∙Sophie∙

"kept your face towards the sunlight and the shadow will always fall behind you."-Walt Whitman

Category: 8th grade

For Posterity– The Diary of Luis Roberto

April 25, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Holding his old journal, Luis Roberto smiled as the dust of the leather cover shimmered in the light, and the prickly earth-smell of the pages filled his nostrils. It’s funny how while writing the journal, Luis thought he would never have the chance to reread it. Yet, here he was, flipping through the decked edges of each page, reliving the wonders of 1952. Here’s how the journal goes…

 

 

 

Many have changed as a result of the Cuban Revolution. The most noticeable difference being the socio-political structure of Cuba. The Revolution supposedly ends Dictatorship– heavily influenced by the United States, replacing the government with socialism. With socialism, numerous policies of Cuba developed. To name a few, Cuba installed universal healthcare, literacy programmes, and (similar to the soviets) land reforms. Yet despite these socialist reforms, the “end of dictatorship” is a mere deception. Castro continued the dictator ways of governing. He continued to execute those who opposed him or challenge his power; inevitably, leading him to be the one with absolute power. Furthermore, the Revolution greatly influenced Cuba’s international relations. Due to the change in government, Cuba holds tensions with the United States, disapproving of Cuba’s government. In return, Cuba then turned to the Soviets– an adversary to the United States. This change in parties drastically affected the allies and adversaries of Cuba, compared to before the Revolution. However, one intent of the Revolution was to end Cuba’s dependency on the United States. Though Cuba succeeded in cutting off its dependence on the United States, ultimately, Cuba continues to rely on another nation– the Soviets.

Homeland or Death: Options for The Cuban Revolution!

March 29, 2021 / / 0 Comments


The Cuban Revolution, a situation unimaginable to most, can be summed up in a word: continuity. To simplify the complex revolution motive, imagine mom urging you to attend school. Upset, you run away to granny’s, only to realize she signed you up for summer camp. Dictated by tyrant after tyrant, what would you do? How did the Cubans handle such a scenario? Find out in The Cuban Revolution in Plain English video below!

Photo

 

Breaking Down Unbroken

January 21, 2021 / / 3 Comments


 Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand tells the life story of Louie Zamperini, an Olympic runner and military aviator during World War II, and his experience surviving life on a raft and years of horrific abuse as a prisoner of war (POW) in Japan. Themes the novel hints at include that forgiveness often lastingly changes your perception of life, while revenge feels validated solely at that moment. 

The book is a fascinating and influential literary non-fiction-take to a Louie Zamperini obituary that I recommend to all readers. From the iconic quotes of the literature(such as “a lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain” and “dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen”) to the thrilling stylistic writing of Laura Hillenbrand, the read is a reading pleasure to its core. Despite the reading, the novel in itself delivers influential themes. Particularly in non-fiction, readers are heavily encouraged to apply the morals of the book to their life, as they believe that it is a realistic approach to their personal life. 

I prejudiced non-fiction. The sound of statistics, graphs, and diagrams weren’t appealing to me. However, this unit was surprisingly enjoyable to learn and go through. I discovered the joy of non-fiction, the combination of narrative and factual areas of the book made it fun to read. Speaking of the matter, I learned about how narrative and information parts seamlessly blend, correlate, differentiate, and strategies to recognise them. It was interesting to identify how literary non-fiction authors combine informational areas of the book and, in my opinion, the fun narrative sections.

Rap of the Boxer POV Rebellion

November 30, 2020 / / 0 Comments


Following historical tradition, the winners of wars always tell the tale, consequently, the Boxers resulted in a bad reputation as they were opponents of the Westerners(the winners) – however, I would argue the contrary. From the Boxer’s POV (point of view), they are justified for their behaviors as a reaction to the exploitation of foreigners. China had spent years suffering, keeled under the weight of the Opium War and other foreign influences. This eventually forced China to sign treaties favoring the foreigners – following to not only wealth desperations, but a flood of ethnocentric missionaries attempting to convert the Chinese into Christians. This suffering is the origin of the Boxers. Like other countries throughout history faced with colonization, they engaged in varying forms of resistance and adaptation to colonial rule. The Boxer’s behavior derived from attempts to preserve their traditional values and the accumulation of difficulties from negative foreign influences (wealth, religion, land, etc). On top of that, natural disasters such as floods and drought led to hardships. Naturally, boxers viewed foreigners as the root of their issues, in the case of both cultural and general hardships, rationalizing their motives for the rebellion. Should the boxers have a bad reputation when their intentions were to defend their culture and remove hardships? From the Boxer’s perspective, no. However, that is a valid question

© 2025 ∙Sophie∙

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑

Skip to toolbar