Weekly Blog 12/14/15

To Kill A Mockingbird

By: Harper Lee

Pages- 1 to End

Prompt: 

Pretend you get to create the music soundtrack for what you've been reading What three songs would you include? Write an explaination for each song. 

          The first song I would include in the soundtrack is 'Imagine' by John Lennon. I would choose this song because it talks about imagining how the world would be if everybody would live in peace and there was just the "brotherhood of man". The song basically tells you to imagine a world free of problems, conflicts between people and their cultures, hunger, and greed. I thought this song was relavent to this book because we see a lot of conflicts in the book dealing with discrimination. The discrimination was against African-Americans. Another way this song relates to the book is because the lyrics in the song remind me of something a character in the book would say. For example the song says, "You may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us". This reminds me of something Atticus would say, except referring to the fact of accepting everyone for who they are. 

          The second song I would put in the soundtrack is 'Just Stand Up'. This song is mainly about not giving up. I would choose this song because almost every character in the book can relate to this song. Scout can relate to this because she had to stay strong and not give into the fight when other children at school would talk rudely about Atticus. Tom Robinson can relate to this song because he was facing a real problem of being accused for doing a crime, just because of his skin color. Atticus can relate to this song because he was not giving up on trying to prove that Tom was innocent. He put his heart out to that case. 

Here are a few lyrics to the song: 

"Ooh, it's like we all had better days

Problems getting all up in your face"

"Because the heart can beat the hate"

"If the mind keeps thinking you've had enough

But the heart keeps telling you don't give up" 

          The third song I would choose is 'See You Again' by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth. I would choose this song because it relates to the end of the book when Scout looks out from the Radley porch and recalls everything that has happened. The song says "We've come a long way from where we began". This is like how Scout and the children have come a long way with Boo Radley. 

*Note* 'Just Stand Up' was sang by Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Rihanna, Sheryl Crow, Fergie, Leona Lewis, Keyshia Cole, Miley Cyrus, LeAnn Rimes, Natasha Bedingfield, Melissa Etheridge, Mary J. Blige, Ciara, Mariah Carey, and Ashanti. 

TKAM- Character Relationships

Character Pair:

Aunt Alexandra and Atticus 

Format:

a. Similarities to each other 

b. Differences from each other

c. Relationship to Scout

d. Effect on Scout

        Aunt Alexandra and Atticus are alike in a few ways. One of the obvious ways is that the are both related. They are siblings. Another way they are alike is that they both want the best for Scout. Atticus gives several different life lessons to Scout throughout the book. He also reads to her, which has taught her how to read at a very young age. Aunt Alexandra tries to teach Scout to be a proper lady. She tries to tell her to wear dresses, to stay clean, to not swear, etc. She tries to teach Scout how to be more like a girl, which Scout finds offensive. 

         Aunt Alexandra and Atticus are also different. Atticus accepts Scout for who she is and admires the person that she is. He doesn't mind if she wears overalls or hangs out with boys. Aunt Alexandra on the other hand, tries to change Scout and doesn't like the fact that Scout doesn't act like a girl. Aunt Alexandra tells her that she needs to wear dresses and act proper. Another way that Aunt Alexandra and Atticus are different is that Aunt Alexandra is more narrow-minded and racist. She doesn't like African-Americans, doesn't think they should be trusted, and wants to follow the tradition of segregation. Atticus on the contrary defends African-Americans and accepts and respects everyone for who they are. 

         Aunt Alexandra and Atticus each have their own unique relationship with Scout. Aunt Alexandra and Scout's relationship isn't a very strong one. Scout compares her to Mt. Everest because she was just cold and there. Their relationship is more of a I-tell-you-what-to-do-and-you-have-to-do-it type of relationship where Aunt Alexandra is the one telling that to Scout. Atticus and Scout's relationship is a very strong one. Atticus treats Scout like an adult and respects her, receiving that same respect back. If there is an agreement, Atticus listens to her and her side to a story and then goes from there, unlike Aunt Alexandra. 

          Both Atticus and Aunt Alexandra have an impact on Scout. Aunt Alexandra has more of a negative impact on Scout. Alexandra is always saying how bad Scout is and how bad she is going to turn out in the future. This makes Scout mad, therefore getting negatively impacted. Atticus has a positive impact on Scout. He is the one who taught her to read. He also teaches her important life lessons that Scout listens to and acts on them. Atticus said for example, "...you just hold your head high and keep those fits down."(P.76 Hardcover). Scout listened to him when she felt the need to beat up a kid at school. She said, "...then dropped my fists and walked away...It was the first time I ever walked away from a fight."(P.76-77 Hadcover). This shows that Scout is learning to be a better person from Atticus. 

Photo Analysis

          "Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square." 

          In this photo, there were many observervations I made that can relate to the setting of the book To Kill A Mockingbird. One observation was that the houses in the picture have screen doors. The houses in the book also have screen doors that would be opened on Sundays. Another observation would be that in the picture there is a pole in the background that may be interpreted as a light pole. The book also mentioned a light pole at which Dill would stand at and watch the Radley house. One other observation I made was that there are no people in the photograph. The book also mentions that the town is small and low-populated. 

