Social Action Reading Response #1

 
       In“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, the main character is facing the Vietnam War right now. In the beginning of the story, O’Brien describes what the soldiers carry with them to war. These things include fear and guilt. Cross himself carries the memory of Martha, a college crush. However, Jimmy finds that he can no longer think about her due to the fact that she is a constant distraction to him at war.

        In the beginning, Cross is very obsessed with Martha. He thought about whether or not she was still a virgin and why she had sign the letter “Love” But only Martha doesn’t return this feeling back for him. Cross started to lose focus at war. “As he is lying in his foxhole, he looks at pictures of Martha he can’t help to fell more than anything, he want Martha to love him as he loved her”This quotation it shows that Cross really loves Martha and he wants to be with her. He would always think about her; in the foxholes, while marching, and even when there’s a danger.

        This feeling has changed when Ted Lavender, Cross’s fellow soldier die. Lavender was killed because Cross was unfocused at war due to Martha. Cross had blamed Lavender’s death on him. When he sat in the hole crying he thought he had,“love Martha more than his men.”Because of Martha, Cross had defeated his ability as a leader. Martha has possessed him so much that even "without willing it, he was thinking about Martha." This shows that he has lost control on where and when is the right time to think about things like that.

        Cross had finally realized that his feelings for Martha were never real. He just uses Martha as a way to escape from war. Cross even questioned himself is he was actually a leader, a lieutenant. But now it was already too late, Lavender is dead and there’s nothing he can do to change that. The morning after Lavender was dead, Cross decided to stop his love for Martha. To completely forget her, he burns her letters photos. As he thought what she wrote in the letter, Cross began to hate her even if he still loves her, it was the, “hating kind of love”He told himself that he was going to forget about her and put the army in front of love. He was "determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence."

        Overall, Cross had been stuck in the middle of love and war, not knowing which one to choose. Neither one he chooses is going to take something valuable away from him, his love for Martha or his fellow soldier. And in the end he did made a choice. He chose his men over Martha even though it’s too late. And maybe the only way to make it up to him is by putting leadership in front of love.
  
      The message this book wanted to tell us is that we should make the right choice and not waiting until you lose something to finally know how importance it is. Cross regret that he had not been able to save Lavender when he could. He blamed himself for his death, for that he did not do his responsibility as a leader of the army. For that he hated himself for choosing love over his men. I think that we should all make the right choice or what you considered to be right because we can’t choose two things at once; which every choice we make will meant losing the other one. So choose wisely.

       I learn lot from this book, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien. I learned that we should make the right choice in life to avoid regretting what we did later on. I also learned that we should be able to put down the things that are obviously not realistic. I think we shouldn’t be thinking things that are not going to come true, especially at Cross’s view. Think about the unrealistic thing will just distract us from the place we are. Cross is using the memory, the past, and Martha, to help him escape from the war. You might think that imagining will make you feel better, but it doesn’t, it sinks you down deeper into the hole until you are completely desperate, until the point you can’t stand up again. Living in the past is like avoiding the future, it’s okay to remember the past, but living? Just not the way it’s supposed to be.

Social Awareness Writing Project

Facebook Message                                                                                             4/13/12       

Bella: *sniff* *sniff*

What’s the matter? :Ben

Bella: Awwwww this girl... *sniff* *sniff* is being sooo mean to me

     I don’t know what to do

Hold on…why is she doing that? :Ben

Bella: I don’t know, I’m scared, I don’t want to go anymore

Where? School no way…you can’t :Ben

Tell me what happened

Bella: *sniff* *sniff* I’m scared…

Fine….

Not here…. I will email you

Okay :Ben

Bella: Promise you won’t tell anyone...

     I don’t want to create more trouble

Okay :Ben

Yahoo Mail:                                                                                                   4/13/12        

       To: Ben@gmail.com

       Subject: IDK what to do!!!

