Back into the groove of things students gradually piled into our comfortable home in James Dunn Hall. It was almost strange as if the time apart from each other had brought us closer as we sat there talking waiting for the teachers to compile into the room. After reading an exciting new syllabus for the next term we discussed the important parts of last semester and where we found we learned. It was during this time where we began to discuss what the difference is between a belief and opinion. After more discussion even in our last class I was still not satisfied, I wanted a better answer. While looking up the idea of opinion I came to a conclusion of my own and feel free to dispute it, in fact I welcome it. An opinion is a belief but a less guided one, you can’t formulate an opinion unless you believe in it. There are levels of conviction in which determine whether something is a belief or if something is an opinion. Without solid indisputable evidence your more likely going to have an opinion but you also can’t have an opinion without believe you are right in it.

This week also paved the way for a different way of learning at least for the first month, we would be focused more on disciplines. At first I dreaded the two and a half hour time slot that Michael Camp managed to steal from Russ and Thom after seeing all the time we had journalism I started comparing Michael Camp to Jay Leno and Russ and Thom respectively to Conan and good ole Jimmy Fallon. ( A joke that is only funny if aware of all the drama with the “Tonight Show”) However after a day of class and a reading assignment I definitely had a different attitude. In journalism this week I’ve probably had my two most interesting classes yet talking about nazi propaganda. Also the most beautifully haunting story I’ve read Captain Waskow. After reading Captain Waskow I formulated an opinion that was separate from the rest of the class. Though interestingly after more thought I realized maybe that’s what Ernie Pyle wanted. It was a time where media was censored beyond all recognition I think Pyle was well aware of this but needed to find away around this. I think that is the reason he wrote Captain Waskow. Once again feel free to dispute but this is my evidence, in English we are beginning to do exercises in which authors use a certain way of wording something to convey a certain meaning, Pyle was no exception. In my opinion Captain Waskow is about death and it’s inevitability especially in battle. I see this in the usage of words the author uses. First describing the dead man as alone, and when the third man gets up once again he says “and then he got up and walked away down the road, in the moonlight, all alone.” I don’t think it was an accident that Pyle refers to both the dead man and the last soldier as “all alone”. Finally the final two sentences of Captain Waskow could have been phrased differently if not meant to convey deeper meaning. “ leaving the five dead men lying in a line, end to end, in the shadow of the low stone wall. We lay down on the straw in the cowshed, and pretty soon we were all asleep.” My learning journal is only my opinion but I think Pyle easily could have said “the soldiers went to bed, the soldiers slept until morning.” But he chooses to say “pretty soon we were all asleep” a phrase that can have many different meanings including that the soldiers were dead to the world, or asleep to emotions or that the soldiers eventually died just like their Captain. Please people comment on this I’d love some discussion.