IRJE #1 The Secret History

In Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History,” a group of college students at a prestigious Vermont college become captivated by the allure and aesthetic of Greek philosophy with the guidance of their professor. Drawn to ancient ideals of beauty, intelligence, and the pursuit of superiority, these students form an exclusive circle that isolates them from everyone. The narrator reflects on beauty’s intense and terrifying pull, delivering a quote that I found incredibly beautiful and perfectly captures the book’s unsettling appeal:

“Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. And what could be more terrifying and beautiful, to souls like the Greeks or our own, than to lose control completely? To throw off the chains of being for an instant, to shatter the accident of our mortal selves?” (p. 45)

I am fascinated by how well this quote captures the danger of pursuing ideals to the point of obsession, demonstrating how beauty is not just an aesthetic but something powerful that can become destructive and can make people cross moral and legal boundaries in search of something perfect or divine, which is exactly what happens in the book.

PW #2 – My Time In Canada

Today I am officially celebrating half of my time here. While it feels surreal that I have already spend so much time in Canada, I am equally as exited to go home again. I already know that these months will change me – since I came here I realised a lot, and I reflected a lot about my life. I have talked to many students here who told me about their homes they are trying to escape, about their worlds they just wanted to get away from, and how they simply couldn´t endure anything anymore and had to get away. Even though I also have my reasons for being here, I have, probably for the first time in my life, realised how incredibly lucky and fortunate I am to have people who miss me, and a safe and loving home I cannot wait to get back to.

My time here has also been a reminder to celebrate and appreciate the little things in life. I’ve tried to see as much of the area as possible, and the beauty of BC overwhelms me every day anew. The magic energy of the massive forests, the deep blue water of the ocean right next to where I live and the fresh, clean air – it shocks me how my local friends think all of this is natural and normal. I can say with confidence that, even though I have travelled a lot, I have rarely seen nature as breathtaking as this one. I am more than exited to share it with my family when they come here.

And of course, nothing would be the same without my amazing friends that I have met along the way. I am so grateful to have met so many kind people who I can be myself around with and who are there for me. I have never been in a place for this long with this many cultures, and I can see how it has been an eye-opening experience for me. Some of my best friends that I have made here are from the other side of the world of where I live from, and it has been nothing but extraordinary to live alongside these people.  Even though I almost can´t imagine how it can get any better, I am looking forward to the second half of my stay and to all the memories we will create.

PW#1 Coming to Canada

Through this period of my exchange year, I have experienced many different things like using public transportation daily what is not a normal thing for a teenager to do because of the danger and risks of using a bus or a train, many bad things could happen like getting robbed or kidnaped. Another thing that I’ve been doing that is making me learn is having to spend my own money and know how to manage it, what makes me more conscious about the prices of things and how we need to have a budget when going shopping and while doing groceries.

Another thing that for me has being really amazing for me its having neighbors of my age living close to me and we have to make one community that has harmony and we have to help ourselves doing daily tasks and respecting each other privacy and spaces, that is very important because I am living with a roommate what is a really nice experience because we are learning how to be respectful and organized in your own room because the space is not only yours now.

In general my time in Canada as an exchange student was great till now and I hope it will not stop being a nice experience that, I will remember forever that thought me many things like how to live in harmony with someone else, how to get a bus, how to get my own groceries and many more things.

IRJE #1-All quiet on the Western Front

In ¨All Quite on the Western Front¨ by Erich Maria Remarque, is a story that talks about WW1 in the eyes of our young protagonist Paul Baumer. Paul seems caught in the front lines of the fight against the French troops at the Western front of Germany. Through the story we can see how Paul questions a lot to himself; this starts to rip apart his personality and changes the way he sees the world. The author in this book took all the labels that were put on the Germans and show them as they truly were, just young men as humanized as others, they were not monsters. He took the idea of the patriotic duty that was going to war and threw it away showing that everyone is afraid at the battlefield. In the quote I chose Paul was confused and hopeless when suddenly a comrade says something that makes him realize that

¨We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world; and we had to shoot it to pieces. ¨ pg. (87,88)

This quote captures the tragic irony faced by young soldiers during WW. At just eighteen, Paul and his friends are on the cusp of adulthood, filled with dreams and appreciation for life. Yet all these dreams are rip apart and thrust into the brutal reality of war, where they must destroy the beauty, they have come to cherish. This quote shows the devasting impact of conflict on youth, giving us a glimpse of how war shatters not only bodies, innocence but also the spirit and the potential of a generation.

PW#2 MID90S

Last night I watched Mid90s, an A24 movie. It was released in 2018 and directed by Jonah Hill. The story takes place in 1990’s Los Angeles and follows thirteen year old Stevie. Stevie is a decently pure and well mannered child who navigates his troubled home life with his boundary-lacking mother and his older brother who beats him. Stevie joins a new friend group he meets at a skate shop. The group consists of 4 boys not including Stevie. The story shows how the boys have their own ambitions and dreams but they are doomed to live little lives in poor neighbourhoods. The group acts very gang like, breaks many rules, rebels together, and runs from cops together. But they still care for one another and speak of the future and ambitions very often. This movie has been on my mind since I watched it. I really liked how realistically they portrayed teenage conversations. The way the movie captured acting out, living in complicated conditions and longing for a better reality simultaneously was realistic. The art direction for the movie was amazing and each scene was very well shot. The music chosen consisted of some great bands and their less popular songs, many of my favourites were included. Morrissey (from the smiths), The Pixies, and The Misfits for example. This movie definitely made its way up to my favourites. 

 

PW2

For this personal writing piece I have decided to write about the trip that I am going on Monday morning. On Monday at 3 in the morning my brother dad and I are going to meet my mom in Montreal and we are all staying there for a week. We are staying in Montreal for a couple days than going to old Quebec city. I am very excited for this †rip because i can learn more french than i already know and go to the ice palace. I think the thing i am most excited for is to go on a trip with my family and go to la grande roue de Montreal. My parents and I like to travel a lot and the reason we are going on this trip is because my mom leaves on Friday for a meeting in Montreal and so we decided to take a family vacation after her meeting. I think that this trip will be educational for me because I will learn a lot of history about old Quebec city. I am also excited to go to the airport and travel to a new place where I have never been before.

PW#2 – The Realisation and Reflection

Do you recall my last PW? The one in Which I talked about my Summer PC Build? Well, over the few months of usage I have my own feedback and whether I recommend a PC like that (PC Specs Below)

As I mentioned above, I have had time to experiment on this Budget System; This was a tremendous upgrade from my old computer, which had a Core 2 Quad, a 17 year old CPU. Despite me not doing any serious intensive tasks, the age of the hardware was felt by me, as the computer had micro stutters, and ran at an average of 60 degrees Celsius. With the new Computer, I am rarely able to load it above 50% CPU Usage, and under load it barely hits 30 Degrees Celsius. Another thing I have noticed, is that Linux is a way lighter Operating System compared to Windows, meaning that an actual “Stress Test” would never cause any stutter. Considering the Applications and my PC usage in general, I am not able to use it to the fullest potential, unlike Windows Users. My computer is surely a bang for the buck, I mean; Custom built (By myself), has modern parts (GTX 1650 Super), and it came at a low cost (instead of $500 I had a trick that put the price down to ~$150). This, however, doesn’t mean that I can’t find a good use to this computer; The Xeon I use is clocked at a slow 2.2 GHz, however, its 6 Cores and 12 Threads make up for it, allowing me to watch 4K Videos without stutters and a comfortable 60 – 180 Frames per second in Benchmark Runs.

There are also some setbacks, as this Xeon has a low Clock speed, it causes stutters sometimes as it is not able to catch up to the GPU, however this is partly my fault, as Overclocking will cause instability of the CPU, and it won’t work as long as it will in stock. I also found that the Cooler can be a bit loud, considering it has 2 fans it is not surprising, however un-plugging 1 is not an option, as it may get toasty quick (underload). Turning down the RPM is impossible through BIOS as well; it seems like this one is kind of on me, however it should be mentioned any ways.

