I read an article about the health benefits of chocolate. Many people have disagreed whether it can actually help your body. Cacao, which is what chocolate is made out of very good for battling tooth decay. Although, milk chocolate has high sugar so it counters that benefit. The smell of chocolate can cause relaxation, and has a mild mood elevator. These are really small, so you do not usually feel those things. Also the cocoa butter contains a unsaturated fat that can raise good cholesterol. Drinking a cup of hot chocolate can diminish appetite, and men who eat chocolate are supposed to live a tear longer than men who don't.Even though chocolate may have all those benefits, it still has some problems.They're are also many lies about chocolate that people think is about it. Chocolate is not a main cause of acne, and it only contains a little caffeine, so it shouldn't cause nervous excitability. Chocolate does not cause bad cholesterol. But chocolate can cause headaches, and milk chocolate is high is sugar and fat.
I think Marguerite is trying to tell us to consider and think about chocolate more. She is not telling us that is completely bad for us and should never be eaten, but she is not saying it is great for you too. She is trying to get us to think about chocolate while were eating, thinking thoughts like, "should I eat this, even though it is kinda beneficial it has some bad things in it." The last line of the article is,"your sure to find some brand of chocolate you can enjoy with a clear conscience." She is saying that you should be able to eat chocolate without worrying about health risks, but you should remember that chocolate, how many benefits it may have, still has a lot of fat and sugar in it.
I think Marguerite is trying to say in her article that chocolate has many good and bad things. Most people consider it a "bad" food but it actually has some good qualaties. Although most of them are countered by the sugar and fat amount, chocolate can be almost called a "good" food.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Blog Post On Pride and Prejudice
I am reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.The main character, Elizabeth Bennet is a girl who lives with her family in Hertfordshire and her mother is desperate to get all her daughters married to the richest men in town. Elizabeth in the book, is not in a hurry to get married because she wants to marry the right man. Her sister Jane however, wants to get married and have kids and has already met someone that she likes. I think if I was Elizabeth, I would not be in a hurry to get married either. A married woman back in the early 19th century(when this book was written) lost nearly all her rights and was almost the sole property of her husband. Even though this sounds really bad, they often lived happy lives and had many children.
Here is a quote from the book,"it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." And mostly through what I have read, it is true. Mr. Bingley, who is the topic of this sentence, likes Jane but sadly moves away for the winter. Jane's family though he was going to settle down and maybe marry their daughter, but to their sadness he did not. The women in this book are quite sneaky, and they gossip a lot. Mrs. Bennet, Jane and Elizabeth's mother, is very critical of her daughters. Although that is understanding, she often goes out of her way to make sure they are following the rules and behaving proper. If I had a mother like that I would be very loose and want to break free of her iron grip. Neither Elizabeth and Jane try too, but Elizabeth sometimes feels overburdened by the stress her mother gives her.
Elizabeth so far in the book has only liked one man a little, Mr. Darcy. Although he is quiet and doesn't seem to have much affection for Elizabeth, she still is very fond of him. If she marries him or not will probably happen later in the book.
Here is a quote from the book,"it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." And mostly through what I have read, it is true. Mr. Bingley, who is the topic of this sentence, likes Jane but sadly moves away for the winter. Jane's family though he was going to settle down and maybe marry their daughter, but to their sadness he did not. The women in this book are quite sneaky, and they gossip a lot. Mrs. Bennet, Jane and Elizabeth's mother, is very critical of her daughters. Although that is understanding, she often goes out of her way to make sure they are following the rules and behaving proper. If I had a mother like that I would be very loose and want to break free of her iron grip. Neither Elizabeth and Jane try too, but Elizabeth sometimes feels overburdened by the stress her mother gives her.
