Journal 6 Alyssa

     There were a lot of important characters in this book. The one I found to be most important was the nurse, Esther. She was the one to help Ishmael gain trust again, and to feel loved and cared about. Esther was the first person, besides the other boys, that Ishmael became close to after having experienced the way, and being a solider. She never gave up on him no matter how many times he was rude and blew her off like she was nobody. In chapter 16 Ishmael tells us how he hurts his hand and she was the one to continuously care for him each time he ended up back at the hospital. "you can go if you want, but I suggest you stay in bed tonight" she said, pointing at me the way a mother would a stubborn child" (Beah 141). She would get to know him, his likes and past activities he had done and would buy him gifts, such as cassette player and music that reminded him of the good times before the war. She went out of her way to take him to the city to enjoy himself like a normal kid should. I was actually surprised she wasn't the one to adopt him and that they lost touch with one another.
     Ishmael's rehabilitation didn't start off too well. Which was to be expected.I personally think he is doing well for a child who had to be a soldier in the war, and to see and commit such gruesome murders. He has learned how to love and to trust. Once things got bad, while living with his uncle, he knew he had to get out. He had to leave the country or he wouldn't make it out alive this time.  He said a lot of boys he was in rehabilitation with were back to being soldiers again. He didn't want that for himself. He wanted and chose to better his life.
     I love how Beah uses both characterizations and sense details. I was always intrigued when reading in "A Long Way Gone". I could always see and feel what was going on, like I was right there with him. A sense detail he used that was so easy to picture, especially if you have seen the movie Rambo was when Alhaji wanted to practice his Rambo moves before the began to fire. "Alhaji was already rubbing mud on his face, using a combination of saliva and some of the water from his backpack to wet the mud" (Beah 145).
     The passage I chose, which at that time in the book seemed good, turned out to be not so good.
"I wanted to drop the hand and run as fast as I could to the village. My eyelids were twitching, and I felt as if the breeze was passing through my brain. It made me feel light-headed. Excitement and sadness made me feel as if my heart would explode if I waited any longer, but on such a narrow path I couldn't walk past all those in front of me. (Beah 92,93). This was when Ishmael found the village his parents were in and was told they were just over a hill. While traveling over the hill the rebels attacked the village burning down everyone's homes and shooting every body. He had lost his parents. The passage shows the excitement and the feeling you get when you are so close to getting what you want, what you need. That is what I loved about this passage. Though, wish it would have ended differently.

Journal 6 reading response using chapters- Bailee Patton

      Esther has become my favorite character. She has helped Beah surely but slowly overcome his problems.She helped Beah become a kid again and always put him first. I bet even though we never found out she actually loved him to. She told him that she would be his sister and she felt it necessary to give him rap music to help connect with him.Who else would go through so much trouble to make one child happy.

      I think Beah is doing so much better and learning to become a kid again. I would let him live near me.He made it to New York with no problems or out burst.If he was freaking out a noises and people and started lashing out then i would say no he probably shouldn't be out on his own, but i think he is doing really well. If he is having problems he can always live in the country away from civilization.

     My favorite quote is when Beah's uncle says "You are my son. I don't have much,but i will give you food and a place to sleep and my love."He owes Beah nothing but still would accept him into his family after all he had been through. Love is a powerful thing.Maybe he feels guilty after all those years of not talking to him. We don't really know, but it was still very kind of his uncle to take him in regardless of his past.

     "It must have been tough,living with so many war stories. I was just living with one; mine. And it was as difficult as the nightmares about what had happened continued to torment me. Why does she do it?Why do they all do it?" I thought as we went our separate ways. it was the last time i saw her. i never told her but i loved her. This makes me so emotional. I just want one thing to go his way because not a lot has. Its likes he loses everyone close to him. It would be nice to see him truly happy because a majority of the book he has not been. I really do think she would have kept in touch if she could, something must have happened and maybe she read this book years later and finally met up with Beah. That would be a very happy ending.

Journal 6-Henry

The character that I think has meant the most to me throughout the end of the book is Esther. She is a very important character, a very special person to Ishmael. Esther kept trying to make friends with Beah even after he was rude to her over and over again. For example Beah said "She was tall and had big brown eyes that were kind and inviting. She handed me a bottle of Coca Cola. Come and see me whenever you feel like it, she said, smiling, as she walked away" (Beah-152). During Ishmaels lowest points in his life when he wanted nothing to do with anyone, Esther was there and showered him with nonstop kindness even after he was feeling more like himself.