Lastly, I would like to reflect on my overall thoughts on ” The BEAST” (name given to it by me do to it’s loud roar when the fans spin). “The BEAST” is a wonderful computer, which I craved to have since I was little; Powerful to run any task thrown at it, and the inability to overload the system, I mean, it’s a true dream! However, this Computer’s CPU is meant to be a server CPU, so in the next couple of years, with the coming of newer and more recourse-taking applications and websites this machine may need a full upgrade. Using Linux on this machine has proven to be a smart choice, as it fills up only 1.5 GB of ram on the Desktop, leaving an additional 14.5 GB at my disposal. Unlike the basic Version of DDR3, ECC Ram finds and fixes mistakes in code, allowing for a more secured file transfer (essential safety measure in Servers). I should clarify, this RAM is a little slow compared to its successor, DDR4, which goes up to 3000 MHz (in comparison to its predecessor’s 1899 MHz). This setback is only clear when you use a DDR4 system under load and come back to DDR3.

In the end, I believe “The BEAST” is a computer which I theoretically do not need (as I do not use it fully), however, it is a nice space heater and and a good Multimedia station for movies/shows (perfect combo for Christmas Eve!). If I had Windows, I would be able to find out it’s limits in a day, however, it’s ability to surprise me every day allows for intrigue and expectation rise. To conclude this PW, I may not need this computer, but it is a great addition to my room, being a so called artifact which stands out (due to its roar).

(PC Specs:

Intel Xeon E5-2420v2, GTX 1650 Super, 16 GB DDR3 ECC (Error Correcting Code Memory), 500 W PSU, 256 GB SSD (I have a storage server, 256 GB for apps is plenty), X79 Chipset Motherboard, and Cooler Master double Fan Cooler; This computer runs Linux Mint 20.3 Cinnamon Edition: Total PC Cost: $150 (instead of the planned 500))

PW #2 ‘Carpe diem’

A few days ago, I decided to rewatch one of my all-time favorite movies: ‘The Dead Poets Society’ and rediscovered a quote that has stuck with me since. ‘Carpe diem’ which translates to ‘’seize the day’’, is a quote which plays an important role in the storyline and represents one of the main messages and central themes that the movie wants to deliver.

The Dead Poets Society is a story which follows a group of boys at a strict, elite boarding school, who, under the guidance of their ‘unorthodox’ English Teacher Mr. Keating, learn how to think for themselves. The phrase that Mr. Keating repeats throughout the movie ‘carpe diem’ had a big impact on me as well as the group of the boys in the movie. They began to learn how to break free from expectations, follow their true passions and most importantly, how to make the most of their lives. This made me think about my own life and how often I hesitate to take risks. Do I do what makes me happy or do I hold back because I’m scared? I strongly believe in ‘’living in the moment’’ even though it often gets lost or forgotten in the busyness and chaos of life. ‘Carpe diem’ or ‘living in the moment’ aren’t about being reckless but more about doing what makes you happy with confidence. I wish that more people could hear this and begin embracing each moment and memory they get to experience. Life is beautiful.

PW #2 – To My Parents

As I experience life living in Canada away from home, I find myself more grateful than ever for the support of my parents. Every day, they check on me to see how I’m doing, reminding me that I’m never truly alone, no matter the distance. The daily FaceTime calls with my dad have become something I treasure deeply. He’s truly my best friend. We spend hours talking about everything, laughing about anything, and having long talks that help me and motivate me in so many ways.

It’s deeply comforting and sweet to know that if I ever feel sad, my parents are the first people I can always reach out to. No matter what I’m going through, they’re there for me. I believe that this experience has made our communication even stronger. We talk more openly now, and I feel even closer to them despite the physical distance.

Being here is about making the most of this experience, not just for myself but for them as well. I know that my happiness is their happiness. I want them to see that I’m thriving and enjoying every moment so they never have to worry. They’ve done so much for me, and I want them to feel the love and appreciation they deserve. I wouldn’t be where I am today without their help, advice, and love.

To my mom, who always makes countless sacrifices for my well-being, and to my dad, who never fails to make me feel cherished. Thank you. I love you more than words can express.

PW#2- A Month of Memories

Today Im writing about one of my closest friends I’ve made in Canada. If you’re reading this blog then you know her, therefore I’m keeping her name a secret (even though you could probably guess who I’m talking about). Even though I’ve only known her for a month or two, I feel a really close connection with her. I don’t know if its because we basically see each other the whole day or because we are really similar but I really enjoy spending time with her. She’s 15, about 5’4 and has red-brown hair.

Together we share a lot of laughs, even though I consider her jokes to be more like “dad jokes”, she’s still has a fun humour. She’s really like to style and braid people’s hair but I don’t let her touch main unless its to give me a massage. Her magic hands are truly one in a million!

As the year goes by, I hope we become even closer and wish to make more memory’s together.

PW#2 Migration

It’s coming to an end for bird migration this season. A few weeks ago, was the biggest movement for species so, my parents and I went to East Sooke Park and hiked to the hawk watch spot. We arrived at the lookout around 8:00am and began scanning for songbirds and seabirds with our binoculars and scope. There were hundreds of California Gulls on the rocks and flying around the fishing boats, and hundreds Common Murres on the water. After a few hours, it had warmed a bit up, so we redirected our focus to the treeline. And fair enough, the raptors started appearing over the ridge. It was a calm day, and they showed beautifully against the white clouds. In the first hour we managed to see 63 Red-tailed Hawks, 44 Turkey Vultures, 16 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 14 Cooper’s Hawk, and the odd Osprey and Bald Eagles. All these raptors are trying to migrate south for the winter, but they must wait for the perfect weather to cross the strait (piece of ocean between Canada and USA). Especially the Turkey Vultures because they will not flap until they have crossed. They must get high enough and wait for the wind to blow in the right direction because attempting to cross as a group. They also travel the furthest. Some flying to southern USA, whilst others go as far as South America where they will spend the next five months before heading back north. As the day carried on, the cloud crept away from us making it more challenging to see the hawks against the blue sky. Over 200 Vaux’s Swifts were also migrating through, as well as over 300 Band-tailed Pigeons. That day, we saw a total of 48 species at that hawk lookout spot.

PW #2: Northern Fall

Earlier last week, me, my Dad, and my two brothers put together a plan to go visit my family in Northern British Columbia for Thanksgiving, and to go hunting as well. With this fourth trip of the year complete, I can happily say that I was able to go up to Smithers through each of the four seasons this year. Fall is really such a beautiful time to be up North, especially seeing all of the trees drop their leaves, along with the beautiful colours to show for it. This 1200km drive would take a total of 16 hours, including a ferry. It was so surreal seeing the sunrise and sunset during a single drive, and it really shows how vast and wide our province is.

With a couple early starts, we did the drive in one day, going both directions. This drive traverses through some of the most rugged and beautiful landscapes British Columbia has to offer, such as the Fraser Canyon, the Cariboo, and the Bulkley-Nechako. The trip went amazing, with lots of highlights, such as getting my first grouse this year, having my first Thanksgiving with my family in Smithers, being treated to a show of dancing Northern Lights the night I arrived, and having the ability to make my second annual fall trip, which I’m incredibly grateful for. We started our drive back home early in the morning, arriving back home late that night. After a full day of travelling, I looked through the photos in my camera roll as I came though the door at home and thought to myself “It all feels like a dream”.

PW #2 – Arizona Part 2

On day 2 of being in Arizona I didn’t actually do that much. The most that happened during that day was me and my mom went over to the waterpark. The waterpark was pretty interesting, when I walked up to go to the waterslide there was a very tall cactus that my mom kept insisting, I take a picture of her next to. On day 3 of being in Arizona; me and my friend went to the mall. The mall there reminded me of Mayfair a little bit. But it was much bigger. There were also many more plants scattered around the mall than at Mayfair. The name of the mall was the Chandler Fashion Center. The first thing me and my friend did was go over to Zumiez to check out the clothes they had there. I tried to use my debit card to pay for it; but it did not work across the countries. And I was about to pay so I did not have time to fix it. I ended up having my mom giving me her credit card and just paying her the money back later. At Zumiez, I bought a shirt with a Mazda Rx-7 on it, and the other one had a Nissan. My friend did not buy anything because he did not want to spend too much money. After this, me and my friend went over to a diecast car shop, and we looked at some of the cars there. I saw one that said “1 in 5”, and mistakenly thought that it meant it was a 1 in 5 in the whole world. I only realized after I got home that it was a 1 in 5 in the set. The mall was honestly one of my favorite parts of the trip. But it only got better from there. To be continued in part 3…….

   

IRJE #1 – The Man Who Was Poe

The book: The Man Who Was Poe, written by Avi, is a story about the main character, Edmund attempting to search for his missing Aunt, Sister and Mother. When he bumps into a man whose name is Dupin; feeling sympathetic for Edmund, he offers his guidance to him. As Edmund and Dupin are working to discover what happened, Edmund realizes that the most likely scenarios are that they all died. 

