Blogpost #3: What are the thesis and main points of your book so far? What points did you find most effective. Give examples from the text. Do you agree with the author's arguments and conclusions? What questions would you ask the author if you ever had the opportunity to meet him/her? Completed by Friday, May 23
14 Comments
Allie Robertson
5/22/2014 01:04:22 pm
In a long way gone Ishmael Beah’s thesis is that kind people are capable of terrible acts. One of Beah’s main points is that the war changes people and in most cases not for the better. He tells stories of coming upon villages in a group with six other boys and how him and the other boys were treated as if they were rebel soldiers. Beah and the rest of the boys were questioned and then harshly expelled from the villages. These stories illustrate a country turning on young boys separated from their families because they appeared to be a threat. Villages, that used to be welcoming of strangers, react severely to anyone unrecognizable “People don’t trust each other anymore” (56) because the war changed how people within Sierra Leone viewed each other. After all, if you can not trust young boys, rebel soldiers were young boys, who can you trust? This leads into another one of Beah’s main points that innocent children can do horrible acts. Beah talked about how him and five other boys stole two ears of corn from a five year old boy. They “felt guilty” (31), but they were starving and did what was necessary to survive. Children, that never had gotten into any serious trouble before the war, were willing to steal over going hungry. Imagine what other morals could be compromised by threatening children with bodily harm or starvation. This story is rather tame when comparing stealing with murder, but I have not reached the part in the book where the government army picks up Beah. I think both of Beah’s points are effective in supporting his thesis statement. Beah explains how people can turn on each other by comparing stories of traveling from what Beah experienced during the war and what the older generation, the old man and his grandparents, experienced before the war. Beah’s point of how a person’s, specifically young child, morals can be compromised when faced with a direct threat to oneself. So far, he has used the example of overwhelming hunger driving the act of stealing corn from a five year old. Based on the back of the book it would appear that Beah will be driven to do worse acts before he escapes the war. Therefore, it would appear that something else will compromise Beah’s morals about killing another human being. I would have to agree with Beah’s argument that good people can do terrible acts because of how Beah presents his evidence and how the proof is present all over history. War has always be a large factor in the world, which means there are a lot of soldiers all over the world. There are good soldiers and bad soldiers just like their are good and bad people. This means that good people are killing other human beings for the protection of their country. Good soldiers are capable of committing terrible acts by doing what they believe is right. If I ever had the opportunity to ask Ishmael Beah a question it would be what is your favorite memory of your grandmother? I would ask this question because his grandmother is the most frequent family member he talks about and the most interesting.
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Aaron Donahoe
5/23/2014 04:23:17 am
My Book Endurance's main thesis is that no matter how hard it got. No one even thought about giving up. At least not so far. The second they decided they were going to go and cross the continent the went for it. Setting up camp after camp getting as far as they can. He also states main points indirectly like always being careful and taking caution if you are unaware of things. The Thesis of the story I thought was most effective. This being to never give up, Shackleton and his crew were put up with the task to help the pups that were born on the ship on the way down there from one of the dogs (Pg 50) . This shows that they kept going when it got rough because they could have honestly just left the dogs there. They already had 40 of them. I do agree with Alfred Lansing's argument's throughout the book so far because all of his main points helped the crew to get through to where they're at now in the book. If I had the opportunity to ask the author a question, I would ask him, "How did you keep up with all of the stories of men to write this book, considering you aren't there right now?"
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Omar Brijawi
5/23/2014 04:31:20 am
Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS, gives insight and advice about having a successful business or organization. His claim about having a successful business is that an organization must have a story, face their fears, and to keep it simple. When he was instructing to make a story about your business, he brought up his own story and a lot of others who became successful to support his argument.In chapter 2, he mentions when he started becoming successful people "felt connected to a story" or "wanted to become part of the story". This helped strengthen and broaden their business. When he made his claim that facing your fears would help your business, he used many inspirational quotes from important historical figures. On page 60 he quoted Norman Vincent Peale who said "Change your thoughts and you change your world." He quoted Peale to strengthen his argument with a quote from a reliable source. I think that the author made a strong argument and supported with previous successful business like his. How did the media notice your product? What is the net worth of your business currently? How are you handling the success of your business?