Elizabeth so far in the book has only liked one man a little, Mr. Darcy. Although he is quiet and doesn't seem to have much affection for Elizabeth, she still is very fond of him. If she marries him or not will probably happen later in the book.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Blog Post on The Lovely Bones
I just read The Lovely Bones and one of the questions I am going to answer is, was justice served? I do not think world justice was served, only personal justice to Susie (the main characters) family. In the book, a fourteen year old girl named Susie gets raped and killed and the story is told from her in heaven watching over her family members react to her death and deal with it in their own way. Like I was saying, in the long sense justice isn't served. Susie's body is never found, only her elbow and part of her necklace and hat. Although her rapist Mr. Harvey dies, it is many years later and no one finds out until much later in time.
Even though in the long sense justice isn't served, Susie's family throughout the book grieves for her until the end, where they can finally find calmness. They feel relieved at last that Susie can now rest in peace, and they feel the burden of her death go away. They will never forget her, but they will also feel better when they remember her.
The whole book is told through Susie's eyes, even though she is dead and in heaven. Heaven, what Susie thinks is,"different for everyone, yet some merge into mine and others." In the book, heaven is portrayed through what most people think today. A happy place, where you can get everything you want and can look over the one's you love. I think that although heaven is nice, it is showing the injustice of the people who died young, or were murdered. Susie's own personal justice is at first not served while she is in heaven, she feels lost and sad and even wanting vengeance for her death. All the people that die unwilling such as dying young feel that justice should be served when dead, and even everything in heaven won't soothe them because everything they want is to be alive again.
I feel that in some ways justice was served to everybody, but in a way it was served to nobody. Mr. Harvey never got arrested, Susie's family went through difficult family trouble that nearly split their family apart. But through it all, they all feel that their personal justice was served because they could let go of Susie. This made me think of questions about justice, can justice be served without the law and someone having to pay? Is personal justice really justice?
Even though in the long sense justice isn't served, Susie's family throughout the book grieves for her until the end, where they can finally find calmness. They feel relieved at last that Susie can now rest in peace, and they feel the burden of her death go away. They will never forget her, but they will also feel better when they remember her.
The whole book is told through Susie's eyes, even though she is dead and in heaven. Heaven, what Susie thinks is,"different for everyone, yet some merge into mine and others." In the book, heaven is portrayed through what most people think today. A happy place, where you can get everything you want and can look over the one's you love. I think that although heaven is nice, it is showing the injustice of the people who died young, or were murdered. Susie's own personal justice is at first not served while she is in heaven, she feels lost and sad and even wanting vengeance for her death. All the people that die unwilling such as dying young feel that justice should be served when dead, and even everything in heaven won't soothe them because everything they want is to be alive again.
I feel that in some ways justice was served to everybody, but in a way it was served to nobody. Mr. Harvey never got arrested, Susie's family went through difficult family trouble that nearly split their family apart. But through it all, they all feel that their personal justice was served because they could let go of Susie. This made me think of questions about justice, can justice be served without the law and someone having to pay? Is personal justice really justice?
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Blog Post on Rash
I recently read Rash and the question I picked is was justice served? I think that justice is a way was solved for the main character Bo. Bo lives in the future, where everything is super safe and people are sent to prison for doing something as small as littering. Bo, unfairly gets sent to a prison camp where he meets friends and plays football, which is illegal. When Bo gets unfairly sent to prison, he is mad and confused. Although he did create some crimes, they are not strong enough for him to get sent to prison. Even though he gets out of prison, he does not feel satisfied that his life has been fixed. There are still unfair laws restricting peoples' basic rights. I feel that justice is being served only with his personal justice.
I feel that the people who were stopping the justice is the people who created the laws. They didn't realize that people should have personal freedom and laws should not be that strict. Even tough unconsciously they do not know they are stopping the justice, they are. What is ironic is that they are supposed to be represent justice yet they are doing the opposite. I think the one who is bring justice is Bork, Bo's animation monkey that aids him throughout the book. He is the one who manages to get Bo out of prison, and he helps out his family. Even though he is just a creation on a computer, at the end of the book he posses enough intelligence as a human.
