The red apple review

I liked The Red Apple. It was a bit confusing at first , but the information that we learned in class about the Janissaries helped me a lot. The story was very touching and sentimental.The final chapters of the book were frustrating to read because Jonathan Levitan could have made a better ending. He could have talked about what happened to Manuel after the war and what were his plans for the future. He could have also talked about Manuel’s mother or what happened when Mahmut’s wife found out about Mahmut’s death. The book was interesting for the most part. It was interesting to learn about the Janissaries in a less boring way. It was interesting to read about the life of the boy who turned into a man and fought for what he wanted. Even though he fought for what his dreams we cannot be sure that those were actually his dreams and not Manhmut’s dreams. In one of the chapters Mahmut told Ibrahim about the battles that he fought when he was younger. He also told him to focus on the red apple which was Constantinople because it had always been his dream to obtain it. Manny people might say that it was unfair for the young boys to be taken away from their parents and turned into a Janissary, but in Manuel’s case it was not. When Manuel was living with his mother he was very thin; he did not eat much. When he became a Janissary he began to eat fancy foods. He learned Arabic and he became educated. It might sound harsh, but if Manuel had stayed with his mom he would not have any type of education and would not know more than what the other kids in the village knew. In the end, he became the man that he is now because he became a respected Janissary.

Ottoman Empire and Shafavid Empire

First of all I would like to say that I was amazed by the beauty of the Middle East. The beauty of the Topkapi Palace blew my mind. The Ottoman empire from Constantinople and the Safavid empire from Persia have both differences and similarities .Both the Ottoman and the Safavid Empire have great architecture in its buildings. They both share the love for art, music, culture and delicious food. They share a wonderful religion and religious practices. The biggest and most important difference between these two groups is that the Ottomans belong to the Sunni group and the Safavids belong to the Shi’ite group. The Ottomans always worried because the Safavids have excellent fighting skills and they could take power anytime. A series of battles was fought between these groups. They fought over land, territories, authority and prestige. Even though the Sunni and the Shi’ites share a religion they are both very different. The Shi’ites believe that their ruler must be a descendant of Muhammad, but the Sunnis were more open minded and they do not believe that. Today the Sunnis and the Shi’ites have not united and worked together. These two groups can overcome a lot and make Islam better.

Empire of faith and others

It is true that every head is a world and that everyone thinks differently. As I was watching the film Empire of faith I began to think that I would like to visit Mecca one day. It looks beautiful. Islam is not so different from my religion which is Christianity. I liked the fact that the Qur'an remains pure in its original language unlike many religious books that have been translated in many languages and lost their authenticity.Even though I understood the film I did not understand why Muhammad's face was covered in the film. I admire him for being so brave and fighting for his religion. It was very interesting to learn about how the Islamic religion spread. I also liked learning about the Ottoman empire and the Janissaries. I also have been reading The Red Apple and and I have one question: If the Janissaries were not allowed to be the only son of a widow, why was Manuel taken?