Bad Girls Don't Die - Sumer Blog 3 7/5/15

Writting Prompt: If you could change what you're reading, how would you change it?

          Just so the reader understands, this book is about a family who lives in an old house. Long ago at this house, a little girl died because of some school kids that thought she was a witch, and was weird because she over obsessed with dolls, which was inappropriate for her age. The family that lives there now is not ordinary. The mom is always working, the oldest daughter is semi-goth and is rebellious, the youngest girl, though 13, is over obsessed with dolls, and acts like a little kid. The dad seems to be disliked, or ignored, most of the time, by the rest of the family. Recently the 13 year old has been changing. Her blue eyes go green sometimes, she starts to talk with lauguage that hasn't been used in many years, and she can't remember her actions sometimes.

          Something I would change is the length it took for the story to get interesting. I felt the build up time to the interesting parts took too long, and I was starting to get bored with the book, when I had barley started. It almost took 100 pages for he story to take off. This isn't the the first time this has happened, but in the long run, the very long build up helps me understand the story more. Though the long build up can be helpful, it can be annoying and uninteresting, that's why I would change that part.

          Another thing I would change is the amount of explanation used for Alexis, the semi-goth, rebelious oldest daughter. She has pink hair, is very rebelious, and hangs out with the "Death Squad". This sounds like someone who might be the goth type, yet she is described as a person who will not wear all black, or all the black, dark stuff, that people would expect. Especially not go to the extremes (spiked necklaces, black veils with spiders on it, etc.) Like her "best friend". I would change it so she was expliained a little more. Maybe her styles, or her attitude. Something that will make me understand Alexis al little more.

          Though there are things that I might think of changing, I would rather have this book just the way it is, then change anything about. The unexplained things, the over exlplained things, the unnecessary things, are all part of the book, and I wouldn't change a thing about it.

       

Famous Last Words - Summer Blog 2 - 6/27/15

Writing Prompt: Write a journal entry as if you were a certain charcter from your reading.

          I just went through my stepfather's computer, and I found some pretty weird things. First of all, he seemed to have some very specific information about the murders. I know this might seem crazy, but I think he might be the murderer. Reed came up a few minutes ago and took the computer away, becuase he was going to give it back to Jonathan. I was freaking out becuase I was opening files I wasn't suppose be openeing, and I forgot to close the window. Fortuantly I came up with a good enough lie, and Reed didn't suspect anything. At lest that's what I thought.

          Jonathan, my stepfather, had the dates the people went missing, there intials, and the names of the fake directors that tricked them into coming to the place where they got murdered. Along with that, he also had the movie that the death scene was being used from, and a chart that furthered my suspicions. I don't know what is going on, but I sure do hope that the murderer isn't a person living in my own house.

          I tried to tell Reed, Jonathan's assistant, about it, but he denied it. I hope he doesn't think I'm crazy. Although he seemed p-retty calm about it. Like he was sure Jonathan wasn't the killer. Could Reed have anything to do with it...nah. I'm going to do some research on this. I'll tell Wyatt about this at school tomorrow, and see what he thinks about it. I'm sure he will help me figure this out. He always does.

          This whole situation has just got me really confused. I don't know what to think anymore. I haven't heard from the ghost in a while. That's good, I guess. I just hope I find some information that proves me wrong about my stepfather being the Hollywood Killer.

Famous Last Words - Summer Blog1 - 6/25/13

Writing Prompt: Is the setting described well enough that you can put a picture of it in your mind? Why or why not?

          Just so the reader understands, I am reading a murder/horror book. It is about a girl who moved to hollywood with her famous stepdad and ordinary mother. There is a murderer that kills people by reanacted famous death scenes from well know movies. Along with that, the main character, Willa, sees strange things that no one else can see. Her "visions" seem to tie in with the murders. On top of that, she is being haunted by a famous movie star that killed herself in Willa's new house long ago. As all this happening, she is also having trouble with her "friends" at her new school. Of coarse there is a love interest, in this case it's her stepfather's assistant, Reed. Though Willa thinks he is perfect, there seems to be another guy that she is starting to take interest in: the school weirdo, Wyatt.

