TKAM: Week of 12-15-14

Prompt: Describe the characters throughout the book and how they change.

Jem at the beginning is very close with Scout and still has that mentality of a child. Throughout the book you see him turn more into a young man or that's how he changes himself. At one point him and Dill exclude Scout because she is younger and is a girl. This is the first point where you see Jem's mindset change from this kid to a maturing teenager. His role model is Attics and Atticus is very calm, humble, and forgiving. Scout tends to get annoyed because Jem thinks he is too old to do some of the stuff Scout wants to do. Although Jem is getting older he still has parts of being a kid. After the ruling at the Tom Robinson trial he cried and although adults cry at times he cried because it was not fair. Adults understood that it was unfair but a kid takes it more emotionally.

Scout in the whole book is never much of a "lady" and this bothers most of the characters in the book. Whether it be from the language she uses but mostly the way she dresses. She wears overalls instead of dresses and this to me is her not losing her childhood. She does grow a little older at one point in the book where she is wearing a dress at a dinner Aunt Alexandra is hosting. When asked about her "britches" at that time she responded in saying "Under my dress." She doesn't let go of her childhood and shows that she thinks differently than the rest. You see her develop and begin to understand more but there isn't a point where she loses her childhood. You see the innocence that she thinks with. For me during the Tom Robinson trial you see how kids think differently. They may know about blacks being of lesser but in that case you see that they don't understand why and that they don't see "color" like adults would. At the end of the book she shows her knowledge and further understanding by saying "Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn't it?" This shows Atticus her understanding and that she has developed over time. 

The story of Boo Radley otherwise known as Arthur Radley is like a myth and you realize his real story is actually quite sad. All these myths are made about Boo because you have never seen him. His family isolates him from the rest of the world and yet he still make a connection to Jem and Scout. He sews Jems pants, gives them gifts, but most importantly saves their lives. He changes throughout the book through the role he plays in Jem and Scouts lives. Jem shows sympathy towards Boo when he realizes what they are doing to him. When you learn that Boo's brother plugged up the tree in which Boo gave the kids their presents he realizes he is being isolated. Boo saves the kids lives when Bob Ewell, the evil man of the neighborhood tries to kill Jem and Scout. Finally in the end you see Boo. You know its Boo because the entire description shows he doesn't get any sunlight because he is always locked up. Over the story you see he isn't this mean, and crazy person but rather a nice who protects and is misunderstood and isolated.

TKAM - Found Poetry

Scout

I am Confident, no matter what

Find Life quite different, own views on things
Our families moral, you know your licked before you begin
You begin anyway

Atticus said, What she's got in store, these next few months
He taught me to, try fighting with your head for a change
To see what real courage is
Keep those fist down, Use your mind
Be the bravest person
It ain't right
You rarely win
I thought, all men are created equal
Standin up, I aint going
It aint right
The man is trash
See what real courage is
Its time we all did

The first 9 lines of the poem are there to represent who Scout is as a person and what she has been taught. The first few quotes is how she sees society or fits in to it. She sees things differently and isn't afraid. The next few parts is telling about what she has learned and how Atticus has shaped her. The last 8 lines are telling about her feelings during the biggest part of the book, the trial. She finds it unfair and in the book they show how children are the best at the way they approach things. It is because they don't exactly see color yet. They know how the system works but they don't see color like adults would. So it explains how Scout finds the ruling unfair and how her family reacts as well.

TKAM - Character Relationships

TKAM - Character Relationships

      I think that Dill and Francis are alter egos of each other. They are both very outspoken and confident. Dill at the beginning of the book was confident and bragging about being able to read and then Francis was confident when he spoke to Scout about her father being a "nigger lover" and such. In both of these situations they were confident in what they said and were not scared of Scout. They are also alike because they are testing of others. They both like messing with people they know they can get in trouble for messing for but they like to push it. Like Francis was trying to get Scout annoyed and get her to react to him bugging her. And then Dill is always trying to get Boo Radley to come out of his house. Francis knew that if he pushed Scout to the limit he could get in trouble. While Dill knew that if he went too far with trying to get Boo to show himself he could easily get in trouble. They are different because Francis has heavy influence from his parents while Dill has much less. Francis's has very strong opinions on Atticus and he seems to know a lot about what Atticus is doing. As a kid his age you gain most of your strongest opinions from your parents. Therefore he must be with his parents a lot to know all that about Atticus. As we learned Dill's parents kind of just put him aside and do as they please. So from what Dill has said and Francis's opinions they are different because of the presence of their parents in their lives. They are also different because Scout likes Dill while she absolutely hates Francis. Dill has this personality that Scout likes and they enjoy the same things. Also Dill doesn't judge Scouts father and call him mean things. Francis on the other hand doesn't care to be on Scouts good side so he is mean.

     Aunt Alexandra and Uncle jack are foils of each other. I believe this because of what they believe in. Uncle Jack is very critical of the way Scout talks while Aunt Alexandra is very critical of the way she dresses and acts. Uncle Jack just wants Scout to be more of a good person while Aunt Alexandra wants to completely change scout to what she visions is good. Uncle Jack is also more supportive of Atticus and his kids while Aunt Alexandra is more of the way where she judges them and forces them to change. Uncle Jack does not try to change Atticus, he more tries to change the kids in little ways. Aunt Alexandra convinces Atticus to change and this brings out bad things. They are also alike in some ways. They both aren't very accepting of how Scout is not very ladylike whether it varies from language to clothes. She is unladylike when she is in their presence. She swears and dresses not fit for them. They both also jump to conclusions without at many times knowing all the facts or being in direct authority. Like Uncle Jack goes and hits Scout after Francis bothered her but he lied and Aunt Alexandra told Scout she could not goes to Calpurnia's house even though Calpurnia is a nice person. Both of them did things that were more in the hands of Atticus.

