Ramesses

Ramesses

Chapter 1-6 Researcher Summary: In the first chapter we are introduced to Greg Mortenson. He was climbing up K2 the second tallest mountain with a few friends. However they failed while trying to rescue their friend. Now that he is starting to make his trip back down the mountain, he realizes that he is running out of supplies and begins to reflect on his life. After sleeping with a blanket for a while he wakes up and tries to find a trail. Then he hears a caravan which is the caravan of his guide Mouzafer. He gives him some tea made of rancid yak butter. When Mouzafer goes to set up camp Mortenson loses his way and ends at a village which he believes to be Askole. After sleeping here and being welcomed by the leader Mouzafer finds the village after using a cable car. Mortenson was surprised by his loyalty and payed him as well as he could. After staying in the village and recuperating, Mortenson starts becoming more aware of his surroundings and notcies that the people are sick and he does his best to help him with his first aid kit. Helping the people and seeing the children remind him of his sister Christa and he vows to come back and build a school. When he goes back to California he starts to reminisce and we start to learn about his past life. His family moved to Tanzania when he was really little. His father built a hospital while his mother built a school and he and his sister grew up there until he was fourteen. They moved back to America and he started enjoying sports at high school. Since his family didn't have that much money he joined the military.He earned a degree in nursing and then moved back to California. Mortenson picked up hiking and loved it so much he became good at it. After Christa died of a seizure, he was asked to be the medic on a climb to K2. This is where he starts looking at the present Mortenson faces the dilemma of fundraising. With the help from a Pakistani man he sends out 580 letters to famous people in America. The only money he received was a hundred dollar check from Tom Brokaw.

Research: The Karakoram Mountains are the second tallest mountain range. Also the glaciers on the mountains show the distinct climate change from most of the rest of Pakistan

Chapter 7-12 Discussion Director May 5 Chapter 7-8 Mortenson left to go back to K2. He rides on one of the buses that is very decorated and he feels accomplished now even though he has little money left to pay for labor. They were hold up for a night due to the army trying to take care of a gunmen. When they finally reached a village, they agreed to put his supplies in the warehouse. And then there is a dispute over Mortenson building a school. Both groups there want him to build a school but in different ways. He gets fed up and he demands to be taken to Korphe but they have to build a bridge first. As far as the essential question goes, in this case we see that the individual changes history because if it wasn't for Mortenson the villages wouldn't have schools. May 6 Chapter 9-10 Mortenson goes back to San Fransisco in hopes of meeting Marina however she is with her old boyfriend. He also got fired from his job. Mortenson was learning how to build a bridge and what he requirements were for the bridge building.He was nervous to call a famous climber that could easily fund him and by the end of the chapter he regains self confidence and starts to call Jean Hoerni (the famous climber). In chapter 10 he gets 10,000 dollars form Jean and he goes back to Pakistan to start building the bridge. However it is rainy season and they have to wait to pour the concrete for the bridge. So Haji's son Twaha organizes a hunting trip for the men of the village. When they find an ibex and bring it back the higher educated Houssein kills the animal and Mortenson thinks he would be a good teacher. As we progress through the book it just keeps showing that man shapes history instead of the other way around. What was confusing or misleading about this chapter? Straight forward. What were some good points that help tie to the essential question? Since the first chapters we see that man changes history rather than history shapes man May 6-10 Chapter 11-12 Mortenson went back to California to work so he could get money to go back to Korphe. He meets Jean and they are both happy to discuss the bridge.He also met Tara Bishop. They felt an immediate attraction and soon got married.He postpones the trip back to Korphe for two weeks so he can spend his time with Tara. Once he returns to Skardu, he cant find any supplies for the bridge. He gets together with an accountant who helps him stand up to the Changazi men. They found the supplies with a third of them missing in an abandon hotel.When Mortenson sees that little has been done he is frustrated however when Twaha tells him that the villagers were working on the stones themselves rather than hiring laborers he calms down and catches up with Twaha. He is back in with Tara for Thanksgiving. When they find out she is pregnant they move back to Bozeman Montana.When he goes back to Pakistan he learns that according to Haji his impatience is driving everyone crazy. He gets labelled an infidel by Haji Mehdel and Haji had to give Haji Mehdel most of the villages wealth because building schools for girls was against the Koran.

