Hunger Games Ch. 6 - 18

For this part of the book, I was definitely anxious to get straight to the action. My favorite parts of the book are in the last third of it. However, in this section we get to see how they train and a small peak of what may happen in the future. Peeta and Katniss both have to show their skills when training and we can see that they both have some survival skills - things that will come in handy once they get into the real games. One of the biggest parts, however, is the part where they get their scores for showing the Gamemakers their skills. Because of Katniss's spunk and attitude, she earns herself a higher score than the rest while Peeta is left with a smaller score, surprising everyone. However, this will make her the prey of the rest of the competitors since taking down the best is the best method to keep from being killed by them.

Another part that we get to see is when they get their interviews and Peeta spills out his feelings for Katniss. Now for this part, I saw it coming from the moment Peeta was introduced in the book since a cliché love story is always there for teen literature. I personally don't like the idea of just sprinkling in a romance story when it could be focusing more on the seriousness of the games. And of course we get this sort of conflicted Katniss since she claims not to love Peeta and thinks herself self-sufficient, but obviously she will fall for him at some point. At one part she even says, "For some reason Gale and Peeta do not coexist well together in my thoughts." So, we can already see what may come in the future - or what I'm guessing at least.

Once the games start, it's all killing and survival and basically the weaker, not-too-important-characters are killed off. The only parts that I favor at this point are the moments between Katniss and the little girl named Rue since I find it endearing. What's funny though is that Katniss neglected to trust Peeta when he was being nice because she claimed that he was only trying to think of ways to kill her while with Rue she easily gave in and treated her like part of her family. The relationship between them is similar to her relationship with her own sister, making it an important one since Prim is Katniss's weakness. The fact that Rue dies in the end is rather unfortunate and probably the best part of the book since it was realistic in a way and touching to see that Katniss still put flowers all around her to honor her.

After this we are left at the beginning of part three where the victor is to be decided. However, this time Katniss is to team up with Peeta to win.

Hunger Games Ch. 1 - 5

I had already read the Hunger Games before back in high school so it felt like a nice break to be able to relax and read something that actually captured my attention.

The first five chapters had to do mostly with the Reaping, the event held each year to choose one girl and one boy from each district to compete in what they called the Hunger Games. In these games they would kill each other until there was only one winner left and that person would be the only one who could return home to their district. 

Our main character is Katniss and she ends up volunteering for her sister Prim who was selected to be one of the fighters for their district. We can easily see that Katniss is extremely protective of her sister and will do anything to make sure that she is safe and sound. Katniss has a weak spot and that only weak spot is Prim so she sacrifices herself to save her little sister and enlists herself in the games instead. I can see why people would like this book since that relationship is pretty idealistic and humane. We don't usually see people sacrificing themselves for each other these days and to be honest, that part is very sad to me. It is sad to see that the family will be possibly torn apart. I know that personally I could never withstand something like that. I would not want to see my family hurt like that and especially since Katniss and her family had already lost their father. 

In the end, I feel like reading this a second time will actually be quite enjoyable since I love the plot. The only thing I don't quite enjoy is how predictable it is despite the suspense thy try to put into the story. 

A Family Forced Apart

I had only ever heard about the book The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, but never thought much of it. However, after reading through the assigned chapters, fourteen through twenty, I was extremely shocked, but not only that. I was extremely depressed. I could not imagine the feelings that Jurgis had to go through while he attempted to protect his family. It felt so unjust to see how his wife had basically been forced into having sex with her boss over and over again for months. It was sad because it reminded me of the story by Rigoberta Menchu Tum where she mentioned that her friend was asked to become the boss's mistress and when she refused, she was quickly "taken care of."

It was so unjust as well to see how Jurgis was taken out of his job and punished by being sent to jail while Connor - Ona's boss - was able to carry on as though nothing happened. I actually felt hatred for Connor after the fact that he raped Ona but even more so after he was ruining Jurgis and his family's life by keeping them out of jobs. I only then understood the meaning of the title since it really was a jungle that they were living in. Everyone was acting like animals but more like predators, looking for things to devour for their own personal gain.

