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.

Blog Post #6-Revised

Drummer Boy of Shiloh
Ray Bradbury

    When I was little, I used to be always compared to my older sister who’s tall, pretty, talented, and smart. I hated when my dad compares my test score to hers. It almost happened all the time. I remembered him saying, “You should get 100% like your sister did.” My family depended on her and for that I hated her, envy her, wished that I was the one who had gotten the higher grade. I almost wish that she didn’t exist at all, until this day when things changed.

     I came home tirelessly from school, knowing that scolding awaits before me. I had gotten an eighty on my English test. I don’t want to open the door. I knew that my sister will probably be laughing at me, thinking I’m stupid. How would you flunk that easy test, it’s almost impossible. I still had to face it; so, slowly I opened the door and walked in. Waiting before me was a birthday cake. I forgot it’s my birthday today, and they didn’t. I wanted to laugh, to thank them, but tears rolled down my cheek, it was of happiness. “We know that you’ve tried your best all these years, and we want to reward you for all the hard work you’ve done” They did notice. They did know all the things I did. They'd put it in a spot of their heart even if they didn't say it.. For once, I was importance to them. For once, I was recognized.

     This was similar to what happened to Joby in "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" by Ray Bradbury. The peach blossom throughout the story signified Joby and how he had changed.

     The peach blossom in the beginning of the story symbolized Joby’s feelings and reactions to the war. “In the April night, more than once, blossoms fell from the orchard trees…fell swift and unseen, struck once, like panic, which jerked the boy upright. In silence he listened to his own heart ruffle away, at last gone from his ears and back in his chest again.” (49). Joby feels very cautious, even the slightest sound (the peach blosson) can wake him up. He knows that the war can happened at anytime, and he is alert. Through this quotation: “Beyond the third-three familiar shadows, forty thousand men, exhausted by nervous expectation, unable to sleep for romantic dreams of battles yet unfought, lay crazily askew in their uniforms.”(49). We can see that Joby and the other soldiers’ are looking forward to the war; consequently, they think that the war is a way to escape from where they’re before. At the same time they were nervous and afraid that they will die. In the beginning, Joby feels scared of the war, though this feeling changes throughout the story.

     The peach blossom in the middle of the story symbolized Joby’s confusion of the war. “The boy turned on his side. A moth brushed his face, but it was peach blossom. A peach blossom flicked him, but it was a moth. Nothing staying put. Nothing had a name. Nothing was as it once was…” (51) From the quote, Joby thinks that the war isn’t the way he imagines it to be because it says in the quote that “nothing was as it once was.” He had to face the war right now, and it’s not the romantic battles he once used to think. In addition, Joby doesn’t understand the war. “…soldiers put on their bravery with their caps, perhaps they might go away, the war with them, and not notice him lying small here, no more than a toy himself.” (51) In this quote, Joby regrets being a drummer boy and he wants to escape from the war. Joby doesn’t get the purpose of a drummer boy’s job; he doesn’t want to face the war. In the middle of the story, Joby had mix feelings about the war. He feels regretted and confused. Furthermore, he didn't realize his importance to the war until the general came into place.

     The peach blossom at the end of the story symbolized Joby’s figures his importance to the war. After the General’s talk with Joby, “…I was the drummer boy at the battle of Owl Creek or the Tennessee River, or maybe they’ll just name it after the church there. I was the drummer boy at Shiloh.ʼ …when we must get up on our legs and move!” (54) Joby finally recognize the importance of a drummer boy and how much the war needed him. He realizes this through the general’s encouragement. The drummer boy is a big part of the war because it gives the soldiers’ hope that they will win the war. “He lay next to it, his arm around it, feeling the tremor, the touch, the muted thunder as, all the rest of the April night in the year 1862, near the Tennessee River, not far from the Owl Creek, very close to the church named Shiloh, the peach blossoms fell on the drum.” (54) The peach blossom at the end gives a sense of calmness and peace.  Joby is no longer afraid of the war, and he is ready for the war the next day. In the end, Joby had recognized his importance to the war.

     The peach blossom throughout the book symbolized the changed Joby goes through. He used to be an afraid, scared boy and now he is a strong and brave solider. I finally recognized my importance as well as Joby’s.