“Story of a search . . . boy searching for vanished sister . . . wants her to be alive . . . of course . . . no tension there . . . to be effective must be a puzzle . . . is she alive? . . . Enter Dupin . . . Who took her? . . . much confusion . . . but then, boy finds that . . . One can find life only through death. I know. My sis is dead too. (PG. 80) 

This quote on page 80 serves as a sort of recap of the plot of this story. This quote has two lines which I find very intriguing. the first being “To be effective must be a puzzle.”. I believe that this small section of text means in plain language that in order to succeed you must solve all the problems you are faced with. I believe that this is the most likely meaning of this sentence, but there is a large possibility that it could be conveying other messages Aswell. The second line which I found interesting, was “One can find life only through death”. My interpretation of this quote is that one can only strive after going through what feels like death. but there are many other explanations of this. Another interpretation of this quote is the possibility that “death” in this sense could mean the death of your old self. So, one can only find change by killing their old self. Overall, I think this quote was remarkably interesting and was a puzzle in of itself. 

IRJE #1

In Tony Hillerman’s The Shape Shifter, we are introduced to a now retired police officer of the Navajo Tribal Police Department – Joe Leaphorn – who is called upon to investigate a crime scene with a so-called Mr. Totter, involving a presumably Burned Rug, which shows up on a magazine Joe looked at. Later, he goes to see his coworkers, – whom have just arrived from their honeymoon-. He soon realized they were no help, as in the end this was his own personal case which went unsolved.

“To tell the truth, we think we know what happened to Mr. Totter, but we never could have proved it

“I’ll bet this is going to be interesting”

“…I’ve got to start it way back by reminding you both of our origin stories… One version translates into English as Skinwalkers. Another version comes out as shapeshifters.”

“Fits better sometimes. The last time someone told me about seeing a skinwalker bothering her sheep, she said when she went into the hogan to get a rifle.. it turned into an owl. Flew away”

“Well, keep that in mind when I tell you about Totter, and so forth.”

“Okay”

“For me it started about the time when you two were enjoying yourselves in Hawaii. I had a call telling me I had mail down at the office.. I went down to see what it was…” (pp. 5-11)

Next, the book transitions into a first person perspective, where Joe opens a envelope with a page from the magazine called Luxury Life, where he saw old furniture by a fireplace, which had antlers and a rug hanging beside a fireplace – one which reminded him of the one from his previous case, 

This dialogue outlines the way that Leaphorn is intrigued into solving this crime, as well as showcasing the mystery within. 

IRJE#1 – The Plague

The Plague by Albert Camus is an absurdist novel. It depicts the spread of a fictional plague. Dr. Bernard Rieux acting as the narrator of the story. The story takes place in Oran, Northern Algeria. Rats begin showing up in the rather boring town, which raises a bit of concern from the people who live there. Before long, piles of thousands of rats come out to die daily. They are found everywhere, in cafes, hotels, houses, hallways, streets, and rooms. M. Michel, the concierge of the building in which Rieux lives, contracts an odd illness and dies within a week. Experiencing incredibly high fever, difficulty breathing, and fatal buboes. He is the first victim of the plague. After this, many people in the town begin to fall to the same illness. In no time at all, the number of deaths becomes staggering. Hundreds by the day. The town makes the decision to gate Oran and quarantine. 

“How hard it must be to live only with what one knows and what one remembers, cut off from what one hopes for!” (pg.33) 

 

“They knew now that if there is one thing one can always yearn for, and sometimes attain, it is human love.” (pg.271) 

I chose these two quotes because they tell us about exile and isolation as well as yearning and longing for absent loved ones. Things which become the main focus in the novel as the story progresses. The story focuses on the effects of the plague on the townspeople. As the plague’s death toll increases, people become more afraid and begin to stay away from other people in fear of contracting the plague. The narrator dwells on the feelings of isolation and suffering and portrays  a lot of the townspeople as jumbled messes full of “futile” emotions.  Many people consider this novel to be a war allegory of the French resistance to the Nazis in WW1. Relating to how the story “points out the futility of human aspirations and inevitability of suffering.”  (study.com)

The novel perfectly tackles the topic of estrangement. The book has become somewhat relatable when talking about isolation and quarantine. 

IRJ#1 Twisted games by Ana Huang

The book that I am currently reading is called Twisted Games, this is the 3rd book of the Twisted series. This book is a romance book. I really enjoy this book particularly out of the whole series so far. I enjoy reading this book because seeing the characters grow and change through their relationships is something that I think can relate to real life. I also like reading this book because the story feels extremely real and the way the author wrote this book described the feelings of the people in the book extremely well. In the quote I chose the boy Ryhs Larsan is talking to his girlfriend Bridget.

“You filled a part of my soul I always thought would be empty, and you healed scars I never knew existed. And I realized… it’s not that I didn’t believe in love before. It’s that I was saving it all for you.”(pg. 410)

I chose this quote because the guy who said this was a very mean and cold person before and he didn’t like people but he changed for a girl that he loved and he became a better person for her. I think that after reading most of the book and than coming to that quote explains that a person can change how someone is as a person.

WW1 Reading Prose, Personal Response

Reading “All Quiet On The Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque and the various perspectives from the “WW1 Prose Reading gained me much insight on a subject I was rather ignorant about. Prior to this unit, I understood the general goings on in wars and I stood for anti war philosophy with basic understanding of why. 

However, during this unit I got clear, insanely detailed, personal writings depicting and retelling the events that happened during the war. Reading the writings broke stereotypes for me and overall changed the way I perceive war forever. I found myself with questions relating to war that enveloped me and an urge to find out in order to settle these questions. My anti-war philosophy gained even more reason for existence and has become an impenetrable wall of thought. 

I gained much sympathy for soldiers, especially those who were shunned away from society due to the shell shock they experienced. I gained respect for soldiers who got through daily life after the war despite being plagued with trauma. But simultaneously, I lost the slight amount of respect I initially held for soldiers after hearing the treacherous acts they committed while acting in the war. Although it was reassuring hearing that the soldiers were not all without empathy for the people they killed. 

This unit was eye opening and the resources provided vast knowledge on the events that occurred during war. 

IRJE #1 – Black boy – Richard wright

In black boy Richard wright describes his life history, since he was a little kid to get to become a full grow adult, sharing diverse histories about his life development and experiences that show how was the life of a black boy in the 1900s. The quote I chose has the context about it show because the main character has an uncle that goes to work in his saloon during late hours each day to support his family.

“One morning I awakened to learn that Uncle Hoskins had not come home from the salon. Aunt Maggie fretted and worried. She wanted to visit the salon, but Uncle Hoskins had forbidden her to come to the place.”

That quote got me thinking because i know that after that incident they discover that uncle Hoskins is actually dead by a bullet shot from a white man, what got me reflecting that Hoskins actually knew that the could get killed there and that if his wife go there she would get killed also, and anyways going to the salon knowing that he was in danger.

IRJE #1- “THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL”

The School For Good and Evil, by Soman Chainani, is this fictional story about two best friends. One by the name of Sophie and the other Agatha, in this small village called Gavaldon. In this village laid a mythical (or known to be) story of The School For Good and Evil. Sophie dreamt of going to The School For Good and Evil (S.G.E.), meanwhile Agatha thought of it being as real as Cinderella or Snow White. People around them had a pretty… interesting perspective about them. They believed that Agatha is a witch since she lives near a cemetery, she wears black, and is weird (in addition to that her mom is a ‘witch’). Agatha knows she is weird, but she doesn’t really mind what others have to say about her. Though, at times she did want to be ‘normal.’

Agatha said nothing for a while. Then she touched Sophie’s hand. “Why do you want to leave here so badly? That you’d believe stories that aren’t true?”
Sophie met Agatha’s big sincere eyes. For the first time, she let in the tides of doubt.
“Because I can’t live here,” Sophie said, voice catching. “I can’t live an ordinary life.”
“Funny,” said Agatha. “That’s why I like you.”
Sophie smiled. “Because you can’t either?”
“Because you make me feel ordinary,” Agatha said. “And that’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted.” (Soman Chainani 16-18)

This scene in the book truly describes and shows us that the two girls really just wanted to feel whole. Like a completed puzzle and not feel as if there was a piece missing. If they weren’t enough. Little did they know they already did. When they were with each other. In my opinion, Sophie in the beginning of the story treats Agatha like a charity case just so she can somehow manage to get into the School For Good. At times I found Sophie being the most ignorant person on this planet and that really made me feel like slapping her. Other times I could feel some what empathy for her and could actually see where she was coming from. Many would disagree with me when I say she wasn’t all bad. She was just dedicated and wanted to reach her goal. Like any one of us. She just wanted to reach it no matter what, even if the cost was big. She really wanted her mother to be right about her being special. She lost her mother, the only person who truly got her, so she tried to patch it up in a way by trying to find The School For Good and Evil and have her happily ever after. At least that’s the way I saw it. In the end she found herself once more and that helped me humanize her better.