       From: Bella@yahoo.com

Dear Ben,

*sniff* *sniff* *sniff* *sniff*. Okay…So here’s the story. I was going to the bathroom and this girl…she was blocking my way and she wouldn’t let me in. She looks like an 8^th grader, tall, fat and bossy. She said that if I don’t give her money she wouldn’t let me in and make me pee in my pants. I’m scared; I don’t know what to do!! Especially there’s no other bathroom in the school, so I was forced to give her my changes from lunch. At this point, I thought that the problem was over and that I could use the bathroom. But she started to shove me, kick me, push me, and say that the money wasn’t enough. I was on the floor before I knew it; she was on top of me controlling every move I make. I was too weak to defend myself. I’m bruised and hurt when the bell rang for the afternoon class. I could still remember her last word, “If you tell, I would make your life ten times harder than this” Ben, what should I do, why am I getting this? I didn’t do anything. I’m afraid to tell my parents or my teachers…

From Bella

Google Mail:                                                                                                  4/14/12            

      

       To: Bella@yahoo.com

       Subject: Re: IDK what to do!!!

       From: Ben@gmail.com

Dear Bella:

       OMG that’s horrible!! That’s considered bullying!!! Did you know what bullying is? Bullying is the use of aggressions by one or more people against another person or group. God Bella how did you get into this mess! Nevertheless, you should tell someone and immediately!! I know you are the, “suffer in silent type” but please this is serious, it’s not like you can endure it. Bullying is just wrong. People who get bullied feels frighten, lonely, unhappy, and unsafe. Most of all, they started to lost confidence in themselves and are convinced that there’s something wrong with them. You are one of them, you don’t want to go to school anymore…see this is the effect. Now you were bullied probably you were just shy and quiet. I bet they figured that you were defenseless towards them. People who were bullied are mainly because they were different from the others, for example their race, their name, their size, and the way they talk. I have a couple of things you can do right now. First, you can tell an adult, I know you hate doing this but you have to for the sake of this. Tell your teacher or your parents what’s going on and they can find a way to stop it. Second, you can stay close to your friends because bullies rarely pick on people if they are in a group. Third, you can solve it yourself (I don’t recommend this) but tell an adult anyway in case if it happens again. I hope you find a solution that suits you and remember I’m always here for you when you need me. Email back as soon as you see this... Stay in touch as always.

From Ben

One Week Later…

Facebook message                                                                                              4/28/12        

Bella: Ben!!

What :Ben

Bella: Guess what!!

You got a new iphone? :Ben

Bella: Better than that!!

      The bully situation is over!!

REALLY??? :Ben

Bella: It turns out that girl was being bullied herself

      She just doesn’t want to be bully and that’s why she bully others

      But we are best friends now

      Oh My God we had SOO many in common

      You would not believe it!!!!

                                                                                  So my advice did help…didn’t it ? :Ben

                                         

Bella: OFF COURSE Ben!! And THX ><

>< :Ben

Facebook Message                                                                                              5/9/12                

Bella: Ben I need your help!!!!

What is it? :Ben

Bella: I’m reading this book, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien

 and I need an issue in this book

         But I’m clueless about it; you know I’m not a fan of ELA

I read this book…let me think about it :Ben

Bella: Okay…email me a list when you’re ready

                                                                                                          Okay :Ben

Google Mail                                                                                                   5/11/12        

       To: Bella@yahoo.com

       Subject: The Things They Carried!!!

       From: Ben@gmail.com

   In “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, the main character is facing the Vietnam War right now.  In the beginning of the story, O’Brien describes what the soldiers carry with them to war. These things include fear and guilt. Cross himself carries the memory of Martha, a college crush. However, Jimmy finds that he can no longer think about her due to the fact that she is a constant distraction to him at war.

       In the beginning, Cross is very obsessed with Martha. He thought about whether or not she was still a virgin and why she had sign the letter “Love” But only Martha doesn’t return this feeling back for him. Cross started to lose focus at war. “As he is lying in his foxhole, he looks at pictures of Martha he can’t help to fell more than anything, he want Martha to love him as he loved her” This quotation it shows that Cross really loves Martha and he wants to be with her. He would always think about her; in the foxholes, while marching, and even when there’s a danger.

       This feeling has changed when Ted Lavender, Cross’s fellow soldier die. Lavender was killed because Cross was unfocused at war due to Martha. Cross had blamed Lavender’s death on him. When he sat in the hole crying he thought he had, “love Martha more than his men.” Because of Martha, Cross had defeated his ability as a leader. Martha has possessed him so much that even "without willing it, he was thinking about Martha." This shows that he has lost control on where and when is the right time to think about things like that.

