Dreadnought: Iron and Blood

Hey there! Peter here! So far, I personally thought that this part of the book is very interesting.
 The unification of Germany became successful because of the growth of industry and railways. Germany started taking part in the European politics more and more. Most of the German success were achieved by a very famous German political figure: Otto Von Bismarck

Otto Von Bismarck

For 28 years (1862-1890), the greatest German tactician and politician since the Middle Ages dominated European politics through force and diplomacy. He was the key man to revolutionised Germany one of the greatest powers in the world. Bismarck's greatest gift was intelligence. He was the most skilful politician of his time. His perseverance ushered Germany into a new age, the 'Age of Bismarck'.

Bismarck was made Chancellor of Germany by William in 1862. At that time in Berlin, there was a quarrel between the King and the parliament about military policies. Bismarck came and solved out the problem and united the German politicians. On September 22, the climatic meeting between Bismarck and Kaiser William I took place at the summer palace of Babelsberg. The king told Bismarck that he had trouble dealing with Military policies. Bismarck replied that he will help out by being in charge of domestic and foreign affairs. He explained the the Budget Committee why the king must be allowed to make decisions about the army by giving a famous speech: "'Germany does not look to Prussia's liberalism but her strength... The great question of the day will not decided by speech and resolutions of the majority - that was the great mistake of 1848 - but by iron and blood.'"

Bismarck gained his fame when he provoked the Austrian government in 1866 by saying that he will create a new German constitution from which Austria will be excluded. Austria knew that war is imminent. On June 15, Prussian troops marched through city-states saying that Prussia will declare war on them as well if they resist.
When war broke out, Europe predicted the defeat of the Prussians and a victory to the Austrians. Prussia attacked Austria (population: 35 million) with 300,000 soldiers. The Austrians were waiting with 500,000 and 1,500 artilleries. Both sides collided in a bloodbath but suffered heavy casualties. However, the tides of war turned when the Austrian army started to retreat in the afternoon. The following days later, the Austrian Empire surrendered and the Prussian troops marched through Vienna. Austria was forced to give up land to Prussia.

The Austro-Prussian war

Bismarck became even more famous when he defeated the French in 1870. France feared the Germany will become too powerful so they declared war on Prussia. The French soldiers yelled 'à Berlin!'. Like the French stereotype, they surrendered after a month after a humiliating defeat at Sedan on September 1. The German surrounded Paris with rings of artillery. Bismarck was lenient on France and let her go. His objective was political not military. The French were ordered to give provinces of Alsace and Lorraine to Prussia. The Europeans thought of Germany as a 'nation of conquerers and destroyers'.

The Franco-Prussian war

I am reading a book called: The Way's of shadows by Brent Weeks 

This book so far has proven to be intriguing and the use of vocabulary is good. This book is about a boy who wishes to join a group of assassins and in doing so is apprenticed by the 'ultimate' assassin. In the book there are two parts of town, the dump: where there are horrible things like brothels, slavery and a lot of death. And the rich part of town, where all the aristocracy lives, but even there murder and crookery take place. So far I really like the book, it's opening up my imagination and is employing great vocabulary which will hopefully help my next essay!

Animal Farm

I have decided to stop reading Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton as I found it quite difficult do understand, and I didn't enjoy that style of book and the style of writing because I kept having to look up words on most pages, which made it challenging to read and to comprehend everything.

The new book that I have decided to read is Animal Farm by George Orwell.

Chapter 1:
One night, Mr.Jones (the owner of the farm and of all the animals from the farm), stumbles back to his bed drunk and forgets to lock up all of the animal's farm building's properly. When Mr.Jones' lights go out, all of the animals from the farm pile up into the old barn to hear what Old Major, a boar who is the wisest and most respected animal on the farm, has to say. Old Major feels that his life is coming to a close as he is getting quite old and he wants to share his intelligence and his wisdom that he has acquired over his long lifetime.

He tells them the thoughts that he has had in his lonely stall over the years, and what he is basically saying is that the animals of the farm live short, miserable, laborious lives. They are born as slaves, work until they can work no longer, they are given just enough food to keep them breathing and working and eventually when they are useless they get butchered and sold as meat. Even if they aren't given enough food, Old Major says they live on rich soil, and there should be plenty of food for everybody and there should be no reason for the animal's misery. He blames everything on the humans that steal everything from them- eggs, milk, foals, etc.- and they give nothing in return of the hard labour that the animals have to go through.

