My Blog Review....

When first starting the new concept of blogging we focused on more of my style of writing and reading prefrence. Reading back through all my previous blogs was quite insighful, i noticed my progress was significant. Based on not just grammar but also the flow and style of my writing had definately improved through my freshman year.

More specificly my diction has improved. I started to really think about which words would work better and make the most impact with my reader. I also continually tried to give my writing its own voice, something that made you know that I was the one who wrote it. Every time I write a blog I tried to be concious of all my writing desicions and put more thought into the small details.
This experience in general has taught me so much about literature and will help me advance in my english classes to come.

Throughout this year and reviewing my blog I have noticed my strength and weaknesses. I thought that I have usually been good about detail. My weakness was grammar and spelling. Being the new generation I always would write like I was texting, from forgeting to capitalize I or abbrievating words and puntuation.

This journey of literature has increased my knowledge and overall will be a fun thing to look back on and remember the great time that I had in 9th grade honors english.

Summer Reading List...

This sun is beating down on me and a light breeze cools the air, the pool sparkles a few feet away from me as I tan on lawn chair. I will have a bundle of a few possessions next to me, sunglasses, a drink, iPod, tanning lotion, and a good book to pass my relaxing summer hours. Two books that would be on my long summer reading list would be Shadowland by Alyson Noel and the other is Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen. The first one is the third in the series, Immortals, at first I thought it was just another stupid fantasy book that I would ignore, but we all know I cant turn down a love story. Ever Bloom is a sixteen year old girl who can see people's auras, hear their thoughts, and know some one's entire life story by just touching them. This drives her crazy and the only one who can silence the noise is Damen because hes "immortal". As you read you find out that Damens been alive for a very very long time and that they are soul mates but that Ever keeps getting killed before Damen can save her. Now he finally made her immortal and now they can live forever together. In the second book alot happens but it ends the only way Ever can save Damen is if she does this spell that saves him but means if they ever exchange DNA Damen would die. So now in Shadowland I will find out if they can figure it out.

The second book was just another book by the author Sarah Dessen, and I love her books!
I read Dreamland by her and it was a sad, touching book that is now one of my favorites so I thought I would try another novel by her. Along for the ride is about a teenage girl who spends the summer with her dad at his house on the beach after the divorce. Its just a story about how she gets a summer job and makes a friend and together they confide in each other and work through their problems side by side.

My dreams range from realistic to crazy! Half the time I don't remember them and the others I don't think about past telling a friend. But when I was a little younger I kept on having these dreams where a bad guy would break into my house and try to kidnap and in the process kill my mom. I would have this dream over and over and it really started to freak me out. I'm alone for two to three hours after school until my comes home from work, so i started feel scared. I told my mom about my dreams and that I didn't feel safe alone at home. She listened and was sensitive to my feelings and put a second lock on our front door. This made me feel more secure and my "break in" dreams became less and less until eventually they were gone. If I had to choose I would pick Romeo to compare my feelings about dreams. I dint think that all of my dreams mean something but i definitely have had a few that got me thinking. Romeo had a dream early on that if he went to the Capulet's party that bad things would happen and result in his death. In act three just that happens. Tybalt kills Mercutio and then Romeo kills Tybalt in revenge which leads to Romeo being banished and this causes his death.

Culture Shock...

Okay i know, i know Mrs. Gilman, your probably going to think another song reference, Caroline you can do better. Sorry, right now i cant. The band We the Kings have a song called Check Yes Juliet, its the classic love story line. Two young lovers running away because their families don't agree with their relationship.


The chorus line is..

Run, baby, run
Don't ever look back.
They'll tear us apart
If you give them the chance.
Don't sell your heart
Don't say we're not meant to be.
Run, baby, run
Forever will be
You and me.


They are pretty self explanatory.

Great Expectations Skits

1. My first idea for a skit is obviously the first time Pip met Miss Havisham and Estella. This is really where everything starts for Pip and would be interesting to watch other students preform.
2. Another option is the fight between the pale young gentleman and Pip because this is where Herbert and him first meet and knowing now that they are going to be friends it will be entertaining. Also because its dramatic and funny to watch.
3. My last thought was when Miss Havisham and Estella get into a fight because of the way she was raised. I thought this part of the book was very interesting because it revealed alot about their odd relationship.

