Early Sunday Morning

Early Sunday Morning talks about Pearl Harbor or as others prefer to refer to it as 7/11. ““It’s Pearl Harbor! It’s Pearl Harbor!” Andy was screaming. He was pointing to the column of black smoke that was rising up in the skies above Pearl Harbor. The smoke was mixing with the rays of the early morning sun, creating an eerie, blood red sky.”Pearl Harbor is a place right on the coast of hawaii. It is a military base that hosts a mass amount of artillery. On Sunday, 7, December, 1941 the Japanese performed a massive bombing of the coast and 188 U.S. aircrafts were destroyed, the Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah were ships that were completely sunk even though there were 98 ships present at the time of attack, 2,402 people died, 1,282 were wounded.

Amber Billows is a girl that goes to school with her brother, has a father as a journalist and a stay-at-home-and-loves-cooking mother. Because of her fathers job she travels all around the country (america). She is always introduced to new settings and never stays in one place for a long time (a year). She hates this but never complains because her mom is very strict. “When Daddy tapped his fork on his water glass last night and announced (in his usual, upbeat fashion) that he had “exciting news for the entire Billows family” (he always refers to us as “the Billows family”, as if we were one of his favorite radio shows), everyone knew what was coming next. We might as well start packing. We were moving - yet again - and the only question was where and when.”

The “Billows family” were going to Hawaii, and lets just say that what was supposed to be the first relaxing trip since the world fair in New York didn’t turn out as planned.

When they arrived at Hawaii they unpacked and got straight to school. The Billows family was happy for once and Amber’s father started to make friends (the librarian and an admiral who worked at Pearl Harbor). But things didn’t stay that way for long. Amber made a friend called Kame, she was Japanese, and they were going to the school dance on Sunday the seventh of December 1941. Right when Amber woke up, the bombs were coming down.

The entire library was bombed, and the admiral was killed. Kame and her family along with all the other Japanese families were taken into custody. Right when things were finally getting good, they got bad, real bad. What was that saying again? You give you take? Sometimes there not of equivalent value.

The Author wrote this book in the first person point of view of Amber Billows based on the quotes I have already stated from the book Early Sunday Morning.

I think the theme of this book is overcoming challenges because everything in Ambers life goes wrong and she has to overcome the challenges that were set before her because of Pearl Harbor.

I like this book because it talks about my favorite time in history (Pearl Harbor) (I watched the movie five times). I would rate this book 10/10 because it not only talked about the point in time, it also talked about a person living through all of the load and how they would have felt. Notice that I put “would have felt” because the emotions are so real.

One of the vocab words that I learned from Early Sunday Morning is “Futurama”, it means a display or fair of the future. Another word is “Polynesian”, it means that they are either Maori, Tahitian, Samoan, or Hawaiian.

Fight For Freedom - Omar Tawil 7-4

Fight For Freedom

Summary

            11-year-old Marcus is a positive boy with a comfortable and simple life with his family and dog on their farm. He wishes to someday trace his father path of becoming a soldier and protecting the people of Rome. Everything changes when a group of men barge into his home, murder all his loved ones except for his mother who they sell into the slave market along with Marcus. While trying to save his mother, Marcus escapes and is forced to train to become a vicious gladiator and to fight for his life. He struggles to go one, but he perseveres thinking only of reuniting with his mother. Right before one of his battles, Marcus discovers an immense secrete about his past. Will Marcus get through the battles? Does he ever see his mother? Read to find out.

Time Period

            Fight for Freedom takes place in the Roman Empire time period. In the book, Marcus was training to become a gladiator, and Caesar appears in one of the battles as it states here: “No, Caesar interrupted. He shall fight with a dagger.”(P.231). From research, I read that Julius Caesar has been involved in many gladiator events, (but didn’t compete in them) and gladiator battles where around in that time period. I also read that it was common for the people of Rome to buy and sell slaves. In the book Marcus and his mother became slaves and where auctioned in the market as stated by Marcus: “We won’t be slaves for long, Mother. Decimus can’t do this to us.” (P.49). This evidence proofs that Fight for Freedom took place during the Roman Empire time period when Julius Caesar was around. The events in reality are very similar to what happened in the book, except everything that happened to Marcus isn’t true, but could be base of a real story. Most of the comparisons with the book and the real time period are very accurately written in the book.

