Allies
Quotes
Enemies make you stronger, allies make you
weaker.
-Frank Herbert
I think this quote means that enemies make us
stronger by forcing us to overcome challenges that we face so that
they will eventually be defeated. I think the reason that allies make us weaker
is because it gives our enemies leverage or bait that may poorly affect our
choices. This quote represents the opposite of what I would expect when I was
thinking of the subject of "allies".
I still think it would be a great mistake to go into
a war without support of our friends and allies.
-John Dingell
I think this quote focuses on
the benefits of having allies when we're in difficult situations and
their aide could be necessary to overcome the challenge that is being faced. I
also think that it can also be taken as how it's always a good idea to take
into consideration the opinions of our allies. This quote represents the
positive impact that our allies can have on us and our decision making.
Introduction
Once Eloc
returned to his castle he and a couple of trained knights began to make their
way to the evil Sitruk’s castle. Once they arrived and got passed the guards
and into the castle they were able to rescue the young prince using the potion
that was given to him by the Nave’s. Once king Eloc returned the young prince
to the Nave’s king Hsoj granted his entire army at Eloc’s disposal. With this
new advantage Eloc was determined to finish the terrible battle that night, but
king Hsoj advised Eloc to wait until morning. Though Eloc was anxious he knew
it would be foolish to ignore the opinion of Hsoj.
This piece of writing is important to the theme I have chosen because it deals a lot with the fact that allies can play a very important role in the outcome of important situations. This piece focuses on the fact that allies are more useful and helpful than unnecessary. It is shown through king Eloc’s alliance with the Nave’s and how with the help of the army of the Nave’s Eloc was able to restore the peaceful land of Yrtsepat. This piece of writing also deals with the first part of the second quote I have. In this case the enemies, Sitruk made king Eloc overcome some challenges such as saving the prince of the Nave’s. Rather than allies making king Eloc weaker using the help of his allies he was able to destroy king Sitruk and return peace to Yrtsepat.
Quotation 1
Enemies make you stronger, allies make you weaker.
Quotation 2
I still think it would be a great mistake to go into a war without support of our friends and allies.
Short Story
Lucifer’s Alligator, by Julia Whitty
"Revenge," he said, "revenge" (Whitty)
. . . Lucifer’s alligator relates to Frank Herbert’s quote “Enemies make you stronger, allies make you weaker.” It relates to this quote because in the story Lucifer try’s to persuade the other animals that they need to rebel against the humans so that they may become free. This relates to my quote because it seems that Lucifer is trying to create allies so that they can overcome the humans which he perceives as the enemies. The animals had to become stronger in order to defeat the humans, for example some of the animals refused food which made them endure the situation. In the story the orca’s ally made her weaker because when they took Shobu from her it made her weak. The orca “stayed motionless for months”(Whitty) until she ended up taking her revenge on the humans by killing one of the trainers. This piece also relates to my flash fiction, like the king of the Nave’s Shobu was taken from his parents, but unlike my story it seems like he will not be returned to his parents. . .
Poetry
The Allies, by Amy Lowell
. . . This
poem represents the quote by Frank Herbert, "Enemies make you stronger, allies
make you weaker." This is can be seen because the “Men
weighed down with rifles and knapsacks, and parching with war” are still
pressing through the terrible conditions in this poem. This reflects his quote
because “each man thinks of a woman”
which is giving them the strength to pursue onwards. The enemies make the men
in the poem stronger by forcing them to overcome possible challenges that await
them in order for them to return home to that woman their thinking of. In the
context of the poem the second part of the quote could be taken as one of the
men giving up their lives for one of their new allies that they’ve met, which
could make them weaker. This poem also relates to my flash fiction with the
knights and Eloc entering Sitruk’s castle. In both situations they would be
forced to become stronger in order to overcome the challenges that would await
them, such as entering the castle and rescuing the prince. It also makes me
think of Lucifer’s alligator in the way that the men in the war do not want to
be where they are just as the animals in Lucifer’s alligator. Unlike in Lucifer’s
alligator the men cannot do anything to escape their fate. . .
