Brutus' Dream- Blog assignment #3

I found myself in a forest, surrounded by wild life, not knowing where to go. I looked in the sky for some direction. By my astonishment, I saw a hawk flying ahead, with its wings spreading across the entire sky. The sun was in my eyes and beating down on my face like hot coals. I started to follow the hawk, keeping my eyes overhead so that I wouldn’t lose it. I could feel myself wanting it— I was going somewhere, and this hawk was leading the way.

The trees that surrounded me disappeared and were replaced by a large vast plain. Appearing from thin air, animals began to take the field, with expressions of anger, deceit, betrayal, and hopelessness. They took their posts and I stood back, scared of what might happen next. They roared with defying amounts of aggression and charged forward. Like soliders on a battle field, they held nothing back, not afraid to die.

Deceased animals were shed abroad the plain—cats, horses, elephants, frogs. And hung over a blood stained rock, slept the hawk I had been chasing, which seemed like days ago with all the chaos that stood before me. I looked away, feeling as though that hawk had meant something important to me.

But the time wasn’t to mourn, for directly in front of me a colossus bear slashed its sharp claws across the neck of dog. As the crisp end of his weapon hit the powerless animal, the blood sheared across my face, blocking my vision. I smudged it away, trying not to miss the action.

When I reopened my eyes, I heard a frightening burst of thunder from above, and felt cold liquid soak my body. It was like a bad case of chicken pox; the scene before me was attacked by red dots. I looked up at storm above, and instead of a rain cloud, a bursting red bubble filled the sky. It was raining blood; drenching everything with the former remains of peace and serenity, which was no longer anywhere to be seen. The blood, once again, covered my vision.

I awoke to listen to my own heavy breathing, and my hand covered in red, from the blood dripping out my nose. I loved Rome more then anything, and in that moment, I knew I killing Caesar was what I had to do to prevent that from happening.

Dream symbolization

Hawk- freedom

Cats- feminine power (Portia)

Horses- power, strength, endurance

Elephants- stability, ability to deal with any problem

Frogs- love

Dog- friendship

* the dying of all these animals represents losing all these things; freedom, feminine power, strength, friendship, etc.

Bear- unfriendly: Threatening situation or circumstances from powerful sources, groups (Brutus thinks that this represents Caesar, but in reality, it represents himself because he is killing the dog which represent his and Caesars friendship)

Thunder-power beyond control

Brutus' Journal Entry- Blog Assignment #2

Dear Journal,

I have my morals, and I will not be forced to look up on someone who I do not think is superior. At these times, I would prefer not to be a citizen of Rome. I already fear the day that Caesar is to become king. Who is to say that he will continue to deny the crown? Even Casca said that he seemed more reluctant each time he refused the crown. If Cassius is right, I am the only one who can convince the people that Caesar can’t become king. I know that in the long run, this is what is best for Rome. Am I the one who should have the final say? I do not know, but I am putting it upon my shoulders to decide.

As Cassius brought up earlier today, what is it that makes Caesar better than him or I? Caesar is one of my oldest and dearest friends, but I can not let him destroy Rome. And at this point, I do not know if I can take the risk to let him obtain that much power. I’m feeling like I am being pulled. Caesar or Rome? Obviously there is no comparison. I love Caesar, but Rome will always come first. Therefore, it is no longer the question which is more important; I am now stuck on what to do. I’d like to believe that I have enough honour to spare Caesar his life, but I no longer know even that. Only time will tell what is to become of Caesar and Rome.

Brutus

Hope's War- Blog Assignment #1

About the Author

I am currently in the middle of the book “Hope’s War” by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch. Including this book, so far, she has published a total of eleven books, written from 1996-2009. Many of her books, including “Hopes War,” are based around, and take place during, or shortly after World War I and II. Her books have been nominated for many awards.

Interesting Fact: She also lives in Brantford!

Story Plot Line

Kat is starting new again, in her grade 10 year at Cawthra School for the Arts, after her less than successful past year at the local Catholic highschool. Art has always been her strongest and favourite subject and she’s excited to be around like minded people at her new school, where she reaches out to a fellow classmate, Ian.

One day after school she comes home to find the RCMP questioning her grandfather, Danylo. She later discovers that he is has been accused of being a policeman for the Nazis in World War II Ukraine. This is as far as I have read so far.

Time, Place & Atmosphere

This story takes place about 40 years after World War II. I know this because Kat is curious why her grandfather is being bothered about incidents that happened 40 years ago while he was in the war. The story takes place in both Canada and Ukraine. More specifically, so far, most of the story has been held in a small neighbourhood, where Kat lives and goes to school. At the beginning of the story it was kind of a “homey” atmosphere. The characters had a very normal everyday lifestyle; however, further into the story the atmosphere becomes a bit tenser. When Kat finds a letter meant for her grandfather accusing him of murdering innocent civilians in the war, the reader becomes more curious and worried for the characters.

Kat in a Nut Shell

The protagonist, and also the character that I chose, is Kat. Kat is very artistic and creative and isn’t afraid to show her ideas to people. For her religion class at her old school, she created a sculpture that showed Mary as the cross that Jesus was nailed to. She must have had some idea that this would have started a controversy, but she did it to show something about herself. Kat is also very protective of her close family and friends. When she finds the letter about her grandfather in the war, she becomes very worried and tries to find out what really happened. Another example of this trait is that she’s always looking out for them, and is always trying to help. When her friend Ian needs a set backdrop painted for his concert she’s right on board with it.

Final Thoughts

Most of the books I read would be classified as fantasy, because I like reading about impossible people, doing impossible things. However, this book isn't actually based on a true story, but the events in it could actually happen to someone. I’ve only ever read one other book about war. I’ve never really liked history, so I don’t enjoy having a history lesson during silent reading period. I get easily confused on the events that are happening because I don’t have a lot of prior knowledge on World War II. Other then that, the books pretty enjoyable, but I still probably wouldn’t read another book by this author unless it was recommended to me.