The Catcher In The Rye

Since it is a part of our curriculum, we have now started reading a book in English class. We got to choose between "The Road" and "The Catcher In The Rye", and I chose the latter. I have only read until chapter 7, but I think it is already a quite good book. The story's main character, Holden Caulfield, is a teenager who is being kicked out of his prep school and the story is told by him from his point of view. I think this book is rather exciting and I look forward to reading more.

Right America: Feeling Wronged

Last week I was absent from English class. However, I got to watch the filmclips of "Right America: Feeling Wronged" even though. It is a documentary that covers some of the voices from the campaign trail in 2008. Director Alexandra Pelosi visits 28 states and captures the reactions and strong feelings from some of the supporters of John McCain, who ran for president two years ago.

The film clips clearly shows how many people was, and probably still are, against Barack Obama. One McCain supporter even called him the antichrist, while another linked him to Osama Bin Laden. They say they don't believe Obama could lead their country, and that America would not be safe if he became president. I also got an impression that people are still very prejudice and that there are a lot of racism. And a lot of people state they would leave the country if Obama won the election.

Senior Project

For my senior project, I have chosen to look at American politics through the years, and focus on how the scandals and the unfairness which occurs can affect the elections and the government as well as the society. Can the people of America really trust the people they have chosen to run their nation? And how serious are the effects of a political scandal? Some of the politicians I will mention are Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Richard Nixon.

President Obama's Nobel Speech

“I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations — that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice.” – Barack Obama

Since Barrack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, we have looked at his speech and worked on it during the last days before the holidays.We had to do some tasks and answer some questions, which you can see with the answers below.

1. What was the Marshall Plan?
This was a plan named after its inventor Secretary of State George Marshall, who was a fellow Nobel Peace prize winner. The plans intention was to create a stronger economic foundation of the Western Europe. In addition to rebuilt and remove the threat of internal communism after the Second World War.
2. Why is Obama humbled by this award?
Barack Obama said he did not deserve the award because of the lack of achievement. He was humbled for receiving it, and he felt he had not accomplished anything yet worthy of the prize. However, it was an inspiration to him for attaining his future goals.
3. Who was Woodrow Wilson and why was he awarded the Nobel peace prize?
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States. He was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1919 for his attempt to make peace after the First World War, with his fourteen points for peace.
4. Who are some of the previous winners that he mentions?
Some of the previous Nobel Peace Prize winners Obama mentions in his speech are Nelson Mandela, Albert Scweitzer, Martin Luther King Jr. They all accomplished a great deal with their work on achieving world peace.
5. According to Obama, what is a just reason for war?
According to Obama, reasons for a “just war” is if it is waged as a last resort or in self-defense, if the forced used is proportional and if civilians are spared from violence.
6. What are Obama’s 3 ways to avoid war and keep the peace?
The three ways that Obama believes will avoid war and keep the peace are as follows: Deal with those nations which breaks the rules and laws, find out the nature of the peace that we seek and not only include civil and political right, but include economic security and opportunity.
7. What “old architecture” is buckling?
“The old architecture is buckling” is said by Obama in the speech and what he means by that is that the other countries are no longer afraid of the United States as a nuclear superpower. The US have become weaker by the years and their threats against them have increased.
8. What does Obama mean by a “gradual evolution of human institutions”? Where is this quote from?
This quote is taken from one of the speeches of former President John F. Kennedy. Obama uses this quote by explaining how war can at some level be the human kind’s way of expressing feelings.
9. Why can’t Obama be guided by the example of King and Gandhi alone?
He cannot fight the war alone, and he says that he faces the world as it is and he cannot stand idle in the face of the threats to the American people.

You can read the whole speech of President Obama here.

In The Valley Of Elah

War veteran Hank Deerfield, gets a phone call from the military saying that his son Mike, who only recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq, has gone AWOL (Absent Without Leave). He travels to the military base to see if he can find out of his son's disappearance. Hank is a retired military investigator and is frustrated by both the military and the civilian police's apparent lack of interest in the case. However, Detective Emily Sanders decides to help him out and figure out what really happened to his son. Together they complete the missing pieces, and get the truth about the events that led to Mike's disappearance. All in all, this is a story of how war dehumanizes individuals to the point where the taking of a life makes no sense and where there are no rules.

Oscar nominee Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon star in this excellent film from 2007. It is directed by the amazing writer Paul Haggis, who also made the film "Crash". The story is based on actual events, which makes it even more powerful. The film’s title refers to the Bible, and the valley where the battle between David and Goliath is said to have taken place.

I've seen this movie loads of times and I think it is a great movie which focus on some important issues concering war and the effects it inflicts on a person. It also reflects on how the truth is sometimes difficult to face, because it can be brutal, and you don't want to believe it even though the facts are right in front of you. I like the ending of the movie, where Hank is raising the flag upside down, which is ment to be a message on how the country is in need of help.

An American Visitor In Class

Last week, in class, we got a visitor; Lee Ann Potter from America. She had recently moved from America, after taking a leave of absence from her job in Washington D.C, so that she could visit students here in Norway and have lectures. She told us about the US system of government and some stories of her own, which was truly interesting. One of the topics she talked about was the constitution. She had also brought fascinating hand-outs to look at. She even showed us a film clip from the 1970’s which was made by the network channel ABC to learn kids about the government and the constitution. I found this lesson very interesting and she was a great speaker and lecturer, which helped me to understand the US system of government a little bit better. I think we should have more foreign lecturers in class because it is very educational.

Here is the clip from the  Schoolhouse Rock program about the Preamble

Milk

Last Tuesday we saw the movie "Milk" in class. In this American biographical film from 2008, Sean Penn potraits politician and LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) activist Harvey Milk. The story covers how he became the first openly gay man to be elected into the public office in California. In addition to showing us his upsides and downsides in his career as well as his personal life. Harvey Milk was of great importance to gay people all across America. He fought for their rights all through his life until he was killed by another politician in 1978.

The movie is directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Dustin Lance Black. Actors starring is Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, James Franco and Emile Hirsch. It received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, winning two for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Sean Penn and Best Original Screenplay for Dustin Lance Black.

My impression of the movie is divided. I think the story is very powerful and a huge part of American history that has to be told. The actors do an excellent job playing these characters and the movie surely deserve the prizes it has been awarded. However, to be completely honest, the movie is not really the type of genre that I usually prefer. I didn't find it very exciting.

On the other hand, all in all, it is a quite brilliant movie which I actually would recommend to others. Because of the important story on how the gay people carried out the fight for their rights. It was the beginning to where we are today, and this movie gives us the journey on how we got there.