Great Expectations: First Stage

In this quote Pip is referring to one moment that well affect the rest of that persons life. That this moment is a chain of cause and effect, and whatever happend will change and shape the life of this person. The day he spent at Miss Havisham's house altered his life because now he loves Estella, is growing to know Miss Havisham and building a bond. Later events that happen in the book are going to becaused just because of going to that house. Pip's character has developed because I think now he is growing up, time has passed between the previous chapters and this one. I can tell because of the way Pip talks and describes things, he no longer sounds like a six or seven year old. I think a memerable moment for me would be when i first started at an Art Academy. I was young, about five or six, I had be enrolled because I was shy and this would help me be more outgoing. Obviously it worked, and also my love of music and acting blossmed form this experience. Today my passion (chain) can be traced back to that time because thats when I was first introduced to the arts.

Group Essay on Dishonesty....

In my paragraph for the group essay my three main ideas on pursuit of pleasure are bunbury for Jack, bunbury for Algernon, and Cecily's diary. For Jack i talked about how he was "Jack in town and Ernest in the country" and how it was an escape to see Gwendolen. For Algernon it was about him inventing "an invaluable permanent invaild called Bunbury" and he used it to avoid his reponsibilities like dining with Aunt Augusta. To conclude i used Cecilys jornal as for her pursuit of pleasure because she uses it as a fanasy world where her and Algernon are living a perfect world. These all support the thesis because it talks about how people lie for their own gain.

New Years Resolution...

As we venture into the new decade, 2010, its a tradition to make some resolutions. When thinking of resolutions, iIthink of what I need to improve on within myself and my habits. As I try to decide, I come up with average things like dedicate time to practice for singing lessons, study more for tests, work out more for track, and so on. As I make this I realize that a good thing to work on would be not overloading myself with things. Not overloading myself is a hard thing for me. I want to participate in so much but at the end of the some days I realize I have too much going on.

To help accomplish my goal, before dedicating myself to something I will ask myself if I really have time in my schedule and answer honestly. If not I just need to let it go and I realize its too much. Most of the time I dont realize that I'm spreading myself to thin, but eventually it catches up with me. One idea is that i will mark all my activties on a calendar, that way I can easily recognize if I have too busy of a schedule. So in 2010 I will promise myself to really work on my resolution throughout the year.

Animal Farm Project (Poem)...

Power Corrupts

Animal Farms demise
resides on one animal shoulders,
he is on all fours
unlike Stalin
but together inside is just a black hole.
Power Corrupts

This one pig,
Napoleon,
might blame all the plights on Snowball,
but truly this is just an excuse for all his mischievous tyrant plans
Power Corrupts

His secret police
chased Snowball out,
banned from the farm.
This left the animals fate in his hands.
Power Corrupts

He acted as part of the team
all for the greater good,
but enough was enough.
And so the downfall began.
Power Corrupts

He invokes fear in all
confessions made;
slaughtered….one by one.
A heap of bodies reminding them.
Power Corrupts

The animals start to wonder,
Beasts of England;
Is this what we wanted?
Power Corrupts

Breaking all commandments,
one final sin;
standing up right.
The lines blurring
between the races.
Humans,
pigs,
what’s the difference?
Power Corrupts

Animal Farm Project
Throughout the novel, Animal Farm, a major theme is power corrupts. This means when everyone is not equal, there is always a power struggle, and in this case it ended in a dictatorship. As the pigs rise to power, Napoleon manipulates the animals into what he wants them to believe. For instance changing the original seven commandments, and then abolishing them so that there was just a single one. “All animals are equal but some are more equal than others.” In the poem I wrote for the project I summarize main events to emphasize that when Napoleons takes over, he corrupts Animal Farm, and the ideals they had for themselves at the beginning of the rebellion. As a result of the fear that Napoleon spread through the farm, he could control everyone’s thoughts and actions. The first act was banning Snowball, following that were little things like the pigs breaking the commandment because they thought they were more equal than the rest. Also getting Squealer to convince the animals that whatever they remember was wrong and that Napoleon was right. Furthermore, when the dogs brutally murder some of the animals because they confessed to being in contact with Snowball. As the corruption becomes worse the animals start to realize this is not what they wanted when they thought of overpowering the humans and living a happier and better life. At the end we see the final result of what the corruption has done, the pigs walk on two feet and consider themselves equal with the humans.

