Isu Visual

Blog 1 For ISU

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/03/02/mother-of-dead-teen-sues-ex-for-improperly-stored-rifle

Why I Selected This Article

I selected this article because it is astoundingly similar to what happened in my book. It connects to my book in so many ways the first being that it took place in Canada and because it is extremely rare to hear about a gun related suicide in Canada because access to guns is so limited. It isn't how it is in the United States where there are multiple gun related suicides every year and access to guns is so easy and how anyone could purchase one and use it for many different evil intents. This article is just so similar to what happened in my book if I didn't know better I'd think that the author based his book on this event.

How It Connects To The Social Issue/Novel

This article connects well to my book because it is almost a retell of what happened in my book. In the article the teen that committed suicide had anxiety issues and was also under a lot of pressure just like the character in my book, Stefan (Jace's Brother) who was also under a tremendous amount of pressure just because so much was expected of him. He was the captain of the University hockey team and a Triple A hockey team (The highest level of Junior Hockey) with a bright future in sports ahead of him. Also if that hadn't worked out he was also a brilliant student always at the top of his class with a 4.0 GPA, class president and valedictorian for his graduating class. Which lead him to just want to let go of everything and with a rifle, just like the boy in the news article, he shot himself in the garage. Both of these things took place in Canada and they were both extremely strange for Canadian's as suicide by gun is very rare. They both also connect to the social issue of how you should never put too much pressure on a child but just let them enjoy life and perform to the best of their abilities. Not too roll them out too thin, like Stefan who had no time to himself  and just wasn't liking the life that he was living. Just how in the article the teen had anxiety issues which are also cause by extreme pressure on someone. So all in all suicide and death is not the fault of the person who is taking their life but the fault of everyone around them that has put them under intense pressure and not taken proper care of them.

“There are stories in our silences

The things that don’t get said

speak louder than we ever dream they can

They echo through the space between

the place I long to be

and this never-ending empty where I am” – lyrics by Leah Delaney

This quote is explaining how there are things that play loud and this applies to the other characters in my book who were all in the house when Stefan committed suicide and how it affects the people around the dead forever and how it is impossible to forget about what happened and they echo "in the space between" which is the emptiness of where the person left, where the person who died belonged.

This picture shows how the teen is under immense pressure and when they have a gun they see that it is the easy way out but they don't understand the effects that it has on everyone around them. The bottom line is that you shouldn't allow anyone to pressure you and if you are under pressure, talk about it.

Dueling Brothers Shock The Streets of Dublin

Deadly Shootout in the Streets of Dublin

 

     A deadly shootout took place in the streets of Dublin between the two warring sides, the republicans and the free staters who have been locked in battle for quite some time now. Police report that gunshots were heard around 6 pm but police were later informed and arrived to the scene to find 3 bodies and signs of a vicious battle. One suspect is known to have fled the scene after leaving 3 people dead. He is now wanted for a triple homicide and is believed to be dangerous. A level 5 red star warning has been issued out for him and police are searching desperately for him. 

 

     The republican sniper was one of the few survivors. The battle was complicated and there are many versions of what happened but police have done some serious investigating and through thorough investigation and multiple eyewitness statements have come to a conclusion of what truly happened.

 

     The two enemy snipers were locked in battle upon the rooftop and were firing shots at each other while bystanders could only watch and get to cover. Witnesses report that an armored vehicle with a manned turret pulled up to the scene and an informant notified the police about the republicans whereabouts. The sniper in a flurry of panic open fired on the truck and the informant who happened to be an old lady. He shot and killed the informant and the soldier manning the turret but the driver escaped.

 

     Witnesses report they heard the republican screaming in agony as he dropped his rifle to the floor and down into the alley, the free stater had thought that the battle was over but it is known that he was later shot off the building by the republican who had faked his own death. “A brilliant idea if I have to say,” reported a witness whose name is not disclosed for protection purposes.

