Summary & Main Idea

The Sniper by Liam  O'Flaherty

Summary:

     In Dublin, on a June night, all that was seen was darkness and, all was heard were guns roaring. The Republicans and Free Staters were waging war. Near the O'Connell Bridge, a republican sniper lay watching - on top of a rooftop. After foolishly lighting a smoke he was attack by a bullet. Now the he knew that his enemies were watching, he noticed that his enemies were undercover. Just a few moments later, the enemy car arrived. A lady informer approached the car and pointed to the roof were the enemy laid. Immediately the sniper shot and killed the man who got out of the car and the woman. Not a second to spare, the sniper was shot one his right forearm. Quickly, he nursed his wounded arm and made a plan to escape. After successfully feigning his death (which was his plan), he shoots and kills his enemy who came out of undercover. When he decided to see who he has shot, he turns the dead body and looks at the face of his brother. This short story is about a sniper's experience he has during war.

Main Idea:

     The main idea of the short story "The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty is that it is always wrong to kill other people. The author is trying to make us understand that, you should never kill a fellow human being because, whoever it is, it could be yours and somebody's loved one. At the end of the story we find out that the sniper kills his own brother who also is his enemy. Would he have killed his own brother knowing that his enemy was his brother? Probably not. But, the end of the story turns out to be a situational irony meaning that actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended to happen, so that the outcome is different to what was expected. So, in this short story we see that the readers and the sniper do not expect that the dead enemy ends up being his own brother. 

Child Soldiers

Child Soldiers (Video and Article): Comparison

          The video recounts the past of a child soldier, Ishmal Bech. It’s a documentary that tells us about him becoming a child solider during the civil war in Sierra Leone. He is conscripted as a child solider and becomes a killing machine. He is brainwashed into believing that the every single rebel death will avenge his own family slaughter. The others and he are addicted to marijuana and cocaine as it numbs his emotions during war. So after he is turned over to UNICEF where they take his to a rehabilitation center, where he struggles greatly. After great improvement, he learns that other children like him have survived and suffered and, is invited to New York City were they tell their stories to the United Nations. In the end, Bech becomes a successful author and share his experience the world where he believes that it will avoid such dismays from happening to other children.

Connections:

A connection that I found between the video and the article is that children are brainwashed. Although they are not brain washed the same way they are taught to kill whether it be a game or in real life. The text could also relate to the way child respect their elders. I’ve heard cases where children have very little respect to their parents and in some cases do not do anything about, which can later on affect the way they behave in they future.

Challenges:

Yes, violent video games have impacts on kid but, not all kids react or are affected in the same way. Firstly, they would need possession of a weapon such as a gun – how are they supposed to have possession over something they cannot have. Secondly, not every child starts to attack random people – they must have been provoked or taunted by others. Thirdly, it can merely before self defense – some child automatically put up their defense and feel as if they need to protect themselves – we have to remember that accidents do happen. We have to remember that children are not always the one necessarily buying the game; it’s the parent’s/guardians poor choice of buying and providing the game for their child – knowing or not knowing the content in the game. 

Concepts:

Some key concepts/ideas that I think are important and worth holding on to from this text are those:

• Video games and media violence have great impact on younger kids and could lead then to make terrible decisions at some point.
• Poor parental choices on games that they buy for their children.
• Unawareness of the effects of violet games and media violence.

Changes:

Some changes in attitudes, thinking or actions that are suggested by the text and me are:

• Parents should make better choices when they are buying games for their children – they should read they content that is present in the game that their child want to play, as well as the age limit. (ex PG 13)

• There is not Constitutional “right” to teach children to blow people’s heads off at the local video arcade.

• Working against child abuse, racism, poverty and children’s access to guns, and in rebuilding families, but also take on the producers of media violence.

Media Project 1

TDSB Schools May Be at Risk of Closure

http://www.cp24.com/news/future-of-dozens-of-city-schools-to-be-determined-over-next-3-years-1.2229916

According to the Toronto District School Board, 40 percent of 130 schools could be closed and bulldozed. Decisions for this will be made Friday 13, 2014. This plan is to be determined over the next three years, if it has been accepted. There has already been 20 cases where schools have been bulldozed. School properties that were cleared have already been considered for sale and repurpose. Schools that are affected by this are from the poorer neighborhoods because they’re less than 65 percent full. This is a conflict between the TDSB and communities that may have a school being closed. The TDSB believes that these schools could be replaced to be in a socio-economic plan to help the economy. Parents and teachers know that if TDSB gets rid of these schools, then more than half of the schools that have child care centres will also be demolished but then again, they cannot afford to lose that. Teachers, parents and students of schools that are being closed will be notified on the following Monday - if the decisions has been accepted.

   I have personally been in a similar type of situation but, instead of having my elementary school being closed, half of the school’s population of teacher and students were going to be redirected to another new school (that would being built) because there were too many students attending it and, the school was not able to support us. This occurred two years before my grade students' graduation so, of course conflicts did arise. People that I have known since the school opened, were being sent somewhere else therefore; we wouldn't be able to graduate together. After a couple of school council meeting where they debated on the schools’ population separating - the school made their final decision. It was stated that, student who were going to graduate in the following three years will still attend Mount Royal but, the rest of the students who lived in a specific area will be redirected to the new school as well as specific teachers. I was lucky enough to be able to graduate with my fellow peers.

   As we can see, these two situations show that – on each end of the conflict there is always one side that will could/always have superior power (wealth) than the other. I believe the rate of decision making between the TDSB and the communities should be slowed down because the situation has not been clearly analysed. Overall, I've learned that not all conflicts are violence but, can be very controversial.