Lewis ENG

In this chunk it talks about the final fight. but during the fight it goes back and forth with George w bush talking about the overall of the war and how many died, injured, and howmany of them died and thanking them for there service.

In the final attempt they had to be prepared in every way. Such as there vest and there elbow pads and stuff so they had the best way of survival and ready to fight. But if they forgot something they wouldn’t go untill they do have all of there stuff and they forgot to as they where young and well they where my age so if i was going off to war I would be scared and not prepared for any part of it.

It still has the theme of well war but each time a event happens it talks about a different department and what they need to do to. Like they would talk about the soilders at the start for the first time and how they tried to save a person then next it talks about what the medics have to deal with. And many other peoples work they need to do to help win the war which was very important.

Overall it was a good book for what I was looking for. As it was about the surge and war and history which was good. I would rate it a 7.5 out of 10 as it was good but just well I guess it wasn’t everything I was looking for. But it was pretty close. It also had images throughout the book which was also pretty good for the imagery of whats happening and that it was actually based off of a real event and the people are the actually people in the book.

In this chunk there was a lot of stuff leading to the end. As there was a big bomb and it killed and injured a lot of soilders and they where all sent home. With the injured soilders it got into depth of the families reactions to there loved one.

As one example the book went through was that this guy survived and he lost all of his limbs and his face was broken/ not the same. As for me if I had a love one that was that way I don’t know what I would do as you’d be looking at a whole new person that is barly alive and doesn’t look human even though he did a lot of good. But for the family they got past that and they stayed by him as long as they could and they would talk to him about what has happened when he was gone and what has happened to him.

It also talked about all the new advancements that the world has made as there was a thing that was a platform that helped people find there balance and walk and said that it could even balance a pencil on the eraser part which is really cool. But I think the author add that part to add that when there’s war theres a lot of advancment which we can see as people developed bombs during war and cars, tanks, helicopters, and more medical things. Which is kinda cool to think of how people are still making advancements for a better life and getting ready for the future things that may effect us.

Also the place they are in is pasifically for military injury’s as they needed a lot of help so they made one big building just for them so they could treat them and they also where able to help with burns that they had and get there faces or anything restored and look better. Which I think they made this place to keep the people from seeing there conditions. As if they didn’t then they would probably try to keep there kids out of the military so they don’t end up looking like they do or lose a limb as if I seen someone like that I would not want a loved one go to war.

In this chunk, it goes into the theme of what everyone is feeling as before he would write about what the soilders go through and different examples such as a new soilder, or a soilder that was going to be in college, and many other examples. As in this chunk it was going into the thoughts and emotions of the medical people, as they would be doing a lot of work that I would never want to do as they would have to smell, touch and cut limbs off to save people as I would not last a minute of that. Anyways David Finkel adds Rachel one of the medical workers, And she explains how people always wanted to work for the Americans, but now that they are it’s not as good especially for her as she is a iraqi and if people knew she was then people would treat her terribly as she explained in a different assigned place to work.

Another important event is Kauzilarich’s birthday. which adds alot of fun and hope with all of the bad that is happening. Also before Kauzilarich thought that Quism’s promise which is to host a party would be another broken promise, but he was proven wrong and it kinda showed everyone that was against Quism as he was a iraqi that they aren’t all bad and some are good. It also showed that there is a good reason they are there and that there is good things that happen during war.

Also with Izzy they survived. It also talks about how he was only a translater for Kauzilarich so he could make money and get recommendation letters so he could leave and go live somewhere else with his family. That would be safe from danger and can live life instead of being in terrible they are in. It also talks about how one day in 1999 he was beaten and wiped as the Americans where abusing there power as they made his family have to bribe the judge with money to be free. Which shows that there was times that America is in the wrong and why the iraqis are fighting back as they still think they are all bad.

With this section i’ve realized that Kauzlarich may be the bringer of bad luck or death. As in a previous post he talked to someone in his dream thinking he was dead, but he wasn’t and the mysterious figure said “No.. Not yet”. Which adds to this section as he was talking to Izzy his interpurter for when he talks to Qasim his iraqis friend. Then his daughter is injured and on the blink of death which I do not know if she survived or not yet.

I also say he’s the bringer of bad luck or death is because he is usally always the first person to get there and see them near death or dead already.