I feel like in the real world justice wouldn't be served at all, even personal justice. If the United States did change their laws, I doubt that a computer creation could outwit them. In the book, there is no general justice served because the laws didn't change, and I feel like that would be true in the real world. Bo's personal justice is given to him almost by a accident. If this was the real world, I doubt that anything would change to the better, or change at all.
I feel that the people who were stopping the justice is the people who created the laws. They didn't realize that people should have personal freedom and laws should not be that strict. Even tough unconsciously they do not know they are stopping the justice, they are. What is ironic is that they are supposed to be represent justice yet they are doing the opposite. I think the one who is bring justice is Bork, Bo's animation monkey that aids him throughout the book. He is the one who manages to get Bo out of prison, and he helps out his family. Even though he is just a creation on a computer, at the end of the book he posses enough intelligence as a human.
I feel like in the real world justice wouldn't be served at all, even personal justice. If the United States did change their laws, I doubt that a computer creation could outwit them. In the book, there is no general justice served because the laws didn't change, and I feel like that would be true in the real world. Bo's personal justice is given to him almost by a accident. If this was the real world, I doubt that anything would change to the better, or change at all.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Blog Post On Shug
I just recently finished Shug by Jenny Han and some of the really difficult or complex things in it was alcohol and divorce. The main character is Annemarie, and her mother drinks a lot and often neglects the family. Annemarie doesn't really care in the beginning of the story, she accepts that it is part of her mothers personality and that its okay. As the story goes on however, she sees that it something that is a real issue in her life. She says,"Mama drinks because she's sad, and she's sad because she drinks." This is an endless circle that can never be broken Annemarie feels. Towards the end of the book she and her mother talk, and she tries to tell her mother that she is disappointing to her, and that she hurts her.
Annemarie is often confused during the book, she has a father that is always away and a mother that she rarely can have a conversation with. She is even having doubts with her friends for who is really her friend. My family has never had to face any of her problems, and I know that if that happened to me I would feel crushed and helpless. Annemarie has no one to turn too, so she is locked in despair. Her family and friends are everything to her, and without them she feels lost and confused, and she blames herself for things she couldn't have controlled. When something is going wrong, and you have nobody to blame, you blame yourself. Your brain thinks somebody was wrong, somebody messed up and ruined it, even though logically it wasn't you.
In Annemarie's town Clementon, alcohol is a common problem. Almost everybody in the town drinks, whether as an addiction or pleasure. At a sleepover that Annemarie goes too, the girls bring in beer and they are peer pressured into drinking it. Annemarie feels terrible after doing this, and regrets later in the night. She thinks, "I don't wanna be like Mama." I think that if the girls have started drinking from such a young age, when they are adults they will be constant drinkers. Annemarie understands this, but doesn't have the guts to tell the other girls that.
Divorce is also a small problem because Annemarie's dad is hardly around and when he returns to the house there is a huge argument between him and her mother. Annemarie is afraid of a divorce that might happen, but at the end of the book nothing has happened but Annemarie is reassured it won't happen. I feel that if Annemarie's dad was around, she would find someone to support her and help her with her problems, but since he isn't she is finding herself in a bad position to help herself.
Annemarie is often confused during the book, she has a father that is always away and a mother that she rarely can have a conversation with. She is even having doubts with her friends for who is really her friend. My family has never had to face any of her problems, and I know that if that happened to me I would feel crushed and helpless. Annemarie has no one to turn too, so she is locked in despair. Her family and friends are everything to her, and without them she feels lost and confused, and she blames herself for things she couldn't have controlled. When something is going wrong, and you have nobody to blame, you blame yourself. Your brain thinks somebody was wrong, somebody messed up and ruined it, even though logically it wasn't you.
In Annemarie's town Clementon, alcohol is a common problem. Almost everybody in the town drinks, whether as an addiction or pleasure. At a sleepover that Annemarie goes too, the girls bring in beer and they are peer pressured into drinking it. Annemarie feels terrible after doing this, and regrets later in the night. She thinks, "I don't wanna be like Mama." I think that if the girls have started drinking from such a young age, when they are adults they will be constant drinkers. Annemarie understands this, but doesn't have the guts to tell the other girls that.
