Chapter 4 Assignment

Passage-Based Focused Freewriting
In the book thief, within the chapter "Liesel's Lecture", Hans is telling Liesel how important it is to keep Max a secret. Liesel is young and might not quite understand how serious the situation is. Can she really keep a secret from her best friend Rudy? With this being such a serious situation I think Liesel will need to vent herself to someone about it. Papa then tells her that if she told anyone about Max that they would be in big trouble and take him and Mama away from her. Was telling her this really good for her? If it were me, that would have made me nervous and scared. I don't think that was such a smart idea especially when things are so rough around Molching. The last thing you need to do is put fear and worry into Liesel's heart. Her knowing this man (Max) can bring so much danger and devastation to the family may give her more reason to tell someone. Liesel is so young and may not fully understand whats going on so I think that is why Hans went on to threaten her about her books. Papa told her that if she told anyone he would burn her every one of her books. Of course, because Liesel is young that hit home to her. I think that is what would have stood out the most to her because her books are so important to her. She loves those books and I'm sure she would not do anything that would result in them being taken from her. At the end of this chapter, Liesel is crying and torn up about the whole conversation and situation. Papa grabbed her and hugged her tight. When they got upstairs to where Mama was, she also grabbed Liesel and started holding her tight. Knowing the kind of person Mama is (mean, violent, not very sympathetic) this went to show how serious the situation was. Mama actually showed sympathy for Liesel. This whole chapter intensified the story because now the danger and the worry is coming into play.

Nazi Guards "Flip Side"

Originally I decided to show "mercy" to these guards, but now it's time to flip the script...here we go!!!!

I'd like to begin by saying every decision we make will greatly impact our lives. You choose the road you want to travel on. These Nazi guards had a choice, and personally choosing the death of others over your own is extremely immoral. Martin Luther King Jr. once quoted, "Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness." These men chose their lives over thousands and thousands of others. Their one life, their one sacrifice could have saved numerous of lives.

Within the article, "Excile or mercy for old Nazi guards?", it was stated that records showed John Kalymon killed at least one Jew. One life taken, deliberately, that is considered MURDER. Along with murder comes consequences and punishment. The article also states Johann Leprich and Iwan Mandycz stood guard while innocent Jews, women, children, Gypsies, Poles and Jehovah's Witnesses were exterminated. One could argue these men were accomplices to murder. They sat back and watched these people being killed while they guarded the area. They guarded the area so no one could escape and no one could come in and save these prisoners. They had just as much to do with the murders as did the Nazis.

Crime against humanity can be described as serious acts on human dignity, murder, extermination and/or torture. As stated in "Crime Against Humanity" through the website Wikipedia.org, in the Judgement of the International Military Tribunal for the Trial of German major War Criminals, many actions that took place after the beginning of the war did not constitute as war crimes. In fact these actions were considered execution of, or in connection with, the aggressive war and constituted as crimes against humanity. That deserves punishment. These victims and families of the victims deserve justice.

Many of these killings were not considered "war crimes", it was more of hatred and racism. These were guards of labor camps and concentration camps, not guards of war. They were standing guard watching over prisoners and victims....not soldiers. They were part of the Nazi Party. The Nazi Party was more of a political group, an alliance, a coalition and they chose to be a part of that. In war, these Jews and other victims would have been killed...that is not the case here, they were EXTERMINATED. These men chose to participate in the HATE depicted by the Nazi Party. These were not GUARDS OF WAR, they were GUARDS OF THE NAZI PARTY...GUARDS OF HATRED and it is their time to face the consequences. SEND THEM AWAY!!!!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY TO MY DAUGHTER......YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN!!!! MOMMY LOVES AND MISSES YOU SO SO MUCH!!!
I will be lighting my candle....taking a moment of silence at 4:19pm (the time she was born and also pronounced dead). I wasn't going to turn this into a blog for the week but I think it is important that we realize we can lose a loved one at any moment. With that being said, I want you all to think before you say something harsh to someone you love....because you cannot take back words. You may not have the opportunity to tell them you are sorry or you didn't mean it. Tell the people closest to your heart, that you love them...everyday...because you never know when their time is coming. This kinda ties into the "words are powerful" subject because you don't want your conscious eating away at you. It also ties into "The Book Thief" because Death is real....he is out here....doing his job. He is someone who won't get laid off in this time of economic downfall and unemployment rates rising. Take the time out to let people know you love them and you care for them. Let people know that you are sorry for the hurt and pain you may have caused in the past. Those grudges....LET THEM GO...it's not worth it. Make-up with family and friends.....because once their gone...they only live on in memory....so make those memories worth remembering.

