I will be honest in saying that I have never seen any of the Hungar Games movies or read the books... I'm probably in the minority with that statement. I had a basic idea of the plot behind the story but wasn't quite sure how I would like the book. After reading the first five chapters I'll say that it has my attention. Having the story set in the future kind of reminds me of movies such as I-Robot or I am legend. I was interested in the event of the Hungar Games in which a male and female from each district are essentially thrown into the wild and asked to compete and survive against others from the surrounding districts. I look forward to reading more about the events that unfold in the Hungar games and the lengths that each person is willing to go to survive!

I have heard so much about this book over the years and have yet to read it until now. Making my way through the ranks of higher education I have constantly heard about the vivid and cruel images of the slaughterhouse that is the focus of the story yet the first couple of chapters sound very optimistic. Jurgis comes to America in search of work knowing full well the benefits of moving to America. To the eye of the well informed, a job in the slaughterhouse may not have been one to go after. This is where I was caught off guard by the optimism in which Jurgis has when taking the position. Packingtown did not sound like a pleasant place to live but Jurgis was determined to provide for his family and it is this quality that made me an early fan of him. He must have had doubts when he began working in the slaughterhouse but he knew that it paid much better than any job he had in his homeland. I'm beginning to wonder about how long it will take the working conditions to catch up to him, how long will until the cruelty starts to wear on his mind? I am very interested to continue reading the book!

Food waste is a definite and huge problem in America. It feels as though Americans spend more time throwing away food than exercising! We sit here behind a mountain of food and fail to realize the harsh life that thousands of people across the ocean have to face. Why should we be ok with throwing away tons and tons of food that can be used to sustain and support life elsewhere? Why should garbage men drive around the country and pick up ones unwanted food that could be used for a greater purpose? Commodities such as garbage men, landfills, trash cans, dumpsters, etc are things that many Guatemalans for example, have never heard of. Here is to the old saying; "Ones man's trash, is another man's treasure." That is why the "waste not, want not" proposal will be effective immediately. No longer will a person be able to walk outside to their trash can and toss away a bag full of food; there will be no trash cans! Garbage men will no longer be in existence, landfills will disappear and dumpsters will vanish. Where does the country turn to now? I am sure that the country will not want to see piles and piles of garbage stacked in neighborhoods across the nation. The average person will not want to turn their swimming pool into a personal dumpster. Americans will now have two options; buy only what they need from the supermarket to rid themselves of wasted food entirely or take what is not consumed and give it to those who are hungry. No longer will an individual work for extremely low wages to produce food that winds up in the dumpster. No longer will that same person go home hungry because this new proposal will begin to rid the country and eventually the world of hunger.

The story of Rigoberta Menchu is one that makes you realize how fortunate you really are. I understand how much of a cliché that is, but it really got me thinking... Obviously you can pick apart just about every sentence of what was written and find something that makes the average person shake their head, however I was interested in how Rigoberta was brought up as a child. It was sad learning about the struggles of her parents/grandparents before Rigoberta was even born! So often in todays world you hear about families wanting to better the lives of their future children, that was impossible in Guatemala. The blame doesn't rest on the shoulders of her parents because they never had a fighting chance. The working conditions and the treatment of the working people in that country doesn't pose well for families. Learning of the struggles of hard working people makes you think twice about complaining when the alarm goes off in the morning. I often wonder about how people with so much going for them, can complain when there are thousands of people like Rigoberta suffering all over the world.

The idea presented in A Modest Proposal was a bit over the top, but it made me think about the underlying message of what was written. Swift describes the poverty in a part of Ireland and presents what he believes is an honest solution for it. At first glance one sees his idea as being absolutely ridiculous and over the top; but maybe that is the point? If we stop and look around at various parts of the country or the world for that matter, we notice the enormous amount of poverty stricken people. If you're like me, you begin to wonder about the possibly ways in which you could help these people. A Modest Proposal gave me the impression that drastic times call for drastic measures. Of course following the ideas of Jonathan Swift will not apply to the situation in modern times, I simply think you can apply the message behind it to the present day. The poverty around the globe is something that needs to be dealt with and if it means we have to "take off the gloves" to do so, so be it.

I had never heard of Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes until now, but I am happy that I have learned of this place! I firmly believe that doing something for someone who can do nothing in return is one of the greatest things a person can do. KLF is one of those places. It was established in 1982 by several local church congregations whose mission was to help those in need. Over time KLF has grown with the addition of many more church congregations, they now serve all of Kalamazoo County. Their services include help for those without a means to eat, assistance to the elderly as well as providing food packs for children in need. The website itself gave a very good overview of exactly what KLF is and does and I'm glad that I read through it. Places like KLF remind me that their are still plenty of good people in the world. I don't believe enough help is given to those who need it and places such as KLF should be constructed in every place possible.

This story was unlike anything I have ever read... Mainly due to the difficulty I had in following the events that took place. The word choices and sentence structure throughout the story made it hard to get a good sense of what was going on. I took away a few things from it however. It was interesting to read about the ways in which the slaves were treated. I understand that society was much different during that time period but it was shocking to learn how poorly some people can be treated. The feast itself was also unique. Reading through the descriptions of some of the things being offered to the guests made me thankful for the food that I consume now. The way in which Trimalchio made sure everything offered to eat was of the best quality was also interesting. The piece that discussed the use of exotic bees to produce top quality honey was pretty cool.