I do think it is possible to rehabilitate people. It depends on the person and not usually the facility. The person being rehabilitated has to want the help and push to better themselves and not be forced into rehabilitation. Yes I wouldnt mind Ishmael living in my neighborhood, only because I know his whole story and have a good understanding of his background. If it was someone I didn't read about, I would definitely be skeptical.

One of Beahs best techniques as a writer is definitely are his use and placement of metaphors in A Long Way Gone. Beahs doesn't over use metaphors, they just kind of pop up nicely throughout the book and I think that is the perfect way to use metaphors. Ishmael takes the cake with his overall great writing in a long way gone.

My favorite passage Is in Chapter 18 When Ishmael finally meets his uncle. Uncle Tommy says"After you are done here, you can Come and live with me. You are my son. I don't have much, but I will give you a place to sleep, food, and my love. He put his arms around me. No one had called me son in a very long time". (Beah-172). This passage or even the whole page is very powerful and provides the reader with some positive closure towards the end of the book. Ishmael finally can live some what of normal life now that he can live with an uncle in a safe city. I was relived when I read that they found one of Ishmaels family members, because I have been waiting for something good to happen in the book for a while now.

vilma lopez-Research Excercise

Discovery Of Freetown Sierra Leone
Freetown is located in Sierra Leone and it is found in West Africa. It was originally found by Lieutenant John Clarkson by the help of free African slaves during the year of 1792. Freetown is the mainport where nations administrative and economic center is located. It commands one of the world’s largest natural harbours. How did Freetown get its name? The reason it got its name was because many African Americans were set free from slavery. Freetown is where the abolishment of slaves began. Freetown has the largest population that is around 1.06 million people. It is made up of different diverse. Krio language is what the majority of the population speaks. A cotton tree is a symbol of freedom ot them. The tree is where many African slaves prayed and is still standing till this day.The president of Sierra Leone is Ernest Bai Koroma.

       

http://www.blackpast.org/gah/freetown-sierra-leone-1792

Freetown is where the British headquarters was located to stop all the ships that were headed to the Americas. Slaves that were headed to the Americas were to seek freedom.

Research-Ivory Trade-Colton Long

The Ivory Trade

The ivory trade is the act of poaching or illegally hunting an animal for a byproduct of the animal. In this instance it is to obtain and sell the tusks of elephants. Other species to also be hunted for the same reason are the hippopotamus, walrus, narwhal, and the mammoth. When the poachers try to attack the elephants, they will then wait till they are all in a herd and sitting at a watering hole and killing them by means of poisoning them with darts which results in a slow excruciatingly painful death, stoning them to death, or even by machine guns. When the elephants are killed for their ivory, they are usually smuggled into China and Thailand to make chop-sticks, jewelry, ornaments, hair accessories, and many other items. It is said by some that if some product are made from an animal then it could have healing or mystical powers. Part of the reason why the trade is still happening is because of the not yet disproved powers of the byproducts, the demand for the ivory is pretty much through the roof.

The price of just one kilogram of ivory in the Asian market is anywhere between $1,000 and $1,500. One tusk can cost upwards of around 40,000 euros (UK) and $63,000 (US), and if you were to buy a set of tusks then you are now looking at 80,000 euros (UK) and $126,000 (US). From 1979-1989 the population for African elephants went from 1.3 million to about 600,000. During each of those years approximately 75,000 elephants were killed to obtain their ivory which brought in about 1.3 billion dollars and about 80% were killed illegally.

There really is no good reason to legalize the ivory trade because all it would do is just kill off the elephants even faster and literally expand the whole business as a whole ten fold. The only thing that could or should happen is that it should only be partially legalized. Where only so many can be sold and only so many elephants and to other ivory trade victims can be killed or else there will be a harsh punishment.

The ivory trade does not only kill animals but also humans. Many African villages and groups of people are enslaved to do the dirty work of the ivory trading, the killing, cleaning, and the preparation of the ivory. It also includes governments, mismanagement, and taxpayer abuse wrought from public officials supporting criminal interests. The trade itself also includes the lives affected by the introduction of other illegal activities including, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and weapon trafficking.

This a 15 ton pile of ivory that has been poached in Kenya and is displayed in the Nairobi National park March 3, 2015.