Blog Post #5

Title: Maximum Ride (The Angel Experiment)
Author: James Patterson

   "Maximum Ride (The Angel Experiment)" by James Patterson is about these six kids: Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel who is made up scientists in a place called School. Max and the five others were created by combining human and avian DNA; so, they can fly. They used to live in cages and the scientists would torture them like they were an experiment until two years ago, they escape-all six of them. Now they were living on their own, but that's not the end. The Eraser as they called it, is part human and part wolf, and mostly Max and the five of them are their main prey. Even though they were trained to fight, but the Erasers were much stronger than them. The youngest of the group, Angel is recaptured and the rest fly back to School to rescue her as well as going across the country to find their true parents and identity. Family is an important theme in the book.

 In the beginning of the story, Max and the others were morphed in to a family unit. "The six of us- me, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel-were made on purpose by the sickest, most horrible "scientists" you could possibly imagine. They created us as an experiment. An experiment where we ended up only 98% human and the other 2% had a big impact, let me tell you." (2). in the quotation, Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel were made, and not blood related. Ever since they had escaped from the School, they depend on each other even though they are not related. After Jeb, their supposedly father had die, they were off to themselves. Everyone worked together to make living possible. For example, every morning Max makes the breakfast, and Fang helps him, and Angel picks the strawberries someday to make cakes. Throughout the story, Family came up as an important theme in the story.

 When Angel is recaptured by the Erasers, Max and the others work together to rescue her."But actually, Nudge, Fang, and I are going to look after Angel. You and Gasman- I need you to stay here. Hold down the fort. On the off chance Angel escapes and makes her way home" (34). They decided to split up in the benefit for Angel and that was the plan they came up with- Max, Nudge, and Fang was going to find Angel and Iggy and Gasman stay here hold down the fort for when she comes back. The fact that Max is even thinking of saving her shows how much he and the rest of the others care for her. The School is guarded with strong and furious Erasers who if seen, will tear them apart. Even though the quest is dangerous and they might kill themselves, they still want to try because Angel is a part of their family, even if they are not related. Family is an important theme throughout the story.

When they finally rescue Angel and had successfully escaped from the School, they are on a journey to find their parents. Angel had noticed that they were real babies born from real human mothers. "I heard that Nudge and Fang's mom and dad thought she had died. But she hadn't...Iggy's mom was dead when he was born...Angel and Gasman's parents gave them to the School... I didn't hear anything about Max. Nothing." (222-223). As soon as they knew they were not made, they were off set to find their parents, but it's strange that nothing had been heard about Max. Even when in New York City they did not find any files about his parents while the rest of the five did. At that point, Max could have just left and abandon them because they all found their parents and where they are, but he didn't. Max knew that he had to find their parents for them even if it meant dying himself. He was the leaser and nothing could have been more than seeing his family so happy. Family is an important theme throughout the book.

 Throughout the book, family is an important theme throughout the book. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel did not abandon each other. When the youngest Angel was captured, everyone was set to save her even if its danger for themselves. When they found out they had parents, Max did not leave them considering the fact that him, himself did not have any information on his parents. I think that everyone needed each and every one of them. Without one member, it seems like something is missing. They had been together for years and even if they are not related, nothing is going to break them up. Family is an important theme in the book.

Post #4

Drummer Boy of Shiloh
Ray Bradbury

      When I was little, I used to be always compared to my older sister who’s tall, pretty, talented and smart. I hated when my dad compares my test score to hers. It almost happened all the time. I remembered him saying, “You should get 100% like your sister did.” All my family depended on her and for that I hated her, envy her, wished that I was the one who got the higher grade. I almost wish that she didn’t exist at all, until this day when things changed.

       I came home tirelessly from school, knowing that scolding waits before me. I had gotten an 85% on my English test. I don’t want to open the door, knowing that my sister will probably be laughing at me, thinking I’m stupid. How would you flunk that easy test, it’s almost impossible. I still had to face it, so slowly I opened the door and walked in. Waiting before me was a birthday cake. I forgot it’s my birthday today, and they didn’t. I wanted to laugh, to thank them, but tears rolled down my cheek, it was of happiness. “We know that you’ve tried your best all these years, and we want to reward you for all the hard work you’ve done” They did notice, they did know all the things I did, and even if they didn’t say it, they’d put it in a spot in their heart. For once, I was importance to them, I was recognized.

       This was similar to what happened to Joby in The Drummer Boy of Shiloh by Ray Bradbury. The peach blossom throughout the story signified Joby and how he had changed.

