does affect many.

The Book Thief Inquiry post

Posted on by kennedyg2016

 

Question: How does one find beauty in times of hardships

Source: the Book Thief

 

In the movie, The Book Thief directed by Brian Percival, beauty and perseverance are used in hard times during the Holocaust. Wonder and happiness are found through literature and words despite the horrible conditions. Liesel was taken from her family and sent to live with foster parents, only because her mother was a communist. Liesel finds beauty in the most simplistic things. During the end of the movie Death says, “Sometimes people are beautiful not in looks, not in what they say but in who they are”. Despite how people look or say there are still good people in the world even if it is filled with hate there are always good people somewhere they just may be hidden or afraid. In one scene, Liesel was with her friend Max, a Jewish man who was staying with Liesel and her adoptive parents. Max missed the world outside the walls of the damp dark basement so Liesel brought the cold satin snow from the street outside into the basement. This is an example of Liesel finding astonishment in something as simple and dainty as snow. In another scene Liesel’s father said, “Words are life” he is meaning that words can be beautiful and are all around us and beauty can be found in almost anything. Liesel is very courageous and compassionate and pushes through hardships and struggles. She will go to any length to make those she cares for happy and always prevail friendship and love.

 

Citations: Allen, Alyssa. “The storyteller behind The Book Thief.” ABC Melbourne – Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 12 Jan. 2014, www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2014/01/13/3924548.htm.

“The Book Thief.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.ca/MegaFrost4/the-book-thief

I did great on using proper punctuation and commas.

 

Next time, I will improve by staying on topic and not jumping to different things that are irrelevant to what I am writing about.

food and you

Posted on by kennedyg2016

 

A restaurant that feels like home!

East side Mario’s is a quant and welcoming restaurant that brings a piece of Italy and New York right here in British Colombia. The atmosphere is rustic and cozy with an Italian cultural design. Twinkling lights hang from the ceiling, creating a dim cozy room along with dancing shadows on the red and white checker patterned table clothes with a burning candlelit flame in the center. As soon as ushered through the broad glass doors, the overwhelming aroma of baked bread baking to a crisp fills my nostrils. The exceptional staff is very affectionate, agile and greeting with a whole-hearted smile. The restaurant has a warm ambiance radiating from the steamy kitchen along with pots and pans clashing and glasses clinking. The cold wooden chairs are a tad uncomfortable but worth it for the delicious cuisine. The linguini and mussles Alfredo is a favourite: the creamy basil-pesto sauce coats and cradles every noodle creating the perfect pillow for fragile, steamed mussels. Another exceptional dish is the spaghetti primavera, sautéed veggies made crisp in a pan with olive oil coating the tasty veggies, then sundried tomatoes are placed on top to give a pop of Flavour. Finally, the mangled noodles are coated in rich, heavenly pesto sauce. East side Mario’s gives their twist on Italian food in a New York style. And if your feeling up to a sweet tasty treat the pizza cookie gigantico is the delicious choice for you. It starts with a fresh baked gooey, soft centered classic chocolate chip cookie with delicately placed creamy vanilla ice cream arranged on top and finally drizzled with warm chocolate sauce coating the whole treat. The price is reasonable which makes it even better. The restaurant is always lively and erupting with positivity.  East Side Mario’s restaurant is just as excellent as the food!

 

Citations:

Limited, CARA Operations. “East Side Mario’s – Home Of All-You-Can-Eat.” East Side Mario’s, www.eastsidemarios.com/. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017.

 

 

 

 

First They Came For…

Posted on by kennedyg2016

adapted from the poem by  Martin Neilmoller “First They Came for the Jews” in response to the poem “danger of silence”

First they came for the immigrants

and I did not speak out

because I was not an immigrant

Then they came for the special needs

and I did not speak out 

because I was not special needs

Then they came for the different races 

and I did not speak out 

because I was not a different race 

Now when will they come for me 

because i was to busy or too apathetic

to defend my sisters and brothers?

What does Reconciliation look like?

Posted on by kennedyg2016

What does reconciliation look like?

What does reconciliation look like? What does reconciliation mean? Reconciliation is the restoration of friendly relations. When people forgive but never forget, and acknowledge the past but move forward. it is to not make excuses or blame others, it is to listen to what people have to say and resolving conflicts. Can reconciliation resolve and heal? And can it make up for even the worst events that occurred in history? We can find these sources in books and Canadian history where lots of forms of reconciliation occurred. I think reconciliation looks like forgiveness and bringing back lost friendships and relationships that were lost or forgotten.

Image result for grade 10 counterpoints text book

citation: Pearson British Columbia | Purchase eTexts, www.pearsoned.ca/school/product/bcresources/books-available/index.html. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.

What it means to be human

Posted on by kennedyg2016

Humans want to feel included

Humans persist in difficult situations

Humans need friends and family

Humans need hopes and dreams

Humans need to communicate

Humans need to understand others

Humans adapt to different environments

Humans seek new knowledge

Humans are greedy

Humans sometimes strive to be a better society

Humans can cause conflict for power, race, nationalism

Humans can be racist and/or prejudice

The book The Outsiders is one of my favorite books it taught me about how friendship can overcome almost anything even in horrible situations. This book is about two different gangs who face conflicts with one another, Ponyboy is the main character in the story and he is in the less fortunate gang. Ponyboy’s friend all help each other through harsh situations.