-https://phys.org/news/2015-03-botswana-elephant-deaths-anti-poaching-summit.html
-http://www.animal-rights-action.com/ivory-trade.html
-https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/01/ivory-trade-kills-people-20151865914791719.html

Research Exercise-Brady Hund

Food and culture in Sierra Leone is very different than the foods Im used to. It is recommended that you try atlas one local dish during your visit, however when eating out, it is best to go to the most recommended restaurants to reduce the chances of getting sick due to the poor hygiene in some of the establishments. There is no drinking ate in Sierra Leone and they produce their own beer. The beer is called, StarBeer, and its made in the Sierra Leone Breweries. Some specialty dishes may consist of, Jollof Rice, FuFu, Starbeer, Okrastew, Yebe Poyo, etc,. Jolly Rice is made of rice fried with beans and is usually served with a spicy onion based sauce. FuFu is originated from Ghana and its made of pounded ya, cassava root or corn, served with a sauce such as groundnut stew.

This is what FuFu would typically look like.
It is pounded yam, cassava roots or corn,
served with a sauce such as groundnut stew

Sources:

https://www.worldtravelguide.net/guides/africa/sierra-leone/food-and-drink/

Research, PTSD Alyssa

Having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can cause the reliving of a traumatic event. Which can be known as; nightmares, flashbacks and triggers (to see, hear or smell something to make you relive the event). There are many other symptoms of PTSD. Avoiding situations that remind of the event is typical for someone who has PTSD.  Also, avoiding crowds and certain movies. Changing the way the think about themselves and others, not having a positive or loving feelings toward friends and family, and thinking the world is completely dangerous and no one can be trusted. More symptoms can be hyper arousal which is “a state of increased psychological and physiological tension marked by such effects as reduced pain tolerance, anxiety, exaggeration of startle responses, insomnia, fatigue and accentuation of personality traits” (quoted in healthcentral.com).Being jittery, always alert, to become angry and irritable easily, hard time sleeping, startled by loud noise and standing with back against the wall are all to be expected in someone experiencing PTSD. Physical symptoms are, headaches, stomach pains and back pains. PTSD usually starts soon after the traumatic event, but for some it can take months, even years to begin. Symptoms can come and go. Co-morbidity has been found to be more prominent in trauma patients. A lot of people will undergo Psychotherapy and medication for treatment.

     Doctors without Borders (doctorswithoutborders.org) did a survey on the welfare of people in Sierra Leone experiencing PTSD. They concluded the psychological and mental health consequences of war on civilians are all too often neglected. The civil war in Sierra Leone began in 1991. Since 1994 Doctors Without Borders (DWB) has provided medical and nutritional programs in Sierra Leone. Including surgery, primary health care, and water and sanitation. In 1997 a psychosocial program was started around Magburaka, in central Sierra Leone. Because of security situations the program was suspended. Then, in 1999 through trained locals DWB started a psychosocial care unit for amputees at the hospital in Freetown. It became recognized that mental health and psychosocial programs greatly contributed to lessen the severity of the suffering of people in war and disaster-stricken areas. Focused primarily on the effects of PTSD.

    DWB has been addressing the psychosocial problems of the survivors in Sierra Leone before, during and after the January 1999 events. Research has shown that nearly all war victims experience recurrent and intrusive recollections, dreams and sudden feelings of reliving the event(s). When Doctors Without Borders did their survey, they got into teams. A pen was spun to determine the directions and every 10^th house, to the right, was selected to be surveyed. The most senior member of the house hold present was the one interviewed. If there was anyone to refuse it was noted and the selection process would continue to the next 10^th house.

     The survey consisted of the following:

First section assessed the demographics and personal background of the participant.

Second appraised traumatic events. Such as, exposure to violent situations, who was lost, and the traumatic events witnessed.

Third evaluated current physical health complaints and needs.

Pictures of the graphs that were in conclusion of the survey are posted.

Credible sources:
www.ptd.va.gov
www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Research-Henry

The most common weapons used during The Civil War Of Sierra Leone were Ak-47s, G3s and RPGs. All of these weapons are cheap to buy and are easily accessible worldwide, which is why both sides fighting in the civil war used these weapons. There are all kinds of different variants of these guns so I will just give you the basic run down of the three. 

