For my eight grade english class we were put into reading groups. In

my group we read the book “Divergent” by Veronica Roth. This book was

very interesting, and suspenseful. In the book the main character

Beatrice Prior changes from a girl tried to follow others to becoming

her own person

        At the beginning of the book Beatrice always wanted to be like her

brother, she looked up to him and always wanted to be selfless. For

example in the story she says “When I see Caleb help strangers carry

their groceries, I fall in love with this life all over again. It's

only when I try to live it myself that I have trouble.” (pg28) This

quote shows that Beatrice tries to be like her brother but thats not

who she really is. Another example is at the dinner table Beatrice

felt bad for focusing on herself instead of noticing how depressed her

father was. I think Beatrice was more upset that her mom and brother

realized it except for her.

        At the end of the book Beatrice changed by becoming her own person

and not caring what others thought. For example in the text it says,

“My mother and father would not approve of my kicking someone when

she's down. I don't care.” (pg155) This shows that Beatrice no longer cares

what her parent do not approve of, and that she realizes that she is

on her own and need to learn how to defend and protect herself.

Another example is when Beatrice changes her name and gets a tattoo of

the different factions, showing that she is leaving her old self

behind and is becoming a new person.

R.R to poem

In my class we read and analyzed a poem by Anne Sexton called “The Starry Night”. I really enjoyed the poem because we all had different opinions. This poem included symbols, personification, simile, and an enjambment. One symbol in this poem is the stars which symbolizes his mood and tone.

In the first stanza the author says “The town is silent. The night boils with eleven stars. / Oh starry night! This is how / I want to die.” (4-6) This makes me think that the speaker really paid attention to the stars and took the time to count them. This also made me think that the speaker that the town and the stars has something to do with the way he wants to die silently. I think so because the speaker says that the town doesn’t exist but it is silent, and that there are eleven stars. He later then says that this is how he wants to die.

In the second and third stanza the speaker goes into detail on how he wants to die. “This is how / I want to die: / into the rushing beast oh the night, / sucked up by the dragon, to split / from my life with no flag, / no belly, / no cry.” (11-17). At first I thought the speaker was surrendering to his depression by dying but now I think that the speaker is being forced to. I think so because he mentions the word “split” which made me think that it was the his/her idea, I also thought so because the poem also mentions “with no flag” which makes me think of the white flag most people use when surrendering. The only difference is that the speaker was not surrendering because he/ she did not have a flag.

 In the poem the speaker wants to die and expresses how he wants to do so. The speaker also uses the star as a symbol of something that really matters to him.

                                                               poem #1


Roses are red
Violets are blue
I feel pain
And so do you
it's not nice to make fun of me
But you'll stumble
And i'll be there to see
Not to laugh
Not to cry
But to make you see that
I succeeded because I tried

I am currently reading a book called “Sycamore Row” by one of my favorite authors John Grisham. This book is a continuous of a past book called “A Time to Kill” but with a different case and a few new characters. In this book it talks about an old man named Seth Hubbard who committed suicide by hanging himself. One question I had throughout the book is why is a very wealthy man unknown in a small town? Well the author does a very good job of explaining it and bringing him from the bottom to the top. He also repeats that Seth was a very quiet and secretive man so the reader can understand why people never heard of him.

          In the book the setting takes place in Clanton where there is still racism. For example in the book when Seth died he left a large amount of money in his will for his housemaid named Lettie. This caused problems because Seth left other wills that included his children, but this will did not, and it was the final will he wrote. Seth Hubbard excluded his children because they have not been there to take care of him and gave everything to Lettie who has been there. Seth also in his will said that he wanted a lawyer named Jake to make sure his children do not receive any money whatsoever. Jake had one a big trial in the previous book and for that Seth Hubbard had trust in him. Even though in the previous book Jake had gotten a black man free in front of an all-white jury he had doubts about this case. Lettie was black and most whites in Clanton may not want a black person to be seen as richer than they are, and a black person may not want one of their one be above them and leave them in the dirt.