Girod, Christina. "gladiators." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Sizgorich, Tom. "Julius Caesar." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Aldrete, Gregory S. "employment and commerce in ancient Rome." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras.ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Effect of Historical Setting

            The historical setting of Fight for Freedom has a huge impact on the story. It changed the ways the characters are, the environment they are in, and the whole plot of then story. The characters are affected by it because Marcus wanted to be like his father, a centurion when he says: “Father wants me to be a soldier. I see. Aristides nodded. And would you like that? I think so. Said Marcus.” (P.34), which doesn’t exist today. Marcus wouldn’t be as curious and adventurous as he would of if the book took place today since this generation isn’t as physical as they used to be. The environment was also affected by the time period because it took pace in ancient Rome, where there were gladiator arenas, like they say: “Taurus turned to Marcus and Ferax and Gestured toward the arena.” (P.231), less houses, and more conflicts than present day Rome. The whole story would have changed since gladiators don’t exist today, slave trade, as they mention here: “We won’t be slaves for long, Mother. Decimus can’t do this to us.” (P.49) isn’t common anymore, and there are faster ways of transportation now. If the book took place in another time period, it would be completely different.

Characters

The main character in the book is Marcus Primus. He is an 11-year boy who always wants to prove to his parents that he is skilled and can be independent when he says: “My place is at your side, father. I can fight.” (P.13). He is confident, since he stood up to a bully when the bully told Marcus: “At least I didn’t faint like some girl. Ferax taunted. No, you didn’t. Marcus conceded. You just sounded like one. (P.146), and liked to take risks. Marcus is also very caring since he is willing to do anything to save his mother, the last family member he has left.

            The author used a few of the characterization techniques on Marcus in Fight for Freedom. Some of the technique he used is: Dialogue, since he can fight back and stand up for himself as he did here: “At least I didn’t faint like some girl. Ferax taunted. No, you didn’t. Marcus conceded. You just sounded like one. (P.146). Another technique is Marcus owning a beloved dog who is also his best friends. It shows that he is caring and loyal to his friends, and can get very attached to them. There is evidence of this when they say: “Cerberus dropped to the ground and lay on his side, his head in a puddle as the rain splashed around his muzzle. Cerberus! Marcus called out in horror-but the dog lay still. Marcus wanted to go to him, but Thermon’s men held him back.” (P.42). Those where the characterization techniques that affected me the most.

Point Of View

            Fight for Freedom is told in 3^rd person limited point of view. It is the narrator who tells the story and isn’t a character in the book. The narrator is only able to tell what Marcus is thinking and feeling. The point of view helps develop the main character because you get to understand the way he thinks and why he thinks like that. You also get to feel with Marcus when you know what he is going through at certain times. Through out reading the book, you feel like you and Marcus are the same person from how much you understand him.

Theme

            Fight for Freedom has more than one theme. The 3 mains themes of the book are: Facing reality, coming of age, and family. One of the themes is coming of age since he is entering his teenage years, but is being forced to grow up and be responsible for himself. His father was murdered, and his mother was kidnapped, so he doesn’t have any family to look after him. This theme brings me to facing reality, which is very similar. Marcus is starting his real life. He doesn’t have his parents to tell him what to do anymore; he is in charge of his own life. Last but not least, the final theme is family. The whole story, what he is trying to do is save his mother. He would do anything for her, which is what lead him to his situation.

Reflection

            Fight for Freedom was by far the best book I’ve read this year. It teaches you to not take your childhood for granted, and make the most of it. It is written out so perfectly, and everything was planned so well. I liked how he had to train, and work hard to succeed in his battles, and lose a few, not just be born talented like some other books I’ve come across, because that makes it much more realistic. I would like to continue the series since the 1^st book leaves you on a cliffhanger and I’m curious to what happens next. I would really recommend this book to people who enjoy stories on the Julius Caesar time period and like adventures books and battles. I would rate this book an 8.5/10. It was excellent but it didn’t give me the same spark as it didn’t with other books like Harry Potter. I hope you can give the series a try.