          I think that this photo was taken as an advertisement to sell the land. I think this because the land is cleared. There are no people or children running around. Therefore, it shows more of how the land looks. I also think this because the houses and land look well organized. All of the houses look like they are the same, having 3 bushes and 1 tree on the lawn. Therefore, the buyer can look at it's potential as an owned property. 

          This photo brings me to ask many questions. One of my questions is, where are the people? The photo doesn't show any people or where they are. Another question I have is why isn't there much volume in the trees? It makes me wonder if the place gets any precipitation. Why do all of the houses look the same? The houses all look very alike and I wonder why they made them look like that.

Theme Blog

Roll Of Thunder Hear My Cry

By: Mildred D. Taylor

Pages: 1-END

Prompt: 

-Determine a theme and analyze its development throughout the novel. By looking closely at character's actions, the setting, plot events, and/or the conflict, you can identify clues that are written by the author to help teach you (the reader) a message about life or human nature. 

          One of the themes in Roll Of Tunder, Hear My Cry is discrimination. This theme of discrimination is essentially the conflict of the story. The Logan family faced problems because they were being discriminated by the whites. They faced injustice, poverty, threats to take thier land, and other physical punishments for getting in the way of the whites. 

          Cassie, the main character, was often discriminated throughout the book because of the color of her skin. Cassie and her siblings would get purposely splashed by the white kid's bus, just because they were African-American. They were also ignored by the store worker that would go and help the white folks, even if he was in the middle of helping Cassie and her family. Cassie would also get taken advantage of because the whites were in control. She was made to apologize to a white girl, when she did nothing wrong.  

          The theme of discrimination helped developed the main character more. It made her more determined. In the book, Cassie was determined to get revenge for the splashing that the bus would do to her. She joined Stacy, another character, in helping to get that revenge by digging a hole into the road as a trap. In the end, she did get her revenge. Another way that she was determined was when Cassie wanted to get revenge on Lillian Jean for making her apologize. She pretended to be her friend and carried her books. She put up with Lillian Jean for quite some time, before leading her into woods and beating her up. She got her revenge. 

        

1st Quarter Reflection Blog

          This eighth grade school year is going by fast. I can't believe that we are already at the end of the first quarter! This quarter has been a real eye-opener to all the things you have to do in order to be successful in anything. There are many things I have learned this quarter, academic-wise and life-wise. Many of them I learned in this class. 

          One of to things that I learned was how to thoroughly revise. Before I would just do the basics. Check for spelling errors, make sure things make sense, and capitalize anything that needs to be capitalized. Then, Mrs. Larson gave us mini-lessons on things to revise for. That completely changed everything. Now, I was revising for word choice, description, making things a smaller image, title change, dialogue changes/formatting, active and passive voice, and so on. My narrative changed drastically when I did that. 

          Making sure what homework was due on what day is another thing I learned how to do this quarter. Now having A and B days, it got confusing at times. I would be frantically trying to finish homework because I forgot I had that class the next day, or because I thought it was going to be an A day and not a B day(vice-versa). What I learned that helps is writing down somewhere, using big letters, what day is was going to be, what classes I had, and what homework was due. 

          Another thing that I learned is that I need to read more. This quarter I didn't read much because of the academic and extracurricular activities that were involved in my life. For example this quarter I was working on the Daniel Murphy Scholarship, which took a lot of thinking time. I was also trying to figure out how to make even more time for the homework for the algebra math class I am taking. I think I have figured it out by now and the Daniel Murphy Scholarship application is done, therefore I am going to try my best to read at least 4 books next quarter. 

Weekly Blog 10/14/15

Flush

By: Carl Hiaasen 

Pages: 1-73

Prompt: 

-How have your feelings changed as you've been reading?

-What has been the most important part of what you've been reading? 

-What passage describes how you want to live your life? Why? 

          My feelings about the main character's dad have changed a lot since the beginning of the book. In the beginning I thought that he was a horrible father, a horrible husband, and a person with no feelings or sympathy towards something. I thought that because the book started out my showing that his dad was in jail. As soon as I read that, I began to have a negative feeling towards him. Then, it explained that he purposely committed a crime. At this point I felt as if he was the bad guy in the story. I thought, "Why would he purposely comit a crime and put his wife and children in danger?". Then, there was slight plot twist. When he comitted the crime he waited until the cops came and then admitted that he did it. That was I started to think that it was very honest of him to do that. Then, the book explained that he comitted the crime, which was sinking a popular gambling boat, because he wanted to protect the sea from waste. Once the book explained that I thought that he wasn't such a bad person after all. Later on, the main character described the fishing trips that his father used to take him and his sister on. After he described that, I thought his father was the best there could be.