Divorce is also a small problem because Annemarie's dad is hardly around and when he returns to the house there is a huge argument between him and her mother. Annemarie is afraid of a divorce that might happen, but at the end of the book nothing has happened but Annemarie is reassured it won't happen. I feel that if Annemarie's dad was around, she would find someone to support her and help her with her problems, but since he isn't she is finding herself in a bad position to help herself.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Blog Post On Wuthering Heights
I am almost done with the book Wuthering Heights by Emilie Bronte. I feel that the book is a series of events that all can connect to each other. Because Catherine fell in love, that caused her daughters life to be hard and if she has children than they will have troubling lives. It is cause and effect, with some characters being stuck in gloom alone with only their maid for comfort, and happy and with the person they love most. The mood of the book swings too, along with the characters.
The main character in most of the story is Nelly, a old maid that travels with a family Wuthering Heights, and Thrushcross Grange. Both are too large houses on the moor, a large grassy plain far from any village. Many characters are born here and the story is as her account of what happened there. She is telling it to a young man, who has just visited there and is wondering what the history of Wuthering Heights is. She tells of a family that goes through good and bad times and are moderately poor so they cannot afford a lot.
Like I said before, I think that the family will continue to have good and bad luck as the story goes on. Catherine, one of the main characters father just died, and she is concerned on where she is supposed to live. She is almost completely alone in life and she does not know who to turn too. The only person she had been talking to was her father, but less so when he got weaker and weaker. I feel that as I read more into the book, I will find out what is happening to her and if the main character, the man who is unamed, will play a larger part in the story. Occasionally during the telling he stops and talks about what some of his thoughts are.
The main character in most of the story is Nelly, a old maid that travels with a family Wuthering Heights, and Thrushcross Grange. Both are too large houses on the moor, a large grassy plain far from any village. Many characters are born here and the story is as her account of what happened there. She is telling it to a young man, who has just visited there and is wondering what the history of Wuthering Heights is. She tells of a family that goes through good and bad times and are moderately poor so they cannot afford a lot.
Like I said before, I think that the family will continue to have good and bad luck as the story goes on. Catherine, one of the main characters father just died, and she is concerned on where she is supposed to live. She is almost completely alone in life and she does not know who to turn too. The only person she had been talking to was her father, but less so when he got weaker and weaker. I feel that as I read more into the book, I will find out what is happening to her and if the main character, the man who is unamed, will play a larger part in the story. Occasionally during the telling he stops and talks about what some of his thoughts are.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Blog Post On Huckleberry Finn
I just finished Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and I liked it. I liked the themes in the story and how Huckleberry finally realizes that it is better to do what's right than to do what has always been done. He decides to free his friend than to go along what everyone else is saying. This is the 19th century, and slavery is a big deal. Huckleberry has always somewhat agrees with slavery, not as much as some other characters in the story, including his father.
Huckleberry and his friend Tom Sawyer set out to free his friend Jim, and while Huck is very into it and determined to save his friend. Tom Sawyer is more into the adventure of it, because it is of no great consequence to him. Even though they end up saving Jim, Huck realizes that he is not such a friend as he once was, and maybe he should be more careful around him.
Huck and Jim went on a series of adventures traveling along a river, they camped on islands and got very close. Huck had been kidnapped by his father and he escaped then later bumped into Jim on a deserted island. They formed a friendship there, and than decided to travel along he river. Huck made a dangerous choice there, because if he was caught traveling with a escaped slave he would be arrested.
He took that risk and ended up meeting many strange and curious people. He met many people and learning a good deal about life.
I can connect to this book because oftentimes I long for adventure and life that is not governed by strict rules. This is how Huck feels living with a widow who adopted him, and he probably would've left her after a while. He wants to have a taste of freedom, but not so much that he wants to leave forever.
