Bamondi 1

Julio Bamondi
Professor Ditch
English 113B
8 May 2015
Sufferings Conquered
Before overcoming trauma, hopelessness and despair is affective as if everything is
impossible; however, the research argues how this issue is serious and how it can affect not
only and individual but also a society. Nevertheless, did the characters share the
commonalities of difficulties and sufferings that they have encountered. These individuals
are able to accomplish hardships. In the epistolary novel, The Guernsey Literary and
Potato Peel Pie Society, by Marry Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, expresses the chaos of
the postwar of World War II, while being occupied by the German soldiers. The difficulties
that they encountered were impeccably harsh, due to the fact that items were scarce and
people are killed. However, some might argue that World War II causes The Guernsey
islanders to lose there sense of hope, but The Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society book
club members illustrate that helping each other through traumatic situations can help
relieve their suffering while being occupied by the German soldiers.
In the epistolary novel, The Guernsey and Literary Potato Peel Pie Society, the
Guernsey book club members share the difficulties that they had encountered while being
occupied by the Germans. Pig farmer, Dawsey Adams, was the first member that first
wrote to Juliet Ashton. After giving some detail on the Guernsey Island and how the
Germans, including the difficulties that were encountered, occupied them. Juliet becomes

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more and more intrigued. Nevertheless did Dawsey explain that food was so scarce that the
Germans would feed their solders the animals that the islanders had. Until Amelia
(Mrs.Maugery) snuck a pig from the Germans and asked Dawsey to quickly come and kill
it (28-29). The Germans were highly strict that they book-kept everything, They kept
track of every gallon we milked, weighed the cream, recorded every sack of flour . . . If
your sow had a litter, the German Agricultural Officer would come to your farm and count
the babies, give you a birth certificate for each one . . . If the pig died . . . the AO gave you
a Death Certificate(75-76). This indicates that the Islanders had little to nothing to eat due
to the book keeping. Their food became scarce. As a result, Amelia was able to hide a pig
from the AO, which resulted into a grand feast for the book club members. Amelias pig
made us a fine dinner-there were onions and potatoes to fill out the roast. We had almost
forgotten how it felt to have a full stomachs(77). The book club members worked as a
community to help each other out through their difficulties.
Not only did Dawsey think about the group, when killing the pig, but also when
items, such as soap was being rationed and as well scares. One day, a local Guernsey
Islanders pig had passed away. Dawsey remembered when his mother would make soap
out of animal fat, so he attempted. It came out looking like frozen dish water and smelling
worse. Brooker . . . suggested paprika for color and cinnamon for scent(80). Robert A.
Jacobs article, There Are No Civilians; We Are All at War, states, In civil defense
pamphlets, individuals survived atomic attack much as they would survive natural
disasters; good citizenship led to survival, and survivors helped to recover(402). Stating
that with good citizenship resulted in survival, in which Dawsey did when making the soap

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for all the women in the book club. Dawsey knew that by working and thinking about the
others, was a kind gesture, but also, they would be able to overcome the difficulties while
being occupied by the Germans. In the documentary Happy, by director Roko Belic,
answers the secrets behind the most valued emotion (happiness) and asking what really
makes people happy.
Happy, follows native Texan, Melisa Mooney. In the documentary, Melisa Mooney,
encountered a lifelong difficulty that changed her life instantaneously, but with the support
of her family and friends she was able to overcome the trauma of being run over by a
truck. Her son states, She was one of the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen in
my life(James Treadwell). On July 4, 1992, Melisas life has changed for the worst. As
she and her husband drove throughout their ranch, she saw he sister-in-law driving in the
same direction as she was. Melisa decided that she would talk to her sister-in-law, if
stopped the car. She did. As Melisa approached the vehicle, they were at a disagreement;
the sister-in-law drove off in a hurry, which Melisas hand was stuck to the truck door
handle. Running alongside of the truck, screaming, trying to free her hand, she fell and was
being dragged for some time, until her hand was free. After being free, she became well
known that she was under the truck and the truck ran her over from her spine all the way to
her head. Crushing her face against the gravel. Her husband and son anticipating that she
had already been dead. Still alive, Melissa encountered 30 face reconstruction surgeries.
For nine and a half years she was disabled. She became so angry that she was still alive,
that Melisa became suicidal. Knowing that killing herself was on option but she states;
Ill wait six months because Ive got to be here with my kids today. This shows that her

