Summer's here...almost

 This is going to be my last blog entry. I'm excited that summer's almost here but stressed out at the same time. I'm glad that my English class doesn't have anything going on exam week. I do however have 3 cumulative exams. Studying is a bit of a pain as one of my classes has 5 books associated with it and the exam is this upcoming Monday. Trying to cram all that information in1 weekend should be pretty enjoyable....

On the bright side, I only have to put up with this for an other few days, I'm done everything next Wednesday. This is the mentality that keeps me going.

All in all this has been a pretty good semester. I've been able to take some interesting courses and learn some valuable things. Still, I'm glad to see it end and am looking forward to 4 months of relaxation.

Finishing Up Paper on Chernobyl.

As I've probably mentioned before, I have been working on a research paper detailing the events that occurred in Chernobyl in 1986. This has led me to learn quite a few things about the disaster. Details learned include not only the physical and environmental impacts of the disaster itself, but also the social and political ramifications. Researching the various quarantines, evacuations, medical problems, etc proved to be quite interesting and eye opening. The cause of the disaster, being attributed mainly to human error, is especially terrifying. It goes to show the chilling reality of today's world where the search for energy can ultimately destroy populations.

Hopefully I will be able to mold this information into an informative and interesting narrative.

Chernobyl: Important Events and Facts to Consider

Today in English class I started on my research assignment. I made a note of several facts which will need to be included in my paper. My paper is dealing with the nuclear disaster which ocurred in Chernobyl in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1986. My paper deals with the experiences of someone outside of the immediate "disaster" zone. As such I will have to include some facts providing context.

My paper will most likely be in the form of a diary or log as it is dealing more with the effects of prolonged exposure as opposed to a single, immediately visible devastating impact (i.e. the effects of the Chernobyl Disaster on residents of Chernobyl as well as areas located next to it.)

Researching the Chernobyl Disaster has proven to be quite interesting. Hopefully the paper generated will be interesting as well.

Annotated Bibliography

Marshall, Eliot. "Reactor explodes amid Soviet silence." Science 232 (1986): 814+.
       Academic OneFile. Web. 5 Apr. 2011

The article explains the Soviet media silence surrounding the Chernobyl disaster. The Soviets failed to inform neighboring nations, some of which were part of or satelite states of the Soviet Union, of the impending distater. This not only caused damage to the reputation but also resulted in people exposed to increased amounts of radiation due to ignorance of its presence. Though much of the extra  exposure exhibited by those outside of the immediate disaster vicinity(as a result of the Soviet media blackout) proved to be non fatal, it still proved to have detrimental effects. This article was written shortly following the disaster, as such it provides perspective of how the event was viewed during its time of occurence.

Nicholas Daniloff.  "Chernobyl and Its Political Fallout: A Reassessment."    
       Demokratizatsiya 12.1 (2004): 117-132. Print.

This article focuses on the politics surrounding the Chernobyl disaster. The piece discusses the severity of the disaster and the way in which the event was treated by the Soviet Union, aswell as foreign governments. It contrasts reports released shortly following the event with the knowledge gathered following the declassification of Soviet documents in 1993. The piece explains the shortcomings of (then General Secretary) Mikhail Gorbachev and the Kremlin in general in regards to the disaster. It provides a great deal of insight into the political policies and actions relating to the tragedy.

Smith, Jim T., and Nicholas A Beresford. Chernobyl: Catastrophe And Consequences.
       Berlin: Springer , 2005. Print.

This book discusses the wide range of implications the Chernobyl disaster had on the former Soviet states. It describes how the radiation resulting from the Chernobyl disaster halted agriculture in the USSR, which was primarly done on mass communal farms, aswell as how it affected the health of both people and wildlife within the area. The book provides background information, such as the natural amount of background isotopes encountered in the environment in normal scenarios and contrasts the numbers with the amount of radioactive material present in surrounding areas immediately following the disaster. This book focuses mainly on the scientific implications of the disaster.