With that, it would make Cummings the guy that balances it out as he’s still there for the people. Even if there Iraqis as he’s the guy that is helping Izzy’s daughter that may not be able to get help as she is Iraqis but there hopeing she’s the one that is born in America as they can’t help Iraqis unless its from millitary reasons and not random insidents.

Also Kauzlarich’s birthday is coming up and Qasim says he’ll have a party for him, but Kauzlarich says, “Another promise to be brokenk, he thought, but at least this was a nice one.”(Finkel 168). Which shows that he’s been there for a long time promising that they’ll help and there safe. But he doesn’t know that at all and it’s just a lie to give them hope, but Kauzlarich is losing that hope as we know by him saying that.

Also it still talks about what soilders think during times like these. As the main one in this section is that there is a new soilder and he went into a house and there where bad people in there and he shot them and realized that there was a women and a young child that just watched him kill these people. And it really effected him as he walked back the the vehicle without paying attention to anything just thinking what example he just showed them as it would effect them for the rest of there life.

In this chunk we still see David Finkel comparing Kauzlarich and Cummings. As the thought or question was “what’s happened that has turned everything into a fight?”(Finkel90). And Kauzlarich answers by saying, “we’re winning… they wouldn’t be fighting if we weren’t winning. They wouldn’t have a reason to. It’s a measure of effectiveness.”(Finkel90). Then Finkel wrote, “Cummings believed it, too, although he said it differently. “Good thing we’re winning,”(Finkel90). Which shows that Kauzlarich thinks it’s good to win as it would show a “measure of effectiveness.” and Cummings thinks that it would suck if they where sacrificing all these people for nothing as Cummings is a more emotional character then Kauzlarich. Which David uses to show these two different ways of leading or ways people would think. As it would be more caring of the people or it would be more care in winning without thinking of the sacrafice.

David also adds another character that is a Iraqi and his name is Qusim Ibrahim Alwan. Which he is important to show that this is the start of Iraq and America is working together to get stuff done. As the Iraqis where scared or threated that they would be killed for working with the Americans.

Another thing David did was showing the difference between America and Bagdad/ Iraq, as he talked about how different they where as they where less developed as a country as they didn’t have toilets or much electricity and showing the difference between living and working there as it was a lot worse then new soilders would expect.

David also adds another thought that would go through soilders heads during war. As, “if anything happens to us, what woill happen to our families?” which add that they had to worry about this to as they also had to worry about what to do if there buddie dies next to them or there friend dies.

He also added the phrase “Third version of war” as they where getting helicopters. Which showed that when they add something new it adds a whole new scenario and what they should do. As the bad guys would adjust eventually and they would have a new strategy and it would make the war worse and make the war more expensive. Also with this phrase he also had first and second but this was when it sticked out to me while reading.

So in this chunk there is another character called Cummings. Which he is compared to Kauzlarich which adds a lot to the rest of what is happening, but he is different as he was more brooding, introspective, then any soilder and Cummings says that Kauzlarich, “can see despair, and it doesn’t bother him as much as it bothers me.” which shows that he can’t handle as much as he can and that is probably the reason why Kauzlarich is the leader in all that happens rather then him as he couldn’t handle it.

So the author uses these characters to look at two sides of war. As Cummings is more of a helpful guy to everyone even the Iraqi’s. He does this by telling us that he would protect the Iraqi’s even tho they are taking over there base and he would let them stay instead of kicking the family out as they needed help. But that place didn’t work as it was bombed so that was very hard for Cummings as there where a dozen of kids and a elderly woman and a old man.

So then we see Kaularich’s way as he went to the next location for a possible base. As he pays another group of kids and the mom and dad to leave instead of taking them in and protecting them as Cummings would have done.

So the author uses these two different characters to show how people will look at conflicts in different ways as Cummings wanted to save the people, rather then Kauzlarich doing what he needs to do to win this war.

So the author uses these two different characters to show how people will look at conflicts in different ways as Cummings wanted to save the people, rather then Kauzlarich doing what he needs to do to win this war.

The author also uses a lot of repetition as Finkel would bring up a date and then talk about another bomb insident and how there was people injured and what the people would go through. I think he uses this for the big idea that during war a lot goes through your mind. Like I said in post one they needed to be ready for themselves to die and there friends to die. So Finkel got in depth of what they would think and there reactions to it happening during the insident and at the ceremony they would have for everyone that dies in combat. Also their was 5 times it was repeated and it would usally be the next day.

