Lone Survivor #3

In this book there is such a sense of brotherhood between the Navy Seals. Marcus talks about how much he loved his brothers in the Seals and how close they were to each other. There is such a sense of togetherness in the military, especially with the Navy Seals. I think they have to be so close. They spend so much time training together and going through hard times together that they are bound to become like family. They help each other through tough times and also have good times together while they are serving our country. Also I feel like they have to be close for when they are in battle. They have to be willing to give their own life for their fellow soldier. Marcus Luttrell expressed how close he was with the seals that died that day in Afghanistan. He talked exactly like they were all best friends and family at the same time. He did a great job of expressing how close they were and always referred to them as his brothers or as his teammates. They have to be close so that they will have each others backs when they are in action. They have to trust each other more than any other people in the world, they put their lives in each others hands. There is a quote from Marcus Luttrell that speaks volumes to me, “Because above all, we’re patriots. We will willingly carry the fight to whoever may be the enemies of the United States of America. We’re your front line, unafraid and ready to go in against al Qaeda, jihadists, terrorists, or whoever the hell else threatens this nation.”   Marcus said this about himself and his fellow teammates. They are going to face all the enemies of our nation together and are going to face death together, that is enough to bring anyone closer than we can probably even imagine. I find it hard to believe people can get any closer than that, they trust each other with their lives day in and day out. If one of them doesn't do their job correctly it could lead to all the being killed. But that is something that these brave men and women are willing to do for our country. They are willing to die for what our country and our flag stands for, and there is nothing more brave or honorable than that. These men and women are the reason we are able to live our lives as freely as we would like to. They are the reason this country can stay as the best country in the world.

Lone Survivor #2

The ending of this book is predictable in the fact that all of the soldiers are killed except for Marcus but it is suppose to be predictable, it is in the title. The title of this book, Lone Survivor shows you that obviously only one of the soldiers is going to survive. It is also obvious that it will be Marcus that survives since he is the author of this book. Although the ending is predictable and known it is still is a very interesting book and I enjoyed reading the whole book. The reason why I enjoyed this book so much even though it was predictable is because of the details he goes into and things he talks about that, that I never really heard anyone that has experienced or done them talk about. Marcus Luttrell talked about things he did and experienced while he was in the Middle East fighting as a soldier for the United States of America. For example he talked about different missions they went on and things they did during the missions. I remember one sentence in the book when he said that they were constantly fearing for their lives as they drove through the city, having to scan the roof tops for terrorists. Marcus Luttrell said that as they had to keep going through the city and scan the roof tops and constantly be on the look out for terrorists they started to begin to think like the terrorists. Luttrell said that they had to think and fight like the terrorists otherwise they would be killed by them. All of this was just so interesting to me. A quote from this book from Marcus Luttrell that really got to me and actually gave me the chills was “I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight.” This is such a strong statement and in my eyes is the best couple of lines in the book. This fits in so well with the whole book and it is exactly what he did when he was faced with adversity. He was knocked down many times but he kept getting back up and kept fighting on.     

Lone Survivor

Lone Survivor is the most interesting book that I have ever read. I feel so much pride and honor in where I come from while I read this story. It makes me appreciate the men and women that serve in our military of the United States of America. Reading this books makes me realize even more how respectable it is to have served or currently be serving in our military. The men and women have to give up so much and sacrifice so much in their life and I appreciate it and respect them more than anything. They are the reason I am free and the reason why everyone feels so safe in their everyday lives, and in many countries that is not the case. We do not have to worry about being unsafe on our way to work or school and we are able to do whatever we want without having to fear for our lives. Many people do not realize how lucky we are to live in the greatest country in the world and many people would realize and appreciate that so much more if they read this book. While reading this book it also shows you from the beginning how much their families have to sacrifice as well as the people actually serving in the military. The families have to deal with losing their loved ones if they are killed in the line of duty. Families also have to learn how to go on without them while they go away for months at a time. This book has opened my eyes up even more to how respectable it is to go into the military and serve our country. Marcus Luttrell did everyone that reads this book a favor by sharing his story. This is the most inspirational book I have ever read and I would suggest for anyone to read this book. I am glad I chose to read this book and it is my favorite book of all time. Although this story is a very sad one I felt so much pride while reading it. Going into the military is something that someone has to do and it is always the brave that step up to the job. You have to be brave to put your life on the line for your country and for the people in the United States of America. Dying for your country in my mind is the most honorable way to go out. They give up their lives for the safety of their families and friends but also for strangers that they do not know or ever met. That takes a certain kind of person to be willing to do that.  