          In the book the author also does a good job of showing how the white people react to what's going on. For example the people think that Lettie may have been persuading him into letting her in the will, and may have had inappropriate contact with him. This book is very interesting and gives many peoples perspectives.

"Watching You"

In the article “Watching You” by Patricia Smith it talks about the ways the government may be spying on Americans. The article also talks about real event that happened. The author focuses on why it’s bad for the government to spy, which makes the article bias.

            One way the article is bias is it says that the security cameras and having the government going through our phones maybe helpful but is also a violation of our personal lives. One way be helpful is that it keeps track of terrorists since 9/11, but according to the article it also violates the Fourth Amendment. The author mentions the 9/11 incident as a good thing once but whereas she gave many example to why so many cameras and phone tracking is wrong. This makes the article bias when the author focuses more on why it is wrong rather why we should have it.

            In the article the author includes pictures that describe ways the government maybe spying on you. One example the author gave was, “The government may be looking at what numbers you call.” This example shows many negative sides to what the government is doing wrong rather than how it can help us.

Reading Response- John Green

I recently began reading a book called The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, which is about a young girl named Hazel who suffers from thyroid with met cancer in her lungs. She also has to use an oxygen tank which helps her breathe. The focus of the book is on the youth group that Hazel attends and how her point of view changes from negative to positive because of one boy named Augustus.

           

In the book I noticed that Hazel attitudes change about the youth group. At the beginning of the book it states, “The support group, of course, was depressing as hell”pg.4. This shows how Hazel feels about the group, but the part that interested me most that the purpose of Hazel attending the group so that she would be around friends and not be depressed. Hazel and her mom did not see eye to eye, because hazel’s mom thought that she was depressed because she did not go outside, and spent a lot of time in bed. Hazel on the other hand thought that her mom was exaggerating, because in Hazel’s word everything is aside effect dying including depression and cancer. I agree with hazel because her mom shouldn't just judge her on what she does, maybe Hazel enjoys being by herself, doesn't mean she is depressed.

I also noticed that Hazel’s feelings towards the support group changed when she meets a friend.  For example in the book Hazel’s mom said, “I told you Support group would be worth your while’ (pg.39)” .This shows that Hazel’s feelings has changed, because she would argue with her mom and try to prove that it is pointless, but instead she replied; “ ‘ Did you just wait outside the entire time?’ (pg.39).” This other quote shows that Hazel tries to change the subject, whereas before on page 7 Hazel tried to pursue her mom into thinking that the support group is not a good way for her to make friends.
            These observations are important to me because it shows how a person could change Hazel’s perspective from looking at the support group in a negative way to a positive way. 

Reading Response

In the book “Tilt by Ellen Hopkins, there are many characters with each chapter as their point of view. In the book each character are somehow related to each other, whether it is cousins or best friends, but they all deal with their individual problems.  One character that really impressed was Shane because of the way he dealt with his problems.

Shane is a young boy who has trouble with his family not accepting him, and to add to that his sister is unable to eat and talk, and is expected to not live long. Shane is gay and has a boyfriend but even that is not good enough. In the book Shane says that he wished his sister would die, but when she did he was upset and tried to kill himself. I think that he meant that she would die so that she won’t have to live with the pain. I also think so because while driving with two of his friends’ one of makes fun of his sister, and stood up for her by fighting with his friend. That was not a good idea but the author really showed how much he cared for his sister, by including that part. Shane problems gets worse when his sister dies, he starts to drink and smoke more than usual. But suddenly things start to get better, Shane’s father decides to finally accept him and his boyfriend and spend more time with his family.  So why does Shane try to kill himself? He said it’s because he feels left out and his mom pays him no attention. I agree and also disagree with Shane. I agree that now that his sister has died, that his mom should have paid more attention to him, but I disagree with him because he should understand that his mom is grieving and that killing himself won’t help her get any better.

