Archives For English Assingments

Watership Down

July 2, 2012

Watership Down and the Displaced People in Our World.

Levi Harapnuik
Tree of Life
June 30, 2012

 
Watership Down, written by Richard Adams, is an adventurous story of some very brave and inquisitive rabbits that are outcasts from their own warren. They chose to leave and to find a new place to live. Hunted by predators and other rabbits they have to learn to survive in the wilderness while looking for a new, safe home. Facing harsh weather, predator attacks, and trying to get along, they embark on the journey of their lives. Watership Down is an example of the plight of displaced people in our world in that the characters in the story, when in search for a new home, experience danger in the hopes of finding freedom.

 
A displaced person is a person who has been forced to leave his or her native place. The rabbits in this story knew they needed to leave because one of them envisioned something very bad was going to happen. Fiver had a feeling, “but it’s not exactly danger that I seem to feel about the place. It’s–oh, I don’t know–something oppressive, like thunder: I can’t tell you what; but it worries me.” From a reader’s perspective, we know that they were going to be displaced by a housing development.

 
An example in history would be the Jews during WWII. Some knew something was going to happen to them because they saw it in their cities and towns so they decided to leave. The rabbits from Hazel’s home warren died from being gassed in their burrows and the Jews that stayed were caught and gassed in chambers. Their own warren wouldn’t listen to Fiver and Hazel’s warnings so they had to take whoever would come and escape to face other problems along the way.

 
They met up with another warren with strong, healthy rabbits. These rabbits were nice at first and showed them their interesting way of life. The warren filled with big healthy rabbits was confusing to Fiver and Hazel. It seemed that somebody put food for them in a field not too far away. “Sometimes there is nothing at all, especially in good summer weather. But in hard weather, in winter, there’s nearly always something.” They sometimes carried food back to the burrows for easier feeding and in case there was bad weather. Hazel and his companions found this weird at first but eventually came to see that it was a good idea.

 

Fiver had a feeling that something was wrong. Once in awhile, a farmer would trap one of them. He put the food out as bait and he was careful only to trap one every so often as not to scare the other ones away. The healthy rabbits were complacent. As long as it wasn’t their turn to be snared, they didn’t care. Hazel didn’t understand Fiver’s feelings and tried to convince him to stay. “No, said Fiver very quickly. You are closer to death than I.” Hazel decided to trust Fiver because he had been right in the past.

 

They also were in danger of the Efrafan rabbits. Many other rabbits tried and failed at escaping and it was very dangerous. The Efrafan warren had plenty of rabbits, lots of land and they were very organized, but the bad things outweigh the good. The leadership was very authoritarian. Once you were in, you could not get out. When Bigwig realized that, “they thought of us as their prisoners,” it shook him awake for him to realize what was happening.

 

If a person was taken away from everything they’ve known and are looking for a place to feel comfortable, Efrafa would seem like a good place to stay. If the person was welcomed and lead to feel like they were needed, they would want to stay. They would be willing to give up their freedom to gain food, shelter, and security. If there are strict rules, it would give a sense of security to a person if they were in danger. But, as in Burma, “many in opposition are either imprisoned or killed. In most of the country there is a false peace due to the dictators’ ability to control dissent”. This would lead to a false feeling of home.

 

The rabbits also faced danger from man. The rabbits from the home warren were killed by men just because they were in the way of the housing development. In the big healthy warren, the men tried to catch and snare the rabbits a few at a time. Hazel also rescued four rabbits hutch rabbits that belonged to humans and almost got caught and killed for trying to help them escape.

 

Displaced people face many predators. Women and children are especially vulnerable. “Around 58% of the displaced population are women. In welfare centres, women have been subject to sexual harassment, abuse and rape by the security forces and paramilitary groups as well as by other men. Women are also affected by domestic violence. ” “Children displaced by both natural disasters and conflicts are often more susceptible to recruitment by armed forces.” Human predators are the most dangerous.

 

The group of rabbits had some problems overcoming obstacles while traveling. They had to do things that rabbits don’t usually do like swim across a river. “Like all wild animals, rabbits can swim if they have to: And some even swim when it suits them. …But most rabbits avoid swimming.” They had to endure rain, lack of food and rest. “There is nothing like bad weather to reveal the shortcomings of a dwelling, particularly if it is too small.” They didn’t always get along or a agree on everything. “Cold and damp, Hazel felt impatient. He had always been accustomed to rely on Fiver and now, when he really needed him, he was letting them down… they had an anxious time and were all weary.” It was also hard finding shelter sometimes.

