Life Is Beautiful

Life is Beautiful is set in Italy during World War II. It's about a chap named Guido and his journey to find love and the sacrifice he made for his family. All I have to say is I was very emotionally attached to this movie.

Everything is happy and comedic in the beginning. There are bright colors and beautiful scenery. The main character, Guido, is clever, witty, and charming. He falls in love with a women he calls the Princess, and they meet constantly, by his plans and by mistake. She is a teacher at an elementary school and he becomes a waiter. He hears from an important man he waited on that the Commissioner is supposed to speak at her school. He goes and pretends to be the Commissioner but isn't really serious, he just jokes around to get a date with the Princess. One thing a teacher said when she introduced Guido was that the Italian race is superior- the best of all. That connects with the Dinka saying they are superior to the Arabs.

When Guido is serving at a wedding dinner he gets a call from his Uncle who is outside. Some kids painted his horse green and made some remark about him being a Jew. His Uncle warns Guido that they'll start hassling him too, and this changes the mood of the movie, and World War II starts becoming more apparent. Nevertheless, after realizing the wedding dinner is actually the very unhappy Princess's, he comes into the fancy place riding his Uncle's green horse and rescues her from this unwanted marriage.

Time passes and Guido and the Princess get married and have an adorable Son. Everyone is happy until one day the Princess comes home and Guido, the Uncle, and her Son are gone, the house is trashed. She runs to where the Jews are being shipped off on trains and willingly goes on a train, even though she is not a Jew. Guido is still happy and upbeat, like always, and plays everything off like this is a game for his Son. When they get to the work camp the family is separated like in What is the What. Like how Achak ran off on his own and went on a journey to Ethiopia, his mom and dad were off somewhere else, but still alive. Guido and his Son go with the men in the camp while the Princess goes with the women.

Just like in What is the What and Haroun and the Sea of Stories, so many things connect. In this movie:

1. He was a waiter in Italy- He became a waiter in the camp.

2. The Doctor friend he had at home- The Doctor gives the check-ups at the camp, and could have saved his life since Guido wasn't very fit.

3. When Guido went to the opera to follow the Princess- He fearlessly plays the opera music over the camp so Princess hears, and she knows he is alive.

4. According to Guido's made-up game, which is the work camp, the winner gets a real tank, which the Son wanted before even leaving Italy- at the end of the movie, when he is alone in the camp because the war has ended and everyone is either dead or have left, a tank rolls in driven by Americans. He knows he won the game.

Things connect in Life is Beautiful from his life before the Holocaust, then during. In What things connect from his life in America, to his life in Sudan. In Haroun things connect from his time on Earth, to his adventure in Kahani.

When word came to the Nazis that the war was over and they lost, they spent a night killing as many Jews as they could, cleaning out the camp. Guido made sure his Son was hidden and went to look for his wife. He was caught and shot, but not after winking at his son who was properly hidden and he marched off all goofy with a Nazi leading him to an isolated place. I CRIED, it was so sad. In the end his Son and the Princess survived, and returned home.

Monsoon Wedding

Monsoon Wedding is about a marriage set in India. The couple isn't exactly the focal point here though. The movie has several plots with different people, but it all comes together and connects through this big Indian wedding. The people jump between Indian and English language and jumps from different character to different character, each scene is someone else until they mesh and the story becomes one. There are many different points of view, and I shall attempt to list them.

1. The Bride and Groom together
2. The Bride with her ex-boyfriend
3. The Bride's father, mother, and brother
4. The Wedding Planner dude and his love interest. (Maid in Bride's household)
5. Cousin to the Bride, Creepy Old Guy, and Little Girl. (He sexual harasses the little girl.)
6. A Sister of one family and a Brother of another family. (Love interests)
7. A mish mosh of individual scenes and combinations.
I apologize for not knowing any names, they are all Indian and pretty confusing, I didn't have a chance to write them down. I wouldn't have known who was who.

In the beginning I can tell this is a very loud, lively Indian family, but the Bride and Groom don't seem excited. I'm guessing the Groom is just nervous and the Bride is thinking of her "frolicking" with her ex-boyfriend. The families seem really well off financially since the Father of the Bride is paying a big sum for waterproofing of the wedding tent.

At a dinner people start talking of immigrating to American, like Valentino did! Except one guy who went seems happy about going there, and giving advice to one girl who wants to go learn creative writing. The Bride even wants to go, but is it to escape marriage and the Groom?

There are individual relationships between different people, multiple couples. The Wedding Planner falls for the Maid, and they both like to eat flowers. Does it mean something? Maybe they are meant for each other.

When the Groom finds out about the Bride and her Ex, he says, ...Screwing ex-boyfriend- but in American you'll fit right in!
Oh, harsh! Like Valentino talking about American culture in a negative way, unfortunately. The Bride and Groom end up talking it out and falling in love.

The Cousin and Little Girl were harassed by the same Creepy Old Guy and the Father (their Uncle, who raised them when their father died) feels horrible but from this he became closer to his wife, when their relationship was drifting in the beginning. The Father, or Uncle, refuses to separate Creepy Old Guy from family, but he still loves and cares for the Cousin and Little Girl.

All these conflicts and drama happened just days before the actual wedding. It concluded with:
1. Bride and Groom in love and get married
2. Bride and ex-boyfriend are completely over.
3. Father and Mother are happy, as is the Brother when he got to dance at the reception.
4. Wedding Planner and Maid end up happy together! Aww!
5. Uncle sends Creepy Old Guy away even before the wedding ceremony begins!
6. That young love interest is still just that. A young crush with each other.

In Haroun and the Sea of Stories, the family was separated. Haroun was irritated by his father's unclear way of talking and spacey behavior, and his mother completely left the family. The Bride's family was similar in that they were separated. The Mother and Father quarrelled, the Bride was off doing her own thing, the Uncle and Cousin, who was violated by Creepy Old Guy when she was younger, were against each other. Yet they all came together just by a wedding, like Haroun's family came together by an adventure to Kahani.
Rain symbolized change within the movie. When it was raining there was a turn in the story. It was raining during the wedding actually.

The flowers could symbolize anything, I'm not sure. In the beginning the flowers could mean the brokenness of the family, the connection of the Wedding Planner and the Maid, and at the end the celebration of the wedding.

Haroun and The Sea of Stories- Chapter 11 & 12

(pg. 185) Meanwhile, back with Rashid, Prince Bolo, Murda, the Shadow Warrior, and company, they are going into battle with the real Khattam-Shud and his army of Chups. Keep in mind that the Chups never ever talk, to each other or at all. The Gups talk almost constantly and that enabled them to strategize, plan, argue, debate, and unite together. "All those arguments and debates, all that openness, had created powerful bonds of fellowship between them... And as for the rest, well, their vows of silence and their habits of secrecy had made them suspicious and distrustful of one another." (Rushdie 185) I definitely see this as the moral of the story or at least a good lesson. To have good relationships with people you have to talk and communicate in order to know each other. The people you never talk to, you don't know them and can't trust them.

(pg. 192) The Chup army was easily defeated was easily defeated and Princess Batcheat was saved by Prince Bolo, thanks to Haroun's wish for the sun to shine which melted the tower she was in. Khattam-Shud was crushed by a detached statue head. What nobody knew was the Chups hated the Vow of Silence and Khattam-Shud. They wanted peace with the Gups, and Murda became the new leader of the Chups. "They announced that they were especially anxious to restore the Old Zone as soon as possible, so that these ancient tales could be fresh once more." (Rushdie 192) This all happened in the course of what, two days? Less than that? Though the division between the Gups and Chups have been there for a long time. That's just the way stories go sometimes.

(pg. 203) Haroun's journey to the Sea of Stories, the Land of Gup, and the Land of Chup all ended happily. Butt, the Hoopoe, got a wonderful new brain, the two lands of Kahani are living peacefully, and Rashid got his gift of storytelling back. Haroun and Rashid went back to Earth. "When he awoke it was a bright, sunny morning. Everything seemed as it had always been; of flying mechanical Hoopoes and Water Genies there was no trace." (Rushdie 203) This is like the ending of Peter Pan. The kids all remembered their journey to Neverland like a dream, and though they spent days in Neverland, when they woke up it was the same night. And it was just the next day for Haroun and Rashid.