          I think that the most important part of what I've been reading was when the main character described the fishing trips. He explained how his father used to take him and his sister on fishing trips. He says that they always went hoping to see the "green flash" even though they knew they wouldn't see it. He also explained how his mom would always ask them if they had seen it, and his father always replied, "Maybe next time, but it won't happen, Donna, unless you come along." I think that this has been so far the most important part because it shows that they really are a good family. They might be going through some crazy times, but they are a united, loving family. 

          One passage that describes how I want to live my life is paragraph three on page 78. It talks

about being alone at night on the streets and not being afraid. It also talks about enjoying the night

time and how quiet it is. This reflects on how I want to live my life because I don't want to be afraid in life. I want to be outgoing in my life and try as many new things as possible. I want to not be afraid to travel the world or take risks. I also want to enjoy my life and make it as exciting as possible. 

Life Lines Poem

"Having A New Strenght"

"Sew the money into your cloth 

and NEVER

take your cloth off",

she told him. 

We left our house, 

our family, 

our friends.

We left

and started the 

long,

backbreaking

walk. 

There was this lady,

we met along.

The need for refuge,

was just too strong.

She pressed on and on, 

and soon 

her limp became a 

crawl. 

My father was never afraid 

to ask for help. 

The idea of America 

came to mind.

They let us go,

but with a fight. 

That fight

was my sister.

Returning day after day, 

my father 

wore down 

the officials until they 

finally caved in.

America was different.

We had to 

persevere.

Us kids had to 

fight back

My sister, 

She had to 

fight back, 

until they suspended her.

Me.

I had to 

persevere.

Running three miles 

because I couldn't get a ride. 

OBAA and Article of the Week Comparison

          The article of the week and the book I am currently reading have opened my eyes to realize the problems that refugees have. The article of the week and the book I am reading have a lot in common. They have similarities in the individuals and in the events. They both also made me realize the impact that war has on innocent people and their society. 

         

          In the book Of Beattles and Angels and in the article "First of 20,000 Syrian refugees arrive in UK" there is the similarity of refugees. Some of the refugees in OBAA are Mawi, Tewolde, and Tsege. The book stated, ""Millions of my people had become refugees..." and , "...they told us what we wanted to hear: 'You are going to America!'" Some of the refugees in the article are escaping from the violence coming from the civil war in Syria. The article states, "The prime minister has pledged to take 20,000 Syrians from camps by 2020." and, "Eventually the UK will have to take about 400 refugees a month in order to meets its 20,000 target by 2020, he added.". This helps explain and show how many refugees are seeking help. 

          The book and the article also have the similarity of events. In both the book and the article there
was a civil war and/or some type of violence going on that caused people to become refugees. In the book it states, "My homelands of Eritrea and Ethiopia fought a deadly civil war from 1961-1991." In the article it states, "...most fleeing conflict in Syria but large numbers also fleeing violence and proverty in Afganistan, Eritrea, and Kosovo." Another similarity between the two would be that because of harsh events in Eritrea, people had to become refugees. Mawi (the author) and his family had to become refugees because of the war in Eritrea. People from my article had to become refugees because of proverty in Eritrea. 

          War affects individuals and society in an enormous and atrocious way. War has a negative impact on society because it causes it to just give up all hope. Once society gives up hope, the individuals really have nothing else left. The innocent people being affected by the war don't deserve to be maltreated. They lose everything. Selemawi's parents (from the OBAA book) lost their houses, their family, their extended family, their friends, and their lives. Once they lose everything, they basically have no choice left but to become a refugee. That leads to a lot of people going to different countries. For example, my article states, "...25,771 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to end June 2015. 2,204 were from Syria". This shows how many people can be badly affected by war. 

Summer Reading Project - Blog 4

Stay 
By: Victor Gischler
Pages: 162 - End
Prompt:
- Provide 3 pictures that relate to your reading. Write about how each one is related to the book you are reading.

   
          This picture relates to Stay because David (main character) had an Escalade. Whenever the author would mention anything about the Escalade, he wouldn't just say "car", he would say "Escalade". I think that the author did that to show that the Escalade symbolized something more than just a car. I think that it symbolized a stay at home dad. I think that because usually a mini-van would symbolize a stay at home mom, therefore the Escalade would symbolize a stay at home dad.




          This picture relates to Stay because it is what the bad guys in the story were after. David's wife, Amy, had the flash drive with her when she brought home evidence from the DA's office. The flash drive caused the break in at David's house, which led to the problem with Dante Payne( the antagonist). David asked a friend to hack the flash drive and figure out what was in it. The flash drive contained all the files of the bad people that Payne helped to disappear from the government.

          This picture relates to Stay because David was in the army before they sent him home on a temporarily leave. David being in the army is crucial in this story because without all of his prior knowledge, I don't think he would be able to do all of the things he did to protect his family. Being in the army gave him fighting skills, weapon skills, and the ability to control himself in a bought situation. It also allowed him to meet other skilled people that helped him accomplish his goal in the story.