. . . The novel Eragon can relate to my quote by John Dingell, "I still think it would be a great mistake to go into a war without support of
our friends and allies." In the book, once Eragon learns how to ride his dragon
and wield a sword he is anxious to get revenge on Galbatorix for the death of
his uncle. This relates to my quote because Brom does not approve and he thinks
that they should join the Varden, a group of rebels. Eragon takes his advice
and they join the Varden. This way rather than starting another war Eragon
takes the support of his friend, Brom and joins the Varden which become
extremely important allies. Like in Lucifer’s alligator Eragon has a sense of
being taken away from his parental figures. In the book Eragon rather than
actually being taken away like in Lucifer’s alligator, Eragon’s grandfather is
killed. Still there is this sense of separation that causes a big change in
both the characters in both of the stories. In later books Eragon is able to
defeat king Galbatorix and the empire with the help of the Varden, which is
similar to what happens in my flash fiction with king Eloc and the Nave’s. Unfortunately
unlike both the flash fiction and Eragon the animals described in Lucifer’s
alligator cannot escape their capture even after several schemes thought up by
Lucifer. Then there’s also the situation with my poem in which the soldiers
cannot chose to return even though they probably got themselves into the mess.
. .
Film
. . .The
film Avatar is a prime example of the quote by John Dingell, “I still think it
would be a great mistake to go into a war without support of our friends and
allies.” It is an excellent example because it is really similar to the main
conflict in the story. After the humans destroyed the big tree that the natives
lived in, the people were ready to begin a war. Jake Sully knew that they would
not win so he tried to convince them that they needed the help of their other
clans. Once Jake was able to convince the other clans to fight with them they
went into battle against the humans. The allies that Jake Sully provided made a
difference in the final outcome of the battle just like in my flash fiction. If
king Eloc had never made the alliance with the Nave’s he would never have been
able to restore peace in the land of Yrtsepat. Also in my poetry example it is
set in world war one where the alliances that were made were crucial for one
side to be victorious. In the story Lucifer’s alligator the main alliance or
force of allies was the group of animals that decided to join Lucifer in his rebellion
to the humans. They would starve themselves or refuse to perform hoping to
somehow eventually succeed by obtaining freedom. . .
Video Games
Minecraft, by Mojang
. . . In
the video game Minecraft, Frank Herbert’s quote, “Enemies make you stronger,
allies make you weaker” describes the games concept quite good. The first part
of this quote is very similar to the game because of the leveling system, the
more enemies you kill the more experience you get, allowing you to make enchantments,
thus making you stronger. The second part of this quote is still true also, the
game is designed for single player but there are also online servers so you
could play with your friends. In these servers if you were playing with your
friends, your allies, it can make you weaker because you have to share your resources
leaving less for you to have. This reminds me of the ancient spring of Moderob
described in my flash fiction. It was Sitruk who gave Eloc the strength to
continue to battle against him by forcing him to endure hardships, making the moment
of defeat that much more satisfying for Eloc. In my short story it was unfortunately
the ally that made the orca weaker in the end. When Shobu was taken from his
mother it made the loss of her young companion and ally that much more
difficult to overcome. This unfortunately is one of the ways that our allies
can make us weaker because if anything bad happens to them we may feel an emotionally
weak. . .