Vocabulary

·      Unkempt: Not neat or messy.

·      Sauntered: To walk very slowly.

·      Elation: Extremely happy or exited.

·      Expanse: A huge area of something.

·      Livid: Ferociously angry.

Bibliography

Girod, Christina. "gladiators." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Sizgorich, Tom. "Julius Caesar." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Aldrete, Gregory S. "employment and commerce in ancient Rome." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras.ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

"READ IT NOW OR ELSE!: Gladiator: Fight for Freedom by Simon Scarrow." READ IT NOW OR ELSE!: Gladiator: Fight for Freedom by Simon Scarrow. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. <http://www.readitnoworelse.com/2012/01/gladiator-fight-for-freedom-by-simon.html>.

Scarrow, Simon. Gladiator: fight for freedom. New York: Disney Hyperion Books, 2012. Print.

Samy Hamdallah Soldier Boys BB3

Hughes, Dean. Soldier boys. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2001. Print.

Summary

• ·      Spencer is an American boy that is 16 years old who leaves his high school to begin training in the military.
• ·      Dieter is a German boy only 15 years old and he gets promoted to the Hitler Youth. He gets a medal from Hitler.
• ·      Spencer and Dieter are both ready to go to war.
• ·      Dieter starts to go to war and discovers how hard it is and he has to accept looking at his friends die. He also hides in foxholes.
• ·      Germany is winning against other countries but they are now scared because the Americans are passing over France and coming to Germany.
• ·      Finally war starts between Germany and America.
• ·      Dieter on one side and Spencer on the other.
• ·      Then action starts, who do you think is going to win, do you think Dieter or Spencer will die. Read the book to find out.

Historical fiction Setting

         This book takes place in Germany during World War 2. The story compares to real life because during World War 2 the Americans wanted to attack Germany through France.  Americans wanted to attack Germany before attacking France because it was their primary objective.

"World War II." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Mar. 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II>.

Effect of the Historical Setting

The historical setting affects the book’s characters because when they used to come after war they would make a small fire with tree branches to warm themselves. They also slept in foxholes to be warm and to stay protected. On page 151 “Duck down don’t go” this quote shows how they used to hide in foxholes from their enemies.

Main Characters

Spencer: He is really scared and he always needs his dad to be next to him.

Schaefer: Dieter’s friend in Hitler Youth. He always encourages other people and advises other people.

Dieter: He is scared, lost, behind but he develops throughout the story. He always gives up but Schaefer encourages him and doesn’t let him give up.

The author uses characterization techniques, which makes the reader thinks as if he is playing a video game that takes place in a war. The author makes the reader visualize the emotion of each soldier and their fear. Page 155 “But as Erickson hit the top of the stair, he seemed to explode. Blood splattered in all directions and Erickson’s body was thrown back down the stairs on top of Spence. “He jerked another grenade from his belt, ran halfway up the stairs, slammed himself against the wall, pulled the pin, then threw the grenade upstairs.”

Point of view

            This story is told in 3^rd person point of view. This helps develop the main character because the author is not writing what the character is seeing but what is around him. The author also describes characters equally, this lets the reader picture the story as if it is a movie.

Theme

         The theme of this novel is not giving up. I think this is the theme of the novel because Dieter always gives up but his friend Schaefer encourages him to not give up and to continue. Another example is that in war everyone gets tired and want to go back, but they have to keep on going.

Reflection

         This book matters and is important because it talks about World War and how people used to live and their conditions. I liked this book but I think it had a lack of information. I would rate this book a 6/10 because there were only a few parts in the book that were attractive and interesting. The book would get really boring at some parts and wouldn’t talk about anything important. I would recommend this book to someone interested in World War and Hitler. I think this book is important because it is important to know about things in World War that not everyone knows. You can also discover a lot of Hitler’s objectives and plans.