(pg. 211) The book ended with Rashid telling a story for Snooty Buttoo, the mean politician, in front of a giant crowd. The story he told was Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Too bad for Buttoo, but the people loved the story and related him to Khattam-Shud and drove him out of town. When Haroun and Rashid came home Haroun's mother, Soraya, was back, and back for good. "... 'I know that I made a mistake. I went; I don't deny. I went, but now, if you want, then I am back.'" (Rushdie 210) The "sad city's" name was also remembered when the Walrus made the city happy under Haroun's wish. It was Kahani, which means "story." I really enjoyed this book. It taught me the importance of will-power and communication. All the characters were important and believable, and it relates to our world for such a far-fetched story.

Haroun and The Sea of Stories- Chapter 9 & 10

(pg. 152) I don't understand how shadows can touch things. It did mention when shadows separate from their original person the person gets traits of a shadow and the shadow gets human traits. Those traits could solidify shadows and give them features. Since Haroun was captured they were taken aboard a shadow ship and everything is shadow, including the people. The ship manufactures all the poison that is ruining the stories. The Sea has millions of little colored streams, and those streams are different stories. It is discovered that Khattam-Shud's shadow is in charge of this operation.

(pg. 155) There are some parts that seem really random like the P2C2E, water genies, disconnecting tools, and mechanical birds, but as I read on everything connects and seems right. Characters connect from both worlds, little details and little things people say connect. For example Khattam-Shud was exactly Mr. Sengupta! The chap who Haroun's mom ran off with. "'I know you,' Haroun shouted. 'You're him. You're Mr. Sengupta and you stole my mother and you left the fat lady behind..." (Rushdie 155) Does every character Haroun's life on Earth have it's own Kahani counter person?

(pg. 162) The Chups took Butt's mechanical brain out and Haroun and Iff have boarded the evil shadow ship. (Goopa and Bagha had to stay behind becuase the pollution was too much, and Mali has dissappeared.) Khattam-Shud happens to be only a "skinny, scrawny, measly, weaselly, snivelling, clerical type." (Rushdie 153) Except this guy is powerful, and plans to plug the Source of Stories so new stories can't ever de-pollute the Ocean. Khattam-Shud's shadow is a typical evil enemy. Instead of killing the heroes right away to get rid of their chances of ever defeating him, he tells them his entire plan and puts them in an easily escapable situation so they escape and foil his plan. Just like Austin Powers and Dr. Evil.

In this case, Khattam-Shud gives Haroun and Iff an entire guided tour of his ship, showing them the generator which controls the entire poison-manufacturing ship. He also shows them his wet suits which protect the Chups when they go in the poisoned waters. Well, now we know how to beat him and how to escape unharmed. And that is precisely how Haroun does it.

(pg. 172) Haroun has escaped Kahttam's evil clutches with Butt's mechanical brain. After several tries Haroun reassembled the brain in Butt's head, and realized he still had Wishwater in his pocket that he first recieved from Iff when first arriving to Kahani. "The bottle was still half-full of magical golden liquid which Iff the Water Genie had offered him what seemed like years earlier: Wishwater. 'The harder you wish, the better it works,' Iff had told him. 'Do serious business, and the Wishwater will do serious business for you.'" (Rushdie 170) Haroun sees the Wishwater as the way to solve the entire problem. Since everything and everyone that is plaguing the Ocean is made of shadow, how else to stop them but with sunlight? "'I wish this Moon, Kahani, to turn, so that it's no longer half in light and half in darkness... I wish it to turn, this very instant, in such a way that sun shines down on the Dark Ship, the full, hot, noonday sun.'" (Rushdie 171) So, of course, it all works. Sun comes to Chup Land and the Dark Ship, the shadow-people, and the Plug that was going to plug the Source of Stories all disintegrated and melted away.

"'Never doubted you for a moment,' replied Butt the Hoopoe without moving its beak. 'Move the whole Moon by will-power? Mister, I thought, no problem.'" (Rushdie 172) Will-power seems to be something really important to have in both books. Like Haroun's will-power to save the Sea of Stories, it was was necessary for the Lost Boys to have will-power to just live. It's something in you that can make you do great things.

Haroun and The Sea of Stories- Chapter 7 & 8

(pg. 114) Each character has a unique way of speaking and communicating. Butt the mechanical bird with a brain says "but but but" all the time, Iff uses says and short sentences, Goopy and Bagha the Plentimaw Fishes only rhyme together, and Blabbermouth the Page emphasizes every other word. And Prince Bolo is dashing yet a bit foolish. "'What's that you say?' shouted Bolo, leaping to his feet and striking a dashing and slightly foolish pose." (Rushdie 102)

(pg. 129) The army of the Gups made their way to Chup Land where they encountered one the natives. A Shadow Warrior, who looks extremely frightening with black eyes. The Chups live in darkness at all times while the Gups live in light, so their eyes are reversed so they can see. The Shadow Warrior attempts to speak. "The effort of producing sounds twisted the Shadow Warrior's already-striking face (green skin, scarlet lips, white-striped cheeks, etc.) into dreadful, contorted shapes. 'Gogogol,' he gurgled. 'Kafkafka,' he coughed. 'Eh? What's that? What's the fellow saying?' demanded Prince Bolo loudly. 'Can't make out a single word.'" (Rushdie 129) The humor of this story is just as effective (and unexpected) as it was in What is the What. The humor comes at unexpected times. Like throughout Achak's painful journey, the confrontation with this Shadow Warrior, named Murda, and even in Life is Beautiful there was humor throughout the movie despite the Nazi's and work camps.

"'If, as it is said, people in the Land of Chup hardly talk at all these days, because of the Cultmaster's decrees, then it's not surprising that this Warrior has temporarily lost control of his voice..." (Rushdie 129) I saw a MTV segment called TrueLife, and this episode was about deaf teenagers who use sign language or they figure out what people are saying by reading lips. One teenage boy had an ear surgery and had to learn how to talk. Since he was never able to hear others talk he never even knew how a voice was supposed to sound. When he tried to talk I couldn't understand a word, it was so bizarre.

(pg. 142) The Chup group decides to split, with Prince Bolo and company going after Princess Batcheat and Haroun volunteered to go check out the source out the pollution in the Sea with his friends. Word is Khattam-Shud and his shadow (which, in this world, shadows are like real people) have split up, and one of the two is at the pollution side while the other is with the Princess. Butt, Iff, Goopa, Bagha, Mali, and Haroun are almost to the pollution source when they get captured by Shadow Chup People. "'So we're prisoners already,' Haroun fumed. 'Some hero I turned out to be.'" (Rushdie 142) I like how human Haroun is. He's just like a normal person, so it's interesting to see how he reacts to situations. He's comical, sarcastic, and loves an adventure- just like a regular human boy.

Haroun and The Sea of Stories- Chapter 5 & 6

(pg. 86) Like Achak had many names throughout his life, Haroun has adopted a new nickname from Iff the Water Genie. "Nothing comes from nothing, Thieflet; no story comes from nowhere." (Rushdie 86) What you've done, where you've been, it defines who you are. And if you're lucky you'll get a nickname out of it. Haroun stole Iff's beloved Disconnecting Tool, so the name Thieflet is appropriate.

(pg. 98) Gup City is in a frenzy and has declared war on Chup City. There is a Twilight Strip that connects theses two warring lands, and there a spy was found. This spy's name was Rashid Khalifa. Gasp! Gasping moments for Haroun and the Sea of Stories are when unexpected or comical things happen. Such as Rashid's entrance in Kahani and learning water genies actually do exist! Gasping moments in What is the What are when someone close to Achak dies or is never seen again, such as William K, Deng, and Dut.

(pg. 99) The Land of Gup is all about stories. Even the Gup army is actually called "the Library." Every soldier is actually "a page" in "a chapter" in "a book" in "a volume." That's how the army is divided and organized. It actually reminds me of Alice In Wonderland. Except instead of books, chapters, and volumes, there are cards, queens, kings, spades, etc. Also, Haroun and the Sea of Stories is full of creatures like Mali the Floating Gardener, Iff the Water Genie, and Goopa and Bagha the Plentimaw Fishes. In Alice in Wonderland there are creatures like the talking caterpillar, the Mad Hatter, the Time Rabbit, and the purple-striped cat. Wonderland is as mythical as Kahani.