                       BOOKS COMPLETED


-JOHN GRISHAM; "A TIME TO KILL"
-JOHN GRISHAM; "THE ACTIVIST"
-JOHN GRISHAM; " THE BLEACHERS"
- ELLEN HOPKINS; "TILT"
- Ellen Hopkins; "Crank" 
-John Grisham; " A Painted House"

2nd draft

         When  has learning from books become such a bad thing? Around the world most countries are banning books because of their strong language, or their drug use, or even because of their sexual content. What they don’t realize is that we as readers learn the character's flaws. I recently read a book called "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte, which is about a young boy named Alfred who lives in Bedstuy and has to deal with bullies and the loss of his best friend. Though going through all of that he still tries to make something of himself. This book and many others should not be banned because it teaches the reader very valuable lessons.  
         

          The books should not be banned because it teaches valuable lessons. In the book Alfred practices boxing and wants to make it to the top, but he knows in order for him to make it he has to practice a lot and keep trying. " It's the climbing that makes the man. Getting to the top  is an extra reward." (pg.35) This quote teaches reader to not give up, working hard could get you to where you want to be.

            Another example is, all over the world kids are getting books taking away from them. In the article " The Banned Books We Loved " talks about books kids have read and what the have learned from it, one example they give is " From 'Bridge to Terabithia' we learned importance of friendship and being open to those that might not seem 'appropriate'." ( Doll pg.2) This shows that while reading a banned book students learned a very important lessons, which could help them in their lives.

            On the other hand they may argue that most books should be banned of the amount of drug use. For example in the book “The Contender” by Robert Lypsyte a young boy got hooked on drugs, and kept asking his friends for money to buy it. While focusing on the negative they missed the big message it teaches the reader; the importance of friendship. While the young boy was on drugs his friend Alfred always stuck by him, no matter how much he was betrayed.
         
          Books should not be banned because it teaches the reader very important lessons such as not giving up, and the importance of friendship. If there is something you really want and want to give up, after reading the book, "The Contender" you nwill know that is not a good idea. That is how books help us.

My favorite book is by Dr. Seuss called, " Green Eggs and Ham."I remember when I was younger my mom's cousin (my 2nd mom) used to read me the book before i went to bed. When I got older I realized that this book teaches me to try new try new things. When I moved to New York there many things to do, and I was scared to try them, but when i remembered the book I realized that the scariest thing to do is to live your life in fear. I tried football, soccer, baseball, and even basketball. Trying this things made realize who I am. I know that when I get older I want to be a basketball player. If i didn't read this book I would be afraid of trying new things and would not know what I want my future to be.

1st draft

When  has learning from books become such a bad thing? Around the world some countries are banning books because of their strong language, or their drug use, or even because of their sexual content. What they don’t realize is that we learn from it. We should not ban books because we learn from them, and it allows children to talk to their parents about anything.

            One reason why banning books is bad is because kids will no longer be able to learn from them. For example in the book “The contender” by Robert Lipsyte states, “it’s the climbing that makes the man. Getting to the top is an extra reward.” This quote teaches kids that if you try you can succeed, but the amount of dedication you put in can get you to where you want to be. Another example is in the article, “the Banned Books We Have Loved,” by Jen Doll states “From ‘Bridge to Terabithia,’ we learned the importance of friendship and being open to those that might not seem ‘appropriate.’” That shows that while reading a book that has been banned the learned very important and valuable lessons.

  Another reason why banning books is bad is because it takes away the possibilities that the child may want to discuss with their parents. For example in the article “ The Banned Books We Loved” by Jen  Doll also states, “Parents should let kids read what they want and talk honestly and openly to them about any ‘controversial’ issues that may arise.” This quote shows that when books are banned they take away the chance of parents telling their kids what they may be curious about.

           On the other hand they may argue that most books should be banned of the amount of drug use. For example in the book “The Contender” by Robert Lypsyte a young boy got hooked on drugs, and kept asking his friends for money to buy it. While focusing on the negative they missed the big message it teaches the reader; the importance of friendship. While the young boy was on drugs his friend Alfred always stuck by him, no matter how much he was betrayed.