          At times the setting is described so well that I can picture all the details as if I were living in that moment. At other times, the setting is described well and I can picture it, but not well enough so that I feel like I am there. Then there are times where I feel the setting is described in a way that is not very detailed, and it is not always easy to picture what is happening, or what the setting looks like. Although, overall I would say that this book gives great detail most of the time, and I can often picture the situation in my head.

          An example of a moment when the setting was outstandingly detailed would be, "Her house was light brown with a pointy roof nad colorful flowers everywhere. It looked like Hansel and Gretel's cottage -- if Hansel and Gretel had been millionaries. Marnie's bedroom was much pinker than I would have expected, with fushia walls and a huge white fairy-tail bed. A makeup vanity with a biground mirror was pushed up against on wall, and the chandelier above the bed dripped with teardrop-shape crystals. The carpet (what you could see of it anyway, between piles of clothes, books, and papers) was plush and white." I feel this grives very good detail to what the room looks like. I could picture the room very well.

          An example of when the detailing was not all that great would be, "It was a nice room, with a big window looking down over the backyard. The furniture was heavy wood and clearly eaxpensive...The pictures on the walls were of fruit and sailboats." I do think that there i8s good detailing being used here, but I just feel like more detail could've been used, or more of the room could've been explained.

"Paradox and Dream" Reflection

"Paradox and Dream" Reflection

Paradox: "Americans overindulge their children and do not like them; the children in turn are overly dependent and full of hate for their parents."

          This means that parents will do whatever they can to make their children happy, even though the parents dislike them, and the children will continue to be rude and mean to the parents. Also, that parents might do to much for their children, which makes the children hate the parents.

          I can relate to this because I have seen a case like this many times. I have seen some of my friends constantly be rude to their parents when their parents have tried really hard to make them happy. I have also experienced this, becuase I am this way too.

Paradox: "Our lives as we live them would not function without electricity, but it is a rare man or woman who, when the power goes off, know how to look for a burned-out fuse and replace it."

          This means that, even though we spend most of our time around and using electricity, we don't know how to fix it when it gets broken. If our phone stops working, we won't know what to do to. In turn, we go to the phone store. What we do is we look on Google looking for the answers, but if our device isn't working, then we can't look on Google, and we won't know what to do.

          I can relate to this because I have been around when a person freaks our when their phone stops working and they don't know what to do. I think that it is true that ..."it is a rare man or woman who, when the power goes off, know how to look for a burned-out fuse and replace it."  I have never seen a person try and fix their problem when a power outage occurs. They just assume it will turn back on itself, and so they wait in the dark. I've always wondered how we can be so involved in technology, and not know how to use it.

Symbolism - What Represents Me (5-15-15)

          I think a pineapple represents me. The reason I feel a pineapple represents me is becuase it is different on the inside then it is on the inside, like I am. A pineapple is hard and has spike like things on the outside. On the inside it it soft and juicy. People might think of a pineapple as a hard weird food that wont taste good. Then they see the inside and they think differently becuase it is soft and has a more friendly look to it.

          I think this represents me becuase I am quiet and shy on the outside, and that's what people think of me. On the inside I am fun, crazy, and the exact opposite of shy. People might think of me as a quiet, shy girl, but when they get to know me, I turn into someone completely different. Like a pineapple seems to turn into something completely different.

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Final Reflection

          One of the three most important things I have learned this year is: How to write a proper paragraph. Before Mrs. Larson's class I did not know about topic sentences and all that, and now that I do, I can write a proper paragraph. I am glad for that.

          Another important thing I learned was all of the new words and vocabulary that are now in my personal dictionary. The words like melancholy, dismal, and mediocre, are now words that I can use in my everyday life to make my sentences more sophisticated.

          A third important thing I learned this year in Mrs. Larson's class was how to write an argumentative essay. Before I don't even think I knew what that was, but know I can write one and persuade my reader in any direction I want them to go. Outside of school that might not be an important skill I will need, but I am glad I learned it just in case a moment like that comes up.

          Something we did last year that I think I will remember for the rest of my life is, how to write a paragraph correctly. Whenever I write a paragraph, whether or not it is in English class, I always remember to include a topic sentence and supporting details. I know that I will always remember these skills and will use them for all of my life.

          The nicest thing someone in our class did for me this year would probably be someone putting down my chair. It might not be a big thing but, you get what you get. Or the nicest thing would be all the parties we had and the people bring the treats. Even though the treats were for everyone, I count them as someone doing a nice thing for me. Either that or Mrs. Larson actually letting us have those parties and bring those treats, considering how much she doesn't like crumbs in her room.

