Nonfiction Reading Response #2

           According to the article, United Nations Panel Calls Hormone Disruptors a “Global Threat” by Brian Bienkowski and Environmental Health News, hormone linking chemicals are the main threat to the health of humans and animals. These chemicals are the organic pollutant chemicals such as, DDT and polychlorinated biphenyls, and ubiquitous chemicals such as biphenol A and phthalates. This had been growing increasing over the last decade. These chemicals are referred to as a global threat, for that it had been spread across the continent. Many people look upon this chemical as a living threat to humans and that it had to be eliminated, however, others thought it isn’t a bad thing.

            Chemicals like DDT and polychlorinated biphenyls are a major threat to humans and animals, “[They] are now banned in the U.S---traveled the globe, persisted in the environment and caused severe population declines in some wildlife species” (Bienkowski 1). These chemicals are very quick at spreading and contaminating the environment which resulted in the decrease of wildlife. Humans are not killed from this chemical, instead, their health is directly affected.

Such diseases include male reproductive problems, pregnancy complications…obesity and brain development. Many factors can cause such diseases, but the report concludes that given how fast some of these are rising, environmental chemicals are likely playing a role (Bienkowski 1).

            Even though these diseases can’t be comparable to cancer and other untreatable sickness, but they can be quit complicated. For example, pregnancy complications can directly lead to the development and growth of their offspring. It may also lead to stillborn and other severe problems. Obesity and brain development can lead to a person’s ability to remember, and to learn. Reproductive problems can interfere with a person’s ability to reproduce.

            DDT and polychlorinated biphenyls are still a threat to us, but other chemicals such as the bisphenol A and phthalates are found in everyday products (Bienkowski 1). These chemicals can come in direct contact with us and cause health problems. These chemicals are known as pseudo persistent because they don’t stay in the environment for long, but we expose to them all the time so it’s would have the same effect as if it was persistent.

            There had been more than enough evidence to prove that these chemicals are harmful and that it should be banned. But on the other hand, the government agencies and industry groups are not so convinced of this. In responding to the threat of DDT and polychlorinated biphenyls to wildlife, they say that, “…particularly killer whales and harbour seals. Both have high levels of PCBs and flame retardants that accumulate in ocean ecosystems” (Bienkowski 2). This means that this chemical only kill whales and seals and not all the animals. In responding to human threat, they made a point that, “…very low levels of human exposure to BPA through the diet are unsafe” (Bienkowski 2). There isn’t enough people who are being expose to these chemicals that are having health issues and they stated that the chemicals in the food does not have a major effect on humans. “Unless we know where the chemicals are used, and they’re tested, it’s tough to make informed decisions on how to protect people” Woodruff said. Many of these chemicals had not been tested, so scientists cannot decide whether or not it is absolutely harmful to us.

            Overall, I think that even though these chemicals had not been directly proved to be harmful, they should still be banned due to the health complications that it might cause. I think that if these chemicals are ban then there wouldn’t have been so many arguments on if it’s good or bad.

Work Cited

Brian Bienkowski and Environmental Health News. "United Nations Panel Calls Hormone Disruptors a "Global Threat": Scientific American." United Nations Panel Calls Hormone Disruptors a "Global Threat": Scientific American. Scientific American, a Division of Nature America, Inc., 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

Website: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=united-nations-panel-calls-hormone-dispruptors-global-threat

Reading Response~anything #1

Title:Walden

Author: Henry David Thoreau

In the book, Walden by Henry David Thoreau; human beings and natural things melted together without conflict, opposition, and the separation of social status. To Thoreau, nature actually exists and it was the mixture of the universal things. It was opposite to the ill-condition society. He hated the business society that was full of the stink of money because people in that society had become their own working tools. He said, “Business curse all it ran, you couldn’t get rid of the curse of the business even if you ran gospel of heaven,” He thought that to accustom the business atmosphere would ruin the characteristic of American. Thoreau needs to find a way. One of the ways was flying back to nature, for that only nature could purified people’s heart. They could get rid of the erosion of the luxurious material life and live a kind of, “true life,” which can be harsh, yet simple. He said that, “If one would like to live a and wise life, then it was not a hard thing for one to make a life, but a way of entertainment.”

Thoreau had his own ideas on education. He thought that education meant going deep into life and placing oneself in the world, no matter what you love or hate about the things discovered in it. When talking about running a school by himself, he said that he teaches not for the benefit of his compatriot, but for their livelihood. He also emphasized that human should pay attention to one’s own moral uplift without minding other’s thoughts. They should find and persist in the kind of life that fits them.