I initially was expecting to see more of the struggles at the meat industry, but I was drawn more to the portion about Jurgis and his family. It was upsetting to see how the immigrants were treated after they came in search for something more, something better than what they had before. However, as we can easily see, they only got worse. I was especially upset after seeing that Ona died after giving birth, the baby dying as well. I can understand why Jurgis would drink then but I was still thinking that he probably should have saved the few dollars that were made from working instead of spending them on liquor...

Bad Treatment & Disgusting Conditions...

Something I noticed right off the bat is that this reading definitely ties in to what we have been discussing in class. For one part, it has a lot to do with food. However, there is also a portion of the book that is dedicated to immigrants and the conditions that they have to face as well as the treatment that they get after coming to America to "get big." This is obviously a common thing and it ties to our other readings of immigrant workers getting mistreated. I felt bad to read about the family's living conditions since it held a bad stench and it seemed revolting to be living as though it were something normal. I know I would never last in a dump like the one they were forced to live in. Not only this, but later they were cheated into buying a new place to live and it was not as nice as it was advertised either.

The part about the immigrants, however, did not get the best of me. It was only the third chapter and we already see that things are getting disgusting by the way Jurgis has to deal with the meat packing industry at work. There were sanitation rules but they were not being followed at all and I was grossed out by the fact that several of the animals were not getting checked properly and were allowed to pass on to the next stage even if they could have had tuberculosis. What is even more disgusting is the fact that the spoiled meat was still packed in with the other meat.

I know just from this that I would not want to eat any of this meat at all and it would be gross to have to do so in the old days... I'm glad that Sinclair helped bring everyone's attention to the meat industry and that it is supposedly a lot better now. If it weren't, I might as well become a vegetarian or something of that sort...

Stolen Childhood

Cajas de Carton was extremely touching for me. It was interesting to see how life was as a migrant worker through a child's eyes. His lifestyle was different than many of the children that are alive today. Instead of going to school, he had to work and leave his studying for later in the year. He also had to live under such terrible conditions, something which I noticed right off the bat. I remember the descriptions of the place where they were living - an old garage, much closer to a small shack which was already dilapidated and old. Only a few of the characters were able to sleep on the inside of it anyways on a small mattress while the others were forced to take up space outside and under a tree.

When our main character was describing his working conditions, I was surprised and also felt quite sad for him. The water that he was drinking was dirty and he had to work so hard that even his muscles were hurting. I know that I am very lazy and would not be able to deal with work like he did. To top it off, he was only in the sixth grade, making things a bit more extreme. I was shocked to find out his true age and did not like the fact that he was so young and yet he had to help his family work in order to make a living. He could not live like an ordinary child.

Instead, he was used to moving around a lot - hence the title. I was curious about the title at first since I had no idea what the cardboard boxes would have to do with anything. However, it was obvious that he had to keep moving and he had to continue his work and helping his family to survive. It was sad because the second he got close to someone he would have to leave, his attachments meaning nothing in the end. I would feel so alone and I am pretty sure that he must have felt his heart break in the last scene just like I did.

Modest Proposal: What's for Dinner?

The struggle to figure out what to eat for dinner is a huge topic - something that is covered in one of our past readings called The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. However, this should be simple to us all. Who ever said that we had to eat something super tasty or even healthy? Who decided that we had to enjoy what we ate? Instead, the important part of dinner is actually being fed and not starving to death. For example, instead of eating that big juicy steak for dinner, why not eat a pair of your old socks? You know, the ones with the holes in them?

If we were to simply start eating the things that we do not need any longer, we could get rid of a lot of waste. Why be picky about what we eat? All we need to do is eat. So why not simply take that poor shirt that shrunk in the dryer and put it to good use? Eat it. Taste should not be a factor anyways. As long as you are full, that is all that matters. And having a fried plate of cloth is one of the best things to fill you up.

Our issue of feeding the world would be instantly solved! No longer would we be picky over whether we got the banana itself or the banana peel - no, instead we would be able to eat both and not complain either. Having sustenance inside your tummy is quite important but we cannot resort to stealing, oh no. Getting rid of the waste by using it after all is quite effective. After all, there are people who eat bugs and bark and so on. Why not us as well? We can definitely make a change in the world if we do this together. Let's start with bite number one.

