Author: Blake

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.

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.

PW #1: Winter Feeling

Do you know that feeling every winter? You know, that feeling when winter is just about to start and the leaves have fallen off the trees and you get your first epic powder day on the mountain? It’s an amazing feeling really, and it’s something that’s almost irreplaceable. When Christmas is just a few days away and you’re sitting by the fire with your hot chocolate and shortbread just watching the snow fall right by your window in a cozy cabin. I know I have, and I have to say that it has to be one of the most relaxing feelings ever. I remember skiing the mountains up North with my cousins, whether it’s making that last run on the T-Bar, hitting a jump in the park, or throwing on some skins and traversing up through the powder fields in the seemingly endless mountain range.

To me, it’s an ultimate sense of freedom, and it’s something I can’t wait to experience again. Just getting to these small ski towns is equally as impressive in my opinion. Whether you’re driving in a car or flying in a plane to these places in BC it almost seems that the landscape never stops. You drive, and drive, and drive, for a whole day, through so much terrain until a small town nestled in the vast mountain range comes into view. For a moment you look in disbelief at the signs on the winding mountain highway when you see a sign that says the town centre is only 10 minutes away. Ski season is almost upon us, and even the Northern mountains have already been covered in snow, despite the fact that’s it’s not even October yet. Crazy right? At this rate, the fall could turn into ski weather rather than the usual hunting season in the North.

Blake’s Brief Introduction

Hello everyone, my name is Blake. Welcome to the eventful blog that I’ll be continually updating with super long and drawn out stories or things that I find interesting when I need to post here. Currently, I am residing in Victoria, BC, although a portion of my time is spent in Northern British Columbia in a small town known as Smithers, BC, 1200km north of Vancouver. A large part of my family is made up from members in Smithers as well as the surrounding areas in the Bulkley-Nechako. As for school, this is now my fifth year attending Brookes Westshore. Time flies! I remember making this exact post at this time during the start of MYP4. Some of my interests include fishing, hiking, hunting, exploring, and skiing, essentially anything that has to do with being outdoors and enjoying myself. Fortunately, I happen to live in a place where all of this is possible which is so awesome to have as opportunities. During the winter I ski up at Mount Washington and travel up north, during the summer I fish and play in Smithers and at Horne Lake, during the spring I’m finding new trails and majestic lookouts, and during the fall I’m hunting around for grouse, seeing the leaves change colour, and dreaming about ski season. Canada rocks, man.

Most of my adventures happen among the island, but some also happen up north too. I’ll never pass up the opportunity to go on an adventure, whether it’s just going on a bike ride into town or going on a weekend ski trip into the mountains. They always prove to be memorable, no matter how small the adventure may be, they all hold a place in the things that I love doing. Everyone who is around me knows that I’m always talking about the experiences we’ve had, as well as new exciting ideas too, and it is a distinct characteristic about me that’s always there. The little things bring me joy, like listening to a new song I’ve found, seeing a pretty sunset, or catching my first sockeye on the lake with my Grandpa at Babine. I can’t wait to share more about my experiences in the future.