       Cross had finally realized that his feelings for Martha were never real. He just uses Martha as a way to escape from war. Cross even questioned himself is he was actually a leader, a lieutenant. But now it was already too late, Lavender is dead and there’s nothing he can do to change that. The morning after Lavender was dead, Cross decided to stop his love for Martha. To completely forget her, he burns her letters photos. As he thought what she wrote in the letter, Cross began to hate her even if he still loves her, it was the, “hating kind of love” He told himself that he was going to forget about her and put the army in front of love. He was "determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence."

       Overall, Cross had been tuck in the middle of love and war, not knowing which one to choose. Neither one he chooses is going to take something valuable away from him, his love for Martha or his fellow soldiers. And in the end he did made a choice. He chose his men over Martha even though it’s too late. And maybe the only way to make it up to him is by putting leadership in front of love.

       The message this book wanted to tell us is that we should make the right choice and not waiting until you lose something to finally know how importance it is. Cross regret that he had not been able to save Lavender when he could. He blamed himself for his death, for that he did not do his responsibility as a leader of the army. For that he hated himself for choosing love over his men. I think that we should all make the right choice or what you considered to be right because we can’t choose two things at once; which every choice we make will meant losing the other one. So choose wisely.

       I learn lot from this book, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien. I learned that we should make the right choice in life to avoid regretting what we did later on. I also learned that we should be able to put down the things that are obviously not realistic. I think we shouldn’t be thinking things that are not going to come true, especially at Cross’s view. Think about the unrealistic thing will just distract us from the place we are. Cross is using the memory, the past, and Martha, to help him escape from the war. You might think that imagining will make you feel better, but it doesn’t, it sinks you down deeper into the hole until you are completely desperate, until the point you can’t stand up again. Living in the past is like avoiding the future, its okay to remember the past, but living? Just not the way it’s supposed to be.

Ops, I think I got too deep into the details….

Ben

Facebook Message                                                                                             5/28/12         

Bella: Heeyyyy

Hey :Ben

Bella: Did you know who the famous play writer is?

You mean William Shakespeare :Ben

Bella: Yea, I think it’s him

You think?? Seriously who doesn’t know him? :Ben

Bella: I’m sorry…

He is really famous…change the world :Ben

Bella: Really how??

Umm…. : Ben

                                                                                                                             Whole another story

Google Mail:                                                                                                  5/31/12         

       To: Bella@yahoo.com

       Subject: William Shakespeare!!!

       From: Bens@gmail.com

      William Shakespeare, one of the most well known play writers’ in the world. Born in April, 1564, and the first son of John and Mary Shakespeare. They lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire. H served as a leather worker and an agricultural supplies dealer. At an early age, William attends grammar school as well as his other seven siblings.

Shakespeare ended up marrying Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582. They had three children: Susanna, in 1583 and twins Judith and Hamnet in 1585. However, He was never the family man type, so spend much of his life writing and performing.

       At first, Shakespeare’s writings and performance did not gain much public recognition due to the plague and that many theaters were close. However, this situation did not last for long. In 1594, the theaters had opened up again and Shakespeare had launched himself. He performs with a group called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. From 1594-1599, his career was at its highest point, he produce approximately two plays a year including performances. It is said that he made the highest income those days, 200-250 pounds every year. Soon in 1603, Shakespeare and his men were known as the King’s patronage, meaning the most famous acting company. Shakespeare continues to write, some of his famous works was penned at this time. His works also contain many quotes from the Geneva Bible, particularly Matthew (151 times).

       The Globe Theater was constructed in 1599; before then, Shakespeare and his men performed at The Theatre, which was a play house. When the lease on the Theatre expired, they had to make other arrangements for which they had no play to perform. The landlord of The Theatre would not allow them back, so in 1599, they took down The Theatre and move it across the river and constructed what became known as the Globe Theater. Even though this did not go well with the landlord, there was nothing he could do about it. Many of Shakespeare’s work were perform there.