(pg. 101) The Chupwalas hate stories so much that they don't even like to speak. In fact, they don't speak at all. "The Land of Chup has fallen under the power of the "Mystery of Bezaban," a Cult of Dumbness or Muteness, whose followers swear vows of lifelong silence to show their devotion." (Rushdie 101) Some even sew their mouths shut in dedication, but then they die because they couldn't eat or drink. I think Chupwalas have the disadvantage here. The shorter end of the stick. The Guppees could could taunt and make fun of them and they could have no comeback. However, since the Gups are so gentle what could they say?

(pg. 104) Not only did the Chups pollute the Sea, but they also kidnapped the unattractive, horrible-voiced Princess Batcheat- Prince Bolo's one true love. "'As the Chupwala soldiers hauled the Princess away, I heard them say a terrible thing.'" Wait, I thought they were vowed to silence. What would they do anyway to communicate? Sign language? Charades? So if the Chupwala soldiers got in trouble for talking, their leader, Khattam-Shud, would just charade- ...3 words...... You...... R...... banished.

(pg. 108) The Land of Gup seems like a really beautiful, magical place when it is described by Haroun. "... gazed out at the view of the Land of Gup, and the Pleasure Garden in which preparations for was were being made, and the Lagoon in which a great flotilla of mechanical birds was assembling, and out across the endangered Ocean of the Streams of Story." (Rushdie 108) Perhaps I can relate this place to Neverland in Peter Pan. That place was definitely full of magic just like the Land of Guppees.

Haroun and The Sea of Stories- Chapter 3 & 4

pg. 50) Snooty Butto is the politician's name, and he is a bit on the arrogant side. He is taking Rashid and Haroun to a houseboat on the Dull Lake by swan-boat. The lake seems to be very temperamental and the weather is doing crazy things. This situation reminds Haroun of one of Rashid's stories called the Moody Land. The land would arrange itself to fit the mood of the people, and since Rashid was depressed, Snooty Butto was full of hot air, and Haroun was irritated by Buttto, the lake was following their moods! So, perhaps the Sea of Stories is actually full real of real stories in the world, or it's stories are influenced by different places and things my Earth. How else would the story of the Moody Land fit perfectly with the Dull Lake.

(pg. 57) As Rashid and Haroun settled in to sleep, Haroun hears a noise from his bathroom. Look at what he finds! A Water Genie disconnecting his father's Story Water tap. Rashid ended his subscription, thinking he's lost his storytelling talent. Haroun takes his powerful Disconnecting Tool and questions this Water Genie. How did he know his father ended the subscription?

"'He sent it by the usual means,' Iff shrugged. 'A P2C2E.'

'And what is that?'

'Obvious,' said the Water Genie with a wicked grin. 'It's a Process Too Complicated To Explain.'" (Rushdie 57) I knew it! I knew it was important and the real way to become a subscriber, or in this case, end a subscription.

(pg. 58) Haroun continues to question the Water Genie all about the Sea of Stories and the land it's located on.

"'At P2C2E House in Gup City there are many brilliant persons employed, but there is only one Grand Comptroller. They are the Eggheads. He is the Walrus.'" (Rushdie 58) Isn't that a Beatles song?

[I Am The Walrus, by The Beatles: I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus]

Eggheads, eggman... pretty close.

(pg. 66) The Genie named Iff has agreed to take Haroun to Gup City, where the Sea of Stories is. Haroun wants to talk to "the Walrus" about his dad's subscription. The way of transportation to another world is by mechanical bird, which reminds Haroun of another character he just met that day. "'You maybe have some objection to machines?' it inquired, in a loud, booming voice that was identical in every respect to the Mail Coach Driver's." (Rushdie 66) Just like in What is the What, everything from his present state to his past connected eventually, so Haroun's story all connects too with characters.

(pg. 75) The Chups are polluting the Gup's Sea of Stories! The Land of Chup is basically the anti-Land of Gup. Polluting the sacred Sea is a huge offense because the Gups are all about talking and storytelling and the Chups are all about silence. "... things at Gup City must be close to crisis. Quick, quick! Top speed ahead! This could mean war.'" (Rushdie 75) I can't help but connect theses two lands to the government versus the SPLA in Sudan. They both are civil wars (since the Land Of Gup and Chup are connected), and like the government unfairly hired the murhaleen to raid Sudan, the Chups poisoned the Gup's Sea of Stories.

Genie!

Haroun and The Sea of Stories- Chapter 1 & 2

(pg. 15) My first impression of Haroun and the Sea of Stories is that it seems like a fantasy, storybook type of work. Very different from What is the What, which was jarringly real. I have to say I prefer fantasy over reality, though I can't explain why.

(pg. 16) Haroun's father, Rashid, is an amazing storyteller. He travels around telling different stories and was given the nicknames: the Ocean of Notions and the Shah of Blah. "Haroun went with his father whenever he could, because the man was a magician, it couldn't be denied." (Rushdie 16) Just like Achak's father was an important figure to him, teaching him the ways of the world and educating him in the general store business. Guido's son looked up to his father too, trusting him in every situation.

(pg. 17) Like the punctuation in What is the What was strange, with it's dashes instead of quotation marks, in Haroun things are capitalized that would not normally be so. "'Oh,' said the Shah of Blah,' that's much Too Complicated To Explain.'" Perhaps it means it is important, or it somehow is a way to become a subscriber to the Sea of Stories. It is a fantasy, after all.

(pg. 18) It is described that the city Haroun and Rashid live in is a "sad city." So sad it forgot its own name. "In the sad city, people mostly had big families; but the poor children go sick and starved, while the rich kids overate and quarrelled over their parent's money." (Rushdie 18) This sort of reminds me of how Gotham City in Batman would be. Just a sad city, full of crime, corruption, and poor people. Something like that.

(pg. 20) Rashid often told stories for politicians so people would vote for them. Politicians were never trusted, but everyone loved Rashid and completely trusted, but everyone loved Rashid and completely trusted him. "Nobody ever believed anything a politico said, even though they pretended as hard as they could that they were telling the truth. (In fact, this was how everyone knew they were lying.)" (Rushdie 20) I wonder if Rushdie was connecting this world to something in his home or just the politics of the world. Because we always hear that politicians can never be trusted.

(pg. 22) Rashid is completely crushed with his wife's departure and says storytelling is all he can do. "Haroun lost his temper and shouted: 'What's the point of it? What's the use of stories that aren't even true?'" (Rushdie 22) There is a big personality difference between Achak and Haroun. Achak is soft, polite, and respectful to others. Haroun is quick-tempered and pushy, so far as I've read. I'm not favoring Valentino or anything, because characters change overtime.

(pg. 33) Mr. Butt is a Mail Coach Driver who is taking Haroun and Rashid to the Valley of K to speak for a politician. (They were in the Town of G, and there Rashid realized, shockingly, that he has lost his gift of telling stories. However, since news travels slow, he is hoping he will be able to speak in the Valley of K.) Mr. Butt is a very exuberant and interesting character. He rhymes everything so I feel like I'm in Dr. Seuss' Whoville. "'But Butt's a straight man, not a twister. What's your wish, my young mister?'" (Rushdie 33) Mr. Butt is rhyming like the narrator would, and this story is a fairytale like Whoville, which is located on a snowflake. While Whoville is a happy, cheerful place, the sad city is a depressed land.

W is the W- Chapter 24 & 25

(pg. 475) Valentino has a Sudanese companion who continuously asks for and lies to get money for gambling. "Though I know him to be a self-centered man, I am nevertheless surprised by how little he seems to care." (Eggers 475) This was when the companion, named Daniel, asked for money and Achak informs him he can't because he was just attacked and robbed. I wonder if the people Achak wrote unfavorably about have read this book. What would their reaction be? Would they be angry with him or just proud to be in this book?