Television
Survivor, CBS
The hit T.V. show Survivor is another great example of John Dingell’s quote "I still think it would be a great mistake to go into a war without support of our friends and allies." Though in the show there is no physical war allies have proven to be one of the most crucial parts to winning. In past seasons players have been eliminated because of their allies, but most of the time it is the player’s allies that cause some of them to survive for so long in the game. It is through these important alliances that players in either tribe can last for many episodes. This can be related to my poetry selection when during world war one and how the alliances played a part in the outcome of the war. Also if taken at a literal form it could be thought of as a test of survival. Each of the men do not want to die and the men and women on the show don't want to get voted off. Survival was something that was probably going through Eloc's mind when thinking of the future of his kingdom. In my flash fiction it describes the king Eloc traveling to the evil king Sitruk's castle to rescue the prince of the Nave's. Similar to the show the king had his own sort of immunity idol, but in this case it was his magical potion. Also, like in the show once he successfully "beat the challenge", returned the prince to safety, he got a prize, the help of the Nave's.
Conclusion
In conclusion I have learned much about the concept of allies and how they affect us and our decision making. I discovered that almost each source that I had could work for either of my quotes. Some worked better than others, for example my flash fiction could work for both situations during different parts of the story. I found that the short story Lucifer's alligator was taken to be more focused on the Frank Herbert's quote. I think this is because it's easier to relate the devastating event of her losing her son to the more negative quote rather than the positive quote. Also I found that the novel Eragon worked especially well with the John Dingell's quote. This is probably because it's story is very focused upon family and working together as opposed to going solo. I think think the examples that I have chosen have all well represented how allies and friends are very important to have in our lives so that we may overcome challenges that may present themselves. Even if we are a bit vulnerable I don't think we should shut out everybody because that can't be healthy. As a reader I hope you can take your own thoughts from this tapestry and I hope that you enjoyed it.
Works Cited
practicepractice. December 03 2010. Viva La Resolucion. May 27 2012.
Introduction
For my
tapestry project I chose the subject “allies”. My goal for this project is for
the reader to realize the importance of allies and how they can affect our
lives. By the end of this project I also
hope for the reader to better understand the subject of allies and the effect
that they can have on people in different situations.
Flash Fiction
Sitruk and Eloc
Once upon
a time in the land of Yrtsepat there were two kingdoms in battle for the
possession of the sacred spring of Moderob, for the spring’s water was magical.
This sacred water gave the consumer strength and speed like never seen before. The
king of the east, Sitruk planned to use the spring’s power for his own evil,
while the king of the west, Eloc, however planned to use the spring’s water to
help the less fortunate.
After
many years King Eloc’s army was diminishing. He knew that he needed allies so that
his army could defeat evil king Sitruk. Eloc knew of an ancient race wise
beyond their years called the Nave’s. He knew they would know how to destroy Sitruk’s
army so he next day he made his way to the castle of the Nave’s. Once he
arrived he asked for their aide and they agreed on the condition that he would
rescue the prince of the Nave’s who was captured by Sitruk’s men. King Eloc agreed
so the king of the Nave’s, Hsoj gave king Eloc a magical potion that would turn
him invisible, but the potion’s time was limited to a couple of minutes. He was
told that this would help him rescue his son.
The next
morning Eloc’s army was joined by the army of the Nave’s and together they took
possession of the ancient spring of Moderob and destroyed the evil king Sitruk.
Once Sitruk was destroyed together King Eloc and the Naves began rebuilding the
kingdom and restoring the land of Yrtsepat.
Reflection:
This piece of writing is important to the theme I have chosen because it deals a lot with the fact that allies can play a very important role in the outcome of important situations. This piece focuses on the fact that allies are more useful and helpful than unnecessary. It is shown through king Eloc’s alliance with the Nave’s and how with the help of the army of the Nave’s Eloc was able to restore the peaceful land of Yrtsepat. This piece of writing also deals with the first part of the second quote I have. In this case the enemies, Sitruk made king Eloc overcome some challenges such as saving the prince of the Nave’s. Rather than allies making king Eloc weaker using the help of his allies he was able to destroy king Sitruk and return peace to Yrtsepat.
Quotation 1
Enemies make you stronger, allies make you weaker.
-Frank
Herbert
I think
the source of this quote from Frank Herbert was sometime when he was a
photographer with the U.S. navy during world war two. This would explain the
context of the enemies and allies because during the world wars allies were
very important in order to be victorious. This quote represents the negative
point of view for the context of allies and how rather than being helpful they
make us weaker. . .