       Shakespeare left the stage in 1611, though he continued to write, his last plays were not very notable. These works include: Henry III, Two Noble Kinsmen, and Cardenio. Later in 1616, he become very ill and he die on April 23, 1616. His final saying was, "I commend my soul into the hands of God my Creator, hoping and assuredly believing through the only merits of Jesus Christ my Saviour to be made partaker of life everlasting."

       Throughout Shakespeare’s life, there are many changes in his style of writing. One of his well-known early works is The Comedy of Errors and Taming of the Shrew. These plays represent Greene’s jealously in the 1590s. Later when their play house was closed, he wrote many of his sonnets and plays that include: Love’s Labour’s Lost and Two Gentlemen of Verona. After Shakespeare’s huge success in 1594, his style changed to darkness and tragedy. Some of his plays are: Hamlet, Mcbeth, AND King Lear.  While he did write some comedies, they were un-humorous. Then in 1608, he switches to light-hearted romance. Some of them include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the tempest. There isn’t a definite reason why he made switch in his styles of writing. However, all of his works were unique and inspiriting to the audience.

   William Shakespeare changes the world in many ways.

       For one thing, Shakespeare had changed our sex lives. He described every kind of sex in his plays which goes from the freakiest and the most represses. Even the most prudish readers read his works; these works include Sonnet 137, which is about masturbation, and The Winter’s Tale, which is about sex toys. This made him one and the only one that deals with openly sex. Psychotherapy and the sexual revolution in the ‘60s are all drawn from his realistic descriptions of how the human desire works. This directly influences us, today.

       Shakespeare also takes a part in the English Language; in fact he was a great inventor of words. He had invented 1,700 words, including jaded, bandit, and mountaineer. He also invented words that are familiar to us. These include: “advertising” and “skim milk”. Some of his fancy words include: “sanctimonious” and “lackluster”. He invented wild words such as “zany” and “buzzer.” In addition, the word “Jessica” was used in one of his plays. He had also invented new rules for grammar. Shakespeare changed the way actors perform. He introduced new ways of pronouncing lines and went on to the idea that a character’s dialogue should come from one’s motivation.

       Plays by Shakespeare are still very popular today. They had been printed a lot of times. In fact, Shakespeare’s plot has been presented in movies, television shows, and books. They are so common that we may not even know that they are first introduced by Shakespeare. Some of these plots include: “Two young people from rival families falling in love- Romeo and Juliet”, “mistaking the identity of one person for another person-A comedy of Errors”, and “an evil person who dies because of their own wrongdoing-Macbeth.”

       Shakespeare’s work not only shapes the literature we know today, but it goes beyond that. His works had influence the world. He taught important lessons such as; that love can conquer and destroy, and human ethics can be easily manipulated. Shakespeare’s plays, poems and sonnets go beyond a classroom lesson. He inspired people to continue to read literature, to develop philosophies, and challenge things. Shakespeare brought the words and the revolutionary ideas to literature and to us.

                                                               Bibliography

"IMA Hero: William Shakespeare HH." IMA Hero: William Shakespeare HH. StarRise Creations, 1999-2003. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. <http://www.imahero.com/herohistory/bard_herohistory.htm>.

Lander, Jesse M."Shakespeare, William." World Book Student.World Book,2012.Web.23 Nov. 2012.

Marche, Stephen. "Great Shakes." New York Post. NYP Holdings, Inc, 2012. Web. 22 Nov. 2012. <http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/books/great_shakes_miZ813pu9xBfSER5Aq4baK>.

Pellegrini, Anthony D."Bullying." World Book Student.World Book,2012.Web.22 Nov. 2012.

Staff, Buzzle. "William Shakespeare, the World's Most Influential Writer." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 23 Mar. 2010. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/william-shakespeare-the-worlds-most-influential-writer.html>.

"What's Bullying?" What's Bullying? Telecom New Zealand, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. <http://www.nobully.org.nz/advicek.htm>.

