Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (SPOILER ALERT)


After reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, I identified an important symbol. In the book there are  alternating main characters every other chapter, the two main characters are Sarah and Julia. The first story takes place in Paris. Julia Jarmond an American journalist, lives with her architect husband, Bertrand Tezac. While they renovate an apartment that has been in Bertrand’s family, Julia, for one of her articles, investigates the infamous Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup, when French police under pressure from the Nazis removed Jewish family’s from their homes, and held them for days before sending them to camps.The second story is about the main characters',Sarah,journey escape from the camps. Sarah and her parents are taken from their home and split up into camps. Sarah wasn't aware what was happening when they were being taken from their home, so she made a quick and careless decision to lock and hide her brother in a cupboard, assuming that she would go back soon. After being held in the camps and separated from her parents she realizes they are going to kill them and she has to go back to paris to save Michael (her brother).

One symbol that I found in the book is the key, that Sarah keeps with her throughout her journey to save her brother. The key is for the cupboard that she locked her brother in, while she holds onto this she has hope that she will be back in time. In the book Sarah makes a decision that she regrets, but when she has the key with her she believes her little brother is still waiting, and alive in the cupboard. I believe the key is a symbol of hope, as long as she has it she is doing anything and everything to get back home. Sarah wasn't keeping track of how many days she was in the camp, so she couldn't assume whether her brother was alive or not. When Sarah reaches her destination she finds that her apartment has been sold to someone else, a family now lived in her home. She comes to find that her brother died while locked in the cupboard. 

In conclusion, Sarah wouldn't have had the hope she did to travel all the way back to Paris if she didn't have the key. I also realized that could be the reason why the title of the book is Sarah's Key. The key is also a symbol of courage because it gives Sarah the strength to carry on and go through her travels to find her brother.

In the article from Upfront Magazine,  an Amanda Knox update is written. Amanda Knox is a 26 year old woman who was convicted for the death/murder of her roommate in Italy named Meredith Kercher. Along with Knox's boyfriend named Raffaele Sollecito were imprisoned, and convicted for the second time in 2007. Knox is sentenced to twenty eight and a half years in prison and Sollecito to twenty five years. Amanda Knox is an american student who was staying in Italy when rooming with Meredith Kercher.

In this article, Amanda Know is found guilty for the stabbing death of her roommate. Knox did not return to Italy for the latest trial. Amanda Knox was said to be surprised when heard of the verdict
(guilty. I believe if they have no actual evidence and proof she shouldn't go to prison. Amanda Knox may or may not have murdered her roommate, same for her boyfriend who is said to also be involved wit the killing. "November 1, 2007 will always be a tragic and fascinating question." From this quote, Amanda Knox could (may) not have murdered Meredith.

Amanda Knox went through one of the worst and most scariest experiences anyone could possibly think of while studying abroad. There is some proof and questions which leave most wondering, is Amanda Knox guilty? For example her blood was found in the room, but not finger prints, none. Both parents say that her blood was found in the room, with different reasoning, well which is it? Amanda knox is guilty, but its said that here in the U.S. the verdict would have been different because there wouldn't have been enough proof.

In conclusion, Amanda Knox's verdict is guilty but many disagree here in the U.S. where is said to be  where Amanda Knox is hiding. What really happened that night of the death of Meredith Kercher? The world may never know.

“Photography” by Nikki Giovanni shows readers the true beauty of a camera. The camera isn’t only a device that captures photographs and pictures or takes a video, it is built as if it were a human almost. In this extraordinary poem, there are various metaphors and symbols in this poem including specific, vivid descriptions (imagery). The author displays the beauty of the camera in numerous ways in her poem. A camera may hide it’s “talents” but that doesn’t mean its doesn’t have it. Its takes photos and videos but it has the physical characteristics of a human.

There are many metaphors in the poem, “Photography” by Nikki Giovanni. For example in lines one to three it says, “The film is the heart… the eye we are told is a camera.” These lines mean that the film is where all the memories are stored, just like the human body when comparing the film to the brain. The film is the brain because it stores all the pictures that were taken. I believe the quote,“ the eye we are told is like a camera” is saying that the lens is compared to the human eye. This is a sensory detail.

In the poem I discovered imagery, describing how the camera captures the beauty of all. In line 23 it says, “watching the red sun bleed” I choose this quote for describing the beauty for the beauty of a camera because the reader can imagine and picture this image in their mind. The camera captures scenic pictures, describing this quote. When reading this poem, you can picture what you are reading.

Symbols are very often seen in this poem. For example, “The film is the heart… the eye is the camera” these two lines describe the camera as if it were a human and it’s parts. It says that the film is the heart, basically where the memory is stored. The eye is the camera, the camera needs the lens because it captures the pictures. As so for us humans, we need our eyes to see.

In conclusion, this text makes me realize how much the camera acts as a human. It also made me realize the beauty of a camera more deeply and I have never used a camera or even learned about photography.

