Three Cups of Tea - Emotions

Three Cups of Tea 

Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Katy Harrison 

While reading Three Cups of Tea, I was inspired. I found the book very inspiring and enlightening. The author’s message is that individuals can do great things and change course of events. I enjoyed seeing the main character develop from an ordinary young man driven by the love for his deceased sister to climb a mountain in her honor to being engaged in a project that was supposed to help the entire village and young people of Pakistan. His interest in economic development of rural areas of Pakistan and his desire to improve the living conditions of the people developed throughout the novel. I was inspired and heart-warmed by his perseverance and goodwill, and attempt to make a change and create better people The author shows the reader that a visit to one place with people can inspire us into doing new things. I was surprised to see how one ordinary person can do great things.

I enjoy this book because it shows us how travel can open and broaden our minds and make us see and understand more.  If Greg had not traveled he would not have been in position to see the harsh conditions of life in Pakistan.  The author tells us that people can go great things, if they have inspiration and if they get the opportunity to visit places and meet new people. Greg was impatient, disorganized, and chaotic. Throughout the book, he acts before he thinks, he makes decisions before analyzing them in great details, he tends to do things without consulting the local people involved in the project.  As a result, the others may see him as disrespectful and selfish. In the course of his adventure, Greg learns to respect the others and to value their opinion. As a result, they respect him more. This book makes me smile and cheer as I can see that one person made so much difference to others and to the community. I enjoy reading about Greg and finding that he is developing into a selfless and respectful person. The title of the book summarizes Greg’s journey:“The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family, and for our family, we are prepared to do anything, even die.”  When Greg comes to Pakistan he is a stranger, he then becomes an honored guest and eventually ends up as their family.

Chinese Cinderella

Chinese Cinderella
Adeline Yen Mah
Pages read: 197/197

In Chinese Cinderella, the most surprising event was for me when Adeline was sent to Tianjin to a boarding school, because she lied to her step-mother, Niang. I found this event surprising because Adeline was very young to be sent to a boarding school. The strongest emotion that I felt throughout reading this book was sad. Adeline was always treated very badly even though she tried her best to make her family proud. I also felt sorrowful for Adeline, because I thought that she didn't deserve hatred from her family. Even though her family thought that she is a bad luck, Adeline never gave up. At the end of the book, Adeline wanted to go to England with her brother, but she knew her father wouldn't allow her. To convince her father she entered a writing contest, and won an award. Her father was very impressed and sent Adeline to England to do medical studies. At the end of the book I was very thrilled for Adeline.

Emotions/thoughts while reading - I am Malala

I am Malala

Kiara Andjelkov

Pgs 357/357

             The most flabbergasting moment in the non-fiction novel, "I am Malala" by Malala Yousafzai was when the protagonist, Malala was shot in the head, point-blank on her way home from school by a Taliban assassin. I found this very astonishing since, in my opinion, Malala was doing nothing wrong by pursuing her campaigns and protests for the right to woman education in Pakistan (mainly Swat). Although, through the eyes of the antagonist, The Talibans, she was a rebel and they did not like that she wasn't under their control. But even so, they marched into her village, took over and completely changed the peoples lifestyle of living. 

           Malala's dad ran a girl's school in Swat Valley and had been also targeted for death. Malala's appearances were increasing as they began being more often, which put her more at risk. Before Malala was shot, she was considering what she would do if a terrorist would jump out and shoot her, "Maybe I'd take off my shoes and hit him," she wrote. "But then I'd think that if I did that, there would be no difference between me and the terrorist," she continued, "It would be better to plead, 'Okay, shoot me, but first listen to me. What you are doing is wrong. I'm not against you personally. I just want every girl to go to school." I was very amazed by what she had said, by the level of maturity she had reached at such a young age because of her circumstances. 

          When she was shot I was infuriated, angry, enraged but at the same time disappointed. I was furious because I didn't understand how someone has the strength to shoot a young girl who was fighting for her beliefs and rights. I was downhearted by what humanity had  become. We are all humans, but I see no humanity, this act committed by one of the Taliban's was absurd and unnecessary. The Taliban who shot Malala was probably corrupted by money and greed, he was willing to take away another persons life in order for money. This book made me smile, cry, cheer and realize how unfair the world is and how humans are cruel and selfish creatures.  