(pg. 482) The unaccompanied minors have always been seen as the bottom of the pack in refugee camps. They are the lowest step on the social ladder, the unwanted ones, the boys with no family. Well, now is the time to get payment for their suffering. The Lost Boys were chosen to be taken to America. They were chosen to have better lives with better living conditions, while the families had to stay in Kakuma. "... a plan whereby most or all of us unaccompanied minors would be taken and brought across the ocean to America. It was the most bizarre idea I had ever heard." (Eggers 482)

(pg. 485) "How could I put everything down on paper? It seemed impossible. No matter what, the majority of life would be left out of this story..." (Eggers 485) Though he is talking about his autobiography required to be considered as a refugee to America, I'd think it would apply to this book as well. How could he remember so much of his life to write this book? Trauma is memorable of course. In my life I do remember all the hard times in my past more than the good times. This book is considered fiction though, so how much of it is actually accurate? I don't question the truth of this story, but what what small details aren't true?

(pg. 498) Achak was in a car accident in his last time at Kakuma. His Japanese friend, Noriyaki, died, which just about sent angry tears down my face. I was so upset. Achak survived and was put in the hospital, though in Kakuma it was assumed that he was killed. "Tabitha wailed and did not leave her bed for three days, rising only when she heard that I was not, in fact, dead." (Eggers 498) This accident revealed Tabitha's true, loving feelings toward him. This situation reminds me of a song, called "Faking My Own Suicide" by Relient K. Not exactly the same situation, but the same reaction.

Wish you thought that I was dead

So rather than me

You'd be depressed instead

And before arriving at my grave

You'd come to the conclusion

You've loved me all your days

But it's too late

Too late for you to say

(pg. 509) I've never truly experienced happiness reading this book until Valentino is chosen to be sent to America. My heart soared from that passage and I believe it would be a great ending to a movie, (or a book). I was so happy for him I almost cried tears of happiness. "George shook my hand and they leapt over the seats and crowded around me and patted me on the back and the head and hugged my waist and legs with their small arms and tiny bony hands. I was not sure if I would see them again before I left. I hugged all the boys I could reach and we cried and laughed together about the insanity of it all." (Eggers 509)

(pg. 520-521) There are three bikes in the book. The wonderful bike Achak guarded in Marial Bai that still had the protective wrapping, the bike that Achak rode for the first time owned by the non-existent desert man, and the bike that Valentino gave to his young Kakuma friend Cornelius, who departed with it after bidding him goodbye as he began his journey to America. Beginning, middle, end- connected with bicycles. "A boy so young with a bike like that? It was unprecedented at that camp." (Eggers 521)

(pg. 531) This book ended with the What. What is the What? The what is the unknown.

"I told them that the mistakes of the Dinka before us were errors of timidity, of choosing what was before us over what might be. Our people, I said, had been punished for centuries for our errors, but now we were being given a chance to rectify all that... This is our chance to choose our own unknown." (Eggers 531) So the Dinka chose the cattle, what they could see, because they were afraid of what the What could be. They never took a chance. Now Achak, Valentino, Gone Far, Sleeper, Dominic, have chosen the What, the unknown, America.

W is the W- Chapter 23

(pg. 412) Kakuma, the new refugee camp, has finally started picking up and now has schools and extra curricular activities. "Besides school, this meant clubs, theatrical productions, HIV-awareness programs, puppetry-even pen pals from Japan." (Eggers 412) Yes, I'm surprised he hasn't mentioned HIV or AIDS in this book until now. Is HIV not a big deal in Sudan? I hear in the news all the time of the AIDS epidemic in Africa, so it must not be happening in Sudan or Kenya. There are organizations and funds to help with AIDS, like the Gap (red) organization. I've bought a bag and bracelet from that, and my mom has a couple t-shirts. I feel slightly helpful.

(pg. 416) "If there was a gap in understanding between generations, I was often asked to mediate." (Eggers 416) Valentino is talking about his leadership position as a youth leader, and how parents don't like their children being involved with the theatre group. Even in Sudan, with all the fighting and sickness, there are still misunderstandings and a gap between adults and youth.

(pg. 427) The SPLA people have come back to Kakuma, which is supposed to be rebel-free ground, looking for new recruits. After more convincing speeches more than 20 young men actually signed up to join, leaving the peaceful Kakuma and going back to the world they just escaped. These speeches were so convincing, Achor Achor felt that he needed to go fight too; he felt obliged to go. Luckily, all Valentino had to say was, "You wear glasses now. How will you shoot if your glasses break?" That is all Achor Achor needed. The aching turmoil stopped, and his feeling of obligation ended. "I am fairly certain that he was simply looking for a good reason not to join, something he could say when or if he were ever asked. He never spoke of the SPLA again." (Eggers 427) It seems that people can die easily over there, but it's also easy to save a life. Maria saved Achak's life by forcing him to get up off the ground and continue walking to Kakuma, and Achak saved Achor Achor's life by giving him a reason to not join the SPLA.

(pg. 450) I wasn't sure that Achak's parents would really be alive when it was suggested it in the book. I mean, the drum up to the moment. Miss Agok, a lady from the International Rescue Committee, said she went to Marial Bai, but the Achak's luck has been going I didn't expect too much. Not until she describes another lady, another midwife like her, she met there who was, "a very strong woman who wore most days a dress of faded yellow, the yellow of a tired sun." (Eggers 450) That's when I knew for sure. Achak described his mother in the beginning of the book according to her dress, "but she favors yellow, a certain yellow dress, the pregnant yellow of a setting sun." (Eggers 35) Though now it's described as a tired sun, maybe meaning her mood is tired and that she's changed since Achak has last seen her, when they were separated at the raid of Marial Bai.

(pg. 459) It's amazing to think the Kenyans and Sudanese hear the same news Americans do. I never thought of other people's reactions to 9/11 or the death of Princess Diana. When the theatre troupe went to Nairobi they were hosted by Kenyans. Achak was hosted by a couple, Make and Grace. Grace was particularly upset and cried for Princess Diana when the news came, but she wasn't alone. "All day, people were crying. Ten of us, Tabitha and the Somalis and most of the Dominics, walked through the city and wherever we went, we found people weeping- in the markets, outside the churches, on the sidewalks." (Eggers 459)

(pg. 466) Tabitha and Achak had a very romantic time in Nairobi, and that just shows teenagers are teenagers everywhere. They take advantage of trips because there isn't any authority. "When Tabitha arrived that afternoon at the theater, I was so entranced by memories of the night before that I barely noticed the real Tabitha, who was purposefully ignoring me." (Eggers 466)

W is the W- Chapter 21 & 22

(pg. 349) "the civil war became, to the world at large, too confusing to decipher, a mess of tribal conflicts with no clear heroes and villains." (Eggers 349) It's true. When I first started reading this book I knew nothing about Sudan except there was fighting there. I didn't know who has versus who. All I knew about Sudan was what I saw in pictures on TV or in school that showed children with guns. I heard the words Dar fur, genocide, and refugee a lot. It's true about having no clear heroes or villains, because though I would side with the SPLA, their methods of recruiting soldiers and their lack of loyalty to the people is startling.

(pg. 357) After I read Tabitha was actually murdered I can now see why he thinks God has a problem with him. It isn't right that his one true love was killed by a deranged ex-boyfriend. In combination with the trials of his past I'm beginning to see Valentino is like Job from the Bible. God let Satan give these hard times to Job, his most faithful believer, to test him of his faith. I think he lost his entire family, became sick and poor, and though he asked God why this was happening to him, he never cursed him or turned his back on God.

(pg. 360) After the massacre at Pinyudo, Achak had to walk with everyone else to Kenya. His eyes were swollen shut and he was alone, without Achor Achor. He found that it was a good time to die. "I could continue to live, yes, but my days were getting worse, not better. My life in Pinyudo worsened as the years went on, and Achor Achor, I feared, was dead. And now this, walking to Kenya, where there were no promises." (Eggers 360) I think it is good storytelling how he talks about his darkest time in America, (when Tabitha died), at the same time he mentions his darkest time in Sudan. Let's just get all the most depressing stuff all at once, then out of the way.

(pg. 368) Valentino begins talking of the difference between the Sudanese and American culture when it comes to marriage and sex. Sex before marriage is unusual in Sudan, and for marriage, "virgins are preferred, and for a virgin, the bride's family receives a far higher dowry." (Eggers 368) That is like Memoirs of a Geisha who sells her virginity to the highest bidder. There comes a moment where she gets attacked by some creeper dude, but we don't see much, and she tells her mentor he only looked. So she needs her virginity to be a successful geisha as a Sudanese woman needs her virginity to have a successful marriage.

