Legacy of the Black Plague

ASSERTION:
     The legacy of the Black Plague is that religious leaders abused their power.

EVIDENCE:
     The church was selling things that they weren't in power to do. "... selling church offices( simony), letting one man buy several offices at the same time, charging fees for all sorts of church services, and selling indulgences to buy time out of Purgatory after one died" (Black Death Flow Chart).

COMMENTARY:
     This shows that the church was giving away tickets to skip Purgatory to the people that had family members that died, or just to people in general. The church was selling the position of being Bishop to the people too. Selling tickets out of Purgatory wouldn't be in their position because they would have to spend time in Purgatory also, making them sinful, so they couldn't bribe God to letting people out of Purgatory. This means that they were lying to their followers, and coning them to give the church money.

9/11 and Black Plague Comparison/Contrast

SIMILARITIES

1. These two tragic events are similar in the social way. In a way, everyone was effected by the attack of 9/11, and by the disease of the Black Plague. A lot of people died in the Black Plague, and there were some families that mourned over their relative's/friend's death. The same happened for 9/11. Many people were devastated that family members were killed, or even injured.

2. Another way that these two events are similar in intellectually. Both times, the reason that they happened were due to ignorance. The U.S. didn't think that anyone would try to commit terrorism on them, so they had a lack of security. The people during the Black Plague didn't think that washing themselves everyday was necessary, so they didn't wash themselves everyday. Both events didn't know that either things would cause any harm, so they did them anyways.

3. The Black Plague and 9/11 relate politically. I say this because many people emerged as leaders during 9/11, such as the people that prevented the 4th plane from hitting an important place of the U.S. Also, many people emerged as leaders during the Black Plague, such as the doctors that tried to help the sick heal. The people during both of these events felt as if they were being held responsible, so they felt the need to help those that were sick, or hurt.

DIFFERENCES

1. One difference of the two would be politically. I say this because the government during 9/11 didn't fall apart like the government during the Black Plague. 9/11 government held their grounds, and they helped their country through their hard mess. The government of the Black Plague disappeared and cause chaos through out the country.

2. They are also different because of social reasons. The Black Plague went chaotic whenever the disaster happened, but 9/11 social status stayed up, and many people tried to help each other during the hardship of the tragedy.

3. Another difference is in the technological grounds. During the Black Plague, no one really knew how it happened. They had theories of God punishing them, or the end of the world was coming, but none of those were right. During 9/11, after the second plane crashed, the U.S. knew that they were being attacked. They knew that it wouldn't just so happen that a plane crashes into the North Trade Center, then five minutes later another plane crashed into the South Trade Center.

Tiger's Voyage By: Colleen Houck (Place in India)

     In this book, the third book of the 'Tiger's Curse Series', is about Ren getting his memory back. He first told Kelsey that he loved her, he told her that he couldn't see her anymore, and also after Kishan and Kelsey kissed, he remembered, and wanted Kelsey back. Kelsey was being a little brat, so she told him that she couldn't betray Kishan, and let Kishan be hurt by her decision of love.
     After all of that mess, they had to go through the Five Dragons to get to the Seven Pagodas. In their journey, Kelsey finds out that she does truly love Ren, but she won't let Kishan get his feelings hurt by her decisions, Ren tries to help Kelsey notice that true love is worth anything, and Kishan is acting like a prideful brother. After the Seven Pagodas, they get caught by Lokesh(Again!), and Kelsey gets captured.


     All I have to say is that this book made me really irritated. I wanted Kelsey to choose Ren because everyone knows that she was/is supposed to be with him! I think because the author is really good at getting a reader into her books, this book deserves a 5/10. I love the story line, but the love story is making me irritated. Even though I couldn't put the book down, I just think that the love story is showing who Kelsey is supposed to be with, and it's quiet obvious.

Tiger's Quest By: Colleen Houck (Placed in India)

     This book is about this girl named Kelsey, and she starts out in America. In the first book, she met two tigers, and Mr. Kadam, and she helped them finish the first quest. Now, in the second book, she has to find out who she loves, and finish the second quest.
     In the beginning, she starts going to school, and she thinks that in order for her to get over Ren, she has to try to date other people. Around Christmas time, she goes to her foster parent's house to have Christmas dinner, and someone knocks on the door. It was Ren. After she had her fun figuring out that she loved Ren, they got caught by Lokesh, and Ren stayed behind and got captured by Lokesh just to help Kelsey.
     So, Kelsey and Ren's brother, Kishan, are left together to help Ren get out of Lokesh's trap. The only problem is that Kishan is also deeply in love with Kelsey. When they get back and with the scarf of India, they try to make a plan to how they will save Ren. When they get Ren back, they find out that he forgot all about Kelsey.
     I think that this book is worth a 9 out of 10. I say this because it started out incredible. I was truly happy with what was happening, but then Ren got capture, and I couldn't put the book down until he was found(Which was true). The only thing that made me want the throw the book into the sea and wish it good luck was that whenever they found Ren, he had forgotten who Kelsey was. That just devastated me. I congratulate the author of this book, mainly because she knows how to hook a reader in.

Fire by Kristin Cashore (A book place out of the U.S.)

     This book is about a girls named Fire, and she is a human monster.(Monsters can be like every other living creature, but they can read minds, but they are different colors. Such as blue berry, teal, bright orange, etc.) Many people hate her because her father was a terrible person, and they thought that she would be like her. She has the power to read and take over other people's minds. She never really wanted to use her power for anything because she was afraid that she would become like her father. In the beginning, she lives with this man, Archer, that loves her dearly. She travels through the realm of her world helping the royal family, and she soon starts to love Brigan(one of the kings brother).
     Soon, she meets this boy that is extremely full of wonder. She doesn't like the way his mind was set because he seemed to have a very foggy mind, and she could never reach his mind. He seemed to be putting fog in other people's minds. She figured that he was like her, but in many ways, she had the advantage of everyone's minds.
     She could read everyone's mind, and all he could do was tell people to do/believe something, and they would do as they were told. Eventually, he caught her, and she was severally injured, and she lost two of her fingers. She found a way to get away from him, and she got back to Brigan.


     I rate this book a 10/10. I think it has an incredible love story, and I truly want to become a girl like Fire someday. She is a truly wonderful girl, and even though I can't have her powers, I would want to become as bold and loving as she was.

"Masque of the Red Death"

(Poe, Paragraph 14, Lines 5 & 6)
"And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all."
     This sentence helped me understand the story because it shows me that death will never go away, and no one can help it. No matter who/what you are.

(Poe, Paragraph 5, Lines 1-11)
" It was in this apartment, also. that there stood against the western wall, a gigantic clock of ebony. Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang; and when the minute-hand made the circuit of the face, and the hour was to be stricken, there came from the brazen lungs of the clock a sound which was clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis that, at each lapse of an hour, the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily, in their performance, to harken to the sound; and thus the waltzers perforce ceased their evolutions; and their was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company; and while the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused revery or meditation."
     This sentence was important because it showed what the clock was representing, and what the people thought of whenever remembered of the clock.