2 Blog #8

“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
For this blog I’m going to write about pages 200-331, the ending of the book. There are a lot of shocking things in this passage. Firstly, August hits Marlena so Marlena leaves him for good. This surprised me because I thought Marlena would never be free and that her love with Jacob would always be forbidden. After she leaves August, Jacob learns that August is paranoid schizophrenic and that is the reason for his crazy mood swings. I don’t fully believe this excuse. It is realistic to think that people had the disorder and it went untreated in the 1930’s, but it seems like a very convenient excuse for his behavior. August chases after Marlena and will not stop pursuing her. I would be very scared of August if he were chasing after me because he is so unpredictable. During a performance all the animals get loose and the elephant kills August. I didn’t expect this because at the time it seemed like everything was going badly for Jacob and I thought things would continue on in this way. Meanwhile, the present day elderly Jacob seems to be getting sicker. He becomes senile and gets very scared. I would be scared too if I couldn’t remember things I just did. Jacob’s family is supposed to take him to the circus, but they forget. It’s very heartbreaking because it was the one thing he had to look forward to. Despite their absence, Jacob goes to the circus alone, something he’s not supposed to do. He meets the circus manager who agrees to let Jacob go along with the circus on the road. I didn’t like the ending very much. It didn’t tie up loose ends and it came out of nowhere. I also don’t like not knowing what exactly happens to Jacob at the new circus.

2 Blog #7

“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
This week I read pages 130-200. A lot happens in this passage. The elephant, Rosie, has been a problem in the circus because she is not very cooperative. Contrary to my prediction, Jacob and August have not had a big fight about the elephant yet. August invites Jacob out dancing with himself and Marlena. While they are dancing the police come to bust the place for liquor, which is illegal. While they are running out August gets separated from Jacob and Marlena. Jacob and Marlena stand in the alley and kiss. This confirms my prediction of a romantic relationship between Marlena and Jacob. August pretends to not know about their chemistry, but I think he knows because he’s always saying things that hint at their relationship. I don’t know why he hasn’t done anything to harm Jacob yet because he seems like a very impulsive and violent man. Besides this event, Jacob’s friend Camel gets very sick. Camel is paralyzed and can’t move his legs. When Jacob finds out he gets a doctor for Camel and lets him stay in his room. Jacob’s roommate Kinko is surprisingly understanding since Jacob and Kinko don’t get along. I think this is the beginning of a new friendship with Kinko and that Kinko has finally lost his unfriendly shell. Kinko says it’s ok for Camel to stay in the room even though it is against the rules. If the boss finds out he’ll throw Camel off the train to a certain death. I predict that August will find out about Camel since he seems to know everything about the circus. August will either hold it over Jacob’s head or get Jacob in a lot of trouble for it.

2 Blog #6

“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
This week I read pages 105-130. The passage starts with Jacob in current times in the nursing home. Jacob is woken up by a nurse. I’m kind of confused if the story of the circus is Jacob’s dream or if it is just a separate story since it seems to go along with the dream, but it is a true story. The nurse tells Jacob that his family is coming that day to take him to the circus. I predict that Jacob’s family will forget to visit him and take him to the circus because it would add to Jacob’s image as a very lonely and sad man. The passage then goes back in time to when Jacob was working for the circus. August is getting meaner and meaner. It turns out he fed Marlena’s horse’s remains other animals. Marlena is mad at August, but August doesn’t understand why. This shows how uncompassionate he is. Also, this confirms my prediction that that’s what August would do with the horse. August gets into a fight with another worker named Pete. Later, August says that he found food for the hungry cats. I think he killed Pete and fed him to the cats. This has been suggested before in the book and after the incident with the horse, I don’t put it past August. Jacob also gets in a fight with August where August gets very mad and yells at Jacob. I predict this is a precursor to a big fight between them. In the end of the passage, the circus gets a new elephant, but they are told the elephant is useless. I predict this will be the root of the problem between August and Jacob since they will both have to deal with it.