Old Major then goes on to tell the animals the dream he had; where animals could live without the tyranny of men, where the animals are free to do as they wish, where the animals are fed enough food and treated with dignity. Old Major tries to convince the animals that this is a possibility that is achievable, but that they have to work together realise this dream. They then go on to dispute and argue if rats should be treated as comrades, and Old Major explains that any creature that walks on four legs is a friend and on two a foe.

He then explains that once they have defeated the humans they must not obtain any of their habits; they must not wear clothes, drink alcohol, engage in trade, touch money, etc... He then teaches all his fellow animals "Beasts of England", which explains the ideal life of the animals, they sing it proudly until Mr.Jones fires a shot and all the animals return to being quiet.

Great expectations

I am very happy as I am starting to go through the book a lot more quickly and I am thinking of finishing it by the end of the December holidays. The story is becoming more interesting and I start to find out more details about the different characters. I am not going to summarize the story for you as I am not sure if you are following what is happening and how interesting it is for you. I just wanted to say that I am enjoying it a lot and I recommend reading it. I am going to be writing another post shortly descibing the characters, but now I just wanted to give you my opinion on the book.

"Torn" by Amanda Hocking

Torn is the sequel of Switched and I'm addicted already! I've only read about 10 pages so far but its amazing! It picked up just where I left off with Switched and I can't wait to find out about what happens to Finn and Wendy and if they will get back together or not... Finn can have very big mood swings from sweet and kind to distant and cold, but when he is with Wendy he is the best version of himself and I think that they truly belong together! I can't wait to read more!

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner

By James Dashner

I started reading “The Maze Runner”..

Thomas wakes up in an elevator with no memory of his past other than his name. He discovers that he is in the Glade. The glade in full of young boys, it is run by Ably and Newt. Outside the glade is a giant maze. Inside the maze there is terrifying monsters like the Grievers. The boys are stuck in the glade trying to stay alive as well as trying to escape the maze by running through it. Then, a day after Thomas's arrival, a girl is delivered through the elevator into the Glade. She is the first girl to arrive in the Glade, When she arrives she starts mumbling strange words and then lapses into a coma. Thomas has a feeling like he knows her but keeps it to himself. 

So far this is a really great book, I'm enjoying it a lot.  It is very exciting and interesting. I cant wait to find out how the story ends.

Oblivion

I have finished 4 books in the POWER OF FIVE series and i am reading the 5th and final book, i will be starting it this week and i hope to finish it before christmas. The series is really interesting and i hope everyone else tries it out. 

The new book is called Oblivion

"Switched" by Amanda Hocking

I have now finished my book! 
It was amazing and I loved reading every single page of it! I was hooked as soon as I picked it up. The ending of the book was amazing and a bit of a cliff hanger. Wendy's christening day was arriving and everybody was helping her get prepared for it especially Finn. At a rehearsal dinner Elora told Wendy that at the christening she would have to change her name, obviously this was a bit of a problem for Wendy. So she begged Elora to keep her name but she wasn't getting anywhere so Finn intervened and stood up to Elora. This caused Finn to leave, as Finn was packing Wendy barged into the room crying begging him not to go, she also expressed all her feelings for him. Finn told her that he had feelings for her too and that's why he quit, Elora didn't fire him, he then also told her he loved her and he kissed her. Wendy was so stunned by the kiss she forgot what she was talking about and he left. The day of her christening arrived and everything was going ok though Wendy was still heart broken and she missed Finn. All of a sudden there was a huge attack on the palace, and Finn came back to save her, after the attack, Finn kissed her again and they spent the night together though nothing happened. What Wendy didn't know was that this was Finns last night and that she would never see him again. The following day she planned with Rhys, her changeling, to leave and go meet her old family which was in reality his real family. 
The book ends with them arriving at Wendy's old house. I am about to start the next one and can't wait to find out what happens!!!! 

Miss Havisham's story

In the last chapter I read, we are finally told the reason for Miss Havisham's strange behavior. I am not sure whether you remember, but Miss Havisham was an old lady, who paid Pip to come to her house and play cards with her adopted daughter. When he main character met her, he was shocked : She was wearing her wedding dress and had one shoe put on. She had no idea which day it
was, had pulled all the curtains so that no daylight was present in her room and all the clocks in the room were stopped at exactly twenty minutes to nine. The reason for that, I just found out, was that a few years ago she was completely inlove with this man and was ready to do anything for him. A few people had told her to be careful but she didn't listen. The two were about to get married, everything was ready. Then, less than an hour before the ceremony was about to start, he sent her a letter saying that he is leaving her. The even worse thing is that it is supposed that the man was in a conspiracy with Miss Havisham's half brother and that they shared the profits.