The moment Agatha was introduced I found her very relatable. I had a quite similar background to her. Being weird and an outcast. The quote above just really tied the knot. Everyone in the story differentiated the word ‘good’ and the word ‘evil.’ So much so that it became their reality. She didn’t believe that everyone’s perspective was right. She doesn’t believe that anyone is truly good or truly evil. The moment that she put that in my head, the moment my point of view began to change. Sometimes we tend to get distracted by everything and everyone around us that we start believing the act and lose sight of where we are or who we are. Agatha was backstabbed, used, and even felt disincluded at times along with being dumbfounded because of Sophie. Yet she still remained loyal to her. That makes me really look up to her character.

IRJE#01 – The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F..

The book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson is a book about realizing that sometimes, you care way to much over something that you can’t control or doesn’t even matter; Therefore, the title of the book. One of the things this book will teach you is to become unflinchingly honest with yourself and accept who you are. For example (taken from the book), Bukowski, a writer and a loser. He knew he was a loser, accepted it and then wrote about it in the Post Office, one of his books. And he never tried to be something other than what he was; And on his tombstone, it writes, “Don’t try”, because he never did and became successful. So, in short. Accept who you are move forward.

The desire for more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one’s negative experience is itself a positive experience. (Pg.9)

That there is my favourite quote, this is later in the book, in the section The Feedback Loop from Hell. Which talks about how wanting to experience something positive make you think about how you aren’t experiencing it. And therefore it turn negative. Simple accepting a negative experience instead of overthinking because of it and thinking up ways you could’ve avoided it and now you’re giving way to much of an F. SO, by just moving forward and accepting it, you’ve now accepted it and feel so much freely than before. Turning it into a positive experience.

IRJE1-The Haunting Of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is nothing short of a masterpiece in psychological horror. It’s not just a haunted house story—it’s an intricate exploration of the human mind, wrapped in a creeping, atmospheric narrative that lingers long after you’ve closed the book. Jackson’s writing is profoundly unsettling, creating tension through subtleties and leaving much to the reader’s imagination, which makes the horror even more effective.

The true genius of this novel lies in its ambiguity. Hill House itself feels alive, but is it truly haunted, or are the characters’ minds warping under its sinister influence? Eleanor, the protagonist, is a fascinatingly unreliable character, and watching her unravel as the story progresses is both heartbreaking and terrifying. Jackson masterfully blurs the lines between reality and madness, leaving you questioning what is truly real.

The house, with its distorted architecture and eerie atmosphere, becomes a character in its own right, amplifying the fear and claustrophobia. Jackson’s prose is elegant and chilling, creating a palpable sense of dread without resorting to overt shocks or gore. She understands that true horror often lies in the unknown, in what we cannot see or fully understand.

The Haunting of Hill House is a brilliant, slow-burn psychological thriller that taps into deep, primal fears—loneliness, loss, and the fragility of the human psyche. It’s an intelligent, sophisticated horror novel that continues to influence and inspire the genre. Whether you’re a fan of horror or just great literature, this book is a must-read. Jackson’s ability to evoke terror while simultaneously crafting a poignant character study is simply incredible.

IRJE#1 – House of Leaves

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski is a complicated and psychological, imaginative book that plays around with the concept of narrative. House of Leaves is actually about a book inside of a book, written by an elderly man named Zampanò who had strangely passed away in his boarded up bedroom. This book was found by a man named Johnny Truant, who reads it and then describes to us his slow and painful deterioration (in multiple ways), which he explains will happen to us (the readers) when we read the book, too.

Then no matter where you are, in a crowded restaurant or on some desolate street or even in the comforts of your own home, you’ll watch yourself dismantle every assurance you ever lived by. You’ll stand aside as a great complexity intrudes, tearing apart, piece by piece, all of your carefully conceived denials, whether deliberate or unconscious. And then for better or worse you’ll turn, unable to resist, though try to resist you still will, fighting with everything you’ve got not to face the thing you most dread, what is now, what will be, what has always come before, the creature you truly are, the creature we all are, buried in the nameless black of a name.

I really like this quote because you can interpret it however you want, because Johnny Truant never actually explains what this deterioration was even about, or specifically cause by. I choose to believe this quote really digs into what actually makes us humans, what we are built by and around and most importantly, what we build. Denial. It goes to show how, we are so built up of our denials, we become a different person, we change in some sort of way, and when we are stripped of that, we are back to what we truly are: a creature, without a name because none of us even know who we are anymore. Then, you’ll watch, and realize, and try to stop the shredding of your skin, of your identity, the one that never really belonged to you. And you’ll fight and resist the grab in which your belongings and your walls are torn apart by, but you can never truly stop it, because in the end, you are still denying yourself.

IRJE#1 The inheritance games

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the first book of a trilogy series. In this book Avery Kylie Grambs a 17 year old High school student that was extremely poor. From living her life as a no one she was unexpectedly shoved into the spot light as the heiress of billionaire Tobias Hawthorne a man she never met. Before the Hawthorne fortune and mysteries that came with it, Avery was living a modest, overlooked life trying to keep low profile. But when Tobias Hawthorne left her his entire fortune everything changed in her life. She’s constantly in the spotlight of people who wants answers, why her? A total stranger to the Hawthorne family, who had been disinherited by Tobias Hawthorne after his death, the inheritance was tied with riddles upon riddles, danger and mysteries.

I had spent so much of my life trying to blend in, to go unnoticed, to avoid the kind of attention that could make me vulnerable. But now, in this world, blending in wasn’t an option. I was someone. I had to be someone. And for the first time, I had to figure out who that someone was.

Avery knows she have to grow up to handle the responsibilities and challenges she will encounter in the world of wealth, mysteries and danger. With this Averys character grows to adapt into her new reality, she realizes she has to be careful with the spotlight on her and living in a house full of a resentful family.

IRJE#1 “YOU”

You is a book made by Caroline Kepnes. She made I believe four books on this series and it got changed into a show on Netflix as well! That’s where I got the idea to read it. I recently finished the book as well and I hope to find the second, called Hidden Bodies. This book is about a guy named Joe Goldberg, Joe is a psychopath and he stalks and woman he is into.

You are dead.

I dig. I have never been and will never be as alone as I am while I dig… I, alone, sweat and shiver and prepare to put you into the dirt… I am breathing normally now and the revelers are doing the Electric Slide and would we have had a wedding like this? (p. 415-416)

In this quotation (or his thoughts), he is obsessing over a woman named Guinevere Beck, his first love obsession. Earlier on, Beck found out that Joe had been stalking her, and killing people around her (friends, ex’s, etc), and even found out that some of her “lost” possessions were taken by him. Joe put her in a cage not knowing what to do with her because she would most likely go to the police if she got out. At one point she manipulated Joe into thinking she loved him, and she tried to escape but Joe stopped her. Not wanting to risk anything, he killed her. Then in the quotation you can find how his emotions of his words are describing his actions as if he was forced to kill her, not by choice.

IRJE #1: “The Sun Also Rises”

The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway. This novel explores the “Lost Generation”, which is also referred to as the post WWI generation. The main story revolves around a group of British and American expatriates from the 1920s.

“Oh Jake,” Brett said, “We could have had such a damned good time together.” Ahead was a mounted policeman in khaki directing traffic. He raised his baton. The car slowed suddenly, pressing Brett against me. Yes,” I said. “Isn’t it pretty to think so? (pg. 246)”

This quote reflects the significant moment that Jake and Brett reflect on their lost love and the passing of time. Both of these characters are heavily affected by the war, and each of them are constantly searching for meaning in their lives. For most of the story, all of the characters are in a state of disillusionment as they search for this light. It really shows how deep certain feelings and emotions go when you hear about them on the surface.