      Dill is Scouts fiance or basically best friend. He is the light of her summer, without him she would be bored all summer. He effects her because he makes her have fun. She gets bored with just Jem especially since he is "growing up" and all. But he also brings out the daring side of her. Francis is Scouts cousin and Scout absolutely hates him. He effects her very negatively because he just gets her in trouble and gets her angry. On a day where Scout was trying to be good, he was so bad as to push her to punch him. She would be hit for doing that. Aunt Alexandra is Atticus's sister and Scout does not like her. She is always trying to fix anything she thinks is wrong. This has a bad affect on their family because she forces Atticus to change. This makes Scout cry and Atticus realizes hes doing wrong. Uncle Jack is her uncle and he is nicer to the family than most of their relatives. He is the one person who doesn't think Atticus is a complete disgrace.

TKAM Picture Analysis

Man Waiting For The Rest of His Family to Go Home. 
Observations:There is a man and a boy in a wagon. The wagon is made of wood and has two chairs in which the man and boy are sitting on. The wagon is pulled by two horses. The man is wearing a hat and similar clothing to all the other people in the picture. They all have overalls and a shirt with a collar underneath. In the background there is a large building. The wagon is on dirt and they are parked next to a building. They have a dog that is sitting under the wagon. The buildings roof is made of cheaper material. The building is made of wood and a window or something is boarded up. The buildings doors are open. There is another building across the road. On the ground there are pieces of paper or some sort of litter.In from of their wagon is the back of another wagon. I see cables above the building in the back.   

Inferences: 
The man probably doesn't have that much money because at this time there are cars and the place he is at is old and tattered. It may be hot outside because the dog may be under the wagon trying to get some shade. The building is probably a public store or something because there are several people there and the doors are open. The building in the background is made or comes from more wealth because the roofing is more nice and it is made of better materials. The place isn't of the nicest areas because the floor is dirt and there is stuff all over the ground which seems to be litter. The man and kid seem to be waiting for somebody who is either working or buying goods. I can also infer that it is a public area because there is the back of another wagon in front of them. It is probably later in the day since usually during the day the people would be at work.

Questions: What is the job of the man in the picture? What is the building? What is the building across the road? Is the building poor? How does this community compare to other communities at this time period? What class are the people in this photo in? Why are they stopped at this place? How long have they been here? How frequent or often do they visit this place? Do these people live near or far to the place they are stopped at now? Do most people at this time drive wagons? Is it normal for dogs to travel with their owners like in the picture? How long have they had the wagon? Why are they all dressed in similar fashions?

Could it be Maycomb County, Alabama?
I think this could be Maycomb County because of its similarities to what it says in the book. The roads are made of dirt and in the picture the place the wagon is parked is dirt of some kind. The people in Maycomb did not have a lot of money and judging by the building they are stopped at the community probably doesn't have that much money. Also at the time cars were around and these people drove a wagon telling me they aren't from a higher class. Also you can see there is space between the buildings in the area which is how rural areas work and in Maycomb they are farmers for the most part. Also these people probably are farmers or work in that area of some type because of the clothes they have on. When I searched farmers during the 1930s they are wearing the overalls with the collard shirts so I can assume these people work with farming. Also since they own two horses they must have some sort of area to keep them in. This means they probably have a little more land so you know the houses must be spaced out. In Maycomb many of the children help out their parents and there is a little boy traveling with the man in the photo. 

     

Dark Life Week of 11-17-14

Title: Dark Life
Author: Kat Falls
Pages Read: 0-50
Prompt: Describe conflict, setting, and characters

Just from the first 50 pages you figure out this major conflict not only between the two characters but where they live. So apparently in this point in time people are literally living underwater. I really don't know why but they seem to and this is one thing that is said through the conflict. The conflict is between topsiders (people who live on land) and people who live in the ocean. During the beginning the main character Ty and this girl he meets Gemma have constant arguments like asking him if kids that are born in the ocean have dark powers. This is a question that angers Ty and he says is based off of myth from the topsiders. I think the two characters for the first time are seeing a little of both worlds and that the other side may not be as bad as everyone thinks. They start playing around saying things like "why do people live up there" and stuff. So it creates an interesting relationship between the two characters.

The main two characters are Ty and Gemma. Ty encounters Gemma when he is trying to get away from some killer sharks and he gets in an abandon sub to escape. Gemma is more of a lonely person. Not because she necessarily chooses to be but because her parents have died and she can't find her brother. Ty is like one of those kids who can get annoying because he likes to correct everything and is kind of up tight. He corrects Gemma and she gets annoyed and mad but he gets mad at her comments so they have this love/hate relationship at times. Gemma so far is a problem solver and like a hustler. She doesn't like to waste time and if she wants something she doesn't take no for an answer. Ty on the other hand is more on the shy side. These women from the topside looked at his skin and were in his way when they were admiring him. Gemma was the one who got rid of them and he just kind of stood there and watched.

The setting seems to be clearly in the future since they are saying the east coast is completely underwater. The people underwater take their aquatic traveling things everywhere they go. So as of now Ty is stuck with Gemma because she needs help finding her brother. Ty likes Gemma but hasn't told her. I think the setting is very creative and the fact that they live underground is very weird but entertaining. There is also this gang or like group of criminals that I think are only underwater but I'm not sure. This is one of Ty's fears because they have become more and more popular. I think that Ty and Gemma will have an interesting encounter with the criminals. I also think that they will find her brother but that there is going to be some sort of twist. I also think that Gemma and Ty will continue to argue and get mad but in the end, be together.

Nightjohn 11/13/2014

Title: Nightjohn
Author: Gary Paulsen
Pages read: 0-90 (Finish)
Prompt: Analyze how dialogue or specific incidents reveal information about characters. Make sure to include textual evidence
Analyze the impact word choice has on the meaning or tone of a text.

The story takes place during slavery in a story that is similar to situations that slaves faced then. The dialogue reveals a lot about the characters in this book. The book is telling about Nightjohn and you learn everything about him through his dialogue with the main character, Sarny. Nightjohn comes in around the third chapter and he has scars from beatings and whippings. One night Nightjohn asks for some tobacco in a trade for something. Sarny asks Nightjohn what he will trade for because he appears to have absolutely nothing. He says he can trade for letters as in the alphabet. The conversation between the two reveals that Nightjohn has been educated somehow even though he appears to be a slave. The word choice used is slang which makes it seem more realistic and shows how they haven't been well educated because of some of the lack of grammar. Also in the conversation the words lighten the mood because it is more like a teacher and a student as opposed to the usual mood were you feel sorry for the slaves and the things they have to do. 

