Blog 5

"I don't recognize the world anymore." (pg. 127)

In this part of the story, Oskar and Anna are alone behind a wall of books. Oskar overhears Anna's father say, "I don't recognize the world anymore." Then a bit later, Mr. Goldberg says, "I've never recognized it more." After a while, they start talking about war, and how people are killing for no purpose. Mr. Goldberg says, "... It is war waged by humanity against humanity, and it will only end when there's no one left to fight."

When I read this part in the book, I could really connect. I think anyone can really. We say that we don't recognize this world because of all the change that is happening, along with the disasters and tragedies we suffer through. We say this because the world isn't quite the same as it used to be. It becomes something more and more as years go by. At the same time, like Mr. Goldberg says, we do actually recognize it. We know exactly what is going on and why. Like war for instance, the example they use in the book, it is ongoing and will not stop. We don't want to believe that, and we see, it is getting worse. It is progressing, changing. But at the same time, we do recognize what is going on, and why. People are fighting until death, until they have completely wiped the other side out, but in the process they are being defeated as well.

When I read that line, I honestly do not know why, but it reminded me of Alice In Wonderland. That's why I used this picture. Alice accidentally stumbles into a new and unfamiliar world where anything that happens is dream like, impossible. When I think of the war that is going on now, I think of it as a dream. I know that sounds silly, but I think of it as a dream because I am in denial of what the world is coming to. When I was a kid, honestly, I did not watch the news so I thought that war was only in movies. Now, when Alice travels through this dream world, a lot of the characters have some sort of resemblance to the people in her life. This is what she recognizes. With the war that is going on now, I recognize that it is petty, and we are fighting it because we can. The true reason behind it is stupid, and not worth the fight.

When Alice wakes up from her dream, she uses it to make the decisions she wants to. When I look away from this war to my life, I use it to keep myself safe from the world, and the people in it.