 In conclusion books should not be banned because it teaches the reader very important lessons, such as not giving up, the importance of friendship, and allows parents to speak more openly to their kids. 

“You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great”

― Zig Ziglar

This quote spoke to me because when I first began playing basketball I thought I was terrible and wanted to quit but my told me not give up. After reading this quote I realized that I expected to be great from the beginning but this quote by Zig Zagler showed me that in order for me to be great I had to practice. This quote motivated me to keep trying and to put a lot of dedication into what I am doing in order to be great.   

      In the book "Slam" written by Walter Dean Myers is about a young kid named Greg Harris who is incredible on the court but not so good in academic classes. He is also very confident in art class but does not care for it as much as basketball. This book shows the reader that you should not give upon your dreams no matter how hard things get.

       For example in the book Greg's grades are very low so he has to choose either art classes or basketball, in oder for him to have less things to focus on other than school. Greg chose basketball, this shows that he has a very strong passion for basketball and will not give it up.

         Another example is that at basketball practice Greg was embarrassed by his coach, "Mr.Goldstein asks him about me and I hear him saying something about not needing any prima donnas on the team" This made Greg want to prove him wrong.This also shows that after his coached embarrassed him he still didn't give up.

          In conclusion the author wrote this book to show the reader to give up on your dreams no matter how hard thing get. He did this by showing that Greg did not give up basketball just because his grades were low, instead he decided to work on both. The author shows it by showing that Greg did not give up even tho his coached embarrassed him.

I recently finished a book by John Grisham called “A Time to Kill.” In this book the main character does not show up a lot. Though some may argue that the lawyers are the main characters, but in my defense; what are the lawyers’ purpose in this book. I think that Carl Lee is the main character of this book because without his case, the lawyers have nothing.

In the book “A Time to Kill” by John Grisham is about a young girl who has been raped by two drunken white men. I think the story takes place in a small town where it is a possibility that it is the beginning of civil rights. I say that because in the book it mentioned that the blacks stood up for blacks and the whites stood up for whites. Also the book says that some whites rather see black folks hang than try to help them. The book also changes characters quickly from the girl to her father. When the father takes the case of his raped daughter into his hands took a wrong turn. Carl Lee decided to shoot the two rapists while they were on their way to jail, and was then arrested at his home. The only thing is that Carl Lee spent a longer time than he expected.

I think that Carl Lee was being selfish when he decided to kill those men.       I think so because despite the fact that they raped his daughter, Carl Lee didn't think of the rest of his family. He didn't realize that when he called his cousin that he would soon have to go back to his wife. Carl Lee also didn't take into consideration that he was the only one with a job and that it may be hard for his wife to find a job. While Carl Lee spent his money paying a lawyer to take care of his mess his family became weaker, without food and shelter.

In conclusion I think that Carl Lee was the main character of the book because if he hadn't kill those men there would be not spin to story and the story would drag. I also think he is the main character of the book because without him there would be no drama within the story. My final thought is that Carl Lee was being very selfish because he did not look at the needs of his family before going forward with his procedure.

Summer Reading

This summer I read a book from my favorite author and his series. The name of the book was “Theodore Boone: The Activist”, it’s about a young boy name Theodore who have both parents as lawyers and would love to grow up and be just like them. The Activist is the fourth book in the series and is the only one that has two stories told as one.

For example at the beginning of the book, the author takes the reader into Theo’s debate team about undocumented children to his music teacher losing his job because of budget cuts. These moments were all leading up to one story; the bypass. But to fully get Theo had to learn about not giving up.

                        In the book, Theo’s dog got badly injured because Theo wanted to protect his friends home, then he got suspended because a boy in his boy’s scout would not listen to him (Theo is one of the leaders), but no matter how much Theo wanted to give up he never did. Even when his friend named Hardie and his family asked him to help save the family’s business and other’s houses and businesses, Theo did it without hesitation.

                        In conclusion this book also gives a very good example on why not to give up. I recommend this book to anyone who loves law.