Later in chapter 4 all they talk about if specific incidents that have happened when people have tried to run. They were very gruesome experiences. On page 44 of the book it says "she had screamed until she sounded like pigs being cut." This sets an even more negative tone than before and provides a better understanding for what slaves endured from their masters. Later on Nightjohn is teaching Sarny other letters when Sarny's Mammy sees and approaches them. She is enraged and ask him what he is doing. Mammy asks "Don't you know what they do to her if they find her trying to read?" This creates tension and you begin to anticipate where this is going. Through this conversation you learn Nightjohn had escaped his former plantation and gone North. This is where he learned to read and he says he came back to the south to teach kids to read. Then Sarny learns her first word which is "bag" and is ecstatic about learning her first word. So she begins writing it everywhere and this would be a mistake. Her master would catch her writing the word and it just created a world of problems.

He sees her and began yelling and hitting her while asking questions. Sarny says "he kicked me in my stomach." This reveals how little slave masters cared about their slaves and shows in particular the willingness of this slave master to beat and kick a young teenage girl. Instead of punishing the girl he has Mammy punished. He uses her as a horse to push his wagon and whips her and creates cuts in her arms. Then Nightjohn admits to teaching her. The mast decides the punishment will be for him to lose several of his toes. Now the tone and mood are just hate and sorrow. Hate towards the master and sorrow for Nightjohn and Mammy for having to endure that much pain and suffrage for something we a lot of the time take for granted now. Then Nightjohn after a couple nights leaves. Sarny is sad and begins to have her "troubles" or in other words her period. When the slave girls show signs of this they sending them to the breeding shed. This is where they would send the girls to make more children. Through learning letters and hiding her troubles you know Sarny is brave and rebellious. Then an exciting event happens, Nightjohn comes back and tells Sarny to go with him. Go with him to school, so they follow a path and there is a small hidden pit where he has brought kids to learn to read and write. At the very end she says "feels good to write again." This brings joy to the mood and makes you hope for a better future for those slaves.

Brown v. Board of Education: Week of 11-3-14

Title: Brown v. Board of Education: Equal Schooling for All
Author: Harvey Fireside and Sarah Fuller
Prompt: How does the book relate to modern time and events happening now.
Pages Read: 0-90

This book is about not only the case of Brown versus the Board of Education but also several other instances in the civil rights movement where black people went against schools and wanted equal rights. They all had to do with the Jim Crow law. This allowed whites and blacks to be separate in bathrooms, schools, and other public facilities. This was clearly unconstitutional but there were many excuses made like that a black and white school were receiving the same kind of funding which was a complete lie. After much battling and battling the court decided the children were being deprived of their liberty to choose where they wanted to go to school. This was huge news and would cause the whole nation to uproar. It was a victory for all those students who could not go to a good school because of their skin color and not their academic skills. The book is an excellent way to learn more in detail about all the process and work that went into several trials in cases of mistreatment of blacks in going to school.

This was a huge boost in the civil rights movement. After this more and more unfairness was being exposed and equality began to get better. Martin Luther King came around and helped fight for providing equality for all people of color. But at the same time there hasn't been a huge change in schools. True people of color have a lot more rights and are more equal now. But then again you look at schools and communities and you see a trend. There are all black schools, all latino schools, all white schools and it makes you wonder about our society. Has there really been that much change to be proud of enough to say we have gotten over that. True there are a lot mixed and diverse schools. But there are entire communities that are a huge majority one race. Generally more white populated areas have more money and better schools than generally black populated areas or latino populated areas. There has been a lot of change but society has this tendency of repeating itself. After all the work of those in the Brown versus Board and civil rights activists there are still the same things we saw then. Maybe now the difference is people don't view it as much as segregation, just habits to stay around the same race. Maybe it just doesn't want to be addressed.

Another more recent issue the nation faces now is black males specifically against police officers. Like what happened in Ferguson with the kid who was shot walking to his grandmothers house. Police officers let the power get to their head but its not only this, its of course racism. I haven't heard of a white male being shot after approaching or confronting an officer. I question, when did being a police officer not come with danger. Why is it that they can't use a taser or that they constantly feel their lives being threatened by the presence of a black male. This book better helps me understand the different ages and situation of racism and lack of equality in the US over time. It helps me better comprehend the stages of slavery, to the civil rights,  to some of the struggles that still live on in the modern day today. While we make great progress in certain areas there are others we forget about and become noticeable over time.

Son: Week of Halloween!!!

Title: Son
Author: Lois Lowry
Pages:109-145
Prompt: How does the book compare to our society?

The book is very different from our society clearly. Everything is in order so it is a form of a Utopia. People basically grow up and are chosen their job for them by the council. While in our world you have a variety of choices depending on your situation and wants. No one has feelings like we do in our world, where we experience pain, sadness, anger, loss, and love. The only ones that feel pain are the birthmothers because well I think you get the point. But these traits make family units not what we would think of family. Like when you think of your mom and dad, you think of love and need while in this world they apply for a spouse and all they do is stay together and usually raise children. Claire the main character is the only one who feels this loss because she can't be with her child Gabe. At least she thinks she is the only one. Remember she does not know about Jonas or the Giver. There is a bit of sadness and support to one another but the emotions are more like if your pet goldfish died after 2 days is the most they feel or like the support of a teammate or friend. These aren't extremes like feelings for your family or the loss of a family member.

The people there do not see color, nor do they differentiate to much from one another. They all are the same body types and style of hair and clothes. Life there is very dull and Claire begins to realize this. There is nothing to do, no time to hang out with friends, have parties, or have people come over. All the things we do each day aren't available to the people in this community. They can't have a crush on someone, or have very harsh feelings because they are restricted. They have no clue either so everything just goes on in this long ever lasting cycle. It is also different because they don't exactly have a government. I guess you can call it a oligarchy because it is run by a group of leaders. The people have no say, they do what they are told and if they act in a rebellious manner I don't think it will end well for them. Unlike us they have no access to the outside world. And by that I mean outside of their community. We literally in our society have access to know stuff outside of our world, meaning planet Earth. All they know is their community.