Chernobyl Research

Today I had a chance to do some research on a subject I will soon be required to write a paper on: the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Finding credible information was easy as the catastrophic event was globally infamous. Because my point of view of the disaster deals with the point of view of someone living in the Eastern Bloc states, but outside the initial disaster zone, my research focused mainly on three major factors. The first was the internal politics surrounding the event. I discovered that Soviet officials were hesitant to admit that a disaster had taken place. The second was the  state of international relations during the event. Foreign states played a role in exposing the event. Finally, I looked at the health impacts of the nuclear fallout towards those not in the initial zone of impact. Though the ailments were not as severe as those that befall the citizens of Chernobyl and its immediate surrounding cities (Pripyat for example), they were significant nonetheless.


Overall, this looks like it will be a very interesting subject to write a paper on.

Lewis' DIarry

For English class we had to read a journal detailing the suffering of Polish Jews in the Warsaw ghetto during the Nazi occupation of Poland. The fact that the piece was written by someone who experienced, and eventually died to the event, makes it a very engaging read. I felt an extra level of connection to the paper, coming from a Polish background. I could understand many of the Polish phrases included through out the piece.

Reading this piece reminded me greatly of the way my grandparents would describe the status of life during World War 2. My family is not Jewish, so there are some variations, but there is also some similarity; such as the frequent death occurring to innocent people. It sickens me to think that events such as this even occurred.

Starting Research Paper

My topic of research involves the incident in Chernobyl in which an error caused one of the largest nuclear disasters to befall mankind. My point of view for the paper will be that of someone who wasn’t in the immediate disaster zone but was nonetheless affected by the nuclear fallout resulting from the disaster. The effects of the disaster were vast. Many people outside of Ukraine and even the USSR felt its impacts.

This seems like it’s going to be a rather interesting perspective. The fallout from the disaster traveled to many nearby areas and countries. Because of this, many people didn’t know they were being exposed to dangerous amounts of radiation until they started exhibiting side effects. These included things like birth defects and higher rates of cancer. The problems arising  from this disaster, though not as severe as those exhibited by those in the initial disaster zone, were substantial.

Genre of Interest Final

Guide to Building a Computer: Choosing Parts

Technology

My genre of interest paper deals with building a computer. While working on this project I am reminded about my love for technology. I have had quite a bit of experience in this field, stretching from multiple high school classes, volunteer work, and the personal projects I have completed in my spare time. I have been astounded with technology for as long as I can remember, and have usually kept up with modern tech trends. The rapid progression in technology is what interests me the most; today's modern is tomorrow's obsolete. This evolution is what keeps technology interesting, thee is always something new.

My passion for technology in general is leading me to write quite a bit. I don't fear going below the minimum page length requirement for the project, but may have to edit my paper down so it doesn't exceed the page limit.

This project is proving to be rather enjoyable. 

Rough Draft Genre of Interest

The link to my genre of interest rough copy is below:

Tutorial: Building a Desktop Computer

Genre of interest: PC build tutorial (Rough Copy)

I have been interested in computers and technology for a while now. Because of this I have chosen to write about Computers and technology. I also find tutorials and how-to guides very useful. For my genre of interest assignment I will attempt to write a tutorial as to how one can build their own computer.

Because I am going to try to target an audience that is not exceptionally tech savvy, my choice of words is incredibly important. I must ensure that the reader will understand what I am trying to say and won't look at the paper as if it were written in a foreign language. I am pretty confident in my own technological ability so i believe that if I am able to ensure there is no communication barrier between myself and the reader my paper will be successful.

This is an example of the type of guide I will be attempting to make.

End of First Week Back

So it has been a rather hectic first week back from Spring Break. Though the small vacation replenished my energy, the week after after drained most of it away. Midterms and papers were the main contributors. While the papers don't bother me so much, it's the test preparation that really gets me. It's really funny; people tend to complain about midterms which precede a break period but in my opinion exams which occur shortly following a break are much worse. This is due to the fact that I am still usually in a rather lazy and slow state of mind and it usually takes me about a week to get my stuff together. Oh well, no use complaining about it, I should just be happy that it's the end of the week.