Huckleberry and his friend Tom Sawyer set out to free his friend Jim, and while Huck is very into it and determined to save his friend. Tom Sawyer is more into the adventure of it, because it is of no great consequence to him. Even though they end up saving Jim, Huck realizes that he is not such a friend as he once was, and maybe he should be more careful around him.
Huck and Jim went on a series of adventures traveling along a river, they camped on islands and got very close. Huck had been kidnapped by his father and he escaped then later bumped into Jim on a deserted island. They formed a friendship there, and than decided to travel along he river. Huck made a dangerous choice there, because if he was caught traveling with a escaped slave he would be arrested.
He took that risk and ended up meeting many strange and curious people. He met many people and learning a good deal about life.
I can connect to this book because oftentimes I long for adventure and life that is not governed by strict rules. This is how Huck feels living with a widow who adopted him, and he probably would've left her after a while. He wants to have a taste of freedom, but not so much that he wants to leave forever.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Blog Post On Rootless
I recently read Rootless and I thought it was a pretty good book. It was about Banyan, a boy who build trees out of scrap metal(set in the future) and how he has to rescue his father and with the help of friends that he encounters. I like Rootless, but I had some disagreements with it. First of all, there is a character Zee who you never find out is good or bad. Although she is a good character, it annoys me when endings aren't so clear. There is also a character that is Zee's mother, but turns out to be Banyan's mother, and she has a clone of herself that dies, and well it gets really confusing.
It was a good book, but I felt the ending was a little rushed, because they spent a lot of time in the beginning introducing the characters so the ending was pretty short. The book didn't explain what exactly Banyan did as a tree builder, why would people want fake trees? I feel the author should've added more context about that and maybe skipped over some parts that weren't so important. I felt in all, that the first half of the book a lot of ideas were arising, but the second half of the book they started rushing to an ending.
I still think it was a good book, just not so much my type. If you like fast-paced books, I would recomend it to you. There are also some cool ideas in the book, with the ideas of people so desperate for trees. It reminds me a little of the real world, and made me think about people in general. How desperate can people be? Will you lie, cheat, even murder to save yourself? Also in the book there is a company called Gentech, and it says in the book, "if you find a way to grow corn on your own, Gentech will find you and kill you." (Corn is the only food that people can eat.) I find that scary because I imagine company's that would do that to prevent a secret from coming out.
I heard this is another book in a series so I hope the next book(s) are a bit slower paced. I also hope they answer some of the questions I had from the first book.
It was a good book, but I felt the ending was a little rushed, because they spent a lot of time in the beginning introducing the characters so the ending was pretty short. The book didn't explain what exactly Banyan did as a tree builder, why would people want fake trees? I feel the author should've added more context about that and maybe skipped over some parts that weren't so important. I felt in all, that the first half of the book a lot of ideas were arising, but the second half of the book they started rushing to an ending.
I still think it was a good book, just not so much my type. If you like fast-paced books, I would recomend it to you. There are also some cool ideas in the book, with the ideas of people so desperate for trees. It reminds me a little of the real world, and made me think about people in general. How desperate can people be? Will you lie, cheat, even murder to save yourself? Also in the book there is a company called Gentech, and it says in the book, "if you find a way to grow corn on your own, Gentech will find you and kill you." (Corn is the only food that people can eat.) I find that scary because I imagine company's that would do that to prevent a secret from coming out.
I heard this is another book in a series so I hope the next book(s) are a bit slower paced. I also hope they answer some of the questions I had from the first book.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Nicholas Nickleby 2nd Blog Post
I am now almost down with Nicholas Nicleby by Charles Dickens. While I was reading it, I found myself admiring the main character, Nicholas, for his endless determination that leads him through the book. He becomes an actor with his friend Smike, he goes to his sister to protect her from a wretched man, and continues to live life working hard at the things he does.
He will challenge anybody who makes fun of his sister in a ready and willing manner, even if this will later downfall him. I am not so sure I would be so caring to my siblings, even though we fight a lot I still think we love each other. Oftentimes we will scream at the top of our lungs that we hate each other, but later in our years we will appreciate the kindness we gave to each other. There is a quote from the book, "it seemed like yesterday we were playmates, and today we are old people" which means that yo might not respect what your siblings and friends are giving you know, but you will later.