IRJE #1- “The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others”

The book “Tuesdays with Morrie” was written by Mitch Albom, a Free Press sportswriter who’s career took a turn when he (after 16 years) reunited with his old and sick college professor; Morrie. In the book, Mitch describes his beautiful relationship with his professor and shares everything he learned on his weekly visits with him. In the majority of the book, we get to see how Morrie thinks of death and we read about the lessons Morrie gave Mitch about life. Even thought I think of all of the lessons as important, the one I most cherish is this one;

So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.(p.43)

Because I am a teenager and still have not quite decide what to do with my life, I found this message really help-full. I think It really relates with me because it makes me think about what’s truly important in life. It reminds me to focus in my relationships and things Im really interested about. As I try to figure out what I enjoy, I’d like to remember this message  so I can found my passion and not “walk around with a meaningless life”.

IRJE #1: ”Freedom to and freedom from”

In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, the story is set in the dystopian society of Gilead, a totalitarian regime that has overthrown the United States government. Gilead enforces strict social hierarchies and severely restricts women’s rights, reducing them to their one and only purpose: bearing children.  The protagonist, Offred, is a ‘Handmaid’ whose sole purpose is to bear children for the ruling class. Through her eyes, we witness the oppressive nature of the regime and how her mentality is slowly manipulated by the conservative views and laws. In one moment, Aunt Lydia speaks to the Handmaids, explaining Gilead’s view on freedom and control. Offred reflects on Aunt Lydia’s teachings about how society has shifted from one of dangerous choices to one of supposed safety.

I remember the rules, rules that were never spelled out but that every woman knew: don’t open your door to a stranger, even if he says he is the police. Make him slide his ID under the door. Don’t stop on the road to help a motorist pretending to be in trouble. Keep the locks on and keep going. If anyone whistles, don’t turn to look. Don’t go into a laundromat, by yourself, at night. (…)

Now we walk along the same street, in red pairs, and no man shouts obscenities at us, speaks to us, touches us. No one whistles. There is more than one kind of freedom, said Aunt Lydia. Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don’t underrate it.  (p.27-28)

This quotation really stands out to me because it shows how Gilead twists the idea of freedom. Aunt Lydia’s words make it seem like the strict rules are for women’s protection, but they really take away their choices and freedom. She thinks that in the past the ”freedom to” act and make choices based on ones own interests/desires led to chaos and that the current ”freedom from” focuses on the absence of threats against women and makes everybody feel safe and protected. In ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, Gilead promotes this ”freedom from” danger as a justification for its oppressive rules (trying to get rid of the ‘freedom to make personal choices’ mindset, that women used to have).

This passage highlights how the regime uses fear to control people, but they hide it behind a guise of supposed ‘safety’ and a strict set of laws which everybody has to follow. This passage really emphasizes the idea that when safety comes at the cost of freedom, it isn’t true safety at all.

IRJE #1 Lying by Sam Harris

In Lying by Sam Harris, he details the countless wrongs that go along with any single lie we tell one another in our daily lives. From casual white lies, we swear that do no wrong, to massively impactful lies that can change the course of our relationships forever.

Honesty can force any dysfunction in your life to the surface. Are you in an abusive relationship? A refusal to lie to others – How did you get that bruise? – would oblige you to come to grips with this situation very quickly. Do you have a problem with drugs or alcohol? Lying is the lifeblood of addiction. If we have no recourse to lies, our lives can unravel only as far without other’s noticing, (p.10).

Although this quotation is almost at the very beginning of this book, I believe it is very impactful, to say the least. Sam Harris throughout the whole of this book makes it very clear there is no room in a happy life for excuses which if you do not know I very much agree with. Lying and excuses we give ourselves allow us to deprive our relationships of full honesty, which depletes us from creating more genuine connections. While many might disagree with mine and Sam Harris’s statement on how there is no room for lying in a life living the happiest it can be, I loved reading this book and I would recommend it to anyone who has ever told a single lie in their life!

IRJE #1 – le garçon d’encre – Olivia

I started a new book today called le garçon d ´ encre by Marie-Christine Chartier, an Author from Quebec. The title of the book translates into the ink boy, although I have not yet come to the part where the book title makes sense. The book is fictional and the plot is about a young women, Maxine, who finds out that her dad has passed away and now has to come back to her childhood village for the funeral, the village she so desperately fled all those years ago. She is forced to face all the awful memories she connects to her home, also thinking of her depressed mother who suicided herself when Maxine was only 17. But coming there, she hears about the strange conditions of her fathers will: In order for her to access the fortune he left behind, she has to live for two months in her childhood home with a man she has never seen before, a man was who was apparently very close to her father before he passed away. The book is written in a mix of her present life, and in flashbacks of her youth.

” I think that the problem is spending your life thinking you are incomplete. Instead of hoping to meet one person who’s going to be everything for us, I think it is more important to develop relationships with more than one person, to assemble all of that affection to steady yourself. For me, loving is not needing someone to complete me. Love is the glue that makes sure that the already complete person that I am can be happy.”

This is a quote, translated by me, from Alex, the mysterious man her father knew and she now has to live with, when she opens up to him about the feeling that she is incapable of truly loving someone, in part also because of the lack of love she received from her parents. I think it is an interesting paragraph, mostly because it shows the modern point of view the author has about love and self-identification, which she transfers to her characters. You can tell that the whole book was written recently and that the author is relatively young by the words and expressions she uses, but also in the way she makes her characters think. I also think this paragraph is beautifully honest and true, romanticising in a poetic way that you don´t need to “wait for your second half”, but rather recognise that you are already complete by yourself.

IRJE #1 – Pretties by Scott Westerfeld – 2005

The book Pretties by Scott Westerfeld is the second book in the Uglies book series, which comprises of four books, Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras. In this series, at age 16, you are turned from an ugly into a pretty with plastic surgery. After being turned into a pretty, late because she ran away to the New Smoke in the first book, Tally finds it hard to remember her old life back in Ugly Ville. Every pretty has this problem. During chapters 8 and 9, Tally and her friend find a note that was written to herself from her old ugly self, and two small white pills with it. She reads it to herself, and one section of the letter says this:

But anyways, here’s what I’m trying to tell you: They did something to your brain – our brain – and that’s why this letter may seem kind of weird to you. We (that’s “we” as in us out in the New Smoke, not “we” as in you and me) don’t know exactly how it works, but we’re pretty sure that something happens to everyone who has the operation. When they make you pretty, they also add these lesions (tiny scars, sort of) to your brain. It makes you different, and not in a good way. Look in the mirror, Tally. If you’re pretty, you’ve got them. (p. 84)

Of course, Tally does not remember writing this letter to herself, but they realise that they were right about the operation. As she continues to read, they discover that there is a cure, and taking the pills that were with the letter will fix her brain. I have only read that far so far, so I don’t know if she will take them. I thought this quotation was important in the book because it proves that the operation to make people pretty, messes with your brain and makes you forget your childhood life. It stood out to me because Tally couldn’t remember that she wrote that letter, and discovers she was right all along.

PW #1

“Silent Hill: PT” was a video game published in 2014, and was later taken down. “PT” stands for playable teaser, and it was a one of a kind game. Throughout years, many would try to recreate this game, but nothing would ever compare to the original. I had never played it, but I played a very close remake of the game. It features a gameplay where you walk through the hallway of what seems to be a mansion, and you loop over and over again. as you progress, things start to happen, like the phone ringing, or the mannequin would start following you. I had played this remake in VR with my best friend Ryan, and it was a very… interesting experience. Now, he’d never admit it to you, but he was much of a scaredy cat during that game. To be fair, I don’t blame him. We took turns going in front of each other, walking down the hall, and at one point, the bathroom was open. I opened the door… it was dark, and when I looked in the sink, I could not begin to describe what I saw. In a few minutes, I’d leave the bathroom, and we’d continue. The piano would play, and there was a fridge tied to the very high ceiling by a rope. The fridge would swing, and you’d wonder why there was crying. A radio sounded once, about a crime, a husband who had shot his wife or something along those lines.

At one point, we couldn’t keep going down the hall, and we were forced to go upstairs. When we went up, we had gone through that hallway a couple of times, at one point, you could hear the piano being played downstairs. I had gotten very scared, and so had Ryan, so he made me go first down the hallway for the rest of the game. Soon, I began drowning out the noise by singing the Mario theme and dancing down the hallway. We looped again, and the closet door that was at the beginning of the hallway was slightly open, showing a small TV perched on a stool. I couldn’t go in the closet, and Ryan couldn’t care less, so he kept going. I, however, had stayed, and watched the TV. It featured a little cartoon man in 2D, walking down a white hallway, over and over, for a while. The TV glitched, an image flashed of the little cartoon man that was rather disturbing, and a figure came out from the side of the closet door, only to slam it shut in my face. Ryan didn’t believe me, I probably wouldn’t believe me too. We looped again, and the door at the end of the hallway was open, revealing a staircase into what seemed to be some sort of attic or upstairs room. Ryan had told me to go first, I had no objections.