This should be a pretty decent weekend, the only school related things I have to do is my analysis final draft. I don't feel like that should be too challenging as I already have a pretty decent start on it. Hopefully it'll turn out good.

Analysis Rough Draft: 300

The film “300” was very entertaining and filled with significance. The film heavily emphasized the human traits western culture views to be respectable and commendable. These namely include bravery, intelligence, patriotism, and persistence. The film also portrays the visceral confrontations between the Spartan and Persian armies, often glorifying combat.

“300” is a film which makes heavy use of sound and image to get its point across. The main purpose of “300” is to entertain as it is a film heavy with action. This is supported by the fact that many scenes in the film are highly stylized; an example is the often parodied scene in which Leonidas kicks the Persian messenger down the well. The grainy image on most scenes serves to show the audience the grittiness of the world portrayed in the film. The film, at most times, adopts a serious tone which can sometimes in result in unintended comical situations. Because of the focus on action in the film it can be assumed that the primary audience for the film would be adolescent and adult males. However, the underlying themes in the film suggest the general western population as an intended audience as the film promotes western ideals such as patriotism and courage.

What is the significance of this film?       

What are the underlying themes of the film? -> I believe the underlying themes of “300” are the importance of traits that western cultures revere. -> Courage, Strength, and patriotism are the underlying themes of “300” -> The protagonists (Spartans) are portrayed as strong, fearless, and nationalistic  men who fight out of their own free will where as the antagonists (Persians) are portrayed as cowardly slaves who retreat when defeated.

I. Courage, strength, and patriotism are the underlying themes of “300.” These three aspects of the human shape and behavior are presented as heroic and valorous through out the film. The film's heroes, the Spartan King and Soldiers, tend to symbolize all three of these traits. They are strong and brave soldiers willing to  fight and die for their homeland voluntarily. On the other hand, the invading Persian armies, are often used to symbolize the opposite. They are essentially a horde consisting mostly of slaves whose strength relies purely on numbers. These themes are present through out most of the film.

II. Supporting Evidence 1: Courage is one underlying theme within the film.
A. Spartans taught “Never to retreat, never to surrender”
B. Persians showed as cowardly in some battles presented (shown attempting retreat after defeat)
C. Spartans don't fear battle at any point through out the film
D. Spartans don't only accept the fact that they will most likely die on the battlefield, but they look
     forward to  it as a "hero's death"


III. Supporting Evidence 2: Strength is an other underlying theme of the film.
        A. Spartans presented as extremely strong both physically and mentally (able to utilize
             tactics to minimize the opposing armies’ advantage from numbers)
        B. Persians shown as incredibly disfigured, have some strong soldiers but most are weak.
        C. Costume design of the Spartans features limited armor coupled with a cape, focusing
             on showing the  physical fitness of the soldiers
        D. The physically deformed Spartan hunchback is portrayed as a treasonous villain

IV. Supporting Evidence 3: Patriotism is an other underlying theme of the film.
        A. Spartans rather die than be Persian slaves
        B. Persian messenger killed for threatening Sparta
        C. The two traitorous Spartans in the film (Theron and the hunchback) are depicted as vile in some form
        D. Spartans show to serve Sparta for genuine patriotism while the Persian armies serve
             Xerxes out of fear.

V. The underlying themes of the film are courage, strength, and patriotism. The characters depicted as heroes possess all three while those depicted as villains lack them. Almost every scene through out the film can be seen as signifying one of these themes.

300 Film Analysis

So I noticed that I haven't blogged for a little while. I have just been pretty absent minded all around in the week leading up to Spring Break as well as most of Spring Break itself. I'm back now however.

My Spring Break was pretty good. I got some much needed rest and now feel refreshed and ready to take on the rest of this semester.

Before going on break I looked at the movie "300." Analyzing this film proved to be quite enjoyable as the film is pretty entertaining. This analysis is incomplete; this portion mainly focuses on the purpose of the film.