First up is the AK-47. The “A” in the name stands for automatic fire of the rifle, the K stands for  “Kalashnikov” the creator of the gun, and the number “47” represents the year the gun was designed and first made in 1947. The AK was first created by the Soviet Union and began mass producing the rifle, which is why the gun still today is fairly cheap and easy to get your hands on. Other communists countries like China started to make clones, which further expanded the AKs market. Why is the AK s popular around the world? Because it is indestructible and the ammo is very cheap too. You can drop an AK in the mud and it will still function as if it was just cleaned, which is why it was a perfect weapon to have deep in the jungle in Sierra Leone. Site: https://www.britannica.com/technology/AK-47 

The Heckler and Koch G3 is the next weapon of choice used by the RUF and the government of Sierra Leone. First designed in the 1950s by Heckler and Koch in western Germany, the G3 quickly became of favorite weapon for militaries all across the world because of its impressive stopping power and durability. Since over Seven million G3s have been produced since 1950, they’re relatively cheap to buy which made it easy for both the RUF and the Sierra Leones military to have so many. Site: https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-g3-eng/

Lastly the RPG-7, short for Rocket Propelled Grenade is a shoulder fired anti-tank weapon that shoots explosive rockets. Simplicity, low cost, and effectiveness of the RPG-7 has made it the most widely used anti-armor weapon in the world. Currently around 40 countries use the weapon, and it is manufactured in several variants by nine countries. The RPG has been used in almost all conflicts across all continents since the mid-1960s. Site: http://www.military-today.com/firearms/rpg_7.htm

Research - Jake Goedde

Nobel Peace Prize Winner- Leymah Gbowee

Leymah Gbowee received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her work in leading a women’s peace movement that brought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. She shared the prize with fellow Liberian Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Yemen-native Tawakkol Karman. Gbowee and Sirleaf became the second and third African women to win the prize, preceded by the late Wangari Maathai of Kenya. Leymah was born in central Liberia in 1972. She was living with her parents and sisters in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, when the First Liberian Civil War erupted. She recalls clearly the day the first Liberian civil war came to her doorstep. “All of a sudden one July morning I wake up at 17, going to the university to fulfill my dream of becoming a medical doctor, and fighting erupted.” Leymah is defiantly an individual to look up to and admire. She's a hardworking woman who fights for what she believes.

  

Since winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Leymah travels internationally to speak about the pernicious and devastating effects of war and gender-based violence.She serves on the Board of Directors of the Nobel Women’s Initiative, Gbowee Peace Foundation and the PeaceJam Foundation, and she is a member of the African Women Leaders Network for Reproductive Health and Family Planning. She has received honorary degrees from Rhodes University in South Africa, the University of Alberta in Canada, Polytechnic University in Mozambique, and University of Dundee in Scotland. After receiving the Barnard College Medal of Distinction in 2013, she was named a Distinguished Fellow in Social Justice. Leymah is the proud mother of six children. As you can tell she is very talented in what she does winning a bunch of rewards that are well deserved.

Leymah Roberta Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist responsible for leading a women's peace movement, Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace that helped bring an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003

https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2011/gbowee-bio.html

Research- Marysa

                                                                       UNICEF

UNICEF is United Nations Children's Funds. The original name is United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. It was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946 and was initially set up to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that have been devastated by WWII. In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the united nations system. The annual budget for UNICEF is around 1 billion. In 1982 Child Survival and Development Resolution (CSRD) was created. This is four inexpensive interventions to reduce child deaths.

FACTS
It is estimated that 158 million children, ages 5-14 are engaged in labor, more than 1/3 of the children are in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also estimated that 250,000 children are involved in conflicts around the world used as combatants, messengers, spies, parters and cooks and girls are forced to preform sexual services. In a 2004 report, it is found that in at least 65 countries boys and girls are recruited into government military forces either legally by volunteer or illegally through force and deception. 7 million young lives are now saved each year as a result of immunization and oral rehydration. Over 12 million children went back to school in 2006 with the support of UNICEF educational supplies. DDR(Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration) programs are used to disarm and disband warring groups as well as reintegrate ex-combatants into civilian life. These programs were originally used to help adults but has expanded to include the rehabilitation of children.

"UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, to defend their rights and to help them fulfil their potential. And we never give up."

https://www.unicef.org/media/media_45451.html

research Bailee Patton

                                                            Blood Diamonds
      Diamond comes from the word "Adams" which means unconquerable. The rule of R.U.F. was to take the countries diamond mines. Blood Diamonds are the main cause of the Civil war.They were sold for profit to finance the war; the diamonds are found along riverbanks and riverbeds.

       The Rebels took advantage of this opportunity and sold them for weapons, most diamonds were traded to Liberian President Charles Taylor in exchange for weapons.It is true that the Rebels would not have had the power that they did without blood diamonds.Blood diamond is a term used for diamond mined war zone.Blood diamond is meant to reflect on the negative consequences it had.The rebels would have mined 125 million diamonds yearly.

