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.