2 Blog #5

“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
This week I read pages 90-105. August invites Jacob to have a fancy dinner with Marlena, the horse trainer Jacob likes, and himself. Marlena is in a relationship with August. Jacob has had past risky situations that August has put him into. While at dinner the three have cheerful conversation and eat gourmet food while dressed in luxurious clothes. August gets drunk and then starts dancing with Marlena. Suddenly, August hits Marlena and then passes out. Jacob is shocked, but Marlena says that is just August’s personality. She tells Jacob to be careful of August because he can be very cruel. This enforces the idea I had that Jacob will get into trouble. Now, I think August will try to hurt Jacob. Later, Jacob has to put down Marlena’s horse. Jacob is very concerned for Marlena and August sees Jacob’s concern. This is another reason for my prediction that August will hurt Jacob. August doesn’t want Jacob to take Marlena. This passage really showed how scary August is even though he seems kind because of his charm. I think he doesn’t actually care for Marlena. He just wants to use her. At the end of this passage, August says, speaking of the circus, “The whole thing’s an illusion, Jacob, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s what people want from us. It’s what they expect.” I think this is foreshadowing that Jacob is going to start to see the “real” circus. He’s going to be exposed to more risky, dangerous, and not glamorous situations.

Two Annotated Ethics Sources

Is assisted suicide ethical for the terminally ill?

Lavi, Shai. “How Dying Became a ‘Life Crisis.’” Daedalus 137 (2008): 57. SIRS Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. Edina High School. 6 Dec. 2008 .

The author is a teacher at Tel Aviv University where he teaches law and sociology. He wrote a book on euthanasia that won the 2006 Distinguished Book Award from the American Sociological Association. This article appeared in Daedalus, a journal published by MIT and the official journal of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He writes about the progression of the medical treatment of death over time and explores the reason for the change in the treatment of death. Lavi writes that death and the pain and way in which people die has not changed over time; only people’s desire for control over death has changed. In the past doctors would even abandon patients when they thought the patients were beyond help. Now, people seek to have lots of control over medical practices as technology advances. Euthanasia comes from people seeking control over their deaths. The author comes to question what role a doctor has in treating the patient and if the doctor’s role is to treat the patient as the patient wishes or to give the patient constant hope.

Welch, William M. “Debate Rages in Calif. Over Physician-Assisted Suicide.” USA Today 10 Apr. 2007:n.p. SIRS Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. Edina High School. 6 Dec. 2008 .

Welch is a reporter for USA Today. This article questions doctors’ involvement in assisted suicides, but not as much as some of the others. He not only reports on the recent event of debating about assisted suicide in California, but also on the background of both sides of the debate. He writes that Oregon is the only state to allow assisted suicide. Oregon only allows assisted suicide for people with less than six months to live. One concern he suggests is that people will kill themselves for reasons other than pain. People will kill themselves because they are depressed and it is hard to tell what the reason for assisted suicide is. He also says assisted suicide is questionable because of doctors’ ethics. It is against doctors’ ethics and some believe it is overall unethical for doctors to prescribe medicine for the sole purpose of killing a patient.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec98/suicide_11-24.html

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec99/suicide_10-27.html

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/forum/october99/assisted_suicide3.html

2 Blog #4

“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
This week I read pages 50-90. In this passage Jacob has a discussion with Camel, another circus worker. Camel is old and says that the only thing keeping him going is alcohol. Camel says that the circus is a bad place for aging people and that he doesn’t know what will happen to him when he is unable to work. This is very different from jobs in current times. Most people are able to retire comfortably and rely on social security to help them in retirement, but Camel wasn’t able to do this. I think Camel is trying to reveal the rough lifestyle of the circus to Jacob. Camel helps Jacob get a meeting with the circus boss, Uncle Al, so Jacob can hopefully get a better job. Uncle Al isn’t very kind to Jacob. In their discussion, Jacob says he would like to work with animals. Uncle Al replies, “’You want to carry water for elephants, I suppose?’”. This is obviously the quote that the title of the book comes from. I interpret this as Uncle Al being very sarcastic. He doesn’t believe that Jacob is actually going to be a good worker with animals. Uncle Al thinks that Jacob just fantasized about coming to the circus and dreamed of carrying water for the elephants which isn’t realistic because the circus doesn’t have any elephants and it would be impossible to carry the massive amounts of water needed to feed an elephant. The circus is becoming less idealistic as the book goes on.