As I read through this book, I synthesize Nicholas, because he has had hard life, with his father dead, and he stills is brave and will go through his life ready and happy. He is happy with the challenges he is given with, he even falls in love with a girl that has been promised to be married, and still he manages to answer his own and others problems. I feel that I would be scared, and unsure of myself, and my even act selfish because I would be looking out for myself. Nicholas is kind and caring, and aware of everyone below him, and above him.
As I come close to finishing this book, I hope Nicholas continues to be a caring and interesting character. I hope he will remember his friends in his time of need, for he did a lot for them and deserves to be treated with great kindness.
He will challenge anybody who makes fun of his sister in a ready and willing manner, even if this will later downfall him. I am not so sure I would be so caring to my siblings, even though we fight a lot I still think we love each other. Oftentimes we will scream at the top of our lungs that we hate each other, but later in our years we will appreciate the kindness we gave to each other. There is a quote from the book, "it seemed like yesterday we were playmates, and today we are old people" which means that yo might not respect what your siblings and friends are giving you know, but you will later.
As I read through this book, I synthesize Nicholas, because he has had hard life, with his father dead, and he stills is brave and will go through his life ready and happy. He is happy with the challenges he is given with, he even falls in love with a girl that has been promised to be married, and still he manages to answer his own and others problems. I feel that I would be scared, and unsure of myself, and my even act selfish because I would be looking out for myself. Nicholas is kind and caring, and aware of everyone below him, and above him.
As I come close to finishing this book, I hope Nicholas continues to be a caring and interesting character. I hope he will remember his friends in his time of need, for he did a lot for them and deserves to be treated with great kindness.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Blog Post On Nicholas Nickleby
I am a little more than halfway through reading Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens, and there are already some main ideas in the book. The is basically about Nicholas, who's father dies, and is sent by his uncle to work at a school for kids. There he meets Squeers, a horrible man who abuses the children at the school. He leaves the school with one of the boys Smike, and than goes through a seris of adventures.
Nicholas is very brave, in my opinion because I would be very sad at my father dying than to want to do something. He also has to support his sister and mother, and I would probably have to live by myself. Nicholas not only manages to keep working and supporting himself, but his family. Their uncle Ralph Nickleby, is not vey helpful and when Nicholas has to leave to work, they are very scared. They are quite alone in the world, with Ms. Nicklebys husband dead, and Kate Nickleby( the daughter) has to find jobs in the dirty streets of London to survive.
Honestly, I have never really had to work hard for something, everything in my life has been given to me. Lots of people in the wold suffer from hunger and have to miles for water, but I'll I have to do is go to the fridge. Back in the 19th century, even if you were pretty high class, you still had to work, not only to support yourself, but your family. Right now, kids parents are like cushions, protecting you until you have money and can support yourself.
In Nicholas Nickleby, Nicholas has to support so many people, yet he is not panicked or stressed out at all. He even has time to make new friends and enjoy himself along the way. If everyone else looked back in life, they will probably realize that they don't have a lot to do.You can stress about little things, but that won't help anybody.
Nicholas is very brave, in my opinion because I would be very sad at my father dying than to want to do something. He also has to support his sister and mother, and I would probably have to live by myself. Nicholas not only manages to keep working and supporting himself, but his family. Their uncle Ralph Nickleby, is not vey helpful and when Nicholas has to leave to work, they are very scared. They are quite alone in the world, with Ms. Nicklebys husband dead, and Kate Nickleby( the daughter) has to find jobs in the dirty streets of London to survive.
Honestly, I have never really had to work hard for something, everything in my life has been given to me. Lots of people in the wold suffer from hunger and have to miles for water, but I'll I have to do is go to the fridge. Back in the 19th century, even if you were pretty high class, you still had to work, not only to support yourself, but your family. Right now, kids parents are like cushions, protecting you until you have money and can support yourself.