Summer Reading Project - Blog 3

Stay
By: Victor Gischler
Pages: 1-162
Prompt:
- What has been the most important part of what you've been reading?
- What has been the most interesting part of what you've been reading?
- What character do you like best? Why?

               The most important part in Stay would be when someone broke into David's(main character) house. It is the most important part because that is how the whole problem with Dante Payne started to interfere with David's family at his home. That night, David stayed up at night and heard something downstairs. He caught the burglar and fought him off with using prior knowledge from the army. After that night everything changed. His entire family was at risk. Eventually there came a time where he and his family had to pack a bag and crash through the garage door to leave their house, because it was no longer safe. He had to leave his kids with a relative and is currently trying to catch Dante Payne red handed and get him into jail.

               The most interesting part of what I've been reading was when David saw a woman being attacked by her husband and stepped in to help. He defended the woman and told her to go grab a taxi. Once she left, David tried to sort things out with the man. When the man did not cooperate and threw a punch at him, David pinned him down and got in control of the man. I thought that was interesting because it shows the kind of man that David really is. The kind that doesn't like abuse, the kind that wants to protect his wife, and the kind that wants to protect his children.

               The character that I like the most in this book is David. I like him because I think that all of his army skills are cool. I like how he scans the room when entering, how he memorizes the exits in the room, and how he is able to think ahead and predict different moves. He can also fire a gun and is a very good shot. I found that pretty cool too. I also like how he is willing to do whatever it takes to protect his family from danger. For example, he is going out to places trying to figure out where Dante Payne is, and not allowing his wife to go with him.

Summer Reading Project - Blog 2

Fahrenheit 451
By: Ray Bradbury
Pages: 78- End
Prompt:
-What surprises you in this book? Explain why.
-Who do you think is the most important character in the story? Explain why.
-Would you recommend this book to friends? Why or why not?


               Something in this book that surprised me was the fact that the main character, Montag, killed

his captin, Beatty, with a flame thrower. This surprised me because after Montag saw the woman that was burned with her books, it really affected him. I didn't think he would have the heart to kill somebody after seeing that. It also surprised me because I didn't think that he would be that careless to kill him. He knew that the whole city would be looking for him if he did that and he did it anyway. It might have been the right thing to do at the time, but it was done so carelessly.

               I think that the most important character in the story is Clarisse. Clarisse really liked to think. Montag thought that she would think too much. Clarisse liked to watch people and had these little believes. I think that Clarisse really got Montag to think about things and opened his eyes to the actual world. I also think that Clarisse was the reason why Montag started gaining interest in books and why he rebelled against book burning.

               I would recommend this book to other people because it is an overall great book. It has a very interesting diction that can teach you a lot of new words. It also has a challenging plot that can improve comprehension skilles. It personally made me feel grateful that we have the right to read books. It also made me feel a bit safer knowing that we have firemen that put out fires instead of starting them.

Summer Reading Project - Blog 1

Fahrenheit 451
By: Ray Bradbury
Page: 1-78
Prompt:
- When and where does what you are reading take place? How do you know?
- Describe a character you would like to meet. List 3 questions you would ask
- Do you like what you are reading? Why or why not?


               The setting in Fahrenheit 451 mainly takes place in the future. The author has so far not revealed the exact year or location in the book, but context clues in the story help you to figure it out. One context clue was that when one of the characters, Clarisse, was talking to the main character, Montag, she asked him, "Is it true that long ago firemen put firesout instead of going to start them?" That made me realize that the book was in the future, because today firemen put out fires instead of starting them. One other clue was Clarisse stated that sometimes she is ancient and that she is afraid of children her own age because the kill each other. She then said, "Did it always use to be that way? My uncle says no.". She also said,"My uncle says his grandfather remembered when children didn't kill each other. But that was a long time ago when they had things different." This also lead me to believe that the book takes place in the future.

               A character I would like to meet is Clarisse. She is a seventeen-year old girl who is differentthan most kids her age. People say that she is anti-social because she doesn't want to do the same thing other kids her age do. She thinks that she is very social depending on the meaning of it. To me, Clarisse sounds like the only normal person in the book. She acts like how any person today would act. Three questions I would ask her follow this. Have you ever read a book?(in the book it is illegal to read a book) Who taught you all of the sayings that you believe? Would you consider Montag your friend?

               I like what I am reading because it is a challenging and interesting book. There are a lot of new words in the book, which I am learning. The storyline is also a little hard to understand and I sometimes have to read it over. This helps me because I get to improve my comprehension skills. I like that it is challenging because I get to expose and expand my knowledge to new things that might help me in the future. I found it interesting because firemen start fires instead of putting them out, books are illegal to read and have to be burned by firemen, and Clarisse's uncle was arrested for being a pedestrian.

Paradox and Dreams

Paradox Reflections

                                                                                                                                                                  

Paradox: "We spend our time searching for security, and hate it when we get it."

Reflection:

        The paradox above means that we spend so much time trying to achieve something great, but when we get it we hate it and regret it. For example, someone is always trying to get a promotion, get a raise, and have more power. Once that person gets it, they hate it so much because they might have to work harder, spend more hours work, and have to spend weekends away at meetings instead of being with their family. 