I went upstairs, and he followed behind. There was crying, specifically from an infant, which could be found in a cradle across the room. When we looked into the cradle…

I had hid in the closet, and Ryan couldn’t see, but we eventually made it out of the room. We kept up our pace, and we looped again. As we walked down the hallway, a tree had crashed through the window, and the attic latch opened, a ladder falling down along with a basketball, which we had chased, if I remember correctly. Back to that room, we had to hide from a tall man with a shotgun, then we’d crawl through a boarded crawlspace full of spiderwebs, seeming to replicate a kind of ventilation. In the end that chase wasn’t worth the triumph, because he’d get you anyways, and he’d drag you away with his heavy weapon in hand, and it was at this point I had realized there was something much deeper. There was a rope, and he’d push you against and over the railing, and then something would close on you with the sound of screaming and a muted door slammed shut.

Something about being cold, and the silent sound of swinging.

PW#1- My Experience at Cowichan Lake

Today I stared thinking about Cowichan Lake. I’ve been to Cowichan Lake a million times by now and I still love it. I grew up in Cowichan so my parents took me and my brothers there often (especially when my cousins come to visit). The last time I went was two years ago during the summer. That… was an experience. My cousin and I were begging my mom to take us to Cowichan Lake. We were very busy that day, but as a 13 year old I was very stubborn. My mom agreed, but only if we finished all of our chores before hand which we did. Once we were done, we packed everything that we will need. My dad was already in Cowichan for work reasons so we also packed his bag. I took my bag and put it in the trunk. We left for Cowichan.

When we arrived we first went to my dad’s worksite. It was really close to my old school so my brothers and I decided to roam around it for a bit and shared some memories about all the stupid things we did there. When we actually went to Cowichan Lake I checked the back of my mom’s car and saw only my cousin and my bag. I looked at her and she looked at me. I asked her if she put the other bags in the trunk and she replied by saying she thought that I PUT THEM IN!!!

“DO YOU NOT HAVE EYES?! I SERIOUSLY PUT MY BAGS BEFORE YOURS!!! WHY WOULD YOU THINK I PUT THEM?!”
“BRO I DON’T KNOW MAYBE ‘CAUSE I TOLD YOU TO!!!”
“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT I FREAKING TOLD YOU TO PUT THEM IN!!!”
We went on and on and my mom was getting mad at me. My dad (being the best person to ever exist) calmed everyone down along with saying that whatever happened happened, and we should just make the most of it. I honestly felt bad, but decided to go in the water anyways since that was the main reason we came and went where the current wasn’t as strong.

My cousin being the stupid being she is somehow moved towards the VERY DEEP END. At first I thought she was fine, but I saw her struggling and me being the AMAZING, AWESOME, AND COOL cousin I am thought to myself, “Yeah, I don’t really want her to die today.” So I started going towards her knowing THIS IS MY MAIN CHARACTER MOMENT (I was really scared) told my brother (Who was ten at the time and very dumb. We are not going to tell him I said that) to NOT follow me. Pretty clear instructions if you ask me. I mean he knows he can’t swim. So I start going towards my cousin, thinking I’m about to save her life and will never let her forget… even if she saved my life a million times; she starts to restore her balance and move towards the shore.

I see this and decide to turn around myself just to see MY BROTHER RIGHT BEHIND ME DROWNING!!! Since he was close to the other side of the river (close to the shore) and so was I. So, I grabbed on to a nearby branch and pulled myself up. I was about to lift my brother up and started thinking about how the hell my going to be guiding him back to the other side.

Luckily, there was a stranger willing to help. He was alone and I was shocked that he even decided to help because most of the time (the sad truth), people just watch. They don’t do anything they don’t really care. That’s just basic psychology (The Bystander Effect). He helped my brother get to the other side. I will forever be grateful to him.

After processing everything that went down in the last 30 seconds I decided to go back to the other side myself. We basically were all done with the day after this and all of us were starving so we went home. My mom (and everyone was) was shocked that I actually know how to swim (it had been a while). Honestly I was shocked myself. We all learned that day that we all really cared for each other and would rather put ourselves in risk then to watch the others suffer. Cowichan Lake brought us closer that day in a really weird way. Also irrelevant, but a few days later we went to Sooke Potholes and my brother also nearly drowned again.

WWI Readings: Prose 1 and 2 (PR- Personal Response)

All Quiet On The Western Front was written from the perspective of Erich Maria Remarque. The book was published in 1929. The protagonist of this story was a German soldier from the German Army in WWI who is known by Paul Bäumer. This novel was able to express the feelings, emotions, and help us understand what exactly the soldiers went through. Through reading this book, I learned that no matter what we know about what happened inside of the war, we may understand it unless we had actually been put in the spot and went through it ourselves. Paul had mentioned something like that himself, explaining that no matter what the people said they wouldn’t understand what he had gone through unless it was one of the other soldiers. To be honest, I didn’t truly find the book interesting because I had a problem connecting to it or the way it was written. I usually find war stories fascinating, but it was either I wasn’t in the mood for that type of book or I couldn’t get the main idea to stay in my head in general. I am planning on looking back at it though, just at my pace this time.

The WWI Readings, Prose 1 & 2, helped me see WWI in a different perspective and from different perspectives. I found Prose 1 to be more confusing and I had a hard time understanding anything, but when it came to Prose 2, I actually started understanding more. Besides the War itself, I also got to learn different writing styles (also from the WWI Readings: Poetry) which some I found to be more clear (like Chevallier and Barthas) and some sounded like Gibberish to me (like Herbert and Chevalier from Prose 1). I did find the poems to be more interesting though and it was easier to concentrate because I just thought of it as poetry (which I love) and nothing else.

WW1 Readings and Poetry

All Quiet on the Western Front and the excerpts of the WW1 Poetry gave us a different about war and how awful and heartbreaking was for every single soldier.

Erich Maria Remarque is the author of the book-¨All Quiet on the Western Front¨- which back on those days was really criticized because was the first book to show the true colors of war and not with a patriotic view of heroism and duty as always. This book tells the story of the young soldier Paul Baumer a German soldier fighting for his nation. Paul describes how him and his friend’s comrades live in fear, a quick picture of the brutality of war. A sense of being lost and falling apart, that the war has taken everything from them and change them completely, their entire personalities has been reshaped by being a soldier.

On the other’s handouts we can read excerpts from Luis Barthas, Herbert, Gabriel Chevallier and Arthur Graeme West. Here we can read about the horrors of living in the trenches, the disgusting that it was because of the mud and pests, the devastation of crossing across ¨No Man’s Land¨.

On the handouts of poetry, give us a little glimpse of the view from people that’s express with the beauty of their words. What I like about this is that as you read this you are able to feel what the author wanted to express, the beauty behind the madness, and the sarcasm make these excerpts worth of reflection and thought.

PW #1 – color poems that I did with a friends

As the ultramarine blanket

wraps itself around me

I feel the world going quiet,

the storm inside my head

pausing for an instant.

 

 

A wave of calmness comes over me

as I stare into the navy blue sky.

The grass tingling beneath my weight,

the midnight breeze giving me shivers

 

 

Every year it is the same,

the olive trees

announcing life and a beginning

gifting me again with new days

PW#01 – In the Hands of Healing (Poem)

Beneath the weight of daily grind,
The spine, a river, bends and winds.
With gentle touch, a healer’s art,
Restoring balance, mending heart.

Each crack, a whisper, a sigh released,
Muscles soften, tension ceased.
In stillness found, the body speaks,
A dance of relief in subtle peaks.

In the hands of healing, pain takes flight,
As alignment guides us back to light.
A journey inward, both bold and true,
In each adjustment, we start anew.

PW#1 Changes in My Life

As a new year swiftly passes into a new beginning, the opportunities once far out of reach rush closer and closer to me. These opportunities I mention are of course none other than my wonderful passionate new friends and my recently instated captain position of the junior girl’s volleyball team. My new friends who have come across the world just to study in Brooke’s Westshore include some very familiar faces such as Emma, Roberta, Olivia, and many more. This has been one of the most drastic changes in my school life this year because as many people come to find out I didn’t like almost anyone from last year. Nonetheless, besides my generous returning friend group countless of the students were in other sorts just not my cup of tea. This new interdiction of friends has brought me much more happiness in my day-to-day life and I am so glad I have met all these amazing people. 