Chapter 13-18 Passage Master May 12 Chapters 13-14 While trying to reach Waziristan Mortenson is kidnapped. He attempts to show that he is friendly by asking for a copy of the Koran. He spent his eight days in captivity reading and thinking about Tara. He is blindfolded and put in the back of a truck. Mortenson feared for his life however when the blindfold was removed he saw a feast waiting before him. The captors welcomed him with open arms and gave him money for the school project. Back home his child Amira Aliana is born. Also he learns Jean Hoerni is dying of cancer.He rushes back to Korphe to complete the building of the school so he can show Jean their efforts. On December 10th 1996 the school was completed and he spent time with Jean until his passing. Jean left the organization with 1 million dollars to continue building schools. While back in Pakistan, many religious leaders are trying to convince and bribe Mortenson so he wont allow girls the right to be educated. All these events show more that the individual creates history. Mortenson does whatever he can to build schools not only for one village but for many. He is helping many many people building these schools. He gives people a chance to learn and progress in their education. "Jean Hoerni pulled out the eight-by-ten print Mortenson had made in Bozeman and help it up tremblingly. He squinted to study the picture of the Korphe School Mortenson had taken the morning he left."Magnifique!" I chose this passage because it shows how desperate Jean was to see what he worked hard for completed. On his death bed. He was rushing Mortenson to give him the picture . May 13 Chapter 15 16-The CAI (organization Mortenson and Jean worked for) gets some new members that help the progress of the schools. Julia Bergman, a librarian who is in charge of of organizing the right books for the schools. Also Brent Bishop, Tara's brother helped Mortenson found the first school of mountaineering in Pakistan. When a velvet box sent from a Shiite leader Mortenson fears that it will be sending him back or trying to get him to leave. However it was quite the opposite. The leader expressed great support for Mortenson's project. Mohammed Aslam Khan visits Mortenson to tell him about his daughter, and when she attends the school her academic strength greatly improves. The CAI provided many great things for the village, like water systems to put out fires and hires teachers to work at refugee camps. There is no way this book can show that history shapes the individual because Mortenson's help has created many schools and has gained the Pakistani people many things that help them become more educated and help them survive. "We have the blessing of the highest mufti in Iran. No Shia will dare interfere with our work now. Inshallah." I chose this part of the book because it shows how appreciative and hopeful the village people are. Inshallah means If god is willing in Arabic.

May 14 Chapter 17-18 This part of the reading starts off more somber. A girl named Fatima Batool describes the conflict between India and Pakistan in which she lost her sister. She and her family were displaced from their home and now they live on the outskirts of Skardu. The CAI starts to build a school their for the children in the refugee camp. Mortenson talks with some Taliban men as he stays near the camp so as usual. At the end of chapter 17 Fatima is in fifth grade and the cherry trees she remembers from her old home. The next chapter starts to focus on Mortenson and his troubles with getting an audience back home. He tries and tries to give presentations to help the CAI however at first only a few people show up. As he starts to get more attention from the press. He starts having all of his presentations on a much larger scale. In his down time he woudl go back to his home in Montana with his family. This chapter he has many ups and downs. Starting with his health going downhill a bit. When Mother Teresa died he sat with her body and he gained inspiration to keep working hard. At the end of the chapter Mortenson's second child is born Khyber Bishop. These chapters also show that Man creates history. Mother Teresa died and this deeply impacted him because she was his inspiration throughout his life. He ere evaluated what he wanted to do when he was sitting near her grave and he started with a fresh feeling to g out and finish his project. "I've heard some people say that Americans are bad, but we love Americans. They are the most kind people for us. They are the only ones to care to help us." This part of chapter 17 was interesting to me because this is from the eyes of a girl on the other side of the world. She says that they love Americans while today it seems that many countries would say the opposite. Chapter 19-20 May 18 Connector Mortenson realizes that more schools that are strictly religious have been built. He goes to a new village called Zuudkhan and makes it there on September 11th however he hadn't heard of the attacks yet. When he talks with the chief about building schools later that night he is informed of the world trade center being destroyed. The next day he goes back to Korphe and learns of Haji's death. This saddens him and he takes to time to reflect on how he helped him.His taxi driver takes him to a hotel to see the circus of press there. Mortenson meets a reporter named Kathy Gannon and speaks with her about many things. Later on during his stay at the hotel he sits down and has tea with some members of the Taliban and they tell him that they were thinking about turning in Osama Bin Laden to the Americans however one of their members forbade it. This reminds me of when George W Bush was president because many people disliked him and desperately wanted a new president however nothing could done about it yet it was just a matter of time.

Chapter 21-23 May 21 On his return to Pakistan he learns that one school is trying to teach over 4,000 students with 90 teachers that haven't been paid for months. He sends for money form the CAI so this school can teach and the kids can get a good education. When Mortenons is back in America he speaks to people still about the Pakistani people. One reporter named Kevin Fedarko sees Mortenson in action in Korphe and when he brings this back to the states, donations keep pilling in. He goes back to Zuudkhan to fulfill his promise to the chief. He talks with the chief about how America has pulled attention away to go to Iraq. Then at the end he realizes that he has many more projects to come. This ending of the book reminded me of many other books that end leading off to what the person does later in life.