Claire is feeling what no one else feels, which is loss. She misses her child and figures out why he has these feelings. She stopped taking the pills that the entire community takes, to make feelings go away basically. She finds out her child Gabe is not going to be given to a family unit. She is devastated and cannot comprehend what she has heard. Then it gets a bit weird because all she remembers are slight memories as the ceremony has begun. There were alarms and panic in the community.She remembered seeing the caretaker yell for his son, Jonas. He said that he had taken Gabe with him to elsewhere. Then she remembers running and crying barefoot and ending up on a boat. The descriptions of it were that she crashed and no one survived but her. In the book it is spilt and I am on Book 2 I guess. The start is a bit confusing but she has landed ashore on a new place. She doesn't remember how she survived or got picken up. But this women is asking her questions and she is like a medic of some sort. Finally Claire says "My name is Claire." She is in a new place.

Montresors End

50 years after the disappearance of Fortunato.

"We have brought you here to talk about the disappearance of Mr. Fortunato." Said one police officer. 

"I know no such thing about the disappearance, in fact for a while I was quite concerned about my dear friend." replied Montresor.

"We have a witness who has come forward and said he left with you the night of the disappearance." said another officer.

"I have no idea why you would question me of this." stated Montresor. 

"He was never seen with anyone else or anywhere?" questioned the first officer.

"I think your whole story is a hoax!" retorted Montresor

"How could any of this be a hoax?" Asked the second officer.

"I saw Fortunato because I was telling him about this Amontillado I had found. But Fortunato had a mask on so how could the worker have even known if I had even seen or spoken to him?" Montresor felt he had an established point.


"So you think this women is framing you? But why would she wait so long to do this then?" the officers were confused.

"I think she was hired by Fortunato's wife. You see I visit her often to see she is doing well and well about a week ago we got into an argument that resulted with some harsh anger from her." Montresor felt this story was very strong and began to feel even more confident.

"And this argument was about?" retorted the first officer.

"Well Fortunato and I had some money in this vault of their house and she had taken it and spent it on herself when much of it belonged to me. I was a bit intoxicated myself so I said some harsh things but she became very angry so I think she is framing me because she is running out of money so she is upset and jealous that I still have money." Montresor was not lying about the argument but he was about the whole framing thing.

"So you believe she was bought out to snitch on you? But how does it effect her if you are in jail or dead?" 

"You see in my will she knows I have much money left to her and Fortunato because I have no family. She wouldn't kill me herself because she fears getting caught but knows if I were charged with Fortunato's death I would die." Montresor felt the whole story coming together in his head.

The officer took a deep breath, "So are you suggesting she killed Fortunato?"

"No, No of course not I am simply suggesting she has chosen to frame me." Montresor said innocently.

"I saw Fortunato the night of Carnival but he left me after I said I was going home and later was burdened to find out my friend was gone." he said with a sad look.

"So you were at Carnival and you saw Fortunato but he didn't leave with you?" the second officer asked.

"No of course not. And I had no reason to kill my dear friend, one of my only friends. We were close and had nothing against one another. I did not gain any money or items of value after the disappearance of my friend. I am innocent." Montresor grew more and more inpatient. He wanted to leave but had to wait.

"We may let you go now but will probably ask you to come back in for further questioning once we gather more information." said an officer as he was reading the notes.

"Thank you. I told you I have nothing to do with the murder of Fortunato. May I please leave now?"

"Hold on a minute, we never said anything about murder?" The officer had a new spark in him.

"Ummm I meant disappearance. I told you he left my house and I never saw him again. leave me alone!" Montresor said without thinking.

"Wait earlier you said he didn't go to your house. Montresor what are you not telling us." The officer was driving for answers.

"Hehehe, I did it, hahaha, I killed him. I deserved my revenge. He is dead in the catacombs of my house. You and the women who confessed deserve to be buried down there as well, hahahehe." Montresor had admitted.

The officers cuffed him and realized that Montresor was mentally unstable. Montresor was later convicted with murder and was hung for his wrongdoings. 

Son: Week of 10-20-14

Title: Son
Author: Lois Lowry
Pages:84-118
Prompt: Hoe does this story connect to the Giver?

*SPOILER ALERT*

Claire is the main character in the book Son. Son is the follow up book on the The Giver. Son and The Giver are two stories from different views but the events that happen match. She is at the beginning just like anyone else in the community. Now she has found her son and continues to learn and experience new things. The only thing she knows about her child is that he is number 36 in the list of new children. Then she heres one of the care takers call him "Abe" and she now thinks she knows his name. His real name is Gabe. Yes Gabe, the one that Jonas's family takes care of in the Giver. And that caretaker is Jonas's father that is taking him home. So she has visited the care place for the children and now knows Jonas's dad. In fact they are talking and he says his son is getting chosen his job at the next ceremony. She finds out that this child named Jonas was selected for something and that it was a big deal. But she still does not know it is the son of the caretaker which will add an interesting twist I think.

It is also like the Giver because they refer to what is called "Elsewhere" and they give you more of an idea about what it is like outside of this community. She runs into a sailor who is from elsewhere and she is very surprised. His experience just from their small conversation is very different. His sounded more like how we live today. Claire said that they were required to learn to swim in the pool when they were five. The sailor said that his father just threw him in the pond. The sailor also talks about how it was weird for them to have a women on board of their ship and Claire was confused. She was confused because he said that it was more of a mans job. Claire had never heard of such a thing, men and women jobs were the same. I felt like in some parts she thinks very much like Jonas. She doesn't really care about the community very much. She desires more out of her life then just be a role in the community. At one point Claire thinks but doesn't really consider about stealing her child and hiding him. This is what Jonas later does when he takes Gabe and runs away.