Quotation 2
I still think it would be a great mistake to go into a war without support of our friends and allies.
-John
Dingell
I think
the source of this quote from John Dingell could be from his long experience in
politics over the past years. His opinion has been respected for quite some
time so this quote may have been taken from a meeting of some sort. This quote
represents the large help that our allies can give us when were making difficult
big decisions. . .
Lucifer’s Alligator, by Julia Whitty
"Revenge," he said, "revenge" (Whitty)
. . . Lucifer’s alligator relates to Frank Herbert’s quote “Enemies make you stronger, allies make you weaker.” It relates to this quote because in the story Lucifer try’s to persuade the other animals that they need to rebel against the humans so that they may become free. This relates to my quote because it seems that Lucifer is trying to create allies so that they can overcome the humans which he perceives as the enemies. The animals had to become stronger in order to defeat the humans, for example some of the animals refused food which made them endure the situation. In the story the orca’s ally made her weaker because when they took Shobu from her it made her weak. The orca “stayed motionless for months”(Whitty) until she ended up taking her revenge on the humans by killing one of the trainers. This piece also relates to my flash fiction, like the king of the Nave’s Shobu was taken from his parents, but unlike my story it seems like he will not be returned to his parents. . .
Poetry
The Allies, by Amy Lowell
“Men weighed down with rifles and knapsacks, and
parching with war.” (Lowell, 7)
. . . This
poem represents the quote by Frank Herbert, "Enemies make you stronger, allies
make you weaker." This is can be seen because the “Men
weighed down with rifles and knapsacks, and parching with war” are still
pressing through the terrible conditions in this poem. This reflects his quote
because “each man thinks of a woman”
which is giving them the strength to pursue onwards. The enemies make the men
in the poem stronger by forcing them to overcome possible challenges that await
them in order for them to return home to that woman their thinking of. In the
context of the poem the second part of the quote could be taken as one of the
men giving up their lives for one of their new allies that they’ve met, which
could make them weaker. This poem also relates to my flash fiction with the
knights and Eloc entering Sitruk’s castle. In both situations they would be
forced to become stronger in order to overcome the challenges that would await
them, such as entering the castle and rescuing the prince. It also makes me
think of Lucifer’s alligator in the way that the men in the war do not want to
be where they are just as the animals in Lucifer’s alligator. Unlike in Lucifer’s
alligator the men cannot do anything to escape their fate. . .
Novel
Eragon, by Christopher Paolini
. . . The novel Eragon can relate to my quote by John Dingell, "I still think it would be a great mistake to go into a war without support of
our friends and allies." In the book, once Eragon learns how to ride his dragon
and wield a sword he is anxious to get revenge on Galbatorix for the death of
his uncle. This relates to my quote because Brom does not approve and he thinks
that they should join the Varden, a group of rebels. Eragon takes his advice
and they join the Varden. This way rather than starting another war Eragon
takes the support of his friend, Brom and joins the Varden which become
extremely important allies. Like in Lucifer’s alligator Eragon has a sense of
being taken away from his parental figures. In the book Eragon rather than
actually being taken away like in Lucifer’s alligator, Eragon’s grandfather is
killed. Still there is this sense of separation that causes a big change in
both the characters in both of the stories. In later books Eragon is able to
defeat king Galbatorix and the empire with the help of the Varden, which is
similar to what happens in my flash fiction with king Eloc and the Nave’s. Unfortunately
unlike both the flash fiction and Eragon the animals described in Lucifer’s
alligator cannot escape their capture even after several schemes thought up by
Lucifer. Then there’s also the situation with my poem in which the soldiers
cannot chose to return even though they probably got themselves into the mess.