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

In the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon the Wudan masters teach their pupils much about not only fighting and battling people, but also about being good people. They teach their pupils about life and the values that one should live by. I think the most important value that the Wudan masters teach their pupils is to be respectful of all people even the people that are their enemies or that they do not like. In my mind that is one of the most admirable values that someone can teach and possess. That is one value that I think everyone should strive to learn to do, and is most definitely a value I strive to possess one day. The Wudan masters teaching for their pupils to respect every person, even their enemies, is very evident throughout the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It is especially very evident when they are battling their enemies in the movie, because they always act courteously even while they are sword fighting and they do not try to attack their enemy or anything that is not honorable. Their values stem from the Wudan masters being very spiritual. The Wudan masters also teach their pupils to try to be respectable and as honorable as possible. Honor was the most important thing to them, and the Wudan masters taught their pupils that being viewed as honorable is the most important thing in life, even over love. This is very evident in this movie through the two characters Li Mu-Bai and Shu-Lien. Li Mu-Bai and Shu-Lien both loved each other. They were in love with each other throughout the entire movie but neither of the two characters acted on their feelings. Shu-Lien had to stay single after her fiancé died so she never took action on her feelings towards Li Mu-Bai. Li Mu-Bai also loved Shu-Lien but he did not want to ruin her honor or his own. He also wanted to keep his own honor and dignity so he did not act on his feelings, he was waiting on the correct time to act on his feelings but he did not get the chance until he was dying to tell her how he felt. Both of these characters gave up their chance at having true love in order to keep their honor and dignity.  

Blog #8

The novel The Outsiders is a great story to read. It is such a well written book and I believe it is so well written because it is full of situations and ideas that can help any person in everyday life. The main character in The Outsiders is Ponyboy. Ponyboy and myself are very much different people living different lives, but at the same time we share many similarities. Ponyboy goes through a tough time throughout the novel. The readers find out that Ponyboy lives with his brothers, Darry and Soda-Pop, because his parents were killed. Ponyboy often feels annoyed and angry at his oldest brother Darry. Ponyboy feels like that because Darry is always giving Ponyboy a hard time. I go through a similar situation with my oldest sister. Many times she gives me a hard time to get better grades, do something around the house so my mother doesn’t get mad, and many other things. I always have gotten annoyed with her and felt like she was just giving me a hard time because she did not like me, just as Ponyboy thought. But, just as Ponyboy realized that Darry only gave him a hard time because Darry cares about him and doesn’t want to see Ponyboy mess up so that he can be successful, I have come to realize the same thing. This is an example of how this story can relate to anyone through its many themes and ideas. Although Ponyboy goes through more extreme troubles in his life such as hiding from the police for murder, getting jumped, and having to worry about a rival gang, we are similar because I also go through many hardships he goes through just not as extreme. Being able to relate to a book makes a book so much better and more interesting to read. It is the best when you can relate to the main character and I am always way more interested in a book when I can relate to the main character.  

Blog #7

            In the novel The Outsiders I think that there is a lot to learn and a lot of good lessons to take from the book. I learned that life can be very tough but we can get through tough situations in our lives no matter what. When things get rough the people that love us and care about us will be there for us. We can always turn to our friends and family to help us and support ourselves. The theme of this book can be used as a life lesson for anyone. In the novel, Ponyboy was put through tough experiences. Ponyboy had a tough time with many things throughout the book. It was not until the end that things started to get better. Throughout all the bad things that occurred for Ponyboy he was able to get through them because of the tremendous support he had from his brothers, Sodapop and Darry, and from all of the other Greasers. Even though at some parts of the novel Ponyboy questioned that his brothers and other members of the Greasers were there for him and cared for him, they were there for him and that they did in fact care for him. They were there for him because anytime he needed help and he was in trouble they came to help. An example in the novel comes right from the very beginning of the novel. Ponyboy was on his way home from the movies by himself when a couple of Socs stopped him and started beating him up. After a couple of minutes Ponyboy’s friends, the Greasers, including his brothers came running to his rescue before he was beaten up too badly by the Socs. The reason I like this book so much is because of the sense of brotherhood between the Greasers. They stick together no matter what. If another member is in trouble, they will all be there for him to either physically protect him or emotional help him. That is what amazes me about this book and what makes it so meaningful to me. I think that that is a great lesson that anyone can take from this book.

Blog #6

The novel The Outsiders is a very inspirational book. It is a great book to read to help you get through a tough time. This book in my mind can help you get through a tough time because the people in the book are going through tough times. Reading about how they get through their problems can be very inspirational to you to try to get through yours. Although their problems and yours may be different it can still be very beneficial to you. While reading about the Greasers and Socs I found many ways to relate their problems and issues to mine. Reading about how the Greasers and Socs hated each other and even inflicted pain on the other group throughout the book, I thought that the Greasers and Socs would never even come close to resolving their issues and hatred for each other. Then, as I read on even after some of the tragic accidents, they started to become closer and closer to resolving the problem. Although the hatred was never fully gone between the two parties, evidence from events in the book made it seem as if they were headed toward peace when the book ended. A couple of the Greasers and Socs even said to each other that they were done with the violence and just wish that it would be over with. I think that that is why I like this book so much, because it shows how much people and things can change. Things can change so quickly in life. Things can go from great to bad or from bad to great in a matter of minutes. In this novel the two gangs go from absolutely hating each other to resolving their problems. I think that is a great lesson for anyone and anyone reading this book can hear the message and it can help them in their own life.