gates of fire

Pg. 296


"'Let neither of us pity the other,' my cousin spoke in parting. 'We are where we must be, and we will do what we must'"





What i love about this passage is the great love that there is between them. Xoe feels really bad about not being able to protect his cousin Diomache, but she explains to him that he has been and that he is. After explaining to Xeo about what she saw and what she thought it meant, it really seemed to get to him and realize that what she was saying was true. Although I would have preferred of they ended up together, the message that she sends across was very touching. The way she tells him that she will honor him when he dies and that hes really been protecting her all along even though he didn't think he was, was moving and makes you want to agree with the way things worked out between them. She believes that as he goes out into battle he is going to die along with the other Spartan soldiers and she, as well as him, is okay with the fact. It really just makes me wonder if even though she really truly believed what she said about them being who they should be, I just wonder if she ever wanted to know what would have been of them if nothing had ever changed and he had kept his word to marry her some day. Although the story has a little twist here, they are both learning in love and of life as they go on with what to them is their responsibilities.

thankful

I would have to say that the only thing that I'm thankful for this year is just to be alive. This past year was not the best and I'm hoping that this year will be different. All I can say is that I can't really go back in time and change what I've already done. All we can do is try to forgive and forget. This is a whole knew year and it's time to start over and move on.

One of the main things I love about this holiday is all the memories. I'm not able to celebrate Thanksgiving, or any other holiday, due to my moms religion, but I still love it and hold very dear in my heart. When I was younger every year my family and I would go to Perris, Ca. to my aunt's house, where the whole family would be and we would all have a great dinner together. I remember we my aunts would make a lot of traditional Mexican food. They are the most memorable times that I have of my family.

This Thanksgiving isn't going to be very different than other ones that I've had in the past, other than the fact that I'm going to be working 24/7. This year hasn't been very good, and I know that I'm not going to forget this Thanksgiving for all the wrong reasons. Happy holidays everyone!

gates of fire book 2

Book 2
Chapter 8
pg. 67
"This is why I had come to Sparta in the first place, to witness the training close up and to endure as much of it as Lakedaemonians would permit."

It's weird how first he talks about how he was "captured" at the age of twelve and brought to Sparta and he even saw that as "saving his life." Now he's saying that he wants to "continue in Alexandros' services" and become his squire just so he can be around and witness the training. I had always heard of how Sparta was so great, what, with them having the best army in the world and all, but never thought of it as so great that there were men serving other men so that they would have the chance to be near by when the man he was serving, which was most likely, to him, of a higher rank, he would get to see Spartan armies train. It makes me want to personally what training was like for the Spartans. The author really just brings out the fact that Spartan soldiers were really just great.
Book 2
Chapter 8
pg. 75
"' Who the fuck told you you had the right to see'....Did Alexandros think that in combat he would be allowed to pause to wipe his face?"

This was such a shocking and breathtaking line to read. At first I thought to myself "wow! These people are so strict, maybe too strict," but not that I think about it, I realize why they were known so well as the most powerful and the strongest of men when it came to fighting in combat. It was all the extreme strictness of the training that made them the strong undefeatable army that they were. I couldn’t think of any reason why Alexandros was being yelled at by the Polynikes because of something as simple as wiping his face, until I read the second part. It really got me thinking, and I realized he was right. When they were to be on the battlefield he would not get the chance to pause so that he could simply wipe blood from his face. For those reasons Sparta had the strongest army. They were quick, smart, and ready for anything, and most of all, fighting was their priority.

gates of fire

“…Though I hesitated to use the word “slave” because my father was more in Brixies’ power than the other way round.”

After reading this I’m not so sure how it was they set up the ranking back in those days. This passage talks a lot about how Brixies was known as a person who “knew everything.” If he was as great as they say, then even though he may not have been born in a family with money, couldn’t he have reached a higher rank himself? It’s like a race issue. He didn’t choose to be born under such circumstances, it just happened, and no matter how great he was he was still going to be a slave. It’s very similar to issues brought up even in later centuries. To this day people are being discriminated against for something they can’t help.



“Numb reunions were held alongside or in copses, and news was traded of the dead and the soon to be dead.”
This passage really just sent a chill down my spine. It was really deep and the words just struck me. It really just makes me wonder how they felt during that time. It just seems like to me that because of how common deaths were in those days people weren’t affected that much by it. The picture painted by the author in this chapter sort of reminds me of a scene in a book I read called “Because of Romek” which was set during World War II. There was a chapter where he walks out of his refuge spot and everywhere he turns he sees a dead body or parts and blood spread al over his surroundings.



“They say that ghosts sometimes, those that cannot let go if their bond to the living, linger and haunt the scenes of their days under the sun, hovering like substance less birds of carrion, refusing Hades’ command to retire beneath the earth”

I think that the main thing that got my attention about this was the superstitions that they had even then. I think the author was just trying to add a little bit of history. Letting is know a little bit more about the people and their beliefs. I knew that myths like that have been around for so long and it just makes me think about how much more believable those stories might have been in those days then now a days. Mainly because of other things they believed such as their gods and goddesses. It also makes me wonder if they really truly believed in this stuff, and what they believed happened to us after death.

2008 Presidential Election

So we're free to write about anything we want, so I thought I would write about something that affects me directly, since i believe this. Religion is a major issue when it comes to politics. My mom is a Jehovah's Witness and i grew up learning from her. Although somethings she says I believe and others i don't, one thing i do believe is that America is falling down and it is soon coming to an end. It may sound a bit dramatic and not many people may agree but if you really think about it, it's a possibility. In my opinion, we need to be informed about the views that the people were voting for have when it comes to religion.

Here is one example. John McCain is one of the presidential candidates for the election of 2008. http://pewforum.org/religion08/profile.php?CandidateID=4 Here you will find that Mr. John McCain is a faithful Christan. It even says that 72% of Americans believe that it's important for the president to have strong religious beliefs. Of course I believe that this would only be truly convenient for people of the same religion. Although we have the freedom of religion, the president could still pass a law that said we couldn't do something our religion required us to do, or it could also be the other way around. There are many different things that we have to look at and consider when were choosing a president.

On the other hand there is Barack Obama. He also calls himself a Christan. The difference here is that, in my opinion, his faith doesn't seem to be as strong as McCain's, but I think it's mainly just because McCain went through a very memorable experience, as shown on the previous link, that made his faith stand out and very strong. Obama seems to be a great man with a loving heart, but for some Christians that may not be enough. I don't know what other people may think about this topic but these are my opinions. Some Christians may think that it's better if they vote for someone who shares the beliefs as them. In the end, this is my point of view, and i think it plays a big role with politics.

Blurb

I would have to say that my dad is my hero because he really cares about people that are less fortunate. He used to go to Tijuana, and give people food, regardless of the problems he was getting from the border patrol. I love him for it.

Person/picture I like

Chase Deen Martin. That's his name. In my opinion, he's one of the greatest people in the world. He's the greatest friend I have ever had, and he always seems to know how to put a smile on my face. This picture was taken on a hunting trip he went on. He knows I hate people killing animals, so obviously, he dedicated that picture to me. He loves out doors and pretty much anything that has to do with nature. He constantly goes out camping and sadly, hunting. One if the thing i most admire about him is the way he sees life. He's not the type of person to live the same day twice. I think that that really shows in this picture, because he's doing what he loves and just living his life the way he does day to day. This isn't my favorite picture of him but I really like it. His perspective about life shows in this picture. And that's what I love about him the most.