The new ceremony has just passed. Claire's desire for her child have grown and grown. So much in fact that she has several times dreamed of him being with her. She has been welcomely invited back to the nurturing center like she has in the past. She is happy about this because it means she gets to see her child. Claire has never really thought about elsewhere until now. She hasn't though about what goes on in other places. Until one day she does and learns a little about what its like from a sailor. It seems more like what we live in because they talk about a dad throwing his kid in a pond to make him learn to swim. They also show some discrimination or difference between the men and women. This Claire had never heard of before. She also learns about an odd event at the ceremony of 12. The elder had skipped a child and later apologized when he was called up. They didn't know what happened with him though.

Time Travel Blog

Q: Where would you go?

A: I would stay in the US but go to Utah.

Q:To which year or period would you travel?

A: The date to be exact was on June 14, 1998.

Q: Who would you want to meet or what event would you want to witness?

A: The event I would want to witness was in game 6 of the 98 finals when Michael Jordan hit a game winning shot with 5.6 seconds left to put the Bulls up by one point. They had won their 6th championship in 8 years and was Michael Jordan's last game with the Chicago Bulls.

Q: Where would you find this person or see this event?

A: I would have seen this event in Salt lake City, Utah. The name for the Utah Jazz's stadium at the time was called the Delta Center. 

Q: Why would you want to meet this person or witness this event?

A: I would want to witness this event because I would want to see Michael Jordan's last game. But the main reason would be to see that last shot that he took to win. I have watched the video over and over on youtube and have the picture of him shooting that shot.

Q: How might YOU change history?


A: For me I wouldn't have gone there to change history, save anyone, or change a decision because I have no idea how that would turn out but I would be there to see the greatest player ever make history and win his last championship.

Son: Week of 10-14-14

Title: Son

Author: Lois Lowry

Prompt: How does the experiences and community effect the character's actions

Pages read: 50-84

Claire's community has no violence, criminal activity, or much change. Everyone basically plays a role in this society and help carry out the community. Claire may be different though. She was originally assigned birthmother but something went wrong and she works at the Hatchery. Everything runs kind of as one big machine in her community, so there really aren't any problems because people can't vote on anything. Everyone has their jobs chosen for them so Claire gets a bit bored. In fact in one part she even says "I am, I am lonely." She feels that there is basically a higher purpose in life than working at the hatchery for years.

When the birth of her child went wrong she was curious and remembered his number which was "thirty-six" and one day it becomes important. She decides to kind of lie to her director. In her community, lying is not tolerated but she feels it wasn't a total lie. So she goes over to the nurturing center and talks to a girl who was in the same year she was in. She finds the room her baby was in because they are numbered off. She finds "thirty-six" and held him in her hands. From that moment on everything changed. She could no longer thing of anyone else besides her and the child. She felt a new feeling, a feeling she had never felt before and she couldn't quite explain it. 

I feel that Claire becomes capable of lying because she becomes interested because of the incident that occurred. I feel that if she would have stayed with the birthmothers she would just be another piece of the puzzle. Claire also begins to risk getting into trouble to see her child. This is probably because of the strong connection she feels toward it which is this simpler feeling of love. In "The Giver" they say that the people in the village did not know the feeling of love. This is because they have all been deceived and given the idea that what they are told is right and that they only have the right to do what they are told to. Claire is getting over this idea of listening and staying in line. She changes the second she leaves to the Hatchery. She becomes a new Claire.

1st Quarter Blog Reflection

     Throughout the first quarter I have become more aware of what is happening in the world today. Specifically I've learned a lot through the AoW's that we have done. The two that I have learned the most about and have developed the most were the articles on ISIS and Ebola. ISIS progressed throughout the year through threats upon the US and other nations. I first heard of them after the beheading of an american reporter and gained further knowledge after reading the article on it. I first learned about Ebola I think through the article. I learned about the quarantine and how many people were dying. We even reflected on whether or not we should be concerned. And now Ebola is in the US.
     My methods of research and finding arguments has improved throughout the first quarter. I am able to find evidence and arguments to support a claim or idea the the author or speaker is saying to the reader or audience. In a speech by Malala's father, we had to find arguments and write a sentence about what the main point in the paragraph was. It comes much more easier now to me because we have practiced it so many times.
     I am currently on my 5th book for the 40 book challenge. My reading ability has much improved before and throughout the quarter. I am now reading more and able to better understand and comprehend what I have read. In this past month I took the MAP test for selective enrollment high schools and there were challenging things on the test. I had a better time though than I would have before and since then I have learned some of the things I was more confused about. Since that test I was very interested in finding out the things that I had not learned yet.
     

Son: Week of 9-29-14

Title: Son
Author: Lois Lowry
Pages Read: 0-48
Prompt :Describe the author's writing style

     In Lois Lowry's book, Son, the style of the book is very obvious. The point of view is from 3rd person. You can tell because the narrator says phrases like "Claire nodded" and Claire thought" showing how he knows what the characters feelings are and what their actions are. The style of the book is a narrative because the author is telling a story using characters, setting and plot.  The main character is Claire, and she is a birthmother. This book is in the same series as "The Giver" which we have all read. Like in "The Giver" much of the book is dialogue. Also much of the book so far is expressing Claire's feelings towards a subject or event. The style that Lois Lowry uses for all the characters is very precise and proper language. As I learned in "The Giver", precision of speech is very important to their community. So every character does not use any slang or sort of accent.

     A large part of the book I feel is based off of mood. Your emotions somewhat change but not too drastically so far. Basically the entire book so far you just feel sympathy towards Claire. At the beginning of the book she is giving birth so you feel much sympathy then for her pain. Then as it progresses you feel bad for her because she does not fit in and is confused. Right now I feel better for her but I feel like she doesn't feel quite comfortable yet. The tone of the book has been kind of neutral because they describe some stuff as bad and others as good. It is a very basic society so it is hard to develop too much description and depth on certain things. For Claire the tone has been more negative because she feels unsure and is nervous. But when they describe other things like the community or the people they use much kinder words that re more positive.

     So Claire has given birth. Since it is a birthmothers job to produce children they are not allowed to see their babies. Something goes wrong because they have a sudden almost panic and Claire passes out. The one thing remaining from that is her scar. When she talks to the other birthmothers they are rather confused and say that they have no scar. Well one day Claire is called to the committee and they tell her she will be placed somewhere else for her job in the community. She is confused and once again feels like she had lost something like she had when she gave birth. She is moved to fish hatchery. She feels very nervous because it was extremely rare and odd for someone to be moved to another place of work. She begins to settle in and make new friends. Now she is looking for a way to sneak out and ask some questions.