       The peach blossom in the beginning of the story symbolized Joby’s feelings and reactions to the war. “In the April night, more than once, blossoms fell from the orchard trees…fell swift and unseen, struck once, like panic, which jerked the boy upright. In silence he listened to his own heart ruffle away, at last gone from his ears and back in his chest again.” (49). Joby feels very cautious, even the slightest sound can wake him up. He knows that the war can happened at anytime and he is alert. Through this quotation: “Beyond the third-three familiar shadows, forty thousand men, exhausted by nervous expectation, unable to sleep for romantic dreams of battles yet unfought, lay crazily askew in their uniforms.”(49). We can see that Joby and the other soldiers’ are looking forward to the war; they think that the war is a way to escape from where they’re before. At the same time, they were nervous and afraid that they will die.

       The peach blossom in the middle of the story symbolized Joby’s confusion of the war. “The boy turned on his side. A moth brushed his face, but it was peach blossom. A peach blossom flicked him, but it was a moth. Nothing staying put. Nothing had a name. Nothing was as it once was…” (51). From the quote, it seems like that Joby kind of regrets being a drummer boy because it says that nothing was as it once was. He had to face the war right now, and it’s not the romantic battles he once used to think. Joby doesn’t understand the war. He doesn’t get the purpose of a drummer boy’s job; he doesn’t want to face the war now.

       The peach blossom at the end of the story symbolized Joby’s recognization of the war.  “Good. And, God willing, many nights from tonight…I was the drummer boy at the battle of Owl Creek or the Tennessee River, or maybe they’ll just name it after the church there. I was the drummer boy at Shiloh.ʼ Who will ever hear those words and not know you, boy, or what you thought this night, or what youʼll think tomorrow or the next day when we must get up on our legs and move!” (54). Joby finally recognize the importance of a drummer boy and how much the war needed him. He realizes this through the general’s encouragement. The drummer boy is a big part of the war because it gives the soldiers’ hope that they will win the war. “He lay next to it, his arm around it, feeling the tremor, the touch, the muted thunder as, all the rest of the April night in the year 1862, near the Tennessee River, not far from the Owl Creek, very close to the church named Shiloh, the peach blossoms fell on the drum.” (54). The peach blossom at the end gives a sense of calmness and peace. Joby is no longer afraid of the war, and he is ready for the war the next day.  

       The peach blossom throughout the book symbolized the changed Joby goes through. He used to be an afraid, scared boy and now he is a strong and brave solider. I finally recognized my importance as well as Joby’s.

Notes

Title:North Of Beautiful

By:Justina Chen Headley

     I can connect to the fact that she always thought herself would be prefect. She had always thought that in other people’s eyes, she is the most beautiful and the most popular. It is a disappointment to her that during ballet class, someone call her ugly, I kind of sense that she felt more depressed than angry because she might have felt that she is not perfect enough. She now goes on a diet and exercise everyday because of these comments that she is getting. I think that Terra shouldn’t be so mindful of what people look at her because beautiful doesn’t come from the way you look; it comes from your heart.

     I think that Terra is not always happy with her beautiful look and enviable body. I think that it is not because she is not perfect. It’s just that she is too perfect. I have a feeling of thought that her friends and her boyfriend are staying close to her is because the way Terra is looking. They judge her by the way she looks. A quote say by Terra’s boyfriend, Eric, “Why not fix your face” It clearly shows that Eric is thinking that Terra is not perfect enough for him, apparently, he only likes the way Terra look and not her actually person. What did Terra get in the end anyway? Nothing, for all these years, she has been caring about her face and the way she represents to others. Everyone is staying because of the way she looks, but what if she isn’t perfect? Would her friends still stay? Will everything be the way it is? I have no answer to this, but I think everyone will abandon her because her friends accept her as if she is perfect. And if all of the suddenly, she isn’t anymore, they will probably leave her. This is probably the reason why she wanted to be perfect because too many people are judging others by the way he/she look. I think Terra doesn’t want to be alone and that is why she is trying very hard to become the way they want her to be, which in my opinion is not right.

     I think the reaseon why Terra is so concerned with her looks is because she wanted to stand out of the crowd and I think she thinks that appearance is the only thing that she is confident. I also think that Terra is forcing herself to be someone she doesn't want to be, she is trying so hard just to be popular. Is she so ashamed by the normal, her? Like what's wrong?

Blog Post #2

What I Think About This

              
      In Heaven's reading response of "For One More Day" I find it interesting that this book is so realistic and just having the real word issue. I especially like the fact that you said "you should always treat others well and to really appreciate the time you spend with your family, because you just never know when there not going to be there and you won't have the chance to do anything about it" because I think that for those of people who didn't experimence their loved ones not being their with them will not understand what it felt like when you have so much things to tell them, but they can't hear you. I agree with your interpertation of the lesson in the book, and I think that you shouldn't wait until you lose something to finally realize how much you love them, and how much you need to tell, all those words...