The main purpose of the film is promoting courage. The film (which is based on a graphic novel which is loosely based on an historical event) tells the story of how 300 Spartan Greeks fought to the death to defend their homeland from a massive Persian army. The Spartans manage to hold out for an extended period of time and although most of them die, their example spurs other Greek armies to come to Sparta's aid. This act of courage prevents the city from falling to the Persians.


The protagonist, King Leonidas, as well as the Spartan soldiers accompanying him are also symbols for courage. One example is the trademark scene in which Leonidas kicks a Persian messenger down a well while yelling "This is SPARTA!" This was an act of great defiance that carried heavy consequences, yet Leonidas acted, turned around, and walked away without looking back. The King knows he will be engaged in a battle with the massive Persian empire.


While the Spartans are portrayed as being courageous and unwilling to surrender, the Persian armies are depicted quite differently. They are portrayed as cowardly and faceless. They are portrayed as a force that wins by numbers alone and retreats when things get tough. Through out the film, there are numerous scenes in which the Persian armies retreat to postpone the battle while there is no scene showing the Spartans retreating. The Spartans stand and fight to the death. It is shown through out the movie that the Spartans knew their fate was inevitable with quotes such as "Tonight we dine in hell."

Analyzing Comics

Today, in English class, we took a look at "Sin City" and "Ghost World," two graphic novels portraying different things. Graphic novels are an interesting narrative as they include both words and pictures to further their story. More often than not, analyzing the art is just as important as analyzing the text, sometimes even more so.

We were asked to bring in a section of a comic book to analyze. I decided to bring in a comic based on the "Aliens" franchise. I did this partly because I enjoyed the aliens movie, partly because I found the art within the book to be rather interesting, and mostly because it was the only physical copy of a graphic narrative I had access to.

Before this class I never really paid much attention to comic books, only really knowing a series existed after I saw a movie based on it. I had no idea how much there was to analyze in this medium.

Tired.... Need Spring Break...

I don't usually get a full night's sleep. As such, I am often in a "zombie" state for the majority of anything I do before noon. No matter what I do I always seem to end up staying up late. Whether it's friends, school work or just me being an idiot, the end result is usually the same; the mornings are dreadful. This is really unfortunate as I do have some interesting classes in the morning that I pretty much go to in autopilot.

My fall semester was more lenient  as my earliest class, most days, started at 11 AM. This semester, however, requires that I get up earlier. I guess there's really no point in complaining. I had to wake up even earlier for high school and I survived 4 years of that. I guess my first semester just spoiled me and made me even lazier than I already was.

Luckily, spring break is only a week and a half away. A whole week to just sit back,relax, and catch up on hours of lost sleep. It's going to be great. Hopefully I'll come back to school rejuvenated and revitalized.

Analyzing Poetry: "Alone"

Today, in English class, we looked at analyzing different art forms. The primary focus of today's class was analysis of paintings/pictures and poetry. Art tends to be rather ambiguous. It is this ambiguity that makes it so difficult to analyze. I am usually a rather concrete person, preferring questions with right and wrong answers. Unsurprisingly, I find the search for meaning in art work to be a bit of a challenge.

 In class, we were tasked with analyzing a poem or artwork of our choosing. I chose to analyze Edgar Allan Poe's "Alone." Below you will find the poem as well as my analysis of it.

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were--I have not seen
As others saw--I could not bring
My passions from a common spring--
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow--I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone--
And all I lov'd--I lov'd alone--
Then--in my childhood--in the dawn
Of a most stormy life--was drawn
From ev'ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still--
From the torrent, or the fountain--
From the red cliff of the mountain--
From the sun that 'round me roll'd
In its autumn tint of gold--
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass'd me flying by--
From the thunder, and the storm--
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view--


Edgar Allan Poe’s “Alone” is a very interesting piece of work. The poem, as the name implies, is about isolation. There are numerous lines within the poem which suggest this, such as the fact the author claim everything he ever loved he loved alone. These lines also suggest that the root of isolation is one's own individuality. The poem contrasts physical isolation with mental isolation, focusing more on the emotional aspect.