. . Film
Avatar, directed
by James Cameron
. . .The
film Avatar is a prime example of the quote by John Dingell, “I still think it
would be a great mistake to go into a war without support of our friends and
allies.” It is an excellent example because it is really similar to the main
conflict in the story. After the humans destroyed the big tree that the natives
lived in, the people were ready to begin a war. Jake Sully knew that they would
not win so he tried to convince them that they needed the help of their other
clans. Once Jake was able to convince the other clans to fight with them they
went into battle against the humans. The allies that Jake Sully provided made a
difference in the final outcome of the battle just like in my flash fiction. If
king Eloc had never made the alliance with the Nave’s he would never have been
able to restore peace in the land of Yrtsepat. Also in my poetry example it is
set in world war one where the alliances that were made were crucial for one
side to be victorious. In the story Lucifer’s alligator the main alliance or
force of allies was the group of animals that decided to join Lucifer in his rebellion
to the humans. They would starve themselves or refuse to perform hoping to
somehow eventually succeed by obtaining freedom. . . Video Games
Minecraft, by Mojang
. . . In
the video game Minecraft, Frank Herbert’s quote, “Enemies make you stronger,
allies make you weaker” describes the games concept quite good. The first part
of this quote is very similar to the game because of the leveling system, the
more enemies you kill the more experience you get, allowing you to make enchantments,
thus making you stronger. The second part of this quote is still true also, the
game is designed for single player but there are also online servers so you
could play with your friends. In these servers if you were playing with your
friends, your allies, it can make you weaker because you have to share your resources
leaving less for you to have. This reminds me of the ancient spring of Moderob
described in my flash fiction. It was Sitruk who gave Eloc the strength to
continue to battle against him by forcing him to endure hardships, making the moment
of defeat that much more satisfying for Eloc. In my short story it was unfortunately
the ally that made the orca weaker in the end. When Shobu was taken from his
mother it made the loss of her young companion and ally that much more
difficult to overcome. This unfortunately is one of the ways that our allies
can make us weaker because if anything bad happens to them we may feel an emotionally
weak. . .
TelevisionSurvivor, CBS
The hit T.V. show Survivor is another great example of John Dingell’s quote "I still think it would be a great mistake to go into a war without support of our friends and allies." Though in the show there is no physical war allies have proven to be one of the most crucial parts to winning. In past seasons players have been eliminated because of their allies, but most of the time it is the player’s allies that cause some of them to survive for so long in the game. It is through these important alliances that players in either tribe can last for many episodes. This can be related to my poetry selection when during world war one and how the alliances played a part in the outcome of the war. Also if taken at a literal form it could be thought of as a test of survival. Each of the men do not want to die and the men and women on the show don't want to get voted off. Survival was something that was probably going through Eloc's mind when thinking of the future of his kingdom. In my flash fiction it describes the king Eloc traveling to the evil king Sitruk's castle to rescue the prince of the Nave's. Similar to the show the king had his own sort of immunity idol, but in this case it was his magical potion. Also, like in the show once he successfully "beat the challenge", returned the prince to safety, he got a prize, the help of the Nave's.
Conclusion
In conclusion I have learned much about the concept of allies and how they affect us and our decision making. I discovered that almost each source that I had could work for either of my quotes. Some worked better than others, for example my flash fiction could work for both situations during different parts of the story. I found that the short story Lucifer's alligator was taken to be more focused on the Frank Herbert's quote. I think this is because it's easier to relate the devastating event of her losing her son to the more negative quote rather than the positive quote. Also I found that the novel Eragon worked especially well with the John Dingell's quote. This is probably because it's story is very focused upon family and working together as opposed to going solo. I think think the examples that I have chosen have all well represented how allies and friends are very important to have in our lives so that we may overcome challenges that may present themselves. Even if we are a bit vulnerable I don't think we should shut out everybody because that can't be healthy. As a reader I hope you can take your own thoughts from this tapestry and I hope that you enjoyed it.
Works Cited
practicepractice. December 03 2010. Viva La Resolucion. May 27 2012.