         What uplifted me was when Malala survived the bullet and continued to fight for what she thought was right/what she believed in. She was determined to finish what she had begun and she still hasn't given up. Malala is definitely among one of the many wonderful human beings we should look up to as our heroes and models for future generations. 

           

Steve Jobs

In the book Steve Jobs the Man Who Thought Different surprised me after Steve Jobs made two more companies after he quit being in Apple. I thought that was amazing that even though he left his own company he was able to make two more companies and they were successful. There were a lot of emotions I felt during the book but the most strongest emotion I felt was amazed. Throughout the whole book I was really amazed of what Steve Jobs was doing and that even though he had start things from the start he was able to create something more. Even though I knew Steve Jobs was a amazing human being I was more amazed throughout this whole book.

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson



This story is really confusing to me because  Simpson fell from a cliff and broke his right leg.  After that when they tied up two ropes together and then Simon Yates had to cut the rope to save his life, however risking Simpsons life. When he  cut the rope the next day he thought that Simpson was dead. Simpson fell 150 feet and survived the fall He noticed that the rope was cut so thats the reason to why he fell. He couldn't climb up any longer since of the leg that was injured so he climbed down. He stayed three days without water or food. After he climbed down to the starting position where his was waiting for their arrival.
After some days following my understanding is that Simon Yates came back. This book made my nervous since you see it the way that the person saw it so he describes it the way he wants (sometimes it is only   80 % of truth since again he makes us see it the way he wants not how we want).

Hiroshima-Emotions

                                                                  Hiroshima
                                             By John Hersey



The moment when the bomb dropped from the Anola Gay, the plane that the Americans flew, in the book, I didn't quite realize what the suffering the people of Hiroshima had gone through until I read to the days and weeks after the bomb. People were walking with sheared skin, broken bones, broken legs and arms, and lots of terrible other injuries they had experienced. I was shocked how cruel the bombers were in 1940's and how cruel the world can be. I wouldn't imagine someone would have the idea to drop a nuclear bomb on a city and hurt millions of innocent people. But there is a saying that this world isn't fair and that there will be pain for everybody. And I hope this will never happen again in history but there is a very slim chance of that happening. Because there are wars even now between the states of Islam and other countries. But this nuclear bomb was the first nuclear bomb to be used in a war and for killing. Usually they did tests before just to test it. And in Hiroshima, there were even terrible plagues and sicknesses that caused another extra hundred thousand people to die. So at the end of the book, I was traumatized on how cruel the world could really be.

Children of War
Deborah Ellis
Rhianna Hart
Pages read 151/151

The most surprising scene in Children of War, by Deborah Ellis, was when I read about Haythem, an eight year old boy from Iraq. He was born with a birth defect called hydrocephalus, which is a condition that causes fluid to build up in the brain. He has had a very tough life and it all started in 2005 when four gunmen stormed into his home in Baghdad, startling his mother and causing her to drop him. This made his condition even worse, he has surgery to try to repair the 
damage, but one side of his head is still badly swollen.
Next, the gunman kidnapped his uncle and demanded a large sum of money for his release. Haythems family gathered all the money they could find and paid the gunman. After they got his uncle back they fled the country and moved to Jordan. 
This article about Haythem was very depressing and sad because from the early years of his life he had a hard life. It made me notice how privileged people in our school are. Yes, there are a few hard times for all of us but no where near how hard it is for Haythem. It made me appreciate the little things in life. This article made me cry and feel sorry about the way he lives. I thought that this article was very touching because from the start of his life it was nothing but sadness.

