English Patient Thought 6

Our inquiry question is whether people are altruistic and the best way to show that would be through acts of kindness. We have decided to support Vancouver Sun Children Funds by donating items from food to clothing. We will go around from door to door asking for their help and donation. Further more, we will also ask for clothing and books. Although there may be only six of us and thousands of children who need our help, I think starting little will still contribute to a big cause. It doesn't matter how much items we manage to collect but how much effort we put into it. But such a plan needs carful planning and precise step. First we will identify a school that requires our help the most, and then proceed to gather items. We will start on Saturday morning and ask for canned food, monetary donation and used cloth or books. Then on Sunday, we will send a delegate of our group to the Headquarters or school that we are helping the items that we have collected. Simply put it, it's time to take action, and that time will be this weekend. 

English Patient Thought 5~

Ondaatje is really stepping up the pace. At chapter 6 and 7, the background story behind the English patient and Kip is revealed to the reader. The English patient's affair with Katherine quickly turned sour as her husband, Geoffrey Clinton, attempted to murder both them by crashing a plane into them in the desert. However, Katherine survives, but with severe wounds. The patient was forced to leave her to find help only to return years later to find her dead body. Similarity, Kip also experienced a rough time at this time through enlistment; he had no friends because he was "brown", and when he did make new friends, they were blown up soon afterwards. The romantic story between Hana and Kip makes a sharp turn, as Kip's history foreshadows a tragic ending to their relationship. Further more Ondaatje at this point has finally "connected" the story pieces together for the readers: it all seems to make sense now. It isn't much mystery now that the English patient was indeed Almasy, and the fact that he was denied help to save Katherine because of his nationality rotates around a core theme of the story: nationhood. Almasy tried to transcend nationhood by exploring the desert, an isolated environment, but only backfired as he was taken prisoner because the war even spread to the deserts. Similarly, Kip's history presents to us that his nationhood caused him great grief and suffering, as he eventually portrays the west as white "racists".

English Patient Thought 4:

It's starting to get interested. I think it's time to confess; at the beginning of the story, I didn't know what I had gotten myself into: the book was outright bizarre for me. However, it's starting to turn very engaging for me. I can't wait to flip the page to see how the relationship between the character develop, and how the English Patient's past will unravel. At the point I am at, Hana has started a romantic relationship with Kip which seems quite odd as I expected her love to be for the patient. Nonetheless, Kip and Hana's relationship seem to be based on the fact that they "need" each other, as in that Hana finds security in Kip, and vice versa. Their relationship was ignited by an incident where Kip needed help to defuse a bomb and Hana risked her life for the both of them. This event further showed the readers Hana's altruistic nature. However at the same time, she seems very cynical too, for example whenever she is with another man alone, she always assumes that he is there for sex. Like when Caravagio touches her on the back, or when she lies with Kip. Though I believe this may have something to do with her past, which the story does not reveal at this point.

The English Patient: Thought 3

I believe it would be just to characterize this book at this point .... unique... I suppose. The book is certainly not like any book I have read before; it doesn't follow the anticipated path of plot line or story progression. Rather there are constant turn of events that not only shift the interest points of the story but also shock the reader. For example Caravaggio's entrance into the plot not only provides background to the time period but also sheds light on the horrid situation of the war. At this point in the story, the war has scarred the three characters of the story, fully demonstrating that people not directly associated with the war can also be traumatized. Hana, a nurse, who becomes shell shocked as a result of her father's death. Caravaggio, a intelligence collector, became a man in silence after his thumb had been cut off. And the English Patient, a surveyor of geography, was somehow also affected. The war is all-reaching. No one can escape its influence, whether they are at home, or in the battlefields fighting for their lives.

English Patient: The Beginning

English patient thought 2:
After dwelling into the story a bit more, I've discovered that this book is not a simple story. It's not just about  a nurse caring for a patient. But rather, it's about the reflection of the patient and his continually developing relationships with the characters in the story. The intricate backgrounds and mystifying relations of one person to another adds a very enigmatic atmosphere to the story. Furthermore, the story also introduces very mature themes, for example sex and drugs; however these should not be too much to handle for a group of seventeen year old boys. The plot itself is driven by continuous flashbacks of the patient, which reveals to the readers that he was an desert explorer; however he cannot seem to remember his name or nationality. In addition, the plot is also driven by the setting. The villa that Hana, the nurse, and the patient is living in is dotted with German land mines. This prompts many visitors into the villa which becomes acquainted with the patient. Up to this point, I am enjoying the book a lot and look forward to see how it unravels in front of me.

Feb, 7th

My thoughts on the English Patient

For my English project, I've decided to do my inquiry on the English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. I've chosen it because the book name itself immediately caught my attention: it seemed to be a book about love and war. After reading some reviews and doing some research, I found out that most people either really enjoyed it or really hated it. However, I was ready to take that risk, to see how the story unravels and to see which side I would eventually take. I believe that the story takes place in a villa, and is about a women who nurses a burnt patient. The patient presumably was a victim of a plane crash in the deserts to which his life was barely saved. Throughout the story, the patient eventually unravels his story in the war. Through reading the story, I hope to gain a better sense of the true war and also the love between people. I have great hopes in reading this book, I look forward to the lessons that the books hold.

English blk A, Feb 6, 2013

My opinion of the problem in Somalia

I feel that the growing radical group of Al-Shabaab has caused many problems not only in Somalia, but also in other countries, for example Egypt. I feel that even when infringements on other countries cannot be tolerated, such bellicose methods imposed by the terrorist groups must be stopped immediately.

The mere fact of the Al Qaeda terrorist groups have led to many other problems, one mainly being the unstable government of Somali. I think that in order to give Somalia a sustainable and efficient government, member states must raid of the problem that has been too long been dwelling within Somalia. However this is easier said than done; Somalia does not have enough military resources in order to fight against terrorist groups and if outer countries interfere, Somalians might consider such movements as infringing upon their policies. If we are to rid such a enduring problem, Somalia should be able to co-operate with fellow member states in order to devise a viable plan to unite forces to stop the terrorist group. In addition the constant famine in Somalia must also be mitigated in order to create a transition period for the current unstable government to be replaced. Resources can be sent from neighboring countries; though there may be countries who suffer from their own problems, we must all pitch in to help. The continuing piracy within the Somalia Coast has also been a widely known international problems concerning numerous countries and massively affecting the shipping industry. Because many shipping ships are captures off the shore of Somalia and held captive for ransom, they are unable to use the quick and efficient route crossing Africa, Instead they have to make a huge loop in order to evade the pirates. This creates huge economical loss that are detrimental to shipping companies across the world. The piracy can only be stopped by two ways: either raiding all pirates or to provide the people with subsistence of jobs in order to maintain the average living conditions.