New vocabulary

1.     Repulsive: Arousing intense distastes or disgust.

2.     Jostle: Push, elbow, or bump against.

3.     Congregation: A group of people assembled for religious worship.

4.     Clinging:  Fitting closely to the body and showing its shape.

5.     Weariness: extreme tiredness; fatigue.

Year of Impossible Goodbyes

Book citation:

Choi, Sook N. Year of Impossible Goodbyes. New York: Yearling, 1991. all. Print.

Summary:

Sookan, her Korean family, and her friends have been suffering for a long time during World War II. While their beautiful country has been occupied by the Japanese Empire in 1945, Sookan's family is ordered to manufacture socks for Japanese soldiers and merchants. Sookan discovers that the Japanese occupation and army have been very destructive to her family; her grandmother was simply burnt alive. Her grandfather was always there to remind his grandchildren about Korean history and culture. Finally, World War II ends and the Japanese lose and surrender. Sookan and her family are happy to be free, but they soon discover that the Russians replaced the Japanese. The Russians start to preach Communism, and Koreans are not better than they were before; they still have to labor as slaves for food. Sookan's family pretends to love the Communist Party, while they plan their escape to the South. Sookan's family tries to run away in the night by paying a guide to help them cross the border to South Korea. Will they reach their destination, or will they be caught? 

Historical Setting:

Sookan's family lives in the Kirimni area in the city of Pyongyang in Korea. Today, Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea. At the end of World War II, Korea was divided in half at the thirty-eighth parallel of latitude, with the northern section going to Russia, and the southern section being ruled by Koreans. Many people wanted to cross the border, but were prevented by North Korean forces. Once the Russians bring Communism to North Korea, everyone must act as though they love the Communist Party, or they will disappear overnight. In the book, Sookan's family tries to show their support of Communism, so that no one will harm them. Her grandfather's ancient pine tree is the only pretty thing left in the yard which still carries any hope or beauty. Captain Narita orders for the pine tree to be cut down to hurt her grandfather.

MLA citation:  "Year of Impossible Goodbyes Setting & Symbolism." BookRags. BookRags, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. 

Effect of Historical setting on Character:

The general setting of the story carries its grief and misery throughout most of the book. The reader feels anguish and distress for the innocent girl and her family suffering the hardship of war. The main effect on the characters is the struggle with the Japanese military forces, since Sookan and her family are Korean; it's like a fight between dictatorship and freedom. This conflict carries a suspense mood throughout the story, as we follow Sookan and her family to their escape. On page 5, from lines 26 to 31 in "Year of Impossible Goodbyes", it says 'A big, ugly, wooden shack dominated the yard. It had been there for as long as I could remember. Built under the orders of the Japanese, it served as a factory to manufacture socks for the Japanese soldiers and merchants. My mother was in charge of the factory and supervised the young women who worked from early morning until late evenings on the old knitting machines.' This proves that Korean characters in the novel have to work all day to satisfy the necessities of the Japanese, and this wouldn't have happened if World War II wasn't taking place in that time period. On page 47, from lines 11 to 34 in "Year of Impossible Goodbyes", Captain Narita was shouting at Sookan's, Sookan's mother, Sookan's grandfather, and Haiwon (one of the girls that work in the sock factory). Captain Narita and his two lieutenants were yelling because they found out that they were having a small celebration for Haiwon's sixteenth birthday. On this page Captain Narita says '"You are doing something on your own?  Did you forget that there is a war going on and that we must do all we can to help the Imperial soldiers fight the White Devils? Metal is not for your use. The soldiers need it for weapons. The dishes must be sent to my office at once. When will you stupid Koreans understand that you are our subjects and there is nothing we, the Imperial police of the Heavenly race, do not know about your activities? There is nothing we cannot do." The lieutenants took Haiwons birthday presents and told Sookan and her family that they would be back to take the metal dishes and they had better have them cleaned and prepared for pickup.' Reading this part of the book made me annoyed because I realized how mean the Japanese were being and they didn't even allow Koreans to own metal dishes. If there wasn't war no one would say anything about anyone having metal dishes or enjoying a humble party.           