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children were her inspiration to continue and beat the suicidal thoughts. After being able to
adapt to herself and familiarize herself to her looks, she was able to re-marry. She knew
that she was hopeless and in need of support through her struggles. After being supported
by her family and friends she was able to conquer what most fail to succeed but to defeat
the instantaneous trauma that she faced in her life.
In East Los Angeles, were a young boy, Caine, took over his fathers used auto parts
store, using his imagination to invent what no child has ever done. Caine used cardboard
boxes to create his own arcade. He was so determined that while the arcade was open that
he would at least a few customers. When Caine got back to school from his vacation, he
kept telling everyone that he owns his own arcade. However, no one believed him. He
would not want to wear his t-shirt that he designed for his arcade to school because he is
afraid that the other kids will not only tease him but also bully him. Caines life changed
when Nirvan Mullick went to the store to purchase a door handle for his car. Mullick came
across the arcade and was the first to ever purchase Caines fun pass. One of the fathers
secretaries, with excitement, told Caines father that Caine has a customer. While
discussing with Caines father, Mullick asked, Is it okay if I can make a short film of your
sons arcade(Mullick). Caines father said that it was not a big deal because he does this
for his own pleasure. However, Mullick insisted and invited everyone from Los Angeles
attend. Many people from the Los Angeles area came to support Caine and his arcade. He
raid money and inspired many other children. He was one kid with a big dream but was
afraid of being humiliated and bullied from his peers, but with the help of the community
his dreams were able to come true to operate his arcade with many customers.

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In the article Georgias economy: post-revolutionary development and post-war

difficulties, by Vladimer Papava, takes place in Tbilisi, Georgia. Due to post-war
difficulties and the deconstruction, they were offered US $4.55 billion, which allowed the
country to overcome budgetary from the post-war. It states, In the sphere of economic
transformation, the post-revolutionary government initially showed the political will to
establish financial order . . . this allowed the country to overcome budgetary(209). This
states that with the help of allied nations, Georgia was able to overcome the post-war
damages and budgetary. Indicating, with the help of others, anything is possible.
Some might say that working as a community may come with its difficulties such
as not respecting one another, not ensuring that all the members get their contributions, nor
offering assistance to one another. With the help of family and friends, Melisa Mooney was
able to overcome the trauma of being run over of a vehicle and also he suicidal thoughts.
Including Caine, a young child with a great imagination, afraid of being bullied and teased,
he was able to overcome the difficulty. With the help of Los Angeles customers, Caine was
able to accomplish his dream of people coming to use his arcade while inspiring others to
use their imagination to make their own games. With the help of a community, many things
are possible. Overcoming difficulties and hardships. While its war or facial
reconstructions, with the support of a community can help relieve the sufferings that were
encountered. However, the Guernsey book club members assured themselves survival due
to the fact that they were all able to work together. By working together they overcame the
trauma while the German soldiers occupied the island. By sticking together not only did

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they survive together but also conquer what the Germans have done to their self-esteem.
While relieving their deep sufferings.

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Works Cited
Happy.RokoBelic,Perf,MelissaMoody.Thehappymovie,2011.Film.
Jacobs,RobertA."ThereAreNoCivilians;WeAreAllAtWar:NuclearWarShelter
AndSurvivalNarrativesDuringTheEarlyColdWar."JournalOfAmerican
Culture30.4(2007):401416.AcademicSearchPremier.Web.2Apr.2015.
Mullick,Nirvan."Caine'sArcade."YouTube.InterconnectedProduction,9
Apr.2012.Web.19Mar.2015.
Papava,Vladimer."Georgia'sEconomy:PostRevolutionaryDevelopmentAndPostWar
Difficulties."CentralAsianSurvey28.2(2009):199213.AcademicSearch
Premier.Web.2Apr.2015.
Shaffer,MaryAnn.,andAnnieBarrows.TheGuernseyLiteraryandPotatoPeelPie
Society.NewYork,NY:Dial,2008.Print.