         I can relate to this because I have experienced this before. When I was little I really wanted a toy that I saw in the store. My mom told me that if I was good all week and did all of my chores she would buy it for me, so I did. When my mom finally bought me the toy I hated it. It was not as fun to use as I thought it would be. I ended up just forgetting about the toy and never playing with it again. 

                                                                                                                                                                  

Paradox: "We proudly insist that we base out political positions on the issues-- and we will vote against a man because of his religion, his name, or the shape of his nose."

Reflection:

        This paradox means that the U.S. states that we are a free country, a country where is doesn't matter what religion you are or what race you are, because we won't judge you on that. We will only decide on the issue. And then you have people voting against people running in office because of how they look, their religion, or their race.    

        I can relate to this because I have seen this happen before. When Barack Obama was running for president, I went to the park one day and overheard people saying how he wouldn't be a good president because he was african-american. They said that he was never going to get any votes and that he would get embarrassed. Now look at him. He is the president of the U.S. 

Final Reflection Blog

                I learned a lot of different things in Mrs. Larson's class, here are the top three most important ones. The first one is time management. Time management is vital to know because of all the different things we got for homework. We had a blog, an AoW, and vocabulary for homework though out the week. I would often procrastinate and end up stressing about all the different things I had to do on Thursday. The second thing I learned was how to write a paragraph. Prior to taking this class, I used to think that a paragraph only needed to be at least five sentences. I now know that you need a topic sentence and supporting details in a paragraph. The third thing I learned is how to write an objective summary. I used to think that an objective summary was like a regular summary. I now know that an objective summary does not contain textual evidence. 

                 Something we did this year that I will remember for the rest of my life was when we were given challenging vocabulary words. It really helped me expand my diction and not be discombobulated with the definition of certain words. It also showed me that being challenged really can be a good thing because it really expands your knowledge. 

                 The nicest thing someone in our class did for me was that more than one person would be willing to explain what we were doing if I didn't understand it. It showed that they are kind enough to give up some of their work time to explain it to me. 

                  Something I taught my classmates were little tricks to remember how to either remember how to spell a vocabulary word, or the definition of a vocabulary word. For example, "Pretentious". The definition states that it is somebody pretending like they have more importance, talent, and culture just to try to impress. I would say "Pretending", "Pretentious". They sound alike, so all you have to do is replace "ding" with "tious. 

                   I think that I made the biggest improvement in comprehending and vocabulary, and I am proud that I used that to raise my lexile score. Before, I wasn't really strong in understanding what I was reading and being able to talk about it after. The AoWs, blogs, and reading Of Mice and Men really helped me improve on that. I now can easily read something and talk about it. My vocabulary has drastically improved because I didn't know that many words besides the basic ones. Before I would say "confused". I can now say "discombobulated", "befuddled", "bewildered", etc. Comprehension and vocabulary helped me raise my lexile score more than what it was in the beginning. 

                    The most challenging part of this school year for me was time management. I would have extracurriculars and homework, which don't mix very well unless you have a schedule. I struggled with procrastination a lot, mainly because I was too tired to do it after soccer practice. I made a schedule that would set some time off of my day for homework so that I would be able to do it before my soccer practices. At first it wasn't so easy because I was already in the habit of putting things off, but then I got used to it and now I do and turn in things earlier. 

                     My best piece of writing that I did this year was my letter to the governor about Death With Dignity. I think it was my best because I put a lot of work into that piece of writing and because on my final draft, I only had one minor mistake. I also had strong paragraph backed up with reliable evidence. I also put a lot of heart into that piece because I can personally relate to Death With Dignity and know someone that didn't have access to Death With Dignity and had to pass away in pain.  

                     The best book that I have read this year is between The Diary of Anne Frank or The Fault In Our Stars. I really liked The Diary of Anne Frank because it was interesting to read about the topic of the Holocaust(I topic I personally love) from the perspective of someone who was alive during the time. I also really liked The Fault In Our Stars because it was very well written, had a great plot line, and had an interesting twist at the end. I am also a fan of the author of the book, John Green. He has other good books as well. 

                      Some advice I would give to others who will take this class follows this. The first piece of advice is to have a schedule because you are going to need one, especially is you have extracurriculars. The second piece of advice is to stay focused because if you always need to be doing something productive otherwise you are wasting minutes of your life. The third piece of advice is to just remember that although this is an advanced class, you can have fun. :)

                      

Symbolism Blog

Prompt: Identify a symbol (something concrete representing something abstract) that represents yourself. Explain how that symbol is the perfect representation of you in a solid paragraph or two, including supporting details on your blog. 

             This picture symbolizes me in a major way. It is the symbol of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, originally called the Children's Memorial Hospital. This it the hospital that I went to since I was 5 years old for audiology treatment. It was where I first got my first hearing aid. It was there were my life had began to change forever. It was there where I decided that even though I had hearing loss, that it would not prevent me from doing the things I like and am good at; i.e. playing soccer. My audiologist also wears hearing aids, therefore this is also the hospital that inspired me towards my dream job to be an audiologist.