Poe makes numerous references to nature in his work such as suggesting his passions are from a common spring but he has not taken them from the same source. It also makes numerous references to fountains, mountains, and the sky. This suggests isolation as fountains are separated from the land that surrounds them, mountains are beyond reach, and the sky stands separate over the Earth.

Tired of Procrastinating

I was up all of last night. Partly because I needed to finish up some assignments and partly because I just couldn't fall asleep after they were complete. This resulted in a rather "off" day today. Thank God for energy drinks. If it wasn't for the monster I had for "breakfast" this morning things could have been worse. The shot of energy was what kept me functional today. The drink kept me up for the duration of my classes. I dropped afterward though. I ended up getting a good few hours of sleep and I am now feeling refreshed.

Unfortunately, I'm probably looking at an other late night because of more things that need to be done for tomorrow. I wish I didn't procrastinate as much as I do; it's really starting to catch up with me.

Good Week

So far this is shaping up to be a rather sterling week. The blizzard yesterday caused my school to close down for the day. This allowed me some time to relax. In addition to the snow day, my early morning English class was not in progress today. This gave me an other chance to sleep in, an opportunity I am happy about.

With all this extra free time allotted to me, I decided to begin revising my memoir. I have already fixed a great deal of the grammatical errors which plagued my initial copy. I am now working on adding a larger amount of detail through out my piece. I know my piece lacks some detail, but I am having a few difficulties in finding good points within the text to add more sensory description.The notes my peers provided me with, critiquing my work, are making this process easier than it may otherwise have been, but I am still faced with some obstacles. Trying to strike a balance between vivid description and pacing that won't put readers to sleep has proven to be more challenging than I had originally anticipated. Whether to further emphasize the ceremony itself, what preceded it, or what proceeded it; this is what I am still deciding. Oh well, I'll probably be able to strike a balance sometime during the next few days. There's still an adequate amount of time for me to refine my work

Hopefully my final draft will come out miles ahead of my initial copy.

Communion: Revision

Today, in English class, the rough drafts of our memoir project were returned to us. Our professor had marked segments of the piece she believed required revision. I was dissappointed in myself when I discovered most of the mistakes on my paper were simple errors (i.e. improper placement of commas.) I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. After all, I did write the memoir 2 days before the deadline and didn't proof read it to the point I should have. On the bright side, these errors are easy to fix and that portion of the revision shouldn't take too long.

Another aspect which could potentially improve my paper is more in depth description. Fitting more detail into my piece, without completely altering the pace of the memoir, can prove to be a little challenging. Hopefully if I do it correctly I can significantly improve my piece.

By taking into account the professor's comments, as well as the feedback I received from my peers last week, I can turn my rough draft into something polished.

Memoir Rough Draft: Communion

So today the rough draft for my memoir English project was due. I was really unsure as to what I was going to write about as I had many different ideas that would not all fit together in a single piece. I decided to write about receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time as a child.

I decided to write about this as it seemed to be one of only a handful of events in my life that would be interesting for me to write about and for others to read about. The event still sticks out in my mind, despite the fact that it happened over 10 years ago. While writing the rough draft I was remembering small details like the weather outside at the time, or the sights and sounds of my childhood home. This surprised me, as I can rarely remember what happened a week prior let alone 10 years.

Today we brought in our papers for peer review. I found this to be very helpful as an other person can easily point out flaws in a piece that the author was oblivious to. I was informed, by my peers, that if I shift my focus more towards the actual ceremony of First Communion in my piece and that if I gave a more detailed ending, my paper would improve. I will certainly take these suggestions into consideration when writing my final draft

Hopefully the final copy of my memoir will come out interesting.

