Independent Reading Prompt 8

After some research on J.R.R. Tolkien, I found out that he was not a fan of allegories or deeper meanings in his works. He was a writer whose main focus was just to tell a good story. Yet, after reading the book I was able to pick up on one underlying prevalent theme in "The Hobbit:" No matter how small or insignificant you seem or are made out to be, you can always do something great to be remembered. Tolkien conveyed this theme by picking Bilbo to be a mere hobbit rather than a dwarf, a man, or an elf. Smaller and weaker than almost every race of Middle Earth, Bilbo saved his friends many times and basically insured that the quest was successful. He did all this even though very few people believed in him. The dwarfs saw him as a burden at first, the other hobbits did not like his adventuring, and his foes did not take him seriously. Even Bilbo did not believe in himself at the start of the quest and only embarked on it because he was forced to by Gandalf. It was not until Bilbo was put in extreme circumstances before he realized his potential.

Independent Reading Prompt 18

Although very simple, I believe that "The Hobbit" is a perfect name for Tolkien's book. In the beginning of the book, Tolkien gives his description of a hobbit. He says it is a very peculiar creature, but is filled with many hidden talents. He mentions that they have always been overlooked, but yet they remain wise and clever. No one in Middle Earth, except for Gandalf, expected anything great from a hobbit, but Bilbo proved everybody wrong. This is what makes his acheivments as a hobbit more special than if he were a man, an elf, or a dwarf.

Independent Reading Prompt 16

There are obviously vast differences between "The Hobbit" and "The Motorcycle Diaries." One takes place in a fantasy world hundreds of years ago and the other is a non-fiction diary of a to be revolutionary. Yet, they have many similarities as well. For one, the main characters in each book embark on a life - changing journey of self realization. The youthful, optimistic Ernesto was certainly not the same man by the end of the trip. The suffering he saw caused him to forever change his views and ultimately his life. Bilbo Baggins had a similar experience. Before he embarked on his quest he was ignorant of the world around him , and he was perfectly content with that. He was also ignorant of his own potential. If it was not for his adventure, he probably would have spent the rest of his life residing in the Shire. The quest he embarked on helped him realize his true potential as a very talented and bold explorer. His life too was forever changed after his quest.

Independent Reading Prompt 12 Chapter 7

This chapter starts off after everyone successfully escaped and regrouped from the goblin caves and are making their descent from the Misty Mountains. Gandalf mentions a mysterious being that lives in the area that he plans to visit. This person is Beorn. Beorn is a shape shifter and spends his time as either a very large man or an even larger bear. From his description and his actions, one can imply that he is sort of the protector of nature. Besides being friendly to the travelers (after much suspicion first), and providing them a place to stay, he does not serve much purpose to the plot. The reason I think that Tolkien included this mysterious but commanding creature was to loop in a theme: The dwarfs and the hobbit respected nature and all the plants and animals they encountered. The goblins on the other hand (who Beorn later ripped apart) did not. The ones that lived harmoniously with nature were protected by Beorn and helped along their way.

Independent Reading Prompt 7 Chapter 13

It turns out that my predictions from the previous post were correct. Bilbo re-enters the mountain and this time talks to the dragon face to face, although he still is invisible. He gives away some vital information though, hinting that he came from the town of men nearby. Smaug picks up on this hint and leaves to go burn down the town. Bilbo's lack of planing resulted in a possible catastrophe.

Independent Reading Prompt 6 Chapter 12

After finally getting into Lonely Mountain unnoticed, the dwarfs selected Bilbo to go take a look around, and possibly steal treasure. Even though he is invisible with the ring, Bilbo is horrified when he sees the sleeping dragon. He does manage to take a golden cup, then bring it back to the dwarfs. The dragon does wake up and take notice. I believe that Bilbo made a mistake by going in without a solid plan. The dragon will surely take vengeance on the dwarfs. I would not be surprised if the dragon would even go out of his way and inflict damage on nearby areas such as the town on the Long Lake.

Independent Reading Prompt 14 Chapter 5

"There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself."

This quote was said by Gandalf regarding Bilbo. From the beginning the dwarfs questioned Bilbo's ability to embark on an adventure considering he lacked many survival skills and fainted at the idea of leaving the Shire. Even Bilbo did not have faith in himself. Gandalf was the only one who saw the potential that Bilbo had. Later on in the book, he proved Gandalf right, using both his wit and physical ability to save the dwarfs many times and ensure a successful quest.

Independent Reading Prompt 1 Chapter 1

The title to the first chapter of the book is calles "An Unexpected Party." It references the visit of Gandalf and the 12 dwarfs that unexpectedly showed up at Bilbo's hole and stayed the night. Even more intrusive, they basically forced the unwilling hobbit to join them on their dangerous adventure. Regardless, they party had a joyful evening filled with a feast, stories, and music. The whole atmosphere was a jubilant one, and made me wish I was present at the festivities. The warm spring evening that was described made me long for warmer weather.