Poetry Out Loud Peformances...

Amanda Fernandez recited " Unknown Girl in the Maternity Ward". Her physical presense was strong and her voice and articulation were clear. Her dramatiaztion was perfect because she had great body language and nice facial expressions. I would say it was pretty difficult because of the length but the language was fairly easy. You could tell she understood the poem from the way she told the story.

I could understand the poem because of how she acted when reciting. At the end she says "hand you off..." i can tell that she had to give up her child. The poem describes the happiness that the mother feels with her child and the situation shes in because the father left.

"Mockingbird Motif"...

The "Mockingbird Moif" is really the base of the story. It plays into the themes of racism, justice vs, injustice, walking in anothers shoe, good vs. evil, growing up and losing your innocence. Moif is a reocurring theme, idea, or subject, and in this novel its that killing a mockingbird is a sin. Or in other words harming someone who does good without needing recognition.

Two characters in the book who are the main symbols for this motif are Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Boo does good deeds for Jem and Scout like fixing Jems pants and giving Scout a blanket. Tom Robinson just helped a girl who had no one else and was punished for something he didn't do. These characters really add a symoblic level to the story.This book has definately increased my understanding of the literary device, motif.

A symbol for Atticus...

The symbol i chose to represent Atticus is a rainbow colored umbrella. Yes, this may seem odd and too jolly but just bare with me. A rainbow colored umbrella covers you when you need it, stands out in a crowd, excepts all colors ( and Atticus does not discriminate people no matter their race, gender, size, shape, or opinions). I mean doesn't this just embody Atticus, I think it does, there are alot of things that could represent Atticus but this is the one I chose. (:

Please comment I want to know what your opinion is!!!!

My dear wise parent's life lesson....

Through out my life my mom and I have been really close, and since my teenage years began she has made her personal mission to give me advice, even if I don't want it.(: A constant life lesson that she has instilled in me is, be yourself. When first hearing this I thought of course I will, who else would I be! It never registered that I would try to be or act like anyone else. My friends have said that I've always been very confident , someone who is not afraid to stick out in a crowd, or to be my own person.

As the years progressed I realized what my mom had meant. She was referring to peer presure, and not doing things just because others were. Also not trying to blend in and be like everyone else. Now whenever it occurs to me that I'm being pushed to do something or put in an uncomfortable situation, I just think back to her wise words, be yourself.

My Best Friend...

I have chosen to describe one of my best friends that I have known since 4th grade, her name is Brittany Russell, but I call her Britt. If you saw her you would see she has thick blonde hair that falls about an inch below her collar bone, gorgeous blue eyes that peirce through you in all of her pictures and a gentle and friendly smile thats always on her face. She falls below average in height, about 5'3" but can dances like shes six feet tall. Brittany has done ballet for most of her childhood and moved up to point last summer. I have seen her preform and I was blown away by her skill. She also is part of the drill team at Capital High School. We took private lessons for clarinet together all the way until 7th grade, I switched instruments along the way, but we discontinued them as our hearts were no longer in it. The people that surround Britt can tell shes has and easy going personality and is all ways fun to be with. She doesn't really care alot about school, she does well but rather spend time on dancing. Everybody seems to like her unless you've crossed her which leads to her giving you the cold shoulder. But that doesnt happen very often for she can be an alturist because she hates to hurt others peoples feeling. Others can also infer that she cares about her looks because shes always has the cutest outfits and there is never a hair out of place. Shes a teenager what else can you expect!

Brittany is a ambivert because she never wants to hurt anybodys feelings so she keeps her thoughts inward but when its just me and her shes definately is an exrovert because she tells me everything.

ahh a childhood memory...