      There is a movie called Blood Diamonds. Its a 2006 movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie is about a country torn by government loyalist and insurgent forces. Its a very graphic movie and shows what the Rebels did to people, like cutting off their hands to keep them from voting. The movie was generally liked. This was due to DiCaprio and Hounsou's performance.

 
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_diamond#Liberia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Diamond
http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/civil-war-in-sierra-leone-the-rule-of-sierra-leone-s-blood-diamonds.html


Blood diamonds are regular clear diamonds, when i first picked this topic i thought they would be red like Rubies. Turns out they are called blood diamonds because they were sold for weapons to kill innocent people.

Research- Daryn Stiers

Charles Taylor was the president of Liberia from 1997 to 2003. He was forced to step down due to his crimes committed to the neighboring country Sierra Leone. He was the leader that guided the rebels to take over  Sierra Leone. On May 30, 2012 Charles was sentenced to 50 years in prison. He was charged with many different things such as murder, rape, slavery, and the use of child soldiers. Taylor used horrific tactics used to murder thousands of people. The children would be on drugs and they would use them to mine for diamonds and kill people. (Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica)

"Ten years after the war ended, Sierra Leone still is struggling to rebuild. An estimated 50,000 people died, while countless others fled the country or took refuge in camps" (Marlise Simons). With that big of a loss they are having trouble to rebuild. Many believe that Taylor only did all this because he wanted power and money.

This is an image of Charles Taylor leading the rebels into Sierra Leone.

Simons, Marlise. “Charles Taylor, Liberia's Ex-Leader.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Apr. 2012, www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/world/africa/charles-taylor-liberia-sierra-leone-war-crimes-court-verdict.html.             

Research Exercise from Cole

Revolutionary United Front

The Revolutionary United Front (R.U.F.) was a guerrilla warfare group created in 1991 in Sierra Leone with the mission to overthrow the African government. They were lead by Foday Saybana Sankoh, who was a student activists that spent time in Libya in exile. While there he became philosophically influenced by Muammar al-Qaddafi. R.U.F. was able to fund itself with the country's diamond resources to afford things such as weapons, ammunition, and food. For 11 years they terrorized people, claiming over 50,000 lives and displacing more than 2 million people around Africa. They were famous for recruiting child soldiers, raping, and dismembering people but not killing them. In 2002 the United Nations shut down R.U.F. by arresting the leaders and putting them in jail to restore peace in Sierra Leone.

This is a group of child soldiers from Sierra Leone. They are between ages 12-16 in this photo.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Revolutionary-United-Front

Journal 5 from Cole

To me music and poetry is an escape from the real world. There's music for every type of mood depending on what you feel that day. Music can bring people together, it can help people bond with one another. It touches peoples lives in so many different ways. An artist that really impacted me was Drake. He just tells it how it is an listening to him helps me kinda relax and forget what was going on prior to that. I can relate to him because I tell it how it is also, I don't try to "beat around the bush" as they say, I tell it how it really is. A good example of that is from one of his newer songs God's Plan, "She say do you love me, I tell her only partly, I only love my bed and my mamma I'm sorry." This line made me laugh but it also made me realize, you shouldn't love someone more than your bed or mom and that'll always be true to me.

Drake has impacted my life and I'm sure he's impacted many others. I have much respect for him and his music and I appreciate the opportunity to grow up listening to him. 

Conference Times For Tuesday, Feb. 20

 There is no class on Tuesday, but please show up for your conference with me in the LC231 classroom at your scheduled time for your one-on-one conference.

Thank you!  Mike



10:30  Bailee
10:37 Daryn
10:44 Colton
10:51 Cole
10:58 Marysa
11:05 Jake
11:12 Henry


11:30 Vilma
11:37 Hiten
11:44 Alyssa
11:51 Nate
11:58 Brady

12:12 Brittani

Journal Five - Colton Long

The meaning of music to me is is somewas very clear and others very foggy. What I mean by that is it normally doesn’t mean to much to me other than that is is music, but on the other hand in certain situations it’s a very impactful thing. If I had to choose what kind of music that means the most to me I would have to choose old country music. The kind of old country music that my dad and his dad listened to. To the music, everytime I listen to it, it really makes me thing about my dads side of the family and all of the great memories I had as a child with them.

I honestly cannot say that there is one musician that I can talk about because it was a lot of the the older country music stars. I may not know all of the names or songs because I don’t, but if you asked my dad or his dad they could tell you. The greatest part is when my dads side of the family would get together and play those songs and really get into it no matter how good or bad because we did for fun. That’s the best kind of fun that they ever had. It all goes down when everyone brings their guitars or harmonicas because at that point you know it is going down.