 MLA citation:  "A Guide to Year of Impossible Goodbyes." Independent Reading. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. 

Major character:

Sookan: Sookan is the main character of "Year of Impossible Goodbyes." Sookan is about ten years old at the beginning of the book, and she is a very good child, who tries to be obedient and helpful to her family. Sookan loves learning about Korean culture and history. Even though she might be a child, she grew up in the difficult times of war, so she understands adult things, like hard work, and hunger.

Author's characterization techniques:

In "Year of Impossible Goodbyes" on pageeri2, Sookan's brothers' characters are clearly described by Sook N. Choi when it says 'Grandfather, hoping that Korean people might experience the exhilaration and beauty of spring again, had made sure my mother included the word chun, or spring, in each of my brothers' names' I think it's a smart tactic to do when an author carefully chooses a character's name to represent something in the story and in this case that a special spring will one day come. On page 57, Sook N. Choi uses a new method for characterization where dialogue is taking place. 'Stop that! Stop it! Don't let the Japanese have your soul. We can't let them make us crazy. This is exactly what they want.' This was said by Sookan's mother to Sookan's aunt, after two young, Japanese trained Korean police came into Sookan's family's yard to chop down the pine tree, which was Sookan's family's precious treasure, and it was very important to Sookan's Grandfather because he loved meditating under it.

MLA citation for page #2:

Choi, Sook Nyul. "Chapter 1." Year of Impossible Goodbyes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991. 2. Print.  

MLA citation for page #57:

Choi, Sook Nyul. "Chapter 5." Year of Impossible Goodbyes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991. 57. Print.  

Point of view:

"Year of Impossible Goodbyes" is told from the first-person point of view of Sookan, a ten-year-old Korean girl in 1945. Sookan has lived a protected life, rarely leaving her family's home, but she becomes used to the suffering of war. However, she tries to have an optimistic attitude and hopes things are going to get better soon. As the book goes on, the reader feels more with the pains this little girl, and identifies with her in her struggle for freedom and safety.

Central Idea of the Book:

The central idea of "Year of Impossible Goodbyes" is how Sookan and her family endured the cruelties of the Japanese military occupying Korea. And while Captain Narita does his best to destroy everything of value to Sookan's family, he cannot break their spirit.

Theme:

The theme of the novel Year of Impossible Goodbyes is "hopes for the future". Although "Year of Impossible Goodbyes" is a very sad, gloomy book, it still carries a message of hope for the future, and it shows that even the worst circumstances can still turn out well. In the first pages of the long adventure, when characters were still being introduced, it says that Sookan's Mother gave each of her sons a name that also has the Korean word for "spring" in it, because she had hope that Korea will have a metaphorical spring, and in the end of the book, all of her sons end up together and free. Even though the Japanese have denied them many human rights, like being able to plant a flower garden, Sookan's family keeps old packets of seeds for flowers, and this shows that they still have hope for the future, and that everything will be better again when the war is over.

Reflection:                      

Year of Impossible Goodbyes is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. This novel is filled with adventure. I really enjoyed reading it because I could imagine how Sookan and her family would have felt, trying to escape from the Communist party, and how they planned their escape to the South. I would definitely recommend this book to all my classmates and everyone who is a fan of historical fiction novels. The reason I think Year of Impossible Goodbyes is a fascinating and intriguing book is because it has detailed explanations of what was happening in World War II. I think this book important to think and talk about because it says many things about World War II, which was a very important time in history. Year of Impossible Goodbyes also includes moving moments that make tears role down your cheeks, like when they would clarify how the Japanese were treating the Koreans. And these are some of the reasons I would rate this book 10/10!               

Vocabulary:

Ajar: slightly open

Skein: length of thread wound in a loose coil

Quota: a fixed number of things or people

Pensive: engaged in, or reflecting deep or serious thought

Residue: What is left over or remains, remainder

Consoled: Comforted after grief or disappointment