Besides my new friends, a new leadership position has come my way! Gratefully accepting to be the team captain of my volleyball team has been very thrilling, to say the least. With numerous upsides and downsides, from losing to winning games, my team especially the girls who have never in their lives played volleyball before having made massive amounts of progress. This progress has made me incredibly proud to be able to be their team captain and with much more progress to be made I believe we can become the non-stopping winning team we deserve to be! 

WW1 readings

The readings from All Quiet on the Western Front and the excerpts by Herbert, Chevallier, Barthas, and West show how hard World War 1 was for everyone.

In All Quiet in the western front, Erich Maria Remarque tells the story of Paul Baumer a German soldier. He his friends and comrades always lived in fear, sadness, and danger in the trenches where they would stay during the war. The war maked them feel lost to the point where they disconnected from their old lives. They didn’t feel like heroes because of fighting in the war, they just want to survive. The novel shows how war changes people, making them only want to survive.

The other readings give us similar information and scenarios of the war. Louis Barthas, French soldier, tells us how dirty, exhausting, and scary life in the trenches was every day. George Herbert and Gabriel Chevallier talk about how pointless the fighting felt and how war broke people.

The soldiers suffered from the fighting  the hunger, cold, dirt, and poor living conditions. George Herbert and Gabriel Chevallier also describe how the war felt pointless and how it broke the spirit of the one who fought on it.

PW#1 Horne Lake!

Yes Blake, I’m writing about this, I loved it. I’ve been wanting to write a personal writing for a bit because I can say whatever I’d like no instructions. Now, I get to talk about my trip to Horne Lake, along with my date, Blake. I don’t get the chance to travel too much because of you know, money. So when I went to Horne Lake, it. Was. Beautiful. The views that we went to see, the things that we did, amazing. I thought I would be somewhat bored there, nope. It was full of activity and it was amazing. Sometimes me and Blake would sit in our trailer (We shared it!) and I would pull out some mini sour cream donuts and some drinks, and we would just sit and chat haha. My favorite part was Blake taking me to high mountain places pretty far away using his Wolverine (the vehicle not the hero)! I love drives like that I don’t know why. Going somewhere random on bumpy rides are fun for me (apart from when I got brutally impaled by dry branches, BLAKE haha). We went to such cool places, with amazing views of the entire lake. I would kill to go back there just me and Blake. we even went out on the water and visited a cave nearby, a giant spider lurked in there, I wanted out, fast. We went to some islands, and man it was amazing, who knew a cabin in the woods would be the best thing ever. I won’t reveal the secrets of everything there, but that was the best time I’ve had in a long while. Now Blake all I ask, is please let me go back in winter, I wanna walk or drive across the lake!

WW1 Readings Reflection

Starting off strong, I never really knew much about WW1. You see, a lot of people teach about WW2 and talk about it, but I never actually learned anything about WW1 other than the fact it was the first world war. I think that it is very heartbreaking to read these experiences from people who had actually been through them.

I learned a lot of vocabulary during this time, and I also learned a lot about history and the military. The military is something I have always had an interest in, but I am much too scared to join it. Seeing this, I realize, to a better extent, the things that can come from the military, and the things that the people in them can go through, and have gone through.

To read about these experiences makes me realize there is so much more to everything. Going through “All Quiet On The Western Front”, and the WW1 quotations, I get a sense, a very dreadful and unpleasant one when I look at the sheer amount of detail on that paper. It makes me sick, but also puts me in a place of uncomfortable learning when I read the words, memories, experiences, and emotions that were put down and remembered.

At the same time, it makes me feel neutral, and yet, it is all recalled so vividly that it is quite horrifying, so strong through pen that my mind gives me a visual image, one that I wish to never have again. However, as uncomfortable as it was, it was also a great learning experience for me.

Prose (Parts 1 & 2)

While reading “All Quiet On The Western Front” and WWI prose, I think that my favourite is All Quiet On The Western Front, because I find that the story is easier to understand more than WWI prose. I think that it is easier to understand because there is a plot in the All Quiet On The Western Front and WWI prose was journal entries and small writing pieces from soldiers in the war which used language that they used back then but that we don’t use now. I also found that All Quiet On The Western Front is a very well written story and it is a very realistic story with language that people now will understand though it was a little shocking to me how the story ended. Also throughout the book it had me thinking about a lot of different things such as “if Paul dies in the end how did they write this story?” “is this really what happened back then or is it just a story?” ” why did guys want to volunteer to go to war at such a young age and pretend to be old enough for war?” stuff like that I was thinking about. Overall I enjoyed reading both pieces because it is interesting to see how All Quiet On The Western Front is similar to WWI Prose and how they are not similar also it is very interesting learning about the war and the past.

PW#1

My personal writing is gonna be about the top 3 places I would like to travel to and why. The first place I would like to travel to is Paris. I have always wanted to go to Paris since I started becoming really good in French. I have always wanted to go see the tower especially at night which is a reason I would like to go I want the other reasons are because Paris is really beautiful and they have really good pastries that I have always wanted to try. The second place I would like to travel to is Hawaii, and specifically Maui. I have been to Maui 2 times but each time I have always loved it, there is lots of activities and it is very beautiful my favourite part is watching the sunset and its even better because its right on the beach. Lastly I would like to travel to Spain, I would like to travel to Spain because I have seen lots of photos and heard a lot of good things about it and it sounds really amazing I would really like to see the castle building in the Barcelona.

PR#01 – Prose Readings

I´ve had the second world war in multiple classes and over several years, I have read books like Anne Frank´s diary and watched movies like Schindler´s List, and have heard numerous stories about the cruelty and barbarism of the German Nazis. But the first World War?

Even though I had it in school before and knew about the incomparable suffering and pain of the soldiers, I never fully realized what “war” meant to them. I never realized how their society forbid them to show emotions, or even the slightest mental impact, about their experiences at the front.

Reading “all quiet on the western front” and the diaries from real life French and German soldiers, taught me more than any school lesson or museum ever could have.

Not only did I learn about their horrifying living conditions and diseases that I never would have imagined even existed, like trench foot, but I also gained a deep understanding of how the returning soldiers were mentally, often as well as physically, completely broken and simply overlooked by their society. I now understand what torture the survivors went through, even though I know that it is beyond my Imagination to fully comprehend the conditions and abuse of the war, and that I never will.

To read about the war from the soldier’s point of view was an entirely new perspective, one that allowed me to learn about aspects of the war I had never really heard of before, like the comradeship between the soldiers and how that was often their only string to keep them, at least a little bit, from losing their mind. It also taught me what war does to humans: How after a while, most realize that in order to survive it, they have to “shut off” their humanity and let the most animalistic side of them take control.

Looking at the war from a modern point of view, I am simply horrified at how anyone could ever survive that, or even have the will to survive it. It is a mystery to me how the leaders and generals of the war were able to be as cold-blooded as they were and send thousand, one after another, to their certain death.

I know that I will take this and much more with me from the world war 1 readings, and that I now have an improved insight and knowledge of the war.

The view of the war – WW1 Literature

After reading and reflecting about the events that occurred in world war 1 in the book All Quiet on the Western Front, and in the exerts WW1 Prose 1 and Prose 2 that were written by the view of people that were present on the events of the war and can describe the horrible situations that they passed with accuracy. In my thought the world war was a complete massacre caused by the bad politicians that prolonged it self because of the technological and strategical advance and that the civilians knew the what the was turning and the hell that it was there, but as I read the book I discovered and realized that the war was deeper than that one example of it was my reaction after reading the chapter of all quiet on the western front were the parents of Paul kept asking how was the war like and what situations they passed there.

Another thing that got me thinking was the part of the of the Prose that shows the struggles of the war and how difficult the living at the trenches, one example could be a part that Barthas wrote saying all the effort that his team took to build a shelter to protect their self from the rain in the trenches, and adding to that the temperature goes down making them freeze along side with water in the trenches.

After reading the book and the proses I realized how bad the situations were at the war times and that people had no idea of when the war was going to end, the civilians had no idea of how the war was and many more bad things were happening at war times, that makes me fear a next incoming war in the future.