I commented on Sebastian's Blog, Evie's Blog, Lillian's Blog, Rebecca's Blog, and Diana's Blog.

Of Mice And Men: The Movie

Of Mice and Men
Movie directed by: Gary Sinise
Book by: John Steinbeck
Prompt:
-Section I
-Section IV

               
                 I think that Of Mice and Men was an overall great book. It was well written and I like how the author wrote the dialogue with an accent that the people in the story would actually have. The thing that had the most profound impact on my understanding of this novella was how the author portrayed the theme of loneliness. John Steinbeck had various examples of how he showed that loneliness, one being the section of all the characters that were left behind. I would recommend this book to anyone from the age of 10 and up. It it a really a great book that I think everyone would enjoy.

            In the film, the director shows us "the incident" differently then John Steinbeck shows it in the book. In the movie it shows it by showing a woman in a torn red dress running towards a barn, while Lennie and George run away and hide in the river. In the book it shows it through the conversation between George and Slim, where George tells Slim what happened. I think that the director chose to do it that way because it is kind of a cliff hanger if you haven't read the book. It leaves you kind of wondering what happened and why it happened. It changes the story because now the movie doesn't have that mysterious mood as of how it happened or how Lennie and George got away.

Claudette Colbert

                  The book begins with the "stage" set by the pond, as opposed to the movie where we see George on a train before that. I think that the director of the movie chose to put George on a train first to show the time period they were in. Today, people ride trains that look way different than the train that George was on, which helps to show that the story took place back in the day. By putting George on the train, the director was trying to say that George's life in constantly moving, just like a train. His life is constantly moving because of Lennie.

                  I think that the director made a mistake choosing Sharilynn Fenn to play Curley's wife. Lennie described her as very pretty with full red lips. I imaged her to have fuller red lips, taller, and have longer hair. If I had the choice of who would play Curley's wife I would've chosen Claudette Colbert.

AoW Impressions Blog

                The topic of child abused and neglect really interested me after Mia introduced me to it.  She explained that there were 1, 593 kids abused in 2012. This topic really interested me because I feel really bad for those kids getting abused. I wonder why the parents of those kids abuse them. I wonder if it's because of drinking too much, or if they simply don't like their child. If they don't like their child, then I think that is just really sad. The child should be put in foster care where he/she could join a family that loves them. Mia told me a couple signs that a kid is getting abused. One of them was unexplained injuries. I wonder how many more signs there are.

                 The Baltimore Riots is another topic that interested me after both Devin and Diana explained to me more of what it is. They said that people were mad after a Freddie Gray died in the
custody of the police. Freddie Gray died of a spinal injury. Still mad, people began to start lighting stuff on fire. There were 144 car fires and 15 structural fires.

               The topic of the Baltimore Riots interested me because I believe that neither side is right. The police should've checked the man. The police's job is to keep thing under control and safe. I believe they already had Freddie Gray in their custody, so it wouldn't have hurt the police to make sure he is ok. I also believe that the people have a right to get mad. When they do get mad, I believe that they can protest peacefully. People don't have to go around burning buildings and cars. Burning cars and buildings won't bring back Freddie Gray or any other person that has died in the custody of the police.

Dreams

Prompt: Using "To A Mouse" by Robert Burns as inspiration, write a short poem expressing what happens when you have a dream and it doesn't come true.

You have high goals
You have a dream
You have a plan
You think you'll succeed

With that plan
comes you
holding your head high
and letting nothing stop you

All of a sudden
Life gets rough
It gets hard
It causes flaws
To your dream plan

It causes
your dream to fade
And the moment it does
You think you have no more
dreams to hope for

Don't worry.
One dream fades
One dream comes
There will always be one


I commented on Diana A.'s Blog, Nick F.'s Blog, and Joseph's H. Blog.

OMAM Weekly Blog 4/27/15

Of Mice and Men 
By: John Steinbeck
Prompt: Chose at least two conflicts to explore more in depth in this blog. Be sure to include textual evidence and support and also identify the effect that the conflict has had on the plot so far. 

              One conflict in the book Of Mice and Men is that Curley and Lennie fight, which is a Man vs Man conflict. Curley might have a grudge against Lennie for being a big guy and might want him fired. In the book, it said how Candy said, "He hates big guys.", when he was talking about Curley. The effect that this has on the plot so far is the tension that is there between Lennie and Curley. Lennie is trying not to have to do anything with Curley because he is afraid he'll get in trouble.

              Another Man vs Man conflict in the book is between George and Curley. George doesn't like Curley and thinks that he is trouble. They have a conversation in which they say, "We travel together," said George coldly. "Oh, so it's that way" George was tense, and motionless. "Yeah, it's that way." The effect that this has on the plot so far is that it also adds to the tension between George and Curley and to the tension in the bunkhouse. It also shows that Curley is trouble.

