Lord of the Flies: Journal #1

Journal #1 by: Ethan Chan
Chapter 1: The Sound of the Shell
Perspective: Piggy

Leave me behind?

Strange, being trapped on this island. Haven't expected this, not at all. How could this have happened? The worst part about being stranded on this island is that the first person I met almost completely ignored me. Well, at least until I told him one of my darkest secrets, which I wanted NO ONE to know about... Still, he's not all that bad. I would have to say that this hasn't been my best day. Still, Ralph and I found out that we weren't the only ones in this place. Finding the conch was lucky, really. This way the children won't run amok and cause trouble. Still, I can't believe he's so ignorant. Everything I say, brushed off of his shoulder.

Still, I have to say that Ralph would have been the best choice for leader, seeing as he had the conch, and a good feeling about him. It would be only natural to pick him, seeing as all the other candidates weren't much better. That Jack seems not the best to be leader. He simply loves power, can't get enough. Even if it means sacrificing our freedom, he will probably do it for himself. I still don't get why he chose Jack and Simon over me. I've been with him the longest, it should be me who goes with him. I hope they're okay.

I sure hope that our streak of luck continues. We were lucky enough to find the conch and gather everyone. Hopefully we'll find more about this island. All we know right now is that we crash-landed from an airplane, and that there are more people than just me and Ralph. I'm just thankful that we're not dead yet. If we just keep up our morale and keep working hard, we just might survive long enough to make it off this dreadful island.

-Piggy

Romek post final

1. I found the most disturbing part of the book was that the people at Bergen-Belsen, when bodies were burned and eaten. It seemed to me that it was sad and disturbing because the people who were dead hadn't lived a full life, and now they were being eaten and thrown into an oven, their ashes and remains forgotten. It feels as if I was there, by the way David described the scene, so I could really picture the horrible experience of Bergen-Belsen.

2. In Krawinkel Camp, David gets a very special job which helps him survive. At Krawinkel, his job is to feed the vicious dogs. This doesn't sound like a pleasant job, but it sure beats everything else that the Kappo assigned. Even though he had difficulty feeding the dogs at first, he learned he could use a broom to push the meals to the dogs without any harm. This job had another benefit, which was eating the dog's food. This may sound bad compared to our food, but is like the best-tasting food in the world compared to the food they serve to the other jobs.

3. At camp Bergen-Belsen, the conditions are very poor and many are dying. There were dead bodies all over the floor, and the only job was to carry them over to the oven and burn them. They received thin soup, and were almost starved. Some of the people there contracted Typhus, which was a very bad disease that would cause death. David got sick, and near the end he almost died of lack of water. Soon enough though, he was saved.

4. At the end of the book, David feels that he had survived the entire Holocaust, and is very proud because he kept the vow he made to his mother. He was also very happy because he got to see a family member again. David feels that he has accomplished a major feat, and has kept the other end of his promise and told the world about the horrors he faced.

5. David Faber's book, Because of Romek, should be required reading in all middle schools, high schools, and universities because all students need to learn about the horrors of the Holocaust. I feel that everyone should know about this, because we need to know how people have mistreated others in the past so it does not happen again. In the book, it explains how the Nazis treated the Jews. This torture is of the lowest form of racism, and my opinion is that it should never happen again. When David Faber speaks in public, he is telling the story of his life, from happy beginnings to happy endings, and all the tortures in between. It is this kind mistreatment that we all should know about, and no-one should make the same mistake. We should all read this for the same reason we read history books; to ensure that we learn from our ancestor's mistakes. All schools should read Because of Romek.

Project Reflection (Renaissance Project)

Name: Ethan Chan
Project Reflection: Post on your Blog
Project Title: Renaissance Project
Class: CD Dates: 6-4-08
*You may type directly in this document and copy and paste into blog, or simply address each of the following in a post. It should be approx. 2 pages worth of writing.
PURPOSE: In this section, explain what you were supposed to learn and what you were supposed to do.
Sentence Starters
The purpose of this project was to learn about…
In order to learn about _________________, we had to create/perform/ write/etc…


In this project, we learned about the Renaissance, and all the important people that changed the world within that time. In order to learn about the people of the Renaissance, we had to be the people of the Renaissance. We took notes on what people in the Renaissance did and what happened during that period of time, such as the black death and the many humanists that studied the arts, hoping to find solutions for many problems. We also took a tour through Florence to better understand it. I myself was Leonardo da Vinci, and learned about how he affected history. I learned about all his inventions and art. We were also supposed to dress up as our people and dance at the Renaissance Ball. In doing so, we learned some facts about various people, also learning the dance of the Renaissance.
WHAT I LEARNED
In this section, tell what information or skills you learned or improved.
Sentence Starters
I learned about…
I explored the concepts/topics of …
In this project, I learned how to…. (skills)
I learned about the Renaissance and the people in it. I learned about Leonardo da Vinci's many paintings and inventions, such as the tank and the water lift. I learned about his childhood, his days as a painter and architectual advisor, and how and where he lived throughout his life. I also learned a bit about other people, like Michelangelo, Donatello, and many other great artists and inventors of the Renaissance. I learned how to dance the Pavaan, and how to create a biography of a person. I learned how every important person affected the Renaissance, and how they affected it. I learned that Leonardo da Vinci was a great man, whose mind surpassed many. Everything in the Renaissance has affected what has happened today.
REFLECTION
In this section, reflect on your experience. Did you like the project? Why or why not? How did you do? What would you do differently next time?
Sentence Starters
I enjoyed this project because…
I feel like I could have done better on this project because…
Next time, I would…
I think that this project will be appreciated by a lot of people, and that it was kind of fun. I liked it because I learned all about Leonardo da Vinci and I now know all about his marvelous discoveries. I also got to learn about many others, such as Bloody Mary and King Francis I. I think that I could have done a bit better if I had memorized my notes, because I had trouble remembering. I think that I could improve if I studied a bit harder. I also feel that I should have put more in the biography, but not much more. Next time, I would try a different person, because I want to see what their lives were like back then, and compare our current lives today.
ARTIFACTS
You should have at least one artifact from each project on your DP. What document, picture, or link will you have for this project?
I will have my Biography.

Romek Post #3

1) Hearing David Faber speak was phenomenal. He spoke with great emotion and detail, trying to have us picture the torture he experienced. He was someone who truly endured the torture given by the Nazis. I think that he is a very powerful speaker and that everyone will be interested in his story.
2) When David was with the Partisans, he was taken care of, but not pampered. He was put to work, but it was made sure that he survived. the tasks assigned to him were dangerous, and he still survived. I think Romek was proud of him because David had endured all those hardships and came out alive, and proved that he was strong.
3) I think the Gestapo spared David's life and returned him to the ghetto because he didn't know anything, and because he wanted him to suffer for a long time instead of just rest in peace. The Gestapo is very mean, and the Nazis will torture the Jewish at any point they can. He thinks that it is worth it to wait for David to suffer.
-Ethan

Romek Post #2

Sorry for late post; I didn't check the agenda on Monday, so I didn't know the post was due yesterday.
1) David first finds the pigeon when he and his family get some to eat from the farmer. He noticed the white one, and he decided to keep it. He kept feeding it for awhile until one day, it went away. Animals can sense danger before humans, so it saved David's family by warning it from the Nazis.
2)The "Vacation Camp" is a place where captives are put to work for the Nazis. The "Campers" don't seem to like the camp. The reason they named it vacation camp was because the captives would work more if they thought they had a vacation ahead.
3)What was the main driving force for you to write your book? What was the most memorable moment in "Because of Romek"?
-Ethan