Walden was a milestone of the development of American culture. The book reflects the basic idea of Transcendentalist, which had been part of the American culture. Thoreau wrote in the conclusion part, “However mean life is, meet it and live it: do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not as bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault-finder will find faults even in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poorhouse.” Those words reflect the writer’s faith of life: the poor the life is, the higher the people’s spirit is. Humans should try their best to reduce the pursuit of materials in order to pursue spirits in a higher level. I really like the writer’s attitude toward life. He said, “Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends. Turn the old: return to them Things does not change: we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts. God will see that you do not want society.” Nowadays in a world full of material desires, I think his words really reflect who we are. Maybe most of us cannot accept Thoreau’s idea mention in the book, but his book blamed the destroying of society and denied the progress of the society, which had a reality meaning to modern society.

Reading this book reminds me of those people who work hard to earn money, waste them to buy luxury and expensive things in order to entertain themselves. In my point of view, they may easily lose themselves, and though their bodies are full, their minds are hungry. The real life is to make everything simple and enrich our heart and soul. In a word, just simplicity, simplicity and simplicity!

One of Thoreau’s thoughts about solitude attracts me deeply for that I’m the person who likes to be alone. When Thoreau lived alone in the woods, people did not understand him, even Emerson thought what he did was wrong. But I do think that Thoreau’s life was successful, meaningful and happy. I think that success and happiness of life all come from the exact same value. When you know what the value of yourself is, meanwhile you can enjoy your life according to the value every time. You will find that you will have full of energy and enthusiasm everyday to do anything. The most important thing is that your heart is peace and calm.

Last but not least, I envy Thoreau so much for that he lives in a beautiful and comfortable natural environment. He can breathe the fresh air, live with wild animal friendly, and appreciate the scenery of the Walden Pond. Meanwhile in modern society, people pursuit their own interest to kill and hunt animals, cut down trees, and pollute the environment. As a result, the number of wildlife is decreasing, the area of lake is shrinking, and the water is not pure anymore. Environmental problems such as global warming, and climate change had become increasingly serious. This book made me be more aware of the environment and also to realize the harmony between human and nature.

Nonfiction Reading Response #1

   According to the article, Why America’s Kids Need New Standards for Science Education by Anna Kuchment, science education needs to be improved. It is said that in America, barely any high school gets education on areas like Earth and space science. Thus, a group of scientists, educators and policymakers decided that what we need is the Next Generation Science Standards. This designs what we should be learning at each grade. It is a comprehensive set of K-12 students’ expectations for different areas of science: Earth and space, life and physical. This standard has to be made due to the fact that too many people are damaging the environment without out knowing that they are. The only to solve this is by teaching. Learning about the Earth, the environment, and the world around us can tell the kids what we should and should not do. Just by integrating the science programs in the state, it allows the kids to learn more and up-to-date information. This cannot be convinced by only textbooks and words, it has to be done through hand-on experiment with a full understanding of the subject. These are all the things that the New Generation Science Standards encourages. Even if our generation is the one polluting and harming the environment, we should at least make the most effort to assure that the generation after this would be different.

       Wysession convey this message through flashbacks of how we, humans are the main threat to our own environment:

And I thought about the long string of volcanic eruptions, rapid climate swings, tsunamis, droughts, floods, and other geoscience catastrophes that have routinely devastated the human population and prevented any one civilization from lasting very long. Then I thought about the nearly unbelievable changes that we humans were making to our planet, most certainly replacing the 10,000-year-old Holocene Epoch with the new Anthropocene Epoch. And I wondered how we would know at what point these human impacts would be severe enough to justify replacing the 65-million-year-old Cenozoic Era with a new era, the Anthropozoic Era, the sixth major extinction of life, brought about by the current dominant agent of geologic change on our planet (Wysession).

This quotation illustrates the many aspects and how we change many things. It also shows the fact that many people have been the long term causes of these devastating disasters. Even though many humans had been wiped out, we contribute to the start of these disasters as well as geologic changes. These things occur because humans don’t know about the damages that it can make; we don’t know that we need to protect the environment we live in. And we shouldn’t be blamed because we had never been taught well enough to keep these in our mind. This is where Science comes in, children, from as young as 1^st grade to learn and realize about the environment around themselves. Every tree being cut down reduces less oxygen for us, every piece of garbage we litter; every smoker, car driver, factory worker are releasing harmful chemicals into the air. “It is well known that most Americans get nearly all their science education after they leave high school” (Wysession). Education starts early and we need to make sure that kids get all their science education before high school.