(pg. 384) It's hard to believe I was alive during most of what happened in Achak's life. Traumatic times always existed in history for me: World War I, World War II, the Holocaust, Vietnam. This is fairly recent. When Achak arrived in Kakuma and the UNHCR decided to count all the refugees there, that was 1994, only 14 years ago. I was only two years old then, but I was still alive. This and September 11th has been the trauma of my time. Who knows what else will happen in the future.

(pg. 386) As the count of refugees is beginning to be prepared, one day the people woke up to find fences, or barriers, being built. They ensured that everyone would walk single file to be counted, these six feet tall arranged hallways. These walls caused panic throughout the camp. Gop, Valentino's adopted father of sorts, thinks worst case scenario- the UN is trying to kill them all. Valentino isn't buying it, but Gop makes some points that reference into history.

"-That's impossible, I said. -Is it? he asked. -Was Rwanda impossible?"

"-This seems very much like what they did to Jews, Gop said." (Eggers 386) I can understand this paranoia because of all the horrible experiences they have all gone through. Plus, all the thoughts of Rwanda and the Holocaust in their minds don't help.

(pg. 398) "It was then that I saw that I had stepped on a person. The truckbed was filled with people, fifteen or more. But they were grey, white, covered in blood. These people were dead." (Eggers 398) This is like when Guido found all the dead bodies of Jews at the camp one night after serving the head Nazis in Life Is Beautiful. It was really late and foggy outside when Guido walks forward, the fog clears, and he finds an unspeakable amount of dead, white bodies mounded on top of each other.

W is the W- Chapter 19 & 20

(pg. 314) It's true that God has put Valentino through extraordinary situations that he never deserved to go through, and not surprisingly, it's getting him down. He totally deserves to be angry or depressed, but God has also saved him from death countless times! His first pal Deng from the Red Army was the first to die, way before Ethiopia. He has been saved and blessed along with having extreme trials, but he never died while others did in the beginning. "I do not want to think of myself as important enough that God would choose me for extraordinary punishment, but then again, the circumference of calamity that surrounds me is impossible to ignore." (Eggers 314)

(pg. 315) Julian, the ER attendant, has finally got him back in the MRI. On the way back they converse and have a conversation, and Valentino mentions him getting robbed and the police taking a lifetime to get to his apartment. He learns that Julian has also been attacked in a similar way except the situation was a bit different. As in Julian attacked his two oppressors violently. "I put my knee on his chest, took the gun and played with him for a few minutes. Put the gun in his mouth, all that. He pissed his pants." (Eggers 315) He is not quite the peaceful soul his medical uniform would suggest. Well, hopefully it gave comfort to Valentino that it took the cops forty-five minutes to get to Julian's scene. So it was nothing personal against Valentino.

(pg. 320) The thing about leaders is everyone thinks the leader can solve everything, and when the don't everyone blames them entirely. Garang, a very educated man who was entirely in charge of the new southern Sudan, had every one's faith and complete trust. Except what if he can't deliver? Same thing happened with Mary, the leader of the Lost Boys Foundation. Everyone blamed her for their problems. Also look at our own President! He is blamed for everything going wrong with the country.

[Relient K, Maybe it's Maybeline: America's gone down the drain, the president's fault again?]

(pg. 323) What John Garang really wants is more SPLA soldiers. He speaks to hundreds of young boys and he knows exactly what to say to make them want to join the army. You know why boys just play Halo and wrestle each other all day! The like action and violence! So Moses wants to join the army and go train. Except how old is he know? 11? "I was too young, I believed, and thus Moses was too young, too." (Eggers 323) How right you are, Achak! It reminds me of the Spartans who were born to fight and die. All the boys went straight to training to become a soldier, and they produced the best soldiers in the Greek world. Except what kind of life would that lead? Though I haven't seen the movie 300, didn't all the Spartans die? All those super-buff bodies were airbrushed...

(pg. 331) "-The United States has invaded Kuwait and Iraq!" (Eggers 331) It's amazing how news from our world can travel all the way to a refugee camp in Pinyudo, Ethiopia and cause such excitement. This piece of news brought hope to the camp. "-They're rescuing Kuwait from Saddam Hussein!... They'll get rid of Hussein!" (Eggers 331) Not quite, but we will eventually. We will find him in a spider hole with a bunch of Doritos, wasn't it? I remember when they found him there, it was pretty amusing because he looked like a caveman. I also remember one time in 4th grade I think, after September 11th, my friends and I had to do some sort of newspaper project and we found an ad with Osama Bin Laden's face on it. It was an FBI thing probably, and it said if anyone had information to call this number and we would get a large reward. Well after coloring on his face with markers we spent a good amount of time thinking of what would happened if we did call the number, because of course we wanted money. We were bad 4th graders.

(pg. 334) SPLA officers have brought captives, who apparently betrayed the army among other offenses, to be executed before all the people of Pinyudo. Suprisingly one captive bursts out, "-We did nothing! We raped no one! This is a cover up!" (Eggers 334), leading to other outbursts from other prisoners. Then an important SPLA official gives a speech that sways the audience back to their side after these outbursts caught them off guard. "-See these men lie to you, Seeds of a new Sudan! They are shameless. They lie to us, they lie to us all." (Eggers 334) This convinces the people that the counts against these men are right, and they deserve to be punished. This is like Antony and Brutus' speech in the play Julius Caesar. The crowd was so gullible and it was easy to make them change sides. Brutus went first and convinced them that Caesar had to be killed before he became a dictator. Then Antony spoke after and convinced the people he did not deserve to die and only did good for all of them. Good thing Antony went last otherwise things could have been switched.

W is the W- Chapter 18

(pg. 290-291) So Valentino and Tabitha have a sort of rocky relationship. When they are apart she is suspicious and cruel, then after everything is okay she disappears for days.

[A Heady Tale, by The Fratellis: "We could disappear for days and they wouldn't understand..."]

So Val goes to his young friend Allison Newton for some girl advice. She says that Tabitha "has another flame" and I'd have to agree. "'Standard behavior for that situation-she hides, she overcompensates when she returns, she suspects you of the things she's doing herself.'" (Eggers 291) Valentino does not believe her one bit, and does nothing about the situation. Hey, nobody knows a girl better than other girls, Valentino. We know our behavioral patterns and what they mean, while guys do not.

(pg. 292) Tabitha and Valentino wrote emails to each other which gave Tabitha the strength to write about her real feelings. "Rarely did she say "I love you" to my face, but in her e-mails, written in the dark hours, she felt she could." (Eggers 292) It's easier to say how you feel to a person through writing so you don't have to deal with unexpected (or expected) reactions. That is why in elementary school there were the notes saying, "Do you like me? Circle YES or NO."

[Calvin, by The Wrong Trousers: "...while my friends wait for you to circle do you like me yes or no? Woah woah woah.]

That is why in middle school there was AOL instant messenger. That is why in high school there is Facebook messaging. I know plenty of friends who were (and are) victims to facebook flirting, and in real life the guys never say a word. Is it cowardly or convienient?

[... your answer's okay but you could've circled no once, not a million times.]

(pg. 298) School in Pinyudo has begun, and lucky for the boys four sisters named Agar, Akon, Agum, and Yar Akech have joined with their pretty hair and dresses for them to admire. They sat in the front row in class and that is literally what the boys did the entire time: admire them. When they got home from school they talked about them and thought about how they could know them better. "Nothing academic was learned that day and yet we boys felt, cumulatively, that the focus of our lives and all earthly pursuits had changed." (Eggers 298) It's true. When there is a crush at school, you have an actual reason to get up in the morning and take the effort to look extra nice. The pursuit of a person gives them a purpose to go through the school day.

(pg. 302) Well, look at him now! Achak is getting all the ladies! He captured the attention of the four sisters and they are asking him out to lunch at their house!

"-Achak, my sister has something to ask you, she had said.

Agar, the eldest and tallest, was suddenly next to her.

