Blog 3 - How would Joey have affected me?

     War Horse, written by Michael Morpurgo, tells the emotional tale of a farm boy named Albert and his horse, Joey, who are separated by World War I but find each other again in the end. Morpurgo gives the reader a very interesting perspective on the war through a horse's eyes, which I personally found a welcome change from the usual soldier's-point-of-view.

     One of the first things that struck me about this book was the extremities of Joey's journey, seeing hundreds die, being captured by the Germans and then the British again, and in the end, going through the horse bidding. I realized that Joey showed an enormous amount of bravery and strength, but I also realized that many other horses or soldiers could have gone through the same thing. It really put things into perspective.

     I believe that if Joey was my horse in the war, he would have given me strength in the war, because whenever I'd see him, a horse, fighting a human battle with unbelievable courage, I too would find courage. Joey was also a good friend and a good listener, so I could confide in him when I couldn't in other soldiers. If I had to go to battle, I'd want a horse like Joey by my side; lending an ear, courage, and strength to his rider

-Chaitanya 

Blog 2 - Why do we have Remembrance Day?

     Remembrance Day is the day on which all Canadians stop for two minutes and honour the brave, Canadian soldiers who fought for our country. It's an anniversary of the day when, 95 years ago, the guns fell silent for the first time in four years. Many beautiful poems and songs are listened to to celebrate this day, but my favourites are Flanders Fields and a Pittance of Time. In this blog post I will be mainly talking about the first.

     Flanders Fields, written by John McCrae, puts the soldiers' innermost fear to words: that the soldiers will die for nothing and will not be remembered. But when the war ended, we promised to remember, and remember we do every November 11th. That is why I feel we have Remembrance Day; to remember those young, brave souls that risked their lives for our country. The two minutes of silence gives us time to think about all the soldiers did for us, and allows us to feel thankful. The song, a Pittance of Time, describes how two minutes is so little to give for defenders of our country, and that for that time we should put aside our petty problems and show the peace that the soldiers fought for.

     I hope that this blog helps you to understand why we celebrate this day, and why we should be thankful to the soldiers that fought for us in the war.

-Chaitanya

Blog 1 - Should Grade 8s Still Go Out for Trick or Treating?

This is the first blog I've ever written. I hope I don't rant too much and get straight to the point. The question, as stated above, is Should Grade 8's still go out for Trick or Treating? I believe that it depends completely on the opinion of that specific Grade 8. If that's what they want to do, then that's what they should. You can't really make a decision for hundreds of Grade 8's when everyone wants something different.

Trick of Treating was never a required thing (I hope). If you wanted to, you went. It was that simple. I think that its still the same in Grade 8. If you want to spend your Halloween night going down streets knocking on doors and getting candy, go for it. Its fun, and I can completely understand your decision.

If you don't want to, because you think you're too old, or you're new to your neighborhood, that's fine too. Instead you could stay home and watch a movie or play video games. It's one of those questions where there isn't a right answer. It doesn't really matter whether or not you go, it's your decision.

To conclude, I think that the answer to the question above depends on the individual Grade 8 the decision is being made about. Whether they want to go out for Trick or Treating or not, it's their choice.