Poem

Expectations

she was stuck in a nightmare,

she was stuck in a horror,

she was stuck in a film,

that just repeated over

she was being played with in her mind,

like a puppet on strings,

her life was rewinding,

and being played over and over

there was no end,

repeating the mistakes,

she was like a pencil,

that wasn't allowed to a have an eraser

she was crowded by fear,

she couldn't stop,

she didn't know how,

she is now scarred

the memories scare her,

no one can bare her,

it wasn't her fault,

and the blame came endlessly 

she wasn't "enough"

she wasn't what was expected,

she wasn't perfect,

but in the end you aren't either

After reading, "Touching Snow" by M. Sindy Felin I began to look closely about others around me. i began to do this because of what the main character, Karina goes through. Karina lives in New York with her sisters and her whole family crammed into a small, poor apartment. Karina gets bullied at school and gets bad grades, but thats the least of her worries. Her stepfather abuses Karina and her sisters brutally, until one day he abuses the oldest sister so much she almost dies. The mother of Karina and her sisters, comes home to discover her childs body on the floor covered in blood and bruises and surrounded by all the other sisters including Karina. The only reason the mother was with that man was because he paid for the electricity, and food, yet she never cared about her childrens safety until one of them nearly dies. After then, the mother never lets the stepfather into the apartment again and he is taken away on child abuse charges, but he is not gone for good...

I began to notice others around me because of Karina and the influence this book left on me. Karina was bullied, abused and broken. She was tired of getting beaten by her stepfather, I learned that I shouldn't judge people if I don't know them or knoe what they have been through, like Karina. Karina killed her father. She didn't mean it, but it happened and this wouldn't have happened if she was raised with care and real parents. I noticed that the reason Karina was getting bullied was because the other children were judging her of how she looked. Karina wasn't perfect and she didn't live in a perfect house with perfect parents, but her classmates thought of her differently. They thought of her as a disgusting child, and ugly but she wasn't. She is caught in a nightmare.

"The best way to avoid being picked on by high school bullies is to kill some one", this quote frightened me at first. Karina kills her father to protect the ones she loves but also believes that by killing someone she won't be bullied, and sadly she was right but it wasn't the answer. When she killed her father, word got around and no one ever dared to go near her again. " I wanted to defend Ma." This quote may be short but holds lots of information because it explains why she killed her stepfather and all that anger was built up inside of her, she wanted to protect the one she loved, her mother.

In conclusion, I learned so much from this book and from Karina. Karina may not have been a "normal" child but she was treated like she was an animal. I learned that if you don't know a persons story and who they are, you shouldn't be so quick to judge. Karina did what she felt she had to do which was extremely unnecessary, I feel as if this could have been prevented and that she wouldn't have killed her father is she was treated like human and raised like one.

Non-fiction Upfront Magazine Article

In the article, "Watching You" by Patricia Smith you never know when you're being watched. How much government surveillance should Americans accept to keep the nation safe from more terrorist attacks? The U.S. government have been secretly tracking foreigners overseas on various sites known to the public. The article mainly talks about how much security  and surveillance the U.S. needs. As the article says, "You ca't have 100 percent security and also then have 100 percent privacy and zero inconvenience", Barack Obama stated. We must have security and it may not convenience everyone because of their privacy and they don't want surveillance camera's everywhere. We have increased our security camera amounts because of terrorists attacks. Many people see the amount of surveillance as a serious infringement on their privacy. 

"Cameras mounted on buildings watch for potential terrorists and criminals." The U.S. has increased it's security due to terrorist attacks and it helps with crimes and catching robbers. I agree with Rob Johnson, 21, says, "I'd rather have them track who we're talking to if it saves American lives." This security saves many lives and tracks down those who have destructed. There are so many benefits to having cameras and all surveillance around us, for example The presence of security systems have helped in deterring crimes and theft. This reputation has helped them become popular with homes and businesses. Through the years, security surveillance camera systems have become more affordable. For this reason, more and more households and businesses are being equipped with security cameras with the hopes of protecting their properties. Overall, the importance of a  security system has become more and more undeniable. There are a lot of intruders who are wary of security cameras and are well aware that they can be easily be tracked by law enforcers if they ever get caught in one. They get discouraged with just the sight of it. One of the major benefits of having a video surveillance system is safety. 

Surveillance cameras cause a bit of controversy. Surveillance cameras can be used to keep an eye out for any crimes that are in progress or they can be stopped before they even start. If a suspicious person or item is in the area, the proper authorities can be informed before any crime can be committed or damage can be done. "You have a right to privacy' Maguire says. 'But at the same time, there are some crazy people in the world." This quote is entirely true because we need our privacy yet we need security. 

In conclusion, some people, knowing that surveillance cameras are in certain areas can help create a sense of security. No one wants to fear having to go into an area or feel as though she or he is not safe. Some may believe that there may be less of a chance that a crime will be committed if there are cameras in the area watching over them. We need security even if people disagree.