Her sister stomped on her foot and was punched in return. I didn't know what as happening, but it seemed good so far." (Eggers 302)

What Achak didn't know was girls get nervous around guys too. Agar didn't want to be the one to ask, but since her sister said she would, she had to. Even pretty girls like the four sisters don't want to be put on the spot like that in front of a guy.

"It was me, Achak Deng. Successful with the ladies." (Eggers 306) Haha! This is just like a teenage novel all the way, and he's like 9!

(pg. 308) Oh my goodness! The four sisters' version of hide-and-seek is not the regular version of the game! Hmm, I wonder what could be hidden up her shirt? Oh, I wonder what could be hidden in his pants? Well, lets check and see, la la la... Seriously! He is too young! They girls are all vixens! Vixens! They shouldn't even know about any of this stuff! "I glanced to the other girls for help. They nodded at me. They were all in on this! I felt as able to put my hand under her shirt as I might make fire from earwax." (Eggers 308)

(pg.310) One good thing that came out of this huge monstrosity is the caste system was defeated in Pinyudo. Achak was an unaccompanied minor and the four sisters were considered wealthy. When everyone saw them walking together, them all eating together at the girls' house, (not seeing them play "hide and seek"), and not just one time but many times, it defeated the levels created by wealth and class. "Their invitation and our friendship, was a victory over the petty prejudices between clans, between regions, and a defeat to the caste system of the Pinyudo refugee camp." (Eggers 310) Quite an accomplishment! For something so dirty it did a lot of good!

W is the W- Chapter 17

(pg. 256-257)So the boys finally made it to Ethiopia! All is happy with the world! There is food, water, candy, hygienic materials, medication, huge houses for all the boys, and there is rainbow in the clear blue sky everyday! What? Oh, I'm sorry I was day dreaming for a moment. Let my mind come back to the truth.

"The wails came from everywhere. In the quiet of the night, over the hum of the crickets and frogs, there were the screams and moans, spreading over the camp like a storm. It was as if so many of the boys had been waiting to rest, and now that they had settled at Pinyudo, their bodies gave out. Boys died of malaria, of dysentery, of snake bites, of scorpion stings. Other illnesses were never named." (Eggers 257) There we go. It's awful when you travel so far, battling death every minute, and you finally get to the sanctuary that is Ethiopia and you die. Not that Ethiopia is a sanctuary, at least not yet.

(pg. 258) Finally Achor Achor enters the story! He actually had a different introduction than other characters. The entrence of Deng of the return of William K started with the story of how they survived and came to that point. We do not hear Achor Achor's story. It was a great introduction of him though. Achak is trying to fish and Achor Achor informs him that his twisted stick and piece of wire will never work. "His voice was strangely high, melodic, too pleasing to be trusted. Who was he, anyway, and why did he think he could speak to me that way? He was named Achor Achor, and he helped me that afternoon to find an appropriate stick and piece of string... Achor Achor became my closest friend in Ethiopia." (Egger 258)

(pg. 260) Eventually boys are starting to want to go home to Sudan, to find their families and return to their lives. Even Achak is longing to go back to Marial Bai, to be with his family. Luckily others at the camp in Pinyudo, Ethiopia warned them of the dangers still very much alive in southern Sudan. "... we were made to understand that there was nothing left in southern Sudan, and to return would mean certain death. The images they painted for us were stark, the destruction complete." (Eggers 260) A little harsh, but necessary. It's appropriate to do this for such young boys. They are just trying to protect them.

(pg. 266) Inevitably people started dying at Pinyudo. There isn't enough food around, the conditions still aren't good, and there is basically no medical care. Achak gets the very unlucky job of basically being a grave digger. "This was the beginning of the cemetery at Pinyudo, and the first of many burials in which I participated. Boys and adults were still dying, for our diet was too limited and the dangers too many." (Eggers 266) Isn't that a good way to catch disease? Like the Black Death? Monty Python and The Holy Grail? One of the first scenes is a grave person picking up dead bodies that were plagued! And one not so dead body...

(pg. 276-277) It's really hard to believe that there is still slavery out there in the world. I think of slavery as a settled thing. Civil War happened, everything was resolved, yet it only counts in America. Here Moses is, being forced to eat anything that told him to, "Animal fat, tea bags, rotten vegetables." (Eggers 276) Then just like in Southern states back in Civil War times Moses is sent to a town where slaves were traded. It's just despicable.

(pg. 278) White folk! The whole camp is in a frenzy because a white man has arrived at the camp. People had never seen a white person before and they pondered how he was made so. "I followed their stares and saw what seemed to be a man who had been turned inside out. He was the absence of a man. He had been erased. And involuntary shudder went through my body, the same reaction I had when I saw a burn, a missing limb- a perversion or ruination of nature." (Eggers 279) Perhaps this was the reaction with the Natives when Christopher Columbus arrived in America. He was the first white man they say. Unfortunately all the white folk did was give them disease and take all their land.

(pg. 284) Boys in the Eleven are planning to go back to Sudan despite all of the warnings. They are talking of the possibility that the war may be over, and since they know the way they can go back themselves without an adult. Unfortunately for this plans, the elders heard this, and Dut made an unexpected visit to their shelter. "-The war is not over! he barked. -Have you lost your minds? Do you know what awaits in Sudan? It's worse than ever before, you fools!... If any of you are thinking of leaving, leave, because you're too stupid to remain here. I don't want you. I want only boys with brains." (Eggers 284) Perhaps another reason why he's upset is because he basically saved all of their lives with his hard work and now they are willingly going to throw their lives away.

W is the W- Chapter 15 & 16

I really like his storytelling. Everything connects, if not eventually, and it keeps me interested.

(pg. 236-238) Why is it that the police force don't care at all about Valentino, his stolen possessions, or his wounds? Perhaps compared to other things they have to deal with in Atlanta, they won't even bother with this minor occurrence. They should bother though! "She hands me a piece of paper the size of a business card. It says COMPLAINT CARD. Achor Achor takes it. 'Does this mean that what happened to him is a complaint?' Achor Achor asks. 'Yes,' she says, almost smiling." (Eggers 239) Justice? Is there any justice in the world?

(pg. 242) Valentino finally goes to the emergency room to get his head wound fixed up, yet I know there is going to be trouble. We are only half way through the book, and there is a lot of text left. He is not getting in and out fast. "Julian has not moved from the desk since we arrived... He preempts me. 'It shouldn't be too long,' he says, looking down at his clipboard." (Eggers 242) Yes, you say that Julian. I bet you say that to everyone and they end up waiting hours upon hours. When I went to the ER once for two ear infections, (and I'm not a wimp. Ear infections hurt like no other and it feels like screws being drilled into your brain,) and I ended up waiting 6 hours. One of the most physically painful experiences of my life. I got home around 3:30 am after I went to the pharmacy.

(pg. 245) Since when did finding a wife become like finding a right piece of furniture? The Sudanese way is completely different from American. "He decided, last year, that he wanted a wife... Gabriel preferred a woman from his own region, the Upper Nile... Even ten years ago, it would seem impossible that a woman would insist on seeing a picture of a prospective groom. The women are inspecting the men!" (Eggers 245) Oh, if they only lived in the States. Girls inspecting men is completely and utterly necessary, and not just appearances but girls want to know how the men act and would treat them.

(pg. 248) Tabitha was going out with a fellow named Duluma who has abusing her. He seems like a very clingy person to me, and things are going sour. She is actually consoling her thoughts and worries with Valentino, who could just save her from their bad relationship. "He was abusive, she said. He wanted to treat her in the Sudanese way, she said." (Eggers 248) I'm glad Achak's dad never abused his mom, at least not that we know of. Tabitha and Duluma remind me of Jenny and her hippie boyfriend from Forrest Gump. He hit her one night and Forrest comes barging in and pops the guy in the face. I think that is what Valentino should do. Then again Jenny dies at the end of the movie, and I have a feeling I am making my own foreshadowing statement.

(pg. 249) "I loved he more with every false and conniving word Duluma said about her. I hung up and went back to Tabitha, to our lazy and luxurious morning together, and I never told her who had called." (Eggers 249) This could very easily become a romance story. It has a great beginning for it. Then again, since it is a memoir it is part romance, just like all memoirs would be. Because everybody always has some sort of love in their life, whether they stay with them forever or lose them.