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Brian Kurtz
5/23/2014 04:44:16 am
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Aaron Martinez
5/23/2014 11:37:14 am
One of the main the theses of the book Unbroken is the strength and resilience of a person is based on their will. With strong will a person can overcome anything and can truly be unbroken. This small passage describes what willpower can do in dire situations: “Though all three men faced the same hardship, their differing perceptions of it appeared to be shaping their fates. Louie and Phil's hope displaced their fear and inspired them to work toward their survival, and each success renewed their physical and emotional vigor. Mac's resignation seemed to paralyze him and the less he participated in their efforts to survive, the more he slipped. Though he did the least, as the days passed, it was he who faded the most. Louie and Phil's optimism, and Mac's hopelessness, were becoming self-fulfilling.” This quote shows so much about willpower and its amazing strength. All people have endured the same problems but the will of Louie and Phil is much different than mac's. Louie and Phil tried their hardest staying alive catching fish, collecting rain water and participating in mental exercises in order to sane in a vast ocean. Mac on the other hand did very little and did not participate and seemed as though he has been broken. His soul was shattered and he was a shell of a man. I agree with this thesis entirely. Each person has a breaking point and some have an easy soul to break while others have enduring ones. Some people can only stay strong for so long until they just simply give up and become that empty shell like Mac was. It is entirely sad but I feel as though it is true. Humans are not perfect and have breaking points. That is what makes us humans. One question I have for the author is: Did you right this book without crying? Because this book is truly a work of art. It moves you and its an extremely emotional peace. You fall in love with Louie and you are extremely sad when you figure out what all happens to him. There is surly more to come but for now it is just one thing after another and poor Louie and the two others have to somehow manage to survive while his family at home thinks he is dead and the military is making no attempts to search for them. Everyone thinks they are dead but they themselves want to prove to themselves that they are alive and unbroken.
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5/23/2014 12:54:00 pm
So far, the main architect of the World's Fair, Burnham, has faced many difficulties including the death of his main partner, Root. He also has "no idea what lies ahead" (108) which implies that many more difficulties await for him and the people preparing the fair. Meanwhile, Dr. H. H. Holmes is prospering and evading the suspicions of most people as someone eerie. He has built a small hotel with a concealed crematorium and he plans to expand even more into the inner working of the fair. He plans to use the fair to attract many victims and murder them. So far, Burnham's difficulties are explained with great depth and Larson couldn't be more correct in his descriptions of the troubles. There are so many things that could go awry and some of the architects are oblivious to their existence. Based on the presentation of these many difficulties involved in planning the fair, I would have to agree with the author on his conclusions that these people have gone through great stress while planning the fair. I am curious as to how Larson dug out all of this information on the World's Fair in Chicago considering I've never heard of it before picking up this book. My question would be how he had the dedication to sort through the giant jumble of information, much of it probably fictional and still come out with such a great story.
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Shivani Patel
5/23/2014 01:16:59 pm
In Yousafzai's, "I Am Malala" she delineates her past so the readers can understand who she is and why she is a certain way. She is passionate about receiving an education and in her quest, Malala becomes different from her peers. She becomes unique and doesn't mind as she knows she is supported by her parents. Malala explains that Pashtuns are frugal, yet generous with guests. Her Baba or grandfather was one prime example and her father hated the frugality he grew up in which is why her father became a giving man. Malala also explained that Pashtuns are a prideful people. When she lost her first place in her school after exams to a new transfer, Malala was upset and cried a lot. When Malala started stealing, it gave her a thrill despite her knowing how wrong it was. When she was caught, Malala knew she had greatly disappointed her parents and still apologizes to God to this day. I do believe that Pashtuns are prideful and frugal. The way Malala describes both her parents and grandparents make it apparent even without her explicitly stating their tendencies. One can also infer that she is willing to do what it takes to be the best as she was upset when she was not first in her year at school. If I ever had the chance to meet Malala I would ask her how she is able to stay true to herself and continue to grow. She strikes me as the type of person that believes everything happens for a reason, even being shot. I believe talking to her about the incident would reveal great insight to her character than many other questions I could ask.