Dreadnought: Introduction (Part 2) - The Germans

The German Challenge

The German Empire composed of many small city-states

Wilhelm II became Kaiser of the German Empire in 1888, which at that time, the empire was a new industrial empire in Europe. Wilhelm II had the determination of Germany becoming a world's superpower. To be able to do that, Germany must create a large navy... too rival the British. Wilhelm's inspiration came from his English ancestry, his grandmother, Queen Victoria. He knew the importance of sea power and how it would help spread German influence throughout Europe. 

Already in 1880s, the German Empire acquired colonies 5 times larger than the Mainland. However, this was done with the help of the British navy and Empire. In fact, the Germans relied on the British most of the time. Its merchant fleet (2nd largest in the world) depended on British harbor and protection throughout the globe. German ships were based off British designs. British and German officers looked at each other as brothers. Germany and Britain were looking for a partnership, or perhaps an alliance to rule the world... Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

German Ironclads (metal ships that were very popular and powerful at the time)

On the other hand, the Germans cannot depend on Britain forever. The Germans thought that they must protect its merchant fleet with its own dependable navy. The German greed for a strong navy led them down a path of 'evil'. They longed for a navy powerful enough to invade Great Britain, strip Britain of her colonies and sweep the British merchant fleet off the face of the earth. The competition for the most powerful navy commenced...

Private Peaceful 1

My Secret scripture book is momentarily on hold because of a slight issue and in the mean time i have started a new book called Private peaceful written by a very famous author Michael Morpurgo. I have read one or two of his books before and enjoyed the delicately written but quite sad book. This book is based on Innocence and love and courage and cowardice it says on the front cover. It is very relevant to our theme because its a novel based on the first World War. At the back cover the blurb says :" As young Thomas peaceful looks back over his childhood from the battlefields of the First World War, his memories are full of family life and deep in the countryside" I have read book before such as the Secret scripture focusing on the past life of a character and also seeing the point of view from within the characters head. I am curious to see if their are more than one narrateur and more than one point of view and if the story is complicated to follow or not.

So far in this novel I have discovered that there is a little boy named Thomas Peaceful otherwise called Tommo who is walking down the street with his older brother Charlie about to go to his first day of School. Tommo does not want to go and is complaining about his boots being to heavy and that his collar is chocking him. Tommo is scared of Mr Munnings and his raging tempers and hi long whipping cane. Tommo has an older brother named Big Joe that doe not have to go to school and is always happy spending his days in a tree singing. I believe that it is odd that Big Joe does not need to go to school and never has : maybe Big Joe has some mental issues or was not forced because he did not need n education ?  Later on Tommo sees a dead crow hanging on a fence and after that a rather unusual paragraph is shown about an other bird  : " The robin was watching me from Father's rose bush, her black and beady eyes unblinking, begging me. Father was in that bird's eye." These lines are interesting  to me in a very subtle way because we find out that his father died and how Tommo loves birds especially robins and how once a mean crow did a murderous deed. In my point of vue Tommo is trying to relate the admiration for his father and how in something he loves he finds is farther's should and how his father was taken away from him in a torturous manner.....

I am so far enjoying this book and will be continuing to post and read :)

My opinion of the "First casualty" by Ben Elton is that it has a good story line and gives us some detail about how the war was at that time. However i don't think it was very well written as in class we found some errors that the author made. I would say the book we started now "To kill a mocking bird" by Harper Lee is a much more sophisticated and grown up book.

The First Casualty, by Ben Elton, my opinion.

 I found that the book The First Casualty was a reasonably boring book. I found that the story wasn't particularly exciting, but had some good moments. In all, the book was a bit slow. However, I find that the book was a good choice because it depicted the horrors of the fist world war, and gave accurate examples of what life was like.
 It helped me picture the horrors of the war and when I went to the trenches I knew what it was like.
 One of the main criticisms was the fact that Kingsley was so perfect at everything he did ant that made the book less thrilling in the war scenes because we knew that he would not die.
 I very much enjoyed the detail in some parts of the story however ;)

i finished my book i am really looking forward to the next one in the series.
Really great book

Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton Chapter 1 "The Gypsy Child"

Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton is a biography of a very famous explorer's life written by Edward Rice. In his book Edward Rice captured the immense passion of the man as no other biographer has before him. Edward Rice spent a number of years collecting details that make this study and biography of Richard Burton so much better. Sir Richard Burton is both a fascinating and controversial figure. He was as brave as he was brilliant. His curiosity for the strange and the unknown was almost insatiable. This curiosity led to lots of dangerous situations. Over his many years as an explorer, he suffered from almost every disease imaginable. 