Banned Book Vlog

The Giver: Week of 9-15-14

Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Pages Read: 0-179 (Finish)
Prompt: Foreshadow and Understanding

I finished reading the book a second time and I felt it would be a good book to reflect upon because the first time I read it I was very confused. There is lots of foreshadow in this book that I now understand much better. Of course the biggest foreshadow was the first memory Jonas receives when he goes down the slide is exactly like the last scene of the book when he goes down the slide. I also felt that Gabriel having to live with his family and be an exception was some sort of foreshadow that he would play a large role in the book because otherwise there was no meaning in introducing him. He ends up playing a very large role because he is the reason Jonas survives throughout the harsh winter and miles and miles of bike riding. Another piece that Lois Lowry adds that I really liked was that the failure 10 years ago was the Giver's daughter. I felt that it had importance because it was mentioned a lot in the story. Then you find out it was his daughter and it is that gasp moment. You feel sympathy towards the Giver.

The word "release" I felt was kind of like foreshadow. I kind of knew the whole time it was a bad secret because the word had a negative connotation because unless it was a new child or elder it was shameful to be released. One big line that I felt was a very large foreshadow was when in Jonas's instructions it says that he is allowed to lie. This opens up so many doors because all of a sudden you are wondering if this was in the entire communities instructions. Reading this book a second time helped me so much with the understanding aspect of it.  I began to understand more and more how the community was built and how no one really knew anything. Also I saw more thoroughly how Jonas became so frustrating. After feelings memories of such different emotions and feelings he almost felt his life to be meaningless because no one else felt that or saw it that way except him and the Giver.

I liked how he transmitted different memories to Gabriel throughout the book. In the book I felt like I knew the setting and time of this book. I liked how Lois Lowry described things that happen today the far and distant past from them. Or how Jonas called it "back and back and back." What I still don't understand is that the Giver said that once Jonas left the memories would begin to go back to the community. I never really got how that worked because he never died. He just left and unless there is like a barrier for the community I thought the memories would just stay with him until he died and then they would leave to the community or wherever. I really enjoyed reading this book a second time, because it was different than the type of society and community we live in today. I am going to read the next book in the series called Son. So I am ready to see what happened to Jonas and/or the community.

Brian's Winter: Week of 9/8/14

Title: Brian's Winter
Author: Gary Paulsen
Pages Read:0-67
Prompt: analyzing the impact imagery and figurative language have on the meaning and tone of your text.

     Imagery plays a large role in this book. The main reason being that this is a survival book that is in the middle of the woods. There has to be lots of imagery in order to set up the situation. For example there is a bear in one seen. The whole seen is understood by the reader through imagery. They have to describe the bear, the scene, and the bear's actions. The entire book has to basically be imagery, if not it will be hard for the reader to understand. The imagery that Gary Paulsen uses is not too hard to understand. The reason for this is because almost all the readers of his book don't have the best idea of how it is when you are surviving out in the wilderness. The imagery Gary Paulsen uses adds a sense of suspense and eagerness because he sets up the scenes so that you want to continue reading.
     In this book there isn't too much figurative language. He does use comparisons in his story though. He compares things from nature to real life things. Like when Brian is doing one of his necessities they will compare it to what he would use it in his normal life. For example he will compare certain animals that Brian catches to the meals he would eat in real life. Right now in the book Brian is preparing himself and realizing that the winter is coming. This is an add on to the first book, called Hatchet. In hatchet he is rescued, but this book is telling about what he would have went through had he not been rescued. At this point he has created habits in the wild and what he does on an every day basis. But then things begin to turn for worse.
     The winter is coming and Brian must gain more surviving skills. He realizes that all the animals are going to go away because they are going into hibernation. He realizes he will have to take out a large animal like a bear in order to have enough food for the winter. Unfortunately the bow and arrows he has right now are barely enough to kill a rabbit or bird. He is struggling with his bow because he nature is not cooperating with him. The temperature is dropping and you can sense the tension rising. I am eager to see how he survives through the cold winter. All he knows is surviving in the summer. Lets see what him and his instincts can do versus the coldness and bitterness of winter. This book is a little more basic than the books I should be reading at this point. I just wanted to begin to read survival books to see if I will get into it. So I decided to start with this book.

Book List Challenge: Week of 9/2/14

Book List Challenge


Slam: Walter Dean Myers
This book is on my top ten list because it gives you a different type of story then what you would expect out of a basketball book. The community and surroundings are very different than any other sports book I have read. I think that made it much better and more intriguing. It gives a very realistic idea of what a lot of young talents go through. The main character in the book lives in a more poor community and bad situations. It goes through the games but shows the game and fight outside of basketball. Everything he did off the court could affect him on the court or whether or not he would even end up on the court. Overall I liked this book because it gave me a new feel and perspective on different communities and situations.



 Unstoppable: Tim Green
This was a great book because even though it was fictional, it made you feel inspired and go through different emotions. I remember going through this book and anticipating and trying to predict what would happen next. The book really plays with your emotions, which makes you even more enthusiastic about reading more. You end up feeling sorrow and hope for the main character even though they are not a real person. The author, Tim Green does a very good job in describing and allowing the reader to understand. The main character ends up getting cancer which was a huge plot twist. It was a very new experience to hear about a star player getting cancer. I knew how it would affect the character because my younger cousin had cancer. So I think being able to relate to the book also helped.


Percy Jackson Series: Rick Riordan
This series I  went through very quickly. A lot of people have read the series and I got very caught up in it. I think one big reason is that every book left on sort of a cliff hanger. Then when you would read the next book it would answer your questions but would also elaborate and have lots of twists. You never knew when they would add a new character, or bring something up, because there were so many options in mythology. I also liked how you get to learn the relationships of different people in mythology and how they relate to one another. It was also fun to incorporate connections. Like the author would give a hint early on of something and then later in the book it came up and you would be able to connect the events.