What America needs is the Next Generation Science Standards.

       The Next Generation Science Standards benefits students in many ways. It not only insures that kids get all their science education before college, it also integrates other important things as well. “They integrate concepts of engineering and technology and develop ties to the math and English “Common Core” standards” (Wysession). This helps to bring more lively classes as well as not always staying on one subject. It helps the kids to realize how everything is related and how everything works together. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) also have listed the steps for a kid to understand science:

The aim of NGSS is to identify what students can do, not what they know. After all, if you want to know how many planets there are, you can always look that up on the web. If you want to understand why they are important and how they function as part of a system, the solar system, then there are a set of practices you should do, which the NGSS identify as (1) Asking Questions and Defining Problems, (2) Developing and Using Models, (3) Planning and Carrying Out Investigations, (4) Analyzing and Interpreting Data, (5) Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking, (6) Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions, (7) Engaging in Argument from Evidence, and (8) Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information (Wysession).

The NGSS created this list to insure that every student studying science will have a full understanding of it by the time he/she walks out of high school. Words in a textbook cannot summarize what happening outside of the classroom. We need well-trained scientists and teachers who would work with these kids on projects, hand-on activities, and even as simple as going on a field trip to observe plants. Every outside experience contributes to a major part of the kids understanding of the subject. Reading words is not as the same as feeling it. When you see it and feel it, you have a clearer visual imagine of it and you actually see what the condition it lives in, in person! These are the things that a book, a picture, a magazine cannot tell you.

       Overall, I think that the New Generation Science Standards is really efficient and helpful. It takes science to a whole new level and it makes it so that everyone can understand it. NGSS is providing the opportunity for you, me and all of us to know about the earth, the environment; so that we know the importance of our surroundings and how to protect them. I hope that NGSS will be presented to all the science programs in schools around the city.

                                                                 Work Cited

Kuchment, Anna. "Why America€™'s Kids Need New Standards for Science Education Budding Scientist, Scientific American Blog Network." Why America€™s Kids Need New Standards for Science Education. Scientific American, a Division of Nature America, Inc., 8 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2013.

Link:http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/budding-scientist/2013/01/08/why-americas-kids-need-new-standards-for-science-education/

Creative Reading Response

The Great Gatsby 

By F. Scott Fitzgerald

   In the eye of Nick or most readers, Gatsby is great. As a child, he dreamed of wealth and luxury, and he has attained them with his own power. But as for me, Gatsby is great for his tragedy. 

     In Gatsby's entire life he has perused two things, one is spiritual comfort, Daisy; the other is materialism. However, what he is always long for, at last, becomes illusions.

     Five years ago, Gatsby felt helplessly in love with Daisy when he was a young officer in WWI, World War One. But Daisy married Tom for his wealth. Since then, Gatsby decided to win his love and his success in whatever ways. But the glamour and excitement of American life has affected Daisy a lot. She has become materialistic, vain and selfish. Gatsby has made a wrong choice at first for that what he wanted never exists. 

     “Her voice is full of money.” Gatsby is clear about reality, but he can’t get rid of his dreams. So he had to cheat himself and found many excuses for Daisy’s abnormal behaviors. “Five years next November.” For five years he is alone to run after a dream which no longer exists. Poor Gatsby! His loneliness was typical in the vivid picture of the modern America in that era. His romanticism is that he has devoted all his “magic” to an image, which leads to his ultimate destruction.

     If Gatsby’s spiritual comfort is a bubble, his material pursuit can also be concluded as a fail. There exists a national ethos of USA in which freedom includes a promise of possibility of prosperity and success. “Life should be better, richer, and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability regardless of circumstance of birth.” Gatsby hold this belief firmly in his heart. He had had strict demands on himself and cultivated good habits in his youth. But it was impossible to become wealthy without illegal trade, which at least proves true at that era in America. Being a bootlegger, he made a fortune, even though there was a law that forbade selling and drinking of alcohol. 

     If the whole society was not in the wrong way to seek fortune, fame and power, then Gatsby wouldn’t have done these criminal activities. This likes a scam. Gatsby seemed to be a piece of the chalkboard of the American society. At last, he became very rich, but the upper old class, well bred and far more refined, didn’t accept him. 