          Something I taught my classmates this year is that...hmm...maybe that I'm shy? I don't know. I don't think I taught my teacher or classmates anything this year. If I did then I didn't realize that I had.

          My writing skills is the area that I have improved on a a lot this year. I thought I had already learned a lot of writing and that I was already a pretty good writer, but I learned some more skills. What my writing skills have helped me on is my blogs, article of the weeks (AOW), and the poems we wrote. I think that all the poems I wrote is something that I have accomplished that I am most proud of.

          The most challenging part of this year was the vocabulary we had to study every week. The AOW's were pretty hard at times as well. The vocabulary was a challenging part because we had to study a lot of words (a lot in my opinion) in a week and we had to memorize the definition, part of speech, AND spelling. The AOW's were challenging at times becuase we had to really think on some questions and sometime it was a lot of challenging work. In my opinion anyway.

          I think the best piece of writing I did this year was my Rose Poem (link included). I thought this was my best becuase I really thought about it and tried hard on it. I will always remember and be proud of this piece. I am also proud of the alternative ending I wrote for "The Lady or the Tiger" (link included). I think this is a great piece becuase I used great detail, and tried hard to create an interesting alternative ending. It is hard to choose form both of those but I think my Rose Poem wins that contest.

          Of the books I read this year, I think that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was my favorite book. I also liked the book Skinny. It is defiantly a hard decision. I just cant decide which one I liked better. They were both so great!

          I would give advice to the students of next years class by saying try hard, do your best, listen, and always do your work. I would tell them to really focus on doing your work, listening, and trying hard. Oh wait, that's all of them. Anyway, that is really the most important things you will need. There will be a lot of work. You just have to fight through it and try your best. Trust me, it will all be worth it in the end. If I can get through it, then so can you!

OMAM Blog - Analyze Ending - 3-11-15

Writing prompts:
1. Analyze the ending of the book versus the ending of the movie (Section 3)

2. What are your general thoughts, feelings, reactions of Of Mice and Men? What had the most profound impact on you or your understanding of the novella? Who would you recommend this book to and why? (Section 4)

         The flashback at the end of the movie shows George and Lennie walking away towards the sunset. This flashback leaves the audience with a sad feeling at the end of the movie. The reason it is a sad feeling is becuase it is the last time you see George and Lennie together, after Lennie gets shot. Also, the flashback is accompanied by sad, slow music, which adds to the feeling.

          At the end of the book the reader is sad, but the feeling is kind of taken away by the lines that came at the very end of the book. In the book, the reader feels less sorrowful then at the end of the movie.

          I think the director chose a different ending then what's in the book becuase you get stronger feeling with the way the movie ended, then how the book ended. In the movie it ends in a happy memory, and in the book it ends with all the men of the ranch gathered around Lennie at the brush. I think the director wanted the audience of the movie to have a stronger feeling and you get to see more of the sadness that Gorge felt, and it makes you feel extreme sadness as well. I feel that if the movie ended the way the book did, it wouldn't be as good. It is nice to change some things os it is  not exactly what the book is. Also, having an alternate ending might make a person want to read the book and see what that is like, and see how it is the same or different and how it makes them feel.

          The line of dialogue that ends the book is, "'Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them to guys?'" This line of dialogue tells the reader that the speaker does not know what has happened and that he does not know the importance of the situation. This line leaves the reader with a feeling of confusion and wonder. It leaves them with confusion because Carlson (the one saying the line) obviously doesn't know the seriousness of what has just happened. It leaves the reader with wonder becuase they don't know why he is saying that like he doesn't know whats going on, so the reader wants to know more about the situation, and how the people feel.

          I personally really enjoyed the book. I am not the type of person who reads a book more than once, so I would read this book again. If I was that type of person, then I would definitely read this book again. I can say that this is once of my favorite books and I would defiantly recommend other people to read it. I don't have a specific person or group of people that I would recommend this book to, but even if I did, I just think everyone should read this book and be familiar with George, Lennie, and the rest of the guys. The part where Curley's wife is being absolutely terrible to Crooks, is what had the most profound impact on me. There is no specific part that had a big impact on my understanding of the novella. It was all of it, really.

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