Independent Reading Prompt 4 Chapter 8

I was very surprised by the bravery that Bilbo displayed in this chapter. While lost in the darkness of Mirkwood forest, he and his dwarf companions were tied up in a web by giant spiders. Bilbo broke free and killed the nearest spider before turning invisible and wreaking havoc upon the predators. After outsmarting them while invisible, Bilbo then took off his ring and proceeded to free his friends and kill more spiders. Before this chapter, Bilbo had been kind of pathetic in terms of strength and survival. He constantly needed to be carried when they were running from goblins. This was the first time that he really showed the doubtful dwarfs how much of an asset he really was. It was also the first time he put aside his own needs (like hunger) and acted for the good of the group.

Independent Reading Prompt 11

I really enjoy J.R.R. Tolkien's voice and writing style in "The Hobbit." Compared to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy that I previously had read, it had much more of a lighthearted tone. The whole premise of the adventure was for glory and for the sake of adventure, compared to Frodo's where the fate of Middle Earth lied on the success of his quest. Tolkien narrates the story in a way that a grandfather would read a story to his grandchildren. He throws in many of his own points and inquisitions (many in parentheses), and this just adds to the whole lightheartedness of the story. Yet, it has its climactic points and remains very interesting to read.

TMD write your own DO NOW

MLK, Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela all were revolutionaries just like Che was. The difference was that they carried out their agendas in a peaceful manner.
Che never even considered a non-violent revolution. Do you think he could have been succesful if he tried? Do you think his legacy would have been any different?

I chose to ask this question because I do believe that Che had noble intentions. If he would have carried them out differently, I wonder if he would have had a more lasting impact and a better image.

Columbia & Venezuala

The speech at the end of the book was given by a man whose name is not given. Ernesto describes the man in a third person tense. I think that the man Ernesto was describing was in fact himself. I think that the speech was the defining moment when the innocent and caring Ernesto turned into the powerful revolutionary Che. He spoke of innocent lives lost as a part of the revolution and said that anyone not willing to join them would die. These harsh words would not have come out of Ernesto's mouth, but were the ways of Che.

Theme Introduction

The LEO thesis statement page was probably the most helpful for me. The rules to writing a thesis statement were short and to the point. The site also provided many helpful examples that went along with the point they were trying to convey.

My Thesis:
Ernesto Guevara set out to create a unified Latin American society where the people would be cared for, treated equally, and not exploited; but his inflexibility, his lack of realism, and his actions after the Cuban Revolution caused his goals to fail and his image to be stained.

Peru Diction Quiz

Ernesto’s journey through Peru begins with him abandoning his transportation and walking through the DESOLATE landscape by foot. The BEASTIAL cold takes a toll on them as they travel through the night, but then they come across a truck carrying “human livestock.” The truck is filled with the Indians, and it takes them to a DESOLATE village in the mountains that looks like one that their ancestors would have lived in hundreds of years ago. The people there had become glum and FATALISTIC, excepting the troubles and injustices that BEFELL them long ago when their people were conquered by the Spanish. Being a social INTERLOCUTOR, Ernesto engages in conversation with an Indian school teacher that lost his job for defying the Latin Americans’ oppressive ways. The man goes off on a TIRADE, telling Ernesto how he ABHORS the MESTIZOS who enslaved the Indians even though they had blood ties to the Indians as well. Ernesto’s spirits are dampened again when he visits Machu Picchu and sees the city that was once great, but is now nothing but an ancient RELIC, thanks to the conquistadors who sacked the city long ago. Ernesto feels sympathetic for the constant LESIONS the native Indians had endured all these years. This is certainly not all the suffering Ernesto sees in Peru. Everywhere in Peru he goes, from Lima to the leper colonies, he is questioned by poor about his wonderful Argentina, the "Land of Peron."

Who did Ernesto want to become?

Ernesto wanted to be a liberator of his people. He wanted a united, Utopian Latin America where everyone worked together, for the well being of everyone. He wanted a Latin America to become a place free of oppression and exploitation. He did not want Latin America to look like Soviet Russia though. He wanted the government to help the people rise up, not oppress them like the Soviet dictators did to their people. He proved this when he insulted them when in the Cuban government, even though they were Cuba's closest ally. In fact, I believe that Ernesto wanted Latin America to become a society where there was no need for any president or dictator.

Chile

Ernesto's experience seeing the Chileans in the copper plants is something that really had an effect on his political views. He saw the people that he had much admiration for being exploited by working hard and earning meager pay. He saw this as injustice, and it probably caused him to dislike capitalism and lean towards socialism, where he believed workers would not be exploited that way.

"This is a crude summary of the manufacturing process, which employs a floating population of 3,000 souls."