Week 5 Post B

For this last post I thought I would talk about the book in general and what I thought about it. When I first started to red it, it seemed generic in the sense that the book is about a soldier and he is going into combat. But once I started reading more and more it became a lot more than just that. As I've talked about before in other posts because Burgett wrote this right after it happened to him the events are clear and precise. Not only that but also you can feel the emotion in the book compared to if he had written it now which would probably have meant the he might have lefts some things out on accident and there wouldn't have been as much emotion.

Also for the plot it's self, I thought it was interesting and not just because these are real events but also because you can really see the transformation throughout the book. What I mean by this is at the beginning there is this huge underdog feeling and by the end you have a real sense of accomplishment or comeback. Also going back to the plot, you truly feel like your in those situations with him and I think that because he wrote it right after the events happened it really helped the book. So in conclusion I thought it was an excellent read and if you like war or even history books then you should definitely check this one out.

Week 5 Post A

Vocab
Meager (230) - not enough in amount or quantity; insufficient

Bivouac (210) - camp: temporary living quarters

Appeals
1. "The Christmas card leaflet showed a picture of a sad faced little girl with big, sad eyes and long hair. A tear showed on one of her cheeks..." (201). First off this is talking about the Germans and how they dropped leaflets with propaganda on them. He talks about how even thought the Germans knew they were losing they dropped this leaflets saying if you bring these to them they'll take you as a prisoner for the rest of the war and you'll be safe . Now obviously that isn't true which leads me to saying that this is very much an emotional appeal.

2. "The Germans had propaganda for every personality type. What they hadn't counted on was that we were angry and stubborn enough to stay in Bastogne and fight to the last man" (202). This connects to the previous appeal and I thought I would put more support in just because I think this is a major theme so I thought I would reiterate it.

3. "Their grand plan was a shambles. Now, the best they could hope for was to stall us and hold open a corridor through which they could withdraw their troops and armor back into Germany for a last stand ub their homeland" (217). This is an emotional and logical appeal because it has the facts but not only that but also it's starting to sum up the events and how the Germans only can do so much now because the Americans are advancing and the war is coming to a end.

Quote
"We existed in an alien world of constant horror, misery, and death. There was no escape. We could be dead the next minute, and we had to live with that threat twenty-four hours a day" (205). I picked this quote because I thought it was really powerful and that it's not only true for this book but it also applies to the status quo as well. Any war the soldiers are just regular people and they have to live with this emotion or whatever you want to call it so that's why I picked this quote.

Theme
The theme for not only this section but the book as a whole would have to be the quote I picked. It's always present and it always applies so there's no real way to get around it. It's an interesting concept to think of and frightening as well.

Week 4 Post B

For this post I thought I would talk about the actual section and how I perceived it. As I talked about before in my other post I don’t want to give too much away but this section was very much a turning point. Once again it made me think of the large amount of things they lacked and how they still were successful. Throughout the book the Americans have been on the defensive side using every single once of their resources to put them at 100 percent efficiency. But they still got through all those obstacles and now finally they have the things they were missing and it’s a huge turning point. It’s hard to go into details about what actually happens but Burgett talks about how the Germans have pretty much had the advantage most if not all of the time.

For example in my last post I had a quote of him talking about how they had to go clear out a wooded area but the Germans had been in there for 2 days and so it had given them much time to dig in and prepare themselves. Evevn after all of that they still excel with their mission and when the aircrafts finally get the chance they drop down supplies and other things. Which means that it boosts moral and also reduces the need for using everything carefully.So this leads to a major theme as well, even if you don’t have things that are necessities and your on the defensive side of whatever your doing, if you keep working at it and stay persistent, eventually you will be successful.

Week 4 Post A

Vocab
Asgard (166) - In Norse myth, the heavenly city where the great gods lived. (in other words the equivalent of heaven)

Grandeur (172) - magnificence: the quality of being magnificent or splendid or grand

Appeals
"I hit the ground hard after a short run and was searching for a target when another German, not more than three feet in front of me, raised his head up and looked me straight in the eyes" (157). This is a logical appeal because it has the facts in it but more than that it gives the reader a idea of their settings. It shows how the German's suits were so light and with the snow falling they couldn't see them at all.

"When he took off, something hit me in the right hip. I figured figured it was him kicking me as he left the slight hollow we were in, and I let it go as that. Later that night I found a bullet stuck in the flesh of my right hip...." (161). This is a emotional appeal because there is a lot more to this situation and so it shows how that situation would be like. It shows how the rush of the moment changed the situation.

"The fighting seemed to be all but over. T stood there dazed, looking around at the carnage. How could this be? I was still alive. After all the battles I had taken part in, after seeing the deaths of so many comrades, I was still alive" (165). I don't really know how to respond to that but it definitely is an emotional appeal. I'm interested in what you guys think so please leave a comment.