An Unjust Life

While reading the introduction to the piece over Rigoberta Menchu's life, I could already see where things were going. Her life was sad and her parents had to go through so much, dealing with poverty and all of the struggles that came with it. I was surprised by the fact that that she only recently learned her Spanish and that she had I learn it all by ear instead of reading books the way that the rest of us do even though she was from Guatemala. We are lucky since we are able to take classes and have an instructor. However, she was independent with her study and learned it simply by listening - something I doubt I could do. 

I was surprised by the death of her older brothers as well since it was by starvation. Not having enough food can be a true struggle when it comes to living. It seems like a sad thing to deal with, and it would definitely be traumatizing to watch your brothers slowly die out. Could you imagine living with the fear of being next? However, I always wonder why her parents decided to have so many children if they were unable to afford it. After all, a child costs so much and will only complicate matters if you do not have too much time. As we could see, her mother had to strap her child to her back and work like that which can already be so much work. I know I would not be able to do anything like that since I know I'm lazy and it takes me work to even stand up to get something I need. I admire the hard work of Rigoberta Menchu and of her family but her story mostly makes me feel sad and sorry for all of the damage inflicted on her and her people. It is something I would not wish on anyone. 

Eating Babies as a Way to Solve Economic Issues?

Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal was not too alarming to read the second time around. I had read it once before in high school but in a different format - that of a comic. However, both had the same impact and I found it interesting as well as slightly amusing to see the proposal itself. To eat humans? It was an idea that of course no one would think of, despite how it would truly eliminate many of our troubles. The only reason as to why nobody would ever accept this proposal is because no one wants to die and because religion and beliefs prevent us from taking any action that would hurt someone unjustly - well, for most people anyway.

The proposal was interesting to look at, especially since the author was sure to back up his argument with solid statistics and mathematical proofs. He calculated that the population would actually be making a profit off of his idea and that it would be beneficial for everyone. Instead of having children who resorted to being beggars just as their parents before them, they could actually be sold off to meat factories. The idea itself is gruesome and simply imagining it was unrealistic to me. The only part that I found a little strange to me was when he mentioned having teenagers suffer the same fate, the idea being discarded simply because the teens were not as tasty. I definitely would not like to die in that manner, if anything. 

Loaves & Fishes - A Helping Hand

The website of Loaves and Fishes is a pretty simple website to follow that is informational as well. I like the idea that it tells us about, providing people in need with groceries so that they are able to stack their pantry. Helping others in need is a good idea and for this particular website or organization, you are able to help as well and participate. Loaves and Fishes is funded by nearby religious groups and was made to help with the hunger that kept rising. 

If you would like to help, you simply go to the page where it tells you about volunteer opportunities and you are able to choose something that you would like to do. It seems rather simple and to the point which is something attractive to most people since we like a good cause but we don't like working to hard to achieve a goal. 

A Dinner to Remember

The Dinner of Trimalchio was not quite what I was expecting from something that had been written many years ago. It was slightly silly and a bit extravagant, exaggerated at most with the way the scenery was introduced and the descriptions were done. Trimalchio sure was a piece of work and I did not like him from the start, noticing that he seemed like a jerk. He did, after all, dry his hands after using the bathroom in one of his slave's hair. That in itself seems pretty mean despite the fact that they are his slaves.

Trimalchio's character was further developed and I knew for sure that he was not the nicest character, nor a character that I felt I would like a lot. He seemed to be boasting about his success after having been freed from slavery. The way it was described on how he showed off all of his jewelry was something I noticed for sure. He could not show off enough and wanted to be sure that everyone saw his riches.

And as if it weren't enough, Trimalchio's dinner was the most extravagant. From fake eggs and surprises when it came to the dishes he served, it seemed like he only wanted to further prove that he had become extremely successful, that he was showing off. The dishes were far too detailed to remember them all but it was enough to know that the dinner was unforgettable, especially with the way it ended, the entire house acting out Trimalchio's funeral as they expected it to be. It was quite silly but funny as well, although it was a weird thing to do for your guests in order to have them stay when they wanted to leave. All in all, the text was somewhat enjoyable to read but not at all my favorite.