An inconvenient truth

This how my book looks likeThe author is called Al Gore and he was the 45th vice president of the U.S but now he is writing non fiction novels about earth. As I mentioned in previous blogs this book is about the earth and the global warming one thing that I found really interesting and surprising about this book was how fast the ices melt and how fast some continents will start sinking in the next decades. This book as you read it it makes you feel amazed about the earth's wonders and how it changes but also fear because of the many natural disasters that occur and the bad things that are going to happen to earth if humans keep on destroying the enviroment and don't change for a better future

The Boy on the Wooden Box-Emotions-Leon Leyson

 

The Boy on the Wooden Box
Leon Leyson
Martin Nicholson
Pages read 206/206

         The most surprising scene from The Boy on the Wooden Box, by Leon Leyson is the fact that he was spared, even though he was useless. When Leon was working for Schindler, he had to stand on top of a wooden box to operate the machine which he was working. Not only was he to small to work it, but he wasn't as productive as the others. In one passage while he created thirteen bomb shells, a skilled worker would have created over twenty. This was slightly confusing, Oscar Schindler had to chose which Jews he was going to save. Why did he chose Leon? Later on, you discover that Oscar and Leon's father seamed to get along well, so, maybe his father had requested that he save his youngest son, like he did with his daughter Pesza.
         The most discomforting part of the non-fiction was when Leon's older brother, David, was ordered to dig the decomposing bodies out of graves and carry them to the fire. This was not the most inhuman act in this book, but it was the one described in most detail. At first, I became angry reading this, but then when you realize there is nothing you could do about it, and lots of people, not just the Nazi's have forced people to do this, you become sad. You think about all the possible ways these people had died, and about the people carrying them to the fire. You think about how lucky you are momentarily if you have the opportunity to read this book. The passage makes you put the book down and think, "I hope this never happens again." Then you realize that it is happening and you change your approach, "This world is awful." 

Marley: A dog like no other

John Grogan

Marley: A dog like no other

Emotions I felt regarding this book

Everything in life is associated with emotions. There is no exception with books. The book which I am currently reading is Marley: A dog like no other is definitely a good example of a book which made me think about certain emotions. I really love animals, and dogs are my favourite. That is why I was really excited when I got to read this book fro this book project. Right at the beginning of the  book I had a feeling of sadness. This was because I stepped into the author's shoes who was just about to get a dog. This was when he was 10 years old and when he got a dog Shauna, not Marley. This was his first dog. This was a really happy moment for the author but I, myself didn't feel that happy. This is because, in real life I wanted the dog as much as John Grogan, but because of the lifestyle of my life I couldn't get one. To be honest I was quite surprised I felt like that. But, that was the case.

In order to enjoy the rest of the book I tried to pretend and be the author. This was I would experience the life with a puppy. A mischievous one. The moment I did that I was able to enjoy the book a lot. It made my smile and it made me think that someday I might get to go through the same experience as John Groan did. Hopefully with a well behaved puppy though... 

Cults :Mood Set:

          The book in itself was a great informative, but usually informative books keep emotions neutral but not Ms.Karen Zeinert thought differently when she was writing the cults. As you may have already noticed that I felt many different emotions whilst reading the book. I will not list all emotions however I will list the dominant emotions that I had during course of reading the book. The emotions will be listed from least dominant to most dominant.

         The least dominant emotion I had felt throughout the book was confusion and aghast. The reason I felt confused was not because of any paragraph but at a thought that was provoked while reading. This thought stated that cults are very diverse in the sense that there are Utopian cults and on the other hand, Apocalyptic cults. This led to my feeling of aghast. What held me for aghast was the fact that the Utopian cults do something entirely different than the apocalyptic cults. If we had done a study on them where we create the same situation where the last one standing survives then the apocalyptic cults will probably kill when the Utopian cults think wisely to get out of the situation. These results had me in aghast as I imagined how the experiment might have gone.

        The second most dominant emotion I felt while reading was sadness and distraughtness. The feeling of sadness was provoked by some people's definition of them "Some conservatives and vocal Christian leaders insist that any religious group who aren't Christian are cults." According to this definition, Christianity is the only main religion in the middle and all other religions are based off Christianity, which isn't true. The part that had me distraught was when the book had mentioned about the position of cults in the society. "Because the word cults has such a negative image, social scientists prefer the terms new religion or alternative religion." However, the term cult is still used more widely than any of the other terms that may have a more positive image. The devastating truth is not the word for them, but it is the image associated with that word. The majority of people that use the word cults have a very negative image of them rather than a positive image. Although cults are just like any one of us who have a religion people who use the word "cults" usually think of these people as a mean or cruel religious group who lives underneath the shadows.

