Erica Ferrel

English 100 (STACC)

09/3/14
Journal 1:
Zlatas diary in the beginning was written to have a place for her to look back on her childhood.
A place she can revisit and indulge herself in past events. The purpose of the diary changed
because like all other war diaries it became a part of history. It described the situations Zlata felt
during the Bosnian war like the disruption of her childhood and the brutalities that occur during
war times. The diary helped Zlata cope with the changes in her life through freely expressing
how she felt in her writing. Writing became her art and friend somewhere she could let go saying
whatever was on her mind.
Research:
The Bosnian war was an international conflict that took place April 6, 1992 to December 4,
1995. The war started because Serbs and Croats wanted to steal Bosnian territory. Other factors
were ethnic tensions and the nationalist leader of Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic, was pushing for
what he called a "Greater Serbia". The Bosnian war was fought between Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia. Bosnia is located on southern Europe on the Balkan Peninsula.
The war was fought in 1992.
Writing:
-The students would get robbed.
-Fear of being jumped by other students.
-Getting jumped by both boys and girls five total.
-Killing one another over money, drugs, territory and pride.
-Getting into fights at school.
-Being chased by people in the street with bats and knives.
-Pointing guns at each other.
-Shooting each other with guns from across the street.
-Shopping at the liquor store and dying from a drive by.
-Being jumped into a gang leaving broken arms and swollen eyes.
-Gangs and drug dealers controlling blocks.
-Getting sent to juvenile hall/jail.
-Playing with a fire arms that accidently go off.

Erica Ferrel
English 100 (STACC)
09/3/14
In the book one of the students says that he is being chased by older men with bats and knives. In
return he retaliates with getting a weapon himself and pointing it at the men who were
intimidating him in the beginning. That day he is also met up with a guy who is staring at him in
the wrong way in which they both break open into an open fire. Another incident states that one
of the students sees her friend get shot while they are shopping for candy at the liquor store. The
pain and anguish her friends family feels makes her think how terrible it is for someone who
didnt do anything to deserve this could be punished. These stories relate in a way that weapons
are involved. A gun to be specific both students feel it necessary to find a gun for protection. One
way these incidents differentiate is one of the diary entries a young person dies due to the
violence going on in the streets. The other entry the student is creating more violence by firing
the weapon at a person trying to harm them. The students dont change their behavior they
actually participate in creating more violence by finding weapons to protect themselves with.
Also they continue to go on about their day as if nothing happened to them. The situation makes
the behavior more socially acceptable because everyone to solve their problem feels it is ok to
get a gun for protection.