Blog Post #2

Anne of Green Gables
L.M. Montgomery

     The book called, “Anne of Green Gables" is a book based on a red-headed girl called Anne who is an orphan. She was adopted by a Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. But this was a mistake because they requested for a boy. Part of this was because they needed someone to help them with their farm. After spending one week with Anne, she turns their world in to her way of doing things... And on the other hand, the couple begins to adapt to Anne and begin to "like" her and decide to take her.

     Throughout the book, Anne is a very unique girl. I think what makes Anne very unique is that she acts according to her instincts and not according to manners. She doesn’t behave like the way that a lady is supposed to be. For example, when she attends church for the first time, she screams at Mrs. Rachel for making fun of her red hair. Another example is that when Anne tries to follow the rules of social conduct, she makes a lot of mistakes such as using liniment instead of vanilla in a cake, letting a mouse drown in the plum-pudding sauce, and delivering a heartfelt but ridiculous prayer on her first try to pray before bed.

     I also notice that Anne is sensitive. She is takes what other people said as an insult. For example: The visitor of the Green Gables who came to see Anne had said, "What a skinny, homely girl you are! Did you ever see such freckles and bright red hair?" This made Anne very angry and in reply she said, "You are a rude, nasty woman and fat, too!" I think Anne didn't exactly mean it; it’s just that she can't stand people commenting her like that. If the visitor didn’t say that to Anne in the first place, Anne would not have said this. She is also imaginative, daydreaming, and questioning at every single chance she gets! I think that these are what make Anne different and unique from everyone else.  She doesn’t change just because of other people’s comments, but she continues to be the way she is.

     I used to think that Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert would potentially send Anne back to the orphanage and have her replaced with a boy because that’s what they wanted in the first place. Also, at first they don’t like Anne because she is a girl, very judgmental, and rude. However, now I think that they have realized that Anne is a truly lovable girl, who has had a very sad childhood, and is need for a decent home.

     Based on the book, it seem like everyone has gotten used to Anne, I predict that all everyone will learn to love Anne in their own individual way, and will eventually establish what a bright and unique girl they have.

Non-Fiction Blog Post #1

   Hurricane Sandy, striking the mid-Atlantic region on October 29th and 30^th; It is with powerful gusts and storms that cause large damages in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. Hurricane Sandy is classified as a post-tropical cyclone which means a scientific name for its powerful winds, heavy rains, and life-threaten storms. According to the National Hurricane Center, its wind is about 80 miles per hour. According to researchers, midlatitude trough, a system that causes severe winter storms was added to Hurricane Sandy when it moves across the country from the west. This gives the storm more energy causing it to be the most ferocious storms ever occurred in centuries. Hurricane Sandy causes many devastating things across the country.

     According to the New York Times, Hurricanes and Tropical Storms (Hurricane Sandy) one of the devastation Sandy causes is that many properties are damaged as a result. An estimate shows that the damage from this storm could approximately reaches 50 billion dollars. Approximately 20 billion dollars are from economic activity.  Thousands of houses in Lower Manhattan were without power. Power companies were trying to find out how much this storm had damage their wires, transformers, and substations. They even call thousands of crews from around the country to help out. This shows had badly they are. Approximately 30 billion dollars are from the damages to the properties. Many homes in Long Island suffered from flooding and explosions due to wires and power disconnecting. Many trees were carried down and houses were severely damaged. There were more than 80 deaths in the U.S, 41 of the total in New York City, 8 in New Jersey, and 4 in Connecticut. 

     Including the damages to economy, there were also damages to public schools around the city. The school was going to open Monday November 5^th but some schools were too damaged to reopen to students. As a result of this many schools had to find a new place for its students. Of those eight schools are serving as shelters for those people that are currently homeless due to Hurricane Sandy. On Sunday, 29 schools still remain without power and some with no heat. Another reason why students can return to school is because the subway is not fully recovered from the storm. Many stations are filled with water and some with grasses and tresses stack in the middle of their railroad.

     Overall, Hurricane Sandy had cause allot of damages including: no power, flooding, damage of houses, schools, and subway. In addition due to these, many lives of people had been lost. I think that if we had known that this storm in advance then we could prevent this devastation from happening.  We could do things like buying supplies we need in case of power lost and moving away from the ocean to prevent flooding. Through this experience, I think that the next time a storm like Sandy occurs we can be more prepared.