Africa by David Diop (Senegal)

 


Someone I love very much would have to be my mami.  I love her a lot because she is always willing to give her family love, even if you dont ask for it she still would like hug you or grab you by the arm and stuff.  If I get home and I say that I am hungry, she would get up and like make me something to eat, even if she is all relaxed and stuff.  She makes the most awesome food and she is always cleaning after us.  Like she cleans our room even though she tells us too and she like lets me go out when she knows its something fun for me.



Felix M.

"First Confession" by Frank O'Connor (Ireland)

This story of the "First Confession" by Frank O'Connor is a story about this very bad child that tries to kill his sister and grandma.  He is a catholic boy so at this point in his life he takes his first communion course.  When he's done with his course he goes to confess with the priest, he confesses and the priest tells him to say three hail marys.  He says them and all of a sudden his life turns around, he gets candy and now he is a good boy.  This story relates to Ireland because in this country they are very catholic, and so people there are good when they confess to the priest.



The church I go to is in 4th and pierce, it is called "Our Lady of Guadalupe" and it is a catholic church.  Some activities we do there are "palm sunday", "ash wednesday", and "posadas".  In ash wednesday the priest places ash on ur forehead in the shape of a cross to represent the resurrection of christ and his death, and in the other activities we do similar things as in the fact that we all praise god or the "Virgen de Guadalupe".  My church beliefs are in heaven and hell, Jesus Christ, and saints and virgins as in  "La Virgen de Guadalupe". 



Felix M.

"The Last Judgement" by Karel Capek (Czechoslovakia)

The story of "The Last Judgement" by Karel Capek is a story about a very bad person, he is so bad that he killed nine people in his lifetime. A police officer ended his life by shooting him, 7 of those he gave him were fatal.  After his death he went to a pathway to heaven, there court was set for him to decide his destiny in the after life.  God was a witness there, since he knows everything about everybody, and yet the judges of heaven decided that he was sentenced to a life time in hell.  This story relates to Czechoslovakia because there is a really high death ratio in that country.



I really do think that if you do behave/act bad in your life, your after life would not be good.  Depending on how you in your life is how your after life is going to be.  You might go to hell, you might be a toilet, or you might even be a sidewalk being stepped on all the time.  This story is a very interesting story for me because it tells you not to do bad things or else you'll be punished when you die.  I do believe in karma because you cant live a perfect bad life you know, it's sort of impossible.  Humans shouldn't be mean to other humans because karma will come back and hit them harder in life.



Felix M.

Night by Elie Weisel (Germany)

In the book/piece of literature of Night, by Elie Wiesel, theres a lot of cruelty and discrimination.  Elie wiesel is a survivor from the act of the holocaust, which if you dont know it was a act that germany did in which they killed all of the jews just for the heck of it.  they did this because they just blamed them for all that Germany had wrong in its country and they thought it was the best idea to exterminate them.  This was an act made by their leader Adolf Hitler, which made the army of the Nazi.  This book is realted to Germany because it just says how cruel germans are and their willing to do for their country.



Journal Topic:
What I will remember most about this book is the fact that the holocaust was so cruel and discrimanated.  I will always have a picture in my head of the skin and bones people, the camp, and dead bodies and it all has changed my mind just a bit at least.  I believe the fact that how they treated the jews was the saddest part for me, and the most horryfying would be the killing of the jews.  But the most angering would be the fact that they would actually do this in the first place, just all the discrimanation, they didnt have a reason why to kill all those mllion of jews.  That would be the most confusing for me too you know because there's no reason for that, and the most touching would be the children, that really was sad what they did to the innocent.



Felix M.

Central Station (Brazil)

This story, Central Station, talks about its culture in the poor way it is.  It talks about that Brazil is so poor in the way that children are just living out there living in the street.  Their parents die and theyre just left alone just like in the case of this child, Josue, in the story, his dad left them and his mom died.  But yet it also talks about that people cant even read or write, they have to pay other people to do it for them as when they do letters and such things like that.  In this story you have to be lucky to be succesful.



Journal:
The type of family relationship that Dora and Josue form is very much like our families because they stick out for eachother and like wait for each other in like whats going to happen in their future, not like a hello and goodbye.  The importance of family to me is having someone to look up to and protect you.  Family should always stick together because then it really aint a real family, that's what real family is all about.



Felix M.

The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Columbia)

In this story, The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World, relates to the setting of Columbia.  It relates to this setting because of how the people seem to of build their own homes.  What I mean by that is that people in Columbia are pretty poor.  It might bot be their fault, but maybe just the governments, their not the government you expect from as the United States at all.  Also it relates to Columbia because of the ocean setting of where they found this man drowned, Columbia is also known for its beaches and villages.



Journal:
A funeral I would want my family to give me is probably just a typical one but with all my family and friends because that's how it is special.  Other funerals are very similar to the one I am planning to have because thats how it makes a real funeral special.  This story reveals about the Latin America's deaths on how cruel sometimes these areas are and desperate people are, like as in maybe they can't take life anymore.



Felix M.

No Dogs Bark by Juan Rulfo (Mexico)

In this story, it talks about that Mexico has a very poor environment.  Medication is not easy to find, and much less if you do not have a car.  The family in this story had a really bad relationship with each other.  They did things such as killing, robbing, and stealing.  Mexico is a very poor and dry land, dogs are of good guidance.




Journal:
How I will treat my sons and daughters is by treating them with respect and treating them as human beigns.  If they miss behave then i'll talk with them very seriously and not hit them at all.  I will not be like Ignacios father at all because he is very cruel.



Felix M.