A day that marked our toughts

My name is Sara Oliveira Martins. I am a reporter working for the famous American newspaper – The New Work Times. The newspaper sent me to Turkey to write an article about the famous Oriental Express. Prior to the visit I had researched and written an article about the issue and that was the reason why the newspaper and the Presidential Hotel in Ankara Turkey decided to sponsor my visit to report “first hand” about the amazing journey the Oriental Express does when crossing that fabulous country.

When I over flied Istanbul I was overwhelmed with the beauty of this thrilling city. The city was completely different from what I was used to, it was full of historical monuments and was covered in Mosques. After I landed and when I was exiting the airport, I was struck by the heat and by the confusion that surrounded me. The cacophony of sounds, colors and smells was almost surreal.

After I met the sponsors of this trip in which I was supposed to write an article about the Oriental Express they took me to the hotel. The hotel where the sponsors had made the reservation was the Presidential Hotel. It was not as large as the hotels I was used to in America and there were a lot of strange smells emanating from the thick oriental carpet. The air in the room was hot and still because there was no air conditioner installed in the room. Despite of all the fatigue from the long trip at least the bed felt very comfortable and I drifted into a dreamless sleep.

The next day I woke up early so that I could meet the guide that would take me in this astonishing journey. We decided that we would start our trip early in the morning so the warm air wouldn’t affect us as much.

The city was irresistible; the markets exotic and the food we were presented with was delicious and after being raised on ”fast food” this was such an incredible change. The food was fresh and with plenty of vegetables. I loved all of it but specially the sublime “Mezze”.

That night when finally exhausted I almost crawled into the hotel I was able to witness a fabulous display of fireworks over the sea while I was sipping a delicious mint tea in the hotel veranda.

The next day I and my guide boarded the train to Izmit. The train had eight carriages and it was quite new and comfortable. I accommodated myself in one of the stunning sleeping wagons. The voyage lasted almost three days but always with a nice view of never ending forests and fields and sometimes I was able to catch a glimpse of the ocean and its beauty in between the passing trees. We crossed many ancient cities and small villages with almost picturesque names. The employees of the train company clearly aware of who we were treated us very well and we were able to sample food from different varieties and regions. My room was dark and comfortable and the constant humming of the train dandled me to sleep every night.

When I arrived to Izmit at 6pm and was on my way to the hotel I noticed that this was such a beautiful small city with mosques that dotted the landscape and with a population that seemed extremely happy as they moved about making their errands. As I arrived to the Izmit Plaza Hotel I went to refresh myself and unpack my luggage. Later I decided to go to a nearby restaurant where I had a delicious local meal and watched a Belly Dance Show. Given the fact that I was not too tired I decided to watch an Opera in the city most famous theater. I retuned to the hotel at almost midnight. The wonderful events of those last days kept playing in my mind and I was just lying in my bed feeling sleepless.

At 3:02 am I started feeling my bed shaking and initially I thought that some heavy truck was passing in front of the hotel. Curious I approached the window to see what was going on. As I got closer to the window the shaking became more violent and suddenly my brain started shouting “Earthquake! Earthquake!” Through the window I could now see the buildings throughout the city collapsing. Many buildings were falling and distressed as I was still able to dress a coat on top of my pajama before I started making my way to the stairs. On the corridor there was a lot of confusion as chandeliers started to fall and the hotel fire alarm resounded through the passage ways. People were pushing their way through the crowd in the different floors trying to reach the safety of the ground floor and escape into the Plaza. When I finally made my way through to the lobby I got out of the hotel and followed the multitude to the center of the plaza so none of the buildings would crash on top of me. After some brief moments that seemed an eternity the hotel collapsed right in front of my eyes and a lot of people who did not have the time to get out was crushed to death. When the earth tremors finally subsided, some of us that were able to escape the crumbling buildings started to frenetically remove the debris of the collapsed buildings in a desperate search for survivors.

Without delay I asked a man that was standing next to me still trying to understand what had happened, if I could use his phone. I tried to call my guide but he did not answer so I was forced to believe that he had probably died. I was never able to hear from him again. I subsequently placed a call to my office in America telling them what happened and they asked me to stay and report this tragedy.

Everything should have gone perfectly that day but why it wasn’t so? Approximately 1000 people died, because most of them were asleep and they did not have a chance to escape the catastrophe before their buildings collapsed because of their structural weaknesses. Turkey is located at the highly active Eurasian geological plates and that explains why there was such a major earthquake. Since 411 B.C there have been at least 100 cases of earthquakes confirmed in Turkey. From 1903-1999 the earthquakes occurring in Turkey have killed around 160.000 persons and injured at least other 150,000. In these several earthquakes around 420,000 homes and buildings have been destroyed or damaged.