 

Displaced Rwandans had a similar problem. “There were thousands of makeshift shelters along rural roads. Many have walls of leaves and soil and roofs of plastic sheeting giving very limited protection against rain and temperatures which can drop to 10C.” Displaced Somalis found help from the U.N, supplying emergency shelter items, to these people they can be life-saving: plastic sheets so they can put a roof over their head, blankets and sleeping mats so they can sleep and put their children down,  jerry cans for water and kitchen sets, pots, pans, plates and cutlery.” This gives the displaced people more hope for a new home.

 

As displaced rabbits, once Hazel and his companions got to Watership Down, they thought everything would be ok. Watership Down was easily defensible, had good food, a good burrow, and was far away from Efrafa and other warrens so that they wouldn’t have to worry about getting attacked. They brought more rabbits from Efrafa back with them so that they could have a bigger warren. Any displaced person would want the same thing. A safe place to live, food and water, and far enough away from enemies. They also would want companionship; someone else who was going through the same thing to go with them on their journey.

 

Watership Down is a novel about displaced rabbits and can be compared to displaced people in our world and what they might go through. Displaced people can face danger from anywhere at any time, whether prepared or unprepared, displacement is hard no matter what. Nothing can prevent it from happening, but it’s a thing that nobody should go through. Never let the hope to live in freedom die.

 

Bibliography
Adams, Richard George. Watership Down. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc, 1972.
“Burma Overview.”  2007 Free Burma Rangers Online.               
    http://www.freeburmarangers.org/Features/burma_overview.html
“Displacement, Natural Disasters, and Human Rights.” October 17, 2008. Online.                         http://www.brookings.edu/research/speeches/2008/10/17-natural-disasters-ferris
Ensuring durable solutions for Rwanda’s displaced people: a chapter closed too early
    www.internal-displacement.org/…/Rwanda_indepth_report_July_05
“The Refugee Council”, September 2003, p.26
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Displaced_person

The Cay

July 2, 2012

Levi Harapnuik

June 24 2012

 

The Development of a Young Man in The Cay

God sometimes wants to teach us things that we wouldn’t know if he didn’t give us that little push. We need to be pushed to do some things that we don’t necessarily want to do at the time. It might turn out well and you end up enjoying it and being glad that you tried something new. Sometimes he pushes us to take risks and guides us in directions that we don’t know where they lead, but there is always a reason. Just like Philip in The Cay,  written by Theodore Taylor, God sometimes drags us kicking and screaming toward change in our lives to learn about other people, to learn new things and to learn about ourselves.

Philip thought that the black people in his town were weird and he didn’t want to be around them that much. It was sad that Philip had to be stranded on an island fighting to survive and lose a close friend, Timothy, who was a black, for him to realize that the blacks weren’t weird or strange at all. After what happened on the island, when he came back home he started to befriend the black people and hang around them more. He considered them friends. They were really good people. He learned about other people and the sacrifices of which they were capable.

Philip was taken out of his normal environment onto an island with a person he knew nothing about and was forced to learn to adapt to his surroundings. He learned how to fish, survive on his own in the wilderness, how to tell when bad storms were coming, and tell what the weather was like. Timothy left behind some useful tools so that Philip could go on living without him like the rope he put up for Philip to move around the camp and to fish. He also learned a lot about himself and what he could physically and mentally endure on the island.

Philip changed over the time he spent on the island. At first he was just a curious kid that got into trouble quite a bit and didn’t listen to his parents that much. He went from his comfortable life in the city to being blind on a raft with somebody he didn’t even know. He was really scared and disorientated. He also was angry about losing his eyesight and not being able to see a single thing he was doing, but eventually he got over the anger. It was hard enough being on that island, without many supplies, but with his injuries and disabilities, it took a lot of strength and courage from both Philip and Timothy. After Timothy died, Philip had a lot of determination, the skills, and the courage to live on his own until he was rescued.

God sometimes brings tragedies to our lives to learn about other people, to learn new things and to learn about ourselves. Philip experienced these tough times and it changed him into a better, more mature young man. When we’re going through tough times is usually when we can learn the most about ourselves and other people. So when tough times are ahead, we should think of what we could learn.