2 Blog #3

“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
This week I read pages 30-48. Jacob gets off the train when it stops. One of the men who was riding on the circus train with him, Camel, found a job for Jacob. Camel teaches Jacob how to act at the circus. Camel gets Jacob a job opportunity and Jacob soon rises to an even better position after proving himself. Currently, Jacob is working as a crowd controller in various parts of the circus. I think this is odd because this has nothing to do with what I’ve learned of Jacob so far. Jacob was going to school to learn to be a veterinarian, but he is not even working with animals. Also, there has not been a single elephant yet, as the title suggests. When Jacob first entered the big top he saw a girl standing next to some horses. She was very pretty and reminded him of his girlfriend at college, Catherine. Jacob was captivated by her. I predict that he will get to know her in the coming pages and will have a relationship with her. When Jacob goes to the dining place he quickly sees the harsh attitude of other workers. Camel warns Jacob that he needs to better learn the ways of the circus quickly because other people are not friendly. I predict that Jacob’s lack of knowledge will get him into trouble. He won’t be trying to cause a disturbance, but he will. Perhaps the trouble will be linked to the new girl.

2 Blog #2

"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
This week I read pages 14-30. The book started in the time period where Jacob was in a nursing home, but is now in an extended flashback of when Jacob was in college. Jacob was attending college when he was informed that both of his parents had died in a car crash. He immediately felt sick and had to leave college in the midst of finals to cope with his parents’ deaths. This reminds me of the book I read last quarter called “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel. In “Life of Pi”, Pi also began with a happy life. He liked studying the zoo animals around him and different religions. Similarly, Jacob was happy studying at a very good college, Cornell. Their happy lives were both interrupted when they lost their parents. Pi lost his parents when his family was traveling on a boat. The boat sank and Pi’s parents drowned. Jacob lost his parents in a car accident. These events relate to the Monomyth we have been studying in class. Both Pi and Jacob had ideal circumstances surrounding their childhood. Pi was content studying animals and Jacob was content studying at Cornell. Also both characters left on a journey. Pi left his home in India on a boat. He was stranded in the middle of the ocean in a lifeboat after the ship sank. After Jacob discovered his parents’ deaths he left Cornell. He walked far away from the college, unsure of where he was going. He arrived at some train tracks. He saw a train going by and jumped onto it. Both boys crossed the point of no return because Pi couldn’t jump out of the lifeboat and Jacob couldn’t jump out of the train.

2 Blog #1

“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
This week I began reading “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen. I read from pages one through thirteen. In the passage, the main character Jacob is introduced. He is an old man who lives in a nursing home. He seems very grumpy. For example, he does not like it when a new man at the nursing home tries to sit with him at lunch. The man tries to make conversation. The man sees that the circus is coming to town and setting up next to the nursing home. He says that he used to work for the circus carrying water for the elephants. Jacob calls him a liar and says that he couldn’t have carried water for the elephants because elephants drink too much water to carry. Also, Jacob is unhappy with the nursing home. He always longs for better food. I think that Jacob will be a very interesting character because he is full of grumpy attitude. The book begins with a flashback. It is a flashback of Jacob working for the circus when he was younger. The flashback is of a time when all the animals escaped from the circus. There were panthers and yaks running freely everywhere. The flashback does not state specifically what Jacob’s job was in the circus. I predict that his job will have to do with animals because the title has an animal, an elephant, in it and also because the flashback he had concerned animals. In addition, Jacob seemed to have some knowledge of circus animals when he fought with the man in the nursing home.

Blog #7

“Life of Pi” by Yann Martel
This week I read pages 220 through 335. I continue to find Pi’s journey on the boat to be fascinating. In my opinion, be has acted in a very level headed manner. He did not panic and scream when he discovered he was alone in a lifeboat. He did not jump overboard when he found that a zebra, hyena, and tiger were on the lifeboat with him. He has not gone crazy from being alone in a lifeboat for days. I would say he is doing very well. Pi tried to construct a fishing device so he could catch fish to feed to Richard Parker, the tiger. He made the device out of fishing equipment that he found on the boat and he used a piece of his leather shoe as bait. The device didn’t work and Pi was left without a shoe. He loses confidence, thinking to himself, “’Stupidity has a price. You should show more care and wisdom next time’”. I think Pi is being way too hard on himself. He has already achieved far more than is expected of a teenager trapped on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean; he has survived. He says that he has acted stupidly, but I don’t think he has. He had the thought of getting himself food and looking on the boat for a box of food. He also came up with a way of training the tiger, to give him fish as rewards. Both thoughts were very necessary for his survival and he intelligently came up with them. I think that Pi’s insecurity could be his worst enemy. He has demonstrated the creativity and intelligence necessary to survive, but if he doubts himself, he won’t survive.