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Taylor Lane
5/23/2014 01:22:26 pm
The main point Frances Hesselbein is making in her non fiction book "Leading Beyond the Walls" is to adjust the focus from internal operations to external partnerships. Thus far the point I have found most effective is, in order to be a great leader one must first listen and then teach. In other words, people are not born with all knowledge of the world they must lead from within and being a leader from within makes you coachable. Becoming a leader is a great process, it is a people building process. I do agree with Ms.Hesselbein's philosophy of allowing for people to build into you while you build into others and that it is most important to have partnerships rather than focusing on bettering yourself only. I mainly agree with her ideals because she is a proven leader as chairman of a large non profit as well as the CEO. And if I were to meet Hesselbein I would ask her for any advice for someone that is aspiring to oneday be standing in her footprints.
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Ahmed Musaitif
5/23/2014 01:39:45 pm
In the book, Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer presents the main point that no matter how bad your perception on others is, they always have good in them. Johnson McCandless decides to isolate himself from society and moves to Alaska. He moves around throughout the western part of America, with people offering to help him. He makes a few points to justify his main point. They see him starving and decide to offer him food, " I thought maybe we could give him a meal or something" (Pg 30) ... " And he was big-time hungry. Hungry, hungry, hungry." (Pg 30). They don't know this young boy, but decide to feed him and give him shelter for a couple of weeks. Johnson recognizes this man as a good friend as he helped him in need, but he leaves a week later and decides to continue traveling. Another example is, " The duck hunters dropped him in El Golfo de Santa Clara, a fishing village on the Gulf of California." (Pg 34). Many of his points are the same, people offer Johnson McCandless food, shelter, and transportation in order to survive. But he continues to isolate himself from others. I believe in Jon Krakauer's main point that their is always good in people, whether you do not know them or they have done bad before. Jon Krakauer stands strong behind his ideas and backs them up with many examples throughout the book.
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Becca Eubanks
5/23/2014 01:56:21 pm
In Lone Survivor, Luttrell's thesis is that no matter how hard things get, giving up should never be an option. One must stick it out during the hard times, and ultimately they will come out stronger. From the very beginning of the book, Luttrell builds upon the philosophy. From having to stick with his "swim buddy" in training when he had finished his swim and his partner hadn't he had to jump back in the water to support him teammate, to having to complete the punishment as a team if one person made a mistake. In the beginning while describing the Navy SEALS training not only elaborates the extreme difficulty, but the importance of team work and never giving up on yourself or your team. And even farther into the book, when they are in grave danger outnumbered by Taliban soldiers, Luttrell explains how giving up on his team was not an option, not even crossing his mind. I would completely agree with Luttrell's thesis, I think giving up is the easy way out and if you don't give up and stick it out the hard times, you can only come out a stronger and better person in the end. I think the most effective points of the book are the detail making the reader feel as if they were in the real scenario, and the repetition of his philosophy, to never give up. The repetition gives a sense of urgency and importance and its reiteration really makes it stick out in the readers mind as one of Luttrell's main points. If I met Marcus Luttrell, I would ask him how the events of the book effect his everyday life, other than losing his closest teammates.
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Stephanie Tam
5/23/2014 01:58:40 pm
Columbine by Dave Cullen doesn’t not have a specific thesis. However, the author Dave Cullen tells a story that informs the readers about the shooting on April 1999 by taking a different perspective into the mindset of the two shooters. Cullen’s main points include the event of the shooting, including what happened inside and outside of Columbine High School, and the diagnosis of the two shooter’s behaviors that led them to kill many innocent victims. Towards the beginning, Cullen concludes a pattern with school shootings. He includes outside current events (at that time) such as “In February 1997, a sixteen-year-old...brought a shotgun to high school…”(14). Cullen lists more examples of school shootings, and does not hesitate to mention the pattern that the shooter “...was always a white boy, always a teenager…”(15). This foreshadows the Columbine shooting.. Cullen uses psychology terms such as “psychotic” or “schizophrenic” (187) to try to categorize the two boys. This is when everything gets down to facts. He concludes to different mental disorders such as psychopathy, while explaining that “psychopaths appear charming...but it’s an act.” (187). He then concluded that Dylan, one of the shooters was depressive, and supported his argument by adding how Dylan thought about suicide “for years without willpower…”. Cullen uses factual data, making his argument and conclusions agreeable. His knowledge of psychology is able to support his hypothesis of why the shooting happened. He also uses evidence and personal quotes from the victims, the victims loved ones, teachers, etc. to add reality to the novel. Dave Cullen is pulling out information from the shooting itself, even providing the journals of the two shooters in the Appendices.