               One other conflict in the story is when Candy's dog get shot. It is a Man vs Self conflict. Candy's dog was killed when Candy agrees to let Carlson kill him. It is a conflict because now Candy feels guilt and doubts letting Carlson kill his dog. He wishes he would've done it instead of having some random stranger do it. The effect this conflict has had on the plot so far is that now that Candy doesn't have a dog, I think he feels that he has nothing to lose and starts in on Lennie and George's dream of having a ranch.

OMAM Blog 4/21/15

Of Mice and Men 
By: John Steinbeck
Pages: 1-37
Prompt:
-Describe the atmosphere of the ranch and bunkhouse. Be sure to include characteristics of different characters that were formally or informally introduced to us in this chapter. Support your choice with textual evidence and interpretation.
-Why doesn't Curley's wife have a name? 
-What message, if anything, is John Steinbeck trying to send by not giving her a first name? Support your choice with textual evidence and interpretation.

           The atmosphere of the ranch and bunkhouse is friendly, but sometimes tense. It is friendly because so far, most of the characters introduced have been friendly. Slim for example is really friendly to George an Lennie. He talks to them as if they were automatically friends. Another example would be Carlson. He befriends George and Lennie too and is not suspicious of them or mean to them. It is tense because of Curley and the way he acts and talks. Examples of his actions and words would be, "... he demanded angrily.", "Curley scowled at him...", and "Curley popped into the doorway again and stood looking into the room."

             I think that Curley's wife does not have a name because she might not have a name in general or she might not like her name. She could have never formally introduced herself to anybody and that is why nobody knows her name. She might prefer just to be called Curley's wife because she hates her real name.

             I think that John Steinback was trying to send one of two messages by not giving her a first name. The first one is that women were not respected enough back then to be called by their name. That they were seen as a man's property rather than an actual person which is really sad. The second message is that Curley's wife does not deserve a name because she is too much of a "...tramp..." as George calls her.


       
          

Weekly Blog 4/13/15

The Scorch Trials

By: James Dashner 

Pages: 0-40

Prompt: 

-What do you think is going to happen next? Why do you think that?

-Which 2 characters do you like the best? Why?

              In the story I think that there is going to be some type of thing where they will be forced to get out of the safe building. I think that because since the begging they have been in there. They are safe in there, but the creators are testing them so they are probably going to kick them out and see how they survive. I also think that is going to happen because of how fast they got rid of all the hanging, dead bodies. If they can get rid of them that fast then they can get rid of the characters easily. 

              One of my favorite characters in the story is Minho because of the characteristics he has. In the previous book and in this book he shows leadership. He is the leader of the runners and is one of the guys that are always in charge. He is also brave. He was brave enough to face the grievers and he is not afraid to go out first into the hanging dead bodies to look for the light switch. 

              Another one of my favorite characters in the story is the main character Thomas because of the type of guy he is. He is also a leader considering he knows things most of the other guys don't. He is not afraid the take charge in a situation and when he does, the other guy follow and agree with him. He is also nice and caring. He cares about the other boys in the group and treats them like brothers. He is never mean to any of them.

I commented on Sebastian's Blog, Mia's Blog, and Evie's Blog. 

Poetry Response 3/26/15

            The importance that poetry has in my life in that I am able to relate to it, and it makes me realize that poetry is not as boring as I thought it was. Reading all of these poems made me realize how much my life can relate to them. There was one poem called "The Road Not Taken". I was able to relate to that poem a lot because of the extended metaphor in the poem, which was making a choice. I have had to make a lot of choices in my life so that is how I was able to relate to the poem. Before writing and reading poetry I thought it was discombobulating and boring. Doing the found poem, spine poem, and the nonsense poem made me realize that poetry is fun once you understand it.

             I think poetry does belong to anyone and I know that because I think that anyone is able to relate to poetry. If someone doesn't think poetry belongs to them, I think that is just because they haven't found that one poem they can relate to. There are hundreds of poems out there and it is open to anyone. Before starting this unit I didn't think poetry was for me, then we started to write poetry and found out that it was fun and easy for me to do. I also read poems that related to my life. Me changing my perspective on whether or not poetry belongs to me, proves that other people can do it too.

              The life and experiences of the poet can affect the poems he/she creates because they can write a poem about something that happened in their life, or they can write a lot of poems with the same connotation because of how they lived their life. If the poet has a happy memory from a child, he/she might write a poem with a positive connotation. If the poet lived a melancholy life, they might write a poem with a negative connotation. One example would be Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan Poe had a rough life because he was homeless for a while and was also broke for a while. Having that bad/negative life influenced him to write poems with more of a negative connotation.


-Extended Metaphor Poem
-Bio-Poem of a Literary Character
-Where I'm From Poem
-Two-Voice Poem
-Spine Poem
-Found Poem 
-Nonsense Poem

"The Wicked Pickles" Nonsense Poem

"Run While You Can" Found Poem

"Black sky, she breathed deeply several times, tension crowding her heart. Ready for a fast departure, hurrying up, she made a sharp right. It was dark. Tumbling, breath catching, breaking a fence. Lights shining show a full side of a tall, muscular man on the other side. Waiting."