My Views as a Reader

“All Quiet on the Western Front,” by Erich Maria Remarque and excerpts from Herbert, Chevalier, Barthas, and West have been a remarkably insightful, detailed insight into the life and struggles of any normal veteran from World War I. Not only was their heartbreaking depiction of the grotesque daily lives of soldiers deliberately accounted with added information most of my fellow classmates and I have never read of before, but this book and these excerpts also give new meaning to our upcoming Remembrance Day assembly. Of course, with no doubt in my mind, we have all known some of the terrible struggles veterans went through for several years now, including being taught the outcome and beginning of the war in history class. However, us as a class I believe we have not fully understood what took place at such battles and or fronts as the Western Front in France/Belgium. Although “All Quiet on the Western Front,” is a realistic fiction autobiography with the main storyline being fully adapted from real-life events, the book still gives new insights into how soldiers fought and not how old pro-war effort ideas want people to believe they did. This new unit really did help me better understand what it was like to live the life of a soldier, even if it is through a small glimpse created by a book into how terrifying life was at the time.

WWI Readings, Personal Response

After reading through the World War One books, All Quiet On The Western Side And the readings part 1 and part 2 with Barthas, Chevallier, and some others, it has been brought to my attention how insanely brutal war is.

I have been wanting to read the famous All Quiet On The Western Front for quite some time now because I was always curious to learn about the war, what it was like, and its effects. One thing I didn’t expect to find though, was the mental effect on the soldiers as it’s somewhat described in the book. It describes how Paul’s mental state adapts to the war and becomes very different from what we would see now. As like when multiple soldiers got killed, Paul and his group focused on the fact they would have more rations. It also explains the effects of the fighting, like as when Paul killed the Frenchman and went through his things to find out that he had a family, it made him feel guilty and scared.

The World War One readings were good to read as they described with more visuals, mental side effects, and the looks of war. The readings, gave me a visual of how it was having dead bodies around every corner, rotting and smelling like hell. It also explained common side effect of trauma, known as shell shock, caused from artillery, and what happened as soldiers watched their friends get pummeled by dropping shells or gunned down in front of them. it also explained more in depth with tactics of crawling around at night and little hidden details that most things might not teach you.

Overall I liked reading and learning about the first world war. especially how at near the end of part 2 of the prose, it explained how the soldiers didn’t pay enough attention to the small things they had like warmth in their house, comfy couches, a bed, so that once they were transferred to the front lines, they finally found out what absolute hell was and missed their home greatly. Although, I apologize but I must say, I enjoyed the book a lot more than the prose, not even because I was already wanting to read it, but because it had a plot, where the prose didn’t follow much of one. Reading these expanded my knowledge which will most likely help in I & S, and it made the soldiers have a certain significance to me after learning the terror they had to go through.

All Quiet, WW1 Prose PT I + II: PR

I feel that the texts that we have read so far have been rather eye-opening for me. I realized that I didn’t really see how transparent the details of war were in these pieces in these texts compared to other pieces of literature, such as how warfare as a whole was portrayed. War in movies was always portrayed as being cool, but in reality it’s horrific, traumatizing, and damages entire generations. It was really an eye-opener to hear about the devastating realities. I found All Quiet a good book as it helped to emphasize to the readers what everyone was involved in. Between the sixteen year olds who had their entire lives ahead of them, to the experienced elders who had been to war before, it was quite informative to hear about about the stories of the soldiers and the harsh realities that each of them had to endure. The language that was used was very powerful in conveying what war was actually like, contrary to the movies and television shows.

Certain aspects that were mentioned in All Quiet that soldiers were conditioned to seemed insane to me, such as the soldiers being glad about their fellow comrades being killed because they got extra rations for their next meal. Something like this seems impossible to be happy about to us, but those enduring war were forced to put some sort of silver lining on the devastating situation they were in so that they could keep pushing forward. For the prose readings, I found those interesting in a different aspect, particularly the remarks made near the end of pt. II by a soldier. They talk about how they really didn’t realize how much they had until they went to war, such as not worrying about where tomorrow’s meal is coming from, constant shellfire, and being physically attacked. In conclusion, I feel that each of these texts are solid, and emphasize the harsh realities of how war actually is.

WWI Personal Responds

Reading All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque and the excerpts from Herbert, Chevalier, Barthas, and West from the WWI Readings, was an experience that open my mind to the harsh realities that the soldiers faced during the war. I personally never had read about WW1 or even really learned about it, so the book/excerpts were really interesting to me.

In the book All Quiet On the Western Front, we follow the narrator,Paul Baümar, a 17 year old, who with a group of friends enlisted in the army, were his morals and ideals were soon to be crushed by the brutal realities of war. As we read the book, Paul describes the terrible conditions the soldiers had to live in. Because the author of the book was in fact a former soldier who fought in this war, we get a realistic, overwhelming and detailed descriptions of the horrible thing the soldiers had to face. As well as the book, the excerpts were written by soldiers who faugh in the war for different countrys.

What most shocked me in this readings was the ignorance of the people towards the concept of war. To me, war was always though as a bad, witch is why I thought back then, people also thought of war as negative. However as I was reading, both in the book and the excerpts the narrators describe how the new soldiers, cooks ,nurses or the civilians back in the towns or cities view the war as an exciting adventure. Another thing I also noticed was the loss of innocence the soldier had. As time passed and the Soldiers fought, their dreams and hopes started to get slowly crushed until their only dream was to survive.

Even though I enjoyed reading both the book and the excerpts, I mostly preferred the book.This because the book was easier to read and had a more of an engaging story line.

In conclusion, the readings teached me alot about WW1.The character feelings and experiences helped me understand what war is really like.Reading them made me understand and sympathize with the personal stories of soldiers making their sacrifices feel more real and significant to me.

Personal Response: WW1 Readings

When first introduced to this term’s readings I honestly did not expect much; I have a tendency to not take things on paper seriously, as I am not easily tolled by information without photographic evidence; However, to my absolute shock, when I opened these passages (All Quiet on the Western Front, World War 1 Prose 1 and 2), I was instantly plunged into the horrors and grief of war. It is no secret that what happens on the front, no matter it’s significance, will never be understood by civilians; For example, when Paul Baumer returns from the Front home on Leave, he is re-introduced to the life he left behind: His Family, his room, and his books. When he interacts with them, they are living a positive life, his mother even questions him if it was bad out there. When he goes out to eat with his father, Paul puts on civilian clothing, but he knows from his father that he would’ve much preferred him to be in his uniform, he takes Paul to the Bar and shows off to his friends, as well as ask him a lot of questions, however, Paul is more upset by this, as he knows that there is nothing ‘cool’ about seeing people fall all around, never to get up again, around yourself constantly. Paul described his Leave as a regret, he should have never come home.

“I Shake my head and say: No Mother, Not so very…” (Paul Baumer, p. 161, All Quiet on the Western Front)

“My mother is the only one  who asks no questions. Not so my Father… I no longer have any contact with him… So I confine myself to tell him a few amusing things…” (Paul Baumer, p.165, All Quiet on the Western Front)

“I ought never to have come on leave” (Paul Baumer, p. 185, All Quiet on the Western Front)

The next 2 Prose’s really add on the grief of war, as there is a whole compilation of stories from different authours, making for a tragic story telling; In the First Prose, I got to read about and personally understand about the struggles on the Front, as Barthas describes him and his team creating a shelter against rain, and after it stops and the temperature drops below freezing, they are to stay in this shelter with tons of water coming down on them:

” My friend Coutage and I managed to unearth a German overcoat splattered with congealed blood.. draping it over two broken rifles … Worst of all was the thirst which tortured us, in spite of the cascades of water falling from the sky.” (Barthas, p.33, Prose 1)

The second Prose, at least in my opinion, had way more detail about the war. The most absurd thing that I read in this Prose was that the soldiers had a choice; either to sleep on the five filthy mattresses or hard wooden planks of the camp beds, which were both contaminated. this was, softly speaking, an unacceptable aspect of war; I get that hygiene status was not well maintained on the Front, however, changing/ cleaning out the mattresses every so often wouldn’t have been a bad idea:

“When you wanted to lie down on the five filthy mattresses… or simply on the planks… you had to be completely overcome with fatigue so as to fall asleep before feeling the stingers…” (Barthas, pp. 11-12, Prose 2)

In conclusion, these readings took a toll on me; using these 3 sources I was able to further understand what our ancestors experienced during this Great War, how it affected them, as well as shows us a lesson in modern times as to not repeat the mistakes which caused this great Meat-Grinder of a War.

-Iaroslav Serg Pyrozhok