Blog #6

“Life of Pi” by Yann Martel
For this blog, I read pages 150-220. In this passage, the hyena kills the zebra, then Richard Parker, the tiger on the lifeboat, kills the hyena. If I were on the boat, I would have found this incredibly frightening, as Pi does. He is concerned for his safety. I would be frightened beyond thinking and would scream and be beside myself. A good thing that happens to Pi is that he finds a locker full of supplies. He is overjoyed to find water and biscuits, which he quickly consumes. This makes me wonder if I would be able to survive in this situation. I’m a picky eater, which I would immediately have to overcome. I think I could force myself to eat the rations, but I think the larger problem would be to overcome mental obstacles. I would have to stay positive and sane on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with a tiger. I don’t think I could do this. Interestingly, Pi decides he will train Richard Parker. I’m glad to see Pi’s background as a zookeeper’s son come in handy. Pi will use a whistle to train the tiger and a fish as a reward. He deduces that there is no way for him to overcome the tiger since it is much larger than him. Pi thinks he needs a companion to keep him sane so the best solution is for him to train the tiger. I obviously wouldn’t have thought of this solution since I don’t know anything about training or being around exotic animals. Instead, I would have tried to stay as far away from the tiger as possible until it ate me.

Blog #5

“Life of Pi” by Yann Martel
This week I read pages 100-150. Pi’s family decided to leave India because of turmoil in the country. They boarded a cargo ship with many of the animals from Pi’s father’s zoo. One night, Pi woke up in the middle of the night to find that the ship was sinking. He escaped on a lifeboat, but he couldn’t find any other survivors after the ship sank. There was also a zebra and hyena on Pi’s lifeboat. I cannot imagine what I would do if I were in Pi’s position. First, he was thrust into a lifeboat by crewmembers. I would have started freaking out and not been able to stay calm as he seemed to do. I would have been too worried about what was going to happen to me and where my family was to be able to function. When Pi first got on the lifeboat he saw a tiger in the water, struggling to stay afloat. He helped the tiger swim to the lifeboat, but then realized he didn’t want a tiger on his lifeboat. I wouldn’t have tried to help the tiger in the first place because I would have been too shocked to do anything. I think Pi only helped to tiger because he was so accustomed to animals that they were like family to him. Also, Pi was afraid of the hyena onboard his lifeboat. I would be very frightened too since hyenas are very dangerous animals. I don’t think I would have stayed as levelheaded as Pi. He thought to stay away from the hyena and not to make sudden movements. I probably would have tried to run away or jumped off the lifeboat if I saw a hyena. Overall, Pi’s actions were admirably thoughtful in the chaos of the sinking ship, despite his fear. He acted much more rationally than I would have.

Blog #4

“Life of Pi” by Yann Martel
This week I read pages 63-100. In these pages Pi goes more in depth about his religion and how he came to have his religion. Neither of Pi’s parents are religious. They don’t attend any type of service or observe religious practices at home. This is quite different from Pi. He participates in three religions: Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. It is strange that he comes from an environment with no religion, but he himself is very interested and involved in religion. Personally, I first got involved in religion because of parents. They are both religious. As they’ve attended services and celebrated religious holidays at home I’ve done the same. I’ve gone to church and celebrated with them. They’ve guided me in my religion. I can’t imagine how I would have gotten involved in religion without my parents leading me. Pi, on the other hand, found his religion totally independently without his parents. He found Christianity while he was on vacation. Pi went to a church alone and simply walked into the priest’s office. Pi asked the priest to explain his religion and from that the two began talking. Pi learned about Christianity and found that he liked it a lot. Pi found Islam by going into a town and talking to a Muslim mystic. They had long conversations and Pi learned he also enjoyed Islam. After that, Pi began going to three services. He went to an Islam service, a Hindu service and a Christian service. It is confusing to me how one person can believe in three different religions. They do no believe in the same things, so how could one agree with all of them? Pi uses a quote from Gandhi to explain his reasoning. Gandhi said, “All religions are true”. I don’t know if I agree with Pi’s observation of three religions, but I am interested to see how it develops throughout the novel.

