Blog Five.

At the beginning of Catch-22, Yossarian and some of his fellow cadets were in the Hospital. He was affaid to go back to the war, so he began making up stories about his illnesses to stay Hospitalized. He had decided that it is better to be there rather than taking bullets out in the fields.

Once he decided to leave the Hospital, he went back to his berricks. He ended up in a conversation with Orr. Orr was talking about how he would put crab apples and horse chesnuts in the side of his cheeks, kind of like a squirrel. He did this all because it was a dream of his to have big cheeks. Yossarian didn't understand why Orr would want big cheeks but he didn't bother asking because he feared he would get even more confused in the matter.

Yossarian thinks everyone is out to kill him. One guy, Dunbar, tries to convince Yossarian that they are in a war, therefore everyone is out to kill everyone. Dunbar dislikes Yosarrian very much and thinks Yossarian is very stupid. Many people think that Yossarian is crazy because of his theory about everyone being out to get him. Yossarian, in return, thinks everyone there is crazy.

In my oppinion, they all are just a bit crazy. One guy, Dr. Stubb, is beginning to think that staying alive is a just a waste of time. He loves being a doctor and saving others, but just doesn't see anything to live for. because of this, he thinks he is the only non-crazy person in the war. Yossarian, I think, just wants to go home.

Blog Four.

Chapter Ten
Theme: Isanity as the Sane Choice of Action
Quotation: "There is no light. I don't feel like starting my generator. I used to get a kick out of saving people's lives. Now I wonder what the hell's the point, since they all have to die anyway."
In this quote, he is being very selfish. He is acting as if it doesn't matter if thousands of innocent people die, so he isn't going to worry about saving them. Just because you don't feel like doing something, it doesn't mean you shouldn't.


4.) Chapter Twelve
Theme: Rationality vs. Superstition
Quotation: "The enemy," retorted Yossarian with weighted precision, "is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on, and that includes Colonel Cathcart. And don't you forget that, because the longer you remember it, the longer you might live." Chapter 12, pg. 134
This is basically saying that you can't trust anyone, even if they are fighting with you rather than against you. He is saying that the only one you can trust is yourself, so you don't need anyone. In my oppinion it is very selfish to think that way. If you get hurt you will need to trust someone to help you, and others would want you to look out for them as well.


5.) Chapter Thirteen
Theme: Sense of Guilt
Quotation: "You know, that might be the answer - to act boastfully about something we ought to be ashamed of. That's a trick that never seems to fail." Chapter 13, pg. 149
This is saying that if you brag about what you did wrong, then it will go away faster than if you lat the guilt get to you.

Blog Three.

1. Givin the same situation, I probably wouldn't do the same things he did. I would be the one who sits back and takes whatever is thrown at me. I wouldn't try and fight the system, all I would want to do is get it over with and get back home to my loved ones. I don't think it makes much sense to fight the military or any other powerful systems, I don't think it would help in any way. Then again if you have a probable cause for fighting the system then it never hurts to try.

2. I agree with Joseph Heller that we have the freedom to say no. We make our own decisions in life have the right to say anything we want.We can say no to drugs, alcohol, and sex! It is all our own choice if we end up addicted to crack, heroine, or cocaine. It is our own fault if we end up in prison for being drunk in public or dead because we decided one drink wouldn't affect our driving. It is our own fault if we young girls end up pregnant and have no clue how to take care of a baby. So, yes i do agree with that statement.

3. I believe that the book may have been as effective if it had been written in a more serious manner. It might have been just a little bit easier to understand and a lot less confusing to me as the reader. I think the book would have the same meaning, just would be more understandable.

Blog Two.

a. In the conversation between Yossarian and Orr was about Orr putting crab apples and horse chestnuts in his cheeks to make them bigger. In Yossarian and Cleninger's conversation, they were talking about everyone was out to get Yossarian. Cleninger was trying to convince Yossarian that "they" were out to get everyone, not just Yossarain. I would say that neither conversation was resolved because Orr and Yossarian's conversation didn't make much sense and was very confusing and the other conversation Yossarian still believes that people are out to get him and everyone thinks he is crazy.

c. In the statement "Insanity is contagious. This is the only sane ward in the whole hospital. Everybody is crazy but us," Yossarian tells Chaplain that they were the only sane people left from the war. Th e only person they didn't like in the ward they were in was the Texan, because they think that he killed the soldier in white. This murder shows that the Texan is either crazy or just racist. I would say that so far the Texan seems to be the craziest so far.

d. When Clevinger tells Yossarian that he is a Jehovah Complex, it means that he thinks Yossarian thinks that everyone is Jehovah (God). I do agree with Clevinger about this because Yossarian was talking about himself, saying he was a "real, slam-bang, honest-to-goodness, three-fisted humdinger. I'm a bona fide supraman."

Blog One.

• Paradox. A statement that that sounds crazy as if not true, but really is true. So, basically it is a statement that contradicts it-self.
• Catch-22. A novel written by Joseph Heller. It was published in 1961. Heller's experiences as an air force bombardier formed the basis for this Novel. Catch-22 is a tricky situation that someone is trapped in and can't get out of because of contradicting rules or regulations.

1. In "The Superstition of School," by G.K. Chesterton, he says "that the self-educated think far too much of education. I might add that the half-educated always think everything of education." The paradox of this statement is that you'd think the half-educated and self-educated wouldn't think much of education, but they do. Especially since in today's society there isn't much of an opportunity for those who are not well educated.
2. In Steinbeck's "Paradox and Dream," there are many paradoxes. The one that really caught my eye was this: "Fortunes are spent getting cats out of trees and dogs out of sewer pipes; but a girl screaming for help in the street draws only slammed doors, closed windows, and silence." Most would never think that this could happen, it is absurd! Although, when you really think about it, it is a terrible and unfortunate truth. People do all they can to rescue wild animals and pet from danger, but if a girl is asking for help because she is poor and has nothing to eat, or has a father who beats her, or is just looking for salvation in her miserable life, all she gets is closed doors and noses turned away with no look back. No one will save her from the unknown perils of the world.

What 9-11 means

What 9-11 Means

by: Me (from forever ago)

What 9-11 means to me:

A call for help, an emergency.

But on this day there was tragedy,

Thousand killed and thousands now suffer.

The world is at war!

What do we do?

Where do we stand?

After all I've seen and heard,

I now know that United we stand!

We are Americans.

As long as we work and take care of one another,

We will stand proud!

God bless America!