Quarter Two Cycle One Synthesis Page Reading Response: A Tangled Web of Social Issues

There are so many social issues in books, and they intertwine in interesting and disturbing ways. In the two books I read, Cat's Cradle and The Kite Runner, there are many apparent social issues.The Kite Runner is a story about an afghan boy (the story follows him through to manhood) named Amir who has a stable life in Afghanistan, until the Russians invade, and he is a refugee in america. His father is his  "frenemy", and  he is in the upper class of Afghanistan. Cat's Cradle is a book about a man writing  a book on one of the fathers of the atomic bomb, and on his way, goes to an island known as San Lorenzo, and learns that the father of the atomic bomb also had a much more sinister weapon. There are issues including things such as destruction, deadly weapons, religious persecution, and issues with parents and marriage. These different issues intertwine, causing and feeding to each other, and mutually create distress and terror in the people in the area. When these issues appear, there is no escaping them, you have to face them and deal with them. These social issues are looming over many, and are a threat to much of the world. These social issues are everywhere, and they connect into a tangled-- and deadly web.

In  Kite Runner, there are many complex and worrying social issues. The first of these groups of issues present in the book is family. Amir's family goes through a lot of turmoil, both internal and external. When Amir is a child, his father never appreciates him, because he is "different" pretty much. Also, his mother died in childbirth, and his best friend's mother ran off with a troupe of dancers-- a fate devout Muslims consider worse than death. Amir's family alone would be trouble enough, but that is not all. Also, the country they live in has many issues. Afghanistan had a monarchy that was deposed by democratic rebels, creating an upset in the balance of power. After a decade or so of the democracy, the USSR came in and created a puppet communist government. And to make matters worse, the Taliban came to mess things up even more.Throughout the story, Amir has had so many troubles and social issues. There is a problem, and once you deal with it, you\have another.

In Cat's Cradle,  the social issues are much more large scale and *Spoiler Alert* (the world gets destroyed). The first major group of issues is war/violence. In the story there is a substance called ice-9, which freezes any water it touches under 128 degrees Fahrenheit. This example obviously affects the world of the book, because it destroys it. Also, there are people who get hanged for any crime that they commit. Whether it be petty theft or mass murder or even believing in a religion called Bokononism, you will be hanged on the "hy-oo-oo-kah" (inside joke for readers of the book). This greatly affects the main character, and the world around him. The second major group of issues in the book is equality. San Lorenzo prides itself on being a catholic country, and will kill anyone and everyone who openly practices a religion that secretly all of the San Lorenzans believe in. Furthermore, there is also a big controversy in the book about the castle company, which owned all of San Lorenzo, and practically enslaved all of the natives for sugar cane farming. These both are really not good ways to show the equality of different groups.

These issues may seem like isolated phenomena, and you may seem to want to dissociate yourself with them, because you do not want to face them. But, as Cat's Cradle and The Kite Runner display, even to stable lives, things can upset and destroy. Because we can not fully grasp what is going on right now, we can grasp how people have to deal with issues. We are perpetually very focused on what goes on that pertains to us, but if we reached out, we could do genuine good in this world.We need to work together to untangle such a troubled world, and destroy the bonds between social issues, and end those social issues once and for all.

Non- Fiction Reading Response 11/11/14

     The article "How The Murder of Four Teens Started a War" by Patricia Smith really shows how a chain reaction can cause a large conundrum in this crazy world. The article tells the true story of three Israeli teens that were kidnapped murdered by a Palestinian militant group, and then a Palestinian who was murdered by Israeli militants in retaliation. Then the article goes on to talk about how all of this (among other things in the past) started a seven week long war with hundreds upon hundreds of deaths, drawing great international scrutiny. The author frames this in a very specific manner to incite thought in you about how such a large scale event could be caused by four murders. (Granted, these are terrible acts, but should not have caused a full blown war).
    The author used many powerful "loaded words" to emphasize her point. She used the word "bludgeoned" for example to show the inhumanity and cruelty in events such as these.The definition of the word bludgeon is: to beat repeatedly with a cudgel or other heavy object. She also used words and phrases such as "extremist", "militant", and "murdered in cold blood", as well as "beast", and "anger" to show how devoted and determined both sides were to their cause, and what extent they were willing to go for that cause, to see it through to victory. For example, in the article it states "Israel's existence was secured, along with the seeds of Arab anger." to show how the two would in the future have a very hard time coexisting. It furthers this by stating later that "Hamas doesn't even recognize Israel's existence." The people on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have valid and legitimate problems, and there is a lot of difficulty in figuring out how to solve problems like these.
    This article really strikes a chord with me. I have cultural connections to the middle east, and these problems are valid and important issues. The teens being murdered was the result of the widespread hate and contempt in the middle east. When I heard about the three Israeli teens being murdered on the news, I pondered for hours on how and why people would do things like this. But, even in the darkest times, people need to find solace. The mother of the Palestinian boy who was murdered emphasized the need to coexist rather than wipe out the other side, so that issues like murder won't arise. The aunt of one of the Israeli teens, and the uncle of another seconded this notion. This article touched on a lot of deep, important  topics, and the author brought out all the flavor in those tidbits by usin loaded words.