Modern Christian Hero

June 2, 2012

Assignment: Write about somebody in your life who you know that could be seen as a modern christian hero.

The person who I have chosen as a modern day Christian hero is my uncle, Harvey Stuart, because his ministry with the indigenous missionaries to the North American church. He is a missionary for I.N.N (International Needs Network) who now lives in Lynden, Washington. He and his wife lived in Slovakia for a year where he taught English in order to teach people about God. He lived in Morocco for a year and tried to get a school going. He goes to different countries every few years, but what he mostly does now is he organizes meetings in North American churches and schools for indigenous missionaries from countries like Zambia, Egypt, and Ghana to speak and perform. He travels with them as they raise awareness about the state in which their country is in and to raise funds for their ministries. He has come to our house numerous times to stay for a few days while they present to the local churches and schools. The people he brings over are always really interesting and some are school children to represent their school. I see him as a hero because he has respect for these people and their cultures and he wants to help educate the North American church to help support the indigenous people’s goals.

Assignment: Write a Cause and Effect Paragraph on Unit 5 in History.

The Cannibals accepted John Paton after he dug a well and provided them with water. They had previously been drinking dirty water and they were getting sick. He dug the well and gave the people all the water they wanted. When the villagers asked how he did it, he said that God gave them water and that they should thank God. The village leader said that none of the other gods they worshiped did such a thing for them and asked if John would preach a sermon to them on the well the next Sabbath day. When the day came, the chief gave a short speech to encourage the people to listen to John. That day, many idols were rounded up and burned as the people changed their minds about thinking that what John said was lies.

Assignment: Write a Classification Paragraph on Unit 1 in history.

From Popes, to Kings, to common people, Saints in the middle ages faced people criticizing them and wanted to them to stop what they were doing and go as far as killing them to make them stop. Some of them like Elizabeth of Hungary and Francis of Assisi, were rich people and went against what the people in their kingdoms said and helped the poor and listened to what Got told them to do. Others like John Huss died because they wouldn’t stop preaching the truth and the Good News to people. They all had the same goal in mind, but had to achieve it in different ways because of the different time and the different people and leaders.

From royalty, to popes, to common people, saints in the middle ages were often persecuted. Some saints were disrespected or even killed for what they believed. Duchess Elizabeth of Hungary and Sir Francis of Assisi were rich and ignored the people who harassed them and helped the poor and listened to what Got told them to do. Others, like Bernard of Clairvaux, were disrespected by their families, but also were able to reach out and changed many lives. Unfortunately, others like John Huss were burned at the stake because they wouldn’t stop preaching the truth and the Good News to the people. These Saints all had the same goal in mind, but achieved it in different ways because of the different times in history, countries and leaders. Although the middle ages was a very hard time for Christians, there were times where their ministries thrived and changed a lot of lives.

 

 

Cue For Treason

June 2, 2012

Assignment: Write a Historical Fiction book report on Cue for Treason

Cue For Treason Book Report


He was running from a man that would never give up; running to escape prison or even death. The 267 page book, Cue For Treason, was written by Geoffrey Trease in 1940 and was published by Blackwell. I read the online version of this historical fiction from the University of Toronto archives. Reviewing the plot, characterization of Peter, and the things that I learned, we can conclude if this is a good book to read.

This is the story of very determined young man who would save the Queen’s life. Peter Brownwigg, a 14 year old boy, who lived in Cumberland, England at the end of the 16th century, was involved in a protest against a ruthless leader, Sir Philip Morton, who wanted to kill the Queen. During the protest, he threw a rock at Sir Morton and left behind a clue that could identify him. Peter ran from his village to escape the consequences of throwing a rock at a ruthless leader. He joined an acting group that preformed Shakespeare and used it as a way to hide from Sir Morton. Another “boy”, Kit, also joined the group to run from Sir Morton for different reasons. Amazingly enough, Peter, Kit, and the acting group tricked Sir Morton into thinking they were soldiers and brought Sir Morton and his men to justice.

Peter Brownwigg was normal looking 14 year old boy, but he wasn’t afraid to stand for what he believed. He was of average build, and could swim, climb and run like any other boy. When he set his mind to something, nobody could talk him out of it. For example, he and his family were trapped inside their house and his father told him to wait inside. He wanted to escape through a window and go get help and his father couldn’t talk him out of it. He didn’t respect authority of Sir Morton and his men. He once got free from a man who was taking him prisoner and knocked him out with a rock to escape from him. He didn’t show respect to anyone who was against the Queen.

