Reading Pages 214-264

This reading was really shocking to me for several reasons. One, Eric blog posting, two, Dylan blogging and almost ratting out Eric, and three, Cassie, Emily, and Val's dilemma. Eric kept on posting on his website about how much he hated everybody as well as information about the bombs he was building. He was saying that he detonated one of the bombs and that it was awesome and plans to use it to now kill people. This is especially shocking because for the people that viewed his website, if anyone did, how didn't anyone do anything besides Brooks Brown and his family? Dylan too was insane about his feelings for Harriet. Saying he'd either commit suicide or be with Harriet, one or the other. It's hard to believe that someone with so much feeling towards someone, Harriet, would want to kill anyone else. Something that was really interesting and shocking was how Cassie's story was a little bit false. Emily and Val wanted to tell the public what actually happened but don't want to hurt Cassie's family. If you were in the situation, what would you do? Would you tell the truth and go public, or would you keep it a secret?

Reading Pages 180-210

In this reading I think Cullen talked about two major points. Eric and Dylan's previous offenses and Dylan's social life. Cullen talks about how Dylan always thought he was alone as well as no one liked him. This wasn't true as stated earlier in the book. As I kept reading about Dylan, all I thought about was depression, depression, depression and how it was noticed by anyone surrounding him. Dylan had a real problem and thought he was basically alone on the Earth. This wouldn't signal that he's planning on shooting up the school but it's certainly a huge problem that any other friend, counselor, or parent should have seen. The second major problem that should have been picked up is when Eric and Dylan kept on getting in trouble. This wasn't just petty thieves, it was actual crimes. An example of this would be when they actually hacked into the school computers and stole locker combinations. Although they were caught, their parents didn't really seem to punish them in the way they should have been punished.

While reading this book, I keep coming to the thought of would this have happened if it was today? I also keep coming back to the answer that this probably wouldn't have happened today. Dylan's depression would have been picked up by somebody, probably. Eric's and Dylan's crimes would have been taken seriously and not just little pranks. If you were a parent of a child who's been committing crimes, would you play it off as a prank? I know I certainly wouldn't.

Reading Pages 155-180

In tonight's reading we go into the chapter about what didn't happen at Columbine. Some of the kids who were interviewed about Eric and Dylan said that they were "fags" and that they were goths. A varsity soccer player said this, so he could have persuasion on others. It shows that either their minds weren't clear when doing the interview and were only thinking poorly of the two killers or that they actually portrayed Eric and Dylan this way during regular school. Just because Eric was popular doesn't mean that he was liked by everyone. If the varsity soccer player did think this, then how do we know that others didn't think this? It's really interesting hearing that the interviewee also ALMOST said "fag" on TV. If that were to happen today, despite the shooting or not, if "fag" was said on TV, he would be screamed at by critics and many other viewers.

I also found it very interesting how Eric expressed his dislike of everyone on one of his blogs. How didn't anyone see this and think that this kid is troubled? If this were to happen today, it'd get picked up very easily.

I'm starting to think that if Eric and Dylan were planning Columbine today, it wouldn't happen because their signals would be picked up...

Reading Pages 129-154

In this nights reading, I found two things very interesting. The amount of detail Cullen used when talking about Eric's fantasies and dreams as well as the details about how Dave died. Eric was dreaming about how everyone on the planet could just go away, and he could be alone with just a few people of his choosing. I thought it was interesting how Eric was saying that he gets sad when a dog is killed or dies, but how isn't he depressed when HE's killing people? "I just wish I could DO this instead of just DREAM about it" Eric said. If this was said to other people, this should definitely signal that something's wrong with Eric. I also thought it was interesting how Dylan was half Jewish but was also anti-Semitic. When Cullen went into detail about how Dave was dying, my mood started to change. Things started to get depressing, and someone who was trying to help others out, actually died. Two students, Aaron and Kevin, who happen to be eagle scouts, tried to help Dave by keeping him awake by asking him questions about his family and his job. It's so sad to hear that Dave didn't live through this. "Tell my girls I love them." Dave said. If you were Dave's children, how would you respond to Dave's death knowing that he could have lived?

Reading Pages 104-129

In this reading Cullen went into the personal lives of Eric and Dylan. Cullen also went into the evidence factor which I thought was really interesting. Cullen said that no one will be allowed in the school for months, and now the students from Columbine High School have to share a school with their rivals. Something I thought was really interesting was how much detail Cullen used when he was referring back to Eric's childhood. Eric's dad was in the military so growing up Eric was naturally around weapons, fighting and violence. What a child does and sees when he's younger truly effects his older life. I thought this was really interesting because growing up with weapons you'd think he'd know the limits and rights and wrongs of violence. Cullen was saying that Eric's dad was strict and established punishments when Eric did something wrong. I'm wondering if when Eric was growing up, his father ever talked to him about the wrongs of violence. If he did, then why'd Eric do this? If he didn't, how much do think his father regrets not doing that now that Eric's dead and the shooting has occurred...

Reading Pages 75-104

I have two questions to ask. How did it take so long for the police to figure out that Eric and Dylan were dead? As well as why would Robyn buy Eric and Dylan guns anyways? If the police had found out hours earlier before they actually did then they could have saved some of the parents worrying. Once they found out, more people were exited and then the parents found out. Having the parents worrying consists of them asking the police and distracting them. If they knew that Eric and Dylan weren't alive anymore then they could have rushed in there, get everyone out, and save some of the horror they went through. I found it terribly planned on the police that it took them that long. Further more, why would Robyn buy Eric and Dylan guns? What good does that do you? Guns do harm, and if you didn't know what they were exactly doing with the guns, then why get them? If I were Robyn, I would probably confess just because of what she contributed to. I don't want to make it sound like it was her fault. It most certainly wasn't. Eric and Dylan probably could have found guns from another source but what Robyn did was extremely wrong. What would you do if you were Robyn? If you were a parent and found out that the police were hours late on finding out the killers were dead, how would you respond?

Reading Pages 50-75

This night's reading was really interesting not only because it went into depth on the mass murdering but also because it also gave a little bit of the background of Dylan and Eric's friends as well as their family. The shooting was still occurring when I started to read again and it just seemed to get worse and worse. Something I thought was really interesting was how it said Eric had fired around 47-48 bullets and Dylan had only fired a few. Who's in charge? Who really wanted to do this? Do you think Eric knew that Dylan was going to do this? When Dylans friend called his house, his father said that he wasn't against weapons and that Dylan was too. Why didn't Dylan say anything to Eric? Or did Eric just convince Dylan into doing it. Belief seemed to play an important role in tonights reading. With Cassie and Chris missing throughout the shooting, Misty and Brad, their parents started to beg that they live (who wouldn't?). Knowing that Dylans dad thought that he was against weapons is huge because it shows that maybe Eric pressured Dylan.

Reading Pages 1-50

So this is completely different from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest...So the book starts off explaining basically the life of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Cullen explains how Eric was the popular one and was liked by girls but caused trouble. However, Eric was smart, not as smart as Dylan though. Dylan on the other hand wasn't so good looking and wasn't so liked by others. Something big happened at the beginning of the book and that is that Dylan was going to prom with someone already but Eric wasn't. I don't know if knowing Dylan going to prom with someone before him, Eric, was so annoying but it seemed to annoy him. After 25 pages, Cullen starts to talk about what happened at the high school and how to two planned the crime. It started to get really disturbing how Eric and Dylan created journals, blogs, and videos about their plans to kill people. It's insane how they wanted to kill more people than McVie, someone who committed a mass murder? What do you think their motive was? They both seemed to be in a good position for the future...