Back when I was a kid i lived in Orlando, Florida. My days were filled with blue skies, a blazing sun, and playing in the clear blue ocean. Not far from my home was my favorite place in the world, St. Pete Beach. We used to spend weekends over there in the same beach side hotel every time, I can still remember the old lady who ran the place. At the age of 5 she was only about a head taller then me, her deep permenate tan left her wrinkled. She greeted us with the same warming smile every time, saying that our usual room, 21, was waiting for us. We visited so frequently she knew my name and always noted that I had grown.

One of these vistits contained a once in a life experience, that even a 5 year old would never forget. It was a ordinary day at the beach, we had ate breakfast at the small but famous cafe right on the beach, bulit sand castles, and soaked in the sun. We waded out into the water until we reached the sand bar, the water so crystal clear you could see your toes squishing into the sand with each step. My mom and I looked around trying to find sandollar fully intact, from ones as big as my hand to ones the size of a penny. All of a sudden we see this long gray shape moving toward us, our fist reaction was shark! But as it approached we realized it was a long path of stingrays. They looked like one huge long stone pathway all scrunched together that never seemed to end. Mom says that there must of been hundreds, they passed right through our legs, paying us no attention. We stood absoultely still as they all finished passing, we were still in awe of what we had just witnessed and knew that this day will always remain with us.

The Catcher and the Rye: Motif

The author utilized the literary device, motif, so we could understand the antagonist more and also to contribute to the theme. The motif i chose was the idea that Holden wants to hold on to his childhood and immaturity. J.D Salinger uses symbols such as a red hat, a lagoon, a museum display, his relationship with his sister, and the idea of the "catcher and the rye" to more distinguish the main motif. All of these examples have a deeper meaning that let us related more to Holdens situation of wanting his life to be unchanging and simple as if he was still a child.

They also help delineate the theme of becoming of age, the troubles and pain of departing from your childhood and arriving into adulthood. Holdens desperate attempts to stay child like are hidden meanings within the symbols the author used but are ironic because he acts the opposite, such as drinking and swearing, which is linked to being an adult. No matter what you will eventually grow up and what he is going through is all part of the process

My Outside Reading...

For my outside reading project i chose to read the novel The Catcher and the Rye by J.D Salinger. So far i am having troubles getting into it due to the main character , Holden, who is not really grabbing my attention. The way the author portrays the character seems distant. As though the character is not connecting and therefore the reader my not be interested. This also might serve a purpose in getting across to the audience that this is the exact problem that Holden is facing. I am not very far into it so I hope as i progress i will start to like it more.

At this point i am still trying to figure out the predominate literature element but i think as read on it will become more apparent. I do have a few guess's at what it might be such as irony or motif. I think the author wrote it using those because its the best way to get the main point of the story across which is "becoming of age". Holden seems to be sarcastic like most teenagers are and so irony helps the reader identify with him.

I am having troubles deciding the tone because im not quite sure what it is because I feel as though the antgonist is cynical and moralistic but that does not necessarily mean that is the tone. i may have to wait until i am finished with the book to really understand the tone.

ALERT!!! i need your help if you have any insight on this book that could help me please leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thank you(:

my thoughts on reading...

Reading is a way to escape from the world around you, this world might be hectic and can cause your departure to be delayed. How do you cope with this chaos? Try to imagine yourself in the pages of your novel, read the words slowly and try to feel the emotion behind each sentence. This of course can be difficult, but if you really love reading we all know that you would do anything to find out what happens next. Now if you can't really get into your book, if its just not capturing you like a good novel should, just keep trying. I say if you've read about 100 to150 pages and its still not worth reading it usually isn't. There are some exceptions though, for example The Secret Life of Bees was dull to me but i absolutely loved the end part. Most books had a lot of thought put into them so give your attention to them and let it have a second try. I personally have troubles reading a book that doesn't hook me from the start (unless i have been warned ahead of time haha.) There are certain days that reading is all i do, especially those cold rainy Sundays of winter that all you need to do is have hot chocolate and good book. On the other hand, the simmering days of summer call my name and unless I'm thigh high in a novel i belong to the sun. I usually prefer to read at night because its so quite and i can let myself go completely to the books power.