This book made me realize three things that I never knew before. I learned that actors were only suppose to be male in this time period, and that surprised me. I also learned that it didn’t matter how old you were, the punishment was the same. There was no “easy out” if you were young. The last thing I learned from reading this book was that villages stood up for each other and it was like the whole village was a big family. I wish it was still like that in our world today.

Having looked at the plot, Peter’s character, and the things I learned, I have determined that it is a good book to read. It is full of adventure, doesn’t have dry, boring sections, and there are surprising turns in the story. Peter’s character of integrity makes this book appealing. It’s fun to learn about history in this way. If one likes historical fiction, this is an exceptional book to read.

Durer Book Report

June 2, 2012

Assignment: Write a biography book report on Durer.

 

There once was a man of many talents. The book, The story of Albrech Durer, written by Joyce McPherson tells the story of a man’s life in 110 pages. He was a man who lived as an artist from May 21 1471 to April 6th 1528. This version was written in 2001 and was published by Greenleaf Books, LLC. This essay shows a bit about his life, his art, and what we can learn from him.

Albrech Durer was an artist who lived in Germany. His father was a goldsmith and at a young age, Albrech Durer, because skilled at working with gold. Later on in life, he was an apprentice for other artists. He did paintings as well as engravings, woodcuts, drawings, and he also wrote several books. He was a talented man.

The main point in this book was tell the story of Albrech Durer, not only about his life, but also his paintings. Albrech Durer was good at drawing and painting what he saw, but he was also good at putting the visions in his mind into drawings. He was a Christian and that was shown in some of his work. One of his drawings showed how he thought the Apocalypse was described in the Bible which he called, Knight, Death, and the Devil. In this drawing he couldn’t see it happening in real life. It had to come from what he imagined in his head.

The story of Albrech Durer is the story of a man who traveled around, painting, drawing, engraving, woodcutting, and writing. He was an extraordinary man and was sometimes called “the Appelles of his day”. He was well known, but surprisingly quite humble and wasn’t arrogant like some other artists. No matter how talented one is, one can still be humble.

The story of Albrech Durer, tells the story of Durer’s life, his art, and what we can learn from him. He was skilled at a young age, and kept on getting better at what he did as he got older. He had a good imagination and was very good at putting those images from his mind onto paper. He was very talented, but also humble in his work. Although I don’t like reading about artists or about this time period, if one likes to read biographies about artists, this is a good one to read.

Men of Iron

June 2, 2012

Date Assigned: Sept 19

Topic: Write a five paragraph comparison essay exploring the following: Myles falworth can be seen as a picture of your typical hero in every way.

Here I have for you, an overview of how smart, stubborn and brave Myles Farworth was in the book Men Of Iron.


In the biggest stadium, the ground shakes as the crowds roar. A young man prepares for his first joust. A joust against a much older, and experienced opponent. Will he bring pride to his country, or will his dreams of being a highly esteemed and well respected knight be shattered to pieces? Here I have for you, an overview of a knight, Myles Farworth and how smart, stubborn and brave this knight was in the book Men Of Iron.

Myles was smart in that he always wanted to make the right choice and to do the right thing no matter what he had to do or what happened. He didn’t always do the right thing and it got him in trouble and even got him hurt sometimes. But I think he was smarter or wiser than the average fellow.

He also was very persistent or stubborn in that he sometimes didn’t do what his elders told him to do. They couldn’t make him do it, so he didn’t. And when he wanted people to do something, he wouldn’t stop unless they did what he wanted. In the book, he was dueling against another guy who he worked and lived with. Myles hurt his opponent quite badly but the opponent didn’t want to give up. Myles didn’t let him walk away unless the opponent surrendered to him. This was a good and bad characteristic of him.

Myles was really brave and wasn’t afraid to except a challenge, even if he new he couldn’t defeat that challenge. There were a times where his friends would have to stop him from doing something that would get him seriously injured, or even killed. It seemed as though he wasn’t afraid of anything. Even though he sometimes really was.

And that was how I think Myles Farworth was smart, persistent, brave and a hero in the book Men Of Iron. In the story, he went through a lot of good times, and hard times. He worked and trained hard to become a knight. All the work paid off and he defeated the older and more experienced knight.