     In Kimberely's reading response of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" I find it really interesting that Gregory and you related in common situations. I ca also relate to the fact about how our mom can potentically ruin our summer when they think thats what's best for us. I think that Summer is a time to relax and have fun, and like putting everything down and take a break after a year of education. So I think that after a tireless year, we should be able to enjoy the vacation and do what we wanted rather than having someone control what we do. Overall, I agree with your point and that it is essential to have freedom and just do what ever you want especially during the Summer!

Blog Post #3

  North Of Beautiful
  By Justina Chen Headley

      North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley is about Terra, who is a young beautiful girl who loves to be “Beautiful”  She is almost perfect with the exception of the port wine on her left cheek. Even though she had tried many surgeries, but it had not been removed.  Terra is looking forward to going to college so she can hide away from the ones that bully her, but unfortunately, her mom and her got into a car accident. Later on in the book, she met Jacob an they form a close relationship as well as their parents. I think the author is trying to tell us appearence doesn't matter, what matters is who you are inside, what's a beautiful is the way you are not what you are.
     
     In the beginning of the book, she is so concern with her look, even her boyfriend judge her by her cover. For example:Terra had a port wine birthmark on her face, and Eric said, "Why don't you fix your face." This shows that her boyfriend cares about appearance.Terra doesn't want her boyfriend to like her because she is pretty, but it just isn't the way it works. From the start, Terra had always wanted to escape from where she live because people are bullying her. I can feel that everyday Terra had to live in a world fear and worryiness. But in the end of the book, this thought has changed.

    A quotation from the book:
     “Maybe we don’t have the same definition about what’s beautiful. So define it. Define true beauty.” . . .

     Without looking at Jacob, I said slowly, “Well it seeps into you. It doesn’t make you forget yourself, but totally the opposite.” I chanced a glance at him. He was watching me intently. No glaze in his eyes. So I continued more bravely: “It connects you with everything and fills you with awe that you share the same space with something that glorious. Like a sunrise or a clear blue day or the most extraordinary piece of glass. And then suddenly” – my hands escaped their tight grip in my lap, and now my fingers splayed wide like fireworks in the air – “you have this epiphany that there’s more to the world than just you and what you want or even who you are.”

    As decribe above in the quotation, Terra she describes "beauty" in a very literate way, she refers it to the sunrise, the clear blue sky, and a piece of extraordinary piece of glass. She refer "beauty" to something beautiful and sort of calm, whereas in the beginning she thinks that beauty is all about appearance and being perfect.
   
     I think in the end Terra really understand that appearance isn't everything. If she puts down herself being so perfect all the time, she might just find the world more exciting and that there is more outside. I think that Terra really finds herself in the end, now she is much happier and being herself.  And in the end of the book, Terra started to care less about her appearance and what others look at her, rather, she started to discover things around her; like Jacob who loves her, his mom who had been supportative to Terra's family ever since after the car accident, and mostly the world around her, the places she can go, the things she can do without any pressure whatsoever.
    
     Overall, and in the end, Terra had learned that what's beautiful doesn't had to always be appearance, but it can be something inside you that you haven't notice. And now she does, truly. Life does not revolve around being perfect all the time, there is more to it... beauty as it define above is a surise, a clear blue sky...something beautiful that comes from the nature and mostly inside you.
     
    

Blog Post #1

Title: Marley&Me

Author: John Grogan

     Marley&Me by John Gorgan is about John and Jenny, two love couples who is now married and living their life together. No one knows that after they brought Marley (a yellow lab puppy) home, everything changes. To be exact problems emerged.

     Marley grew up to be a 97pound Labrador retriever. He cause many problems such as crashing through the screen door, eat jewelries and couches, jumping out of cars, and more. Life for Jenny and John was full with drama. Eventually they decided to send Marley to an Obedience school, but he was expelled on the first day. Even so, John did not give up on Marley.

    After having two baby boys, Jenny let out all the angers on John and Marley. So when Marley wrecked open the couch cushions, she lost her temper. “I mean it,” she said. “I’m done with that dog. You find him a new home, or I will.” The book said. Jenny seriously wants Marley out of the house, but John doesn’t. “I was not ready to give up on him”the book states. With all the stress Jenny is under, he couldn’t possible talk her out; so John hatched a plan to train Marley to be a better dog and to prove Jenny that he was worthy of it. John trained Marley to Sit, Stay, Down, Heel, and Over. And at last Jenny accepted Marley and he was reenrolled in to Obedience school. All of these show that no matter how undisciplined, how recalcitrant he was, John did not give up on him.