            This poem is mainly about a girl being chased by an extra-terreseral person, making the poem scary and mysterious. The girl first starts off by being scared and having "tension crowding her heart". Then, she starts to run, "made a sharp right", and then fell and went "tumbling". While she was tumbling, she caught her breath and broke a fence. Then, that is when the shining lights show a full, one side of a man that is on the other side of the tree. He is waiting. I was hoping that by having that man there waiting, it would make the poem more scary.

"Don't Give Up On Your Hidden Talents" Spine Poetry

                                   
          "Hidden talents, great expectations, have a little faith, hope was here, never fall down, start something that matters."
         
          This poem is about not giving up on whatever hidden talent you have. It's about people expecting great things from you when you are not ready to reveal it yet. Then, as the poem go towards the end it says to reveal that hidden talent when you are ready. I did this poem because I wanted to create positivity towards somebody who is not ready to reveal a "hidden talent". I was hoping that the person would "have a little faith" and "start something that matters".

Two Voice Poem

                              











Thomas:                                                                           Ben:

I am the newbie                                                               I’ve been here longer than him

                                               We are stuck in the maze

I don’t remember anything                                                        I remember everything

                                               Are the memories true?

I don’t think I did anything wrong                                               It’s all his fault

                                                The creators put us here

People are blaming me                                                              He has to take the fall

                                                       The end is near

I can help them escape                                                         He is going to cause damage

                                          Things will no longer be the same

He tried to kill me                                                                  He deserves to die

                                                  The creators did this

He is out of his mind                                                                   I only know the truth

                                               Is the truth fake? Or real?

I wonder what is going                                                                I am going to die

   to happen to him   

                                                    The collar awaits

Where are they going                                                        I am going to be forced to stay out there                           to put him?                       

                                                    The maze awaits

I didn’t do anything!                                                                      He put us here!

                                                 The creators did this 

Thinglink Poetry Interactive

3rd Quarter Reflection

          We have already reached the end of the quarter! It went by so fast and I can't believe the school year is almost over. I hope that this quarter will be just as good as the others. 

         In English Language Arts, I think I made the biggest improvements in writing. I can now write better than before. I now know to use a topic sentence and support details. I also got better at writing the objective summaries. I also got to work on my argumentative writing by writing the letter to the governor. 

         The most challenging part of the 3rd quarter for me was grammar. I was putting commas after the conjunction. It was a habit to put them before, but I know now and try hard to put the comma before. I also was having some trouble with FANBOYS. I now have had the practice with them and have really progressed with them. 

         Something I have accomplished since the new year that I am proud of is that I read 4 books for the Battle of the Books in about a month and a half. I read the Black Duck, The Testing, Trash, and The Wall. I never thought that I would be able to read that many books in a specific time period. 

         Another thing that I have accomplished since the new year is my diction. The weekly vocabulary tests played a major part in that. I was learning a lot of exciting new words that mean the same thing as the plain and boring word. Instead of saying "I'm confused", I can now say "I'm befuddled" or "I'm discombobulated". 

         A strategy that benefited me was the making sure that I have a topic sentence and supporting details. Before I used to only put a lot of sentences (that would relate to the same topic) together. I never thought that they would all have to tie into the very first sentence, and that the rest of the paragraph would have to support it. 

Weekly Blog 3/9/15

Ruben

Strong, Curious, Brave,

A character in Mr. Hart's story

Lover of Marina, the Black Duck, and the curiousness of the liquor smuggling. 

Who notices the slightest change in Jeddy, the half $50 bill, and the different but familiar voices

Who feels curious, the acceptance Jeddy has on his father, and the pain that was caused by getting into the smuggling of the liquor

Who learns that a half simple bill can mean a lot and to never trust the people you don't personally know

Who says, "She's come back at last!"

Who used to think that the Black Duck was exciting and cool, but now knows it could lead to trouble

Major character in The Black Duck

A book that taught Ruben the consequences of being caught doing the wrong thing

Extended Metaphor Poem

Two Different Positions

Two different positions in soccer:
Defender or midfielder
I was used to playing defense
But playing midfield would be an exciting experience

 Defending was comfortable 
So it would be easier
Midfield was new
So it would be harder

What if I was bad at playing midfield? 
What if I am good?
Should I play it safe?
Should I play it exciting?

Two different positions:
Defender or midfielder
I chose not to avoid risk
I chose to do both

Picture Poem

Beach Soccer

My friends all slept over,

and we woke up before the sun.

Soccer was calling us,

and we all agreed to follow it.

I thought of an idea,

and we huddled and said, “Break!”

I reached for my keys,

and we drove off.

Finally, we got to the beach.

We set up one goal,

and made the two teams.

We played from sunrise to sunset.

I’m glad to play soccer

with the people that are surrounding me.