Finkel also uses what people would think when there in the hospital as there is a scene of a injured soilder and his wife was there worried to death about him and stayed with him the whole time. As he got slowly better over time. Finkel also uses the scene where President Bush came in and speaked about how they honor him for his sacrifice and what he has done for the country. Which is good but the wife got mad as he has no clue what there going through as Bush would never have something like this happen to him.

Also at the end he uses forshadowing. As Kauzlarich had a dream at the end and it was him talking to a stranger that somehow got in the bathroom that he locked himself into and asked, “are you a ghost or something… am I dead?” the reply was “No… not yet” So sometime I would think he is going to die. I would think it would be an important death and would change everything after he died as he is an important character so far.

The plot of the story is really easy to follow and fits with the aspects of a book about war. I like the character Kauzlarich which he is the main character and he has a good reputation and does everything in his power to do right. Another character that was a iraqi and he is going against what every other iraqi would do as he talked to Kauzlarich about the people and why they won’t give up to them as there Americans.

There are two scenes in the start that seems very important such as the iraqi and the American talking. The other is when he talks to Iraqi kids that are safe and they have a tv and where watching a movie on vietnam. Which connected to Kauzlarich as that movie or war is the reason why he is a soilder. The most important thing about him and the kid was that Kauzlarich asks, “How are we going to get this to stop” pg 35 the kid says, “we need God’s help” which seems very important for them to think that and give them hope.

The author seems to have the big idea of what the thoughts of the fighters and the people have during times of war. As it talks about how they had to be ready to die and there friends to die. Also got in depth of what they where thinking during there expoditions to go through the town as there could be danger everywhere.

In the future I think there going to find the reason why people are scared of telling the Americans where the danger is because the iraqi tells them that the people will not tell as there’s a threat of them being killed from telling them about the big bad guy that’s in control of the people which connects to the beginning of the book when it says win the war by winning the people and not kill your way to victory.

By: David Finkel

I picked this book as i’d like to read about as much history as i can as it seems very interesting to me and we don’t talk as much as possible in school. I’m looking forward to learn this event in histroy and what “the surge” is about and what strategies they used and how they came up with them, and how much it affected the outcome.

Im apprehensive that it will not talk about much histroy as I thought “the Nightengale” would. So I hope that this book would talk about as much history as I would think it would. I will be sucessful by being ingaged in my book and understand whats happening and be interested in the book as I will be learning what’s happening in this historic event hopefully and what the book is about. So this book should be a interesting, fun, learning read.

 Do you think any of these (de las Casas’, Columbus’, Red Cloud’s) accounts changed the audience? How? Why yes or no? If no, what could they have done to more affect their audience?

I’d say that these texts changed the public view on what was happening, but they never got the government to change their thoughts on them and kept doing what they did best. They still used them for slavery, put them into reservations, and kept treating them unfairly. which is described in every text as they signed of a treaty that was not clear to them, They used them to get pearls/slavery and forced them to do their religion, killed them with dogs, and pikes, and hunt them down.

The Three injustices of the Spanish colonizers

One injustice of the Spanish is that they would kill them with dogs, swords, and pikes, while on a horse which turned it into an unfair war/ fight. It was one-sided, as the text says, “They took up arms, but their weapons were very weak and of little service”(pg89). This shows that the natives had no good warfare weapons. While the Spaniards had, “horses and swords and pikes began to carry out massacres and strange cruelties against them”(pg 90).

The second injustice was that the Spanish turned them into slaves they would do labors that would cause them to die such as, “Two million souls taken captive, and have sent them to do hard labor in the mines, labors that caused many of them to die.” (pg90). they took them into slavery making them do tasks that would end in them dying for their benefit.

The third injustice is that the Spanish would torture them as the text says, “Spanish torturer is waiting in a canoe or skiff and if the pearl diver shows signs of wanting to rest, he is showered with blows, his hair is pulled, and he is thrown back into the water, obliged to continue the hard work” (pg 91). They would ensure they did their impossible task all day without breaks and barely any food or water.

Frontier

It adds that it’s right for them to discover the new world but it doesn’t give them the right to take control of the new world as it’s controlled by the natives as they’re living happily. But the text tells us of them taking over and killing natives. It also shows the difference in weapons, saying, “weapons were very weak and of little service in offense and still less in defense “(pg 89-90). and the Spaniards had, “horses and swords and pikes” (pg90). so they had way different weapons which also shows their difference in the progression of life, their advancements in technology, and overall intelligence.