Quote
"The Germans had been in the woods almost two days long, enough for them to dig foxholes and bunkers and camouflage them so that they were almost invisible" (154). I picked this quote because I thought it was really significant. It shows how the soldiers were kind of winging it with foreign terrain and being low on ammo, clothes, and even food. I thought it really helped with the mood of this section.

Theme
I don't want to give too much away but a huge theme in this part of the book was perseverance and hard work do pay off. This section is the turning point in the war and in the book it's self. The American soldiers are finally getting air support and extra supplies and it's helping the soldiers attitudes immensely.

Week 3 Post B

"At least twenty tanks moved into our positions. One of them, a Panther, headed straight for our foxhole. Its left track crunched over our hole, crumbling dirt down on us. Speer and I crouched low in the bottom of our hole, tucking our heads close to our chests, making ourselves as small as possible. We didn't dare look up. We could only clutch our rifles and wait for it to pass. It stopped. We were trapped in a hole in frozen ground, and the only way out was covered by the steel track of an enemy tank. If he gets hit and burns, we'll be roasted alive, I told Speer."

I thought for post B I would talk about this quote which I thought represented this section well. He talks about what it felt like and at least in my mind I thought that would be terrifying. He talks about how in Summer tanks would get over foxholes and just grind the treads crushing the dirt and killing the soldier trapped underneath. Also when the ground is frozen he said the tanks would go over the foxholes and suffocate the soldiers underneath or put their exhausts over the holes giving off carbon monoxide. What my point is thought is that this quote is really important to the feeling and environment of the book because things like this happen and even things that are worse. Not only that but when I'm reading I can imagine and picture the things that are going on and I feel like I'm there almost like watching a movie.

Week 3 Post A

Vocab
Panzerfausts (105) - Disposable German antitank rocket launcher
Agnostic (105) - one who believes nothing which cannot be demonstrated by the senses.

Appeals
1. "Again he went quietly among the enemy until he located another tank in the same manner. Following the same procedure he let fly another rocket and another German tank went up in flames" (101). This is an emotional appeal because it shows the reader just how desperate they must of have to one of their guys get out of hiding, go behind enemy lines, and face multiple tanks.

2. "Stop that tank! Stop that tank! Chmiliewski roared. He was so frustrated with rafe that he ran after the tank, firing carbine at the heavy armor. He stopped only when the tank outdistanced him and he realized the futility of his attempt to catch and destroy it. When he returned to us we could see tears streaming down his face" (104). Like the appeal before this it is emotional because they were pretty much sitting ducks and they couldn't do anything so it connects to the reader.

3. "Back in Noville we were completely surrounded, cut off altogether from the rest of the 101st Airborne Division and the other defenders in and around Bastogne to our south. We no longer had radio contact. We were on our own" (111). This is a logical and emotional appeal because it has the facts but also it shows just how much they were outnumbered and everything else so the reader sees this.

Quote
"At least twenty tanks moved into our positions. One of them, a Panther, headed straight for our foxhole. Its left track crunched over our hole, crumbling dirt down on us. Speer and I crouched low in the bottom of our hole, tucking our heads close to our chests, making ourselves as small as possible. We didn't dare look up. We could only clutch our rifles and wait for it to pass. It stopped. We were trapped in a hole in frozen ground, and the only way out was covered by the steel track of an enemy tank. If he gets hit and burns, we'll be roasted alive, I told Speer." I choose this quote because I thought it was significant to not only the book as a whole but also the theme.

Theme
As my quote shows a very powerful theme is the events and the surroundings that were present to those soldiers. For example the tank incident would be terrifying and there are a lot of other things that he talks about that are just as bad or even worse than the tank problem. So it shows all the tough situations they had to deal with.

Week 2 Post B

Now as I’m reading I’m getting deeper into the book and I thought I would comment on my thoughts and other things I was thinking or experiencing while I read this section for post B. In this part Donald explained not just the actual events with the facts but their (his company) and his personal feelings and emotions as well. He talks about how the city looked and what he saw in the city of Noville as they entered to help their soldiers while being bombarded with German Siege fare.

He describes the fog and the butterflies he felt as he was waiting for the order to go in and start attacking. But he also describes the broken buildings with the dead soldiers lying about and the wrecked vehicles hat are haphazardly scattered throughout the city. In one chapter he describes being in the city and a German tank is there and it is trying to kill them and how they barely survive and just the way he writes is really intriguing and as so it intrigues the reader and he finely mixes facts with emotions and so it actually feels like your there. Also because of his great attention to detail I could picture the entire scenes very well. So it is a really interesting book and I can’t wait to read more!