A Long Way Gone- Journal 3

In closer pages to page 180, I see the trust of Ishmael growing towards his uncle building up a relationship they could probably not have because his father never mentioned he had brothers. On page 179, closer after, I think, the rehab session, Ishmael asks himself “Why have I survived the war? Why was I the last person in the immediate family to be alive?” I can’t really tell why he is feeling like this after all he went through. Maybe all he feels is guilt. After being force to be part of the war, he felt guilty the way he acted against innocent people. But it wasn’t his fault, and after all he still feels that way. This just shows that after loosing his childhood over the war, he has a conscience. I think this is the reason he is concern about his uncle acceptance. Maybe he is scared that all the things he did will not help him living with his uncle. I consider Ishmael very brave to be able to come back to the world after what he has faced. I don’t think he had a choice because it could have been worse by running away. And even though he was the only one that survived, they were all part of a complete change in Ishmael’s life.


Stephanie Villarreal

In Cold Blood- (Journal 8)

As I go over the murder in the book, I can’t help but notice little details that somehow I can relate to in a way I never thought possible. Emotionally impacted by the murder, I stand to almost feel what a character like Bobby Rupp feels. I don’t know how to explain, but as I read what he had to go through, I could almost feel myself in the same situation. I know that as teenagers relationships are not always taken for granted. I could relate to Bobby, because he lost someone he wanted to spend time with, someone he loved that was not family, and someone he just smiled with. Somehow, even though the person that I chose to be a person like Nancy was to Bobby is not gone yet, but knowing he’ll leave my side soon just breaks my heart. Reading about how Booby used to spend all that time with her, then he just had to give her up without question. My boyfriend, Lucas, is soon to be gone. It is really hard to have to go through that because the decision was made for him. I wish it didn’t have to be that way. At least I get to hope to see him again, but Bobby Rupp doesn’t get that and instead becomes a suspect for the murder of the person he cared about. I care a lot about Lucas, and I really hate the fact that he is leaving to Argentina. Sometimes in this life decisions are made for us for the better, just like there’s a reason to why things happened. Even though sometimes things seem under control, there’s just things we, humans, have little control over. I try to picture myself with no hope at all, but I just can’t. There’s just this pictures of all the times we spend together it is just so hard to let go. I really hope to see him one more time later in the future. It is a big pain I feel inside because I want to be happy he is with me for now, but then I’ll have to say good-bye with little hope to see him again.


203-248

In Cold Blood: Journal # 6

Floyd Wells keeps a dark secret to himself; the secret of knowing who the murderer of the Clutter family is. Also, later he knew that meeting Dick sent Mr. Clutter to his grave. It is so unexpected the way things came to be. Wells had a rough life that randomly related and connected to the Clutters. Floyd Wells was part of them somehow. As a young man he worked, and had a chance to share moments with the Clutter family. Even though it wasn’t much, the family was still in his memory. Why would he accomplice or even be mention in an act like the murder of the Clutter family? Wouldn’t he appreciate working for Mr. Clutter?
Even though there were many other man that worked with Mr. Clutter, Floyd seems to have that guilt that makes him spill out all his side of the story. And his side of the story was clearly to point it all to Dick. As they shared a chat, Floyd Wells mentions Mr. Clutter. This all leads with Dick asking how wealthy the family is. And it is interesting how Floyd Wells just seems to answer and talk about everything Dick wanted to know. I wonder why if Floyd Wells never attempted for things to end like this, then why would he shared everything he knew about the Clutters with Dick , a man who wanted to fake being an officer by stealing an uniform. Also, if he really didn’t think Dick was serious about killing the Clutters , why was he so attentive to the radio and newspapers? I also wonder what does that Perry guy actually do for Dick and why?


Pgs. 100-170

In Cold Blood: Journal # 4

I n Cold Blood, the author is pretty descriptive in the details of the crime, the investigation, arrest and the execution of the murder. It is just crazy how the murder had no apparent motive of why it should had been done, nor left any clues for the crime to be done that way. Picturing this family of four being murder in a calm city in Kansas by shotguns is impossible. It is just a pretty horrible event that did not need to happen. Why would anyone do something like this?
I can’t imagine what the murderers were thinking. They must have been uniquely crazy. I just wonder what was going through their minds. I mean something like this just seems unreal. Are there still people like this in the world? Why did it have to be like this?
Could it have been done differently?

Dancing on the Edge: Miracle McCloy

As a young girl raised by her grandmother, Miracle McCloy goes through so many challenging moments through the book. I can consider her to be a good friend because her mind is full of questions and she is determined to do the impossible to find answers. Miracle goes through her childhood knowing that her mom died when giving birth to her. As a friend I would let her know she is not alone and how special she is. I believe that Miracle can become a good friend of mine because she has a big heart. In the book, Miracle tries to contact her mother just to let her know that she is fine by using the Ouija board. With a head full of questions, she finds out her father, Dane, disappears to never see him again. As the story goes on, Miracle trys to find the answer to why her father disappeared.