W is the W- Chapter 14

(pg. 188-189) Hearing Deng and William K's stories reminds me that everyone has a different story and life I know nothing about. Everyone has a past and has gone through struggles, and it's sad that people judge other people without even knowing who they are and what they've gone through. I'm guilty of this as I'm sure most people are.

"-So they helped load everyone onto the train, onto the cars where they keep cattle." (Eggers 189) Reminds me of the Holocaust when all the Jews were pushed together on the train. It's actually gross because people are smelly and it's hard to breathe. "We could barely breathe; we pushed our mouths to the slits that were open to the outside, and we took turns inside the car, getting close to the air." (Eggers 190) This happened in Life is Beautiful, though Guido pulled it off so it's like a trip for his son's birthday. Watching this movie is also part of my assignment, and I'll have a post about it later.

"A girl near me vomited all over my back." When I went to a Death Cab For Cutie Concert someone spilled beer down my back. Try explaining why you smell like alcohol to your mom. It's also worse that during the Holocaust it could take days to get to the camps, so people peed and pooped in those carts, which is sick. You couldn't lay down let alone sit for days.

(pg. 196) I always think people are in his future story or past story and I have to go check. Isn't Jok in one story? I think there was a Jok in Marial Bai that was there when he became a Catholic. Also, why is everyone named Deng? Either first, middle, or last name, Deng is super common. Maybe Deng in Sudan is like Muhammad to the Middle East. Or John Smith to Americans.

(pg. 198) "Perhaps only the strongest were meant to make it to Ethiopia; there was only enough Ethiopia for the best of boys. This was the theory of William K. He had regained his senses and was talking more than before." Oh good. I'm glad he didn't die. Why do some boys die and others don't? I suppose the more healthy ones from the beginning last longer. Those that have the most will power to live will last longer.

(pg. 203) When Achak is separated from the Walking Boys he runs into a strange man who lives in the middle of nowhere. He is there with plenty of food and fresh water to himself, and he is out there for safety. "I am not anywhere and this is nowhere and that is why I am alive." (Eggers 204) I imagine this as a good plan. There aren't any armies to raid anything near him and he has no threats. Yet, what is a cost of this safety? He has no one and is alone all the time with nothing around him. He has his shack, his food, and one bike. Achak considered living with him. "I considered the idea of staying with this man because here it seemed very likely that I would not die." (Eggers 202) A very convincing point, and I would consider staying too. Except Achak decides the man is crazy, and after some food, water, and a go in the bicycle, he heads back to the Red Army. I have to wonder if he had not met the strange Nowhere Man would Achak have starved?

(pg. 215) One fateful day, bodies of SPLA soldier were found dead along the trail with regular walking people. This had never happened before, and to the boys a soldier was the strongest, most protecting thing they had. They met The Fist, a group of soldiers coming from Ethiopia, the promise land they were heading too. Except something about these men wasn't right. "But then, the men of The "Fist were starving, dying. What kind of place were we going to, if grown men with guns had left there and were starving on their way back to Sudan?" (Eggers 215) I believe this is strong foreshadowing of what awaits them in Ethiopia.

(pg. 218) It is a dark, dark day. William K, beloved, friendly, lying William K has died. It's a horrible thing when you have to bury your best friend who died only by closing his eyes to rest. Perhaps some of the saddest sentences I have ever read: "When I was finished, I told William K that I was sorry. I was sorry that I had not known how sick he was. That I had not found a way to keep him alive. That I was the last person he saw on this earth. That he could not say good-bye to his mother and father, that only I would know were is body lay." (Egger 218-219) Perhaps William K didn't die for nothing, because his lies did some good. Achak wanted to die right there with him, but along with thinking of his family that might still be alive, he thought of William K's visions of Ethiopia which willed him to continue the journey. William K, you just about saved Achak's life.

(pg. 223) I wonder how Dut is doing. He is walking the same distance as these boys, eating and drinking just as much as they are (which is pretty much nothing), and he is the leader. He has to actually keep his mind working at all times to figure out which direction to go, what to do with all these boys. When they get to an abandoned village and see a water tanker coming over the distance led by SPLA soldiers, he displayed more emotion there than ever before. "-Hello uncle! Dut said, now exuberant, almost in tears...It's so good to see you here! We're so hungry! And we have no clean water... When I saw the tanker I thought God himself had sent it to us." (Eggers 223) Little did he know they weren't getting any water. Just an order to leave the village for the wealthier refugees who are well fed, hydrated, and clothed. Why can't the SPLA be about Sudan and all the people in it and stop this bi-polar behavior?

W is the W- Chapter 13

(pg. 165) "I had only been in the country a few months, and there I sat, in a suit, court side at a professional basketball game. Picture it!" (Eggers 165) What a huge change to go through. They were completely just plunged into our culture. I haven't even ever been to a pro basketball game, but I've watched the NBA finals on television, and I know even I'd be overwhelmed.

(pg. 166) "The music was the loudest I have heard in my life, and the spectacle of the stadium with its 120-foot ceiling, its thousands of seats, its glass and chrome and banners..." (Eggers 166) This makes it seem like we're spoiled. Well, not spoiled since no one is giving it to us, we just make it ourselves. I suppose this just shows how wealthy our country it, and we're not even the wealthiest!It's actually Luxembourg: a tiny European country that's only about 50 miles top to bottom and at its widest about 30 miles. No, I didn't just know that, I looked it up.

"... its cheerleaders and murderous sound system- seemed perfectly designed to drive people insane." (Eggers 166) Yet thousands of people pay money to come. I suppose we're just used to insanely loud music.

"And while this young man, whose name I will not mention, railed about this injustice, it was Mary's name that came up, again and again, as the source of the trouble." (Eggers 166) It's easy to blame people in charge because you know they always have some connection to the situation. Like the president, George W. Bush, is always blamed for everything that is going wrong with the country. I don't even know what is or isn't his fault anymore.

(pg. 171) "I was nervous about meeting Phil. I am not joking when I tell you that all believed, all of us Sudanese, that anything could happen, at any time. (Eggers 171) That is not surprising considering every shocking detail of their past life. Every murder or death they've seen, every sickness they had, every time they were attacked or starving. It makes perfect sense that they are alert for any danger.

(pg. 172) It's heartwarming when people like Phil are helping others. It sort of makes up for the injustice and pain we cause for others. Though some things can't be taken back or the impact can't be erased, it's just nice when we try.

"His adoptive mother left the family when he was four and his father reared him alone... When he was a teenager, he discovered he had been adopted..." (Eggers 172) Is it right to say people who have gone through more in their life are more likely to help others because they understand? Understand pain and hard times more?

"He sat down behind the wheel, put his hands in his lap and he cried. I watched his shoulders shake, watched him bring his hands to his face." (Eggers 173) That is so sweet. Exactly the reaction most people would have hearing Valentino's story. When a grown man cries, it's for good reason.

(pg. 175) "Then Achor Achor told him the story of the tampon box... They had fifty dollars to spend, and had no idea where to start. Along the way, they had picked out a very special box and put it in their cart... Their sponsor, a woman in her fifties, smiled and tried to explain what was in the box, which was in fact tampons... 'It is beautiful,' they said, and they bought it, took it home, and displayed it on their coffee table for months." (Eggers 175) That is hilarious. I had to just put this story in here.

(pg. 184-185) "... a year after brokering the peace agreement between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (now the political arm of the SPLA) and the government of Sudan..." (Eggers 184) There is peace in Sudan right now? Really?

"Bobby died in the winter of 2005... The heart attack was massive and he did not stand a chance." (Eggers 185) It seems like every good character, every person close to Achak either dies or moves away. I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of the book Achor Achor dies.

W is the W- Chapter 11 & 12

(pg. 138) "This time, they were in my apartment no more than two minutes, though her scent lingers." (Eggers 138) When he says Tonya's "scent lingers" I believe it means their impact on him stays. Like the stuff they stole and the injuries they gave Achak. Or it means what they have awoken in his mind- these memories and recollection of his past that they triggered. These memories linger in his minds and continue to come, I imagine, throughout this book.