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Jessica Smith
5/23/2014 02:02:04 pm
Seeing as my book is an account of the author's life story, I'm not exactly sure how to identify a thesis. I would say that the main points and what the book revolves around so far is the tension that is occurring in both the world due to the political problems in China and WWII, and also the familial tensions that come with being a Chinese stepdaughter in a society that is gradually becoming more Western oriented. In terms of giving an extremely effective account, one example would be, " All conversation ceased as we watched Susan kick and struggle in Niang's arms. Finally to my horror, Niang forced her child down on to the couch beside her and gave her a stinging slap across the face... Niang began a vicious beating of her daughter, her slaps landing on Susan's little cheeks, ears, and head." Mah's sister is also a stepchild, and their stepmother is power hungry, and no one dares go against her, not even their father or grandfather. I don't agree with the fact that Niang beats the children, especially since no one is even allowed to voice their opinion or have any independence, but I do identify with the author's ways of coping when she is unhappy. She imagines that she is in a "magical land and has a key to unlock secret places" , and I used to let my imagination run away with me, as well. If I ever had the opportunity to meet the author, I would ask her how she remains positive today. I mean, she clearly didn't have a happy childhood, and reflecting back on her past, she gives her account with such clarity and bluntness, but she is never resentful of her family or events that happened. I would also like to know what it was like growing up in China not only because I am a history nerd, but also because the descriptions that she gives sound so beautiful and interesting.
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Taylor Lane
5/23/2014 06:19:23 pm
Frances Hesselbein's "Leading Beyond the Walls" emphasizes the transition of focusing on external partnerships rather than focusing on central leadership. One of the most effective points Ms.Hesselbein shares is, in order to be a great leader you must allow for people to build into you and for you to build into people, it's a process of building people because no one is born with all knowledge of the world. Leaders lead great teams by allowing for all to contribute to achieve the goal. I do agree with Hesselbein's philosophy building realtaionships mainly because she is a proven leader as chairman of the drucker foundation as well as CEO of the Non-profit. If I were to question Ms.Hesselbein, I would ask her for advice to give someone aspiring to one day be standing in her
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Amanda Yang
5/23/2014 08:34:01 pm
The thesis of Quiet thus far is that introverts are just as, if not more, capable than extroverts as members of society. Cain cites examples of successful introverts. Craig Newark, who would "probably keep his nose buried in a book" than talk someone, created Craiglist, a site that connects people worldwide (62). One does not have to be extremely outgoing and chatty to be someone who can make a difference in the world. Cain talks about a T-shirt folding study in order to analyze the differences between introverted and extroverted leaders. When introverted leaders had proactive members, they performed better than the extroverted teams. But when the members were passive, the introverted teams fell behind. This makes sense because introverted leaders are "more open and receptive to...ideas" while extroverted leaders "are better at getting results from passive workers" (57). If workers willingly voice their ideas, then there is a chance that their idea is more effective than the leader's idea. Introverts are effective leaders because they know how to listen and respond to outside ideas. Finally, the American cultural bias towards extroverts makes people believe that someone who speaks more with a louder voice is more insightful and worth listening to than someone who is less talkative and reserved. "The students who spoke first and most often were consistently given the highest ratings, even though their suggestions (and math SAT scores) were no better than those of less talkative students" (51). Because of national standards combined with the naturally quieter introvert personality, people forget that introverts are worth listening to. As a person who fancies statistics as support, Cain makes an effective and strong argument. Studies are explained and the reader can understand why the results make sense in the context of our country. And being someone who is knowingly introverted, I would have to agree with Cain's arguments. When the world wants extroversion, introverts are forced to leave their comfort zones. This book helps reveal that extroverts are not necessarily better at what they do. I definitely would like to ask Cain what the most difficult part of writing this book was. She has so many sources that it makes me wonder if it took longer to collect these sources or to organize them.
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