Notes from the Midnight Driver: Jordan Sonnenblick
I read this book for Battle of the Books last year. I had never really read a book like this before. Its about a boy who gets drunk and crashes his moms car. So he has to do community service and go to a
facility and talk to this old man. The old man is mean to the boy at first. Even though they had a kind of love/hate relationship. It is interesting to see how their connection and bond gets stronger. I like how the author writes the book, and how the boy goes back to see him even when his community service is over. They end up growing a really strong relationship because of their love for music.




For The Love of the Game: Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is one of my all time favorite people. Of course thats the biggest reason I enjoyed
reading a book about his career and what he went trough. One thing he talks about in the book is how he changed in maturing and learning over time. You can see all the different stages in his career and how his mindset and attitude changed. It was interesting to see how much the team was getting worn down after winning more and more. He changes throughout his career. His mind was at different places. I liked reading about what he did and went through throughout his career. One of my favorite parts is where the NBA was fining him because he wore red and black shoes when their team colors were red and white. I found this interesting because now NBA players are so much more free to wear different shoes.

Hatchet: Gary Paulsen
Hatchet was the first survival book I read. I was very apprehensive in seeing a boy go from his regular world to all of a sudden having to survive in the wilderness. I was intrigued in how he used
the wilderness to make it easier to survive and how he developed habits and became smarter over time. Also since this is a survival book there is plenty of times where you are asking yourself what you would do if you were in the same or similar situation. The whole time you are kind of nervous because you know something bad was going to happen or if anyone would find him. Right now I'm reading Brian's Winter, which is an extension on Hatchet.




The Giver: Lois Lowry
Right now I am reading this a second time because we have to read it for homeroom. I have to say that reading it a second time makes everything much more clear. The reason I liked this book is because it feels like you are reading about a whole different world that is in some ways similar to ours. The whole society is very basic and plain. Thats why I felt when Jonas received the memories of the past, it was things that today, we all know about and have experienced. All the information Jonas was given kind of forced him to rebel which was cool to see in a society where everyone was the same and followed the rules. The ending was kind of confusing. So maybe when I read through it again it will become a little more clear.



Diary Of a Wimpy Kid Series: Jeff Kinney
Of course everyone has read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Im included and I really enjoyed them.
It was a very easy series to read. They were very funny and included a picture with everything that was written down. For me it was better than TV because my parents were happy that I was reading a book but I was also getting a good laugh out of it. Also the book was based on a kid in middle school and at that time I was a year or two away. Since it is a kid there are lots of parts you can connect to and enjoy them even more.




Ready, Freddy Series: Abby Klein
I read this series in first grade. My teacher introduced them to me when she began reading them to
the class. There are a good number of books in the series so after she had stopped reading them to us, I began to read them on my own. They were good books for me to read since I was in first grade. They were chapter books. In the book there were also pictures. And I believe that in each picture there was a hidden letter or something. So that also would be fun to do.





¡Despieta, Orogris!: Wolfgang Bittner
This is a book from when I was very little. It has a lot of meaning to me. The book is in spanish which is cool. My brother and I would lay in bead and my Dad would read it to us. This was very special since the book is about a dad and his son. They go under the covers in their bed and pretend to be bears. The dad being the big bear and the son being the little bear. We read this book so many times. I hope I never forget about this book because it has such great sentimental value.

Travel Team: 8-17-14

Title: Game Changers
Author: Mike Lupica
Pages Read: 0-274 (Finish)
Prompt: Characters

The three characters I will describe are Danny, Richie, and Ty. Danny is small. He is only 5 foot 6 inches. He is very passionate about basketball. He has a kind of giver upper attitude at the beginning. He is heartbroken when he gets cut from his travel basketball team. His father makes a new team for him and all the other kids who have been told they weren't good or big enough. Danny has always been sad about his parents divorce and that their family was never a full family. When his dad comes back they get as close to being a family as ever. His best friend is Ty Ross, who ends up joining their team. Danny is a point guard. He is a very passing point guard like Chris Paul. Danny has been working on his double crossover a lot. In their first playoff game he performs it on the play they would win the game on.

Richie Walker is Danny's father. Richie used to be the star player of their Middletown travel team when they were little. He won the championship for their town so he was an absolute star. He went on to have a great college career. He was even drafted in the first round by the Golden State Warriors. One night he was drunk and got into a car accident that almost killed him. The accident ended his career. He divorced and never was in Danny's life. He always felt sorry for himself. Then one day he decided to stop feeling sorry for himself and be part of Danny's life. He coached their team. He got into another car accident but this time he wasn't drinking, and he had to stop coaching. He came back to watch his team win their first playoff game.

Ty is Danny's best friend. He is a very nice and hard working kid. He is tall but very athletic. He is a scoring machine, because of his size, speed, and knowledge. He is the best player in all of Middletown. He does not enjoy being part of his father's team because he doesn't have fun. Well one game he broke his wrist after getting bumped into after a rebound that was Danny's fault. He decided one day to help Danny coach his team and feels like he belongs, but he is still committed to the Vikings. Until his dad yells at him for helping Danny and quits the team. He comes back and helps the Warriors. He makes the game willing layup and Middletown Warriors win the game.

Travel Team: 8-17-14

Title: Travel Team
Author: Mike Lupica
Pages Read: 0-274 (Finish)
Prompt: Summary

Just like the previous Mike Lupica I read the main character is small, and his name is Danny. His parents are divorced and this plays a big role in the book. Danny gets cut from the Travel team he had been playing with for the past two years. The reason was because Mr. Ross despised Danny's father because Danny's father had always been the star of the town. This was because he was the best player on their team when they were kids, and went on to play in the NBA. But his career ended early in a car accident. Anyway Danny's dad was never a big role in Danny's life after the accident. Even though Mr. Ross, and Danny's father were enemies their sons clicked on the court. Mr Ross's son name was Ty. They did amazing plays together like Stockton and Malone (Basketball Reference).