Importance of Family

In case I haven't pointed it out in my previous entries, I am a guy who really values the importance of his family and friends. I was just talking to a few friends I have known for a while. While talking to them, I came to the realization that these guys were like my brothers. Almost every meaningful event involving me in the last couple of years has also involved them in some way. Because of this, they are probably going to have a heavy presence in the memoir I am required to write for English class.

Friends are really important, as after a while those you commonly associate with begin to feel like family. Associating friends as family has been a common occurrence in my life, as much of my relatives still reside in Poland. Aside from a few cousins who live in the US, there aren't really too many relatives I see on a regular basis.

That isn't to say that I don't value the relationships I have with my blood relatives, I do. I try to keep in contact with relatives across the Ocean, with phone calls/emails/etc. It just doesn't really feel the same though as I've seen the majority of them maybe twice over the course of my lifetime.  It's funny how geography can shape a person's contacts.

I do however, stay in constant contact with my immediate family; my father, mother, and brother. They are all a staple in my life. They will also probably be present in my memoir.

Planning the Memoir

Today in English class we talked about writing our memoir. I'm still debating on what I will write about, though I do have a few ideas. After reading the assigned readings, I have learned that a memoir's content can be very dynamic and that reading a person's memoir can inspire the reader to feel a wide range of emotion. I have seen examples of how a memoir can be used to recall horrific or disturbing events, such as Alice Sebold's "Lucky, or how they can be used to just talk about someone's past in general, such as Jo An Beard's "Cousins." I think I will write my particular memoir about generally pleasant occurrences as I prefer to reminisce about the good rather than the bad.

I believe my memoir will either recall the eventful summer my high school graduation, or the day where I obtained my driver's license. Both these occurrences stand out vividly in my mind thus, I believe, writing about them will produce a very detailed memoir.

Those are the two memories I think I would prefer to write about, but who knows? Maybe I'll think of something a little later on, I still have a little while to get this done.

Talking Politics

I have always been fascinated by politics; it may come as no surprise that my major is political science. The cause and effect relationship between what occurs on a state or global level and how it effects people as individuals has always intrigued me.

So many factors go into shaping politics, ranging from natural disasters to progress in technology to human nature as a whole. Politics determine who possesses authority to govern and how much power they are allowed to exert. Even though politics plays such a key role in our globalized society, its study is often neglected as many people seem to overlook the impact politics have on their daily lives.

I owe this great level of fascination in politics to my father. I remember discussing politics with my father from an early age, although I didn't realize we were talking politics until I was older. My father, being from Poland, would always tell me how very different life in Poland was from the United States. My father would discuss differences in earning wages, the military service required of all Polish men, and even the threat of jail time for speaking out against the socialist government ruling his homeland at the time. Being raised in the United States, my father's stories always seemed strange to me. When I was older, I realized that all of the differences my father described could be attributed to politics. After realizing how much the quality of life in an area can differ based on politics alone, I became very interested in studying the subject further.

Whether we know it or not, politics play a crucial and major role in our current society.

About Me

As an introduction to my blog, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself and provide readers with some basic background information on who I am.

My name is Chris Sudol and I am originally from Brooklyn, New York. I was born shortly after my parents emigrated from Poland to come to the United States. I spent a significant portion of my childhood living in Greenpoint; a neighborhood comprised of a large Polish American population located in the northern Brooklyn. My parents rarely, if ever, spoke English at home, as a result my first language was Polish and not English; I began learning English when I entered elementary school. As a result of my upbringing, I am now bilingual and am able to speak and write in Polish in addition to English.

When I was older, my parents moved up to Ontario, Canada; this is where I attended high school. It was a bit of a transition but as time progressed I became more accustomed to the change of scenery. Though, at the time, high school seemed like an eternity, looking back I can recall a wealth of pleasant memories. The acquisition of a high school diploma was not the end of my formal education.

I knew I wanted to attend college following high school but was not sure which school I wanted to go to. I decided to enroll at Western Michigan due to a close family friend who is currently employed as a professor at the University. I am currently a second semester freshman at Western and can honestly say that I have thoroughly enjoyed my college experience thus far and am very excited to see what the future will bring.