3rd Quarter Reflections

I cannot believe its third quarter! Things have been so fast and I've improved so much. Im greatful to have made it to springbreak working hard and succeeding my goals. I say I've succeeded in many areas like constructive criticism, T. I. Q. A., The 40 book challenge, and more. However, I say I've improved the most in argumentative work. I've learned to gather information correctly and break down what it truly means to have a better argument.

Something I've accomplished this quarter is putting effort in to my work successfully. I've always haven't put my full potential into my work due to me not understanding something. But I was able to put that weakness aside and work hard to undestand my work and put a lot of effort.

Although I beat a lot of feats for myself this quarter, I have also met some challenging obstacles in ELA. Some of those were citing the correct evidence for my topic and using background knowledge. I commonly use the wrong evidence for the topic I'm doing. This causes me to go off topic and end up getting up and befuddled. I still struggle with this now and I hope to surpass it.

I've learned so much about ELA and etc. However one I've learned the most about this quarter is the world. I learned the true evil of things and people. I learned that hope can be given and taken in any circumstance. Life can be a step range obstacle that makes you go through rough things, only for you to prevail through them as best as you can. It makes me have a bigger perspective on the world and my future. I then wonder if I can have life balanced on good in bad for me to find an inner peace. Or maybe I'll just have school to do it.

Life is Beautiful Blog

The movie Life is Beautiful and the book Night by Elie Weizel have many similarities and differences. The biggest similarities are the main points of both stories. That the Holocaust is going on and hitler is starting his plan to exterminate all jewish people. However, there are some more minor similarities that come from characters and story. One similarity between the movie and the book is the father son relationship and its development. Guido and his son Giosue have a strong bond that comes from caring and love. His father is always making his son has is on the positive side and stays safe. This is very much the same to Elie and his father. Elie cares for his dad as his dad cares for him. In Night his father sacrifices food and health for Ellie as Ellie does the same.

The book Night may have many similarities to the movie Life is Beautiful. However, they also has many differences from each other. The Night is a dark book that gives the whole truth about the the true grimm that is the holocaust. This contrast to the route the movie took, taking a positive beginning and building up characters and their past to then give the holocaust as the true story. Although both the film and novel tell of the same event they are both giving entirely different perspectives on characters and plot.

The characters in Life is Beautiful truly make the movie a character driven story. Every action made by Guido, Tora, Joshua, and other characters drive the direction the story is headed. A character who hugely drives the plot is Guido. His positive attitude and constant humor shifts the story and creating an outcome for everyone around him. A prime example of this is when he escapes and tries save his wife and child. He ended up saving both but getting killed in the process. Both his wife Tora and his son Joshua would've died without his persistence to save them. His humor and personality creates an atmosphere in the story. Wherever he goes a positive effect happens and causes positive actions out of characters which drives the plot.

Life is shown as beautiful in this story because it shows positive characters and beautiful situations that display a part of life. Love, trust, doubt, faith, family, and sacrifice. These are only a few of the things the move displays but they are some the strongest attributes of the story. This movie shows life as beautiful because life creates such good things and bad things. He protects his son constantly and worries for his wife. In the end of the movie when he hints to his son and walk in a humorous manner to please his son, that is a beautiful part of life. Guido’s determination to please his wife constantly in their time within the camp is beautiful and great. Life is shown as beautiful in this movie because it gives the core parts of life and implements them in this movie. That is how life is shown as beautiful.

Night Blog

In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, Elie goes through numerous changes with religion, humanity, and respect toward others. This is due to the passing his time within the ghetto and the concentration camps that mortally affect him. In the beginning of Night, we are introduced to his character. We can see he is extremely pious and deeply believes in the way of God being a worldwide guardian. On the very first page of the book, Elie talks to his father about learning more about his religion and mastering it, “One day I asked my father to find me a master to guide me in my studies of the cabbala” ( 1 ). Elie is passionate about his religion in the beginning. However, that is one the things that change immensely throughout the book.

When Elie is walking into the crematory, he and other people are praying for their lives. However, Elie says, “For the first time, I felt revolt rise up in me. Why should I bless His name? The Eternal, Lord of the  Universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank him for?” (31). This is one of the drastic changes in Elie, he calls his God terrible. And questions God's position as a Lord over man. Elie would never question his religion as he would only pursue it. So this were a huge change in character for Elie. As he comes to realization that his God is a God silenced to Elie’s pain.

Another large change in Elie in the book is his relationship and respect toward his father. Elie and his father go through a lot of tough events that mentally and physically change them. So, this causes the change in their relationship as father and son to man and boy. In the beginning Elie was very attached to his father and wanted to remain with him no matter the disaster. When Elie and his father are doing the marching for military service, Elie’s father fails. “My father had not done military services and he never succeeded marching in step...This was Franek’s chance to torment my father and to thrash him savagely.. I decide to give my father lessons myself, to teach him to change step” (53). Elie at this point in the story still very much cares for his father, and wants to still help him. This is Elie not wanting to lose him and truly wanting his dad to make out of this, fearing his dad cannot go through this himself.

Elie goes through a lot of huge development in from then to the end of the story. He had constantly helped his father and still his dad had suffered the worst. Elie felt guilty of his father's constant failure, feeling he were responsible for his father. However, Elie still believed his father could make it and made a stronger and more powerful bond with his dad. As he took care of his father, his father used to take care of Elie. Elie demonstrated his feelings when nursing his father. “...They said that we were sick, that we would die soon, and that it would be a waste of food ...I Can't Go on…I gave him what was left of my soup” (102). He displayed true change in character, after first feeling pity for his father of his miserableness. To being selfish and worrying about survival of the fittest. Then, finally realizing that he must put himself behind to help his father. Elie has developed emotionally, and physically throughout the story and become a weighted character. These to changes in him truly display this.


Wiesel, Elie. Night Elie Wiesel. Logan, IA: Perfection Learning Corp., 1995. Print.