The most dominant feeling I had during the course of reading this book was paranoid and wiser. This was because the fact that there are many different types of cults. A wide range, and these people are so blended together with the rest of the citizens that we don't know what these people are capable of and because of the obvious manners barrier we can't go around asking wether who you are talking are from a cult or just one of the rather dominant religions. Now in the wide range you never know who belongs to a cult that belives on sacrifices or just on a normal cult that belives in normal practices like offering food to their god. I feel wiser because after reading this book I have realized that just beacause there are differnt beliefs of differnt people doesn't mean that they are wrong or that they are any more specail, god has given us different brains along with a different perspective so that if there are problems then we can solve it thorugh our perspective. So for one religion to be saying that the rest are wrong simply because of their beliefs then this world is not going to proceed anywhere. However, if we focus and work together and understand and give chances to other perspectives and let them take a crack at the problem that our perspective is unable to solve then our world will be from grade F to grade A+ in no time.

These are the emotions or feelings that were dominant while reading this book. It was a great non - fiction book and gave out a lot of information. This book was very different than other non - fictions as this book had the ability to connect with our brain and make us feel certain ways and according to me if a writer could do that through a non - fiction book then imagine what that writer is capable of thorugh a fiction book where there are no boundries to imagination.                          



       

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - William Kamkwamba

In the non- fiction book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - By William Kamkwamba one of the most interesting parts was when it was hunger season. That means that it was September, and the hole of Malawi  had food problems. The hole Malawi had those problems because there was one of the biggest  rainy seasons that Malawi experienced, and that meant that none of the food would grow. Williams family had one meal a day, supper. The hole town was so light and thin that it seemed that ghost were walking instead people.In the middle of the rainy season two boys came to see William. The same two boys were teasing him because Williams dog was fallowing William everywhere. When those two boys came to visit William they saw his dog. The dog was really thin, he also got one meal a day, but only three full spoons. The two boys were disgusted  by the dog, and said that they will come tomorrow morning and tie the dog two a three  so the dog would die. I don't know why William didn't defend his dog. The day after that the two boys came again. Few minutes after their arrival William and the two boys went outside to tie him. When they found a spot to do that William took the dog and tied him to a tree. When William and the two boys were heading home without the dog William could hear his dog cry. William just left the dog there and the next day the poor dog died. I do not know why William would do that. Why would he do that to his best friend? Why would he leave his best friend to die feeling alone and sad? William did that because two boys who were teasing him told him to do so. When I read this part of the book I felt sad for the dog and William. I felt sad for the dog because he experienced the feeling of loneliness, and after that he died alone. The feeling of loneliness is very painful and nobody should have that kind of feeling. I also felt sad for William because he lets people do this to him. He lets people control his life and his decisions.  

My Emotions in: Guts

Guts by Gary Paulsen


What I found most surprising is that Gary, my book's protagonist, kept hunting after his many unfortunate and cringe-worthy experiences. One such example is when he was in a canoe with another person, and a little inbalance tipped it all over. Then, they were swarmed by deerflies, which eat flesh. This made me cringe, alot. Whats interesting, however, is that they continued on their mission and successfully reached the amount of meat and pelts that they needed. In another instance, Gary was starving. When he started hunting he told himself that he would only harvest and eat choice parts, leaving the entrails and eyeballs for the scavengers. When he found himself unable to find any game, except a few small squirrels, he had to abolish the rule he made. That chapter is handily named "Eating eyeballs and guts or starving: The fine art of Wilderness Nutrition". I almost lost my lunch reading that chapter, especially on the part when he mentioned Balut which is a Filipino dish consisting of a duck embryo being boiled alive while still in the shell. Disgusting.

My life in Dog Years

  

My life In Dog Years
Gary Paulsen

The surprising part of this book was when they were walking a dog bit Gary. This is surprising because all dogs that he owned were never this rough to him they were slowly getting use to each other,but this was unexpected because not a single dog in the world has hurt him but he wasent scared he continued to love dogs more after that because the dogs might have been scared if something he had in his hand or something he was wearing because you cant take everything on the dog Gary might have done something wrong. This what happened made me sad because it thought Gary will be mad at himself dogs wont want to like him from what happened in the book  so I thought that will change him but  It didn't it made  him more interested so he knows what he can  do to improve this made me sad and happy together.