In those initial days I was able to witness as rescuers found people under the debris of buildings some of them alive but many with their bodies clearly injured and had to be evacuated to the nearby hospitals that had somehow survived the earthquake. The remaining hospitals were overcrowded with thousands of patients and many tents were erected by the government in an effort to boost the Medical response capacities. There was lack of almost all basic structures and the rescuers were overwhelmed with all type of desperate requests. There was not enough food and the space was scarce. There was a critical lack of blood and potable water. I could observe the recovering efforts and the passionate cries for help from the good people of Izmit. Luckily many of the world governments sent several rescue teams that helped with recovering the death and injured. Their efforts in providing Medical attention to the needy were also laudable. Many people were extremely depressed because of the loss of all their family members.

The world media was flooded with so many stories of unsuccessful and successful rescues.

But the one that impressed me the most was the rescue of an old woman that was saved from the hotel I was staying in that fatidic night after remaining in the rubble for almost four days.

I clearly remember that old woman under the debris of our hotel and she clearly looked dead but as the rescue dogs got closer she was able to move her eyes and this filled the heart of the rescuers with hope. They continued their tireless efforts digging; pushing; removing debris until they were able to extract her from that pile of ruble and nowadays she is in the Istanbul Main Hospital clearly recovering her badly shaken health.

Many of the children of the city were left orphans and if it wasn’t by the world donations that poured down into Izmit orphanages they would have died of starvation and cold.

The devastation caused by the seismic activity was clearly spread out through the city and all the neighboring areas.

My last memories before I boarded the helicopter that would take me from that place of so much devastation were the collapsed main high way with scores of crushed vehicles under it as well as the fire running hammock on the oil refinery of Izmit.

One of the crude oil towers had collapsed when the earthquake struck and the subsequent fire lasted for many days and I likened the thick black smoke rising to the sky to a sad remainder of the desolation that had fallen over the beautiful city of Izmit.

I left Turkey with an understanding of human suffering that will forever haunt me and shape my life and career.

Tell Tale-Heart

The tell-Tale Heart

I liked this movie because of the cartoons who represented the story. But for someone that wants to get the story when they first watch it it's not the most recommended movie because it speaks very fast and you have to be really listening to it. It's really hard to understand and the story is not really understandable and they are joking with the story so some of the important parts are missing.

There are no images in the background that you can refer to. There is also no background music that can produce suspense in the listener. The story is not speaking by itself because what they are doing is playing with the real story so there is no reliable material to use. The story goes through really fast and you cannot understand it the first time you watch it. In this story there are no valid references.

In my opinion this story is just joking with the real story.

The Tell-Tale Heart

I didn't like this movie that much because I could not focus on what was going on in the story. The pictures used were not used appropriately because what was being narrated did not match the pictures, so I was frequently lost on what was going on in the story.

I didn't fully understand who was the old man in this story because it didn't talk much about the old man. The mad man started already opening the door I couldn't understand what had he done and why did the police was already knocking on the door. In the end when the mad man asked the police to come into the house the movie started showing some images from the old man moving his hand from under the floorboard.

The characterization was really bad. The voice was understandable and if it wasn't for some fails everything would be good.

The Tell-Tale Heart

I like this movie the best because for a new reader, who is starting to know the story it speaks very clearly. The story does not jump from a place to another and that helps the reader understand what is going on in the story.

In my opinion this movie shows what happened to the old man and how did he died. It shows clearly why the mad man wanted to kill the old man just because of his eye. The comics are very clear and are according to what is going on in the story. The background sound is really incorporated with the story.

What I liked the best in this movie is the part where the mad man confesses to the police that he was the one who killed the old man. When it is shown that he goes to jail it makes people predict that he wants to run away because he is tormented with what he did and makes the person who is watching the movie to feel that he wants to commit suicide and punish himself for what he did. The movie is very well organized and in the beginning tells us about the old man and provide the viewers with an overview of what is going on the story.

Truman Vs Jonas

The Giver

VS

Truman Show

When you read or see something or someone you will eventually latter become conscious of some similarities and at the same time some differences. In your mind you will even involuntarily compare the previous information you had with the latest obtained. There are a many possibilities of comparing and contrast different things and different situations. The easiest information to compare is when you have situations or materials that have similar aspects. The two situations hereby being compared are the book “The Giver” and the “Truman Show”. The topics being compared include emotions, the quest for freedom and the plot which they are involved.

Emotions:

The emotions and feelings felt by Jonas and Truman are very similar but meanwhile very different. Truman and Jonas both tend to share their emotions of with the people of the community they belong to merely by interacting with the community in according with their feelings, but at the same time they tend to share their emotions only with their best friends in which they can trust. On Truman case the community controls his fears, desires and relationships by deceiving him. On Jonas case the community does not want to be confronted with memories and emotions and therefore exploit Jonas and his predecessors as a receptacle of those same emotions and memories they want to suppress.