WINSTON CHURCHILL

The Winston Churchill speech I chose was, "War of the Unknown Warriors" (I have posted a link to it at the end of my blog) which he gave on July 14, 1940. The reason I chose this speech is because for me it hit home, so to speak. I've been through a lot of struggles myself. Doctor's have told me things that resulted in me having to prepare myself for a life long battle. Things that would "without a doubt" result in death. I know what it is like to HAVE to fight. Sometimes....you have NO CHOICE. What needs to be done....just needs to be done...and that's that. Of course, just as in war, you have more of a chance of survival when you have a helping hand from others. Churchill's words were preparing people for the war. In this speech, Churchill made a few statements that I would like to elaborate on. For starters, within the speech, he said, "Faith is given to us to help and comfort us when we stand in awe before the unfurling scroll of human destiny." I believe this statement reassured individuals that there is hope. Another statement that grasped me attention included, "We are fighting by ourselves alone; but we are not fighting for ourselves alone." This brought encouragement to the mind of those fighting in the war. Knowing that they are fighting for a cause, fighting for the well-being of their families, friends and fellow humans brought some ease to the situation. Throughout the speech, Churchill spoke of not surrendering and defending their land which, for myself, would bring a sense of purpose and encourage perseverance. He stated that survivors of the last war had the strongest desire to attack the enemy- which is understandable. I feel the speech in a whole had great potential to spark patriotism in all individuals that listened to Churchill's speech. One major phrase that stood out to me was when Churchill stated, "and that while we toil through the dark valley we can see the sunlight on the uplands beyond." Those POWERFUL words insinuated that although times were rough and the war would be long and hard, they know there can be a positive outcome. Churchill is looking past the war....noting that the victory is ahead. This victory will bring justice and in Churchill's own words, "the dark curse of Hitler will be lifted from our age." Lastly...the most important part of the speech in my opinion is the last paragraph. This is the description of how the title "War of The Unknown Warriors" came about. Churchill announced that many people will lose their lives. A countless number of them whose names will not be known, whose contributions to the war will not be recorded, whose memories will live on only as "Warriors". These brave people, these heroes, these patrons will be remembered for their faithful service in war. This part of the speech to me was honoring all people, giving remembrance to those whose lives was lost, giving these warriors the respect they earned and deserved, showing praise and glorifying their presence throughout the war.

http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/speeches-of-winston-churchill/126-war-of-the-unknown-warriors

My Poem for my daughter...R.I.P Baby Girl

As I've posted in the "about me" section....I lost my daughter at birth on September 20th, 2008... since it is going on 1 year Sunday..I decided to make my next post one of the poems I wrote for her...Please feel free to comment.....R.I.P. Sabriyah Nicole Finney (the photo is of her ashes....I had her cremated so she can always be right there with me..I have a picture of me and her when she was born but she had already passed on and people have told me they feel uncomfortable seeing a photo of a deceased newborn child so I will not post that photo)

Emotionally scarred with no one to blame//Day to day dealing with the same pain//I front a smile cuz deep down it will never change//A life taken....my baby girl laid to rest//Never even got to take her first breath//Nor see the sight of mommy//You'll never know the pain deep inside me//But as the stars shine nightly...I know one is her, smiling brightly//Slightly..disappointed cuz my baby girl'z not next to me//But I know her home in Heaven is better than the hood would ever be// and God is a better father than that "so called man" could ever be//Used to say "have my heart broken..never me"// Proved me wrong...I'ma be in pain til the death of me//But that will also be the day God is blessing me// Cuz I'll be reunited wit my lil' mama//And finally keep my promise// To never leave ya side...and every night rock you to sleep with sweet lullabies// Winnie The Pooh Dresses and sweet kisses//Purple barretts and pink ribbons....now that's living//Mommy's coming baby girl...it just might take a minute.......R.I.P

My First Blog...Welcome!!!!

This....as you can see, is my first blog. In future blogs I will explain the "Through The Eye'z of God'z Soldier" title I have chosen but for now let me continue with "My First Blog...Welcome". I believe this is the easiest assignment a student could have. I'm receiving a grade just for expressing myself. I am completing an assignment just to let people know what kind of thoughts are running through my head. Not only will this help me vent, but this could possibly help me in many other ways. I might include some issues or obstacles I'm facing and hopefully get some feedback from fellow students that can help me cope with these situations. I must warn you now....I may talk about topics and emotions that you may not want to hear, but this is MY blog so I WILL put what I feel on here. So before I continue on to whatever the next topic may be and whenever I do post it....I want to thank you all for reading my first blog and for those of you who will comment on this and future blogs, thank you in advance. Have a VERY blessed day.