Well Danny's father, Richie decided to become part of Danny's life and help him form their own travel team. Danny was so excited. Their team was pretty bad. They recruited a girl named Colby who is really good. Their team name was the Warriors. Danny's dad promised to stop drinking and was now a better guy then he used to be.They decided to scrimmage the Vikings, which is the team that cut Danny. In this one play Danny was mad at one player and shoved him, but the player bumped into Ty, Danny's friend and Ty broke his wrist. Ty would not be back until the playoffs. Danny felt really bad. The Warriors started getting better and began to win games. Then when they went for pizza one day Richie (Danny's dad) was in another car accident. There were no parents to coach so Danny had to coach his own team with the help of his mom.

One game Ty decided to go and watch. Danny said for him to sit on the bench and help him coach this hard team. With Ty helping to coach  Danny they began to come back. When the game was over Mr Ross came and grabbed Ty and yelled at him. When playoffs came, Ty decided he didn't want to play for his father but join Danny's team. The Warriors would play the Vikings. Danny's dad came from the hospital to go watch the game. In the middle of the game Mr. Ross realized what he had to do. He handed his clipboard over and went and sat next to Richie, to cheer on his son. In my opinion, a very good first step in his apology. Ty hit the game winning shot to win the game off of a great pass from Danny. Game over, happy ending.

Game Changers 8/5/14

Title: Game Changers
Author: Mike Lupica
Pages Read: 0-207 (Finish)
Prompt: Summary

     Ben McBain is small in size, but has a big heart. He is a team first type player and does whatever he can to make the team better. His favorite position is quarterback but his size plays a disadvantage. So again the starting quarterback is Shawn O'Brien, who's dad happens to used to be a pro quarterback and is now the coach of the team. Shawn struggles a lot so Ben decides to help him, because its best for the team. Ben's best friends Sam and Coop disagree with him helping shawn but that doesn't matter to Ben. Well even after Ben helping Shawn, Shawn decides to still be a jerk. So Ben stops helping him.
     Well Shawn has a horrible game and Ben earns the starting position after an amazing performance. Shawn is very upset. But Ben doesn't understand why, because Shawn never wanted to be the starting QB anyways. But Ben figures out he did it all for his dad. So Ben discusses this with his other best friend Lily who helps him better understand. So Ben feels a bit guilty but figures out his plan. He goes and talks to Shawn and tells him he must tell his dad that he just wants to play wide receiver. Shawn at first refuses but eventually lets up.
     Shawn tell his father and it couldn't have worked out any better. Ben saw the both of them smiling and having fun as Shawn's dad would throw to Shawn. Then it was the championship. It was back and forth scoring and it could be anyones game. The other team scored with very little time left. It would take a miracle for Ben's team to win. When it looked like there was no hope Ben made the play that his favorite small QB made when he was in college. Ben would throw the game winning pass on that play. Everyone was happy and Shawn became part of the friends.

Game Changers 8/5/14

Title: Game Changers
Author: Mike Lupica
Pages Read: 0-207 (Finish)
Prompt: Characters

     Then main character in the story is Ben McBain. He is one of the nicest characters in a book that I have read about. He is always about the team and helping others. In other words he is very humble. But Ben is short for his age, and all his life he has wanted to be a quarterback. But he has never gotten the job because he was too small. So this year he loses again to Shawn O'Brien who's father is coaching. He tries to help Shawn with his game because he slacks being consistent. Ben helps him because he knows it would help the team. Eventually Shawn is still a jerk and Ben earns the starting position. Shawn is very upset. But the whole time he never really wanted to be quarterback. Ben helps him explain that to Shawn's dad who was a pro quarterback. Ben saves the day in the championship game and everyone is happy.
     The next character is Shawn. His father as I earlier said was a pro quarterback. So Shawn feels the pressure to not only play quarterback but has to live up to the expectation that he will be better than his Dad. Shawn never really wanted to play quarterback, he just does it for his father. Shawn doesn't have the best attitude. He is a bad teammate and doesn't appreciate others help. He loses the starting job for QB and is a total jerk to Ben. But Ben still cares so Shawn goes to his father and tells him he wants to and would have more fun playing wide receiver. They win the championship game and Shawn becomes friends with the rest of the team.
     The next three minor characters are part of Ben's crew or clique. They are Lily, Sam, and Coop. Sam and Coop both are on the football team. Lily is Ben's friend from when they were little. They called themselves the core four. Lily was the brains. She knew what to say and when to say it. She knew everything about anything and knew how to make someone feel better. Coop was the very talkative one. He was always talking. Sam was more quiet then the rest but would pick on Coop. But they were all great friends. Ben the entire time is always trying to show them to help and be a good teammate. And in the end Shawn becomes part of the team too.

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME: Week of 5-12-14

Title: FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME
Author: Michael Jordan
Pages read: 77-(110)Finish
Pompt:• If you were the author, what would you change? Why?

If I was Michael Jordan the thing I would change would be to make the book a little more chronologically ordered. I would choose to change this because I felt like at some times in the book he would refer to something that would happen later. He also would talk about situations on earlier pages and then refer to them on later pages. I think for readers who don't know as much about Michael Jordan it would be easier for them if it was almost completely chronological. But I think Jordan did a great job explaining everything. Even if he would refer to a topic that was out of order on a timeline when he referred to it, it was to support a point. This is I think the first autobiography I have read on my own, meaning I chose to read this book.

This book was really good for me. I usually think about biographies or autobiographies as boring and lots of facts. Though after reading this I realize how interesting biographies and autobiographies can be. I think if I want to read these types of books I will have to choose books on people's whose lives I find interesting. At the end of the book Jordan tells about the teams struggles and positives. The main struggle for a while on the team before and after Jordan came back from retirement was that everyone thought they could do it themselves. Meaning that they thought they should have been the stars and what the offense would run through, which caused disruption to the team.

The reason Jordan came back an won another 3 titles was because of Phil Jackson. Jordan talks aout how all the players on the team liked him. Jackson really knew how to incorporate everyone in the offense so that it worked best for every player on the team. He also knew how to make every player better and improve their on court action. This book taught me a lot of lessons. A lot of the book are just lessons from Michael Jordan that he learned through his life. His life was a lot of havoc and confusion. During all this he learned lots of things. These lessons he reflects in this book and I will make sure to remember them. This was a great book.