    Tom’s shameless affairs, Myrtle’s violent death caused by Daisy, Gatsby’s framde killed, these crimes went unpunished. Older generation, like Tom and Daisy, would just be “careless”, no fear, and no judgments. A social order has developed the benefit of classes rather than simple human being.

    I witness Gatsby’s kingdom became foam. The world of parties, bright lights, heavy drinking and jazz music suddenly disappeared, turned into disillusion. Gatsby’s life is like a leaf floated onto the ground, covered by the dirt, quietly. 

    What is tragedy? As Lu Xun said, “Tragedy is valuable thing that is doomed to be destroyed and we see the process of its destruction, doing nothing.” Whatever the wealth and Daisy had brought to Gatsby, one thing is clear; he feels neither peace nor any real pleasure. His attempt to fulfill his simple beautiful dream is like a boat rowing against the current. I can’t help clapping for his persistence. In a basis of sense, he is like a worshipper before a shrine.

Social Action Reading Response #2

    
     Suppose that you lived in a world that’s without fear, pain, warfare, poverty, hunger, or terror. It would be a perfect world, what they called a utopia. But even so you have to realize that in order for it to be a perfect world; you have to take away the most important elements of life such as feelings, love, diversity, choices, and even the ability to see colors. If all of these parts of life are taken away, that will not be considered a life. Life would be without feeling anything, just living and living and doing what you are told without any feeling towards anything. You end up doing something just because someone told you and that are how it’s done and that is what u is supposed to do. In The Givers by Lois Lowry, the community written is not a utopia.
    
     A job is an essential thing that we, the people have. It represents us; it’s something that we like and want to do. If it's so important, shouldn’t we enjoy it? In this "utopia," created in The Giver, job is not a choice. Other people choose what you are going to do as your job. For example, Fiona was assigned Caretaker of The Old, a job she really wanted, but what happens if she starts that job and decides that she really doesn’t like it? She can't change jobs because she lives in a world where she doesn't have a choice, where she can't run her own life, where all of her choices had been already made by others. By not having these choices, several tragedies have been seen. This man said, “I heard about a guy who was absolutely sure he was going to be an engineer and instead he was assigned sanitation laborer. He jumped into the river and swam to the closest community, no one saw him again." Having elders chose every job for everyone and expecting things to run smooth is completely unrealistic. How can you know what u want to do for the rest of your life by the age of twelve, when I was twelve all I wanted to do when I grew up was to be a fireman? Now I am eighteen and I want to become a chef, who knows that I won’t change my mind again within the next year? No one can predict what they would like to do for the rest of their life by the age of twelve. Having others decide what your going to do in the future is just an example of why the community written about in the giver is not a utopia.
    
     How can you love something that you have never really met it before? By having your wife chosen for you, no one is getting the chance to falling in love, the butterflies in your stomach as you try to ask someone out, or the sad feeling of being dumped. When you have never experience these feelings before in your life, how can you truly love the person that is assigned to you? This is a world where you can't feel anything for anyone, where you can't love your friends or your parents, where you can't have a girlfriend because you are assigned a wife. This community is where people are perfectly matched, but people can change who they like in a matter of time. In life, sometimes two people think they are made for each other and get married, but after a few years they get divorced. Why? Because they've changed and they don't longer want to be together. This can’t happen in this community because you are assigned the perfect match by the elders. If you have these feelings that you do not love the person you are assigned you must be wrong because the elders have found you your perfect match. "The community was so meticulously ordered, the choices so carefully made." (Chapter 6, pg. 48) Without experience of true love, this community is not a utopia.

     In the book, you have to apply for a child. How lame is that? In our world, people have the choice to adopt a baby and raise them as their own. It’s a wonderful thing that helps a lot of children have great lives when otherwise they wouldn’t. But also in this world people can have children of their own. Isn’t it so happy to see a couple pregnant and when they choose a name for their children? Isn’t it so pleasant? When you decide to get a child in this book, you receive them at the age of one with a name already assigned to them. How can this even begin to compare to the true experience of having a child? It can’t. Utopias can’t exist in this community because they are a hypothetical situation where everything is “perfect” But a perfect world can be different for everyone. This community is not a utopia.

     Everyone wants to have a perfect world. But it’s really pointless. Perfection doesn't exist. Utopias don't exist. No one is perfect. Living in a world that conatin absolutely no feeling, no humor, and no conflicts will be boring. Everyone is different and that's what makes us unique, each and everone of us...

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>.