Likewise there are striking differences in the way Jonas and Truman express those emotions. Jonas is only allowed to share his emotions with the Giver and he is only able to do so after passing the Twelve Ceremony and be named the Receiver and entrusted with his first memories and emotions. On the other hand Truman was born with the opportunity of sharing his emotions with everyone he wanted to but did not have an idea that the whole community was deceiving him.

Quest for Freedom:

In their quest for freedom both Jonas and Truman receive clues that make them start questioning the communities’ perspective. Truman and Jonas both keep demanding additional information about their community and are always surprised by the reluctance of the community to provide the answers. That same reluctance to provide answers make tem question even more the accuracy of the information being provided and they start to search for answers for themselves. As they question the information being provided by the community several clues eventually appear that make them even uneasy regarding their life style and the people that compose their society.

For Jonas the clues provided were the change of the color in the apple and the change of the color in the crowd. Those small differences made him understand that he is different from the others and that the uniformity preached by the society is nothing more than an illusion. Nevertheless the most important clues about his community are giving to him by the Giver when he starts sharing the community memories with Jonas. And are those memories and the understanding of the numbness and remorseless actions of his fellow men that send him in a desperate flight for freedom.

On the other hand as Truman tries to obtain the truth but he is always blocked by the High Tech Equipment that monitors him 24 hours a day as well as by the other residents of his community that obstruct his movements into areas where he should not be allowed. Some of the clues that down on Truman are the sprinkler that falls on him prior to the rain as well as the fall of the light bulbs. Those clues contributed for awareness of the situation he is in and made him start searching for his freedom but that freedom could only be achieved if he could “trick” the camera operators so he could sneak out from the community.

Plot:

The plots are very well organized both in the movie as well as in the book. The plot of both stories is so similar that sometimes it even looks like it was the same person who wrote the plots.

Both of the characters were early adopted and they accepted the life that was imposed on them by the community. Initially none of them really questioned any of the information provided by the community.

The main difference is that in Jonas case the whole community is not aware of what is happening to them and the decisions that re being taken by the Elders. Truman by the opposite is the only person in his community that is not aware of what is happening.

In both cases the outcome is very similar and crucial since the communities were taking away the free will of both Jonas and Truman. In the same way, both of the personages feel they have the right to leave the community and to take whatever actions that will allow them to accomplish their goal. Nevertheless, there are also differences like some of the emotions demonstrated and the ways in which the plots affect both characters.


In conclusion the book and the film made me question if there was any type of community like those mentioned above in the world today. It made me wonder to which extreme people accept regulations imposed over them without questioning the legitimacy of those same rules.

The Giver

1) Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of Sameness in Jonas’s community?

I do believe that having Sameness in the community would bring advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages: The existing of the principle of Sameness in the community does not permit people to feel jealousy towards the others. There is no such thing as rich and poor because the houses are equal; the clothes used are designed to have one single style that every one will use. The weather is not to hot or to cold therefore the citizens will not feel burned from the sun or feel cold from the snow. Nevertheless, in this type of weather the farms would be able to grow crops during all year.

Disadvantages: The term Sameness in the community brought some short comings affecting the present members. The existence of Sameness in the community would affect the way citizens would perceive the world. Also, the memories about the past were kept from the community and that affected the way they were able to deal with their emotions. That was the main reason why they needed a Receiver. The members of the community did not have free will therefore they could not choose their own actions and jobs, etc. Something that was important and they also did not posses was the opportunity to see the different colors and hear music or sounds. The use of the weather control meant that citizens would not be aware of heat or cold and will not realize the cautions required in each of the different types of weather.

2) Compare the relationship Jonas has with the Giver to the relationship he has with his mother, father, and sister?

The relationship between the Giver and Jonas has a deeper meaning. Their relationship is based in love because of the memories they both have to share. There is a close relationship between both of them without the need for the control and the rules that shape each of the community relationships. The Giver and Jonas also understand the difficulties and emotions of each other since they are passing through the same experiences.

The relationship between Jonas and his family is based in the respect for each other. The rules of the community shape that relationship and there is not real trust in each other because they live of life of lies. There is no real love and kindness because in the reality they are not a nuclear family but in fact they are a family composed of members that have been assigned to that specific family group.

3) Discuss weather Jonas’s assignment as the next Receiver of Memory is an honor or a punishment?

Jonas assignment is considered an honor by the community. Jonas was assigned the most important job in the community and he has the possibility (to see outside the box) to understand the outside world better. But even the community understands that being the receiver is also somehow a curse. Being the Receiver he has privileged knowledge about more things than the other community members and has access to everything and everybody needs him.

But being the Receiver is also some type of punishment. He has to bear the memory of pain, sorrow, sadness, etc. He comes to have emotions due to the memories he receives and he craves to share those memories and emotions with his friends but he cannot. He spends most of his time alone. He cannot apply for medical support despite the pain the memories transmit to him. And one of the rules he has to abide is that he may not apply for release notwithstanding all the pain and sorrow that memories bring upon him.