So that was a tiny glimpse on who Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton was. Richard Francis Burton was a very common English name back in the 19th century but was also a Gypsy or Romany name and everyone believed that he had the appearance of a Gypsy. His father, Joseph Burton, however was a very well respected man and a lieutenant in the British Army. He was sent to Sicily at the age of 17 in 1806 to fight in the Napoleonic War when he should have really been at school, and was said to have been the youngest officers at the time. When he arrived back to England he met a bride for himself, her name was Martha Baker. Martha Baker was a very rich woman and she helped Joseph Burton pay off troubles he had with his estates in Ireland.

Shortly after their wedding, they had their first child, Richard Francis Burton, after Martha's father and Joseph's brother. Being raised by an officer from the army meant that Richard was a very disciplined child, but he got fed up of being pushed around all the time and learnt how to use and wield guns at a very young age. By the age of 9, Richard Burton was a "hard-core" child and a criminal in a way as he used take his father's guns and use tombstones as targets to shoot at and shot out the stained glass from the church windows.

"Switched" by Amanda Hocking

Wendy and Finn are getting a lot closer now, he taught her how to dance, as they were dancing they connected and were really enjoying it but Finn realised that it was inappropriate as he was her guard and backed away very suddenly. They also got closer emotionally, Wendy told Finn how her host mother had tried to kill her, when she was 8, before Matt, her host brother, came in to rescue her. Her mother pleaded insanity in court as is now in an Asylum. Wendy has been preparing for her coming out ball with Finn: they have studied the history of Trylle and all the important people that live there, also Finn has been teaching Wendy table manners and how a princess should behave. Elora, her mother is still being very cold to Wendy though Finn said that Elora would risk her life to save Wendy. Wendy is also getting closer to Willa, they gossiped a bit and Willa did Wendys hair for the ball. I am now on page 210 and every page makes me want to read more. This is a truly great book!

Pip met Herbert, the son of his tutor. They really liked each other, which surprised me a lot as they are very different. Herbert is cheerful, open and optimistic, whereas Pip is the opposite - shy, uncomfortable and sometimes even awkward. They realise that they have met before, which surprised them and also me. Herbert is the pale young gentleman that the main character fought in the garden at the Satis House. I am very excited to see how their relationship is going to turn out in the future.

Dreadnought: Introduction (Part 1)

Introduction: Sea Power of Britain (Part 1)

Hey there! Peter here! I am currently reading the book about the naval competition between Britain and Germany before the second world war. I am reading this because I thought that this book will help me understand the conflict of the 'Great War' better. Here is the introduction (summed up):

From the early 18th to early 20th century the British Empire ruled 1/4 of the globe with the help of... its navy. Britain has the strongest navy at that time with no major competition. Its ships are the best in the world. The most famous type of British ships are called 'Ship of the Line'. However, how did the British become this powerful?

HMS Victory, British flagship that belonged to famous Admiral Horatio Nelson.

The British became more powerful than ever after its glorious victory at Trafalgar against the Spanish and French. Nelson's victory at Trafalgar opened a gateway for the British naval supremacy to dominate the globe. Britain had the largest navy in the world. With the help of its navy, the British empire had the population of 372 million people and 11 million square miles. From Canada to Australia, the British ruled it all, giving the empire the name of 'The sun never sets'. And again, all this land were won through its sea power. The world respected British Empire as a 'sea empire' with British ships sailing all over the globe.

The British Empire

Soon, the new country of Germany will challenge its naval supremacy...

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Not long ago I started reading "Nineteen Eighty-Four" by George Orwell, a novel published in 1949, based in the future, in a fictional country which was formerly known as Great Britain.
The novel is about omnipresent government surveillance, and a state of continuous war without any insight on how it might end.
The main character, Winston Smith, is a good citizen but secretly he dreams of rebellion against the "Big Brother", which is the mysterious leader of the party and the symbol of tyranny.
The society that Winston lives in is very complex; it's composed by four government ministries: Ministry of Peace, Ministry of Plenty, Ministry of Truth and Ministry of Love.
As I read on, I will keep you posted on the book's plot!