Blog #3

"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

This week I will be referring to pages 50-62. Last blog, I wrote of Pi’s constant comparing of people and animals. He did not directly compare animals and people in the passage I just read, but I found myself comparing them. Pi told of the habits of animals, which I think are similar to humans. One thing animals do is try to escape from the zoo. Pi says, “Whatever the reason for wanting to escape, sane or insane, zoo detractors should realize that animals don’t escape to somewhere but from something” (51). Pi goes on to say that animals flee from a threat and the unknown. I think this rule also applies to people and their lives. This is shown in many movies. For example, in “Runaway Bride”, Julia Roberts escapes from a situation she feels uncomfortable with: getting married. She flees because the unknown of marriage threatens her. I also avoid situations that threaten me. I steer clear of making speeches because I feel the threat of potential embarrassment. This is the same thing Pi says zoo animals do. Another thing Pi speaks of is the animals’ relationships with the trainer. The trainer has power and animals respond to this. Pi explains, “Socially inferior animals are the ones that make the most strenuous, resourceful efforts to get to know their keepers” (56). The weak animals realize being close to someone with power benefits them. I think people act in the same way. People always try to raise their social statuses and power by clinging on to the more successful. People benefit from being around the successful and learning from them, as do animals.

Blog #2

I am reading the book "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. I have read and will be referring to pages 1-50. The main character in this novel is a college-aged boy named Piscine Moliter, called Pi. He is a double major in religious studies and zoology. I always think the mix of science and religion is strange because I see them as somewhat opposites. Science is explaining life with solid evidence. Religion, however, explains the unknown by telling people to trust and have faith in a theory, rather than with scientific evidence. Scientists like to have clear proof which is often lacking in religions, but Pi still likes to study religion. Pi’s conviction in both science and religion is unique since they are often contradictory. Other aspects of Pi’s life are unusual and interesting too. He was born to a zookeeper and grew up around animals. This explains his constant comparison of humans to animals. For example, he says, “Repetition is important in the training not only of animals but also of humans” (29). People like to think they are superior to animals, but Pi makes it evident he thinks they are equal. He thinks people need to be treated and trained like animals. Also, Pi says, speaking of the zoo keeping business, that, “We commonly say in the trade that the most dangerous animal in the zoo is Man” (36). In the quote, Pi is referring to the fact that humans injure animals often by throwing foreign objects like bottles or food into the cages. These actions make them dangerous. This causes me to think. If men are more advanced animals, but they choose to act destructively, does that make them equal with animals? Pi certainly seems to think men and animals are very alike and equal. I’m not sure if I agree with this, but it is an interesting idea to think about.

Blog #1

StarTribune. September 14, 2008. A6. "How Palin Governs." by Michael Powell
Dear Governor Palin,

I would like to know why you are running for Vice President. I for one, do not think you are fit for the job. When I first heard you were running, I, as a female, was excited to see a woman in the Vice Presidential race. Now I see the horrible way in which you handle situations would never suit a Vice President. You pretend to have high ethical beliefs, but you often let your personal feelings affect your work. For example, you've hired five of your high school classmates. That is not merely a coincidence. Where were your ethics when you did that? Even though you have an "80 percent approval rate", I do not approve of you. As a Vice president you would be a leader of the nation. You cannot lead this nation. You told a councilwoman the book "Daddy's Roommate" should not be in a library. This book focuses on homosexuality. Ms. Palin, I would hope a Vice President hopeful would be tolerant and respectful of different ways of living, which you clearly are not. This nation is based on freedom and you should support freedom of different peoples if you want to be the Vice President of this nation. Everything you’ve done is not bad. As governor, you have worked on taxes, oil, and lobbyists. Your work has been beneficial in these areas, but you’ve faltered in other areas too much. I believe you are possibly a mediocre or good governor, but as the Vice President you cannot simply be good. The Vice President has to be great, and I do not believe you are. Please remove yourself from the race.

-Linnea

Welcome!

Hello, blog users. Welcome to Linnea's Blog. It will be used for communication in Enriched English class, and especially for outside reading. The blog will be informative of things I am studying at the moment. Hopefully some quality critical thinking will arise from this. Please enjoy!