War Book Report

Heller, Joseph, Catch 22, New York
Simon & Schuster, Inc.: 1961


Reason, Type and Setting: I read this book long time ago, when my dad kind of forced me to read it. He has been in love with WW2 since ever, so I had basically no choice. It is a war novel, takes place at Pianosa, a little island by the coast of Italy in the end of WW2.

Plot: A young US Air Force soldier named Yossarian is drafted to Italy for his missions. However, his commanders are being tyrans, so him and his friends get into the worst missions. He tries to find a way out of the military and he finds it. There is a way, if the soldier is insane. He starts calling himself insane, but he just prooves, that he is sane. He tries to get out of Army anyway, he is arrested in Rome, and finally he deserts. He flies to neutral Sweden, and take control of his own life.

Character: Yossarian - the main character and the hero of the novel. I picked him because he is the easiest one to describe:) I like his attitude and and willingness to see the reality. However, I would not wanna be him. He is not able to respect the authority.

Evaluation: This novel was the weirdest thing I have ever read. I guess I was just too young to get it back then when I was reading it. It shows a lot of human values, friendships.... If I would put myself into the plot, I would follow orders. Im a soldier expected to follow orders. In spite of the fact novel being kind of weird, I totally recommend everyone to read it. It brings some new information and I think opens the eyes... on what was really happening thru the WW2.

Author, Context and Trivia: Joseph Heller was an american novelist, born and raised in New York City. His most famous pieces are as follows:

• Catch-22 (1961)
• Something Happened (1974)
• Good as Gold (1979)
• God Knows (1984)
• Picture This (1988)
• Closing Time (1994)
• Portrait of an Artist, as an Old Man (2000)

I haven"t read any of these books though, but I think I should take a look at them, since Catch 22 was a masterpiece, as many claim it to be....

Current Events Week 7

My article was about the biggest dog-show in the world, taking place in Birmingham,UK. 190 breeds in total competed againts each other in severela different categories. I used to take ma dog to these dog shows, we won some stuff, and then I got lazy...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2008/01/24/crufts_2008_feature.shtml

Vocab Week 7

scuttlebutt - A cask on a ship used to hold the day's supply of drinking water

bulwark - a wall of earth or other material built for defense
hubris - excessive pride or self-confidence
dearth - famine; an inadequate supply
deference - respectful submission or yielding to the judgment, opinion, will, etc., of another
emulate - to try to equal or excel
imitate -to mimic; impersonate
mimic - to be an imitation of
endemic - Prevalent in or peculiar to a particular locality, region, or people
aborigine - one of the original or earliest known inhabitants of a country or region.
inchoate - not yet completed or fully developed
precursor - One that precedes another
volatile - tending or threatening to break out into open violence

What do you hear?Journal

Everything sound so lound after I "reopened" my ears. I can hear a lot of footsteps, especially some knocking of the high-heel shoes. I can hear a plenty of door-slamming. Like a lot! I realized, that school is not as quiet place as I thought it was gonna be during the class.

Art Journal

I think art is something that includes a creativity and brings something to think about. It is not a simple form of having fun, however it is a significant part of our lives. Grafitty. I consider it being an art if it's well-made. People who just tag all around are losers. They think they create something unique. They are right. Somthing really stupid. Art is something where you have to use your imagination in order to create a final product.