In Nicholas Nickleby, Nicholas has to support so many people, yet he is not panicked or stressed out at all. He even has time to make new friends and enjoy himself along the way. If everyone else looked back in life, they will probably realize that they don't have a lot to do.You can stress about little things, but that won't help anybody.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
"Am I Blue" Blog Post
"Am I Blue" is about a boy who is bullied for being gay, and than meets his fairy godfather who will give him three wishes. One of his wishes is to turn everyone gay blue, which is the namesake of the story.
Vincent, the main character is described as a "confused puppy". Many people can probably relate to that, me included because they have been uncertain about themselves. Not necessarily about being gay, but about choices in life. Vincent feels like he has no one to talk to, to talk about his real feelings. Because gay people have to hide, they separate themselves from other people, including their friends and family.
Vincent has a pretty hard life, but he doesn't seem interested in trying to fix it. If I was bullied, I would probably tell my friends to solve the problem, just because I would be too miserable. I just wouldn't be able to stand it. People are also bullied for other reasons, such as race, sex, religion so this situation can apply to lots of people. Melvin, the fairy godfather was killed because of his beliefs, which maybe means he should have been more careful when he was alive.
Melvin also says throughout the story "us" relating to himself and other gays. But whenever you use the word us, you are pushing the people not included away. "Us" in this story means the other gays. This is pushing the idea of gays and straights being happy together, They would feel like a separate group of people. And all the gays that were bullied before will not want to make friends with their bullier
I think "Am I Blue" has a lot of meaning below the surface which will teach you a lot about the world. Everything in the story has a realistic aspect, which makes it easier for people to connect to the story. This can have the lessons in the story be easier to spot, and mean more. I have felt I have learned a lot just reading a short story called,"Am I Blue"
Vincent, the main character is described as a "confused puppy". Many people can probably relate to that, me included because they have been uncertain about themselves. Not necessarily about being gay, but about choices in life. Vincent feels like he has no one to talk to, to talk about his real feelings. Because gay people have to hide, they separate themselves from other people, including their friends and family.
Vincent has a pretty hard life, but he doesn't seem interested in trying to fix it. If I was bullied, I would probably tell my friends to solve the problem, just because I would be too miserable. I just wouldn't be able to stand it. People are also bullied for other reasons, such as race, sex, religion so this situation can apply to lots of people. Melvin, the fairy godfather was killed because of his beliefs, which maybe means he should have been more careful when he was alive.
Melvin also says throughout the story "us" relating to himself and other gays. But whenever you use the word us, you are pushing the people not included away. "Us" in this story means the other gays. This is pushing the idea of gays and straights being happy together, They would feel like a separate group of people. And all the gays that were bullied before will not want to make friends with their bullier
I think "Am I Blue" has a lot of meaning below the surface which will teach you a lot about the world. Everything in the story has a realistic aspect, which makes it easier for people to connect to the story. This can have the lessons in the story be easier to spot, and mean more. I have felt I have learned a lot just reading a short story called,"Am I Blue"
Thursday, September 27, 2012
"The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" Blog Post
In the "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh", Ray Bradbury uses the setting and character to create a rich story. He describes everything, from the guns of the soldiers lying on the grass, to the peach blossoms that float down to the ground. I thought more about these things, and I found out they were metaphors for common sayings. The peach blossoms were a sign for change, and how change can be good or bad. The careless guns of the men are symbols of how they are as careless as where they place their guns. It says in the passgae,
"the guns were like eternal lightning in the grass". This shows they are unsure of themselves in war. Most of the soldiers described in the story were described as young men, and even boys. They were unsure of themselves, but hid it with the excitement of war. This connects to one of the main ideas in the story, which is the men are the bones of the army, but bones can be broken.
Another setting metaphor is the drum, which is important several times in the story. It symbolizes Joby's fear, his fear of war. Because Joby is scared of war, and Ray Bradbury suggests in the passage that he dislikes war, than this must be an important detail in the story. About the drum, they are several parts in the story where he remarks how little weaponry he has, and how that is unfair. The drum is the war, so he is afraid of the drum.