This is Hank Williams. He is one of the many musician my family would listen to whether it’s in the car or at the house. Old country music was and still is the nest music to me.

Journal 5 - Nate Riddle

Music plays a big role in my life and many others as well. Music has many different aspects that it plays in my life. It is an escape, a stress reviler, a mood swinger, and even a life changer. Music is so powerful, I listen to music everyday and I bet that's the same for everyone. Music is the universal language. It brings people together and I truly believe that. The kind of music that means the most to me is Hip-Hop. I love Hip-Hop because it can speak to you at times and make some things relate-able.

My favorite Album, DAMN by Kendrick Lamar. This album was fantastic and there is not a single song on it that I do not like. 

Kendrick Lamar is an inspiration to me. This is because he is so honest and real with his music/lyrics. I could probably rap and sing this whole album to you just because I listened to this album nonstop when it came out. I couldn't stop listening because it was addicting and relate-able. He sings and raps about the world and its all true. And for that reason I listen to him at least once a day. The song that I like best on this album is 'LOVE.' My girlfriend and I listen to it together at least once a day because its a reminder that we love one another and makes us happy. The best line in the song is 'Keep it a hundred, I'd rather you trust me than to love me, Keep it a whole one hund': don't got you, I got nothin' This is true, i'd rather have trust over love. So if you don't trust someone how could you love them? But as long as everything is honest and the truth then everything will be okay. 

Journal 5 from Hiten

 If I had to choose between music and poem I would definitely choose music because to me it is something that you can listen to at any time, no mater what kind of mood you are in it’s a way to get away from the reality and get lost into the words of the artist. Music is what makes us feel happy when we are sad, sometimes it what gets the players pumped before the big game. Music can even help us keep going through the hard times. I don’t have a particular type of music that I favor, I like all kinds of music. I’m always in the mood to listen to music. One of my favorite songs is Airplanes by B.O.B. it a song that I can listen to an any time and I could listen to it over and over again and never get tired of it.

This is one of the artist that I really likes ever sicnce I was a litttle kid and I colud never get tired of listning to them, his songs help me get back up and keep going when ever I'm having a rough day.

journal 5 -Vilma L.

         I personally like all types of music. Poetry attracts more my attention, even though I do not have a favorite poetry. Poetry to me is a simple form of telling your emotion. comparing your feeling to nature and or to a material.  In this form you can see what the weight the writer is putting towards his feeling. It is another way of giving you an imagery so you can fit their shoe. A poem can be either long or short. It can be short and we can see the  But with so good writing, leaving one satisfied and where you can see the innocence in it.  whether happiness, sadness, or a intense moment. On the other hand music has to do more with rhythm. The rhythm can help identify what the musician is feeling.

Beethoven music has been an inspiration to me. my music teacher made us listen to his music in elementary school. His music is really good, seems really passionate about music. I started to play the piano at age 10. And my goal was to play one of his song called " Für Elise". I never did but Beethoven will always be one of my favorite musician.

Journal 5-Brady Hund

Music means a lot to me as I listen to to it in my every day life. I like all kinds of music, its medicine to me, theres genres that are perfect for all types of moods I might be feeling. I listen to it when I'm happy, sad, tired, or even if I'm just bored. Music in my opinion makes things go by quicker than usual. I feel like I can concentrate more when I'm listening to music and it helps me remain positive. I also use music for relaxing just depending on what kind of mood I'm in.

Bob Marley has been a great influence on my passion for music as he was one of the first musical artist I learned to recognize.  I was first introduced to his reggae music when I was about eight or nine years old when my older brother was keeping me up to date with "cool" music. His song about "Three Little Birds" stuck to me the most. he sang, "Rise up this morning,' Smiled with the risin' sun, Three little birds, Pitch by my doorstep, Singin' sweet songs, Of melodies pure and true

Saying', (this is my message to you), Singing' don't worry 'bout a thing, 'Cause every little thing gonna be alright, Singing' don't worry (don't worry) 'bout a thing, 'Cause every little thing gonna be alright" This song has caused me to be more of a laid back and relaxed person as whenever something doesn't go my way in life, I just tell myself not to worry because every little thing is going to be alright. This song was released in 1977 and just like many other people, I still listen to it till this day.

Bob Marley was my first encounter to reggae music when I was
just a little kid and he has great songs about love and positivity,
My favorite song by him, "Three Little Birds."