     It was later identified that the snipers that were firing at each other were brothers, a very tragic and heart wrenching story that just proves how war is tearing us up. How it has no boundaries and how it tears apart families and brothers and that it affects everyone.

The Sniper, Summary and Theamatic Paragraph

In your own words, summarize this text. 

 

The Sniper by Liam O’Flaherty is a short story set in downtown Dublin describing the battle going on between a Republican Sniper, who’s in enemy territory and a Free Staters Sniper. The Republican sniper is locked in place, as he slowly risks a quick smoke after food and a short drink, a bullet whizzes right past him. The light from his cigarette was spotted, but the light from the Free Staters sniper was also seen. Just than an enemy car pulls up, an armored truck with a turret, knowing of the Republican snipers location through an informant. Having no choice he fires killing the man arming the turret forcing everyone else to flee. Seconds later as the Republican was distracted the Free Stater took his shot, a clean shot to the arm. As the Republican wastes precious minutes tending to his wound he thinks of a brilliant idea. As he places his cap on his rifle and baits in the Free Stater he feels the bullet pierce his hat. Acting like he himself had been shot he drops the rifle and plays dead waiting for the Free Stater to drop his guard. As the Free Stater turns away the Republican takes aim with his pistol and kills the enemy. He bites back feelings of remorse and continues on with his job. He is curious and goes to check out who this worthy opponent was, escaping machine gun fire he reaches the body only to find out that it was his brother.

What is the author's message? Provide evidence from the text and explain your thinking. 

The authors message is explaining to us how war has no boundaries, that anyone no matter who they are can be affected by it. The point is emphasized by many things that took place throughout the story. How war doesn’t care about age, that the informer was an old lady who should be at home being taken care off but instead she was out there full out in the middle of war with bullets whizzing past her. How the sniper was a young man who should have been out living his life, getting an education and getting married yet he was out trying to kill people. Also that war has no boundaries not even relations as it turned the brothers into mere objects like rocks, they had no feelings, didn’t value other’s lives. It even broke the barriers of relationship and set two brothers off against each other meaning war is limitless, it truly has no boundaries.

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

Retell: The movie "The Boy in The Striped Pajamas" is about a young boy named Bruno who is living in the midst of WW2. His fathers job as a commandant causes young Bruno to have to move leaving him friendless and bored at his new home. Part of his fathers job is to take control of a German extermination camp, meaning there new home is a mere distance away from the camp. AS Bruno is exploring one day he bumps into the camp and quickly makes friends with a young boy much like him named Schmuel. As the two grow closer together Schmuel tells Bruno of how he is unable to find his father and Bruno promptly promises to help him find his father. They devise a plan as time passes they decide that Bruno will sneak into the camp wearing striped blue pajamas like the rest of the prisoners. Not knowing what jews face inside the camp Bruno makes an unfixable mistake.

 

Reflect: I enjoyed watching this movie because it was very different to see and hear how an 8 year old boy saw WW2 through his eyes. Its funny because he doesn't understand some things like how Adolf Hitler came to his house for lunch and how he hears "Auschwitz" as out-with. It was historically accurate portraying the luxury that Germans had during WW2 and showing how an 8 year old would've seen it through his eyes. Also it showed Bruno's innocence very effectively as he did not know what went on inside of the extermination camp and how he decided to just go on in and help his friend. I enjoyed this movie because it was tragic yet funny giving it a good mix of emotion and laughter.

 

Connect: This movie reminded me of how when your mowing your lawn in the summertime or your walking along and you accidentally crush a bug but you didn't know it was there. It reminds me of that because Bruno had no idea what was coming just like the bug had no idea it was about to be crushed. It also reminds me of how innocent 8 year olds are nowadays and how they would've reacted to a situation like that as I have an 8 year old cousin and he has no sense of danger running around with scissors, swatting at bees just like Bruno he should be taught what's dangerous and what isn't and if he was taught he might still be alive.