Deep Down Dark

During World War II, a Czechoslovakian Jewish girl named Edith Singer was able to survive the holocaust by her faith. Not only was she able to keep herself a live, but she also was able to push, and help other’s to survive. Edith does not lose her faith in God, and is able to transfer her faith into other’s that she cares for. Her faith also leads her to keep her mental health during the horrible times she and other Jewish people went through. The Nazi soldier’s did not give the Jewish people any type of mercy which made the holocaust even more horrific than anyone can imagine.

In times of hardship and strife it can be difficult to hold onto faith and religion. So imagine being taken from home at the age of 15 and being thrown into a concentration camp immediately separated from friends and family and being forced to work around the clock in harsh conditions hardly being fed and witnessing countless deaths at every corner. Well the main character in the novel Night by Elie Wiesel had to face this exact thing and many more which made him change spiritually and faith wise over the course of the of the novel going from being completely devoted to God to hating him during his horrific time in the concentration camp which drastically changed him as a person and shaped the story as a whole regarding the fact that it's easy to lose your spirituality in times of trials and tribulations.

Reading the novel Survival in Auschwitz by author Primo Levi leads one to wonder whether his survival is attributed to his indefinite will to survive or a very subservient streak of luck. Throughout the novel, he is time and again spared from the fate that supposedly lies ahead of all inhabitants of the death camp at Auschwitz. Whether it was falling ill at the most convenient times or coming in contact with prisoners who had a compassionate, albeit uncommon, disposition, it would seem as though the Gods were always smiling upon him. Although throughout the novel primo is characterized as a very willing and competent individual, one can not say that his personality or his training as a chemist

“At the Dark End of the Street,” is a novel that takes back to the terrifying experience Recy Taylor had in Abbeville, Alabama. Taylor was gang-raped by six white men in the 1940s. This scene immediately shows readers the civil rights movement during the 20th century and how important it was in understanding what was happening. Danielle McGuire is the author of “At the Dark End of the Street,” which was published in 2010. However, “This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed,” is a novel that focuses on King’s protection during the Montgomery bus boycott that took place in Montgomery, Alabama. Charles E. Cobb is the author of “This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed,” and was published in 2014. Both of these novels focus their points on different and similar aspects of the civil rights movement. When Cobb wrote “This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed,” he focuses on the protection African Americans needed in order to not get killed completing everyday tasks, like going grocery shopping. Even on public transportation, civil rights activist felt threatened to the point of bringing weapons and concealing them on their personnel. Even though both novels take place during different times of the Civil Rights Movement they both show the similar hardships important figures played during this movement.

Imagine, a world with no foundation or religion to believe in anything other than the sure fact that happiness comes from suffering of others. The story “The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas” puts in a perfect scenario of what a world could be without God. Every day we make decisions and sacrifices as human beings but this is one that could be put into context of The Ultimate Sacrifice.

At the Dark End of the Street is the first book to connect black women’s long struggle against rape and other sexual violence to the very roots of the modern civil rights movement. By refusing to cower in shame and remain silent because they had been raped, black women struck a powerful blow to southern apartheid. According to McGuire, “Between 1940 and 1975, sexual violence and interracial rape became one crucial battleground upon which African Americans sought to destroy white supremacy and gain personal and political autonomy.” Even though the white community responded with a virulent campaign of sexual terror, slander against black women and fervent calls against miscegenation, black women’s protests and resistance helped knock the doctrine

When writing, the author has the challenge of creating a lens through which the reader can see the world they’re creating or understand the concepts they’re conveying. Because emotion can alter the lens, this is an especially important responsibility when writing on true events. With emotion, the voice changes, and then the message changes. In Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free, Héctor Tobar writes on a recent tragedy that rocked the lives of the 33 men buried in the mine, their families, and their country. Using a light, positive tone to close the book inaccurately depicts the pain and misfortune they must now endure as a result of the collapse of the mine.

