Weekly Blog 11/17/14

The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time
By: Mark Haddon
Pages: 136-243
Prompt:
-If the author were here, what would you say and ask him/her?
-Would you recommend this book to friends? Why or Why not?
-What have you learned about life from what you’re reading?
WARNING: 3rd PARAGRAPH MIGHT SPOIL BOOK

              If the author was here I would ask him a lot of questions. I would ask "Were do you get your
creativity from?". I would also ask "What gave you the idea of labeling the pages with prime numbers?", "What inspired you to make the book from the point of view of a troubled kid?", and "As a child, were you interested in math like the main character in the book?". I would also ask him about his writing and other books. For example, "Have you written any other books?" if so "What are they". I would also ask "Why did you chose to have drawn out pictures though out the book?". I would also say how much I like the book because it feels as if Christopher(main character) is talking directly at you. I love it when books do that!

            I would recommend this book to friends because it is a terrific book. It is engaging and you
can easily lose track of time when reading this book. (I know from experience) Something in the story that is really interesting is that the author labeled the pages with prime numbers. I personally think that tat was really creative. Another reason why I would recommend this book to friends is because the idea of the main character being troubled is really interesting because he accepts it. He knows he is troubled, he accepts he is troubled, he even tells us on how he is troubled! This book can get really interesting and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that hasn't read it.

           From reading this book I have learned that not everything in life can be true. Something might seem like its one way but its really another. In the story Christopher was told that his mom had something wrong with her heart and had died in the hospital. Later on in the story Christopher finds out that it was all a lie. His mom was alive. This shows me to not believe everything in life. Even the little things like committals. Not everything in life is true.

Weekly Blog 11/10/14

The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time
By: Mark Haddon
Pages: 0-136
Prompt:
- Analyze the impact word choice has on the meaning or tone of a text.
- Analyze how dialogue or specific incidents reveal information about characters. Make sure to include textual evidence.
WARNING: MIGHT SPOIL BOOK

            The dialogue and/or specific incidents reveal information about the characters by bringing a little bit of their personality out when it happens. In the story, there is a part when the dad hits Christopher(the main character). I know this happened because in the story it said, "When I went to school on Monday, Siobhan asked me why I had a bruise on the side of my face. I said that Father was angry and he had grabbed me so I had hit him and then we had a fight." This reveals that the dad can get aggressive when he is mad. 

          In the story there is also another part where an incident revealed information about the main character, Christopher. There is a part when he had a a tantrum and got on the floor and covered his ears. I know this happened because in the story it said,"And you crouched down on the floor and put your hands over your ears and you were in the way of everyone." This reveals that Christopher has some type of syndrome because that usually happens to people who have a syndrome. 

         The word choice in the story brings a kind of accepting tone. Christopher knows that he is different and he accepts it. He even explains what things he doesn't like and what he would do if one of them happened. In the story he explains that he doesn't like it when people touch him. He also said that if someone touches him, he hit them. He uses words like "Dirt" "Gravy" and "Poo". Those are all the brown things that he doesn't like and it sounds like a negative tone, but the way he puts them in the story shows that he accepts how he is. 

Reflections On Poe

               Before starting this unit on Poe I didn't know much about him, but that changed over time.  I didn't really know who he was or what he did. I inferred that he wrote poems because in the picture that I saw he kind of had what sounded like a poem in the background. As we started to talk more about Poe and his life I began learning more and more about him. An example is, Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. I also learned more serious things about him. An example of that is, both of Poe's parents died and Poe had to go into foster care.

               Poe's life has affected his writing in many ways. His writing is very deep, scary, and kind of sad. He has gone though a lot of bad things in his life. One bad thing that happened to him was that he was very poor at a time in his life. He was so poor that he had to burn his furniture to stay warm. Another bad thing that happened was that he was robbed by his cousin when he was staying in his late father's home. Going through all those things might have caused his writing to be the way it is. Maybe some of those stories that he wrote were reflect upon something that happened to him. 

        Life in the 1800s has its differences than life today. In the 1800s Poe married his 14 year old cousin. Back then they didn't have a law against marrying your 14 year old cousin. Today they do and it is illegal to marry someone that is 14. In the 1800s they also didn't have any of specific medicine to help people. Maybe that is why Poe died. They didn't have the specific medicine to cure/prevent some type of disease he mad. Today they have most of the cures/prevention for things except cancer.

       Life in the 1800s also has its similarities to life today. In Poe's life, he went through a lot of stuff that could also happen today. Both of his parents died which still happens today. He became an orphan which sadly also still happens today. During Poe's life he also went through a time where he was very poor and there are still people today that are going through what he went. 

              

Weekly Blog 11/5/14

The Boy On The Wooden Box 

By: Leon Leyson

Pages: 110-173

Question Prompt:

Describe the major conflict. What side are you on?
Warning: Might Spoil Book


            The major conflict in the story is that the Germans/Nazis are treating Jews like they are animals and not humans. It takes place during the time of the Holocaust. Jews were being sent to concentration camps where they were convinced that they would not be able to leave alive. A lot of them didn't. They would get randomly beaten, shot, and killed by the soldiers assigned to their camp. They lived every moment in fear. Fear of a soldier coming into their room and beating them in front of their kids or taking their most precious belongings.

       
             The main character is a Jew. He went through a lot of stuff that a kid his age shouldn't have to go through. His father was beaten in front of him and arrested. Soldiers were demanding anything valuable that they had after they broke into his home. He and his family were forced out of their home into what he described as "hell". The place that he was forced into, seemed like a jail and had barely enough space for him and his family. They were given very little to eat. They were treat very badly.

          I am on the Jews' side because the Germans were discriminating them. I don't like discrimination. "Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover" The Germans were treating them badly just because they were Jews. The Jews didn't do anything to them. How would the soldiers feel if people treated them badly just because they are German? I don't think they would like it very much.

I commented on Evie's, Yareli's, and Diana's blog.