The peach blossoms are also a symbol, because several times during the story he mentions how the peach blossoms fell on the drum. He also says that nothing is as it once was, relating to the blossoms. This is similar to the past idea, which is that the soldiers were unsure. Joby is scared, and he doesn't think he is important in life. But when the general talks to him,. he soon realizes his self-importance.Blossoms in general, symbolize overcoming change and blossoming because of it. Such as getting stronger and weaker.
I can connect to the Joby because I know what it feels like to be unsure of myself. Most people at 13 years old don't have a clear idea of who they are and who they want to be in life. There is also is a lot of stress on 13 year old's because this when you figure what high school you go to and that can be hard. Like Joby, at the end of it all, we realize that everything is going to be okay and when were worrying about high school we really didn't have to worry. Maybe we don't figure out a lot about self-importance in the way Joby did, but we do find a lot about ourselves.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Fellowship Of the Ring Reading Response
I recently read the book, The Fellowship Of the Ring, by J.R.R Tolkien. This book is mainly about a hobbit, named Frodo who goes on a journey with his friends. He has to leave his home and go through many perils only to find there is more danger than he imagined. He and his friends, Sam, Merry, and Pippin find out they are in more danger than they thought.
Some of the ideas of the book are anxiety, depression, and hunger. These are all emotions that Frodo's friend feel when they leave the Shire, which is where they live. When people have to leave a place does not offer much, such as the Shire, they often want to leave. But to go off in a place that is dark and unknown, many decide to stick with the safer choice. To be bored rather than go on an adventure is uncommon, but to have safety over mysterious and somewhat scary environment because will prefer safety.
Frodo was determined to go on the quest, but some of his friends were less enthusiastic about going. They were willing, but as their quest got more and more dangerous, some wanted to turn back. Pippin the hobbit was strongly towards leaving, when they first saw the "Black Riders", who are evil men trying to catch them. This is similar to the real world if someone, is being chased by someone, real or not real, and wants to be safe.
My whole opinion on the book was that I liked it. I liked the acton that was in the book, there was a lot of battles that were deeply described. There was some tricky language in the book, which is fun for me to read because it makes me have to think more about the book. There was a good plot, so you could easily tell who was bad and good, and what was happening in the story.
I would recommend this book who likes the things I said I liked, which were good clear plots, action, and tricky language. And if you have read The Hobbit, than you will probably like the Lord Of the Rings because it is the sequel to these books. The Hobbit is the story Of Bilbo, who is Frodo's Uncle, and Frodo is the main characters of these books.
Some of the ideas of the book are anxiety, depression, and hunger. These are all emotions that Frodo's friend feel when they leave the Shire, which is where they live. When people have to leave a place does not offer much, such as the Shire, they often want to leave. But to go off in a place that is dark and unknown, many decide to stick with the safer choice. To be bored rather than go on an adventure is uncommon, but to have safety over mysterious and somewhat scary environment because will prefer safety.
Frodo was determined to go on the quest, but some of his friends were less enthusiastic about going. They were willing, but as their quest got more and more dangerous, some wanted to turn back. Pippin the hobbit was strongly towards leaving, when they first saw the "Black Riders", who are evil men trying to catch them. This is similar to the real world if someone, is being chased by someone, real or not real, and wants to be safe.
My whole opinion on the book was that I liked it. I liked the acton that was in the book, there was a lot of battles that were deeply described. There was some tricky language in the book, which is fun for me to read because it makes me have to think more about the book. There was a good plot, so you could easily tell who was bad and good, and what was happening in the story.
I would recommend this book who likes the things I said I liked, which were good clear plots, action, and tricky language. And if you have read The Hobbit, than you will probably like the Lord Of the Rings because it is the sequel to these books. The Hobbit is the story Of Bilbo, who is Frodo's Uncle, and Frodo is the main characters of these books.
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