SECRET SCRIPTURE 11

Dr Grene is still mourning deeply about the loss of his wife and keeps remembering journeys, trips and most of all their or her likes." Every year in the early days we went religiously to Bundoran  for our holiday." At the same time as discovering his memories we are also finding out his faults and mistakes  more precisely that one time he went to Bundoran without his wife and after a conference he was speaking at he got drunk and had a small incident with another lady both of them has sever family issues after and made a big dent in their life. Dr Grene is still on the mission to find out the truth of Roseanne past and path to the metal institute and he has found journals of the local priest in Sligo where Roseanne used to live. Fr Gaunt the priest caused a lot of distress and problems in Roseanne presbyterian family and we saw that he kept a journal of Roseanne's family which is quite an disturbing thought. We found out the truth of her dads death. Even though she though it was suicide and her fault it turned out that a gang did it while first tormenting him  with a hammer that "accidentally " fell out of the gang leaders hand and landed on Roseanne's head knocking her unconscious and taking away the farther to be hung.More and more we are feeling terrible about the tragedies she lived through and most of all the guilt she lives with that was not her fault. Dr Grene thinks of her like an iconic figure and looks up to her almost depends on her to bring him past his depression.

"Switched" by Amanda Hocking

In my book, Wendy is still finding it hard to fit in to this new world and especially the responsibility of being the heir to the throne and the princess of the kingdom. Finn is helping her through it although when she was found in Rhys room in the morning, it was a huge problem for Queen Elora as Rhys is human and is very low down in the monarchy and no princess should be seen with a human. Finn was also very angry but he is now teaching her the way of a princess and they are also trying to develop her powers and skills. He took her into the woods and they climbed up this huge boulder and they could see the whole kingdom from there, Finn made her climb up it all by herself and she managed to do it which was really impressive considering she had never liked sports. I am really intrigued about this secret kingdom and can't wait to find out more!

As I read on, I begin to dislike Pip's character. The fact that, once the boy got the chance to impress his love Estella, to earn a fortune and become a gentleman, he completely "forgot" about his family and started to be distant towards them. He seems to care more about what rich and aristocratic people think and expect from him, rather than what is best for his loved ones.

I think this also brings up that Pip is still immature, as he hasn't realised yet that  loyalty and affection are more important than money and fame. He has a childish vision of the world, believing that being a gentleman is what's most important, just like in the books and movies. He begins to behave snobbishly towards his sister, his dear friend and guardian Joe and Biddy.

This really annoys me as I believe that family should always come first as these are the people who care about you and will always be by your side.

SECRET SCRIPTURE 10

In the book we are starting to unravel more of a  character called John Lavelle that was first introduced at the start of the book in the most unfortunate events and now he is starting to make an appearance in Roseanne's life. However he does not seem like a sweet and harmless man he seems ruff and is holding a grudge on Roseanne. I am most fearful that something might happen to Roseanne against her will and that Tom her just new husband will reject her which would be terrible because Roseanne is just starting to enter her new and improved life. Finally on another note the book has been always referring to Jack, Tom's brother who seems to be a God : brave, smart handsome but then there is the other brother Eneas who is never talked about and seems very distant. Maybe there is some tension in the family and some hidden secrets yet to be discovered: looking forward to the climax.

"Switched" by Amanda Hocking

I am now on page 150 and the storyline is getting much more complicated with new characters coming in and more mysterious questions being asked by Wendy. She has just come to terms with being a Trylle and has gone to see her real family with the mysterious Finn. She has just found out that she is the Princess and the only heir to the throne meaning her mother "Elora" is the Queen. Lora is very mysterious, she can paint the future which is a gift and a curse. Wendy is happy to be with her real family and home but she is finding it really hard to live up to the expectations her mother has for her. There is now more and more tension and flirting between Wendy and Finn though Finn is very up and down, he can be really nice, warm and understanding at one moment and then in the next he can be cold, distant and rude. They have a love hate relationship for now though I think that they both feel something more for each other. Three new characters have been introduced: Rhys who also lives in the palace with Wendy and Elora, Rihannon who seems to be a friend of Rhys and Elora who is the Queen of the Trylles and Wendy's mother. I am really enjoying this book and can't wait to get some answers to all these questions being asked by Wendy...