(pg. 140) "Have you seen the president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir? His skin is almost as dark as mine." (Eggers 140-141) Okay, so why isn't he doing anything helpful or even productive? They all say it's the government against the SPLA, but I haven't heard anything about the president. Unless the president is Arab, therefore that makes sense. That means he is totally for the destruction of Sudan.

(pg. 143) "As soon as the first of our group entered the village, we knew we were not welcome. -No rebels here, the chief said, walking quickly out to the path. -No, no, no! Walk on. Keep going. Go!" (Eggers 143) Wow, no compassion at all. If I saw a huge crowd of half starved children coming towards my village I would gave them food. I suppose the chief is trying to protect his village, because I think if he helps them the government will know and kill them all. However, if he shouted at the real SPLA like that the rebels would like, shoot him. I mean, look at what happened to Achak's father!

(pg. 145) "Three boys were sent with the most injured boy back to the village for treatment. I am not sure what happened to these boys, for we never saw them again. I like to believe that they were taken in by the village who felt regretful for what they had done to us." (Eggers 145) Or they were killed. I'm depressed. Plus, I don't think it matters anymore if a village does help rebels. They're all going down.

(pg. 146) "Far off in the village, I could hear singing- the choir practicing that same hymn they sang four hundred times a day." (Eggers 146) This reminds me of an episode of Gilmore Girls. There is some sort of carnival going on in Stars Hollow and Rory catches Jess with some other girl. She is jealous even though she's going out with Dean. They she gets into a fight about it with her mom, and throughout all this chaos some barbershop quartet is singing the same song over and over again. So even through the tragedy in both situations, take comfort in annoying background music.

(pg. 147) "In the group there were many boys who became strange...He refused to sleep for many days because he wanted always to see what was coming, to see any threats that might befall us." (Eggers147) Going through tragedy or being in certain situations change people. Take Tom Hanks in Cast Away. He went pretty psycho and became best friends with a volleyball. Or perhaps a better example are the kids on Lord of the Flies. They changed on that island, changed in a way that they wouldn't have in the normal world. Jack became the vicious enemy who became responsible for murder. All of his minions became senseless followers. Everyone went a tad crazy, thinking monsters and terrible things were living in the jungle.

(pg. 151) "-They did this to Red Army boys? Boys with no weapons?" They have a formal name? Perhaps everyone knows about them. The group that started with 30 boys, gathered by Dut, are now so well known that they've been given their own name.

(pg. 152-153) "-Can I hold it? I asked. -Of course. You're so polite! he marveled. -A soldier is never polite." (Eggers 153) People seem to be very fond of Achak due to his personality. The Arab man, Sadiq, who allowed him to get on top of his horse and gave him a gift, his father who seems to favor him above all his other siblings, and now this SPLA soldier.

(pg. 160) "On the third day he decided to die in the hole, because i was warm there and there were no sounds inside. And he did die that day because he was ready." (Eggers 160) Perhaps they are so close to dying that when they only choose to give up, their bodies shut down. If they have the will power and don't want to die then something in them is holding on to life.

W is the W- Chapter 10

(pg. 109) Chapter 10 starts off with Micheal exploring Achak's home. "I know that he has picked up the two books by my bedside- The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren and Seeking the Heart of God by Mother Teresa and Brother Roger." (Eggers 109) The Purpose-Driven Life is about living life that God has planned for you, full of purpose and meaning. That's what I think it is about because my mom has that book along with pretty much every adult in my church, I'm sure.

Angela from The Office on NBC also has that book. She is a very harsh and religious person on the show. Why do I know Angela has that book? Because on the episode "The Fire" Ryan has set the office on fire by leaving a cheese pita in the toaster oven. Jim has organized a game outside, one part being where you list only 3 books, I think, that you would take on a deserted island with you. So Angela chose The Purpose-Driven Life, the Bible, and something else. Great episode.

(pg. 110-111) When Valentino talks about Tabitha, it's so sweet. So cute. He talks about her wearing these thick glasses at night, and she never wants anyone to see her with them on. She even made him burn a picture of her wearing them. In most cases this is true with girls everywhere. I don't normally wear glasses outside, because I think they are unflattering. Plus, people say I look really smart with them on. Thanks? Is that a good thing? Well, a know a lot of people with contacts, but have never seen them with glasses- even my good friends. "But I loved her when she wore them, and wanted her to wear them more often. She was less glamorous in those enormous frames, and when she had them on, it seemed more plausible that she was truly mine." (Eggers 111)

(pg. 111) "Men taking cooking classes? It was absurd to them. But most of us didn't mind." (Eggers 111) Have you ever seen Eddie's Million Dollar Cook Off? It's a Disney Channel movie that came out years ago. Eddie was teased for enjoying cooking and entering a cooking competition. He didn't even win, but his friendships were resolved and all was good with the world. Hello, has anyone heard of Bobby Flay? Seriously though, it's surprising that they even had schools at refugee camps. It seems like a really good accomplishment, and they aren't just learning core classes, but cooking? I haven't even taken a cooking class.

(pg. 114) "But by and large, Sudanese men in America are looking to meet Sudanese women, and this means, for many, finding one's way back to Kakuma or even southern Sudan." (Eggers 114) They are really willing to risk their lives to fine love? Isn't Sudan still really dangerous, even now? It's like Achak wanting to go back to Marial Bai as soon as he escaped to look for his family. Except what is it for them if they're alive and you get killed? I suppose that's what loneliness and love can do to you.

"Humans are divided between those who can still look through the eyes of youth and those who cannot." (Eggers 116) If "looking through the eyes of youth" means being able to understand what they go through and their experiences then I know who cannot do that. My mom, most teachers, parents, most adults in general.

(pg. 116) I'm intrigued by Dut Majok. It surprises me that he would risk his own life by attempting to lead hundreds of boys through Sudan and beyond. Achak never talked about him in Marial Bai, except he was a teacher and just a boy himself. He is above lower class from my observations of Achak's description of his clothes, over 16, and pretty humorous, though probably not to the Lost Boys. "-Dut? -Yes Achak. Are you hungry? -No. No, thank you. -Good. Because we have no food. He smiled. He frequently found himself amusing." (Eggers 117)

"Dut held me by the shoulders. His eyes were small, hidden beneath a series of overlapping folds, as if he had learned to let in only the smallest quantities of light." (Eggers 118) I'm sure this has some deeper meaning. I think Dut only allows himself to hear limited amounts of happy or good news, in case nothing is true.The folds are his experiences of just this happening. "-This group doesn't cry, Achak. Do you see anyone crying? No one is crying." (Eggers 118) Is this some type of macho thing? A boy thing? Imagine if this was a huge group of girls. I mean no offense, but maybe the reason there are only Lost Boys is because girls couldn't make it. We are more emotional and in tune to our feelings. I have no doubt that girls definitely could make it, but this is just a theory for why there aren't any Lost Girls. All I'm saying is that there would be some sobbing and moping and panicking.

(pg. 131) Why doesn't anyone ever consider compromise as an option anymore? Okay, we will stop rebelling against you if you don't make us move around and pay us fairly. Peace, harmony, tranquility. None of this would have happened if they just treated the soldiers fairly.

"They told the horsemen that in exchange for their services, they were authorized to plunder all they wanted along the way." (Eggers 132) WHAT? Who does that? Why would they allow that? This is definately a corrupt government. What are they trying to accomplish here? So if the rebel groups were dead, all the Dinka in the country are either gone or enslaved, what are they left with? A barren country and a heavy conscience. (Well, hopefully they have a conscience.) Is there a president of Sudan? Where is he and what is his take on this situation? If he was voted for, he is for sure betraying his people.

(pg. 135) "... Dut would unfold his piece of river-green paper, write the new boys' names on it, and fold it again and slide it into his pocket. He knew the name of every boy." (Eggers 135) What would they do without Dut? I bet a large amount of boys would have died, not knowing where to go or what to do.

"... in many cases it was the parents themselves who were sending their children with us." (Eggers 135) Why would they do that? Did they believe the journey would save them from the inevitable murahaleen attack? Or did they want to get rid of them so they wouldn't have such a big burden if they needed to escape?

I didn't have a lot of picture options for this post, so I'll just add a meaningless one.

Not entirely meaningless! There were most likely chickens in Marial Bai, and they played soccer. (People not chickens.)