For a reader to become truly involved with any book or novel, the characters must be relatable, if not by age or gender, then by the details into their lives. To create the illusion of people rather than just non-descript characters, whether in fiction or non-fiction. In Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine and the Miracle That Set Them Free by Hector Tobar, the reader becomes connected with the stories these men, even as their story is dissimilar most of the audience through his incredible writing. The prologue of Deep Down Dark was informational, giving the reader not only a personal connection with the characters, but it also giving a history on the environment, while my rewrite is choppy and non-descript, making it more difficult to connect with the characters.

Greek philosopher Plato wrote “The Allegory of the Cave” 2500 years ago, but it is still more than relevant in our today’s society obsessed with material goods (In my opinion, smart phone is true modern cave). For Plato, the prisoners are us, and the Sun is higher knowledge. Life in the cave represents our lives, and the shadows are our perception of reality based on impulses from six senses; our financial and physical entrapment. The way out of the cave is to ascent our soul to higher world of knowledge and ideas, which can be achieve with focus on rational and intellectual learning. At the end of the story, Plato asked question what would happen with the man who escaped and saw the true light, if he would try to comeback, and explain to

Both Ridjal Noor and Penelope Lively use a multitude of literary tools in order to portray the good and bad in people in their respective stories. Both 'Anil' and 'The Darkness Out There' act as a Bildungsroman - a story that walks the reader through the influential events in a person's life; through an external context, the reader sees the growth of the protagonist to maturity and how a change in experience induces an epiphany in them, which would affect their morality. This in turn shows how good and bad they turn out to be by the end of the story. In 'Anil', Noor exhibits the moral ethic of the protagonist, Anil, and how he turns out to be a victim of evil - which could later signify him as a vector of evil.

They choose to turn their despair into hope for the future and better things to come. These actions can be seen in The Mother Land of Electricity, by Andrei Platonov. In the beginning of the short story a crowd of people are seen processing through the barren land praying for rain to come and bring the earth life. Though this is seen as futile in the story, the main character even stating, “… why go around praying? There isn’t any God, and there won’t be any rain” (Platonov 265), people still flock to spiritual beliefs during times of hardships. It is often during these trying times when someone’s faith is truly tested. And to those with a strong faith, they grasp onto it, and it becomes their creed. They learn of the martyrs and poor who lived much like themselves and believe the same gifts and good fortunes will befall them in the afterlife, giving them the strength they need to continue living in the harsh and unforgiving

The passages that were provided introduced the common theme of embarking control over a situation, and having mortals on the defensive side. Unfortunately, the books we have read dealt with the loss of loved ones or the loss of themselves, but it also showed that the Gods will still be there regardless. These story lines may be perceived as folktales to the people during that time, but it also gives them a way to find hope in certain situations. Religions in current day also serve with the same purpose of giving hope to those in tough situations. Although the stories or passages explained the grief that was endured and had negative endings, it also showed the prospective light for the future. Furthermore, it provided people some explanations for future situations where they may embark in their life journey.

In chapter 11, as I read more about oral health I began to realize and connect many aspects of it. Oral health wasn't as important and focused on as it is now compared to years ago. This is why you might notice many older family members either have gaps of missing teeth or visible gold teeth. Although it can relate to economic power and whether you had enough to pay for it or not it was still something I have never thought about. Exercise is crucial to your health and staying balanced but I quickly learned that it can also help reduce depression and improves your academic achievements. This is why many times people get stressed out with school they enjoy the feeling they receive when they go for a run or even walk. In chapter 12 I learned that the most commonly diagnosed learning disorder is dyslexia. This is usually a difficulty in reading. I know many people who have it and I'm always curious to learn how they cope with it.

The cave was a very interesting story but it was also confusing all at the same time. The cave was about prisoners being trapped in a cave all there lives. The one question i am going to talk about is what the prisoners thought was true.

I saw how they really lived back in that time; how the hunted for their food; and how to keep warm while looking out for each other as one. It was hard back then for the cave people to survive. I don't know how they live so long out there with none of the help that we have today.