Ciao from italia!!
Sorry I haven't called you guys, apparently we don't get phones... But there is wifi here in our hotel, so it would be best if we communicated by email. This morning we dropped off our stuff in our hotel here in Rome, and spent the entire day touring the city. It is so cool!!!!! Everything is super beautiful and old, and the people here are really chill. I went with my friend to get lunch and they gave us wine, no questions asked... A parents worst nightmare. We visited a bunch of places like the pantheon and that super famous fountain where u throw a coin over your right shoulder into it and your wish comes true. Anyway, that's about it. Tomorrow were goning to the Vatican. I think on Sunday or Monday were going to venice. I love you guys!!!!
Arrivederci!
Hi honey- driving so I can't write much now; I just want to say I'm so happy you are having fun-- it is going to be a fantastic trip. Are you speaking Italian to people? More later-- I love you!!! Ciao, Bella! Dad
Hi dad!
Today we went to the Vatican museum, the sistine chapel, the popes church, the colloseum, and the forum. Im so tired now, still jet lagged. I'm not really speaking Italian because almost everyone here speaks fluent English.. Haha. Tomorrow were going sienna. Not much to report on, but expect a postcard soon!
Ciao!
Hi sweetie pie-- wow, what a great day you've had! I love the Forum; I think its my favorite place in Rome. I love walking up on the Palatine Hill, where the palaces of the Caesars' was. Now all that are left are the foundations for all the rooms. You used to be able to get a floorplan so you knew what all the rooms were used for. In those days I had just watched the I Claudius miniseries from the BBC, and the main villain was Augustus Caesar's wife, Livia. A lot of her plotting took place in her bedroom. So I found her bedroom on the plan, layed down in the grass and took a nap. I also love the Dr. Suess-like trees there; very beautiful.
I am really envious you are going to Siena; its one of the places in Italy I keep meaning to visit, but have never made it to. There is a lot of great art there--the Siena School produced a lot of amazing painters. Ask your teacher if you will be going to see the Giotto frescos. They are very great works of art.
Have fun, and keep writing me about your adventures. I am so happy for you! Love, Dad
hi karl do you have an image of YOU you can emai lfor walters spanich project...
i am sure he is only saying nICE things... but we need a pic and i don't have any on ym computer.
hi anne
this should work
"Karl se siente comodo en su Snuggie"
hi dad
i finished my essay!!!!!
im so proud of it, its like i had a baby
feedback?
love you!!!!!
ps what email should i use foru in the future? the earthlink one or the gmail one?
There is no debate that death is a tragedy, but even more tragic is the death of our human attributes, a kind of passing that doesn’t put an end to our existence, but our souls. As Norman Cousins once said, "Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." What Cousins is saying is the unique characteristics of a person outlines and influences everything they do. It makes the human race a wide spectrum of diversity, which is why the death of one’s individuality has a greater effect on others than does their actual loss of life, and not on just their close ones, but eventually on a worldwide scale. The novel 1984 by George Orwell is a story about a dystopian society where people’s entire lives are ruled by the government. People are given very little freedom to make their own decisions and can face heavy punishment for not conforming to a strict code of behavior. The government controls almost all knowledge. A similar novel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the burning of books and constant exposure to television controls true wisdom and understanding. Cousins’ quote speaks true to 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 because in each novel, the characters’ promising and hopeful personalities are withered away and are totally changed under overbearing oppression and control, ultimately affecting them and others around them.
In 1984, people are given very little freedom to make their own decisions and can face heavy punishment for not conforming to a strict code of behavior. People live under constant fear that they will be vaporized, or essentially erased from history and ultimately people’s minds. They are meticulously observed by telescreens, monitoring devices that are almost everywhere, so that they cannot "conspire" against the Party (the government). Children are even encouraged to report their parents to the police for suspicious behavior. When Winston, the main character and protagonist of the story, is detained in jail, he witnesses the extreme and erratic behavior of many of his cellmates under the threat of the "Thought Police". Many people are taken to Room 101, where they are forced to face their worst fears. Winston witnesses one man who is about to be taken to Room 101, and he is so terrified that he pleas any alternatives to going to Room 101 that he can think of. He says, "‘I’ve got a wife and three children. The biggest of them isn’t six years old. You can take the whole lot of them and cut their throats in front of my eyes, and I’ll stand by and watch it. But not room 101!’" (Orwell, 243) The government is so threatening that people—like the man Winston witnessed—are willing to give up the things they hold dearest to them in order to escape punishments doled out by the police. In effect, this causes them to go against their wills to avoid any unnecessary attention from the government. This fear is exacerbated and made more vivid by the use of tone throughout the novel. The mannerisms and actions of all of the other characters that Winston encounters are always described as timid and carefully thought out. They are afraid, and the existence of caution and wariness that someone is listening to them is ever-present. Living in fear and being forced to conform to government standards changes all of the citizens’ personalities. They are forced to model orthodox action, and to an extent, thought, ultimately laying their potential irreplaceable personalities to rest.
In Fahrenheit 451, the burning of books and constant exposure to television controls true wisdom and understanding. In the novel, people spend the majority of their lives watching TVs the size of their living room walls, and always have company from people on TV whom they can interact with. Most people—as seen in the wife of the main character, Montag—have learned social interaction from watching TV. Montag’s wife, however, is in fact far from appropriate mannerisms and prefers her TV friends over him. The overexposure and appeal of television limits her desire to do anything else, and over time diminishes her intellectuality and ability to interact with other actual people. The TV slowly eats away at her personality, leaving her shallow and materialistic. Books are illegal and it is Montag’s job to go around as a fireman and destroy them, and in turn destroy a part of scholarly intelligence to keep control among the population with the same intent as the Party in 1984. The Party reduces the individuality of the characters in 1984, the TV and the burning of books does the same in Fahrenheit 451. The use of symbolism in Fahrenheit 451 is a commonly used literary element that lets the reader understand and interpret the kind of society Montag is living in. For example, one of the main symbols in the novel is that of the Hound. The Hound is a dog-like machine used by the fire department that Montag belongs to. When given a scent, the Hound can find any given person, even if they are miles away. The Hound is usually used to catch criminals and can kill them. Eventually, it is used on Montag. The Hound in the story represents a way of keeping crime under control, but reflects upon the kind of society Montag lives in because instead of actual people catching the criminals, they have a machine do it. In a way, this ties back to "what dies inside us while we live". The human race in Fahrenheit 451 has become so disconnected from reality that even the police force uses driverless cars and mechanic dogs to keep order. In going back to the quote, the society of Fahrenheit 451 is so dead inside that all anyone has the motivation to do is to watch television.
In 1984, people are given very little freedom to make their own decisions and can face heavy punishment for not conforming to a strict code of behavior. The government controls almost all knowledge. In Fahrenheit 451, the burning of books and constant exposure to television controls true wisdom and understanding. . Cousins’ quote speaks true to 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 because in each novel, the characters’ promising and hopeful personalities are withered away and are totally changed under overbearing oppression and control, ultimately affecting them and others around them.